First bow for my toddler

Rhino

Rhino

Member
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15
Hey fellow archers! I’m relatively new to the archery game, so I don’t have a ton of experience and knowledge. I’m looking at getting my little girl a bow for her 3rd birthday and was looking for advice and recommendations. How did you get your little ones into the sport? Little girl specific tips/pointers?
With the increased politicization of every single organized team sport my wife and I are thinking of just avoiding that mess and instead focusing on other sports to build character and life skills... and archery seems to be something solid to try.
Thanks I advance!!
 
NERF is what we started our boys with.

Nerf-Bow-N-Arrow-1.jpg
 
BOHNTR said:
Honestly, a recurve or longbow (simplistic) is probably the best option. Here’s an entire kit that is very reputable.

www.3riversarchery.com

Lil John Youth Recurve Set

Check out the deal on Lil John Youth Recurve Set at 3Rivers Archery Supply
www.3riversarchery.com www.3riversarchery.com
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That’s what we started our kids on. We got them little Matthews’ after that.

You might check with your local shops to see if someone they know has one they want to pass along. That’s what we did when we didn’t need them anymore.
 
Rhino said:
With the increased politicization of every single organized team sport my wife and I are thinking of just avoiding that mess and instead focusing on other sports to build character and life skills... and archery seems to be something solid to try.
Thanks I advance!!
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Archery is a fun hobby, but there's not a huge market right now for professional archers. Buy her a set of golf clubs if the idea is making money later in life.
 
BOHNTR said:
Bunch of Karens in here…..I arrowed my first ground squirrel at 4! ??
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You were very mature for your age.... :ROFLMAO:

I only said the nerf one so it wouldn't seem so much like serious play. Even a 10# bow with real arrows will need adult supervision with a 3 year old.
 
I would add that ANY child under 10 years old should have adult supervision when shooting a bow. I remember when I thought shooting at a bird on a limb next to the neighbor’s house was a good idea……pops put the Kabosh to that real quick! ?
 
BOHNTR said:
I would add that ANY child under 10 years old should have adult supervision when shooting a bow. I remember when I thought shooting at a bird on a limb next to the neighbor’s house was a good idea……pops put the Kabosh to that real quick! ?
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I remember my first bow. I was under 10 but not sure of my exact age. It was a fiberglass bow with wooden arrows. Me and a friend decided to play cowboys and Indians. I was chasing him all over the yard trying to shoot him with an arrow. I was laughing so hard I kept missing. Dad saw what was going on and he grabbed my bow and broke it over his knee. That was my first safety lesson. I learned it well.
 
I should add that my Dad was not a hunter nor was I at the time. I remembered watching black and white TV and all I ever saw was Indians shooting cowboys with a bow and arrow. I thought that's what they were for....I had no concept of hunting...lol. A few years later we moved out to the country and then I blossomed into a hunter.
 
Any little bow will do. Stick and string. Keep it simple like Bohntr said. Make sure you get her a quiver. I remember my daughter at that age at 3D shoots, her own quiver with a couple arrows in it made her part of the club. She’ll love shooting with her dad with real arrows
 
1989Cohunter said:
My boy has had a simple stick and string which was way cool. And now he’s a little bigger I got him the kids bear for Christmas.
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Yup, a willow with a white meat string for the bow string, and a smaller willow areow. First hunted frogs on the stock pond, next year a bigger willow bow and same bow string and standing over a prairie gopher hole.

I’d shot home made willow bows that I made myself for years before I got my first fiber glass long bow.

Some of the best adventures I ever had here hunting frogs and gophers between 1947 and 1956. I never shot anybody because I was the only kid within 2 miles.

The homemade cross bows came next........... those introduced me to street wars between the county kids and the town kids. Those were pretty sketchy times, amazing there were no eye balls destroyed.
 
Just be realistic at 3 they are not very strong and will just shoot any direction, serious adult supervision start with be basics, Nerf and stated by others…
keep it fun at that age they will not keep focus more that 15min…make it a game and fun…
 
Just be realistic at 3 they are not very strong and will just shoot any direction, serious adult supervision start with be basics, Nerf and stated by others…
keep it fun at that age they will not keep focus more that 15min…make it a game and fun…
 
Any small cheap bows, hang it next to yours in the gun room and bring it outside with yours when you shoot. Both my little ones are taking to shooting nicely! Two future deer draggers in training!
 
My kids grew up watching me shoot while camping (didn't allow them outside while I was shooting in back yard). Toddlers had one of them $20 Walmart fiberglass bows that can go left/right and all started by around age 3 including my daughter. By age 5 my daughter was out shooting her 3 & 7 yo bros (pepsi can on top of targets at about 5yds). They used that bow with sticks too. Always supervised (easier given they all shared one bow). Used it til about age 12 (yup even after they had youth compounds). Supervision got a bit harder once they each had their own bows but by then they were all pretty proficient and we had/have strict rules about shooting safety.
 
Forgot to add. I also used that bow for my son with special needs son (he is a lefty). He still shoots a recurve (switched to an adult 35lb recurve around age 16) with us at 3D shoots. We let him shoot several arrows until he hits the target and the folks putting those on usually let him shoot for free or include him in the family price. It was pretty fair competition with that little fiberglass one between him and his younger siblings at 10yds.
 
Rhino said:
Hey fellow archers! I’m relatively new to the archery game, so I don’t have a ton of experience and knowledge. I’m looking at getting my little girl a bow for her 3rd birthday and was looking for advice and recommendations. How did you get your little ones into the sport? Little girl specific tips/pointers?
With the increased politicization of every single organized team sport my wife and I are thinking of just avoiding that mess and instead focusing on other sports to build character and life skills... and archery seems to be something solid to try.
Thanks I advance!!
Click to expand...
Remember at that age they can’t pull much and their attention span is less than 10 minutes. Turn shooting into a game and don’t over do it till they get older…..experience….
 
I bought all three of my kids Schaffer silvertip cub longbows for thier 3rd bdays. They all could shoot them right away with no gloves on the strings and loved them. I have all of them, thier quivers and arrows set to give to thier kids.
I was fortunate enough to attend a few p and y conventions and got a bunch of bowhunting legends to sighn them as well.
Dave windauer from ss is great to work with
 

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