So I've never gone hunting before (grew up in non-firearms family), but now that I own a rifle and have kids of my own, my oldest daughter is 11 and has expressed a strong interest in the shooting sports. Figured taking her hunting with me would be an excellent way to get her into shooting as well as family bonding time.

That being said, we have a .22 LR rimfire rifle and figured it'd be best to start with squirrel/rabbit hunting (small game). I know I still have to do hunter's education course/licenses and all that, but to all of you experienced hunters out there, what exactly do you do with the animals after shooting them? Take to a taxidermist?

skin and clean them and then cook'em.
Bunnies are good eating. Not sure bout squirrels, dont eat those flee bags.

Yes. I take all of my rabbits and squirrels to the taxidermist.

Grew up in Louisiana hunting squirrels with a .410. Got into high school and got a 12 gauge and then a .22 that would shoot shorts. Killed, cleaned and cooked many a squirrel.

At 11 years old, a .22 might not be the best to start out with hunting squirrels or rabbits. I would suggest a .410 or maybe a .20 gauge if she is a bigger girl.

LOL.

Eat them

x2

I would start with a range day. Let your daughter empty a big box of .22LR on some inanimate targets. Get her comfortable with the gun at various distances before she goes hunting for the first time. The last thing you want your 11-year-old daughter to remember about her first hunting trip is the little grey bunny she shot in the hind leg and listening to it scream as it hobbles off into the woods dragging what's left of the leg she almost shot off. Just my 2 cents (fwiw - probably not more than 2 cents).

Edit: hunting with your daughter is a wonderful experience. Both of my daughters hunt with me occasionally, and they love it!

X2 on range day. She needs to be comfortable with the gun. A 22 slug can travel some distance, so be careful of what is behind the target. Rabbits are good in stew, and so are squirrels. Find some recipes on the Internet. I miss hunting rabbits; I did it a lot as a kid, but I can't seem to find a good spot near the metro-mess. The squirrel tails are good fly-tying material, if you have that vice.

My daughter is 5 and went on her first trip with me yesterday to hunt dove. I just put her to bed and she was talking about going deer and duck hunting later this year. I got a BB gun for her and she shot cow pies.

Thanks for the comments all. Yes, we'll be going to the range quite a few times before going out to the woods, she's gotta show me she actually listened to all the firearm safety lectures we've had.

After the range instruction it's time to hit the wood.

1. Do YOUR homework. Then pass the info to the girl.
A. Know your hunting laws and regulations
b. Teach her that you only shoot at what you are prepaired to clean and eat.
C. Learn some animal anatomy and how to field dress before you hunt. On this note youtube is your friend.

Get ready for new smells and textures. Be calm and cool while cleaning animals in front of the girl. If you get freaked out so will she. Talk about how cleaning and eating animals is one of the most natural things y'all can do together.

Fried, baked, stewed, boiled, etc - Take your pick, they are all good.

Shooting silhouette targets, metal ones make a bell sound, kids like it. Hell, I like it too! Good luck getting kids to eat wild game, wife needs to be helluva cook. Nilgai & Hogs don't count as wild game them are pot lickers. Deer meat & hog processed into sausage delicious! Might be place to start if you want her to eat what she shoots. Rabbits into mexican mole sauce dosen't have wild taste, but not everyone likes mole.

just remember a 22 bullet can travel over 1 1/2 miles. It is a small bulllet but it is one of the most dangerous guns because most people dont realize how far that bullet can travel. It would be much safer to use a 410 or 20 gauge for a child when learning. Please attend a hunter education course asap. You will learn lots of usefull as well as safety education. Glad to have you in our hunting world. I have squirrel receipes if you need them. Both rabbits and squirrels are fine eating.

I alway find this funny as .243-.300 can travel 3-5 miles

kinda wish I could hit what I was aiming at out to 3-5 miles with a 243

All of this has been good advice you should heed Plano. I would pay special attention to this one. Good stuff 410...

Man that gave me a good laugh...