Taking the young lady hunting

[Mr. 16 gauge]

This one is pretty much for all the ladies out there:
My daughter has expressed an interest, and has asked me to take her hunting when "she is old enough". O.k., I got no problem with that....my question is: How did your dad's introduce you to hunting? I don't want to treat her like a boy (tomboy?), and when it comes to firearms, I am not sure what to get. The youth model that I got my nephew tends to knock him in the shoulder pretty good, and he is pretty husky for a 12 year old. I thought about letting her use one of my 16 gauges, as I reload and can decrease the amount of recoil for her target loads. I have also thought about getting her a gas operated autoloader to help with the problem. Which brings me to the question of gun fit. Do you ladies out there feel that rifles and shotguns off the shelf fit you well, or would you be better served by a shorter stock? (I think my daughter will be somewhat taller than average.). Finally, as to clothing....do you find that you can do o.k. with mens clothing, or does it bunch in the wrong spots, not fit correctly is some spots or another, ect. I am thinking about such things as waders, camo jackets, shirts, ect. If she is going to spend the time to go with me, I want her to be comfortable. Thanks in advance.

[born2hunt65]

Well I am by far not a pro with kids and hunting but I can tell you what I bought for my kids. I bought my son a single shot 410 youth model. He is 8 and it fits him well. My daughter is 6 and has shot it also. It is a little big on her yet but the recoil does not seem to be too bad. Neither one complains that their shoulder hurts after shooting it. The 410 I thought wqould be a good starter gun and I'd get some years of use out of it before upgrading them into something bigger.
Born

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If it's brown it's down. If it flies it dies.

[JAM]

I recently bought a Browning BPS 20 ga. that was made for women, and it fits me just fine. However, I took it to a clay target range and the instructor there thought an auto-loader (gas operated) shotgun would kick alot less. I don't mind the extra kick and the Browning fits me fine. I'm 5'2", and so possibly smaller than your daughter might be, so you might want to consider an auto-loader, cut by a gun smith to fit her. As far as clothes go, when you're 12, boys clothing usually fits OK. Hope this helps. Glad to see kids getting started hunting!
Originally posted by Mr. 16 gauge:
This one is pretty much for all the ladies out there:
My daughter has expressed an interest, and has asked me to take her hunting when "she is old enough". O.k., I got no problem with that....my question is: How did your dad's introduce you to hunting? I don't want to treat her like a boy (tomboy?), and when it comes to firearms, I am not sure what to get. The youth model that I got my nephew tends to knock him in the shoulder pretty good, and he is pretty husky for a 12 year old. I thought about letting her use one of my 16 gauges, as I reload and can decrease the amount of recoil for her target loads. I have also thought about getting her a gas operated autoloader to help with the problem. Which brings me to the question of gun fit. Do you ladies out there feel that rifles and shotguns off the shelf fit you well, or would you be better served by a shorter stock? (I think my daughter will be somewhat taller than average.). Finally, as to clothing....do you find that you can do o.k. with mens clothing, or does it bunch in the wrong spots, not fit correctly is some spots or another, ect. I am thinking about such things as waders, camo jackets, shirts, ect. If she is going to spend the time to go with me, I want her to be comfortable. Thanks in advance.