My son learned a lesson the hard way today

[bryman021]

You know, I was really expecting to see a badly mangled thumb after seeing what has happened to ppl on this site. He did get very lucky, and when I pick up the bow to shoot now I find myself checking finger position on every shot!

Thanks to everyone for the comments, I was afraid with that happening to him he would be hesitant to continue shooting. I'm willing to bet once he heals up the first time he picks the bow up again he will be a little nervous and it might take a while to get all his confidence back(and accuracy). He seems to really like shooting and is already asking me if he can hunt with me this fall during archery season. Guess that means he'll need his own excal. I'm kinda thinking that I should get a Vortex and then he can use the Ibex. Good excuse to give the wife to buy another crossbow!!

[Ont_Excal]

Really, a hunter should have his/her own equipment.
Setting up his own bow with the scope matched to his eyesight will also improve his accuracy.
The slight injury will serve him well for the future.
He will add caution and awareness and be all around safer for it.
I'm sure he'll challenge you to some friendly competition before very long.

[Tom]

You know, I was really expecting to see a badly mangled thumb after seeing what has happened to ppl on this site. He did get very lucky, and when I pick up the bow to shoot now I find myself checking finger position on every shot!

Thanks to everyone for the comments, I was afraid with that happening to him he would be hesitant to continue shooting. I'm willing to bet once he heals up the first time he picks the bow up again he will be a little nervous and it might take a while to get all his confidence back(and accuracy). He seems to really like shooting and is already asking me if he can hunt with me this fall during archery season. Guess that means he'll need his own excal. I'm kinda thinking that I should get a Vortex and then he can use the Ibex. Good excuse to give the wife to buy another crossbow!!

Today's crossbows are a lot better at keeping your fingers (& thumbs) from crossing the string plane. Here is a tip from the old days .......... Take a piece of velcro (or something similar) and apply it to the stock just below the shooting deck. This way when a shooter starts to run the fingers above the rail, they will feel the velcro and take notice. This works best with new shooters as it will help them develop correct shooting habits.

Glad it was a lesson learned with no serious damage.