Arrows/tips for small game?

[caddisguy]

I was wondering if it is even worthwhile. From practicing on a deactivated road, I have found that if I miss the target, I usually end up damaging both the arrow and the tip and/or losing the arrow.

Does this happen often when you should grouse around rocky surfaces? If not, what is your setup? Blunt tip?

[358win]

Several options on small game heads. Most are designed to stop penetration by 'thumping' for a kill and designed to snag and flip your arrow to avoid underground searches.

[Wild one]

Hunting grouse and shooting down a road yes your arrow can skip off and be really hard to find or even break. If you use a judo point or snaro brush and the arrow tumbling stops it from going so far.

best way to save arrows is select your angles so you have a backstop. I used old broad heads and aimed for the base of the neck for years. As of last year I took a liking to snaro heads

[walks with deer]

More fletches will slow your arrow..a heavyer arrow will also last longer eg 2514 with a carbon glued inside and rifle brass for a head.

[IronNoggin]

http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Ironnoggin/Grouse_Down.jpg

Never have recovered an arrow yet.
So, I use "discards" from those I print at 100 yards.
And a 22 with a rather short barrel :wink:

Cheers,
Nog

[caddisguy]

Thanks Nog! Awesome picture!! I guess for me discards will come few and far between until I start shooting longer distances. I have one with damaged fletching but it still flies good at 20-30 yards lol

I have a couple where the threading area that holds the field tip splintered. I imagine that could just be cut off and then I could improvise blunt tips. Cutting carbon would be messy business though.

I'll probably just gamble an arrow if the opportunity arises and worry about making it economical next season. I have only seen have a dozen ruffies this year anyway.

[Wild one]

If you pick your shot angles you can have an arrow last along time. I have arrows that have been used over and over more times than I can count. This is shooting an apa m7 30inch draw set at 70lbs so not lobing them either

[OutsyderBC]

Judos definitely help in not losing them but rubber blunts are better for hitting hard and they much cheaper. Them SGP's (small game points) are even better but I'm too cheap to use them routinely.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

Beer bottle caps ... hole drilled in the middle screw field point in ...

good fun

[B.C.Boy(100%)]

^^^
I do that, but with quarters.

[scotty30-06]

Just get the black blunt tips....hits hard and after impact arroe dosnt go far....I have used mine on some small game....hell even a big grey tree rat....black rubber tip smashed it then dropped....was perfect and was very pleased with the new crossbow.....still cant bbelieve the deal i got on that

[Wild one]

^^^
I do that, but with quarters.

Buddy uses washers no need to drill

[corywilson13]

I'm packing these around in my quiver alongside the road heads this year. Shot straight at 20yds from the target. http://www.cabelas.ca/product/23125/g5-small-game-head

[steveo]

The best is to make sure of your back drop and get the right angle on the critter so you are shooting into an old stump or a mound of dirt. I have tried different small game heads and found they are expensive and are far from a magic wand. As long as they fly straight I just use beat up field tips now and beat up arrows for shooting grouse. I like the idea of a bottle cap or a washer, should catch your arrow on lots of brush/grass. I also use flu-flu fletchings on my grouse arrows which I believe slows your arrows down a pile especially down range.

[caddisguy]

I ended up seeing 4 grouse and having a crack at two of them with small game tips. Missed both by a hair. Recovered 0 arrows. Heading out to try again this weekend... will watch for birds on my way out on Sunday if I don't come home with a deer before that (wishful thinking!) Switching to rifle for deer on Sunday but leaving the shorty at home.

[Dlo11]

I use spiral wrap flu flus out of my compound haven't lost an arrow yet

[45freezer]

Saw that grouse was open where I was going this season but wasn't planning on pursuing them at all and just brought regular broadheads, also wasn't planning on that being the only wildlife out and about in the dry heat though. Day 3 I decided to screw on a field point and take a crack at a grouse, got the grouse but the arrow went another 60 yards or so and sailed into the bush, never to be found again. Will definitely try and stick to uphill shots only and pick up some small game heads next time, even with organic chicken prices these days there isn't $12 worth of meat on those birds

[caddisguy]

I saw 20 or so grouse over the weekend and had a decent crack at 4 of them. Apparently I suck. I am consistent for the most part on targets, but I seem to blow my process (not being level, not making sure I have the peep perfectly lined up with the housing, jerking the trigger, breathing, aiming low for close shots, etc) when I am going after grouse. I lost 3 arrows. All it takes is to be less than perfect on any of those things to throw me off enough to miss the average Region 2 ruffie.

With bow season over, I don't think I will be doing anymore grouse hunting with the bow but will continue to practice and maybe check to see if there are some bow only places close to home where I can hunt deer.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

Grouse Fever !!!!

[caddisguy]

Grouse Fever !!!!

I think that is exactly what was happening. Live targets are definitely different especially small ones.

Despite the misses, I am still reasonably happy with the shots even if it eats away at me a little. I am going to keep practicing until everything in my process is unconscious muscle memory and automatic. At this point I still have to think. Stance, draw, anchor, level, align, use bottom of finger instead of top of finger on the release trigger.

For now, I will head back there with a shotgun and harvest them the way nature intended :D