Is it possible?

[slick]

To harvest a deer with a youth bow? Can it generate enough force?
Reason i ask is my little cousin (who is 14) wants to go hunting this year and i would like him to get comfortable using his own weapon.
He's not big enough to pull back a 50lb bow, so should i keep looking around for a good deal on a bow that fits him or would it be better to get him started out using somethiing different?

 

[Radar]

Yes, but it depends on the KE of the setup and broadhead design .

 

[UTGrad]

To harvest a deer with a youth bow? Can it generate enough force?
Reason i ask is my little cousin (who is 14) wants to go hunting this year and i would like him to get comfortable using his own weapon.
He's not big enough to pull back a 50lb bow, so should i keep looking around for a good deal on a bow that fits him or would it be better to get him started out using somethiing different?

Joe at Hemitage Archery has tons of pictures of deer harvested in his shop. He pointed out the one he was most proud of and it was his 10 year old grandson with a spike he killed. It was his first deer ever and he killed it with a youth bow. Joe said it ran 100 yards than fell dead. If you are in Nashville go and see Joe and ask him what to get.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

My son Tyler started killing animals with his bow at 10 years old. He killed a hog. Since then he has killed hogs and an exotic ram with his bow. A cut on impact broad head is a must and it must be razor sharp along with good shot placement. His effective range was 15 yards when he started and I had strict rules in place for him to follow before he carried his bow in the woods.

 

[Hoss]

I am in agreement with everyone else. I would try to get him near the 25-35 lb. range. It will depend a lot on the bow. Several of the youth models offered are great to start a young'un with. If you get a new bow, you are probably in good shape. If you buy an older one, you may need a slightly higher poundage. The KE is a good yardstick. Cut on impact head is also important. And most importantly make sure the child is ready to do this. At age 14 he should be mature enough to handle the task and deal with the responsibility of harvesting an animal the size of a deer. Some kids are not ready for that. But at 14 he most likely will be fine. He is also very near a prepubescent growth spurt. When that hits he will develop muscle mass and probably grow taller very quickly. He may also experience a distraction or two along the way (usually cuter and better smelling than a deer). But, if you can start the fire burning now it will likely burn for the rest of his life (even if it dims to an ember for a while). Right Crow T.?