Speed?

[keep]

My daughter at age 9 shot her first deer with 28#. It's more about shot placement and the parent being willing to spend the time with the kid to show them what is right and wrong. A **** poor shot will wound an animal even if you are drawing 70#. KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND STICK TO THEM. (and teach your kids the same) My daughters max was 10yds we probably passed 20-30 deer over the course of a season between 11-20yds. You can't do this by saying don't shoot a long distance now go to your stand while I go to mine, you need to be in the stand to regulate them till they are mature enough to regulate themselves. This is where the issue for most guys comes in, they won't give up the majority of a season to sit in a blind without a bow so their kid gets a close shot. They think if the bow is 40# that's good enough, I feel it still doesn't relieve you of your duty to teach the kid placement and limits and the need to adhere to them.
Her video

http://www.huntingfootage.com/data/507/McKenzie_s_Deer_web_size.wmv

[flywise]

My daughter at age 9 shot her first deer with 28#. It's more about shot placement and the parent being willing to spend the time with the kid to show them what is right and wrong. A **** poor shot will wound an animal even if you are drawing 70#. KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND STICK TO THEM. (and teach your kids the same) My daughters max was 10yds we probably passed 20-30 deer over the course of a season between 11-20yds. You can't do this by saying don't shoot a long distance now go to your stand while I go to mine, you need to be in the stand to regulate them till they are mature enough to regulate themselves. This is where the issue for most guys comes in, they won't give up the majority of a season to sit in a blind without a bow so their kid gets a close shot. They think if the bow is 40# that's good enough, I feel it still doesn't relieve you of your duty to teach the kid placement and limits and the need to adhere to them.
Her video
http://www.huntingfootage.com/data/5...r_web_size.wmv

x2

[SPUD]

170 fps

I love all the responses to this question that are just opinions. If you haven't tested a bow that is below 45 pounds, then how can you possibly respond to this thread?

My 170 # was made with tongue in cheek!


Of course how many bows shooting 300+ fps have not had a pass through before on camera??

SHOT PLACEMENT!! SHOT PLACEMENT!!

[Wudstix]

Kinetic Energy is the key. Kinetic Energy is calculated using the formula: fps x fps x grain weight divided by 450,240. You'll need to know the total arrow weight in grains. Not sure what the minimum recommendations are for various animals. 30 ft/lbs. sounds good for deer and such.
My set-up shoots just a hair under 50 ft/lbs. KE, enough to shot through the engine block of a Buick. Of course sharp broadheads and great arrow flight count, too.

[keep]

Jag
If you want to know about my daughter's set up pm me. It's a very similar set up that Easton (stickslingr's boy) has. I can tell you speed wasn't a factor, She isn't even approaching 200fps. Think of it like this would you rather be hit by a feather traveling 500fps or a baseball traveling 100fps. The KE in the bb would be worse. While speed is a factor it's not everything. Your boy won't be a good enough shot at long distance to worry about the advantages of flatter trajectory by shooting a lighter arrow. He will be better off shooting a heavier arrow that flys slower and drives deeper because of the additional weight.

[dennisomfs]

..the arrow has to be going fast enough to penetrate a vital area (heart,lung,kidney,major artery).....pygmys in Africa as well as S.Am. indians use bows that generate very little energy, yet kill monkeys and other game up to the size of WT's. If any of you saw the video posted on the bushmen of africa, you saw one walk up to a kudu and throw his spear, piercing the heart..again, not much energy. I would think a 25-30lb bow with 400 grs of arrow and a very sharp cut on contact arrow at a distance of 20yds or less would likely do just fine. I do think that lots of target practice to ensure an accurate shot would be the key...good luck

[Wudstix]

Shot placement and sharp heads.

[GILBERT]

Kenetic Energy cannot be achieved without arrow weight and velocity of the arrow. So you cannot simply choose one over the other, as mentioned in one of the posts. The reason for weight of the bow not mentioned as before, 45lbs required, is that the 45lbs required by Texas Parks and Wildlife was for traditional recurves or longbows. Now with the compound bow you can shoot 10 to 15lbs less bow weight and achieve faster velocity with your arrow.

What is very important, if not the most important thing when shooting very light poundage is what broadhead you plan to put on your arrow. If you use a cut on impact broadhead such as the Swickeys, you would get better penetration Vs a Mechanical broadhead that would require alot more velocity (Kenetic Energy) to achieve the same penetration of that of a Swickey.

I killed my first mule deer at a very young age using a Bear Target Lane bow that was 30lbs using wood arrows with Bear cut on impact Rasorheads. I went over a small knoll and came face to face at approx 15yards with a buck. I allready had an arrow on my bow so i immidiately drew and released. The arrow penetrated enough to put him down within 90 yards or so. The inside of the rib cage on the other side had been racked up and down by the broadhead.(Arizona, Cherry Mtn.)

I think that if you want to get your kid into bowhunting you should get him to pull the heaviest bow that he can draw back comfortably. Then limit him to shots no further than 15 to 20 yards. Start him out on pigs and such and keep an eye on what the arrows are doing penetrations wise. Then you be the judge wheather he using enough poundage and arrows to harvest a deer humanly. You will be surprised to find out that you do not need 300FPS to kill a deer. Having shot traitional for so many years and built them for over 35years in the past, i have done alot of testing and i can honestly say that that old 30lb Bear bow back then was slinging that old wooden arrow probably no faster than maybe 90 FPS. Todays Solo cam bows at the same poundage are probably achieving velocity in the 150 to 160 Fps range.

[Goldeneagle]

The gentleman that got me started bowhunting said back in the '40's and '50's, many a deer died from a #20 recurve.

[trailboss]

Shot placement is a lot more critical than speed especially with low poundage. If he's not VERY consistent with his shot placement, I don't think it would be a good idea to let him shoot a deer. And I'm sure no one has to tell you how much a deer can move before the arrow reaches it's target. I think it would be very easy for him to get discouraged at his age if he wounded a deer and lost it.

I've always believed that too many people push their kids to hunt too early. Often times they do it under the guise of wanting the kids to have a great experience when the truth is, they want the kid to get the kill so they can brag to their buddies about their 6 y/o taking a deer.

If he's really ready to hunt, then by all means go for it, but don't push him into somehthing he's not ready for.

Just my thoughts.

Trailboss

[Goldeneagle]

I've always believed that too many people push their kids to hunt too early. Often times they do it under the guise of wanting the kids to have a great experience when the truth is, they want the kid to get the kill so they can brag to their buddies about their 6 y/o taking a deer.

TB just hit the nail on the head! I've never seen a kid that wasn't willing to wait to get to the old #40 minimum. It's seems that good ol dad is the one always in a hurry.

[StikSlinger]

just to add a little info to the fire. Easton shoots his bow 20 to 30 arrows every day. Practice makes perfect.

[tx_poptart]

KE / Shot placement........

[KingsX]

Some good info on here and some bad.....I think 35# and up with the proper weighted arrow per KE charts for deer will do the job if the shot is placed right. The analogy of would you rather get hit with a feather at 500mph or a baseball at 100mph is not a comparable example for what your trying to achieve with your son. Arrows are within a third of total weight from one another form the lightest to the heavy arrows......not the major weight difference of a feather and a baseball......speed is not the issue you should be concerned with in this case it should be the KE chart for the weight your son is pulling! A deer would not want to be hit by a proper weighted arrow with the KE to kill him trust me....lol....hook your son up with KE arrows and put that arrow in the pump station.....Kill It and Grill it!