Virtually every hunter education instructor gets a thrill from teaching new hunters and giving them the tools to be safe, successful, legal and ethical, said Red Nierstheimer, president of the Washington Hunter Education Instructors’ Association.

However, the Spokane volunteer supports current Washington legislation that seeks to set a minimum age of 10 for hunter education students.

“I’ve talked to instructors across the state and they say that starting kids too young just sets them up for failure,” he said. “Their attention span isn’t there and they might not even pass the class. And usually they’re physically not ready to handle a 20-gauge shotgun.”

Idaho already has a 10-year-old minimum age requirement. In Oregon, it’s 14.

In some cases, Nierstheimer said, parents have ulterior motives for starting their kids too young.

“I’ve volunteered to work the hunter check station at Deer Park on the opening of the deer season,” he said. “Ask a youngster a few questions and you can tell if they’ve taken their animal or whether somebody else shot it for them, because the kid doesn’t show the smile or excitement.

“It becomes clear who filled his own tag and who didn’t when the next kid comes in with a huge grin you couldn’t wipe off his face with a baseball bat.”

- Rich Landers/Outdoors editor