Please Help with My Son
 

We purchased a 40# bow for my son. We told him that if he would practice diligently that he could go deer hunting.

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.

May we have some help here? He is 13. He doesn't want to a "lecture" from dad.

He sees the TV shows, and thinks that is all here is to it.

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.

The more replies, the better!

My son has been shooting a bow since he was really little but hunting with a crossbow until he was ready. He was already putting 3 out of 3 shots in a 3 inch bull at 20 yards and that was my standard for him. The goal I set for him was to be able to get his bow up to the state minimum and shoot consistently at that draw weight. I originally said 40lbs, the state required 35lbs. His current bow maxed out at 38lbs and we said good enough. He hit that milestone at 10 years old and we went out hunting. I would only let him take 20 yard broadside shots.

He didn't get a whitetail to pose for him this year and he ended up taking a spike with his crossbow. After the season was over, I took him on an exotic ram hunt and he christened his compound. He got his ram, but I wasn't that impressed with the penetration. I'm hoping to get him into 45lbs before his next hunt.

To be fair, he did hit a little forward and got into the shoulder a little bit. The ram still bled out. But the tracking job was harder than it needed to be.

To answer your question more directly, I wouldn't base it on how many hours a week he practiced. I would just make sure he practiced regularly and I would watch to see how accurately he could shoot.

Agree wouldnt put hours on it. Would just put proficiency/ accuracy as the concept. He could get it down in 4 weeks or it could take him longer. To me it may be coming out as not something to enjoy but another chore (From his perspective). Just go out and hang with him and the bulls-eye is the goal. Could even make it interesting offer a $5 for every one he makes.This would give you the time to access whether he is using proper form. If he is using proper form it would help you guide him better on why he isnt making the shot. Is the bow too much for starting to learn the mechanics? Do you test it to make sure it is sighted properly for him.
For me i had an issue shooting my grandfathers rifle growing up. Wasnt nothing to do with the gun after all a gun is a gun. The stock was too long for me, the eye relief wasnt ideal for me it put me too far from the scope, along with the focus since he wore glasses. But having the same build and eyesight as my father we could swap rifles and guns no issue and shoot each others.

For me it would be performance based, not hours spent. If he could consistently hit a 6" circle from 10-20 yards from whatever position he will be hunting from we would be in the woods. 20 yards would also be the limit for taking a shot for this year.

agreed... if he consistently shoots good groups at proper range, he's ready.

less than 24 hours to go here, i feel like a 10 year old kid on christmas morning... if only santa will bring me a buck.


LOL, spell check just said it should be spelled "satan", (if only satan will bring me a buck.) :-0
i think my computer may be possessed... by the way, any of you guys do exorcisms???

My father got into bow hunting when I was 8 yrs old. He decided to bring me into it at the same time. He decided to bring me to a local archery store/club and enrolled himself and I into their archery club. The club gathered once a week and had competitive shoots for the older guys and classes for the younger kids. I will tell you; by the age of 12 I could tell you anything about archery. Maybe not so much on bow hunting, but the art of archery. I harvested my first buck by myself with bow in hand that yr when I was 12.

What I was originally getting at before I headed down memory rd is. Make it a father son bonding experience. Shoot with him, join a club. He will be more apt to want to follow in your footsteps. Good Luck.

I wouldn't necessarily put a time on how long to shoot per day...just practice till he gets tired or till you see his groupings go from better to worse...then YOU know hes getting tired. if you continue on past the tired stage you can get BAD muscle memory...IMO...so its best to keep it light hearted and aim for the bullseye. Soon as he consistently gets vitals/paper plate to saucer sized groupings or better he should be ready...but just realize he might mess up the first shot due to the old adrenaline rush...also if you have an adjustable bow slowly crank up the tension every couple weeks...a little at a time and that will help build his bow pulling muscles and get him at a higher poundage which is also better for taking an animal...just my thoughts and be safe...good luck!

Or, put those $5 bills in a jar in your gun safe. Tell him, if he gets two in a row, you'll match it. Maybe you'll have a fund for a nice hunt after a year or two?

When i was younger my old man told me once i hit 10-10 in the area he wanted me to hit then i could go. That made me practice harder and harder. I think its more or less if hes ready mentally too. Take him along with you bow hunting for a year so show him its not always whats seen on shows. Explain to him the Do's and Don't out in the field after a situation. Then when he can explain situations to you then he may be ready. Thats just the way my dad and brother did it for me.

I believe I'd concentrate more on his proficiency than on hours spent. The problem I see with hours spent is he's only shooting for that purpose, hours spent. If you'll set standards and make him strive to meet those, he'll be shooting to get better.

I believe that I'd figure out how many pounds he's pulling then figure a deadly range for that weight. I would then make him shoot at the maximum distance consistently in the kill zone. I'd do this from several different positions as you never know whats going to happen during a hunt.

Also low poundage like what he currently uses I would use fixed broad heads only when he goes hunting...you want all the force available to go to the cutting edge not get lost opening a blade. make sure he uses the target blades for the fixed broadheads or a good broadhead target... Just my opinion...

When I started which wasn't that long ago I had a family friend tell me to start with 20yds and once I was consistent at 3 inch group to go, and use that as a guide for longer shots. Don't try a longer shot until I was consistent at a 3 inch grouping.

I've been bow hunting for 32 years and limit most of my shots to 25 yards, 30 yards max. Even for an adult that's been shooting for 30+ years with a fast bow, I think there are too many variables when you get past 30 yards.

20 yards max for my kid. :D

Archery is generally limited by the accuracy of the shooter, so that's what I'd tell him. Take him out, see how well he shoots. If he naturally is able to stack sticks at 40yrds, I wouldn't worry about him. If, as you'd expect, he has trouble consistently delivering shots on target past 15yrds, then he obviously needs more practice.

My wife and I, both what I'd call accomplished/skilled archers, usually shoot 25-50pins per night during season, more during preseason, 7days a week. Most weekends before the season will be 100-150 pins per day on both days. But both of us are capable of grouping under 3" at 50yrds CONSISTENTLY, so we're prone to think that so much dedication is worth it.

The "punishment" that I'd recommend, if he doesn't practice, is to go ahead and take him hunting. If something walks past at a range further than his accurate range, make him pass on the shot. 1) Passing on a deer at 20yrds sucks, and it would force him to admit that he's not accurate enough to ethically take that shot. 2) If he does get a shot and range, and places it poorly, then tracking long distance, or worse, losing game is a brutal learning experience.

I have a completely different opinion than the rest of these guys. You set certain parameters that he should have made some put in the time to practice. You feel he didn't do so and that's what you should base your decision on. I'd say no hunting this year.

It has nothing to do with how lucky he might get or anything else. It's the matter that he didn't learn the discipline to make an attempt. Rules are rules. You set them. It was his responsibility to adhere to them. To give in at this point might lead to him not respecting you later in life and this is what is wrong with younger generations today.

Practice doesn't mean anything if its not correct. If he's out there shooting for hours and doesn't entirely understand what he is doing, then its not benefitting him a bit.

If I was you I'd come up with an organized practice routine.

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 :wave:)

:happy0001:I cant do that at 30 or 40 yds lol maybe at 20 if I concentrate...lol but good advice nonetheless

I bought my 11 year old son a bow for Christmas last year. He is not strong enough to hunt with the minimum 40lbs draw yet. He shoots with me everytime I shoot. I shoot at least 3X/week....I feel I am ready when I can hit the cap off of a plastic coke bottle at 30 yards....I have been hunting for 20+ years, and the joy of just shooting my bow has not wavered....I love it. My son loves to shoot his bow as well....I make it fun for him...we shoot at different areas of the target to see who can get the closest. Without him knowing, he is developing skills that will allow him to become a better hunter as he gets older/stronger. I agree with those who say do not put a time to his shooting. You will know when he is ready.....and if he is not, have him sit with you and teach him the woods.

well by your standards not many are ready...that's a feat in itself..but hey if you are that good...good for you.

My son is 10 and he took his first deer with a bow the first day of season this year. He has been shooting for 3 years now. I won't let him shoot over 18 yards. I don't expect him to shoot for hours on end but we go down and take 12-15 shots almost every night. I feel like if he shoots for a long period of time he gets fatigued and loses his form which hurts his accuracy. As bow hunters we must remember that you get one shot generally so when we walk up to the target I remind him his first shot is the one that counts.

good advice...

yes i would base it on how well he can shoot (4 inch group at 20 yards is good but dont let him shoot any further if he is not consistant at further distances

I didn't read through all the responses so I am sorry if this is a duplicate answer.

I was in the same boat this year with my 13yr old son. I will be very honest, I discouraged him from shooting more then 10 arrows a session with 2 sessions a day max. He had yet to develop the strength and stamina in his muscles to shoot many more shots then that. I did not want him getting in to bad habits due to him having to compensate. He fought very hard to shoot more arrows and I know if I would have let him he would have shot all day long. We made the short sessions count, plain and simple. As far as accuracy, let him prove to you how far he can shoot. He may be a natural. My son was dead on at 10,20,30 yards. Any more then that and he had issues. I limited him to 20 yard shots in the woods knowing that he had 30 yards down. He end taking a 6point on his 3rd sit of the season.

Learning
 

Learning the easy things isn't the problem. Learning the hard things is real tough.

The first time is harder than the tenth time, and it's better to learn that young and not older.

Make sure he knows how to shoot a bow, and let him judge how good he needs to be. He'll learn from that how good he really needs to be.

Some have all the answers when they ask the questions. Some need to learn the hard way.

A typical teenager. Dad doesn't know a thing LOL. Thats why I always tell/told mine they should get out of the house now while they still know everything LOL

Seriously, we want our kids to be proficient. We want their skills sharp and to kill quickly and humanely, but each kid is different and most react/listen to those outside the immediate family more than they do to the ones closest to them.

Shooting for a set amount of time can fatigue them, causing them to make poor shots thus leading to frustration for both parties involved, ie, son and dad.

An idea for you and maybe it's been mentioned, I did not read thru all the posts, but start taking him to some 3-D shoots. Let him challenge himself by seeing how good the others are, and letting him save face by seeing where HE needs to make improvements.

Besides, both of you will have a good time. Making a game out of it will be more productive than a classroom session and he'll probably end up meeting some kids his age that he can relate to and heed the advice THEY give him.

I been bow hunting all my life and use to practice a lot more when I first started 20+ years ago. Shoot...I would get out of school and go to the local bow range and hang out and shoot my bow because it was just fun. Now with a kid and a job it can be tough to get motivated to get out and shoot your bow. I paid for it that mistake not practicing the last 3 years in Kansas. I would shoot about a month before the season would start. I would get the bow out and shoot and make a few shots and could tell I was really rusty. After a few adjustment to pins and If hitting fairly well on the target, I’d be done till I actually went hunting. Missed some easy shots on some good quality deer. Last year I got my wife into hunting and bought her a new Hoyt bow. We bought a Glendale buck to make it little funner to shoot. We practice every week. Might be a 2 days a week, might be only one day but its weekly. I've already killed my Kansas buck on Oct 13th with 43yd shot double lung. So to me...doesn’t matter if you have 20+ years of experience if you don’t shoot often you find yourself making simple mistake that you could prevent by just shooting on a regular basis. So don’t get lazy like I did and get over confident because your luck will run out. Practice Practice...and when the time comes your body will be trained to perform though buck fever and real hunting situations.