Originally Posted by
rlmx
...I have explained to him that he needed at least 3 solid hours per week for several months straight to be able to go into the field and harvest a deer...
...So bow hunters, what standards do you have for yourselves? How many hours of practice before you count yourself "ready?" Is 3 hrs per week (30 min x 6 days) for 6 months straight enough?
What feats of accuracy should a bow hunter be able to accomplish before going in the field to harvest a deer? I had a friend in high school that wouldn't go unless he practiced to the point that he could hit a tennis ball at 40 yards with consistency...
Two conflicting paradigms here. One hand is telling him he has to arbitrarily practice 3hrs a week (is 1hr enough? is 3hrs enough? 10hrs?), the other hand is telling him that he needs to achieve certain feats of accuracy, and no distinct link between the two is made.
Personally, I don't unpack my bow each pre-season with the thought of a certain number of hours per week in mind. I throw some arrows downrange and make sure I'm still on target. If I'm not consistently accurate enough to my own standards, I practice a lot, if I'm on target, I don't worry about 'mandatory practice' nearly as much. Why should that rule not apply to your kid?
Kids that age thrive on an achievement based system. If he studies and do his homework, he gets an A on his test. If he doesn't study, he fails. If he fails a test, he gets grounded, and has to study more. If he mows the lawn, he gets his allowance. If he does a crappy job, he doesn't get his allowance until he does it right. You might impose the rule that he should mow counter clockwise the first two laps so clippings don't spray into the driveway (logical), and if he doesn't do it that way, he has to sweep the driveway after (more work for him = form of punishment for doing it wrong).
BUT, you don't make him mow the lawn everyday if he did it right the first time. The job is done right, he doesn't need to keep doing it until it needs mowed again.
If you like the "tennis ball test", then use it. If the kid can hit the tennis ball 10 for 10 at 40yrds (or whatever range) with zero practice, then let the kid hunt. A lot of kids don't have to study to get A's in school, so making them study more is like making them mow the lawn everyday. If the kid can hit the tennis ball 10 for 10, then whatever amount he is practicing is the right amount.
If he CAN'T hit the tennis ball 10 for 10, then he doesn't get to go hunting because he needs to practice more until he can. Whether it takes 3hrs per week or 30min per week, he knows what he has to achieve, so hang that in front of him as a goal.
(Ending this by saying that 10 for 10 on a tennis ball at 40yrds is a he11 of a feat for most bowhunters, and WAY more accurate than a deer hunter has to be, so maybe make it 20 or 30yrds instead 
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