Think Back --- Way Back

[Oct.1]

I’m looking for some information from the over 50 crowd.

Do any of you remember if we ( and note I say we) were required to have a hunting license for deer or small game under the age of 12?

The reason I ask is because I was only 8 years when I took my first deer with a bow. I don’t remember hearing anything about a deer license being required or a minimum age. I also know that from the time I could carry a BB gun that I was hunting squirrels and rabbits. I even remember when my dad took me pheasant hunting with my BB gun. Sure I was a kid enjoying nature and learning gun safety with my dad and his friends but again I don’t remember any minimum age like there is now.

[Airoh]

I remember that I was shooting bow alot when I was 10. That was in 1963. My dad said I needed to be 12 to go hunting. So I know you had to be 12 in 1965. And probably had to be 12 at least in 1963.

[Liver and Onions]

I remember needing to get a small game license at age 12 and a deer license at age 14. It sounds like I'm 2 years older than Airoh.
A deer at age 8 with a bow ? Are you related to Mitch ?

[Oct.1]

L&O,
No, not related to Mitch.
I shot Archery, in the Junior division for the Macabeze (sp) club. My instructor was Mrs. Fedderman.
My dad bought me my first bow at 6. By 8 I had a white fiberglass recurve. 23 lbs. My first major competition was held at the Detroit Sportsman Congress. I placed 2nd. I've had a bow in my hand almost as long as I can remember.
This particular hunt was at a farm somewhere around Atlanta.
I arrowed a doe, took my dad and uncle most of the day to find her.
Just wondering if kids needed a license back than. (1955)

[Hamilton Reef]

I started squirrel hunting with my father at 7-years old, 1954, and got my first small game license at 12 in 1959. I carried a shotgun during deer seasons until I got my deer license at age 14.

My first gun was of wood using my fathers gun as a pattern. He had a single barrel Sears 16 GA full choke "White Powder Wonder" that he got when he was 12-years old in 1922. My wooden gun is now on a deer plaque with 4-pt rack that I shot on our last hunt together before my father died. In the 2" space between the wooden gun and the 4-pt above the gun are all the hunting memories.

[boehr]

Interesting question, I'm trying to find out.

[Oct.1]

Boehr,
Thanks for taking an interest in this question.
I believe it was the consensus years ago that you didn't need a hunting license to hunt until you reached a certain age, and today you are not allowed to hunt until you reach a certain age.
For example: Fishing. You are allowed to fish without a license until you are 17, but when you reach 17 you are not allowed to fish without a license.
I believe hunting was the same way. You were allowed to hunt without a license, but when you reached a certain age you were required to have a license to hunt.

[Bushwhacker]

Man, you got me really thinking back. First off, I grew up on a farm in Barry Co. and I can't remember a time when I didn't have some kind of gun, always got a Roy Rogers set of cap guns for Christmas, (my favorite was Lash Larue, but he didn't put out cap guns) or as someone else said a wooden long gun carved out of a board. Got a Daisy Red Rider at 8 or so to help keep the sparrows and pigeons out of the barn and keep the chipmunks on their toes, also learned that you don't point a gun at something you don't want to shoot, such as livestock, your dog, or the barn windows. Started carrying Dad's .22 single shot around age 10, used to take it in the evening when I had to go round up the cows for milking, and pot at woodchucks, red squirrels, crows. We hunted squirrels in the Fall during the season and I can't really remember worrying about a license. I believe it was 12 yrs. old when I got my first one, and it was a big deal to have your back tag on your jacket when you went to school. Hunted deer with Dad until I could carry a shotgun at age 14, I still have a back tag from 1958, when I was 15, but I think the age was 14 to get one. As I said, we were hunting small game alone at probably age 10, and noone thought about a license. I can remember the neighboor boy and I trying to sneak up on ducks on a pond in our back forty. Don't remember getting any, but I never bought a duck stamp until after college. We always followed the hunting seasons and bag limits, however, and you cleaned and ate what you shot.
Those were the days when you started hunting deer on your farm, but might hunt for a couple miles through three or four farms, and never see a "No Hunting or Trespassing" sign or another hunter that wasn't one of the neighbor farmers or their kids. Those darn city slickers just didn't hunt around there or else went "Up North" to hunt deer, and nobody believed that anyone would try to stick a deer with a bow and arrow, what a joke.
Just as an aside, Dad grew up hunting and trapping in the Delton area in the 30's and can remember when they first saw a whitetail in that area it was a big deal, so I think the deer herd is doing pretty well compared to the good old days.
Bushwhacker

[MIBow]

I am not over 50 (just turned 47), but I guess I am close enough.

Like Bushwacker I grew up on a farm and always had some sort of gun in my hand. I started with BB guns. I did my best to keep pigeons and varmits off the farm property. At about the age of 10 was entrusted with a very old 22 single shot. This was the gun I was alllowed to take on the deer drives the local farmers would take part in.. I was never allowed to have it loaded though! I remember wanting to get one of those back tags SO BAD, and would get to wear them on my coat after season (sometimes). More popular around our farm was pheasant hunting. The birds were very plentiful and fun to hunt. I grew up in Kalamazoo County (on the road dividing the townships of Richland and Galesburg) What a great time to be a kid. There were few distractions for sure!!!

By the time I got into junior high school, I had discovered music and wanted to be a rock musician (Beatles and Rolling Stones on Ed Sullivan!!). At that point, my 22 was shelved for an electric guitar and amplifier and I diverted from the outdoors for quite sometime.

Sure is fun thinking back!!
sorry if I got off the topic too far

[David G Duncan]

I am going on 58 years old.

For some reason I seem to remember going hunting with my Dad, for squirrels, when I was 11 in 1955, but it is possible that it was when I was 12.

However, prior to my first hunt my Dad had enrolled me in an extensive hunters safety course, which was not mandatory at that time. The course was taught by a local dentist (Dr. Howe in Coopersville) and amounted to about 20 hours of class time, complete with the history of fire arms and gun powder ending with time on the .22 shooting range.

I did go deer hunting with a rifle I had to be 14, but I think I could have gone deer hunting with a bow at 12. Back in 1956 bow hunting for deer was unusual.

[boehr]

The reply that I received, although I take no credit for the answer or can ensure the answer is correct but.........

In reviewing the old hunting guides, it appears the law first went into effect for the 1970 hunting seasons.

To some extend this is still misunderstood, as a person is prohibited from securing a license to hunt until 12 years of age. There is no law that prohibits a person from hunting until 12 years of age.

[Oct.1]

Boehr,

I'm still confused.
Let's do a break down.

1. Prior to this law going into effect in 1970 was a person under 12 required to have a kill tag to hunt deer?
2. Was a person under 12 allowed to hunt small game on public land without a license?

OR; to make things easier is there place where I can review the old hunting guides?

[BEAGLEMAN]

I started hunting small game in 1955 when I turned 12. But I don't know if this was my Dad's rule or DNR's.

[Airoh]

As I remember you could not hunt big game with a bow until you were 12.

You could not hunt big game with a gun until you were 14.

A big game license allowed one bear or one deer of choice with the bow. Or one bear or buck with 3" antler or more with a gun.

If it was OK to hunt big game before these ages it would mean the DNR was penalizing bowhunters by making them buy a big game license two years sooner then gun hunters. I don't think the DNR would make a law like that back then.

I started small game hunting with bb gun and wrist rocket at around 8 without a license. sparrows, starlings and such. don't remember if it was legal or not.

This is all from memory, it would be nice to know for sure.

[boehr]

As my post said, I can not ensure the answer is correct. From my memory, which I can't say is any more correct than where I got the answer from:D I don't believe the answer is correct. I'm guessing that those hunting guides referred to are in Lansing, I only have them back to 1980. I'm going to continue to check around to see if I can find some positive proof, something in writing. If anyone else happens to save their old hunting guides from when they were a kid, might help us out if they can find something.

I do have an old reproduction of Michigan Fish & Game Law Book put it is way prior to what we are looking for, it's for 1887.:)

By the answer, I take it to mean prior to 1970 there was no age limit by law to purchase a license.:confused:

[Oct.1]

I am not able to move this to: Questions about Mi. Hunting and Fishing. This post is being continued under Questions about Mi. Hunting and Fishing.