I have written (and rewritten) a blog about 2 proposed bills being sent to the 126th Maine Legislature about proposed changes in our current youth deer hunt. Here is the original blog with the bills, LD79 and LD101 explained.
Currently, in Maine, youth hunters are between 10-15 and become adult hunters at 16. They are allowed to begin their season a week before Maine residence, who can start the last Saturday in October and must be with an adult. According to the Executive Director of the Sportman’s Alliance of Maine, there are 16,000 youth deer hunters and their success rate is about 10%. The real issue that is being debated is, with the Maine deer herd in such rough shape, is it worth risking the health and growth of the herd to give these 16,000 hunters the chance to shoot does and bucks instead of just does.
What, if any, program do you have in your State? Does it work in attracting and keeping young hunters interested?
I am not familiar with such laws in Connecticut as my son is not old enough yet but I will look into it and get back to you on what I find.
This is a great question. I'm interested to see what the response will be. More and more sportsmen are starting to take conservation very seriously. This is indeed a much needed perspective. I represent the United Sportsmen's Youth Foundation. Maybe we can swap links to our blogs. I too would like to cover an article like this on my site as well. We're located in Northern IL.