Crossbows for kids
General Topic
First off I want to make one thing clear with this thread: anyone that knows me or has been around Bowsite long knows I am all about getting kids out into the outdoors and I support whatever you guys want to do with your kids to get them out hunting, that is paramount to all else. Now that I'm done with that disclosure see my topic below:)
Do we do our kids a disservice by putting a crossbow in their hands at an early age? Does it create disinterest in them in picking up a vertical bow as they get older because of the easy success they had with the crossbow with a lot less effort? I'm just wondering if it creates hurdles in moving them into a regular bow and keeping them interested long term. Has anyone ran into this with their kids or a friend's kids? I know a couple young bowhunters that worked really hard and practiced diligently before taking their first deer with an arrow. I wonder if it would have meant the same to them had they put a scope on them and squeezed a trigger first?
I think so. Just another easy shortcut to avoid the work.
At what age does a child understand what taking an animals life means to their soul? That is determined by time in the field, gaining experience and each young hunter is different. I think that's a more important question than the weapon. I've seen some videos where very young children kill stuff but it doesn't seem they understand the entire process or appreciate the entire task. There is a lot to learn about being a hunter and much should be taught by a competent, patient Dad or mentors before the trophy photo part.
I don't think putting a crossbow in their hands should be considered a disservice. It may be at that age or time the only option for that child to have the chance to get out in the woods and experience hunting. My son shot his first animal w a crossbow 2 years ago at the age of 9.After we recovered it my son removed his hat and thanked God and for everything ! Kinda cool ! He didn't have the strength to pull enough weight on a compound bow. This past Christmas he got his first compound bow . A Bear Cruzer Lite which he can't put down ! He's been working out ,trying to build strength and working on his form .At this time he can comfortably pull 40lbs and wants pretty much nothing to do with his crossbow. In fact we have a trip booked to Shiloh Ranch for hogs in May and he's insisting on only bringing his bow ! " Wants more of challenge ". Plus where we live and hunt ,Unit 1C , crossbows are illegal. Bow hunting only. I think that the crossbow was a stepping stone into a long future of hunting for this kid. I didn't pick up a bow til I was 45! Wish it would've been sooner. I'm thinkin whatever gets them off the couch and into the woods works for me..........
Congrats to you and your boy Hammer! Sounds like you are definitely raising him right!
Nothing wrong with getting kids in the woods with guns or crossbows. But, you are doing them a dis-service if either of those are in place of bowhunting instead of alongside bowhunting. We are all here because we know how amazing bowhunting is. Sharing that is important. My son hunts with guns, rides dirt bikes, snowmobiles, fishes, plays hockey, plays football, and does all sorts of things besides bowhunting. But, I always make sure he has the gear and opportunity to bowhunt. He may or may not stick with it but I would be failing him if I didn't introduce him to bowhunting and foster his interest. Bowhunting is amazing and every kid should be lucky enough to be exposed to it. Guns, crossbows, muzzleloading are all fun and great to experience, but they just aren't the same.
I will never understand the whole argument about equipment choice But, getting kids involved in hunting is a challenge by todays standards. There is no disservice starting out with a crossbow. The hunting experience isn't just about equipment choice, having your son or daughter in the same patch of woods means more then anything. Whatever type of equipment the kids use is only a tool nothing more. As long as they can make a clean killing shot everything else is icing on the cake.
I agree with what Charlie said. As far as weapon choice, maybe your kid does not want to bow hunt. Maybe the kid does not want to hunt at all. Maybe the kid wants to gun hunt, but wants to shoot a bow for fun. If the kid wants to bow hunt but can not handle a vertical bow, great, get them started with a crossbow. If the kid wants to gun hunt, get them a gun. If your kid want to fling arrows for fun, get them a bow they can pull. If you are just forcing your own passions onto a kid by making them go out with a crossbow at a very young age hoping to turn them into a bow hunter, you'll fail.
No one here is arguing the fact that getting kids out into the woods is the most important thing and trumps all else. What weapon you use or whatever is irrelevant, just get them out there. The discussion I was looking for is more about the net end results and keeping kids bowhunting as opposed to another type of hunting. PECO and Charlie made great points. All kids are different and only their parents can really say for sure if they are ready or willing to hit the woods at all. I remember going out bowhunting once with my dad when I was a kid, I just stood on a tree limb and we never saw a damn thing. It was still the best thing I can remember from being a kid. The most important thing is the time spent together, killing anything is secondary. I think Glunt also made an excellent point. Are we better off taking our kid out with us on a true bowhunt, getting them that experience and creating the drive in them to pick up the vertical bow and start working on increasing their draw weight and accuracy in order to get to the point where they can hunt or handing them something easier just so they can kill a deer? I'm not too old that I don't remember yanking on my old bow when I was a kid trying to get the draw weight up and making sure I could hit something in order to finally go out to the woods with my bow rather than just tagging along. If I had someone hand me a crossbow and just went out and shot deer would I have had the same drive and lifelong love of bowhunting I have now? How did you guys start out?
I started hunting as a kid, we lived on a farm in NW Pa. My dad was not a hunter, my brother and I wanted to hunt so he got us each a single shot shotgun and sent us to hunter safety class. At 18 I joined the military and spent 20 years traveling, spent most of it overseas, and did not hunt. In 2004 I was out of the military and moved to Colorado. In 2008 I bought a bow and started bow hunting. I was 46 years old. I still have that Diamond Black Ice and enjoy shooting it. I've also got into recurves and longbows. I shoot year round cuz I enjoy shooting a bow, and hunting is a bonus. I am also a meat hunter, sure I love antlers but it's all about filling the freezer first.
My middle daughter “in the field”.
My middle daughter “in the field”.
My youngest daughters get out and “hunt” with me. When they are strong enough to pull the legal minimum they can be the shooter. Just because they can’t kill doesn’t mean they can’t hunt. My oldest daughter is 8 and probably the only kid in her grade school that “archery” hunts. Last year when she was 7 a friends 6 year old son killed a deer with a crossbow. I could have gotten my dads old crossbow and let her kill a deer. She had to wait until she could pull the minimum this year. I haven’t asked but I’m sure it meant more to her killing a deer this year doing it like dad does with the bow she bought and practiced with for 2 years as opposed to if I woulda just handed her a crossbow when she was 7. My parents made me wait until I was 12 to be shooter and I don’t see anything negative about making a kid wait until they can pull the legal minimum. Again there are a lot of ways to “ get kids in the field”. Start young and take them often.
Back to crossbows. My wife is from Michigan and I've enjoyed hunting the family farm, until her parents passed away. I bought a crossbow to try because it is legal there during general archery season. I hate the thing. However, her 28 year old nephew wanted to start hunting, so I mentored him and got him out there to get his first doe, with my crossbow. He bought his own and now after a few seasons is looking for a vertical bow. I have since donated the crossbow to Hunting Buddies, a group in Colorado that gets disabled people, women and children out hunting. There is no argument here that a crossbow is an excellent recruitment tool.
Give them tools, get them in the woods. You can't determine what is going to stick, which one of them will decide bowhunting is for them or gun hunting is for them. Give them options and hope they enjoy it. One thing that I have found as a parent is you can't force them to like the same things you do. I see a lot of parents that just cannot accept that.
I think it really depends on the bond between child and parent. Often you see young boys just want to be like dad, they can't wait to grow up and do what dad does. In my case, dad has rifle/shotgun hunted from when I was a young age. Much like the picture above with the little girl, I carried around a toy gun every time we went after grouse or deer. in comparison my niece has an adoring affection for her father (my brother) and although she has accompanied him, like we did with our father when younger. She does not have the same drive to hunt like we did, she is more hesitant its just her personality. I think the important part is to let the child move at there own pace and build confidence in their abilities, but I'm not a parent these are just my observations of parents. I myself didn't start bow hunting till I was 28 and looking for more opportunities to hunt big game, but I wasn't influenced pick up any weapon by my father he let me make my own choices growing up hunting.
First, I will say that I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing to get a kid out there killing animals at a very early age. JMO if they’re not old enough to be a little bit troubled by it, they’re not mature enough to be entrusted with it.
Times are different now; kids are maturing PHYSICALLY earlier than ever. In October, one of the 12-year-olds showed up for hockey at 5’ 11” ; now he’s 13 year’s old, 6’ 1”, and shaving about once a week.
At the same time, they’re maturing emotionally & psychologically much later than they did 40 years ago, and they just aren’t ready for some of the things that were pretty normal when I was a kid.
And as someone mentioned above, kids don’t have to be doing the shooting to figure out what Hunting is All About, unless you want them to learn that it’s all about killing, inches of bone, and bragging rights. I tagged along for 4-5 years before I got my first shotgun for my 13th birthday, and got to learn about rising early, frozen toes, good dog work, and making great memories with my dad and my two brothers... and back then, for us, one duck a year was something of an accomplishment.
We didn’t care about the take; it was just about being there - the 4 of us and a Lab or two...
And all that said.... Your kids will want to do whatever they see you doing and enjoying. When they’re ready, they can hunt with whatever they can handle, and as long as they don’t get pressured into a bad decision that leads to a lost animal or an ugly kill, they’ll be fine. Never underestimate the pressure that they’ll put on themselves just out of wanting to please YOU; you don’t have to “push” them for them to feel a TON of pressure, and it’s more important for them to know that you’re not in a hurry for them to “produce”...
But beyond that? They’ll want to be just like you sooner or later. They may gravitate towards more “efficient” hunting tools when they reach the Limiting Out phase, but if you build the memories, they’ll be back.. sooner or later.
I would love for all my kids to be hunters and I get a bigger thrill out of watching and videoing them hunting than I get from myself hunting. In reality I take them hunting and shooting and get weapons in their hands mostly so that even if they don’t hunt, they will still know where their meat comes from, how to handle a weapon and understand the hunting culture and support it, regardless if they hunt or not. I teach them it’s not about the kill but the fun and challenge of the game. A bow allows me to drive that home.
I think each situation is unique. Both of my daughters wanted to hunt at a young age. They had been going with me since they were 3 or 4. Both started hunting at the age of 7, one killed a turkey at 7, both had killed deer and turkeys by the time they were 8. They are 16 & 18 now and ate up with hunting. Back then, here in Indiana, their only real option for deer was a muzzleloader. For turkeys, shotgun or crossbow. My youngest in particular killed a turkey at 7 with a shotgun and decided she didn't like that. The next year she insisted on bow hunting them like I do. At 8 years old that wasn't an option, so I set her up with a crossbow. She loved it and killed many birds and deer (once Indiana made it legal) with a crossbow. But to her credit, she never gave up on the desire to bow hunt. When she turned 14 she started bow hunting with her compound and has never looked back. That crossbow was a great transition tool for her. Now all she wants to do is bow hunt. My oldest daughter never had the desire to crossbow hunt and moved straight from a muzzleloader to a compound bow when she could pull the poundage. She still shotgun hunts turkeys, but for deer she is pretty much all compound bow.
Like I said, I think every case is different. My youngest started with the crossbow but voluntarily put it down to hunt with a compound. My oldest had every opportunity to crossbow hunt but repeatedly said "no" and hunts with a compound. I personally have no issues with crossbows ... I have personally never hunted with one, but if others want to then whatever. To each his own.
I think DEC is correct, each situation is different. I took my son elk hunting when he was 17, had him in range of elk each of first 5 days when he got a 6 point. He missed a mule deer on the same hunt. Later we have been on hunts and he wants a deer and I want a elk. For years he said elk were over rated (he has backed off that now). Both elk and white tails were hard for me. And they are my favorites. Where turkeys are easy for me and anymore I do not care about getting another unless it is with a bow. So I think Brotsky has a point, which is easy can be a detriment. My question is why do we need to get them a deer vs doing a small game hunt. Maybe take them squirrel hunting and let them play in the woods . Just an old mans question. Greg
Greg for my young daughters a bow is a much more natural fit and feel than a gun. I’m not supplying arrows for squirrel hunting. Lol
Any way that will peek an interest in a child to want to hunt or to be in the woods or out of doors is terrific.
However,
You should be cautious of starting them to young, especially if it is a long way to a stand or a long hike. If they can't keep up or it's to cold or to long of a sit they will not enjoy it.
To many think that they need to start a child hunting at age 5 years to ? Let them express an interest to go other than just wanting to be with "Pops".
I see way to many father's starting their children out at a very young age these days. It seems to me it is almost like a competition, "my kid can top your kid" he or she shot a deer at age 5-6 with a crossbow or a gun.
Really ?
if you need to hold the stock or help aim, is the child really understanding what the hunt is about ? The quarry hunted the respect it should be given ??
Let the child be a child first, there is no need to rush them though their childhood.
It is the child's hunting future and desire to hunt not yours.
It is the future and legacy of hunting.
I do think a crossbow is a disservice in that some put it in their kids hands to hunt with until the time comes that they can pull sufficient weight. When is that if they aren’t practicing?15?I would guesstimate that 90% of 9 year olds could pull legal poundage with a few months of shooting 4-5 days a week. Great, put a crossbow in their hands but also get them a bow to practice with in the yard and build muscle and technique until they are strong enough. I know a friends average size son was pulling 50# at 7 years old. He shot everyday and shot competition archery. That’s an extreme example but it shows how quickly a kid can get to hunting weights(35-40#) with some practice. With moderate practice at 10 arrows or less 4 days a week my 8 year old daughter hit 35# with just a few months of effort last fall.
It is a tough question Scoot and every scenario is different, which is kind of why I posted the topic. Good discussion item for us dad's out there. I know one thing for sure though and it's that I love seeing Morgan knock down those critters and that's all that really matters!
To each his own, whatever gets the young kids into the outdoors. I gun and bow hunt , so my nine year old took her first doe with a gun, this past fall. She just doesn't have the arm strength for her bow yet. However, I wouldn't by her a cross bow. But I will not judge someone how allows their kids to use one. Also in Oklahoma the youth gun season is in October so she tags along when I bow hunt sometimes to do her "scouting".
IMVHO, the most important thing is to get them started in something whether that is small game, waterfowl, rifle hunting, fishing, etc. If they start something, they will eventually try different things and eventually be an outdoor addict. I started out waterfowl hunting, then rifle hunting, then bowhunting. The important thing for me was my dad took me and I went from there.
Like I said, my two started when they were 7. They pushed for it, not me. Those two girls would not leave me alone from the time they could walk and talk when it came to hunting (which never broke my heart ... LOL). They were insistent on shooting BB guns at like 4 and toy bows. They begged to go out and sit in a blind every chance that I would let them. So it was a "why not" when I felt they could handle it. Ranges were kept short and safety was paramount. I never helped them though, outside of getting the gun or crossbow up on the shooting sticks. Both knew how to shoulder it, flip off the safety when I told them to and both knew how to handle the recoil and where to aim. They were certainly the exception. I never forced them for some dad pride thing, but I wasn't going to deny them either when they showed non-stop interest and desire.
It has been a heck of a ride hunting with those two. These days I just tag along when they hunt. It is funny because I tell them "you can go hunt that stand down there on your own and I will hunt this one", but every time, they want me in the same tree or blind with them. So I go ... not so much to coach these days, but just to watch them hunt and spend precious time with them before having to become adults limits our future time in the woods together.
A lot of that is because of a little crossbow that set the hook ...
Those evil crossbows ...
I believe that it's more the parents desire to see their kids achieve something than it is the kids themselves. Most "modern" parents will put a ton of effort into giving their kids every advantage and putting them forward. Too much push coming from behind. You only have to be involved in kids sports to see that.
And really, there is nothing wrong with putting in your time and going through the course. Waiting for something you want makes it that much better when you do get it.
Instant fulfillment has become the new norm and I don't think has made for better kids or adults.
My daughters are 8 and 10. They have spent a ton of time in the outdoors with me and their Mom. They can catch and clean their own trout. They walk with us for pheasants but they only carry BB guns. They can shoot the 22 rifle at targets. They sit in the tree stand with us. We look forward to them taking a more active role in deer hunting when they are old enough to EARN it. Meanwhile they are learning. We believe it is the quality time spent as a family outdoors that will set hook. The killing can wait.
That's the way are raising them. Others can do as they think best.
I think the main thing is for kids to have fun. My son killed a black bear at 12 on a spot and stalk hunt. He got tired of hunting about the time that testosterone took over. He back at twenty seven and wanted help with the bow. He said that he felt the bow was more a challenge and that hunting with a gun seemed to easy. I got him into trout fish and within two months he had moved to a fly rod. Again, he stated that the challenge was more important and the method was more important than taking an animal. Kids will grow and mature and as long they possess the tag of hunter is what matters most important to me but they will eventually choose their own path.
The best thing for a young kid and is fun is the slingshot, creates eye hand coordination and form that leads into the bow. Times change and once as a young fart from an old one the slingshot was about as important as a bicycle but this is a whole different generation that does not know what a sandlot baseball game is or getting leeches on them in the local creek.
Wonder how many on this thread shot their first animals with guns as youngsters (or even oldsters..) and later became bowhunters?
I would not worry about it, let them join the revolution.
Scoot, is it legal to use a crossbow in North Dakota's spring turkey season?
The answer is absolutely YES. Kids that shoot Krossbows are more likely to east Tide Pods and you can quote me on that.
Scoot I’m not a 3 sport NCAA letterman but I have slept at a holiday inn. ;) My daughter is 8 but out of the girls a year older than her on her softball team all would pull 35 after a months worth of shooting and a few would hit 45. You Northern folk must raise late bloomers. ;) I really don’t care what your daughter uses, I enjoy your pics and stories of your kids. My comment was general and not directed at you. I just feel many don’t give their kids a chance before throwing a crossbow at them.
My daughter(8) went from starting at the bottom 15# on her 7th birthday to 29# two months later. The next fall after softball she picked it up after a few months of sporadic practicing and quickly made it to 35#. She’s not a big girl either but she did inherit my poor athletic genetics. Ohh her mother almost qualified for state in the long jump too, ha. ;)
I killed all sorts of stuff with wrist rockets, bb guns, 22s, shotguns and bows growing up. First big game was a pronghorn when I was 16 hunting alone with a fiberglass recurve for a week 5 hours from home. Dad didn't bowhunt but kept me set up with bows and arrows from a young age.
Thanks to PA's tremendous non-resident youth hunting regs, my daughter has been hunting with a xbow since the age of 8. With the exception of the first day she ever hunted 4 years ago, she hasn't had another opportunity. We have spent close to 80 hours in the woods together (and have made a bunch of memories) which we would not made had she not been the one able to shoot. Hopefully this year is the year!
I’m rooting for her Aubs and I feel for you dads that live in those target deficient areas.
Jaq I shot my first handful of deer with a bang stick. By all means use whatever it takes to get your kids outdoors. Gun, bow, crossbow, nerf bow it doesn’t matter. I’m just trying to point out that kids are capable of pulling hunting weight long before many would dream. Maybe not all kids, but a lot of kids.
I’m not against crossbows for kids. Nor guns nor anything other “weapon”. I just wonder why a child HAS to kill a deer their first time or season in the blind. I followed my Dad around as soon as I could walk in boots. My kids did the same. We learned and progressed as we went, being given responsibility as we earned it. For some reason my Dad took pleasure in making us all kinds of weapons. From metal tubed slingshots to crossbows. We always had two or three fibreglass bows around and made hundreds of crude arrows from cattails At nine years old we all got a good pellet gun. At twelve we could carry a shotgun beside my Dad.
I got my love of the outdoors and hunting from being outdoors and hunting with my Dad. Not from having “success” every time I went out.
If anyone really thinks any kids today are going to switch from something easy to more challenging. Boy are you naive....
My son is old enough to hunt big game this year. I gave him the option of rifle or bow and he chose bow for deer and antelope. He hasn't decided between his compound or longbow yet.
Rutnstrut is correct, likely less than 10% will ever switch to a more difficult weapon. The crossbow revolution is on, just as I predicted years ago.
I dont know if a crossbow is a dis-service for kids to use. As a parent with 2 grown kids that love to hunt [bows & guns] and fish, [spinning and fly-fishing], I offered them the opportunities and let their desires help in the long-term decision making. Crossbows didnt come up in any of our conversations, but they had, we would have embraced it.
All kids manage frustration differently. And we all know how frustrating shooting bows can be. If a child gets easily frustrated, well... maybe the timing isnt right for shooting bows.
But maybe a crossbow can propel that 'frustrated' child into the outdoors, and even assist in dealing with any frustration.
Bows have come a loooonnnng way in recent years so kids can handle them much better than they did in the past. Thus diminishing the frustration level - for both the child & parent.
As far as pulling a 'trigger' in reference to a crossbow, dont most of us here pull a trigger on our release with our compound?
Thanks Link :) It is tough to get kids into hunting and keep their interest when sightings and opportunity are few and far between.
Ambush, good point, but we were raised before the expectations of instant gratification. Remember when we used to save up our money from shoveling snow, paper route, mowing lawns, seining minnows, etc. to buy something we wanted? Today that doesn't exist. The term "Instagram" epitomizes the mindset of today's youths.
Yes I think early success often plays a negetive role in interest level. (Crossbows aside) This buck was taken on her second trip out...hasn’t been since. I’ve seen in time and time again.
Damn, Michael... I think I saw a deer that size....
once..
about 20 years ago.
“I know a friends average size son was pulling 50# at 7 years old. He shot everyday and shot competition archery. That’s an extreme example but it shows how quickly a kid can get to hunting weights(35-40#) with some practice. With moderate practice at 10 arrows or less 4 days a week my 8 year old daughter hit 35# with just a few months of effort last fall.”
I would talk to your pediatrician about that. Asymmetrical weight training + growing bones sounds like a prescription for scoliosis, and asking a little kid to draw half (or more) of his/her body weight when most grown men top out at about 1/3....
What the hell are you you guys thinking???
I have been shooting bows either made by me or my brother since I was 4 or 5, moved on to compounds in later 1970s, shifted back to recurve in the 90s, still shoot a lot of both. Dad took me out when I was young saw him shoot a doe at almost point blank with a Howatt recurve. We were on the ground sitting with our backs against a big oak. I was able to pull the minimum 40# at 12 , for a little guy who didn't break 100# until a Sophomore in High school that was some work, but I did it.
Fast forward to about 2006 my kids are shooting bows when they are 3, 5 years old. Some hunting trips with Dad to watch. Now in 2018 they shoot leagues with me every Monday night. My daughter beats up me and my son consistently with her Parker sidekick. My son decided a few years back to exclusively use recurve. At 14, 16 respectively neither has shot an animal with bow (yet, they have been shot at and missed by my son). Neither one ever touched a crossbow, saw no need for it. Now with the growth of crossbow, airgun (yep that's proper name for airbow) , they are smart enough to know how its going to change that tradition. My son is very adamant about challenging anyone thinking its a "recruitment tool" just so it can get a foot into the door and ultimately into the general archery season. "Archery is not supposed to be easy" is a routine quote-that's my boy!!
P.S. He has taken a few turkeys with gun, plays the point and click Zombie, Alien, Plants vs Zombie type games with friends. Occasionally I still hear him trying to recruit friends into hunting, bowhunting in particular...
I don't think we do a disservice AT ALL when we take kids into the woods regardless of the game chased or the tool used.
We are stewards and mentors and teachers.
It is NOT our job to dictate to our children that they WILL hunt or if they do then HOW they will hunt.
To get a child into the woods and hooked on a love of the outdoors is the key.
I have 1 son. I have 3 sometimes hunting blood nephews (1 avid, 1 coming along, and 1 that discovered girls and guitars!) DOZENS of non-blood nephews and nieces that hunt and shoot.
Far too many of my friends lose their children as hunting partners for life waiting for when the child "is old enough".
Take your kids out- walk with them, play with them, make it fun for them. Buy them small bows and BB guns to use early on and as they grow let them shoot .22s and shotguns and rifles and stickbows and compounds and crossbows AND ENJOY THE TIME WITH THEM and then let them decide what they want to hunt with.
It is NOT your choice to make for them about what species they will like to hunt and with what weapons.
It IS your job to get them into the woods
GF I understand that and that is why I don’t push my daughter to shoot 40 shots a day. At 40-50 shots a week, 3 months of the year and only holding 7-8# it’s not bad. A lot of the old guys having trouble have shot for years holding 45-60# at full draw and shoot year round to keep their form. Listen to your kids, if they say something hurts turn it down or hang it up for awhile.
My buddies son to my knowledge has never had trouble and he’s about 15 now and been shooting every day for years. He travels all over the us shooting competition and will likely have his college paid for by an archery team.
I think these kinds of things are often "over-thought." I come from a family of 4 brothers. We all grew up gun hunting with my dad. As you know, 2 of us are seething die hard bowhunters. The other two brothers are casual gun hunters. One I would call casual, the other extreme casual like every 4 years one hunt casual.
People are all individuals and no matter how much we'd love to program our offspring to do and like exactly what we want they are their own individual person. That's what makes it fun. All we can do is do our part, show them the outdoors, love them, and take it from there.
My girl was putting them down with her 8 lb bow when she was a young'un!!! lol
My kids have hunted with me their whole life. That little girl is now 13 and has put double digit deer down (rifle/xbow) and has helped me drag a bunch out too. My boy loves to go and has shot a few but hasn't gotten the bug as bad as his sister.
Just take them and when they are ready they will let you know. You can always check to see by saying, "Hey you ready for that bow?"
All I know is if you push and annoy them that's a great recipe for them not wanting to hang with you.
After watching Jay Gregory's Daughter Whitly shoot her bow, I don' see why anyone/parent wouldn't give their kid a chance to shoot a bow over an xbow.
Hell she is more like a 1/4 pint! haha
Good luck, Robb
That's awesome Robb! Half Pint would even approve of those nails! Ha!
