9 Year Old Bags First Buck Leave a reply

Nine year old McKenzie Chambers tagged this magnificant mule deer buck on the Quarter Circle Diamond Ranch in Eastern Oregon last weekend using a Mentor Tag supplied by her mother. Oregon has offered the Mentored Youth Hunter Program since 2008 as a way to get youth involved in hunting again and from the looks of this photo it appears to be working. 

The program allows youth from ages 9 to 13 a chance to "try before you buy". Prior to the mentor program, which was started in 2008, youth in Oregon had to wait until they were 14 to take the hunter education class and hit the field. 

Even though Oregon's population has increased sharply since the 1980's the number of hunters dropped from 392,000 license holders in 1980 to just 260,000 by 2005. Oregon recognized the sharp decline and instituted the mentor program to get kids involved in hunting at a much earlier age and hopefully keep them hunting.

Under the mentor program kids age 9 to 13 can hunt with a qualified adult who agrees to teach proper gun safety and hunting ethics and also forego their tag or bag limit to the youth. This "one-on-one" time with an experienced hunter is invaluable in getting kids started in hunting and gives them a leg up when it comes time to take the hunter education test at age 14.

Oregon has enrolled over 4700 kids in this program since it began in 2008, many of which will continue hunting because of the program. Click HERE to learn more about the ODFW Mentored Youth Hunter Program.