Steven Rinella

If there's been a trend in hunting regulation structure, a surprising trend is that states have tended to, over the years, lower barrier to entry.

When I was growing up in Michigan, you couldn't hunt at all until you took hunter safety.

You couldn't hunt with a firearm till you were 14.

We did not pay attention to that rule.

My dad was not interested in that rule.

Uh, you could be, you had to be 12 to hunt with a bow.

You couldn't hunt with a bow until you took hunter's ed.

Now they leave it up to a family to decide when a kid can hunt and they make it that you can hunt for a number of years with a mentor who's within arm's reach before you need to go and take your hunter's ed.

I generally support, not generally, I support that deregulation there to make it easier for people to participate out in the woods with their little kids.

I live in the state of Montana.

I think Montana's got it just about right.

A 10-year-old can hunt with their parent or a person designated to mentor them.

They can start at 10.

they can hunt two years and then they're obligated to take hunter safety.

Gotcha.

So you can, so when my kids turn 10,

I hunt with them, I'm their mentor.

They're right here with me.

Like they don't do, unless I say do it, they don't do it.

They're right there.