Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

OK guys take it easy on me here... My son and I are going to start bow hunting this year. I bought him a Bear Cub last year and a 3d target and let him shoot, I learned how to shoot a bow when I was younger but its been a long time.
This year I'm upgrading my son's bow to another Bear Cub, this one is a 35-55# pull, I'm not sure about the rest of the stats as Its being given to him from a family member. My son turns 10 this weekend. I also recently bought myself a bow, Last year I shot my grandfathers old Ben Pearson but I've decided to put that bow up as I belive it has a pretty good antique value. The bow I bought for myself is a Hoyt Raider, I belive its an early to mid 90's model. I want to make sure this is something he and I both are going to stick with before I go sinking alot of money into it. We already sink enough money to keep the wife mad into fishing.I've attached a picture of the bow I bought. Now I'd like lots of tips and pointers from you guys. Economical upgrades or additions I should make to mine and his bow, tips on shooting from the ground, we do not own a deer stand and before I can teach him to climb a tree with one I need to learn myself. I've heard alot of horror stories of guys falling out of trees so I'm a little spooked by that. So for now we are going to be shooting from the ground. Any tips you can give me about shooting from the ground will be greatly appreciated. Any info that I probably don't know about the bow I purchased will be greatly appreciated. Anything that we 'have to have' (trust me I know what that means.. I fish) or basically just ANY info you can give us will be VERY appreciated.

Thanks
J

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

I think I would start with a sight....wait, is that a sight? I can't tell.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

Well I'll start..I understand not wanting to sink money in..I do! I started with a bottom end pro-line bow. BUT it was the current years model. By dating yourself back a decade or more you are missing out on the technology. Perhaps this is the technology that will make or break your decision to bow hunt into the future.

This isn't old school hit a haybale and a paper plate stuff. There is no reason that within a few practice sessions you and your son can't be shooting sub 5" groups at 20 yards. That is with modern equipment including a good Bow, release, sight, and peep sight and PROPERLY fitted arrows for your set-up.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

I think a new string and then practice for a minimum of 3 months.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

Fiberoptic sight,Removeable quiver,dropaway rest,and a wrist strap for starts. Get a good blind that both of you can sit in and are able to draw a bow.When you set it up brush it in. AND -

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

Yes thats a sight but its damaged and may need 'tweaking'? It was damaged in shipping. I had planned on just replacing it, i've been doing some research and I like the idea/looks of the fiberoptic sights but all I've ever shot were regular pin sights so I don't know a whole lot here.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

Don't hold back LOL brands and prices will be greatly appreciated, this bow is what I have to work with right now, next year will probably be a different story but for now this is all I have so what can I do with it besides throw it away like i'm sure alot of you who have been doing this for years will tell me.

J

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

Hey Dolomite, where are you from? The hunting age here in NJ is 10 also.
DW

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

brands and prices......it depends on YOUR price range and what fits your bow. Speaking of fitting, you really need to make sure your bow fits you and your kids fits him before anything else. take it to a pro, make sure it fits, then have him tune it up good. then, like journeyman said, practice...a lot.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

From middle TN, we actually don't have a hunting age but I don't think there are many 9yr old and younger kids who can pull a 35# bow. At 10 our kids have to have the Hunters Saftey Course certificate. I went through it with my son last year so we are good there,he doesn't need a license until he's 13. I'm not new to deer hunting, just bow hunting. I've been hunting with a rifle since I was 10

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

I will second that a fiber optic sight is a must have. You should be able to get one for about $35

You do not need to spend a lot of money. People killed a lot of deer before Bowtech came along. The new technology is nice, but bowhunting is about handicapping yourself, otherwise you'd use a gun. You get to spend more time afield.

I recommend carbon arrows, because they are much more durable than aluminum. Cost more, but they are a better buy. I also like a block type target better than a bag type. My bow blows right through the bag. For broadheads, You can't go wrong with Muzzy, and I think Magnus stingers would be great too. No matter what, they should be sharp.

So to sum up, dont skimp on the arrows, or target, or broadheads.

If you get a release, get one that fits, but don't be afraid to shoot with fingers if your bow will work that way.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

I have the target, like I said we bought my son a 3D Deer last year, its one of those 6pt bucks that you mount in the ground.. you get them at BPS or Academy.. we got this one at Academy... That is a good target right?

Thanks for the sight tips, I was wondering what people really thought of the fiber optic sights, I've never shot with a release but I think I'm going to get one to learn. From what I've read I need to get my carbon arrows from a proshop and have them custom cut right? what the price of an average carbon arrow8-10$ each? I was thinking 3 for hunting and 3 for target shooting right? Same for my son, but custom cut to fit his bow?

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

you are going to lose arrows alot. For the setup you have now...go with cheap aluminum arrows...they will kill deer just as fast as 10$ a piece carbons. Get a new string and have a bow place just tune up your bow. Your best bet would be to go to a Pro Shop and have the guy there help you out and teach you a little bit of the basics as far as shooting/sighting in. Get a cheap fiber optic sight and a sting loop...with a release. Thats the best thing to have i believe. Buy yourself a nice blind that you both can fit in. This is important as well. Like somebody said before...theres alot of technology that has really brought bowhunting to its height...and its to the point where it can make your decision or break it. Working with old equiment isnt so much fun. I got my bow (Jennings Starmaster) which is a really friggen nice bow for 180$ with sights and everything off ebay. But for the time being...go to your Pro Shop and just ask for help.

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

I'd get to a pro shop and do it right. Make sure your bow fits you (draw length), your arrows fit your bow, etc. Is that an old steel cable job with a string attached via teardrop hooks? There's nothing wrong with shooting old bows, just make sure everything is checked out for safety. I shot an old bow like that too, after a long time away from shooting I bought something more modern back in 2003. Still using that bow. You won't believe the difference in technology until you shoot a modern bow. Anyway, good luck!

RE: Father and Son new to bow hunting
 

The biggest thing is making sure the bow fits you and that it's tuned correctly. Fiberoptic sights aren't a must, but they are nice. Same thing with drop away rests and carbon arrows.My father still shoots old XX75 Alum's out of his old Golden Eagle with metal pin sights and a simple prong style rest. It still kills deer. The key is making sure it all works together. Take your bow to the local pro-shop and have him check it over for saftey issues, make sure it fits you, have him square it up and see if he can give you some ideas for accessories for your specific bow.

Now let's say you made sure the bow fits and all that jazz. A few accessories I would recommend right off the bat for an older bow would be limb silencers (Limbsavers), string leaches, and a stabilizer. These really are good things to add for any bow, but especially on older noisier bows. Also, to help improve your accuracy, add a kisser button and a peep sight. This will help with consistency, increasing accuracy.

After that, practice practice practice. Practice from every concievable position you think you'll be shooting from in a hunt. If you think you're going to sit on a bucket flipped upside down - practice from shooting on a bucket. From a chair - practice from a chair, etc, etc, etc. Also practice on making your first shot count. Focus on making that first shot of every group or session perfect. Last is concentrate on keeping a consistent form. Have someone take pictures of you from several angles while practicing and post them up here. We have some awesome shooters on here who can give you a ton of good pointers for improving your form and accuracy.