Hunters are required to be at least 10 years of age by the starting date of the hunting season to obtain a permit. If you were born after January 1, 1986, you are required to have taken a hunter education class. Be aware that youth-only hunts are only available to resident youth or youth accompanied by an Alaska resident relative. Youth under 10 years of age may take big game on behalf of a licensed hunter at least 18 years of age, and they must be under the direct supervision of that hunter. The supervising adult hunter is responsible for ensuring all legal requirements are met, and must comply with big game locking-tag requirements, if applicable, and validate required harvest tickets or permits.

Arizona has created a youth hunt program. The hunting/fishing license cost for youth hunters under 18 years of age is $5. Only youth between the ages of 10 and 17 may apply for Arizona’s juniors-only hunts. The juniors-only elk tags will be for antlerless elk only and cost $50. All bull elk hunts will be at the regular non-resident fee. There are no juniors-only antelope permits for 2026. Arizona will allow a parent, grandparent, or guardian to whom a big game hunt tag is issued to transfer the tag to a minor child who is 10-17 years old on the date of the transfer. The minor child must have a valid youth combination hunting and fishing license on the date of the transfer, and, if they are younger than 14 years old, they must have completed a Department-approved hunter education course by the beginning of the hunt.

Any eligible hunter aged twelve through seventeen will receive preference in the secondary draw for elk, deer, antelope, and bear licenses. Preference point fees are waived for all species for youth applicants. Youth hunters may receive up to fifteen percent of the limited doe antelope, antlerless and either-sex deer, or antlerless elk licenses established for each unit. These licenses are available by draw for all seasons and methods of take, including early and late rifle seasons. Group applications will not be accepted. Licenses not drawn by youth will be made available to the public. Permit prices for youth are considerably less expensive.

Youth hunters ages ten through seventeen, under the Junior Mentored Program, can purchase over-the-counter deer tags for $176.75 and uncapped zone elk tags for $299.75. The only junior hunters that should apply in this non-resident draw are those wishing to draw capped elk zone tags. Anyone with a Junior Mentored Tag must be accompanied in the field by an adult. The adult must be close enough to the youth hunter to be within normal conversation or hearing range. The adult may not mentor more than two youth hunters at one time. The adult must have a valid tag for the same species as the junior hunter.

There is no minimum age requirement to apply or hunt in Iowa, but you have to have passed a hunter education class to apply. This is a preference point state, so whoever has the most points gets the tag. It costs $60.50 to purchase a deer point. I have built 5 points for each of my boys in this state. I have no plans of taking them to Iowa in the near future, but the points never expire, so they will have them until they use them. The reason I stop at 5 points is because that should draw them any tag they want. This way, if we ever decide to hunt Iowa, we will be able to go that year.

Reduced-price youth permits are valid for the seasons specified on the permit. In addition, they are valid during the September youth/disabled season. During the youth season, hunters 17 and younger may hunt under adult supervision. However, hunters who are 16 and older are not eligible for the youth-priced permits.

Hunters who are fifteen years of age or younger may apply for the youth-only drawing. In 2026, twenty-six youth-only, either-sex permits will be awarded. Youth may also apply for the general drawing three times like any other applicant, giving them four chances overall. However, they are only eligible to draw one permit.

Under the Apprentice Hunter program, youth ages ten through seventeen can get out in the field and hunt prior to having taken a hunter education course. An apprentice hunter must still purchase all applicable licenses, and they must also be accompanied by a mentor twenty-one or older who has completed the Apprentice Hunter Mentor Form available online or at regional Montana FWP offices. Additionally, the apprentice must obtain a $5 Apprentice Hunter Certification from a regional Montana FWP office or online at https://fwp.mt.gov/. Apprentice hunters cannot apply for limited-entry draws, and they can only obtain an Apprentice Hunter Certification for two license years before they will be required to complete a hunter education course. Contact the licensing department directly with any questions.

Nevada offers a non-resident youth hunting and fishing combination license that is only $16. They have always set aside deer tags specifically for resident youth applicants. Nevada also sets aside doe antelope permits for resident youth applicants only. An eleven-year-old who will turn twelve before the beginning of the last season on their application is eligible to apply for a bonus point. Youth must be at least twelve years old prior to the opening of any hunt choice they apply for in order to be eligible.

New Mexico reserves some of the very best hunts and dates exclusively for youth hunters. See our tables for more information on the exclusive youth opportunities for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, elk, deer, oryx, and ibex. Youth hunting licenses are only $15, but all species fees are full price. To qualify for youth-only hunts, applicants must be seventeen years of age or younger on the opening day of the hunt.

The Mentored Youth Hunter Program allows youth ages nine through fifteen to hunt without passing a hunter education class or purchasing a license or tags. In a great program. While the youth must hunt a supervisor who is at least twenty-one years old, they are allowed to fill their supervisor’s tags—provided the supervisor is willing to donate them. For example, a husband and wife both buy over-the-counter blacktail deer tags in Oregon. They hunt with their nine-year-old son, who kills his first buck and puts his mother’s tag on it. Then, he kills another buck and puts his dad’s tag on it. Under the Mentored Youth Hunter Program, a youth can fill as many tags as their supervisor is willing to donate.

South Dakota offers a statewide resident and non-resident youth-only antlerless deer season, which traditionally opens the second Saturday of September. Youth who are twelve to seventeen years old—or who will turn twelve by December 31 of the current year—may purchase a license and hunt the entire season. Youth hunters must possess a hunter education card. Successful applicants for the youth deer license are not eligible for the mentored deer license. Youth may apply for the license at any time and licenses are unlimited. Youth may only hold one youth deer license.

Eligible youth must turn twelve years old by December 31, 2026, and must be seventeen years of age or younger on July 31 to apply as a youth for all big game permits.

General-season elk permits (including any-legal-weapon, muzzleloader, and multi-season hunts) will be unlimited for youth hunters.

Youth can apply for a youth any-bull permit. The youth any-bull hunt takes place September 12 through 22 on any bull units only. This season is prior to the general any-bull rifle hunt and is designed to give youth who draw a permit the chance to hunt with a rifle during the rut. Be aware that any-bull units may have lower elk numbers as well as limited access to and amounts of public land.

Hunters who have completed a hunter education class and are under sixteen years of age at the time of application may purchase youth-priced special permit applications for $5.05 each. Additionally, if youth are drawn for moose, sheep, or goat permits, they are only required to pay a youth permit fee of $77.90 (as opposed to the $2,729 fee for non-resident adults). Youth can apply for the trophy hunts for sheep, moose, and goat, but they can also apply for youth-only permits for sheep and antlerless moose.

A resident or a non-resident who will be at least 12 years old on or before December 31st of the current year and has not turned 18 years of age at the time of application qualifies for a youth license. Non-resident youth application fees are $290 for elk and $115 for cow elk. There are no discounted fees for youth for a moose, sheep, mountain goat, or bison license. Youth can build points for elk for only $10. The adult point fee applies to sheep and moose. The Commission may issue elk, deer, antelope, and turkey licenses each year for exclusive distribution by non-profit charitable organizations for use by persons 20 years of age or younger with life-threatening illnesses. For more information, call 307-777-4674.