My 12 year old stepson wants to hunt. I have no problem with it other than I have no idea how to get started in it. I have perused the website and it seems that I need to get my license/take the course, but it was horribly vague on where and when the courses are. Does my kid need to get a license as well? Is he able to shoot? Can he hunt with a .22 rifle? How does interstate hunting work?

 

Thanks for any and all help you can give to a complete novice.

 

Christopher

Go on the.... NJ Division Of Fish, Game and Wildlife and scan the Hunting section....Hunter Safety Courses, Requirements and Laws will get you started in the right direction.

My 12 year old stepson wants to hunt. I have no problem with it other than I have no idea how to get started in it. I have perused the website and it seems that I need to get my license/take the course, but it was horribly vague on where and when the courses are. Does my kid need to get a license as well? Is he able to shoot? Can he hunt with a .22 rifle? Only on private property and quarry is woodchuck only. How does interstate hunting work?

 

Thanks for any and all help you can give to a complete novice.

 

Christopher

 

New Jersey: offers a home study course for hunter education and then you attend a one-day field session with an instructor….. 10 – 15 years of age; qualify for and receive course completion card which can be presented to a license agent which will issue a “Free Youth hunting license”….. Youths ages 10 – 13 must be accompanied by a properly licensed adult 21 years of age or older. At age 16 youths may purchase their license.

http://www.state.nj....gw/hntedcls.htm

 

Once he gets his hunter safety certificate, he needs to produce this to procure a license and hunt in PA or NY if you want to hunt out of state. (You need to be 12 to hunt in NY & PA. NJ is only 10.)

I'm not even sure if there's space left for enrollment anymore since it's April already. I was also interested but at the time, the gun shops didn't have the DVD from the state yet. Something about arriving late due to insourcing the DVD production this year..... Best to call before driving there to confirm they have the free DVD. I have no idea why they didn't just make a youtube version of it.

I believe everything is online. http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/hunted.htm

 

http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/hntedvideo.htm

Only thing you can hunt in NJ with a 22 is squirrels and such. Better to get him a 20 ga and get out for the fall...

It will be some of the best bonding you will do with him, and keeping him in the woods and teaching him stewardship and conservation will keep him out of trouble.

My 12 year old stepson wants to hunt. I have no problem with it other than I have no idea how to get started in it. I have perused the website and it seems that I need to get my license/take the course, but it was horribly vague on where and when the courses are. Does my kid need to get a license as well? Is he able to shoot? Can he hunt with a .22 rifle? How does interstate hunting work?

 

Thanks for any and all help you can give to a complete novice.

 

Christopher

 

In NJ you must be 18 to hunt with centerfire or rimfire rifles, and even then (as Parker said) it's limited to hunting woodchucks on private land.

Only thing you can hunt in NJ with a 22 is squirrels and such. Better to get him a 20 ga and get out for the fall...

It will be some of the best bonding you will do with him, and keeping him in the woods and teaching him stewardship and conservation will keep him out of trouble.

Muzzleloading rifles .36 cal. or less are legal for squirrel in designated areas. .22 rimfire is not legal for squirrel in NJ. With a trapping license, you can carry a .22 to dispatch game, but you cannot hunt with one unless on private property and then only for woodchuck. Raccoon and possum may be hunted with a .22, but only at night (1/2 hr. after sunset and 1/2 hr. before sunrise.) AND you need a rifle permit to hunt with a rifle in addition to a hunting or trapping license.

 

Rifle Permit

A valid rifle permit is required for coyote, deer, squirrel and woodchuck hunting with a muzzleloading rifle; raccoon and opossum hunting with a .22 caliber rifle; and for dispatching trapped animals other than muskrat with a .22 caliber rifle. Initial rifle permit applicants must be at least 10 years old and have successfully completed a rifle Hunter Education course. Rifle permits for 10 to 17 years olds will be valid only for muzzleloaders. No persons under 18 years old may hunt with centerfire or rimfire rifles. Rifle permits are valid from July 1 - June 30. A current rifle permit is required to purchase muzzloader deer permits.

 

The Digest is full of information. http://www.state.nj....11/dighnt11.pdf

Take a look at Newjerseyhunter.com . The guys there will be more than happy to help a new Hunter get started.

go onto http://www.huntercourse.com/usa/newjersey/

you can take the written test online and avoid the field walk and such which takes around 3 hours during the test. this costs like 20 dollars or so to do but it is worth it. it has videos and diagrams that explain a lot. when you pass you take this print out and give it to a to someone there that is working the test and then all you will have ot do is shoot and take a test.

My 10 year old just went through this. You go on the site and sign him up. Go pick up the book and DVD and a local shop. Make sure the book is filled out when you get there. Unless he is doing archery you don't have to bring anything but the book and id. Then get him a shotgun. He can almost anything with a shotgun. My son has a 20 gauge mossberg bantum.

 

If you don't have a hunting liscence take the class with him so you are legal too.

Thanks all for the good information. Much appreciated.

 

Waiting on my LGS to get the book/video. Looking forward to starting this.

 

C

FYI, if you weren't able to sign up for classes [because they were full/unavailable] they just posted a new schedule late last week. Lots of bow, a few shotgun courses with lots of openings.

 

https://www1.nj.wildlifelicense.com/ALS/course/course_report.php