Every year my sons and some friends go on a pheasant hunt, this year I would like to take my Predator recurve. But I'm not sure what I should use for a head. I will be the only one using a bow and we'll be hunting over dogs so their safety is a major concern. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
THANKS ALOT
GLENN
judo points
SGH, Hex blunts, judos...good luck!
Thanks guys I'll need all the LUCK I can get!
How about those snaro bird points that 3Rivers carries...they're made for shooting birds on the wing.Anyone have experience with these?
I saw a video of a hunt with them and the birds got up and flew away.
You may want to take a quick look in the collecters section.We got a thread going on differet heads.We're working on the shotgun arrow right now.Check it out pretty cool bird head....bowdoc
QuoteOriginally posted by the real bowdoc:
You may want to take a quick look in the collecters section.We got a thread going on differet heads.We're working on the shotgun arrow right now.Check it out pretty cool bird head....bowdoc
I saw a thread here about 1-2wks ago talking about pheasant with recurve, and those guys were recommending broadheads (on flu-flu's of course). Apparently the small game blunts, snaro, etc don't put pheasant down.
Dave
Pheasants are tough birds so broadheads are the norm. Unfortunately dogs are involved so you may have to leave the bow behind and use a shotgun. You can't have broadheads sticking out of pheasants when they retrieve them.
I'll put it to you this way. If I were one of the dog owners that is exactly what you'd do or not hunt or my dog wouldn't be in the field, either one.
Dave the shotgun arrow shots out about 15 steel tipped darts at about 15-20 feet away after leaveing the bow.It hold the darts in a tube and was designed for bird hunting.We just started the thread last week.Check it out there's a couple pics.bowdoc
Yeah broadheads are out of the question! Would never want to hurt one of the dogs. I was looking at the HAMMER small game blunts that 3Rivers sales. Looks like a devistating head. Has anybody tryed them yet. I'll be shooting a 55# predator recurve with 578 grain carbon arrows.
THANKS FOR THE INPUT
GLENN
Forget the Snaro's!!! Very heavy and slow moving. The wires are very flexible so unless you hit the bird directly in the head the wire will do NO damage. I do recomend broadheads, but the dog must be steady to wing and shot or someone has to put the dog on a leash when it goes on point. Even better is if you cut about half an inch off the tip of a Woodsman. This way you have 3 prongs that will grab onto a bird if you have a glancing blow. Or just use the SGH (small game head) from g5. It looks like a birds talon. I have hit 8 birds in flight with this head and only lost one. I probably would have recovered that bird as well but it flew off the property before going down. I have never had one stay in a bird so they are also safe around dogs.
the big judo with the little larger wires (Not the Snaro)will work fine. I've killed pheasants with them...you cannot use broadheads with dogs.
Have someone back you up with a shotgun...if the bird keeps going have them shoot. Lots of fun. Don't miss it.
Id have to say any blunt tip works if you hit squarly, and any tip wont work if not hit square, i havnt shot phesants but lots of grouse, an a 357 casing is the cheapest and works well, but i like the rubbers they put a big thump i quit using broadheads when they would fly away with a hole and die deep in the woods thats where the dog came in handy,
I like the looks of the g5 small game heads but at 7.00 each they are a little steep for a head that you have a really good chance of losing.
Lets face it, pheasant hunting with a bow and arrow should be a well organized activity, in a controlled environment, such as in a preserve. To some, this may seem like an "artificial" hunt, but believe me, with a bow amd arrow it is still a challenge. If you are in a large field with low cover using flu flu's you will not lose any arrows. Make sure you bring enough arrows so you don't have to worry about picking them up after every shot as all the walking around will bump birds. I don't smoke, drink, or gamble. Bowhunting is my only "vice". I don't mind spending money on something that works and the g5's work on pheasant. I am working on a video about bowhunting pheasant that I will be posting on another site. If I can figurw out how to set up a link I will notify you on this site and make it avail. on someplace like you tube.
I've used the old "Tiger Claw" small game head with good success. The dog handler didn't object and we had no issues with retrieval. I believe they can now be purchased through 3River under the name of "Barta" small game heads. These Tiger Claws have a pretty good track record on small game going back many years, not sure why more people aren't using them today.
I just had an idea.
What if you took the 160 Snuffer and ground the tip pretty flat or round and then ground the edges flat so they wouldn't cut a dogs mouth. I bet they would still punch a hole right through them and would bring them down.
The hunt will be on a pheasant preserve. You wouldn't find enough birds this late in the season to make bowhunting them very effective. You could walk all day to get only a couple of flushes. Rabbits are a different story. I run a pretty long trap line and found a 5 acre field between 2 old factories that is LOADED with bunnies the other day. When the rabbit season opens after X-MAS I'll be there with my boys and our recurves. Hope to get some pics to post!!
GLENN
Would these not be ok for small game with dogs...
http://www.g5outdoors.com/#sec_montecpreseason
Those would be ideal, but at around 9.00 each it's a little pricey to shoot pheasants and other small game. The concept is good though. You could belt sand the edges of some of your older broadheads to get the same effect. Good job freefeet !
GLENN
I just dull the edges and point of 1.5" magnus, I have only managed to kill one pheseant in the air and the arrow blew through him.So far my lab has not complained about using the broadhead.
Bill
I have used glue on blunts and old shell casings with great success on pheasants and chuckars. A friend of mine, fellow Trad Ganger "Hardened Barbed" and myself and two other friends hunted pheasants and chuckars on a game presreve with traditional equipment, with awesome results! The people that owned the preserve thought we were crazy. They changed their minds when we came back at the end of the day. We had a 100% kill ratio with the blunts on birds that were hit. We were informed not to use any type of broadheads because of the dogs. Turned out good for us. Throw some blunts on your flu-flu's and give it a try!
James
Sounds like a plan James. doing a little bunny hunting this weekend, try it on the bunnies first.
I have video of a blunt bouncing off the wing butt of a bird in flight. If that shot had been made with any sort of point that would have grabbed a hold of the wing butt muscle that bird would have dropped from the sky.
QuoteOriginally posted by Daddy Bear:
I've used the old "Tiger Claw" small game head with good success. The dog handler didn't object and we had no issues with retrieval. I believe they can now be purchased through 3River under the name of "Barta" small game heads. These Tiger Claws have a pretty good track record on small game going back many years, not sure why more people aren't using them today.
They are called something different now but they only run two bucks a piece. 3Rivers (a sponsor of this site ) has them here:
http://www.3riversarchery.com/Product.asp?show=info&c=30&s=0&p=0&i=5407#full