(a) Any person over the age of eighteen years who holds a firearms hunting or archery hunting license may, while hunting with firearms or bows, be accompanied by not more than two minors between the ages of twelve and sixteen years who may hunt with firearms or bows if such minors hold a junior firearms hunting or junior archery hunting license, and provided such person and such minors shall not carry more than one gun or bow each. Such licensee shall be responsible for the observance by such minors of all game laws and regulations made by the commissioner. No provision hereof shall affect the right of persons over the age of eighteen years exempt from license requirements to be accompanied by a minor, provided the other provisions hereof shall be observed.

(b) Any person under sixteen years of age may trap, provided such person has a license to trap and a certificate of competency issued under subsection (a) of section 26-31.

(1949 Rev., S. 4876; 1961, P.A. 133, S. 2; 1963, P.A. 329, S. 7; 1967, P.A. 244, S. 6; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 235; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 54; P.A. 81-298, S. 8, 9; P.A. 82-366, S. 6; P.A. 85-403, S. 1; P.A. 87-180, S. 1.)

History: 1961 act required that minors accompanying adult licensees hold certificates of competency if they intend to hunt; 1963 act replaced reference to hunting license with reference to hunting and trapping license; 1967 act added reference to license for hunting only; 1971 act replaced reference to board of fisheries and game with reference to environmental protection commissioner; 1972 act substituted “eighteen” for “twenty-one” reflecting changed age of majority; P.A. 81-298 amended Subsec. (a) by adding one bow to the limit on weapons that can be carried in the presence of a minor and added Subsec. (b) re trapping by persons under 16 years of age; P.A. 82-366 made technical revisions to Subsec. (a) for consistency with new license categories established by Secs. 26-27, 26-27a and 26-30 specified applicability of per person bag limit for “pheasants” rather than for “game”; P.A. 85-403 amended Subsec. (a) to allow minors their own bag limit; P.A. 87-180 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing the number of minors who may be supervised by an adult from one to two.