Big Game Draw Age Requirement Confusion

[rossislider]

My oldest son will turn 9 this September. I already have him signed up for a hunter's education course at Bass Pro in November and had planned to put him in for the elk draw in January. However, after reading the regs tonight and talking with a couple of buddies I'm not sure if we can do this.

 

My previos understanding was that you could enter a junior in the draw as long as the hunt they were applying for occured after their 10th birthday. However, something I read in the regs now leads me to believe they must be 10 by the application deadline. But the regs really aren't very clear on the subject.

 

To add further confusion, I have one buddy who says his daughter's application was rejected for this reason. But I have another who said his application for his son, who also falls under this criteria, was successful in drawing a cow tag.

 

Does anyone know an absolute answer to this question? My son is chomping at the bit to start hunting and I would hate for him to have to wait a whole additional year.

 

Thanks

[coues.300]

Sean he can put in and go if he turns 10 by the time of the hunt as long as he has passed hunter safety course.

[123456]

Sean he can put in and go if he turns 10 by the time of the hunt as long as he has passed hunter safety course.

+1 What he said

[sjvcon]

Did you call Game & Fish? I think that if he is 10 by the time of the hunt, he's fine ... but I do remember having the same questions when my boys were younger.

[hawkens]

Sean he can put in and go if he turns 10 by the time of the hunt as long as he has passed hunter safety course.

+1 What he said

yup thats it !!!!

[azslim]

When I was teaching Hunter Ed they had had to turn 10 in the class or shortly after, I would talk with whoever will be teaching the class.

[Redman]

my son turns 10 in Nov, he completed the course in Feb when he was 9, he entered the Elk / Antelope draw this year (did not draw, but got a BP).

[rossislider]

Thanks for all of the input. My original understanding was the sames as Cody's (coues.300) and the majority opinion on here. It also sounds like the application process went fine for your son Redman. Hopefully everything works out as planned.

[Big Tub]

From the new Regs p 12:

 

"To hunt big game, anyone

10 to 13 years of age must have in their possession

a valid hunt or combination hunt and

fish license, a valid Hunter Education Course

completion card, plus any required permittags,

nonpermit-tags and stamps."

 

You can buy all the tags/ licenses you want at any time, but when he enters the field, he must me 10 and have the Hunter Ed card. Many years ago when my son took it, the instructors would not give out the card till the kid turned 10 so it needed to be near or close to the end of the course.

[Tdub]

When I was teaching Hunter Ed they had had to turn 10 in the class or shortly after, I would talk with whoever will be teaching the class.

This is the way it used to be. I took my daughter through the course in February and on the back of the name card this rule you listed was on it. I was worried so I asked the director and he said this was the old guidelines and old cards they were using up. They can take hunter safety and put in for big game hunts when they're 9 as long as they are 10 by the time the hunt starts.

[IA Born]

Yep. My daughter turned 9 two days ago and will be in a class this June. I've asked all kinds of questions and all answers are that she can apply any time, but has to be 10 for her hunt. Hunters Ed certificate doesn't become effective until she's 10, but it will prove as the required proof of completion for when I take her to Texas this November to hunt deer and hogs.