Introducing Kids to Hunting in Nebraska

Introducing a child to hunting is one of the most meaningful things you can do as a parent, grandparent, or mentor. Done right, it creates a lifelong connection to the outdoors, teaches responsibility and patience, and passes on traditions that are bigger than any single season. Done wrong — pushed too hard, too early, in miserable conditions — it can turn a kid off hunting permanently. Nebraska makes it easier than most states to get kids started, and the key is taking it slow and keeping it fun.

Youth Seasons and Permits in Nebraska

Nebraska offers several youth-specific hunting opportunities designed to get young hunters in the field before the general seasons open.

Youth deer season provides a special early weekend — typically in September — for hunters under 16 to pursue deer with a firearm before the crowds of general season arrive. Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult (licensed, but not carrying a weapon) who is at least 19 years old. This is an outstanding first deer hunting experience because the woods are quiet, the weather is warm, and there is no competition for spots.

Youth turkey season offers a similar early opportunity in the spring, giving young hunters a chance at a gobbler with lighter pressure and more patient mentoring conditions.

Youth small game has no separate season — kids hunt during the regular season — but Nebraska's generous pheasant, grouse, and squirrel seasons provide excellent opportunities for young hunters to build skills in lower-pressure situations than big game hunts.

Hunters under 12 in Nebraska are not required to have Hunter Education certification if accompanied by a licensed adult. At age 12, Hunter Education becomes mandatory. However, enrolling kids in Hunter Education early — at age 10 or 11 — is strongly recommended. The course teaches firearm safety, ethics, and regulations in a structured environment.

Start with Small Game

The temptation is to take a kid straight to the deer stand for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Resist that urge. Small game hunting is the best starting point for young hunters because it involves more action, shorter sits, and lower stakes.

Squirrel hunting is an underrated first hunt. Nebraska's timbered creek bottoms hold healthy squirrel populations, and a morning spent walking the woods with a .22 teaches marksmanship, patience, animal identification, and woodsmanship — all in a low-pressure setting where missed shots and mistakes are part of the learning.

Rabbit hunting in winter cover along fence rows and brush piles gets kids moving through the outdoors and teaches them to watch for movement and react quickly. It is active, exciting, and does not require sitting still in the cold for hours.

Dove hunting on a September afternoon over a cut sunflower or wheat field is fast-paced and forgiving. Kids get lots of shooting opportunities, the birds are challenging enough to be exciting, and the warm weather means no one is suffering.

Mentored Youth Hunts

Nebraska Game and Parks coordinates mentored youth hunts for deer, turkey, and waterfowl across the state. These organized events pair young hunters with experienced mentors and take place on managed properties with high game densities.

Mentored hunts are excellent for families where the parent is new to hunting or lacks access to private land. The structure, guidance, and high-quality locations give kids the best possible first experience. Check the Nebraska Game and Parks website for registration dates — these events fill up quickly.

Safety Education

Safety is the foundation of everything. Before a child touches a firearm in the field, they should understand and demonstrate the four fundamental rules of firearm safety: treat every firearm as loaded, never point at anything you do not intend to shoot, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire, and be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Practice these rules at home with an unloaded firearm until they are automatic. Practice at the range under controlled conditions. Then practice in the field during low-pressure hunts. By the time a young hunter is pursuing deer or turkey, safe gun handling should be muscle memory.

Treestand safety deserves specific attention. If your youth hunter will be in an elevated stand, they need their own properly fitted safety harness and instruction on how to use it. No exceptions. A kid who learns to use a harness from day one will never question wearing one as an adult.

Making It Fun

This is the most important section. The number one reason kids stop hunting is that they were cold, bored, or pushed to endure conditions that were miserable. A five-year-old does not need to sit in a treestand for four hours in 20-degree weather. A ten-year-old does not need to hike five miles through CRP in driving wind.

Keep hunts short. Two hours is plenty for a young child. End the hunt while they are still having fun, not after they have been begging to leave for an hour.

Bring snacks and warm drinks. A thermos of hot chocolate and a bag of beef jerky transforms a deer sit from endurance test to adventure.

Celebrate everything. The first time they spot a deer. The first time they sit still for 30 minutes. The first time they make a good shot at the range. Hunting success for a kid is not measured in antler inches — it is measured in moments that make them want to come back.

Let them set the pace. If they want to quit early, quit early. If they want to talk instead of being silent, let them talk. If they want to hunt squirrels instead of deer, hunt squirrels. The goal is not to fill a tag on the first trip — the goal is to create a hunter who wants to go again next weekend.

Nebraska's youth programs, generous seasons, and abundant public land make this one of the best states in the country to raise a young hunter. Start small, keep it fun, and the rest will follow.