Is age 4-1/2 too young?

I have been taking my son who is just over 4-1/2 years old along on my easier access county drain beaver jobs. So far it has not happened, but we will be finding live snared beavers this week. Im curious if anyone has experience with handling that with such a young one. I have a silenced MK2, so noise is not a concern. I know by the time I was 8 or so I had the maturity to understand the difference between animals and people and all of the life lessons that go along with that. Thoughts? Advice?

My kids always are with me. Not had an issue.

My wife did give me a look when my daughter at around 3 was packing around a dead muskrat petting it like it was a cat while I was skinning. So a asked her if she knew it was dead. " Yes but it's still soft" was her reply. She found her first morel earlier that spring by herself. She's 19 now with no ill effects.

Never an issue with my boy. He was going along soon as he could walk & shooting rabbits with his own .22 at age 5.

if the death part is your concern , they get it way better than a lot of adults.

we were butchering chickens with the kids around , around heck they pulled up their little law chairs to watch that was at a friends place we were doing cull hens and annoying roosters

we had yard birds when they were a touch older one day the neighbor kid came over he is a few months older than my oldest they were the same class in school , my youngest one was about 4 at the time.

neighbor kid asks where the chickens were at , he had liked to come over and watch them, 4 year old says I ate them, neighbor kid who is about 7 at this point "nu ah , no no way " I explained we hadn't eaten them all but we had eaten about half and the rest were in the freezer for eating later.
well kid leaves and comes back with his dad who I know so we had to explain chicken at the store starts like chicken in our yard white and full of feathers and that chicken on the yellow tray is the meat without the feathers.

none of my kids are ax murderers nor had bad dreams about chickens getting their necks cut even though they watched 2 out of 3 are adults attending college.

Yeah its the me standing there dispatching right in front of him that has me thinking the whole thing over. Thanks for your insight.

I’d explain it before hand. The way my My grandpa explained killing caribou to me and how i did to my nephew and son is to ask them first if they like caribou meat. This is how we get caribou meat. You can’t get drymeat without killing the animal first. I explained that taking a life is a big responsibility and the least we can do is show respect for the dead animal and the meat and fur we get from them. Don’t downplay anything. Let them know exactly what you’re doing but most importantly let them know WHY. That’s my two cents

Startm yung!

I had a customer say to my son “Adventure with grandpa today, huh?!”. Im 51 with a 4 year old, so I guess i might have to get used to that….

yup probably going to have to get used to that or start explaining how lucky you are to have a much younger wife

a friend of mine is in a symilar boat he has 2 kids in their 30s , a 21 and 18 year old and a 3 year old.

story goes the vasectomy hurt too much so he stopped the DR half way well half wasn't good enough several years go by he is thinking it worked cause wife hasn't gotten pregnant and then the year his now 21 year old daughter is graduating high school his wife gets pregnant

starting all over again he has grand kids older than his son.

the first 2 kids were with his first wife , the last 3 are the current wife , she is a good 10-15 years younger than he is

My first born. So blessed to have a last chance miracle that late in life. And yes my wife is ten years younger, She led me kicking and protesting to the best thing that has happened or will ever happen in my life, and i thank her every day.

im 63 with a 7 yr old,,,he was seeing and helping at 3. Farm life. He was seeing chickens die in philippines at 18 month. He was very curious. Him at 3

death is part of life

kids that know what death is dont play with guns

kids should know where food comes from. should be taught to respect wildlife. should be taught the role of humans in the natural world. we are the only species capable of management. its our job to manage so as to benefit all life.

It'll be just fine and a good opportunity to explain the circle of life!

Your Grandpa was a wise man.

My first time trapping with my dad I was 4. I don't remember it but they have many pics. I started my daughter at 4 and I explained everything we did to her. I didn't isolate her from anything and I feel she has an excellent understanding of the importance of what trappers do and how to do it correctly. Kids are a spung waiting to soak up knowledge. Teach them well they will be fine.

i waited till my older daughter was about 10 , to see me kill a coon , she never when with me again on trap line , my youngest daughter was with me hunting and trapping when she could walk, I would put her in pack basket , she love everything about the outdoors

Great parenting by all of you! Kids just want to be loved and included. I took both my son and my daughter with me trapping and only hear stories of positive memories.
They are both over 40 and have a background in trapping,hunting,guns,and just being loved by Mom and Dad. 4 1/2 is just right to have as a partner-enjoy it !

Maybe the vasectomy worked just fine? I the possibilities.


My kids killed their first two deer each when they were 7. I wouldn't let them deer hunt until they could consistently kill squirrels in field positions so they were personally killing squirrels before that. I can't remember their ages now.
My 9 year old has killed 7 deer and 11 year old 9 so far. The 11 year old would have many more but it setting selective. I have no clue how many squirrels, birds, or animals in traps they have dispatched at this point. All they want to do is hunt fish and shoot. Bows, guns, slingshot, knife throwing. Anything that moves a projectile. They are better outdoorsman at their ages than I was in my 20s.

Providence Farm , the boy is his looks just like all his other kids

he knows he only took the shell out of one barrel , then finally got around to pulling the second trigger and got a surprise.

Raised in NJ in the 50's we could not do anything until 12. But I walked with my dad and maybe three times he pointed his double 12 and lowered it to my level to shoot a sitting rabbit 10 or so yards away. Now I am bald, there must be some connection......jk

So the all the kids look like his wife then? That many years I would think the powder would have broke down and shell stuck in the chamber. Kidding of course... Well partially.

Strange things happen. My first kids were a one shot mission accomplished. Then my wife had trouble had two she lost. So had to have progesterone therapy with my 11-year-old. Will behold my 9-year-old was a complete surprise birth control baby no problems at all.

Take them as soon as they can breath. Our ancestors did and look how we turned out
I had my son in a trap basket on my back at a tender age of "not much."

I carried my 3 as soon as they was potty trained. I had a backpack I would carry them in.

I think there's a lot to this comment here. I think starting them young, like 4 years old young, is the key... BEFORE they get brainwashed by school and Disney. I remember watching Bambi when I was 7 or so. I think my mom was expecting me to get upset when they shot his mother. I wasn't a bit upset by it though... I was well used to deer being killed every fall by that point.

I started my boy going with me about that age and it didnt take him long before he wanted to make his own sets.

By the time he was in Jr High he was a pretty good little hand with a trap, a shot gun or 22, and a fishin pole.

All three grew up exactly like this.



I have picture of Morgan in pampers cutting caribou meat with a butter knife.

Been taking my daughter with since She was 4 and I went with my old man at that age. Soon as they can walk good there old enough.

Been bringing my kids since they were very little (probably 2 1/2 years). For the first couple years I just distracted them when I had to dispatch an animal, but they have both seen me shoot critters from a very young age and it seems to have not affected them either way - no nightmares, etc.
I expect if I had to do a fox or coyote it may be a different story as they look like a dog, but otherwise they are keen to see Dad succeed in the field be it trapping or hunting.

It should be required before a kid sees their first Disnsy movie

I have no kids , but I have nieces and nephews. My oldest niece 15 now usually harvest a deer every year and likes fishing . my nephew is 3 took him on trapline last year caught 4 coon that 1st trip out with me he talked about that trip to the woods for weeks lol. He is ready for coon season to hit in November. I bought him a raccoon do starter kit for his bday . the youngest niece is 18 months she will tag along with me prolly next season. All 3 of them no death because im always butchering quail, rabbits and processing deer in the fall. Kids are resilient and I think the earlier you show them this stuff the better understanding of life they get.

When oldest niece was 5 I was butchering rabbits at that time I had 100 does and bunnies everywhere . she never has shown a problem to it other than this day.

I'm out there butchering and one of our friends show up with there kid this boys 2 years older then the niece and not been around it at all they go play for awhile then the little later the niece and the boy come up and watch. We are explaining things to them my niece dispatches one and the boy lost it why did you kill that little bunny he cried . my niece looks at me and says well you've butcherd enough bunnies for the day you can stop. Lol pretty sure she was just looking out for the sensitivity of the boy. Because thats the only time she has ever said anything to me about stop butchering the animals

and the media lie begins for them

Well it did not happen today, but we sure had fun with dad workventure. Talked to the landowner, and he says he called the surveyor because two hobby trappers last season did not solve the problem. Typical around here. Thats what makes me worth the $ is how I look at it.

Thanks for all the thoughts and advice. Seems unanimous, and I most certainly will explain everything and I am thinking it might be a good experience to butcher and pressure can this first one since it will be his first time to witness the whole process. He loves canned beaver meat, so time to connect the dots.

Now that i have heard it from so many, I realize that what you are all saying just “feels right” and seems very natural.