Paulk

My son wants desperately to bow hunt with me this year. His bow is set at 32lbs.. Maryland requires 30 lbs. to hunt. Legally he can hunt. My concern is proficiency. Will 32lbs. penetrate? If so, is he limited in distance? He shoots real well up to 30 yards. But is that too far?

YooperMike

At 32 pounds I would have to say that is borderline. IF he does hunt, keep the shots within 20 yards and get a good cut on contact head. There are still a couple months till season though, keep practicing and maybe he can add a few pounds.

c j

The legal minimum is40lbs here in South Dakota. I haven't had much experience with anything shooting in the 32lb range, but I've played around with 45lb recurves and my fishing rig is set around that range, too. I think either of them have enough 'oomph' to penetrate sufficiently. I think you'd even be able to get a complete pass-through with them.

I guess if you're talking about a 32lb compound, you might be getting a little more stored energy than a recurve, which might make it sound enough to hunt with.

What I would do, though, is just try to work with him on it every day and gradually crank it up - maybe a pound every other day - until he can handle 40lbs or so. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with that. I think if you did it gradually and maybe didn't even tell him you were increasing the weight he probably won't even notice.

BobCo19-65

Paulk, yes, take him out. Don't worry about it. He is within the legal limit.

I advise you on a few things though.

1. Shot selection.Broadside, or quartered away slightly. BEHIND shoulder.
2. I'd keepit within 20 yards.
3. I'd strongly suggest a two blade cut on contact head. Sharp!
4. Heavy arrow.

Let us know how he makes out.

Wheatley

Magnus stinger 2 blade will give you great penetration. That is what my wife uses and she is right at 40lbs.

r33h

legal minimum from where I live is either 40 or 45 lbs...I can't remember off the top of my head...I wouldn't go any less than that in order to make a good clean kill

Davoh

I would be very hesitant to hunt with something at that weight. Like the others said, try to get his weight up a little at a time and maybe he'll be up to 40 by season starts....

As for range, I'd keep itto 15 maybe20 yds in the field with that draw weight, and use the heaviest arrows you can find that will shoot from the bow(to help in Penetration).

Acombination of cumulativecircumstances results in an effective hunting range of roughly 60-75% of your range in a controlled environment. Have your son run back and forth to your practice target say 10 times(or as many as it takes to get his heart rate up and his breathing heavy), then pick up his bow and shoot without resting. Just a trick my dad did with me. Have him practice from hunting situations. Out of a treestand, One shot drills etc.

The more you push and challenge him in practice the better chance for success he'll have. Congrats on having a son who's already caught the bug for it, and Best of Luck to him!

Rob/PA Bowyer

I feel 30 yards is too far for 32 lbs and a youngster who has never hunted before. Although he is proficient at target shooting, there are too many variables on live game for the inexperienced. I do believe 32 lbs can take an animal down given a perfect shot and limiting the distance....If he were my son, and this is only my opinion, I'd cut his teeth on something smaller than a whitetail and have him work into more poundage for next year...again, that is me and if he were my son. I will not tell you what to do with you and yours..good luck.

huntingson

I agree with Rob that there is a big difference between targets and deer when one is starting out so keep the shots close. I do believe however that 32 pounds with today's equipment is plenty.The first buck I shot was with a 40 pound bow and it went clean through him. Granted it was a 10 yard shot, but it would have been plenty if it was 20. I say let the kid hunt, and if he gets one be sure to share it with us.

JoshKeller

As already stated, a 2 blade, cut on contact razor sharp broadhead is a must. I'd set up pins for 10 and 20 yards. Setting up small peices of ribben at 10 and 20 yards would help during the moment of truth, and will also prevent a longer shot. Heavy arrows will help penetration, and if range is known, arrow speed is moot.