My oldest son will be turning 5 years old in April. I haven't done much to push him into hunting and fishing so far, but this fall he really took an interest in watching dad practice out in the yard. He wants a bow for his birthday. It will be his first. Any suggestions on a good one? I'd like it to be something he can grow into. I'm not exactly set on any price at this point depending on how much potential use he can get out of it (it would also likely be passed on to his siblings). I'm sure a lot of you guys have been down this road, I'm looking forward to hearing your advice. Thanks
You owe yourself a call to Mad dog archery and talk to Mike. Tell him about your son's size and he'll hook you up. He's just one of our fine sponsors I've had the pleasure of doing business with. The Pups are a kids dream!
Chuck Jones at Black Rhino Bows specializes in youth bows and makes very good ones. He is a sponsor here; www.bows.net
St. Joe River make good youth bows, too.
Before you buy a bow check his eye dominance. You need to shoot w string eye NOT strong hand. It's sometimes different. How easy will it be to learn correctly at 5
Ive bought both mad dogs and Rhinos both great bows. You will want really light arrows though I would go with 1400 spine Easton vectors. those arrows will be fun and they are really inexpensive.
Mostly, five years old is a time for play and a time for short (as in SHORT) attention spans. A toy bow with rubber suction cup ends is all he needs at that age. The type of real bow you are thinking about would be appropriate for about age eight.
I don't know about that Dave my daugters been going to 3ds in a back pack since she was an infant and shooting probably since 4. She is not great but she thinks she is and has a great time.
Clearly, "having a great time" is the goal whether we're talking 5 or 75. YMMV as to how you get there. We limit enrollment in our introductory classes to a minimum of 8 years old, but having fun in a backyard can happen at any age.
Kids do have a short attn span but my girls started at 2 w real bows. They shot balloons up close and we made a big deal about it. The bow was distributed by Aim Archery. Never heard of em but it served our purpose. It's still here and still works for whatever kid is here n wants to shoot.
I bet 15 lbs might be draw weight but little kids aren't pulling it back far enough to even hit the 15. As they get taller, the weight goes up.
My girls hunted up until recently they only stopped because of school demands and being away.
When they had enough as kids we stopped. Never forget that. Kids pace
Another piece of advice. It's IMPOSSIBLE to teach a young kid form when showing them how to shoot. They wanna shoot and hit a target.
In prep for the bow show em once or twice a day on a string bow. You'd be surprised how quick even a 5 year old learns real basic mechanics. Make a big deal out of how good he's doing and he'll want to show you he can do it. Realize there's gonna be a set back once the bow shows up.
There's lots of tricks w kids too. I teach lots, you can always ask and I'll help anyway I can.
5 is fine. I started my son at 5 in 1974 and a couple of grandkids that age. He did go from left handed to right handed shortly thereafter.
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Here's one of my grandsons about the same age.
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Wow, I appreciate all the advice so far, some good things to think about. I did think about mad dog but his Facebook page says he is no longer making bows full time and only on a limited basis. Also, I realize I didn't give the whole story when I said this would be his first bow. He has had a couple plastic toy bows, which have all been broken and repaired many times. I thought it was a good time to get him something more durable. I watched a few videos on YouTube about making one out of pvc pipe. Just fishing for other options I might be missing, like those rhino bows!
I had the eye doctor confirm his eye dominance, but I appreciate that advice. I'm right handed and left eye dominant. I was thought the wrong way and struggled for 20 years before switching.
Thanks for the tips on arrows too!
St Joe River bows make a nice youth bow.
When it comes to youth bows, there's really no reason to look anywhere other than St Joe River Bows. Their commitment to youth archery from 3yo and up, with a bow model for every stage of development, along with a bulletproof trade-up deal.
My oldest stared at 3yo with her first St Joe, and is now in her second. My youngest is now shooting that first bow.
Give Tracey and Dave a call.
Started my son at 5 with a Black Rhino bow - fantastic!!!! They have a great trade-in program as the child grows and he is now 12 and still shooting a Black Rhino.
I also have had Maddog bows for both him and my daughter. They too a great.
I disagree with many of the form and attention span comments. I guess it depends on the kid. My son has better true form than I do because he was young enough to not have any bad habits. We were able to start him properly rather than "fixing" his form later after years or poor habit forming.
Lots of fun shooting with them both (he's 12, she's 9). They LOVE 3D with a wide variety of targets and being in the woods.
I'd definately contact Chuck at Black Rhino...
St joe river bows make awesome kids bows to your specifications. Great to work with. They have a trade in program as well. Bought multiple kids and adult bows from them. And they are top notch.
Paul I started both my kids around that age. Toy bows until they graduated to my old fiberglass bows (Indian/Bear). For me it was about quality time, family and being out roving around. Both my kids hunt (my son uses an ASL), just keep it fun. If you are up in the UP you may want to check St. Vinnys or Goodwill. Those lightweight bows pop up a lot at low DW. Charlie's Emporium in Crystal Falls may even have one hanging on the wall.... Just a thought.
St Joe River :thumbsup:
I have a 7, 5, and 2 year old that all shoot maddog pups. 26lbs and 26 inch will last them a while and grow with them. All of them can draw these bows at their very short draw lengths.
Start with the little fiberglass ones as hes going to be outgrowing them pretty fast. Started daughter at five with a 15# fiberglass longbow and in a month she was drawing to her ear. Went through a few more till about 30# and she stayed there a few years and we worked more on form. A few more bows as a teen, bounced between longbows and recurves and topped out at about 47# in a longbow. Shot that a few summers but went to a 42# recurve and stayed as she doesn't shoot much now during the year but goes to a few summer shoots with me and can just pick it up and shoot. Shes going to be 32 this spring and still likes to shoot............ Start them young but make sure its fun, walk them up to about 10 feet to start and they will want to move back as they get better. Not fun to look for arrow every shot and lose them............. Looking forward to getting grandkids to start shooting.
I bought a tillered blank from Black Rhino for my boy when he was 3. I wanted some hand in crafting it so a blank was perfect. A little light sanding, some shaping of the grip and a rattle can lacquer.
He is 6 now. He likes to shoot with dad, but is only good for a dozen arrows or so then he wants to move on to something else. I'd buy from Black Rhino again. It is a well designed bow, good proportions, and lets them grow into it a bit.