How to get your kids into game shooting - Part 2 - First shots

So, your children have been out beating, and picking up and watching Mum or Dad shooting, and now you've reached a point where they are desperate to have a go themselves. But getting this transition from observer to participant is key -  get it wrong and they could be put off for life, but get it right and they’ll likely stick with it for the rest of their lives.

What age should my kids start shooting?

There’s plenty of debate around the ‘right’ age to introduce youngsters to shotgun shooting. Of course, a lot will depend on the child in question - their stature, relative maturity, and how persistent they are will all come into the calculation. There probably isn’t a ‘right’ age, but some time around 11 or 12 seems to be most common. A quick poll of the GunsOnPegs team reveals a spread between 10 and 13.

[If your kids aren't at this stage yet, check out Part 1 in this series, with advice for parents of younger kids]

Shooting lessons for kids

As with all game shots, we would recommend that the first step is on the clay ground, rather than throwing a youngster in at the deep end on a driven day. A lesson with a qualified shooting instructor - or better still, a series of lessons - will provide the fantastic grounding in the basics of gun safety, gun mount and technique, and ensure that when they eventually do make it into the field they stand a chance of hitting something.

I spoke to Nick Penn of Pennsport Shooting School near Newbury, who told me that they frequently give youngsters their first taste of shotgun shooting. “We tend to put a strong focus on a few key principles for youngsters to grasp in building a strong foundation to become a quality game shot.”

Key principles for kids learning to shoot

• Gun safety - what the gun is, how it works and how to hold it. 
• Gun etiquette- When to pull the trigger and when not too. 
• How to stand and how to mount the gun.
• Starting with the gun barrels pointing down.

Photo via BASC

At these early stages it is important not to put too much pressure on your kids - they have to have fun, not feel pressure to perform, as is eloqunetly explained in this article by a BASC Young Shots Journalist.

The last step - into the field

By now, your youngster is going to champing at the bit to get out on the peg. Having had a few lessons to get the grounding in safe and accurate shooting, they’ll think that they’re basically George Digweed. However, as we all know, there’s a big gap between shooting nice predictable clays and live quarry.

While the temptation is to get straight out on the peg on a driven day, that may not be the best course of action. I think my first live game experience was flighting ducks onto stubble fields, and it may be that something with less social pressure than a formal driven day is a better introduction, and will give a good grounding in fieldcraft and quarry identification. Duck flighting is one option, as is pigeon shooting whether in a hide or roost shooting.

When you eventually do make it onto the peg, it is imperative that your child has someone stand with them, probably for the first seaon or two. In the heat of a busy drive, it is all too easy to forget the safety and etiquette that has been learned over the years, and it can help to have someone who can offer advice on what to shoot, what to leave, give guidance when the inevitable misses occur, and help with marking pricked birds. Whether this person is yourself, or a trusted friend or family member, will probably depend on the child and the relationship you have with them - some kids just won’t listen to a parent!

BASC Young Shots Days

One great intermediate step between the clay ground and a peg on a driven day might be the BASC Young Shots Days. I remember attending one as a young lad myself, but since that was about twenty years ago, I spoke to Curtis Mossop, BASC’s “Head of Pathways to Shooting” who talked me through how these events run today. He explained that as well as introductory days at the clay ground, BASC Young Shots Days see budding game shots take part in a small-bag walk-one stand-one day.

On these days, participants receive 1:1 mentoring from experienced instriuctors, who offer guidance on safety and etiquette. “We try to start the day off by telling them which birds to shoot, and which to leave, but by the end they are making their own choices, and then the mentors might offer a critique of those choices - by the end of the day they should be feeling confident enough to judge for themselves which shots to take.”

Another key aspect of the day, says Curtis, is time spent with the gamekeeper, who talks the kids through the role of the gamekeeper, the work that goes on outside the shooting season, and how a drive works. At the end of the day there is also a session on game preparation and sometimes a chance for the children to try some cooked game.

Parents are welcome to attend these days, Curtis tells me, but are not encouraged to stand on the peg as a mentor, but rather to muck in with the beating. “We find that sometimes having Mum or Dad watching can make the kids a bit nervous,” he said.

In addition to BASC Young Shots days, there are some forward thinking shoots that run 'parent and child' shoots, often at a reduced price, that fullfil many of the same functions, though perhaps without the organisation.

One such shoot is Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, run by Al Benton-Jones, himself a father of two, who told me: "We are keen to promote shooting to all walks of life. I'm introducing my kids to shooting at the moment and think that a day like the ones we offer, with plenty of birds but a bit less pressure, is a great way to support young people getting into shooting. We put on early seasaon days at a reduced price, providing elevenses but asking guests to bring a packed lunch, to provide an opportunity for young guns get access to great shooting and to brush off the dust for the shoot before getting into full season swing."

Choosing a shotgun for your child

I, like many, began shooting with a .410, before progressing via a 20 bore to a 12 bore - an 18th birthday present from my parents. As we know, gunfit is a key component to shooting well, but where kids are concerned you have to factor in a number of things: they are smaller, and not as strong, so can’t manage heavier, longer guns, while their smaller stature also makes recoil something to think about. 

Again, the focus must be on ensuring that shooting is an enjoyable experience. Chris Horne, Managing Director of GunsOnPegs had a bad experience at an early age: “I fired my Dad’s 12 bore at an oak tree after a day at his syndicate, with a 28g 6 when I was 8 and that stopped me going near a gun for 5 years. I don’t know what Dad was thinking!”

This is why people tend to start on the smaller gauge guns, which are lighter and easier to handle. However, the smaller pattern thrown by a .410 can make shooting game a fairly demoralising experience. Unless your child is particularly slight, or young, you will probably do them more favours if you start them with a 20 or 28 bore.

The Browning Liberty Light is a shotgun designed for shots of a smaller stature

Shotgun fitting for kids

Gun fit is just as important for children as it is for adults, but where youngsters are concerned the focus should first and foremost be on the length of the stock: too long and it will be hard for them to mount comfortably. If buying an adult gun, you can ask your gunsmith to cut the stock down to size, but retain the wood so that it can be reattached when your child has grown a bit, thus avoiding the expense of having to buy another gun! Again, when it comes to barel-length it is wise to err on the side of shorter, to make the gun more manageable - 28” should be fine. 

Compared to when I started shooting, there are plenty of guns designed especially for those of a smaller stature. Guns like the Browning Liberty Light are specifically designed with shorter stocks and higher combs to fit kids, and come with three different recoil pads to help lengthen or shorten the stock as required. 

Top tips for parents introducing their children to game shooting.

I asked Curtis Mossop for the key points for parents to consider, and he gave the following advice.

• Get the right shotgun - Select an appropriate gun and calibre which best fit your child’s size and frame.  Do not automatically assume a .410 is the first and only option, but equally, don’t thrust a heavy 12bore in their arms unless they are truly capable.

• Correct gun fit will make all the difference to their shooting capabilities and prevent them being thumped in the cheek all day, which would otherwise result in a rather miserable day for them.

• Focus on gun safety Once on the peg, pay particular attention to the position of beaters, stops, flankers and pickers up to ensure muzzle awareness and safe gun handling is maintained. The position of shoot staff will change throughout the drive, so periodically lower your gun in a safe direction and look around to mark their location. A typical example of this is a picker up who has moved from their original position to sweep for fallen birds behind the ‘hot pegs’.

• Get the technique right from the beginning Footwork and stance are imperative to maintain safe and effective shooting. All too often people adopt the fixed, leg forward, leg backward stance and remain there for the entirety of the drive no matter what birds are presented. The key is to assess the bird at the point of flushing, prepare for likely flight and wind adjustments and move your stance to best tackle the shot.

Start making memories

Your child's first gamebird is a moment neither of you are likely to forget, so we hope that the information and tips in this article will help all the parents out there give their kids the best possible introduction to the wonderful world that is game shooting.