pyral

Alright, I got a late start with the recurve and missed most of deer season while trying to get good enough to reliably take an animal. BUT!!!! I still have a month and a half of small game season left!!!

Soooo.... for squirrels and wabbits located in thick woods, what kind of arrow would you use? I will fletch my own so availability is of no concern.

1. A flu-flu with a blunt, judo, or broadhead
2. A normal 5" Shield feather with a blunt, judo or broadhead.

Which head would you choose also? I have never hunted small game with a bow before and am looking forward to the challenge!

Don't worry guys, I will not try this alone. My girlfriend insists that she go with me (.22 in hand) to laugh and take advantage of the missed, bungled, and hopefully nonexistent injured shot.

Thanks for the info guys

"Clutz by Nature, Hospitalized by Fate..."

Pyral

Arthur P

Ground shots, just normal fletch and judos. For tree rats up in the trees, flu-flus and rubber blunts. Unless you like watching your arrows sail off into nevernever land or climbing after an arrow stuck in a limb. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Really, flu-flu arrows have limited range and are much safer than regular fletch on shots at a limb squatting squirrel.

Lilhunter

for bits, I like the rubber blunts and reg fletch.

Dont do tree rats anymore. none up here worth chasing.

You could however also to a semi flu flu with regular fletch.

Do the feather half the way it should be, leave the back half unglued then fletch like normal. When the front half is dry, do a semi spiral fletch with the remaining back half. Kinda best of both worlds. Not only does it look neat but it works to some degree. Not as good as a regular flu flu, but yet slows it much better then regular helical espically with the big 5 1/2&quot; shields or naner cuts.

For grouse I will NEVER again shoot rubber blunts and dont advise anyone doing so! Chaddo and the gang that went to canada can vouch for that. Even against my recommendations they still tried, oh well. Something about ole dogs and new tricks <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>! I prefer regular field points, the game nabbers, and I think the magnus points look great but dont want to deal with the razor sharp head as there is no need on the small birds. We should have more birds next fall, I'll get back to you when it happens. From what I have been told, the ruffies should be back up on the up cycle. YAAAHOOO! So much for moose hunting <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>!

Coop

Here in PA for squirrels I use .357 blunts and regular 5&quot; fletch. I tried flu-flu's but they were too noisey and those tree rats are really quick and jumpy

LBR

Dan got me on the grouse--I thought surely a 66# longbow and a heavy cedar arrow would take out any grouse on earth--WRONG! The only one a rubber blunt took was a head shot, and I had to catch that one. The Ace hex-head steel blunt did the trick on a few others though, no problem. I haven't tried the hex-head on rabbits, but I have tried judo's, rubber blunts, homemade (.38 casing with finishint nails) blunts, etc. I won't hunt bunnies around here with anything but broadheads (Ace blunts pending)--if you don't get a perfect head or neck shot, you are liable to loose your rabbit and your arrow. I've seen them go a long way with a big gaping hole from a broadhead in them. Dunno about the tree rats--never hit one--but imagine they are just as tough.

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

Arthur P

Squirrels are definitely tough! It takes a solid head shot to drop one with a blunt. Years ago when I was a kid, I blunted one square in the ribs and nocked it off the limb it was sitting on, a good 30' up. It hit the ground and I put it in my bag. About 10 minutes later, that sonuvagun got came alive and frisky and like to have clawed me to pieces as it scooted up the back of my T-shirt and neck and used my head for a launching pad. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

I prefer blunts and judo points but, after that experience, I only go for head shots when I'm hunting bunnies and squirrels. Their heads are bigger targets than their heart/lung area and, on a rabbit hiding in the briars, the first thing I see is usually his eye.

JRW

IMO Judos are NOT hunting heads. Great stump shooting heads? Absolutely. Hunting heads? No.

I won;t use blunts on any animals any more. Seen too many busted up and crawl off. Use something with a blade.

JRW

LBR

Broadheads are the best bet, but I won't hesitate to use the Ace blunts on birds again. I didn't want to use a blade because I am getting the birds mounted, and wanted to minimize damage. I will probably try the Ace heads at least once on rabbits--they worked beyond any expectation on the grouse. To give an idea how tough these birds were......I shot one in the head from 10 yds or less. I was thinking I had ruined it for a mount--was sure I had taken it's head clean off. I was using a flu-flu, rubber blunt over a field point, shooting 66# and an arrow that was 600 grains or more. If I handn't been quick, that bird would have gotten away. A friend that I was hunting with shot one square in the chest with the same arrow off a 65# bow from about 15 feet. It was a solid hit--the arrow literally bounced back a little and fell straight to the ground. That bird fell a few feet, righted itself, and flew off. Either of those shots would have stopped a bunny dead in it's tracks. Another guy lost some birds to judo points (I won't hunt with those either). None of the birds we hit with the Ace blunts were lost--even marginal hits. They did a lot of damage, but kept it in a small place. I think that at least part of it is the cutting edges of the blunts--not sure just what the secret is, but they did great--shock plus tissue damage.

I know that broadheads are still the best bet, but to reduce damage to meat and/or a mount, I am going to give the Ace heads one chance.

Chad

No, I am not affiliated with the company in any way--I was just really impressed on how well they worked!

Long Bows Rule!

Arthur P

I prefer blunts and head shots on rabbit and squirrel for several reasons.

Every rabbit I've ever lost has been due to a broadhead arrow whipping thru it's body on a shallow angle and letting it run off. I have yet to lose a rabbit to a blunt in the head because it drops cold them in their tracks. They're dead before they know they're hit.

If you miss on a head shot, you've got a 75% chance at a clean miss and a pretty good chance at a killing shot on the other 25%, if the arrow strays down into the neck or shoulder. Even if the neck/shoulder shot doesn't kill outright, they are stunned long enough for you to finish them with a knife.

A miss in the body, with a blunt or broadhead, stands a real good chance of ruining meat.

Even if you don't miss, it's still a mess to clean. Head shots leave the internal organs intact, so it's a quick and easy dressing job.

Side bonus is I get an intact pelt to use for fly tying materials. Or moccassin liners.

Never is a strong word and I hesitate to use it, but I don't intend to ever shoot another broadhead at anything smaller than a jackrabbit and I'll keep concentrating on head shots with my blunts and judos. If you go head shots only, with a bow drawing 50 pounds or more, use hefty arrows and keep the distance within 15 yards, blunts work like a charm.

Don't have any grouse around this neck of the woods... I use Snaros on flu flus for quail and dove.

Lilhunter

I agree, blunts for rabbits/hares. Even the big snowshoes up here when hit the story is over. I have had one hare hit, probably my 2nd best small game shot, running full bore at just shy of 15 yards left to right. The turkey hit an opening and magically that arrow bowled him over. He managed another 7 or 8 yards. I had to crawl into a nasty spot to find him, blood was easy to see in the white snow. The odd thing was I came out with 2. Yall who think a 68&quot; bow is to long not to mention a back quiver should have seen the 2nd shot. For whatever reason I thought that hare was the first one sittin there in the sun. I pulled that 60lb 68&quot; doug knight excaliber back 3/4 draw and thumped him in the shoulder. He went all of 5 steps and fell over dead. I think a hex point would do a good number on them also. Head shots all the way are number one but up close I wont pass on a body shot. Then again I wont hunt them for myself/family anymore either as they are nasty eatn!

I forgot about those hex points Chad...I definatly am going to give them a try this coming fall, that and the game nabbers. Heck I am getting the winter blues, espically after the 2 fox seen last nite and a 3rd the nite before right next to the house, the critters are up and moving!!! The N lights should be out and the great weather to view them in, I think some preditor chasing is in order. I'll get back to ya on the hex points. When the bird numbers are up, all big game huntin cease's for obvious reason! As you found out, its one of the best hunting critters, big or small with a bow there is. I also have those nabbers sittn in wait for a good birdn trip.

For the big bombers (sage hens), or something like a duck/goose, I would definatly shoot broadheads unless of course you are using a hound to retrieve for ya. Then I wouldnt have any advice. I have however shot some grouse with broadhead arrows (ran out of blunts go figure <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>) and have had them fly off. I prefer to try and keep the arrow in and went as far as shooting scorpios with 100 grain field points to keep them from flyin. With a small kit (cotton balls panty hose, and a paper bag) you can have a great looking bird for mounting. Cotton balls for the arrow hole, in the mouth, and anywhere else you end up getting blood at, panty hose bird goes in head first to keep plumage back in natural order, and a paper bag to keep EVERYTHING off of them! Blood is the worst. Then get them to a freezer asap! I have a couple ruffies from this fall that where GORGEOUS! I nabbed them both with a 22 pistol while checking traps with another fella. Needless to say they be waiting prepped in the freezer.

For squirells it was my trusty apache 22, green nylon stock. The lil bugger would jam when we'd have a typical Mn winter like they are FINALLY having now gasp. I did do some bow chasing for tree rats (great title for someone who is going going to write a story btw lol). For some reason I never managed to connect with anything other then air! It sure is fun and I definatly would like to get back and chase some someday....