badshotbob

My son is 10-1/2 and very much wants to hunt when he is 12. I want to get a bow for him for Christmas, or even his 11th birthday in April. Is it too early to get him a bow that is powerful enough to kill a deer? If not, any recommendations for a good bow that he can shoot and use for many years? I don' t or can' t sink gobs of cash into this either. I started off with a Ben Pearson 50-60# and was able to shoot it at 55# when I was 12. Should I wait until he turns 12? He has a youth Golden Eagle right now and can pull it back without too much problem cranked down to 35# or whatever it is turned all the way up. (This kid can shoot too, which makes me happy.) Thanks for any advice.

bigbulls

I would look at that package youth bow that Browning offers. Seems to be a great little bow for the money Around $170 to $220 depending on which one you get. They have two models to choose depending on the weight you son is able to pull. The cheaper one has a black riser and less weight and the mo0re expensive one has a camo riser and higher draw weight.

I too have to get my sone one here soon. I' ll most likley be purchasing this one later but for now he has a PSE that my uncle gave to him to use for now. He turns 11 in February and he has to wait until 12 to actually hunt big game here in Colorado. He does come along on an elk hunt every now and then though. He' ll be ready by 12. Heck he kept up with me at 11,000 feet this year.

Good luck with your son.

DoninVa

My 12 year old has been shooting a Parker Challanger for 3 years. He hunted with it this year at 42 lbs. which will kill any deer walking with the proper shot with a sharp broad head at a resonable range (not over 20 yards). Parker will upgrade the limbs and draw length module for 50.00 and you can ship it to them or have one of their dealers do it. I paied about 250.00 for his bow but am not sure what the cost is this year. The upgrade is a sweet deal if your boy is growing like mine. Don

lobi

I bought my wife the Browning " Micro Midas" (i think) it adjusts for draw length and wt from 35 to 50 lbs. Perfect bow to grow with and will feel and shoot like a " real" bow. It definatly will kill a deer. as mentioned about $200.

He sounds ready to me. It isn' t an age thing but a readyness.

TracyM

I' m a firm believer in starting kids out on a recurve to help them develope the muscles they need first. Then it' s a pretty easy switch to a compound. A lot harder to go about the other way if they decide to go " traditional"

My boys started out on a 25#@28" and went from there.

Just MHO. Your mileage may vary.

Tracy

__________________________________________________ _______

It ' aint the arrows, it' s the indian!

Hyawatha

Shop around, because he is past ready, if he is tugging 35# with ease!

Their are several youth friendly bows out there, that can grow with him.
Browning does seem to be the leader in youth bows, and the adjustability, but that' s not to say all the bow manufacturers don' t make quality youth bows. Shop around. Even E-bay works![8D]

Len in Maryland

The way we fit kids of all sizes is to try to fit them with a two cam/post adjustment design. The post adjustment changes the draw weight as you change the draw length. With some models you can change the draw length as much as 8" and the draw weight as much as 30# on the same bow without having to change modules, cams or limbs.

Stop by and we' ll fit them properly.

eightwgt

I am in ame boat as you and shopped a LOT......

Browning has the best to offer and if you can find it the Micro Adrenalin is a discontinued model I believe. Our local shop has about 5 of themn in right hand ( my son is a lefty) for 180. Its the best bow I have seen by far for a kid... and it adjusts from 21-27" draw, and 35-50 pounds......

They also have the new 2004 line with 2 nice kids bows that are very simular...

Good Luck

mddittman

I' m a PSE guy but for this I' d have to say look at the Bear Badge. My son is going to be 10 in January, and we set him up with a new bow two months ago. I was looking at the Spyders and nothing would work like you wanted, if he could pull it back, the max poundage would be too light to hunt with. I didn' t want to sink $200+ for a bare bow he' d never be able to hunt with.

We went to a pro shop and found the Badge, they took it clear down to about 22 lbs to start him out with. The description says that they the adjustment isn' t that big, but I' d check with your pro shop. They said that it was much more adjustable than the others.

THauch

I think he's old enough. I grew up with a long bow and a recurve. Just target practicing with my dad and shooting around. Then when I was eleven I got my first compound bow. Started hunting at 12, which is the first year allowed.
I think anything over 40 lbs. will kill a deer with the right shot placement and good broadheads. I shot my first deer just after my 16th birthday pulling about 47 lbs and had a clean pass-through, even breaking two ribs!