xgun for 9 year old girl
Whitetail Deer
First I dislike crossbows. Always, and still do, think they are a huge advantage over traditional bows. That said I shoot compound and I think they are a huge advantage over recurve & longbows.
I am finally allowed to deer hunt my property (new city ordinance allows bowhunting only). My daughters want to hunt and they are very petite and thin and are not capable of shooting a bow strong enough.
I want to get a cross bow they can use - and one they can grow into. It must be from Cabelas and must be left AND right handed.
I see a huge range of them and want a good one - looking to drop $1,000 for it, bolts, scope etc. In other words $1,000 total expenditure to outfit it (I have broadheads).
must be Cabelas because it is my "free" Cabelas bucks.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/BARNETT-WILDCAT-C- CROSSBOW-PACKAGE/2254549.uts? searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_ search%3Dcrossbow%26CQ_st%3Db
http://www.cabelas.com/product/TENPOINT-CARBON-NITRO- RDX-ACUDRAW-CROSSBOW/2253900.uts? searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FCQ_page%3D0%26CQ_search%3Dcr ossbow%26CQ_st%3Db%26categoryId%3D734095080
Wide range of prices. I am hoping for something they can grow into - meaning it will last and be capable of taking bigger game then whitetails down the road.
I could go a little higher on overall cost too.
I have never made a post debate free so please keep comments positive and without sarcasm - yes Robb (bulelk) that means you in particular.
I hope to invite other girls from the father/daughter group we are in to try out hunting too.
Thanks guys, this is a rare opportunity to introduce new & female hunters into our sport.
DonV Ohio
my boys want a gun, or xbow, I have neither , but may have to change it for them, They just don't practice enough to excel with stick. They want easy and I don't know if I can do easy. Where I hunt is bow only wma so I guess they may get one soon . As for the method a child learns , it don't matter as long as we can get them in the woods and away from drugs and other not so good habits.
Im not a fan of them but my daughter can hit a dime at 40 yards with hers and gives her confidence so thats what she uses , and she can only pull about 25 lbs and still shoot good with her compound , good luck she shoots a mission, but I dont think that helps you.
tenpoint and Excalibur are the two I looked at for my daughter. I went with the Excalibur because I decided I liked the recurve bow. If I cut a string on this bow, I have an extra and a bowstringer, and can change it out myself. With a compound, I would have to take it to a shop to fix it.
No shame in starting them out with a crossbow but as soon as you can set them up with adjustable compound. Have them shoot it often and I bet by fall of 2017 you'd be surprised how much they can pull. Sorry I'm no help on the crossbows.
No shame at all getting girls in the woods! I started my 2 girls shooting bows at the age of 3 and 4. This year I got them each a Mission Craze. At ages 9 and 10 they got to tag their first deer. They are limited to close shots due to the lower poundage but it can be done! My 9 year old's shot was just a tad high for some of the folks on Bowsite! Dont rule out a compound!
Crossbows are superior weapons to the compound bow, and getting better every year. In competent hands the newer versions are 100+ yard weapons.
The fact is that 90% of the crossbow shooting youth will never regress back to a compound, just as most compound shooters do not actually bowhunt with stickbows. As weapons advance I hope the game seasons in most areas are shortened, and bag limits decreased, to compensate for our added technological advantages over the animals. Good luck to everyone this fall.
I'm in the same boat..my son was 7 last year and no way could pull back a #35 bow but he wanted to hunt so I got him a Barnett Recruit and I would buy it again. Its smaller frame and fits him really well and he can shoot lights out with it. Getting him in the woods hunting is more important to me than the weapon he uses. THey are around $250-300 new and come with red dot scope (which I would replace if I were you) a quiver and 3 arrows.
Good info, also I want to make it "fun" and they do shoot bows but do not like to for long.
Thanks! Keep the info coming.
At that age I followed behind and carried pheasants and rabbits....and learned safety, responsibility and ethics. Should it really be this easy?
"Should it really be this easy?"
For some people absolutely. Otherwise we need to ban guns for hunting.
I have hunted with a recurve, compound, muzzleloader, and rifle. All cherished memories
MOST important thing is a good tripod as they will not be able to hold it - so make sure you include that in your costs which should cost about $100.
I have a Bogo with a gun rest which works awesome.
My kids love it and both have missed bucks this year due to buck fever (they are deadly on targets).
My daughter said, "Dad it's not like shooting a target. My heart was about to jump out of my chest." Haha.
If you search my comments from 15 years ago I would be eating crow - said I would never buy a crossgun. Funny how getting older makes you realize how clueless you were when you were younger. :)
I agree KJC, my parents wouldn't let me shoot a shotgun until I was ten and a rifle at 12. I picked up a bow at 14 so I could get into the field more. My oldest is 7 and she desparately wants to kill a deer and go elk hunting with dad. She likes to shoot but only 10-15 shots a session. She's pulling 20#s but she knows she can be the shooter when she gets to 35#s which will probably be a year from now. She'll have to prove herself and gain skill for several years on deer before I'll pull her out of school to chase elk for 7-8 days. She has a lot more fun practicing when I shoot with her, let her try to Robbin hood my arrows (hasn't happened yet). Boys she knows a year older have been killing deer with bolt guns for two years. If the drive and passion are there they'll learn to do it, if not maybe they don't want it. Just my thoughts and I certainly don't fault a father for putting a x bow in their kids hands. Different strokes for different folks.
I just told mine "No" and when you get big enough and can pull #40 you can bowhunt.....
Hope they tell my grandkids the same in the future
These days everyone wants instant gratification. When I first started shooting a bow and arrow as a teenager in the 1960's, I could not pull a legal hunting weight bow. It took several years of practice and dedication to work my way up to where I could do so. It gave me a goal to work towards.
I am NOT about instant gratification, I do know it is important to not bore them at this point.
Don I understand completely and I'm not criticizing you in any way but I think boredom is a lost art. Most kids these days need a screen anytime they are in a vehicle. I just made a twelve hour drive one way to the Black hills and back. My girls never had a screen the whole time. Instead the pretend their flip flop is an iPad or they do things like talk or look out the window at their surroundings. I think some day we will blame our downward trend in society on people not being able to be bored. If my kids can't sit in a stand for 3 hours, well hunt 2. Giving them a screen in the deer stand is not an option. Now to get off my soapbox. Post up the kills once they get to hunting regardless of bow.
I put my friends 11 y/o daughter in one of my spots for her first deer hunt...id say she is spoiled. Those things are very very powerful it blew through both scapula with a rage 3 blade
http://www.cabelas.com/product/PARKER-CHALLENGER-II-CROSSBOW-PACKAGE/2254534.uts?searchPath=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D734095080%26CQ_search%3Dparker%2Bchanglenger%26CQ_st%3Db
Go hunting. Get them in the woods. Shoot some deer. Have fun!
if a youngster wanted to go fishing and dad fly fished would you tell the kid no to using zebco 202 push button spincaster and wait until you can wield a flyrod?
First off, congratulations to all the kids.
Secondly, as we allow technology to exploit the resources, adults should be willing to accept lower bag limits, shorter seasons, and less opportunities for ourselves. The youngsters should get tags, adults should be on a drawing or other restrictions. The resources can handle only so much pressure, let's then give the opportunities to the kids and limit ourselves. That is the direction we are already headed for many species, let's simply further restrict opportunity. In some states a bear tag drawing is already at eight years. With technology further allowing exploitation of the resources, we need more of this type of restriction..... and we will get it. I am ok with this concept, are you?
The tenpoint nitro rdx is top of the line. I shot it at the ATA show and it was impressive
Relax- let the kids hunt. His two little girls are going to do very little to impact the resource. The time spent with DAD with a chance to shoot a deer of their own is much more important! Take them hunting. Let them shoot what they want.
I will never forget the confidence, satisfaction, pride and the big smile on my young daughters face when we sat down at the table as a family to eat the first meal from the deer She Killed!
Bou no, but I wouldn't get the zebco with the spring loaded lure launcher either. Fishing and loosing a fish is waaayyyy different than loosing a deer though. We push are kids, beyond their ability, or allow them to do things before they are ready. I'm guilty but like I've said I really could care less or hardly blame anyone for getting their kid a lure launcher or crossbow. Someone brought it up and i took the bait, back to good crossbows.
Good post Bou. The time is ripe to get the kids into the woods ! Wait until they are old and strong enough to pull 40 lb. and you risk losing them to other interests. My two cents.
Zebra, Your daughter can hit dimes at 40yds? Damn she's a world class shooter!
"Wait until they are old and strong enough to pull 40 lb. and you risk losing them to other interests."
Gun hunting until 12-14 is hardly "losing interest"
If they are shooting a crossbow they are already lost.....Teaching your kids about the responsibility to animals,responsibility to past archers and what ambassadorship entails build young leaders in not only archery but in other endeavors in life.
Archery hunting is as much about mindset as it is the weapon used.Glad my sons waited,it helped them be leaders in their cohort group.
Every kid gets a trophy because of the fear of them losing interest!
What a surprise life will deal them......
I sure am glad that some of your weren't my dad! Take a chill pill! If they are interested and mature enough, let them do it! It really boils down to the kid. I was hunting at 9 with my brother, with a loaded rifle! I was taught right, and I did right. It got me hooked for life! I have a buddy who's 11 year old can field strip an AR and shoots a bow better than most men I know. I also have a buddy that has a 18 year old that I wouldn't give a sling shot to!
Take the kid Hunting!!!!
Scar.
An 11 year old that shoots a bow better than most men you know. He must have started honing his skills with a crossbow then progressed to a compound once he got bored.
I have a friend who's average size son of 7 shot his first deer pulling over 40#s. He started shooting at 4 and was allowed to be bored until he could pull sufficient weight. The same kid shoots competively traveling across the US. He's always in the top 3 and for the longest time was ranked behind a girl. At 12 he's dad wouldnt take him elk hunting this year. Was it because he can't shoot good or pull enough poundage? Hardly. Maybe he couldn't handle the rigors of the mountains? Doubtful. He thinks he needs to mature. Someone that has pushed or facilitated his kids ability to be an elite archer thinks he's not ready and can be bored stand hunting whitetails another year.
Kids are all different but I think we would all disagree with the father the holds and aims the rifle at a deer while the kid pulls the trigger. At some point a young hunter needs to have something invested in the hunt and sharpen their skills in the backyard. Find ways to hold their attention and maintain focus instead of changing focus to hold attention. Take them to shoot 3D at different courses be creative. Build a fire in them that wants to sharpen their skills and if all that has been tried buy them a crossbow so you can get them to go to the woods with you.
I'm just wondering how many of you that are against kids hunting earlier than you think they should have ever taken a little 3yr old fishing, cast the line, set the hook and let them reel it in???? is that wrong to? whats the difference? and by the way, the only thing I do is cock the crossbow. he does everything else. I also have gotten him into trapping. I got him his own dogproof coon trap and the excitement on his face when he saw a catch...well I guess I shouldn't have let him since he wasn't strong enough to set it by himself. As was stated earlier...I'm sure thankful I wasn't born to some of you
Duvall I take my kids and have taken my nephew checking a trap line. But none of them had some grand allusion that when I killed the bait and set the trap that they caught the cat or coon. Instead they learned by watching me. My young girls help me cast but often refuse my help because they want to do it by themselves. You can watch other people do it for you but at some point you have to own it. I haven't told my girls to cast their own poles. They want to and that's started a few months shy of 4. Sure they miss a lot of fish and loose a lot of bait and have to get their line out of the trees but when the catch one, they know they did it. They did it with Elsa fishing poles they bought each other for Christmas, with their own money, made doing chores around the farm. They don't want dad doing everything for them and when they want a new toy they say how can I earn some money.
I don't understand why crossbow is a dirty word. I remember when compound bows were new gadgets with unfair technological advantages. Look at us now! Compounds are great but when I hear that crossbows are unsporting I want to take those peoples 2000$ compounds and hand them a bear grizzly so they don't feel like they have an unfair advantage. Let the kids use whatever they want within reason as long as they hunt!
Swamp nothing dirty or wrong about crossbows. My only point is why not convey the message of persistence and getting good at something instead of finding a band aid that gives you a quick fix. Where's the incentive to ever go back to a vertical bow? 40# with 85% let off or 30-35# in some states is not that difficult for kids with a few months or even a year of dedicated shooting 4-5 times a week. 15 arrows takes all of 6-7 minutes. My 7 year old daughter is not a big girl. After just a couple months of this routine, shooting on her schedule not mine, she's pulling 25#, she can hold it for 20 seconds and still make a good shot. With a little practice by the fall of 17 and barely 8 she will be pulling a legal weight if she chooses to stay after it. If she doesn't I won't get her a crossbow, I'll try again in another year or two.
Link, a few questions sir. Have you ever set up, sighted in and fired a crossbow? It's not that simple man. and maybe they don't/ won't need an incentive to "Go back to vertical bows". What if she (Your Daughter) never likes vertical bows again after doing it for a year or so...? then what, are you just going to give up on her hunting?
My son doesn't like archery, I tried to get him into it, just not his thing... But he loves to bird hunt, so we bird hunt! Oh My God, We use a shot gun to kill birds and not a bow with flu flu's...
Yes dedication and practice are important but I don't think nor believe any kid could pick up a X bow and start shooting bulls eyes without lots of practice.
Go for it Don, you sound like a great dad and mentor! I think sometimes people argue a point only they believe in. If it gets them out in the field with you, they enjoy doing it, and they are mature enough to do it, Go For It!
Scar
If a crossbow gets a kid out in the woods with you vs sitting at home on the computer or watching television, its worth every penny.
Life is short friends, enjoy your time with your kids however and wherever you can. You may seriously regret it a few years down the line when they are unable to join you for one reason or another.
They come to the woods with me anyways, they just aren't the shooter. When they are ready I'll become a videographer. My then 5 year old cost me a buck two years ago but she learned a lot from spooking that buck and it only fueled her passion.
They should be legal during gun season. That's about it.
What the heck, if the only goal is to get kids out into the woods let's give them a scoped rifle to use during "archery" season. After all, they won't be inside the house messing around on the computer or watching tv. Let's teach our kids that if something is difficult, Dad will take care of it and give them an easier option rather than the kid having to put forth some time and effort. Some of you enabling Dads are the male equivalents of the Moms that push their young daughters to be in beauty pageants.
Some of you are hopeless man, You Just Don't Get It!
With all the tech advances may as well have one deer season, use any weapon you choose that is legal in your state. Why give bowhunters the long seasons when they are advancing in technology and not really using the weapons the seasons were designed for?
How many times have you read where hunters criticize Native Americans for spearing, netting and hunting with modern gear rather than what they traditionally had? Comments like this....if they want to spear fish they should do it with a torch for light, canoe and a stick spear. Or, If they want to shoot deer at night why not make them use spears, torches and stickbows?
Why do white hunters think they can advance in technologies, yet keep their traditional seasons that were designed for longbows, recurves, cap and ball and lever action model 99's?
Since we have continued to advance our technologies and yet keep our traditions, Native Americans must be allowed too!
Scar finger I just saw your post from earlier. I am fortunate my daughters want to do anything and everything dad does and they need very little motivation. As to shooting a crossbow I shot my dads 20 years ago. He was a diabetic that had had several heart attacks, surgeries and was on dialysis. He bought one and could barely see good enough to shoot it. I was 14 when he bought it, picked it up and was instantly shooting bullet holes. It shot like a scoped .22 even though it was open sights. Straight out of the box all it needed was a sight adjustment. I'm sure in the past 20 years x bows have become a difficult weapon to use. Back then they were only allowed with a disability and now are legal. 2 years ago elk in Oklahoma were legalized to coincide with deer season. The 2 elk that filled the quota for my home unit were killed opening morning by able bodied men that bought crossbows to go kill elk as archery opens first. If Don truly feels a x bow is his last chance to get his kids in the field, even though ten is young, he should go for it. I just don't get the rush to throw a x bow in a kids hands to hunt archery when there are gun seasons and many bird seasons like your son likes. Don claims he doesn't like them and if he doesn't there are a lot of options. If a .223 kicks to much maybe they need a few years.
"My only point is why not convey the message of persistence and getting good at something instead of finding a band aid that gives you a quick fix. Where's the incentive to ever go back to a vertical bow?"
Lets change that a little bit to say:
"My only point is why not convey the message of persistence and getting good at something instead of finding a band aid that gives you a quick fix. Where's the incentive to ever go back to a RECURVE bow?
There are many people who shoot recures that would say the same thing about your bows. Have you ever shot a recurve? That was the only bow I hunted with for the first 10 years and then broke down and got a compound. I love both. And I hunted with a rifle for several years before I ever picked up a bow.
Anyone who says they are making crossbows that can shoot effectively at 100 yards is blowing smoke. Yes, there are people that can do it, just like there are people that can take an elk at 117 yards with a compound. But those guys are RARE. Arrows/bolts both drop a LOT after 40-50 yards.
I would agree with you that people who never ever hunt with a bow are really missing somehting special. but I am not going to sit on my high horse and say that people who start out with and only hunt with a scoped rifle are losers.
I will now make a statement that even the "purists" will agree with. I believe crossbows should be illegal in archery only season. Only exception: disability. The only reason they are being legalized in places like Texas: Money! We already have a 2 month gun season where they are already legal!
Yep, Don, you should have made this debate free :-)
really get thier pantys in a bunch and hand her an airbow hahahaha
As an interesting sidenote, I have a friend that almost exclusively hunts with a bow. He had seen a really big 10 point several times during bow season and then gun season, but just out of range. As the end of the season approached, he switched to a gun, and had the buck come by him at 18 yards! The gun misfired! Karma!
TX I've never shot a stick bow but I'd love to see a short modern archery season and a long traditional archery season. I'd even agree to have the shortened modern archery season coincide with the rut. Have a kids modern archery that runs a week or two longer than the adult one. I'd gladly take a muzzle loader season that is ball and musket as well. Also a 5 day rifle season(Monday -Friday) instead of the current 16 days. ;) We could maximize opportunity all while limiting harvest. Maybe even a 2 day season in mid July when it's 115 for the airbow.
The difference between a crossbow and a compound are about the same as a recurve and a compound. A compound is a machine any way you look at it and I don't understand the hatred for xbows and the love for compounds. You guys preach challenge and sporting...You compound guys preaching this should try a recurve or stickbow if you really need a sporting challenge. Compound and crossbows are both technologically advanced machines so why the double standard?
Crossbows are only about 10% more let off than a compound, very little difference in mechanics.
swampokie agree 100%. I used to HATE xbows but once I learned just how tough traditional archery was I mellowed.
My girls work hard in school and at everything. One is in the top 100 gymnastics in the country and being groomed for national competition and then..... who knows.
She does gymnastics 28 hours a week and is a straight "A" student. Her schedule has no time left for shooting a bow enough that I would let her in the woods.
Also no gun hunting on my property.
There is no way my girls, both born premature and thin, short and always the smallest girls in their class can handle a bow that is strong enough.
Both of my girls got mad at me when I tried to help them tie their shoes - for the first time! No doubt, if they like hunting, they will bug me to go to a bow. I have no doubt about that.
Good discussion though. Keep it coming and thanks.
Don I understand the shoe thing. lol my girls are almost too independent, I don't know where they get it.;) I wish you and your girls the best with any weapon. Have a great fall.
I just dropped about $1100.00 for a Parker ThunderHawk for my daughter and son. That's the whole kit and kaboodle - including the upgrade for a lighted reticle, extra bolts, broadheads, sling and case.
-Bottom line, your greater objective is to get she/them hunting with you over honoring the thin vagaries of aesthetic preference. That stated, none of us have to hunt so preference matters a great deal.
I'm with Jodie! Consider the fact of western game draw options with the fact that it takes 6 years for your child to get from middle school through highschool and off to college... Technology is stealing opportunity!
I just received this article in my email. The last sentence in the first paragraph sums up pretty well how I feel about it. It's how I brought my kids into the outdoors and how we'll bring my grandkids in as well.
Surprised the post is still here. A lot of people dont like them but I say to each his or her own. To many antis to worry about what someone hunts with in my book. Get the kids out hunting!! I use them mainly for testing our heads so I can use a rest and front and rear bag to help eliminate the human factor but have killed a few deer and turkey with them too. I have owned several brands. For for kids or someone smaller in stature it'll be tough to beat an Excalibur Micro. They are ighter weight than about anything else an the market. More compact than other recurves. They make 3 versions 315, 335, and 355. 315 would be all they'd need but you'll still have to cock it fo them. Cabelas carries some of them. Not sure on the 315. You can pick them up new on Ebay for a couple hundred bucks less than what Cabelas will get for them though.
X gun, cross bow is nothing like a compound or recurve because they are not drawn, held and released under the persons own strength and skill. Why do people always miss that point in the debate???
Yes there are X guns, cross bows that shoot almost full length arrows (not bolts). Those are the ones with a high level of accuracy right out of the box out to 100 yds or more and certainly don't belong in the archery (hand held, released) archery season.
Keep them separate and track weapon harvests separately, that will really tell the story in the end.
Let's make it really easy for even 2 year olds to kill. Gotta start em going and make me think it's supposed to be as easy as can be to hunt. Gotta make it as comfortable as possible with as little work and sacrifice as possible. We can't make any Kid actually work for it because the antis. I say we let kids hunt with rifles during all bow seasons until the patent decides that using a bow is now an easy enough method of killing the animals they paid to hunt.
joehunter, 100% agree. If the girls want to hunt and spend time with their Dad that is awesome. Crossbows were not legal in NY when my girls were small and I believe that may have cost me a couple hunters. I hate crossbows but if it would of kept my kids interest I would of bought them one. My middle daughter is now 27 and she is showing an interest again but she now shoots a recurve so that is what she wants to make her first deer kill with. Shawn
If at all possible, take them to the store and make sure they are ok with the mass weight of the crossbow. I have a Tenpoint shadow ultra light and my 8yr old son can't shoot it without a rest because its too much weight forward. I plan to take him to a store to see if he could handle one of the reverse draws like the rdx nitro...even if its heavier than the shadow ultra light, having most of the weight closer to his body might be easier on him.
DonV
It's not about the physical in a 9 year old it's about the emotional and the operater error involved with arrows and 9 year olds and the unknown consequences of a poorly placed shot.
I know more than one big burly kid turned off from archery hunting from a spine shot doe bawling........
I simply chose to "control" the outcome a little more when my son (benching 400 before 17) was young and didn't put a bow in his for hunting until he was better prepared to handle a very bad scenario.
I believe shooting animals with blades take a skill set that a 9 year old can't consistently muster,doing so will have a high chance of a bad scenario.....nobody knows what happens then so I elected to defer until a latter age is all......
I apologize for the redundancy...I'll digress
If its (YOUR) kid, and its legal to use or hunt with regardless of weapon and (YOU) feel they are mature enough then why give two poops what others think?
I had Morgan hunting with a 410 and a crossbow at age 9 folks here and other places said 410 is to small, she is to young, etc.
Well she killed a button buck with 410 and a doe with crossbow.
She has killed 5 deer in her life by the age of 15. She turns 16 in 2 weeks and she said for her birthday she wants a bonfire and then a day in the woods to hunt with me.
I never pushed Morgan to hunt. Its always been her decision the only time I restricted her was when she wanted to hunt at age 6 or 7 I felt she wasn't mature enough. Now she has 2 older brothers age 28 & 27 so she was much more mature than her typical 9 year old friends as well.
This is just a stock photo but a reminder to those out there getting their kids started with crossbows...hopefully this will save some little hands
Don - a petite friend just bought a down-sized Wicked Ridge and likes it...a lot.
Wherever you get it, make sure they known their stuff as per warranty work and maintenance.
Your kid, her desires. If it was me, I'd get the crossbow and be taking her and shooting it as much as possible. She can also be practicing with a compounds, if SHE wants.
This is more about you, spending time with her, while you have her. That's something fewer and fewer girls have these days, and it's showing in our society.
If she decides she doesn't want to hunt, and wants to try kayaking. Buy two of them, and go.
Oh, see if any of her girlfriends want to try shooting her crossbow, too. Most don't get the chance, and you may spark something they'll try later on.
Have fun. I miss those days, terribly.
Do what's best for her first, then you,...and disregard anything you want on here. Yes, that includes my post.
I wish my daughter would shoot the crossbow I bought her. She loves her Mission Menace compound. But she is an active 14 year old girl with too many activities and not enough time. She is pretty good with her bow, but not good enough to hunt for my or her liking. she hurt her wrist this summer, so I bought her a crossbow. She won't even try it, as she believes it is cheating and taking the easy way out. On one hand I'm proud of her. On the other I wish she wasn't so stubborn, she gets that from her mother;) I used to be very anti crossbow. I still am for grown, able bodied adults. But I think they are a great tool for the young, elderly, and handicapped.
