# What shooting style/bow for my son?



## Mountain Time (Sep 24, 2007)

My son just turned 10 and I am looking to get him a new bow. My question is what type of bow would you guys suggest for him and what style of shooting will help him to become the best possible archer. What I mean is, should I start him out shooting instinctive without sights or get him setup with sight from the beginning.

Along with that, do you have a recommendation on a bow? I have been looking at the whisper creek youth bow for it's adjustable draw length and poundage and he could eventually use it to hunt with. I have also considered purchasing a Genesis and would just get him a different bow when it's time for him to start hunting.

I have a cheap bow that I bought but it's hard to get it to shoot consistant, I want to get him something that if he has good habits he will be able to shoot well.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.


----------



## MarkM (Sep 7, 2007)

I would recomend the Whisper Creek bow or something like the Hoyt Trykon jr. The Genesis is a nice bow but the variable drawlength can give some people problems as there is no draw stop. I would also recomend you start him woith sights and a release so he can have some good sucsess. Later he can play with fingers, barebow, instinctive etc...

Good Luck!!

Mark


----------



## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

I started all three of my daughters with a Genesis, and plan on doing the same for my son when he gets older (3 years old). I have them shoot instinctive to keep their minds 'clear'. I am a firm believer that if one can shoot well instinctive, shooting with sights/releases/drop away rests will be easier. Good luck, and make sure it is fun for your son.


----------



## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

A 'Lil Bow.

-The North Slope
-The EPEK
-The IWAB


----------



## marksman (Oct 4, 2007)

proutdoors said:


> I started all three of my daughters with a Genesis, and plan on doing the same for my son when he gets older (3 years old). I have them shoot instinctive to keep their minds 'clear'. I am a firm believer that if one can shoot well instinctive, shooting with sights/releases/drop away rests will be easier. Good luck, and make sure it is fun for your son.


Just to Clarify is your son now 3 or is that when you are going to start him out?


----------



## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

marksman said:


> Just to Clarify is your son now 3 or is that when you are going to start him out?


Even though his name is Beau Hunter, since he IS three I will wait a few years before he starts to fling arrows with any serious intent. 8)


----------



## north slope (Sep 8, 2007)

threshershark said:


> A 'Lil Bow.
> 
> -The North Slope
> -The EPEK
> -The IWAB


Finally something funny! :lol:


----------



## wileywapati (Sep 9, 2007)

MT the Whispercreek is the way to go if you want to start the young man off with a compound. Lots of draw length adjusment and same with the draw weight.

As fond as I am of the Mathews ( I shoot one myself ) the genesis bow has some draw backs


If I didn't go with the Whispercreek it would be the Diamond Edge. Bought one for my son 
and it is almost as advanced in the draw length and weight adjustments but not as far along as the WC


----------



## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Oh please don't foul his young tender mind with the endless complexities of a compound and all the crap that goes with it. :| 

Take Pros advice and K.I.S.S (keep it simple silly) Start him out with a Genesis or a stick bow. He will learn a lot more about archery and proper form that way and will be better off in the long run no matter what bow he decides to shoot when he's older.


----------



## Mountain Time (Sep 24, 2007)

Thanks for everyones input......

I think I may start him off with the Genisis ( I don't know if he is strong enough to pull back the minimum on the WC anyway) and then when he is old enough to hunt we will move him to the WC and then he can pass the genisis on to his little sister. Both left handed, don't know where that came from.

On second thought do they sell, the North Slope, EPEK or IWAB at the UAC?:wink:


----------



## wileywapati (Sep 9, 2007)

MT the Gensis is a great bow. The only hitch is lack of a consistent _*ANCHOR POINT*_

If you go this route PLEASE make sure that the string is anchored in the exact position that you would like to teach your youngster to anchor every time. The genesis has no wall to use for a reference.

This is the main reason the whisper creek gets my nod. Once they youngster moves in to an adult bow they will have a complete understanding of what at "wall" feels like. This teaches correct form and develops an anchor point early on where the genesis does not.

If you purchase an adult bow for this young bowhunter the difference in cams is amazing.
the PSE cams let you move quite a bit. The Mathews cam requires you to pull all the way through the shot or the arrow is going to hit the end of the valley when not expected and release.

I have no vested interest in any type of bow or particular manufacturer. But what I would tell you is start out the right way. If you wish to instill a wandering anchor point, a wandering bow hand and the feel of a gimic set up, by all means go with the genesis. If you wish to start this youngster out with a bow that is going to feel the way the bow they will end up shooting eventually get a bow with a solid wall, a set draw length. and all of the other accessories you plan to use once the youngster moves in to a big boy bow.


----------



## Mountain Time (Sep 24, 2007)

wileywapati said:


> MT the Gensis is a great bow. The only hitch is lack of a consistent _*ANCHOR POINT*_
> 
> If you go this route PLEASE make sure that the string is anchored in the exact position that you would like to teach your youngster to anchor every time. The genesis has no wall to use for a reference.
> 
> ...


Some excellent points. You may have just talked me into the whisper creek bow. Thanks again for the input.


----------



## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Here are a few things to consider. I have gone down this road recently. I purchased my 7 year old daughter a mini genesis bow in January this year. I liked the bow when she was shooting fingers without sights. It is really a recurve bow with wheels. This bow is also great for allowing a few kids to shoot it without doing any thing to it. My other daughter is also using starting off with it. The mini genesis is a great bow. You can't go wrong with it. Here is a picture of her with her genesis bow shooting a back tension release. 









My daughter has now been shooting nearly every week since January 1st. She has advanced past the finger stage, the no sight stage and has progressed into a full blow high performance bow. Kids learn fast!

Her new bow is a Hoyt trykon jr this is a great bow for kids. It has a great resale value and is a top of the line bow for kids. My daughter has the 20 lb limbs on hers and can almost pull it back thanks to the workout with the mini genesis. The 20 lb limbs can be turned down to around 8 lbs if needed. You can also replace the limbs to higher lbs limbs later. The draw length is adjustable 17"- to around 26" I think.
Here is a link to a picture of her shooting her new Hoyt
http://www.kentdiamondphotography.com/x ... rspoon.pdf

Keep it simple and keep it fun
I started my daughter off at 5 yards and she has now progressed to 20 yards. Last Thursday at her league she was shooting with me at 20 yards. On her second try she had two out of 4 arrows touching each other in the x ring. She was so excited that she had two arrows closer to the center than I did. However as she kept on shooting her groups started opening up. She got discouraged and didn't want to shoot that far anymore. I new she just wasn't concentrating hard enough and was giving up on the shot. So I pulled out a balloon and took down the target. I started shooting at the balloon. It only took the sound of one balloon popping once to get her attention. She grabbed her bow and came back. Two hours later she had popped what seemed like 50 balloons and had a great time.

Here is another great game to play with them. I now use the mini genesis without sights and I let my daughter use her Hoyt. We shoot at15 yards with 5 arrows I get two she gets two. Who ever gets closer to the center gets to shoot the last arrow. She beats me 9 out of 10 times and loves doing it.


----------



## SingleShot man (Dec 24, 2007)

Remember the first couple times you cut loose with a bow? Scout camp, right?

Consider this- History has had many heros whom were archers. Acquaint him with these heros- y'know, Robin of Locksley, William Tell (okay, crossbow-close enough) Hiawatha, Chingachgook, etc- 

The thing about boys; they emulate whom they respect. Trust me, watch Robin Hood a time or two with your boy, he'll want to be an archer. Take advantage of the 'whim' once the seed is planted. Get a simple stick and string and a dozen arrows. When he's ready to take hunting seriously, which of course, comes with maturity- those fundamental skills are in place. Expand upon that. Hell, he may decide to stick with the stick-and-string (like I did). Or, he'll want the 'big boy' tools. Let him decide.
Get a target recurve with interchangeable limbs. That way, he can grow into it before growing out of it. By then he'll have decided what kind of archer he is.

My .02; and it works.


----------



## Mountain Time (Sep 24, 2007)

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who posted. After several weeks of research I went into Wilde Arrow last night and bought my son a new bow. We looked at the whisper creek, Genesis and Bear-Odyssey. As it turns out Whisper Creek bow only comes in right handed so that was out the door (Side Note: When I called customer service at whisper creek I was told that they will be coming out with a Left handed version in October). In the end I let him decide between the Odyssey and Genesis. After our conversations and disussing the pros and cons of each he was more excited about the Odyssey because it is a bow that he could hunt with . (21-27 inch draw, 30-50#'s)

The guys at Wilde Arrow were great to work with and spent a couple hours with him, showing him how to shoot fingers and sighting in the bow. He was tired from shooting when we left the shop but as soon as we got home he asked if he could go shoot the targets in our backyard. When he went to bed last night he set his alarm to wake up extra early to shoot his bow.....that made it all worth it.  

Thanks again, 
Tom


----------

