Questions.....Lots of them.

I have GUN hunted for deer since I was 13 years old. My 13 yr. old daughter started hunting last year, with a CVA Scout.44 mag, she shot two deer, but we were only able to retrive the second one.... Then this past spring her school offered Archery as an extra cirricular activity. She signed up for the thing, and did pretty well. Which, as you can imagine, started an immediate push on her part for her own bow(to the point she's willing to spend her own money she's saved from several years of birthday/Christmas/babysitting) and for me to take her bow hunting. Now...I'm the kind of dad, who if I got a kid who wants me to take them outdoors, and do ANYTHING, I'm on it, as opposed to watching them play video games. She wants to go...I'm taking her. I shot a buddy's bow one day 20 years ago, and was drilling me some targets within 10 min. or so. That was really my last encounter with a bow. I know from some early stage window shopping that she can draw 35 lbs., and her draw length I think the guy said was 24in. First of all I'm not looking for a new bow, as I figure, same as guns, it depreciates 50% when you walk out the door, unless you buy used. So the latest and greatest is not on the list(Unless it's the latest and greatest from 3 years ago). Next, I want a bow that will grow with her, possibly, into adulthood. So....What bow is it that I'm looking for? Next....I'm not gonna go and just sit there, and I'm getting to be kind of an old dog for any new tricks, so now let's talk cross bows. What's a good one? Again, not looking for a new one, but looking for a good one. I hope I've got another 20-30 years to hunt, and I want it to last that long. Finally, let's go to the woods...It's different, I know that much, but what differences in bow/gun hunting do I need to prepare for. I once knew a guy who cut down every twig, sapling, or bush for 30 yards around his stand tree. Is this really nessicary? I'm almost too old and set in my ways for such an endeavor :rolleyes: .....almost. The reward for my effort..... A little more time in the woods with my kid, and those two weeks of November I've always hated you guys for.

As far as bows, no bow I know of offers the performance and adjust ability as a kid grows like the Diamond Infinite Edge.

It will grow with her and she will be shooting targets and killing deer for years to come with it. It is top notch quality too.

http://www.diamondarchery.com/#/productBreakdown?r=products_products&i=42

As far as Crossbows, I shoot an Excalibur and love it. Wicked Ridge/Ten Point are also very nice if you want to go the compound crossbow route. The Warrior is a nice model. For the entry level hunter though, I would go with this one. She will be shooting bulls eyes from 20 to 40 yards in no time with it.

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/catalog/crossbow/axiom_crossbow_kit

Not a lot of used ones out there. Most people love their Excaliburs so much they don't want to part with them.

Take her to a good archery shop and get her measured, fitted and set up properly. Your daughter is worth the investment. If you were an old pro at archery hunting that's one thing, then you could easily do it yourself. But without archery knowledge you're better off to entrust her initiation and equipment to a seasoned pro. If they have a range he can also help get her started with proper shooting form. There are a hundred ways to mess up on equipment selection and set-up, but the experienced guy will be sure you avoid those.

The other word of advice is that when you take your daughter afield to bowhunt deer or other game, be absolutely certain that those hunts are 100% ABOUT HER. You'll only get one chance to have her become captivated by archery hunting. The entire focus should be on making her experience the best that it can be. So give her the benefit of 100% of your full attention and time. Just my opinion and good luck to you both.

Luke shoots a missions Riot. Poundage goes from 15-70 and draw length is from 18-30. That is thinking off the top of my head but is close. It had been a grat bow and is adjustabled easily. The rest is a whisker biscuit which I recommend. Al good advice above. Make it fun and on her terms.

If she is shooting at school those bows are probably Genesis bows. You can get one like that but with stronger limbs (I think).

Can't comment on cb's as we do not shoot them. Be a good choice for a kid IMO. Going to be heavy so make sure she has a good rest.

Thanks guys. Keep the input coming, I'm showing/discussing all the above suggetions with her. To be clear....The cross bow is for her life long gun man dad...lol

Also....We did have her fitted at a reputable archery shop yesterday. Now with that being done I figgured best to get some info from the field, before we just buy the brand new bow, plus all the whistles and bells tacked on, that the guy wanted me to "buy today cause of the big grand opening sale". I'm a guy who knows when he's out of his league, and not afraid to ask for advice for a while... Also the kind of guy who hunts secondary spots, puts his kid where he would be, if the kid was at home....I want 'em to love it.

Oh man, not a good sign. Too bad you're not coming through the Terre Haute area. Lonesome Elk archery here would take care of her without all that salesmanship nonsense. Maybe some guys on here from your nearby area can recommend a good low-key no-nonsense archery shop.

Either way, if you come up with any specific questions as you go along, don't hesitate to post them here

If it's not too far of a drive, I got my nephew set up last year with the bow Chevy is talking about. I won't plug a specific name, but they are in Boonville and were great to work with. As a general rule, I use your same philosophy of buying used. I'm not sure that is the smartest thing in this case. The bow we got came totally set up. That included adjusting after he would shoot at their range. You could probably negotiate a half dozen arrows or a release which would negate any savings in buying used.

The only other thing I would consider is a range finder if you don't already have one. Particularly if you are hunting a field edge from a blind and you don't have reference points. It will also allow her to practice at odd distances once her pins are set. Halo is a decent brand and you don't have to get too expensive ($100). Try as I might, I just can't seem to get deer to come in on 5 yd. increments. Good luck and congrats on getting to spend some time in the woods with your daughter.

I bought a crossbow for my son to hunt with. He took a doe at 40 yards with it last year. I bought the Barnett Ghost 350 and it is a great shooting and very accurate crossbow. It isn't the most expensive, but seems to be very well built and overall has really good reviews. I think it was $599 for the package that has everything you need to hunt except broadheads.