The legal age in New York for Big Game hunting is 16 years old, and they must accompanied the first year. For more info try: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6395.html
A law was in the house last year to drop the age to 14,supported by our local representative, however it did not go through.
Many other states have laws that allow kids to hunt at any age as long as they are with a licsensed adult. By the time our 16 year olds get to hunt deer, they have other interests. Just a shame for New Yorkers trying to pass on our hunting heritage. ,)

If you go to the link ADK provided you http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6395.html Scroll down and look for the header that says Junior Hunting for some of the info you need. and YES your children may tag along with their dad during his hunts but that's not hunting, I like to call those hunts the "Teaching trips", I let the kids think i'm hunting but all I'm really doing is teaching them to walk slowly as slowly as possible, and how they need to keep their mouths closed and eyes and ears open wide. talking and being noisy only spooks the animals we are hunting. Those trips with the kids along let you point out tracks and explain to them what they are, explain it all to them and when the time comes the knowledge they gain now will help them thru all their hunting trips. and ALWAYS emphasize hunter safety. Good Luck[/b]

Junior Licsense is good only for small game. I have a gentleman in my deer camp who has a 14 year old grandson, his understanding is that you can not pursue or accompany someone pursuing big game until you are 16 in NYS. I may be wrong, but if we are, we were misguided by DEC, we would love to take these kids hunting for big game, but we want to teach them the ethics, and this includes only hunting when you hold a valid licsense. I am not trying to discourage anyone from taking kids hunting, on the contrary, I think this is a law that needs to be changed in the state of New York. Just my 2 cents.

I'm not saying to do anything that's against the law, however I do believe that it is a important to take kids huning, and the earlier the better. I live in NYC, and my father started taking me hunting when I was 9. Of course I accomplied him everytime, but those are the days that I remeber best. I shot my first deer at 12. I started hunting by myself at age 14. NY makes it too difficult for kids to get into hunting, probably b/c they want to discourage and turn-off kids from hunting. It is important to follow rules, but at the same time, it is important to bend them sometimes. The younger they get involved, the more they will love it, and the more they will respect the game.

ya i think new york could be a little less stricked on there hunting rules I grew up sitting with my dad while he hunted deer and if i didn't i would never be able to sit on the ground for hours with out moving while i hunt turkey so i think that if they want to go hunting with there dad let em,

all you guys keep talking about having to be 16 to hunt big game but your kids can hunt big game at 14 with archery equipment when the weather is nice from about mid october to mid november kids that have bow in there hand early tend to stay with it for life and become all around sportsmen and sportswomen.With todays hunting bows i believe you can harvest a deer quickly and humanly with a bow set at about 35 lbs with a cut on contact broadheads and there is plenty of info on this anywhere on the web.If any of you have any questions please email me at jeff@dominationoutdoors.com