Minimum draw weight?

[Tommyh]

getting off course here. rifles are quite another subject. ive seen 22-250s kill many a deer, though.

[LostHawg]

My opinion goes along these lines (I know, y'all don't care to hear my opinion, but I so like sharing it. );

You don't buy a 10 year old a car, you get him a bicycle.

It doesn't hurt to let our kids grow into what they can handle. Nothing wrong with them hunting grasshoppers, frogs or rabbits either.

Well, that's my opinion anyway. I don't mind if you disagree.

[Mike Murphey]

The main problem with this, we are not comparing apples to apples. You must remember most of the bowhunters in the state do not belong to the Lone Star Bowhunters Association, and they don't log in to TBH. They are people that only pick up a bow once or twice a year and most don't know how to properly tune their equipment, they buy arrows at Wal-Mart or Academy from the box of arrows and could not tell you how much the arrow weighs or if is cut to right length or how to tell if a broadhead is sharp, they will take a 50 yard shot or longer because that is a deer over there and it is the only deer they see all season.....

[LostHawg]

The main problem with this, we are not comparing apples to apples. You must remember most of the bowhunters in the state do not belong to the Lone Star Bowhunters Association, and they don't log in to TBH. They are people that only pick up a bow once or twice a year and most don't know how to properly tune their equipment, they buy arrows at Wal-Mart or Academy from the box of arrows and could not tell you how much the arrow weighs or if is cut to right length or how to tell if a broadhead is sharp, they will take a 50 yard shot or longer because that is a deer over there and it is the only deer they see all season.....

Yep.

[Tommyh]

The main problem with this, we are not comparing apples to apples. You must remember most of the bowhunters in the state do not belong to the Lone Star Bowhunters Association, and they don't log in to TBH. They are people that only pick up a bow once or twice a year and most don't know how to properly tune their equipment, they buy arrows at Wal-Mart or Academy from the box of arrows and could not tell you how much the arrow weighs or if is cut to right length or how to tell if a broadhead is sharp, they will take a 50 yard shot or longer because that is a deer over there and it is the only deer they see all season.....

the same is said for gun hunters and they wound WAY more deer than bow hunters do. should we start putting laws on caliber to body weight and ability or like CHL, force them to get range time monthly for proficiency?

We see the new archer here all the time. MOST of them know they need help in getting started, begin to read magazines, ask friends, talk to other archers, and eventually find the PROPER way to do it because they get tired of being frustrated and WANT to be a good hunter. The mass isn't as ignorant as it used to be, and all the information you could ever stand is at your fingertips now for free.

[LostHawg]

We already restrict centerfire/rimfire...

[Tommyh]

thats the equipment, but what about the hunter? the bow or gun isnt what makes bad shot. Just like accurate shooting, which we all say most gun hunters dont practice and go hunt, accurate archery requires proficiency with your equipment. The theory of "going down to walmart" applies for gun hunting as well, if not moreso, and using it as an argument against draw weight when 70 lbs will wound just as much as 35lbs, just like .30-06 will wound as much as a .223. that argument doesnt stand up.

[LostHawg]

thats the equipment, but what about the hunter? the bow or gun isnt what makes bad shot.

I agree, but we should not legislate what we can't control. How can they afford to educate every individual who chooses to use a bow or gun? The public school system?

[Tommyh]

and there are two links here already for that

[az2tx]

so simple a 7 year old can do it.

First off a hog is a non-game animal so it is a non issue.

Secondly when is the last time a hog jumped the string? That is something whitetails do on a regular basis.

When you start talking whitetail hunting you are talking about a totally different animal with a whole different st of challenges.

here is what a 30 lb bow can do in the "right" childs hands. If the bow is shot by the right person and that person is proficient with the weapon and they know their limitations, it doesn't matter if it 30 lbs or 70 lbs

[LostHawg]

az2tx
You post a strong argument there...

[Swat791]

I think some people are afraid a kid will kill better animals than them
az2tx that is a great picture...well placed shots will always bring down game.

I agree, but we should not legislate what we can't control. How can they afford to educate every individual who chooses...

Your right, that's why we should not have any alcohol related laws...tons of money are dropped into campains against drinking and driving, but peolpe still do. Funny how we won't try and do more to prevent a person form driving drunk and maybe wounding other humans if they plow into them. Bring up low draw weight and a lot of people are dead set against it...scratrching head.

The main problem with this, we are not comparing apples to apples. You must remember most of the bowhunters in the state do not belong to the Lone Star Bowhunters Association, and they don't log in to TBH. They are people that only pick up a bow once or twice a year and most don't know how to properly tune their equipment, they buy arrows at Wal-Mart or Academy from the box of arrows and could not tell you how much the arrow weighs or if is cut to right length or how to tell if a broadhead is sharp, they will take a 50 yard shot or longer because that is a deer over there and it is the only deer they see all season.....

This is not a true statment. I know several people that are avid bowhunters that don't get on a computer and they **** sure don't go to Wal-mart for a bow and arrows. By the way the Carbon Express Wolverien 50-60 lb arrows at Wal-mart work **** good out of my recurve and I've killed stuff with them too!

You don't buy a 10 year old a car, you get him a bicycle.

But we will buy them a 22LR a .243 and or a .410 shotgun???

please Tell Jasmine aged 11 or 12 again why she can't legally hunt deer in Texas
Is the same bow she dumps boars with not Ok for Texas deer, with her 33# Parker Compound Bow?

I think it is an insult to these kids, that know thier equiment is capiable of most every North American game, then tell them they can't shoot a white-tail deer. In the next sentence we are telling them, but "You can shoot hogs, blackbuck antelope, Axis deer, Buffalo" and other large exotics.

[Buff]

I have a 3 year old grandson. I could have let him shoot a deer with a gun this year but I didn't I have told him he has to wait until he is 6. In the mean time he will hunt with me and learn. I will make him wait until he can shoot 40 pounds before he starts bowhunting. I think we cheat our kids when we remove goals and just give them instant gratification. My wife can no longer draw a 40# bow but she has 2 months to hunt all she wants with her .243. As I have said before I don't really care one way or the other personally but there is a lot to be said for making a kid work towards a goal rather than just giving them what we want them to have.

[LostHawg]

Each individual is required to take a written and practical test before he/she gets his/her drivers license once they come of age. The major component of that test is knowing driving laws which include driving under the influence. 9 times out of 10 the person driving under the influence is doing it, not out of ignorance, but out of stupidity. The other 1% are just under the influence. The education pertaining to driving laws is readily available. The same can not be said for bowhunting.

Another factor is the level of maturity of the child in question. Which I think is THE factor. This does not necessarily pertain to age and can not be ascribed in that manner.

Just because a kid can draw 60 pounds doesn't mean he/she is ready to bowhunt.

[Tommyh]

I have a 3 year old grandson. I could have let him shoot a deer with a gun this year but I didn't I have told him he has to wait until he is 6. In the mean time he will hunt with me and learn. I will make him wait until he can shoot 40 pounds before he starts bowhunting. I think we cheat our kids when we remove goals and just give them instant gratification.

To me, 6yo is too young to be putting a deer hunting caliber rifle into their hands because they are still learning right from wrong at this age, but thats my opinion. this has nothing to do with your child rearing abilities, so dont turn it into that . The learning from you is what will make the child ready for the proper shot placement, ethics, effective kill range, and everything else that will go along with the practiced shot. not whether it is 30# or 40#. just like our equipment, theirs will have to match their setup and WILL be effective on what they hunt.

I agree with instant gratification, but at the same time, we start them out to be like us, little bitty bows and arrows, target practice as much as we do, manage their equipment and time the same as we do, and then tell them "sorry, youre not big enough. here take this gun that *I* hate to shoot because its not a bow, and go kill something." THAT will turn them off to hunting and possibly doing things like practice with us because there is no end result to the work and effort that is put into place other than another arrow into the imaginary kill zone on a piece of foam. They can get more satisafaction from the video game that we give them because they see efforts come to fruition.