Getting a kid started on archery?

Joe2Kool · Sep 13, 2019

A friend of mine has two boys, age 11 and 15, that are interested in archery. Any recommendations? Don't know what his budget is, but don't want to recommend anything expensive that a 11 year will outgrow in a year or two.

Start with instinct shooting or pin sights? Recurve or compound?

Finally, what about starting him out with dominant eye, regardless of right or left handed?

When I was 11, I got a 45# recurve and a few hay bales, shooting right-handed as a left eye dominant. When I took up bow hunting as a 40 yr old, I switched to a lefty because I was left eye dominant.

Thanks

Stonefly · Sep 13, 2019

When my wife quit bow hunting, she gave her blue diamond razor edge to our oldest grandson. Last year he took his first buck with it. Its about 12 years old i would guess. Its adjustible in lbs from around 20 to 60 if i remember right and draw leangth from something like 20" to 29". She killed 2 deer and 2 elk with it over the years, and now my grandson shoots it regularly. I would recomend this type of bow to any young shooter. We bought the new model from Cabelas for another grandson last month. It was a package and Ithink it was about $340 or so.

NECALI · Sep 13, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Sep-13-19 AT 09:53PM (MST)[p]I'm left eye dominant, shoot a rifle left handed, but shoot a bow right handed. It doesn't seem to cause any problems at all. My father in law shoots a rifle right handed, and a bow left handed. All seems to be what's the most comfortable with a bow.

fullthrottle · Sep 13, 2019

Just starting out I would get a bow that matches eye dominance, if they want to be the best shot they are capable of it will pay off. So cool they want to get into archery.

Joe2Kool · Sep 14, 2019

Thanks guys!

unclebuck · Sep 15, 2019

I got a couple of my grandkids interested in archery at a young age.The oldest is now 13 and I got him a Hoyt Ignite. It is adjustable draw from 19"-30" and up to 70lbs. He shoots it like a champ. Really nice little bow that will get him though the teens.
Or until we pass it on to his sister. It's a great thing to get kids involved in.

huntFX4 · Sep 15, 2019

>A friend of mine has two
>boys, age 11 and 15,
>that are interested in archery.
> Any recommendations? Don't
>know what his budget is,
>but don't want to recommend
>anything expensive that a 11
>year will outgrow in a
>year or two.
>
>Start with instinct shooting or pin
>sights? Recurve or compound?
>
>
>Finally, what about starting him out
>with dominant eye, regardless of
>right or left handed?
>
>When I was 11, I got
>a 45# recurve and a
>few hay bales, shooting right-handed
>as a left eye dominant.
> When I took up
>bow hunting as a 40
>yr old, I switched to
>a lefty because I was
>left eye dominant.
>
>Thanks

I bought my son the Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro at 12 y/o. He's now 14 and killed his first archery deer this year. It goes up to a 31 inch draw and 70 lb draw. 350 at Cabelas. Only thing we changed was the rest it came with.
He's shooting very well out to 40 yards set at 55 lbs now.
Draw length and weight are easily changed at home without a bow press.

deadibob · Sep 15, 2019

LAST EDITED ON Sep-15-19 AT 04:22PM (MST)[p]I have two kids that are left eye dominant and one of them is left handed. I taught them to both shoot right handed. I also taught the left hander to shoot a bolt action right handed (I'll be damned if I'll have a gun in the house that I can't shoot ;-) ).

There are so many great fully adjustable bows these days that will fit a kid from the age of 10 to adulthood. My daughter is 17 and she shoots a Bowtech Infinite Edge, she's been shooting bows since she was three. My triplet boy are 13 now and they all shoot a Mission Menace 2. They are adjustable up to 30" draw and 52 pounds but I'll be able to get them over 55lbs with a little tuning and string twisting ;-) Before the Misson's they shot Martin tigers and Tom Thumbs but those are a kids bow.

My 6 year old shoots a Diamond Nuclear edge now, a hand me down from my daughter. Even at six he shoots with a release and sights. We had the young mens group at my house three weeks ago for an archery shoot because I've got a pretty good range of 3d targets in my backyard and we can shoot to 90 yards. I also have a complete archery shop in my garage so I worked on their bows while they were there. Out of a dozen kids age 12-17, my 6 year old was smoking them all.

If they are going to be hunting with a bow I would start them off the way they will be hunting which is probably sights and a release even though it's good to know how to shoot instinctively with fingers as well. Just like I taught all my kids to shoot open sights first before I let them start shooting with a rifle scope.