My daughter really loved archery at the 4H camp she went to last summer.
Been asking about a bow ever since.
She will be 9 in January and is quite strong.
Whats a good way to start a kid on archery and bow hunting?
Jim,
We build these bows at essentially our cost. Sort of a loss leader to get more youngsters (and their parents) involved in archery. They are not junk bows built in Viet Nam by people making 13 cents per hour. We had the computer scale down our full-sized bows to kid-size and these bows were the result. At the risk of sounding self-serving, I don't know of another kids bow out there that can compete either in looks or performance. Mated with the proper arrows they ZIP!
http://dryadbows.com/Youth%20Bows/youthbows.htm
I’d take her to an archery pro shop and have her fitted/measured to a bow that fits her, and a one that has some adjustment as she grows.
I wrote this on another forum recently, but it may help. The recurve bows posted by John Havard above are really good looking bows if you want to go that route. If you want a compound, I highly recommend a Diamond Atomic.
http://diamondarchery.com/atomickids...c-specs-manual My daughter is 9 and she shoots an Atomic, which goes from 6 to 30 lbs and 12-24 inches I think and you don't need a press to adjust. It is also only 2 lbs. For a small kid, the actual weight of a compound bow can be more problem than the draw weight. Most "youth" bows are 3.5-4 lbs without accessories and a kid simply can't hold them up for more than a few shots. I think PSE makes a small kids compound as well as others, but make sure it is really for a kid and not a teen. A good local pro shop can save you a lot of headache and is the best place to get advice if you don't really know what you are doing.
Many bow models will say they adjust from 5-70 lbs and people buy them thinking they will last forever, but how many people actually shoot the same bow for 20 yrs? If a bow can fit that big of a range of lengths and weights, chances are it doesn't fit any of them well. It will be too big now, and under performing later. Buy a quality kids bow for now and you can resale later and get good money to put into the next one.
I got her first recurve bow for like $30 at Dicks when she was 3, but she grew frustrated with that quick as the arrows would fly all over with no consistency.
She started at 5 with this bow and just turned 9. She didn't even use the sights for the first 2 yrs, but was happier just pointing and shooting, so that's what I let her do.
Youngsters do great with traditional tackle because as they grow,their draw length gets longer.....and a trad bow grows right along with them.
My 4 sons all started at around 4-5 y.o.They now range from 25-35,and are all accomplished bow shooters/hunters.The oldest G daughter is 7 now and is NO pushover on a 3D range with her pink custom recurve.
I'd snag a bow from Mr Havard above,nothing like supporting fellow shooters.BW
100% agree with Country. Even though the youth bow will go down to 17" draw or 15lb draw weight it is going to be heavy. My daughter started out in 4H archery last year using a Bear Apprentice III. It is faily light, I think about 2.8/9 lbs. you can find them on eBay still NIB. She will be 11 next month and now shoots a Mathews Ignition. She really likes it though you have to change cams to change draw length. I would say she is about average build/height and shoots a 21" draw length and 24 lb draw weight to get you an idea.
In addition to the Diamond, another to look at would be a Hoyt Ruckus or Ruckus Jr. You could also look at the Genesis or Genesis Mini for a compound/zero left option.
I may have a basic sight, release,or rest laying around. I will check and send you a PM if I find something that she could use.
I did the diamond atomic as it was one of the few left hand bows I could find for my son. Really happy with it so far and like that it has a wide range of adjustment as he grows
Last kids bow I bought was a Gen X.
Line has expanded, but originally only was the model that is now the X dawn.
It's a Genesis w draw stop that adjusts up to 40#.
My son started at age 8 with a Diamond Infinite Edge Pro, it is very adjustable and he will be able to shoot it for many years. If I remember right it is 13-30” draw length and 5-70# draw weight adjustable all without a bow press and is very lightweight for a compound bow.
I got my 5 year old a Bear cruzer light. 12-27" draw length, 5-45lbs pull. Nice little bow with plenty of room to grow. Can be found on eBay $230-$250.
I was originally looking at the atomic, but was afraid he would grow out of it to soon. The cruzer can be adjusted without a press as well, so that was a big plus.
Got my son a Cruzer G2. 5-70 lbs. He can pull about 35 right now.
A Matthews Genesis Mini would be hard to beat IMHO. My 10 year old has one and he shoots very well with it.
Bear cruzer LITE.. Perfect bow that isnt' a toy. Just got one from my 7 year old. Draw weights from 12lb up to 50lb. Can be adjusted without any press by the owner. Very simple all for $299. Comes with the hunter package which includes, site, rest, quiver.
My 6 year old son just finished a JOAB course. They used a combination of Mathews Genesis and recurve bows, both worked well. He also shot a few days at the course with his Hoyt Ruckus which is what I would recommend. I purchased 2 on ebay new. Usually can find them from $120 to $150 if you keep watching. Got both of mine shipped for $120 each. The other is for my daughter who is 9. These are the non discontinued Hoyt kids bow but seems to be quite a few new ones out there. No press needed to change draw length. We also have an Atomic like others recommended but depending on the size of the child that is more like a 4 to 6 year old kids bow of course dependent on their size. My 6 year olds Ruckus I was able to turn down to around 16 pounds and my 9 year old daughter is pulling 20. These max out closer to 45 pounds so should not outgrow too quick. Plus the bow itself is not too heavy like some I have looked at.
Put a whisker biscuit on it and a 2 or 3 pin sight and they should be good out to 25 yards.
Both kids have the Mission craze 2 i think there the 2. For draw weights they go as low as 15 pounds, And i think up to 60 pounds. Dont quote me on the 60. But both kids should have there bows for a very long time.Well into High School.
Don't get the idea, that any kid's bow will be outgrown in quick order. I received an Indian Stalker compound at the age of 15, and I still use it today at 54.
Went to a bow shop today and they did not have anything I was looking for.
Probably have to go to a bigger town.
They were Hoyt bows for 1200 bucks.....I didnt even want to pick one up.
Still mulling this over.
You can pick up a used bow off Craig's list for $50.00, still with plenty of use left in it.
Diamond Infinite Edge Bow Package
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003RXOOQI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1Barnett Vortex youth bow
I got this one for my son when he was 9, fully adjustable for draw length and weight and at only $125 it didn't break the bank.
I'm in the same boat as the OP, only X 2, as my twin daughter and son just joined an archery class and now want their own bows. They'll be 12 in June and I'm worried that they're on the cusp of being too big for kids bows, especially my son who is about 5' 1" or so and about 140 lbs.
I've been eyeballing the PSE Mini Burner, the Bear Cruzer and the Ruckus by Hoyt, but haven't settled on anything yet.
Check out a Hoyt Ignite, bought one for my wife and my buddy got one for his daughter. I wouldn't call it a kids bows at all but draw and weight can be adjusted as such.
My 9yo is shooting a Mission youth bow but I don't see him shooting it for much longer.
My son has a Mission Craze II. He has had it for two years and I have adjusted it as he grows. I have no experience with any other youth bows, but this little bow is pretty nice to me. If I would have been lucky enough to get a bow like this when I was a kid, I would still be using it. It is well made, pretty light and compact, and he shoots it well.
Parker Sidekick. Reasonably priced, and can last kids till late teens or adulthood. Draw is adjustable from 18-28", and they make 20-40lb and 40-60lb limbs. Used to swap the limbs for nearly free when your kid is ready to move up. Factory strings suck, a good set made it SIGNIFICANTLY faster and easier to tune and keep tuned.
And it's no junk toy bow. My wife has a short draw so took my sons when he didn't want it anymore. She's killed two coues and a mulie with it.
Parker Sidekick. Reasonably priced, and can last kids till late teens or adulthood. Draw is adjustable from 18-28", and they make 20-40lb and 40-60lb limbs. Used to swap the limbs for nearly free when your kid is ready to move up. Factory strings suck, a good set made it SIGNIFICANTLY faster and easier to tune and keep tuned.
And it's no junk toy bow. My wife has a short draw so took my sons when he didn't want it anymore. She's killed two coues and a mulie with it.
^^^THIS^^^
I got one for my son when he was about 13. However, I thought my limbs were 30-40 lbs. then upgraded to 40-50 lbs. I might be wrong about that. He used the first set of limbs for a couple of years, along with adjusting the draw length. Then switched to the heavier limbs for a year or two until he grew out of it. Then I bought him a used Mathews. I sold it to a guy that works for me and he ran it through his kid's growing years too. That was a good little bow. My son took a couple of deer with it.
I would start her out with an ILF recurve riser and set of very light weight ILF limbs. Risers can be found around $100 and cheaper used. You can buy heavier limbs as she grows and limbs start under $100 for very good limbs. Actually a $100 set of ILF limbs will be as well made as some very high end custom traditional bowyer's limbs.
Lancaster Archery can help you get her set up for her age,height,draw length and help get arrows matched for those very light weight limbs. Lancaster sells arrows with spine deflection over 1200 for the lightest limbs. Places like 3 Rivers cater to traditional shooters and will try to sell you the lightest arrows they sell 600 deflection even if you are shooting a 15 lb bow. A 600 deflection arrow would work for a 35-45 lb bow depending on DL and tip weight but not for a 15 lb bow.
If she is more interested in compounds,I would look into the Genesis bows.
I agree with traditional gear because it requires better form. I like the idea of them learning proper form from the start.