10 hunting licenses sold to babies in Wisconsin
A new law did away with a minimum mentored hunting age, which used to be 10.
— -- Ten mentored hunting licenses were sold to infants in Wisconsin in a two-week period, according to numbers provided by the state's Department of Natural Resources this week.
The numbers come after a new law went into effect on Nov. 13 permitting hunters of any age to carry a weapon while participating in a mentored hunt. The prior minimum mentored hunting age was 10 years old.
Besides the 10 mentored licenses sold to those under the age of 1, also between Nov. 13 and Nov. 26, three mentored hunting licenses were sold to 1-year-olds; four were sold to 2-year-olds; three sold to 3-year-olds; and four were sold to 4-years-olds.
From there, the numbers jump: Twenty-eight were sold to 5-year-olds; 70 to 6-year-olds; 191 to 7-year-olds; 490 to 8-year-olds and 1,011 to 9-year-olds.
A 6-year-old girl was one of the first minors in the state to legally shoot and kill a deer after the new law was passed.
On Nov. 19, one day after the 2017 hunting season began, kindergartner Lexie Harris posed next to a deer she killed under the supervision of her father, Tyler Harris, in the woods near their home in Medford, The Associated Press reported.
Before the inaugural hunt, Harris had taken Lexie to a shooting range to practice with the youth rifle he bought her, which is less powerful and easier to handle, according to the AP. The rifle is also equipped with a smartphone on the scope to help her target the weapon.