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When did you start bows/ guns/ motorcycles with your kids?

1990GT50

1990GT50

Wannabe Rock God
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
182
Messages
80
Loc
Roseburg, OR
As the title states.... when did you introduce these things to your kid and when did you let them "try"? It seems like a dirtbike or similar is possible earliest as we already have the hot wheels action going well ay 2y. When it comes to bows, you need some strength and coordination. I dont want her to get excited about watching me forever before she can try.... internet said 8.... i thought much earlier. I think guns are even easier as less coordination is needed for pull/ release, but obviously more supervision required. Bb gun or 22 from a rest should be possible by 4 or earlier?? What say ye
 
I cant comment on kids.

I was given a BB gun when I was 3, and a .22 when I was 7. By that, I mean I walked around the pasture by myself and shot birds to keep myself entertained.

Go cart when I was 5, a dirt bike when i was 11.

I grew up with access to land and my folks had loaded guns at the doorways. The idea of keeping guns in a safe is still foreign to me.

Bows are for fags :flipoff2:
 
My kids was riding with me before 1 year and riding by himself without training wheels before 2. He shot his 22 the first time somewhere just after his seconed birthday.
 
I finally got my 11yo to enjoy her .22. She's had it and a BB gun for years, but didn't like shooting.

Out w the inlaws this weekend chasing rubber targets around a gravel pit. "That was fun, Dad!"

'Bout time! :rolleyes:

shooting.jpg
 
We got the girls (yes girls :flipoff2:) cheap air soft guns when they were 7 & 9. The following year they got kid sized compound bows, then they got BB guns

There have always been guns in the house. We made sure to teach the kids firearm and “pointy stuff” safety early on

We never got around to motor cycles, even though I had one when I was a kid
 
My kids had all 3 by 5.
 
No kids, but my personal experiences:

My dad was a workaholic and my mom was paranoid about anything cool so I didn't get a lot of exposure to that kind of stuff as much as I would have wanted. Really only got into guns and motorcycles because a couple of my uncles when my parents weren't around.

Got my first .22 when I was ~7 but had to keep it at that uncle's house. Don't think my mom knows about it to this day. :laughing:

Other uncle that was into bikes was down in NC that we visited a few times a year so I got a lot less exposure than I wanted to dirt bikes and 4 wheelers. My mom wouldn't let me anywhere near any of it, so I'd have to sneak off with my cousins to get to ride. Was probably 9 or 10 the first time. Got away with it for 4-5 years until they were building a housing development behind my aunt and uncle's land and I launched myself off a dirt mound and landed in mud and burried a bike and myself in mud up to my arm pits and had to have one of my cousins go get my aunt to come pull me out in a truck. :laughing:

Personally I don't think 4 is too young to start, but I'd be weary of it depending on the area. People can't mind their own business these days and I'd be worried about Karens calling the police or social workers about it.
 
I was probably five when I got a jr50 and a bb gun. I was around seven or eight when I got free reign with the bb gun. Then I got a ktm 50. My brother got the jr50 and bb gun at four or five and I was in charge of watching him. We didn't get firearms until nine or ten.
 
My son was riding a 250 Kawasaki Bayou at 5. Got scoped by a .243 Remington 700 at 6. Killed his first Turkey with a Remington 870 at 7. Killed his first deer with a Thompson Center .50 muzzle loader at 8. We've been shooting BB guns and .22lr since he was 4 or 5.

He's 22 now and I dearly miss our times sitting in the woods, riding, fishing, and camping. I loved to ride behind him and just watch him go.

I love you boy.
 
I don't have kids. I was shooting rabbits with my dads .22lr by 7yrs old and with a recurve by 11. Shot my first buck @ 8 and my first doves/quail and pheasants by 9. Had a mini bike @ 7 and a honda 90 @ 8, many bikes after that.

I was also abalone diving by 11
 
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Our kids are currently 27, 23, 19, 12. Boy, girl, boy, girl. We live on 30 acres of timber ground in a prime hunting area of Iowa, 5 miles of gravel from the nearest paved road.

The oldest two started shooting around 7 or 8 years old. Iowa has youth hunting seasons and they started hunting deer with a youth Remington 870 20 gauge around age 10 or 12. The youngest boy was a little older. The youngest daughter isn’t interested in shooting or hunting but she also doesn’t like loud noises.

They didn’t have dirt bikes but I bought the oldest 2 a Honda Recon 250cc four wheeler when they were early teens. They drove that thing to death, got it stuck multiple times and rolled it a time or two. The youngest boy rode it some too. I now have a Honda Rancher that my youngest daughter rides the shit out of. I also have a canam defender sxs that they can ride.
 
5ish when i started, bows, bb gun and 5 mini bike with briggs engine.
both both my boys crickets at 4 years. same minibike at 6.
 
I got a BB gun when I was six, learned to ride a motorcycle about the same time I learned to ride a bike at 8, learned to drive about 9 or 10, but times have changed. I taught my daughter to shoot at 10, and she was driving my trail rig around the desert at 12. No motorcycles anymore.

Taught my nephew how to shoot a few months ago, he's 18. He wanted one of my dad's guns, nice stainless 10-22. I said he couldn't have it until he learned some gun safety rules and how to shoot. We started out like I did with my daughter and my dad did with me, old crusty bolt action single shot .22. Same rifle in fact. Shot that all day, then the next day I made him show me he could load and unload the rifle, dry fire it, and clean it before I let him actually shoot it. He now understands firearms so I had him help me clean everything, then put them all back into the safe, including the 10-22 because he needs more trigger time before he can take it home. Need to have him fire some larger caliber rifles and some pistols, maybe a shotgun, before he can take it home.
 
My kid's 5 1/2, he'll be on a dirt bike soon as I finish the thing provided he's ready for it, likes being pushed around on it without it running at the moment but I'm not sure he'll be as down when it's making noise on its own and he's in control. Haven't started him with guns just yet because I don't think he listens well enough for it to be safe.
 
I started riding when I could kick start my own bike. Probably 5 or 6. Bb gun around 7 and 22 around 10. I'll probably do the same thing for bikes with my kid. Probably start him around 5 or so with bb guns and when he can show he's mastered that from a safety standpoint start him on the real stuff.
 
Life time VT hunting license at 4 months
Power wheels at 1.5
polaris outlaw 50 at 3
mini z 120 at 4
knife at 7
pellet gun at 8
bear compound at 10
polaris sportsman 570 at 10
just got him a Indy 550 that will be his Xmas present, he’ll be 11 in January
hookers and blow tbd
 
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my son shot a 38 super open gun before he was 3, my daughters started at 5 ish. my grand daughter not so much. the 5 year old grand son loves the marlin lever 22. my kids all shot machine guns before they were teenagers. hell I cant remember how old on a bow. I got and old Honda 200sx 4 wheeler that they must have put a million miles on when they were little. I have a 250 trx that the grand kids ride. neither are interested in my 700xx yet.
 
I can't remember when I got my first knife but I know my mom's parents weren't to excited about it. I'm thinking 4ish and have pretty much carried one every day that I wasn't at school since.
 
My son started with a BB gun about age 5, pellet gun around 11, single shot 410 and 22 around 7, 20 gauge around 12...he’s 14 now and very respectful of firearms.

my older daughter with the BB gun around 7, 22 around 9/10...but that’s the extent of her wanting to shoot guns. She was there when my son shot his first deer.

simple string bows are the only thing my two older kids have shot around the age of 7 and 9. My daughter has shown a lot of interest in bow hunting. Just haven’t had the funds to buy her one. Hopefully next year once we get passed this fakedemic.

no dirt bikes. But scouring craigs for over a year looking for a good deal. Apparently the brand name stuff holds its value pretty well.
 
I started with a .22 at 2 years old. My boy did too. He's 3 now and begs to go shooting at least once a week.
I never had a bb gun until I bought my own at....10 or 12?
Got a Briggs and Stratton 2hp mini bike at 8. Immediately drove it into the back of my uncle's classic mustang.
Bought my own dirtbike at 12.

My boy is rocking 2 wheels on his bicycle now, and is pretty good at rolling out of a crash, so I'm shopping for a dirtbike.
 
I started mine both at 5 riding on an xr50. That bike is on a shelf in my shop and has taught countless kids how to ride. My rule was you needed to be able to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Got them both henry mini bolt 22lrs one xmas, so one boy was 3/4 and the other 5/6(?). Still have them in my safe and hope to give them to their kids some day. my boys are 20 and 22 now. time flies, so whatever you do...get out there and start as soon as you can, hold on and enjoy every.single.second. of it. it will be gone before you know it.
 
Contrary to popular belief, all kids are different and your kid will be different.
 
I took the kids jeeping to Moab when they were 3 and 1.5 years old. Made special arrangements with seating, to keep them safe, but didn't stop me from hard trails. Although I did take them out of rig when I was potentially getting stupid. They got their first rifle at birth. Dad's a gunsmith, and they're heirloom rifles, albeit .22. Didn't shoot them until they were 5 or 6. Got a BB gun at same time and shot it a bit... but got bored easily. Nurf is more fun. Took oldest to Hunter's Ed at barely 7. Was youngest kid in class. Passed with flying colors, but, did have some issues with reading comprehension of the testing material. The instructors provided clarity and he was good. He went hunting that year, and every year after, although he only 9 and I haven't given him a hunting rifle or bought a tag yet, as he's too small to shoot a cartridge large enough to harvest an elk with his limited skill set. Daughter was going to take test this year, (at 7) but Washington cancelled in person hunters ed, and online requires you to be 8. Next year. They got a PW50 dirt bike at age 5, and it's handed down from kid to kid. Again, the kids prefer the bicycle to the dirt bike. Go figure. Looking for a 110 now, but haven't found the right deal. Kids are now 9 (boy), 7(girl) and nearly 4(girl). edit; already started basic driving (the jeep back and forth to bus stop),, can't reach pedals but working on steering. Boy does pretty good. Girl goes from ditch to ditch, then back to first ditch.... you get the picture. Another edit; the Pw50 dirt bike had training wheels (since removed), that's a nice option, as kids weren't good at biking yet, but really makes it hard to turn. Also added extended foot pegs so I could ride behind them to help.
 
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grumpy356 said:
Contrary to popular belief, all kids are different and your kid will be different.
Click to expand...

Ya don’t say? Never knew that, are sammich makers different too?
contributions to a thread about our children would be much more appreciated than what you offered up.
What this is for op is a reference as to when children might get the advantage to have more responsibility.
You are correct, all children are different.
 
My pops got me a .177 crossman pump pistol when I was 3 ish. Then a .22 pellet gun a year later and then a .22lr semi auto rifle at 5. He also got me a savage 99 to hunt deer with when I was 6 but didn't shoot it until I was around 8. That ended fast when I ended up putting a hole in the neighbors house on the other end of the woods from our backyard. I guess .250-3000 has some decent penetration though pine saplings. Haha
 
Hmm, bought a recurve for daughter and I to share when she was 6 or 7. Got her shooting pellet guns around the same age. Every session started with safety commandments.took her to gun range around 12 and she enjoys it.
 
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