At 9 I would be more than willing to let him hunt alone (if the law permitted).

I personally think it is ok the way it is now.
Of course I am "old school" I guess is the right word and when my son started hunting with his own rifle at the age of 6 I was right by his side every second of the hunt.
I stressed safety and then stressed it some more.

By the time he was old enough to take the class he was already safe and in my opinion all the class did was make him legal, as he was already prepared and had passed the test more than once in my opinion before he ever took it for real.

I look at it kinda like the school system.
It is my job, as a parent, to teach him safety, not TWRA's.
I do think before the age of 10 very few kids could handle the classroom setting and soak it all in.
I do think, however, there are many out there that can take it all in and absorb what they need by hands on training by their parents.

I personally think it is ok the way it is now.
Of course I am "old school" I guess is the right word and when my son started hunting with his own rifle at the age of 6 I was right by his side every second of the hunt.
I stressed safety and then stressed it some more.

By the time he was old enough to take the class he was already safe and in my opinion all the class did was make him legal, as he was already prepared and had passed the test more than once in my opinion before he ever took it for real.

I look at it kinda like the school system.
It is my job, as a parent, to teach him safety, not TWRA's.

I do think before the age of 10 very few kids could handle the classroom setting and soak it all in.
I do think, however, there are many out there that can take it all in and absorb what they need by hands on training by their parents.

Here is my opinion.

You might have heard it already.

I agree with the hunter safety class for youths age
10-16. Anyone who handles a rifle in the woods with
other hunters around needs training. The hunter safety
class provides that although it is just a week class.

That being said, I totally disagree with letting a 6
year old kid on the hunt without the class. It makes
absolutely no sense to me.

If their parents train them to respect and shoot a weapon
at that age, and many do, and they become a responsible
hunter by age 10, then why do they have to take the class.

And its hard to explain to a 15 year old first time
hunter why they have to go thru it when a 6 year old dont.

JMO

I personally think it is ok the way it is now.
Of course I am "old school" I guess is the right word and when my son started hunting with his own rifle at the age of 6 I was right by his side every second of the hunt.
I stressed safety and then stressed it some more.

By the time he was old enough to take the class he was already safe and in my opinion all the class did was make him legal, as he was already prepared and had passed the test more than once in my opinion before he ever took it for real.

I look at it kinda like the school system.
It is my job, as a parent, to teach him safety, not TWRA's.

I do think before the age of 10 very few kids could handle the classroom setting and soak it all in.
I do think, however, there are many out there that can take it all in and absorb what they need by hands on training by their parents.

I concur, very well put Ruger.

I agree with the way the system is now except for one point...there has to be some sort of OJT/Life Experience exception in the rules or they need to schedule more frequent and more accessible classes.
I'm a Veteran, had 11 anti-terrorism classes, 7 Survival training classes, more First-Aid classes than I care to count. I can rebuild a .50 with a 20mm grenade launcher blindfolded with thick rubber gloves on. I've jumped from airplanes and parachuted into some of the most inhospitable regions of the world....
So I come to TN and learn I need this Hunter's Safety class to legally hunt. I explained my situation (hell, I have medals and paperwork to back them uP!!) Didn't matter...I try to schedule a class 3 times, but work/life got in the way. Finally took the online test (about 6 minutes) and scheduled for one of the shooting/testing days.
At my table, the adults congregated. There were 2 Green Berets, a wilderness Fire Fighter and a 56 year old retired Army Colonel.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's very important to educate the young ones but those 5 spots we filled up could have been better used by someone else.