I have a friend, who's little brother has autism, is 18 with the mind of about a 14 year old. What are y'alls thoughts of kids/ young men with autism hunting/ handling weapons "unsupervised?" I'll tell the story of why I ask after a bit. Thanks

I hunted at 12, so if he's at a true 14 year old maturity, no biggie.

I would say no and send an guide with them.

I would not let any 14 year old hunt with a weapon unsupervised. Not enough maturity/experience for all the scenarios that can arise. So I would have to say no.

+1

I would go as far to say that there isn't a specific age at which it would be okay, completely dependent on the individual. I know some adults who aren't mature enough or don't have the skill set to be hunting alone.

Nope, not enough information.

So here's the long winded story of why I ask...It all started about a month ago, a neighbor's giant pig decided to rip a fence down between properties and move in on theirs. Owner of said pig gives up trying to recover but never turns over rights to pig. Giant pig, makes a mud hole at the back of the property near where she came in, my friends dad and autistic son go and try to persuade her to go back home.. apparently she was in the middle of giving birth so all hell broke loose and mamma is no longer Mrs nice piggy.

So there is this on going guess between pig and friends dad/ brother that ended up becoming deadly due to two piglets from a previous litter coming onto the property as well and killing chickens. So my friends dad nailed one with a 22 and the original owners came and picked it up. Again, has never given up ownership...
So this weekend, my friends little brother posts on a popular website called facespace that he had almost been killed by the mother pig and he was going to shoot her...with a 22, I and about ask of his friends told him not to do he decide to take a shot at the other small boar there...maybe 35 pounds.

He comes back to say he hit it and it ran off. I got upset and told him how stupid it was plus he is not supervised at the time and could of been hurt. Yes, I know how utterly STUPID it I'd to leave a child at home with access to a weapon of any kind in this boy's state of mind.

So we go out yesterday to check or horses for holes and I find the pig he shot, laying in front of my wife's stallion wounded and hurting. I tell my wife we are bringing out the danger can to see if this boy isshooting toward the horses. We go home eat come back and meet mamma and ask the little ones. I test mamma a little while the wife is putting up the cam in the barn. She's leery but I wasn't afraid for my life. I almost got to pet one of the newer piglets before he told on me and then mamma said something but again, she retreated once said piglet was returned.

Then the planet's, stars, moons, and solar systems aligned and this big mamma climbed her butt into the horse trailer. .38 in hand, I'm not stupid, but sort of..I do a day boy Jackie Chan into the door and slam it home. Lock it and she's trapped. Piglet round up starts and they are reunited inside the trailer...After all is done only the wounded one still lays, I'm not into anything suffering, I'm not into wasting food, and I'm not into killing for no reason..I owed it to
the little fella to help ease the pain and ended it. I asked my friend brother to come outside and see what the issue was with shooting the wrong caliber weapon at an animal such as a pig. The bullet went in and under its shoulder, he wouldn't use his leg when running so I'm sure it tire muscles but the shoulder want busted.

I explained to him why we don't shoot just to shoot, kill just to kill, and wr never intentionally mame an animal. He understood I think and has said he wants nothing to do with hunting or shooting again, not what I wanted but I guess it's a start. I offered to pay for him to go to hunters ed but he refused. So there's only so much I can do since I'm not family. I buried the little guy in his entirety and thanked him for being a learning experience.

That is just buckwild crazy on all counts. That sucker looks like a rhinoceros.

This is the rhino...

I have no idea just what happened. That was tough to read.

It could be the whiskey, or it could be the writing. I don't know.

A pig died I think because he buried it. He called it a "little guy" but looks like it had both titties and piglets.....

I don't know the individual in this story but 14 yrs of age is plenty old to be in a stand by themselves provided they have been taught correctly.

As far as the piggies go well the owner should have done more to get their piggies. If they were eating chickens I would have killed every one of them without hesatation. All we need is more freakin pigs running loose.

I'm so lost

me too

In the words of Roscoe Darlin, "Just jump in where you can and hang on!!"

Was the the OP drinking as he typed or have I been drinking as I attempt to read it?
All I get was he wasted a nice little pig for the smoker.

I want to Shoot all of them now!!!

A 14 year old, properly taught, may be fine to hunt alone. A person who is mentally handicapped who is assessed with a mental age of about 14 isn't the same thing as a normal 14 year old. It is quite likely that his mental age of 14 is when everything is in harmony. If stressed, excited, off meds, scared, in a bad mood, etc., the mental age may be far less than 14.

The guy may have the mental age of 14, but that may be a averaged assessment based on multiple traits. Responsibility and understanding of life and death may not be amongst that individual's higher reasoning capabilities.

I am not dissing the individual or people with learning disorders. I am just suggesting that a gross assessment of saying he is the mental equivalent of 14 likely is not sufficient for determining if the guy can be allowed to hunt alone. I would not allow it. Supervised? Sure. Alone? No.

I had a nephew with autisum, there if no way I would leave him with any kind of weapon unsupervised.

Some of you need to do some research on autism.

I wasn't drinking..I was at work and I had issues with connection on my phone so I had to type it in word pad android and copy and paste it. Sorry for the hard read guys. Yes, I had to finish the job said autistic boy started when he shot and wounded a small boar. I was wondering what people thought of taking autistic children hunting and it leaving an autistic child alone on a ranch with access to weapons. Which I think is a damn joke.

I have been guilty of the same thing my friend, Computers and I don't agree sometimes Sounds like you did what you thought was the best. I have not been around many Autistic Children or young Men so I could not make a fair assessment. As far as the age, a little young for me. But I have been around some 12-14 year olds that acted very mature in the field, but that was with a watchful eye. I fear what would happen if not supervised. That was a massive Hog by the way, says a lot about your character not getting upset w/ some good ribbing. Have a great night