FARGO - Jeffrey Sapa turned 14 years old one week after the deer hunting season - and one week too late for him to qualify for a license.

"He's really disappointed and disgusted," said his stepfather, Lee Bratlie, of Drayton. "He passed his hunter education class with flying colors, but he still has to wait another year."

Bratlie and other outdoor enthusiasts say they believe that Jeffrey and other young hunters shouldn't have to wait so long to hunt deer. They want to lower the minimum age requirement for shooting big game from 14 years to 12 - a move they say would help recruit young hunters.

North Dakota is one of four states that require deer gun hunters to be at least 14 years old. Two of those states, Michigan and Utah, are considering legislation to lower the age.

"It makes absolutely no sense," Bratlie said of the current law. "North Dakota is surrounded by states and provinces that allow big game hunting at the age of 12."

The issue has been discussed in legislative committee meetings but got no further, said Greg Link, assistant wildlife chief for the state Game and Fish Department.

"I don't recall that there's been an actual bill," Link said.

Some veteran hunters want to keep the current age minimum. Dave Schneibel, of Rugby, and Don Baasch, of Valley City, say it's a safety issue.

"We're pretty heavily crowded up this area, especially during the first couple of weeks of the deer season," Schneibel said. "I don't know if I trust a 12-year-old out there with a rifle or not.

"On the other hand, there are a lot of mature 12-year-olds and guys who are 40 years old who should not be hunting," he said.

Baasch said hunting deer is more dangerous than hunting waterfowl. "Deer hunting would be a toughie for lowering the age," he said.

Jim Carter, who manages gun safety programs for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said statistics show no increase in accidents among 12- and 13-year-olds.

"Is there a safety issue? Not any more than any other age group," Carter said.

The bill in the Michigan state legislature was introduced by Rep. Scott Hummel, who cited a study that show his state as the worst for recruiting new hunters. That report, funded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation, ranked North Dakota 40th in promoting hunting.

"I think the rest of the country believes there's benefits to getting kids involved earlier," Hummel said. "Most of the response I've heard has been positive."

White-tailed deer populations have ballooned after a series of mild winters, making it more important to recruit hunters, Bratlie said. A record 145,600 deer gun licenses were available in North Dakota this season, up from the previous high of 145,250 the year before.

Bill Jensen, the state's big game biologist, said it would take a grassroots campaign to change the state law.

"I can't speak for the department," Jensen said, "but frankly, I don't think a lot of North Dakotans are aware that everybody else has less restrictive laws for hunting. It's kind of like the 'blue laws' in the 80s."

Those laws, banning stores from opening on Sundays, have gradually been abolished.

Jensen said he has a 12-year-old son who has passed the hunter safety course and is counting the days until he can hunt deer.

"He's whining," Jensen said.

The North Dakota Legislature does not meet until 2007, but Bratlie said the campaign to change the law must start now.

"I don't look for things to change unless we get a bunch of sportsmen involved in this and get this rolling," he said. "There are just so many distractions for kids … if we don't get them involved in hunting earlier, they are going to lose interest."