I started my boys shooting a recurve quite sometime ago, then Grandpa gave them a small compound. They recently graduated to fully capable Diamond compounds and are anxious to hunt.
So the million dollar question... how do you gauge their qualification? What milestones do you use?
Assume minimum legal drawweight is a non issue.
Please discuss. Nate

I had my boys in the field hunting with me in the bow season when they were 12 years old. Seemed to work out ok as they still do a lot of bow hunting.

Hardest thing is that at that age it's harder for them to be successful unless some critter is frightfully close.

Thanks for your thoughts.
I guess I was hoping to hear some broader input. I started them hunting pretty young and bowhunting is another option it's just that I wonder how to decide if they are ready for the real thing.

A really bad miss would not be good from many angles.

Big Nate, there's no hard and fast rule as to when your boys are ready to bowhunt. My son always showed a desire to hunt with me long before he was able to buy a license at age 12. But he was a little guy and it wasn't until he was 13 that he was able to pull a 40 pound bow.

My criteria was he had to be able to draw his bow without straining, and he had to be able to put his first three arrows into the vitals on a deer target at 20 yards.

Once he could do that on a consistent basis, he started bowhunting....

But each kid is different...

Each state may have different rules on minimum draw weights for large game. In Tx I believe we have a 40-45lb minimum.

I grew up out of the United States for the most part...and never really got into archery until I was in High School. I got my dad involved and we shot archery leagues for a few years as well as some 3d archery.

I think if they are accurate enough and pull enough lb's...they are ready. Most gauge accuracy as keeping arrows on a pie plate at any given distance...simulating a killzone.

Luckily for most areas, archers hunt from stands, so yardages are pre determined and the guessing game is near non existant.

I wish I would have started out younger, but wouldn't give my childhood up for anything.

I started bowhunting at 14. i had a 10 yard limit courtesy of my pops. so i had little markers out at 10 yards. i did get a small buck inside that zone, but i was breathing so hard he heard me and took off before i could shoot

i'd say the kid is ready as soon as he can draw enough weight and shoot well enough beyond his allowed distance. i'm a firm believer in you should be accurate farther (i like 2x) than you plan to shoot in hunting situations. this will help with not only confidence in shooting ability, but help you hold it together a little better at the moment of truth.

i would also have your kid run a few sprints and get out of breath, then have him shoot while still breathing heavy. this will best simulate a little buck fever and see how he can calm himself quickly and make the shot with his heart pounding and his chest heaving.

also very important is the ability to create your own bullseye. shooting at targets is easy, there is an x or a dot or something for you to aim at. there is no X on a deer. so he must be able to mentally pick a spot, aim at that small spot, and execute the shot. if he aims at the deer, he's likely to make a bad shot. that goes for all of us, not just kids. if you have a 3d target i think this will help a lot. plus it will teach him about angles and shot placement. i picked up the rinehardt broadhead buck recently, it was fairly cheap for a rinehart, and seems to be a great target so far.

quote:

Originally posted by cooperjd:

also very important is the ability to create your own bullseye. shooting at targets is easy, there is an x or a dot or something for you to aim at. there is no X on a deer. so he must be able to mentally pick a spot, aim at that small spot, and execute the shot. if he aims at the deer, he's likely to make a bad shot. that goes for all of us, not just kids. if you have a 3d target i think this will help a lot. plus it will teach him about angles and shot placement. i picked up the rinehardt broadhead buck recently, it was fairly cheap for a rinehart, and seems to be a great target so far.

That's a very important part of the equation and one I endorse wholeheartedly. That's why I had my son shooting at a deer target once his shooting started showing a little consistency.

In Wis its 12 yoa. Both my son and daughter killed deer at 12.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
In Wis its 12 yoa. Both my son and daughter killed deer at 12.

There's the LEGAL minimum age, and then there's the physical/emotional minimum age. The two are not always the same....

Each kid is different. I raised five kids, and while some were ready before or by age 12, I've got one daughter that I'm not sure is ready at age 24!

As a responsible parent, you need to answer (at least) the following questions.

Can the child draw the legal/ethical minimum required to hunt? (not all kids can)

Can the child prove reasonable accuracy at a "hunting" distance? (age and inexperience aside)

Does the child have the emotional maturity to willingly take a life? (not all are "ready" at the same age)

Only the parents can answer these questions. There is no right or wrong answer, nor should "legal age" be a determining factor. Kids grow and mature differently, and that needs to be taken into account.

Well it may be a non issue this year.

In order to hunt with a bow here you must complete a bowhunters education class. Not a big deal as they covered bowhunting in hunters ed previously but the needed class isn't being offered anywhere near us.
How is it that the required class isn't available prior to deer season?

Incidently, one of my boys did manage to shoot a squirrel with his bow at about twelve yards. Not bad.
My youngest is so close to pulling legal weight that if I can get some info about the class requirement being satisfied via previous hunters ed I think I'll take him. He does great out to twenty yards but isn't consistant at 30.

Love the idea about running to get the heart rate up and then shooting. Nate

I love the idea of Hunter's Safety Classes, and I think that their requirement is a great idea. HOWEVER, the implementation of the classes is quite hit and miss. So I understand your frustration.

Four of my five children were offered Hunter's Safety through their school and received it in (I believe) the sixth grade as part of the curriculum. My youngest did not go to that school and never attended Hunter's Safety. It wasn't because she never tried to get signed up, but it was a case of the class was offered twice a year in our area, and the class was filled before the announcement was even posted! After three years of attempting to take the class, she simply gave up....

But Wisconsin has now changed, and it's something that Idaho might do as well, I'm not sure. But they do have the "Mentored Hunter" program where YOU, as a legal and licensed guardian of the young hunter, can take the hunter afield for ONE SEASON without your son having to take the class. The proviso is though that there can be only one weapon between the two of you and your son must be within your immediate control.

So does Idaho have a Mentored Hunt program? It's worth checking into as there's a lot of confusion among Wisconsin's hunters about this program.

Otherwise it sounds like your boys are ready as long as they stay within their proficient ranges...

I've always stuck by the rule that once they can pull over 40 pounds and send a sharp two blade into a pie plate size target at 20 yards consistently....then they are ready to go. But that's just me.

I started hunting at the age of 10 and in my state you had a minium draw weight of 35 lbs.

I think it truly depends on the child, theres no perfect awnser, When they have the interest and desire it is the right time. I will say i grew up in house where my parents don't hunt or shoot but familiy friends and relatives got me into the sport.
Matt