I'm in the same boat with my 10 year old, he is wearing me out about a bow. I know his first question is going to be "Can I kill a deer with it?" So how much kinetic energy is needed for this, and how do you figure it? Or maybe just a basic rule of thumb for how much is needed? If it is not possible for him right now and he needs to work up that is fine, just where does he need to work up to? What level is acceptable?

That's easy for Texans, Critr-Gitr. We've got a 40 pound minimum draw weight requirement here. Just about any halfway decent 40 pounder will kill a deer. Arrow selection, broadhead type, shot distanceand shot placement just get more critical with the low poundage rigs.

Ooops... I guess I should read our regs better, huh? I suppose that falls into the category of "I read it and my setup meets it so I purged it from my mind". Well, that makes it much easier for me anyways. My youngest son can be hardheaded er.. I mean, uh, determined sometimes. I can show him the law in black and white and there will be no argument. Thanks for the info Arthur.

take a look at the bowtech maranda or maybe a pse outlaw

I live in Ohio and we also have a 40lbs min draw weight. The only problem is I have a 8 year old girl who can shoot her Genesis fairly well but only at 15 lbs draw weight. There is no way she'll be able to shoot a 40 pound bow before she's 10. I told her she could come along on a hunt with me as an observer untill then. Meanwhile I'll just work with her on shooting.

Browning Micro Midas III.

Parker is the same bow as browning micro...i think they even bought the patent on it same thing only you can upgrade the limbs

I've heard the Micro Midas is an excellent bow to start out on... I was going to buy one for myself since I'm just a little thing, but I ended up going with a Browning Rage youth bow, also adjustable from 20"-30" of draw length. I love it... and it grows with the kid, they can use it well into adulthood, or until they get bored with it and want a new one, whichever comes first...

dont buy the team realtree brave is a piece of junk you cant even put a peep on it

before buying my son a pse outlaw i looked at several and some of the cheaper bows were realy bad. they had steal cables instead of strings . so you couldnt install a peep at all. they were imposible to set up . i suggest again trying to buy a better ,higher end youth bow that will grow with the child.