How young is too young?

[jsweka]

I started my daughter out with a little oak board bow backed with willow bark when she was four.  She is outgrowing that bow and I'm planning to make her a laminated glass bow more like Dad's sometime this year.  She spotted a pink bow she liked at Denton Hill last summer, so I'll have to use some "girly colors".  The board bow has now been handed down to my son who is three.

My daughter gets bored pretty quick shooting in the back yard, but will hang in there all day at a 3D.  Heck, she shot just as much as I did at Denton Hill this past summer.  Little brother will shoot quite a bit in the backyard with me, but I have to keep a close eye on where it is pointing.  He hasn't quite grasped the concept of trying to hit the target and just likes to see an arrow fly. Giggles after each shot.

[rickshot]

The pictures go back about 15 years…and more.

The first pic was my older daughter with a maple board bow I’d made for the occasion. The second was my youngest with an Osage bow I made, consisting of barely a couple of growth rings and some exotic wood I salvaged from a palette. The osage was taken from a pile of firewood; the remains of a tree that bordered one of my childhood fishing holes…and a really rare tree to find in New England. The third pic is the youngest again, a few more years down the road (…all of a sudden they grow legs) with a once-weathered bow I found on a farm, in pieces, and brought back to life.  Actually, there were two identical bows I’d found a few months apart and got to repeat the process. I wish I had taken a picture of both girls with their bows…but there’s just no going back. I also made the quiver and arrows.  
   
I was debating the last picture…but that happy faced lad in front of the B/W TV turned out to be the dad who wanted to find a way to share one of the best gifts he’d ever received. Recently, I purchased an identical archery set to the one in the picture, new in the box. The TV is not the only thing that will have changed when I sit for the next picture.  

 

Anyhow…“What’s too young?”…is moot, when what could be derived is priceless. Rick.

[wingnut]

Jason started shooting when he was 2 and was a regular at 3D shoots at 3.  Heck he had his picture in more papers for his shooting back in the day then anyone I know.  LOL

Just remember that it's fun too shoot, not work.
They will pick up form by watching you but won't coach very well when that young.

MIke

[leatherneck]

It might have already been said but I'll say it again. I don't think they are ever too young to start shooting "Targets". I think ethics come to play when we as parents try to get our kids hunting before they are "mentally" ready. Alot of kids can shoot a target proficiently. But put an animal in front of them and some are too young to mentally understand shot angles,shot placement, etc.
So to answer your question, get em shootin whenever they want to. As others have said, you'll remember it forever.

[J. Cook]

GREAT pics guys!!!  I'm really excited about the whole process.  Just having him along side when I'm shooting is great, but I'll be "giddy" once he's releasing a string along with me!!!!

[Tim]

Hey Cook,

Take lots of pictures and enjoy, they grow up so fast.  I've got photos of my son shooting the bow around age 4 on up until now at age 17.  The memories we have of summer archery festivals is incredible...camping, shooting and campfires are what this is all about.

Here's my experience.  My son has been so exposed to this stuff for so long I've found his interests come and go.  I've never pushed him to hunt or shoot a bow since some kids just aren't wired for it.  

One of the problems that we ran into starting them too young is trying to teach them the proper way to shoot.  I do understand and agree...when their young you want to let them shoot and have fun.  What my son ran into is that as he got old enough to hunt it became very important to develop good form and accuracy.  It's when we began to teach him the proper way to shoot that he developed target panic and almost walked away completely.  I still remember him having a breakdown on the 3d course at Denton Hill....he was so upset that he couldn't control his shot process.

It's than that we switched him over to left handed at age 14 and completely re-taught him everything.  Today he is a fantastic shot, confident and most importantly enjoys himself.

My daughter on the other hand did not learn to shoot until she was 11 at which time she was old enough to teach the form aspect of archery.  She shots very methodically and it also a great archer in her own realm.

Good luck.....and have fun!

Tim

[tackhammer]

my son was 4 when he got his first bow , then at 5 I got Mike at Maddog to make him one for his birthday