NORWAY — Jake and his son Korbin Peaslee woke before daybreak Saturday to get ready for Korbin’s first day of hunting on Maine Youth Hunting Day. Korbin, 8, has been immersed in the sportsman lifestyle since he was born.
Jake has been hunting in Maine since he was 10 years old, and introduced his son to the sport early on. Korbin has been out to deer blinds in the past and has tagged along with his father on turkey hunts. Korbin’s mother also hunts, although on the first day of hunting season this year, she opted to sleep in.
Maine no longer has a minimum age for when children are allowed to start hunting. In 2015 the state passed the Families Afield Program, which empowered parents to make the decision when their child is mature enough for the hunt.
“I like the outdoors and so does he. He likes to fish. I figure this year he was ready,” Jake said.
As they got their gear together, Korbin insisted on carrying his mother’s gun — a .243 rifle that he planned to hunt with — out to the deer blind he had helped his father put up on a friend’s property in Norway on Friday. The pop-up tent structure was nestled in a treeline that runs through the middle of a field.
“I hope they won’t see us,” said Jake. “We’ll blend right in.”
Korbin has had a BB gun for a couple years that he enjoys, but on Friday, the day before his very first hunt, he fired a rifle at target practice for the first time. “I hit a bull’s-eye on a deer yesterday,” Korbin said.
Maine Youth Hunting Day began in 2002 and is designed to give young hunters a head start on the season, and a chance to gain experience without the pressures of competing with adults for the best locations.
The young hunters, under the age of 16, must have a junior hunting license and be accompanied by an adult supervisor who has or had a hunting license.
Children under 10 years old have to stay within 20 feet of their adult supervisor for the duration of the hunt. On Youth Hunting Day, adults are not allowed to bring firearms of their own.
Korbin has big dreams for his first day of hunting. “I want to get a 30-pointer.” After that, he has a soccer game to play in the afternoon.
Bow season has been open since Oct. 3. Firearms season will open to Maine resident hunters on Oct. 31, and to non-residents on Nov. 2. Firearms season runs through Nov. 28. Maine does not allow hunting of any kind on Sundays.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.