I plan on going on a hog/squirrel hunt this weekend and am wondering what would be the best head for a squirrel in a tree.
The biggest problem is being sure it doesn't stick in the tree on a miss(not that i'm going to do that ;) ).
I did a search and didn't see anything.
Take a look at the Ace Hex blunt Daniel. Squirrels are tough critters but the Hex will get the job done. :wavey:
I like old broadheads! I have had great luck with blunts for rabbits, not so much so with squirrels!
Maybe one of those G5 small game heads would work????
Bisch
Bill,
I have those now. The trees like them a good bit! I had to climb a few trees in my back yard to get them out. I would prefer something I didn't have to climb to get out!
I tend to use my old nutters on skwerls in trees. I have had good luck with them knocking heck out of a skwerl BUT they tend to come back to life in a few minutes. I carry a Shrewhawk and complete the mission as soon as they are in hand.
Nutters are, in my mind, very cheap, effective, and they have very little chance of hurting anybody when they come back down to earth ( the off chance somebody is actually standing at the same spot at the same time).
On wood arrows, just screw it (standard 3/8" hex nut) onto the abbreviated point taper and maybe add some super glue or epoxy to double hold it. For screw ins, screw the same nut onto an aluminum broadhead adaptor and have at it.
I haven't tried acorn nuts (the kind with the enclosed dome like cap), they may be even better, especially on those adaptors !
ChuckC
I have had the same issue with the hex blunts sticking in trees. Best I have found is a good ol judo. Anything else I've tried with a thin edge sticks in the wood.
I use old BH with a tip clipped back about 3/8 inch. They will stick in a tree but are dislodged easily. They do a great job on small game.
Mine are MA3s.
Mike
2x on the nutter. With a bit of the shaft taper sticking through the nut you get a little penetration along with the shock from the nut.
what is a "nutter"? any pics?
Daniel, just imagine taking a wood shaft, cutting a point taper on it (short and stubby or longer with more point, either way) and then screwing on a 3/8" hex nut till it is good and snug. They are cheap or free, in cans in your garage. Some use wing nuts in place of the hex nut...Whatever your choice.
PDP Game Nabber !!!
I was thinking I could find a bolt that would fit in my arrow, put a wing nut and possibly a small fender washer behind it.
Bunny Busters from 3 rivers. They have a lot of shocking power and bounce off of just about anything.
I've killed lots of squirrels with Saunders Bungeons. Won't stick in trees. My fav small game and stumpin head. Just wish the had more weight options.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mr. fingers:
I've killed lots of squirrels with Saunders Bungeons. Won't stick in trees. My fav small game and stumpin head. Just wish the had more weight options.
a google search didn't show much! where could i check out the design at?
found them, I am ordering some now!!
Hey Daniel, thanks again for hosting that hunt last weekend.
That squirrel was hit using the "Hammer"screw in blunts, but I prefer "The Forge Converta blunt". I was using the forge for stumping until the glue failed on my insert that first day. I have killed a medium sized raccoon and a possum with that head and I've never had it stick into a stump or tree.
Good luck this weekend!
Three Rivers has them. It's Bludgeons. I typed it wrong. I didn't read what I wrote.
I prefer old broadheads. I have lost squirrels from small game heads, even with a solid hit. They're very tough and can slip away and possibly die later so i quit taking the chance and do what wingnut does. Works perfectly with minimal damage to the meat.
when i did go for squirrels and for shooting in trees I liked the dart system round nose blunts,,, never had any arrows sticking in up there like I did with the flat blunts or any blunts with anything sharp at the time shooting a 67# bow.
you need to hit the squirrels good though, Id always follow up with another arrow at them laying on the ground with a dull broad head to solidify the deal..
I have .38 casings on all of my wood flu flu squirrel arrows. I have never stuck one in a tree.
here is the "nutter" I have been using for carbons, cant comment on if its good for squirrel or not though.
(http://i.imgur.com/xtklsHU.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by Bisch:
I like old broadheads! I have had great luck with blunts for rabbits, not so much so with squirrels!
Maybe one of those G5 small game heads would work????
Bisch
The G5s work great, Bisch! They are also great for stumping.
Cheap ones. LOL!!!! My hunting areas are decorated with arrows firmly wedged in trees because of squirrels that move like they are in the Matrix.
C
I have found something I am going to try out for this weekend. I saw that an 8/32's threaded bolt would screw right in to the insert.
I checked my options at the local Ace. This is what I came up with. 3 washers weighs right at 195 grains.
(http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o795/wadebinkley/47713E72-D102-4C00-9D4F-A3A597AEAF03_zpsqntaspnv.jpg) (http://s1343.photobucket.com/user/wadebinkley/media/47713E72-D102-4C00-9D4F-A3A597AEAF03_zpsqntaspnv.jpg.html)
(http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o795/wadebinkley/1E9AFAC8-81EF-48A6-BD27-113C2848FCFC_zpss5iojujz.jpg) (http://s1343.photobucket.com/user/wadebinkley/media/1E9AFAC8-81EF-48A6-BD27-113C2848FCFC_zpss5iojujz.jpg.html)
I am hoping this will suffice. Beautiful thing is i bought enough to make 12 of them for under $10.
Daniel, I think those would work for bunnies, but squirrels take a lot of killing. I wouldn't count on those doing the trick reliably.
QuoteOriginally posted by 30coupe:
Daniel, I think those would work for bunnies, but squirrels take a lot of killing. I wouldn't count on those doing the trick reliably.
I agree to an extent. I may end up going to a skinnier washer to cause more blunt for trauma. But I opted for the quieter one and went out to shoot a target. It hit like an absolutely sledge hammer! But, the ultimate judge will be a bushy tail!
Go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up some 8-32 thread tee nuts and bolts.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-8-32-Zinc-Plated-Steel-Coarse-Tee-Nuts-4-per-Pack-18861/202704505
Just an FYI for 8/32" based blunts with carbons:
There will be a weak point in the screw where a portion of it "floats" between the thread and lip of the insert. This area is prone to bending and also stressing the shaft after hard impacts. Keep an eye out on this area for evidence of bending/breaking. Would highly recommend footing carbons for use with these types of blunts.
The reverse nutters (wings facing forward) I use are 2 for 2 one-shot squirrel stoppers...
Are you hunting Greys or fox?
Fox squirrels here, are tough as wildcats!
Agree with said above, could be tough on the carbon shift behind the point.
Have fun, love hunting squirrels!
I personally will be trying the new Cheap Shot plastic broadheads in february. I've been putting a hurting on the squirrels around here since January and always struggle with what arrows to put in my Quiver before I head out. (Which blunt, old broadheads, etc etc)
I think the cheap shots are gonna be the perfect squirrel head. A perfect compromise of broadheads performance and inexpensive per shot.
I'll report back after some field time.
Not bad for $1.00 a head
(http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af200/mzirnsak/7AF4BAE4-D30A-4615-B4E6-A60DD320F35B.png) (http://s1007.photobucket.com/user/mzirnsak/media/7AF4BAE4-D30A-4615-B4E6-A60DD320F35B.png.html)
Problems with wide heads, as pointed out by several above. If you hit obliquely, that is, the edge of that washer hits something hard, it will very likely break the front of the arrow.
That happens to me all the time with heads like Hammerheads and generic similars, the wide ones.
Not saying they don't work, not at all, but you will break arrows. I have had very good luck with plain nutters ( not even wing nutters), so all that extra is even better.
But... as stated earlier, my experience is I knock them out (of the tree, and out cold) but it doesn't kill them. I immediately dispatch them with my hawk and we go on to the next one (skwerl head against a tree / whack).
Matt, those look pretty wicked, but I worry about something like that coming out of the sky at someone else who may be out there. I hunt public, almost exclusively and cannot "know" nobody else is out there.
QuoteOriginally posted by ChuckC:
Matt, those look pretty wicked, but I worry about something like that coming out of the sky at someone else who may be out there. I hunt public, almost exclusively and cannot "know" nobody else is out there.
I know they would stick in a tree as well.
I am curious to see how much damage these blunts will do. I specifically chose a smaller washer to be sure they would be more pointed and HOPEFULLY do what i'm hoping they do.
I will also be footing these arrows.
G5 small game heads worked well for me in Alaska this year. We only have little red squirrels and ground squirrels though. I don't see why they wouldn't work for the bigger guys.
Msturm
QuoteOriginally posted by ChuckC:
Problems with wide heads, as pointed out by several above. If you hit obliquely, that is, the edge of that washer hits something hard, it will very likely break the front of the arrow.
That happens to me all the time with heads like Hammerheads and generic similars, the wide ones.
Not saying they don't work, not at all, but you will break arrows. I have had very good luck with plain nutters ( not even wing nutters), so all that extra is even better.
But... as stated earlier, my experience is I knock them out (of the tree, and out cold) but it doesn't kill them. I immediately dispatch them with my hawk and we go on to the next one (skwerl head against a tree / whack).
Matt, those look pretty wicked, but I worry about something like that coming out of the sky at someone else who may be out there. I hunt public, almost exclusively and cannot "know" nobody else is out there.
Yep, that has been my experience as well, if something catches the edge of those wider heads and torques the arrow something will break.
(http://i.imgur.com/MKGL6Kvl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6lgvg2ql.jpg)
This 250 grain sgt broke above the threads and ripped out from a footed 400 spine carbon.