Introducing Kids to Archery and Bowhunting

​This one hits close to my heart. I was brought up shooting archery and bowhunting and has to be where I developed the passion to draw back, hold and “send it” as all the cool kids say! Now with kids of age to get into archery and eventually bowhunting, I am very excited. At the same time, my analytical mind starts to try and figure out the “right” way to introduce my kids in a way they will get hooked and have that same passion. Why do I want them to have the same passion? This may not be the best approach.
I will walk through some things I have learned and hopefully this helps someone with their own story of teaching kids how to shoot archery or bowhunt.
So, back to my question, “why do I want them to have the same passion?” This is actually getting in the way and putting the thoughts of teaching the “right” way. Ultimately they are just that, my own feelings and thoughts rather than finding out what my kids want. I need to really listen when she says she wants to go out and shoot her bow and not get frustrated when 5 minutes later we are done and on the next thing. For me, I am super proud just to hear the words “I can’t wait until I can go bowhunting…” At this point, I need to jump on that and take it. Basically, let each experience play itself out. I know each experience I had wasn’t always the best ever or ended in the reward of taking an animal at the end of a hunt. It was the whole experience.
Keep it short and fun!
Right away I realized the focus and attention span of kids is short. (Kinda like mine…I never grew up). So I constantly look for ways just to make archery fun, because those feelings of excitement help keep the interest going and maybe the lessons of practice stick without even realizing it. I have documented some of our fun backyard archery sessions, like shooting cans of soda that explode when you hit them or fruit or balloons.

​To get into the bowhunting experience and start to teach some of the hunting skills we will set up a ground blind and shoot from there. Practice as you hunt…I always hear this saying. Well, I guess it applies here. It changes the experience.

Finding the right equipment for the age of your youth
This is something I had to keep an eye on because kids grow so fast and mature at different paces. Finding the equipment that can adjust quickly as they grow is what found to be the best option. So far, I have only found a couple quality pieces of equipment that adjust and grow as your kids grow. Do your research, and you will find it. I am a fan of the Diamond line of bows so far. They have a huge amount of adjustment built into their designs for any age. So far I am finding the quality to be decent as well! Here is a video our setup and the Diamond Prism Youth Bow.

​In summary, introduce your kids to archery and bowhunting. There is no “right” way to do it and don’t overthink it. Have fun spending the time with them and make it a fun experience. It may only be 10 minutes in total. Do your research and find the right equipment that can grow with them!
Good luck!