I went to a turkey calling contest and there was an archery ranch, I shot some bows and this has got me interested in archery.

[thehunter98.6]

I went to a turkey calling contest and there was an archery ranch, I shot some bows and this has got me interested in archery. I don’t hunt dear( maybe in the future?) , but my question is, has anybody here hunted small game such as squirrels with a bow? How accurate is the bow and what arrow heads do you use?

[mike0714]

It depends on the bow and the arrow setup i am using. if i am using my long bow or recurve then i use bludgeons or wire bludgeon heads because they wont break skin but my compound will break skin even with bludgeons so I use field tips and try to have a backstop such as the ground or a tree to anchor the game as it passes through.

[Bioguy01]

I have hunted small game with my bow, and it gets real expensive quick! You will lose and break arrows like crazy, and when you have about $10 invested into each arrow, it gets to be about as much fun as throwing a wad of cash out the window because that's basically what you'll end up doing.

That being said, I always keep an arrow or two in my deer hunting quiver set up specifically for small game. If things are slow and a rabbit or squirrel gives me an opportune shot, I just might take it.

In the past, I have used 2 types of heads. The first is an adder point, which is basically a small game broad head set behind a field point, and the second is a washer set behind a field point. Both work great.

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


I've taken pheasants and rabbits with a bow and arrow (no squirrels, though). I used either field points or target points (only things I had then). They would go completely through the animal, but would do little harm to the meat.


Now I use wide, blunt-headed arrows. Another option is the multi-tined arrowhead...used mainly for game birds.


Flu-flu fletched arrows with blunt heads seem like a good combination for squirrels.

[Gierhedd75]

+1 to what bioguy said. I always keep a few arrows I don't mind parting with in my bag or pack. I usually use the judo points, but the larger rubber blunt tips are probably better suited for general smaller game. Less damage to what little meat there is.