Bowsite.com

Best Beginner Bow for Kids

My 7 year old has taken a huge interest in bow hunting with me this year. He has enjoyed sitting with me anytime he has been able to come with and I would really like to get him a bow this Christmas. Ideally I would like something that can grow with him. Anyone have any good beginner bow recommendations for kids?

This is what I got my grandson.

My son has a Mission Craze II. Very happy so far. Adjusting draw length only requires removal of one Allen screw on each cam. No bow press or other tools. Very quiet bow too, but he's only shooting 40#.

I'll second what DT said. Diamond (actually made by Bowtech) makes a heck of an adjustable bow. I started mine out early on with a Martin youth style recurve just to fling arrows in the back yard. By 9, I got him a Hoyt Trykon Jr, which got him through the next couple years (including his first hunting seasons.) Then I got him a Diamond Edge, which he's still using (age 16). Pulling over 45# and still room left with DL. He has taken turkey and deer.

I bought my son a Hoyt Ignite a few years ago and it's been perfect so far. The adjustments are 19"-30" draw length and 15#-70# draw weight. When he first got it he was pulling about 25#'s but by 10 he was at 38#'s and his first deer only ran 50 yards after he hit it. If he ever decides he doesn't want to hunt any more I'll be taking his bow, it's much nicer than mine at this point.

Thank you all! All of these look like great bows! I really like the look of the Mission Craze II, but after thinking about it he may be a year or 2 away from these. He takes classes where he shoots weekly at a local place and he's only comfortable shooting 10-12#'s (he just turned 7). I want something he can grow into but I also don't want to discourage him if he struggles with it. I am going to go with the Genesis Original Bow, looks pretty basic and simple enough to adjust and something he can gain confidence in before I get him something more long term. Thank you all again for the recommendations!

My kids have Mission Menace (2 boys, 1 girl)...very similar as the craze mentioned above. Any adjustable bow is perfect for a young kid. This should last them until early adulthood easily! My rule, I will get you this for bday/xmas but any other bow you want when you get older you can purchase yourself.

I bought Genesis bows for my boys last year when they were 6 and 4. We had a lot of fun in the junior league at Buck Rub. My 6 year old saw kids shooting sights and releases so he HAD to have those. Once he was set up he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. We took everything off and went back to instinctive with fingers and he's good again at 15 yards shooting maybe 18 lbs. I just have to tell myself over and over " it's about the kids." The moment I start making it not fun for them, it will just push them away. My older boy also shoots an awesome longbow he was gifted from ground hunter. Glad to share that enjoyment with my family. Good luck with whatever you go with!

I bought a diamond edge for my son off of eBay that came with 2 sets of limbs. The light ones were good up to about 25 lbs. switched to the heavier limbs once maxed out the light set. Lots of adjustability in draw length as described above but did require a press to swap out the limbs. He was ready for a new string by then anyway so no big deal.

I got my son a Mission Riot when he was 12 and he's now 17 using the same bow.

Maddog archery makes custom kids longbows for right around $100.

I sell a lot of the Diamond infinite Edge pro . Adjustable 13 to 30 inch draw and 5 to 70 lbs. Also some of the Crazes .

Bought Diamonds for 1 daughter & 2 grandsons. Great shooting packages for the money.

I like the wide range of adjustments .

My boys each started with Diamond Ice when they were four and could grow with them... Moved into Mission Craze and the bows literally grow with them. -I spend thousands of dollars in shoes/boots as they outgrow them quicker than they could ever dream of wearing them out and yet they keep shooting the same bows. (I cut longer arrows initially so that they could grow with them and the bow as neither is shooting competitively nor hunting with them.) I cannot say enough cool things about the Craze. -It's a pretty smooth shooting little bow with tons of capabilities. (I even cranked one up a couple years ago to see how it would perform at peak draw, which is 65 or 70 lbs (??) and it shoots nice.) I'm not sure what changes have been made between Craze and Craze II, but would believe it's simply a newer model... Good luck and have fun!!

My son uses the bear apprentice. It's very adjustable. I switched out the whisker biscuit it came with to a three prong capture rest like the one I use. It took a ton of adjustment to get it to shoot consistent groups but overall I've been happy with its performance. I'm going to get my son a new bow this spring for his birthday so I will be passing the apprentice on to a Bowsiter after turkey season.

Bought my daughter the Infinite edge as well. Nice bow!

I'm not a Grandparent but have seen young children at my bow club handle traditional bows much easier than compounds. They are less intimidated by simpler equipment and seem to enjoy the learning process more. A traditional bow teaches the concept of trajectory and other skills basic to all forms of archery.

Crossbow. Why would anyone want there kid to work harder then they have to???

The OP specifically asked for a "bow" suggestion.

PSE Fever 11"-29" dl adjustment. You can take 15 full turns off the limb bolts. Cams also have a grow-with-you setting for performance.

I appreciate all the input! The Genesis I ordered came in the mail yesterday, neat little bow. Here is a pic of my son at his last archery class, he’s just a little guy, but form is good! Thanks again everyone!

Register here to reply to this topic