The Michigan Senate has overwhelmingly approved Senate Bill 207, introduced by Senator Joe Hune (R- Hamburg Township), that eliminates the state’s minimum hunting age and creates a mentored youth hunting program for those under the age of 10. The bill allows youth to hunt under the supervision of an experienced adult mentor.
The bill passed by a vote of 30-6. The effort now moves to the House where an identical bill, House Bill 4371, sponsored by Representative Peter Pettalia (R- Presque Isle) is already pending.
The bill is part of the nationwide Families Afield effort to increase youth involvement in hunting by allowing young hunters to safely experience outdoor hunting traditions under the supervision of an experienced mentor.
“Sportsmen should thank members of the Senate for overwhelming showing their support for the future of hunting in Michigan by passing Senate Bill 207,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance associate director of state services. “The bill will help boost hunter recruitment and retention in the state by allowing new youth to safely try hunting under the watchful eye of an experienced adult mentor.”
If passed, it would be Michigan’s second Families Afield bill. In 2006, Michigan passed legislation that created an apprentice hunting license for those 10 and older, while lowering the state’s minimum hunting age requirements for both big and small game.
The Families Afield initiative was established by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the National Wild Turkey Federation to bring a new generation of sportsmen to the field. Along with the National Rifle Association and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the Families Afield coalition has worked to pass measures in 31 states with more than 598,000 apprentice or mentored hunting licenses sold since the program’s inception.