ORIGINAL: Arthur P
I doubt he can pull a hunting weight bow at this point.
There are a lot more critters in the woods than just deer, and it's also called HUNTING when you go after them. Deer chauvinism has gotten to be a genuine pet peeve for me.
The boy can certainly draw enough for
small game. The skills learned from hunting small game are very adaptable to hunting deer. Also, he'll love it because there is a lot more action in a day's shooting than hunting deer. (It can be a sore trial for an 8 year old, sitting on stand waiting... and waiting... and waiting....) It's close range shooting, so his accuracy is plenty good enough. And with the small size of the critters, it's usually either a clean kill or a clean miss.
So, in addition to taking your son stump shooting and letting him get accustomed to shooting in the field, turn him loose on rabbits and squirrels. All he needs is the proper arrow setup. I'd recommend small broadheads backed by Muzzy Grasshoppers. No blunts or judo points for anything other than stumping, because his bow most likely won't have enough power to kill by shock alone.
You might have to scurry to keep coming up with new recipes to put his kills on the table but the benefit is you won't have to choke down so much chicken.[8D]
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I have been a dedicated small game bowhunter ever since I was younger than your son, Christine. Nearly 50 years of hunting later, I still love it. In fact, now that the back and knees are shot, I prefer it. It's a lot easier on the ol' fart to pack out a string of bunnies than dragging out a deer and loading it up in the truck.