TLDR: My kid shot his first deer with a compound bow after 4 years of crossbow hunting. My oldest son has been interested in hunting for as long as I can remember. When he was 5 or 6, I brought him on his first track; at 7, I got him up in a double ladder stand, and he watched me shoot and recover doe. At 8 I let him start hunting and he killed his first deer with a crossbow. We continued that at 9, 10, and last year at 11. He killed one deer per season with the crossbow out of a ground blind. He also shot a couple of turkeys during the Spring. First deer - 2020 Considering I didn't kill my first deer until I was 15, he's been pretty far ahead of the curve. But he's also been spoiled, and I knew that. You walk a fine line with kids getting them into hunting. You want them to have fun, see animals, and have some success, but you don't want it to come too easy. I've always made it a point to hunt from the ground without a blind a few times per year to give him a better appreciation for what it's like. Although he tagged a deer each season, it wasn't always easy. Some years, we struck early; others, it took weeks or even months before we got an opportunity. But we enjoyed the process and the time spent together in the field. Heading into this season, I told him some things would change. First, he would get his Hunter's Safety card, so he didn't need to be with me to hunt. He needs to get out and experience everything we went through as young hunters. Second, he was going to move from the crossbow to a compound. He put up a little fight at first - knowing that he couldn't shoot as far with a compound and it would limit his opportunities. We talked about why we bowhunt and the fact that it's not about how far we can shoot but how close we can get. Our goal isn't to be the best long-distance archers, it's to be the best bowhunters. Once his baseball season wrapped up in July, we got him into a hunter safety class, and he passed that with flying colors. Side note - I was very impressed with the number of girls in his class. It was great to see so many kids taking an interest in the outdoors. Next, we got his bow fully set up and started working on shooting. He is right-handed but left-eye dominant, which presented a unique struggle for him. I spoke with several experienced archery coaches who advised us to shoot right-handed. At this age and experience level, it would be much easier to overcome the eye issue than learning to shoot a bow with his non-dominant hand. As the hunting season approached, school and football started keeping him busy. We put a target in the backyard, and I told him I wanted him to shoot every day after school and before football practice. Even if it was only a couple of arrows a night, he needed to practice. So, once the post-school snacks were eaten and homework was done, he would go shoot his bow on his own. After I picked him up from football practice, I would get the rundown of how shooting went for the day. Some days were good, others weren't. We worked quite a bit on making sure the first arrow was the best one. There are no second chances if you mess up (well, most of the time there aren't). Before we switched to exclusively shooting broadheads, we would play a game where I would shoot one arrow into the vitals of our 3D target, and he would try to hit my arrow with his. Focus, breathe, squeeze. I also spent a good amount of time this summer getting him in the field to check cameras, trim shooting lanes, and, most importantly, become familiar with climbing in and out of our treestands. After 30+ years of climbing trees, you take for granted how nervous you are as a kid going up into your dad's stands. For the first few weeks of the season, I opted not to hunt myself and to tag along as the camera guy. I let him pick the stands he wanted to hunt, lead the way in, and dictate how things would go. I was there to go over little things like how to properly raise and lower your bow, where to keep your quiver after you take it off, etc but I tried not to give him too much direction as I wanted him to figure things out on his own. Monday, October 7th, rolls around, and things lined up for a nice evening to hunt. We had been out two other times already with a few sightings but nothing in bow range. Monday evening, we had much cooler temps, a light NW wind, high pressure, and most importantly, it's the only night of the week we don't have football practice. We were set up and ready by around 4:45, anticipating that deer wouldn't move until the last hour of light. Shortly after 6, Joey spotted a deer heading towards us. I flipped the camera on and told him to grab his bow and get ready. The buck made his way down a mowed lane and turned into the clover plot. Suddenly, a second buck appeared and trotted into the plot alongside him. They were 35 yards and closing in. At this point, every part of me wanted to jump into dad/coach/guide mode and tell him when to draw back, to relax, focus on the shot, and whatever else I thought he needed to know. That thought was quickly squashed as I decided he was going to do this on his own. If I did my job and taught him properly, he would know what to do. The bigger buck was the closer of the two and was inside 20 yards now. Joey had pre-ranged a nearby bush and knew no more rangefinding was needed if they were inside that marker. He calmly waited for the buck to turn and begin feeding, then slowly raised his bow and drew it back. At that moment, my heart raced, and I prayed that all of his practice would pay off with the execution of a good, clean shot. After what seemed like an eternity, the bow went off, and I watched his arrow bury directly behind the buck's shoulder as he tore off into the brush. Just seconds later, we heard the telltale crash and knew it was all over. Celebration ensued, and we did our best to soak in the moment, knowing how fleeting they can be. Texts were sent, knuckles were given, and smiles abounded. Knowing he was down and with 45 minutes of daylight left, we only waited a few minutes before climbing down and taking up the trail. It took about 15 yards before the blood started to flow, but once it did, it was the kind of blood trail that you hope for as a bowhunter. Just 60 yards later, the buck was recovered. While this hunt may have ended, I hope the beginning of a new love and appreciation for the outdoors and the challenge of chasing big game animals with a bow is just beginning. Gear list: Mission Hammr Bow - 26" DL, 44 lbs draw weight Eason Axis SPT 5mm arrow, 600 spine, 400 grain TOW Lumenok X nock NAP Thunderhead Nitro 100 grain fixed blade broadhead HHA Cadet single pin sight Scott Archery Hero X Release The full hunt will air on Bowhunt or Die next week.
That is completely awesome........for both of you! Congrats to him! Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
Great shot! Love the idea of him trying to hit your arrow during practice. He will be reliving this moment forever. Congrats to the both of you.!!
now, get rid of that crossthingy, he has matured enough to be a BOWhunter ........ great POI ... he no longer needs a crutch ..... I sure hope you are gonna have that mounted for him .. congrats to both ...
Congrats to the young lad. What a great milestone. Unfortunately the hardest gut wrenching lessons are yet to come but they are necessary. Glad this happened first for him. Congrats to you both.
Congrats to both of you. What a great moment to be able to share with your son. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Congrats Joe! Now you need to tell your side of the story!! Would love to hear you tell us all about the hunt! Great job Dad!!
Very cool. Congrats to Joey and congrats to dad too. Lots of hard work and patience involved. Ya done good and thanks for sharing what has to be a special moment.
Congrats to your son!It’s amazing that he made the jump to the compound bow, The fact that he kept practicing and sticking to his routine, despite his age, is really something, Bowhunting is all about the craft, not just shooting far, Only patience and attention to detail lead to success.It’s also worth noting that those moments spent together in the field are priceless and last a life time, It’s greatyou didn’t "coach" him too much, letting him feel the responsibility and satisfaction of the hunt, That’s something he’ll always remember!
