Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: The Baron on January 01, 2014, 09:37:00 PM
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I've started chasing bunny's with my son and I connected with one today with a GT carbon arrow and Judo point. The arrow went through bunny's upper cheek and he ran off with about equal amounts of arrow on either side. Luckily with all the thick brush (not to mention the injury) he wasn't very mobile and I was able to catch him. But, the insert came out of the arrow and I lost the point, plus I wasn't too impressed that I had to chase down a head shot bunny. I am using flu-flu fetching (which I prefer) and the bow is a 55# draw HH Badger.
So my question is - what is the best blunt for bunny hunting? (my son is only 4 so I don't want any broad heads around)
Also, am I better off with a wooden arrow?
Thanks!
Rob
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I had a very similar hunt a few years back. I was very disappointed as it didn't seem that the judo did the right job but it was all I had with me. They were NOT LETHAL. unless they were head shots. I've gone to muzzys with a trocar tip and minimal cutting area. And the montec G5 only cause I had those. I've seen the newer "small game" specific heads hammers and hex style work real well too..
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Rubber blunts work well on rabbits; not as good on squirrels, which take more killing. I use hex heads on the latter. If I'm hunting by myself, I use old broadheads for both if they're on the ground. I like judo pints for stump shooting in grassy areas. Kind of messy when you put one into a critter.
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Vpa small game thumpers or cheap banged up broadheads for me.
I also use carbon arrow hey are more durable for me.
Also I just seen a company that came out with a machined head that goes behind your field point. It looks awesome. You firls point screws right through it almost like the old muzzy grasshoppers. But this this is just mean. Very similar to the vpa but it's an add on to a field point.
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Sawed off field point with adder behind it is my 1st choice.
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Do a search on small game heads. I remember a thread with a bunch of pics. Homemade heads etc.
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Adder point(25gr) behind a field point is my first choice too. I leave the fp as is, no modification.
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I use a hex head or regular field point and avoid flu flu fletch. Rabbits can be tougher than most people think.
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You can use any blunt, and occasionally wounded game will occur. I have a quiver of darn near everything mentioned above, all work, but there are times when one will only get partially dead bunny.
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I favor the Ace Hex on a regular hunting arrow. The GameNabber a second - though it doesn't work as well for roving as the "fins" stick in wood (and tug out entrails).
My bunny & small game arsenal:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Stumpkiller/Bowhunting/HPIM2021.jpg)
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Well, shooting blue grouse on the ground with field points and having two of them fly off with the arrow halfway through them (arrow hit ground on far side and stopped half way through) set me to thinking.
Ended up drilling a small hole through the field tip and then putting a small nail through the hole. Cut the nail off with about 3/16 or a 1/4 inch protruding from each side and then bend them back just a hair to keep them from falling out. Works on glue ons and screw ons. Easy to remove for target shooting in camp and easy to replace when in pursuit of game.
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From what I can gather rabbits are easier to kill in some areas than others. Down here I will only use broadheads. I've tried all sorts of blunts, homemade heads, rubber blunts, etc. Nothing works as well as a broadhead. You can cut the point off and leave them dull, they will still do fine--rabbits aren't hard to penetrate, and it's the massive hole that does the killing...although we have had to track several down that had less than perfect shots, it's rare to loose one that was hit.
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Our local Traditional club about 25 of us have hunted rabbits for many years. With a snow on we all chose to use blunts. Almost all the rabbits had to be chased down unless it was a head shot.
We went back to old Bodkin broad heads.
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My wife shot a couple rabbits in South Texas, using Judos out of a 46 lb. recurve. They ran off with her points twisted up in their fur. She had to crawl into a cactus patch (with me offering encouragement) to get her arrows back. That was it for rabbit shooting. The locals told us to use those big rubber blunts to prevent the problem.
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Ace hex has sure worked for me. Like shooting them with a .22.
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Check out the G5 Outdoors small game head. They are not sharp enough to cut you but are wicked non the less. Do a search on youtube you will find some vids
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I have never had a problem with a cedar and a 9MM or an HTM over a 9MM, not stopping a cottontail. If the cedars are net length, I just use the 9MM.
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Originally posted by Rays Arrow:
Check out the G5 Outdoors small game head. They are not sharp enough to cut you but are wicked non the less. Do a search on youtube you will find some vids
I found videos,but only shot out of compound bows
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Here's a pic of a VPA SGT ( Small Game Thumper) 200gr.
(http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h440/herndondt/7048FA35-0161-4162-810E-BF8FFDBBB848_zpsxehjlagb.jpg) (http://s1109.photobucket.com/user/herndondt/media/7048FA35-0161-4162-810E-BF8FFDBBB848_zpsxehjlagb.jpg.html)
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I like hex heads for rabbits. Much easier to penetrate than squirrels but still have to run them down at times.
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I like hex heads more and more.
I like and have others, like the VPA and the similar head sold by 3Rivers, they are devastating on a hit, but I have found that these wider heads broke a LOT more arrows on glancing hits to trees and stuff.
I have even made my own fake hex heads by taking a standard glue on blunt and drilling out a dished area (I made a simple jig with 3/4" plywood, drilled to fit the head, and using a larger drill bit, like 1/2" to 3/4"). They work OK, though not as well as a real hex head. But they are substantially cheaper.
ChuckC
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(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c318/b1r9i6a6n/101_9660.jpg) (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/b1r9i6a6n/media/101_9660.jpg.html)
Not a rabbit, but the wing-nut behind the field point was devastating to this spruce grouse. Now, if I can find a rabbit to shoot at.
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VPR 200 grain STG are great. I recommend using a footed arrow on carbons or your will risk damaging them on the ends if you don't.
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357 case over wood with flu flu so the arrow stays in and gets hung up on brush. you can get 100 cases for 20 bucks. couldn't imagine using a manufactured head on bunnies, I loose a lot of arrows in the snow.
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Ive managed to get my hands on a half dozen or so of these vintage Herter's small game heads. I really like them on rabbits and squirrels on the ground.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/NelsonArrowRest008.jpg) (http://s198.photobucket.com/user/DUCK_TRAP/media/NelsonArrowRest008.jpg.html)
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Being a DIY'er and sorta frugal (cheap :) ) these serve me well. Drill a hole slightly larger than a finishing nail through the field point and insert a piece of a nail or other stiff wire through. Bend slightly to retain. It is easy to straighten the wire or nail to remove for target shooting then easily replaced to hunt. This provides just enough to do lethal damage and to prevent the clean pass through that can happen with a plain field point.
http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/longcruise/Archery/Bunny%20hunting/3ed7d6b6-6b05-43dd-b152-d83781b44abd_zps08179bc9.jpg
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Being a DIY'er and sorta frugal (cheap :) ) these serve me well. Drill a hole slightly larger than a finishing nail through the field point and insert a piece of a nail or other stiff wire through. Bend slightly to retain. It is easy to straighten the wire or nail to remove for target shooting then easily replaced to hunt. This provides just enough to do lethal damage and to prevent the clean pass through that can happen with a plain field point.
(http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/longcruise/Archery/Bunny%20hunting/3ed7d6b6-6b05-43dd-b152-d83781b44abd_zps08179bc9.jpg)
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Here is another option. Don't remember what these are called but got them at RMSG. These worked for my grandson, but being as blunt as they are did not give much penetration with a very light draw bow.
(http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170/longcruise/Archery/Bunny%20hunting/sgpoint_zps79167162.jpg)
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We've found that blunts just punch through the rabbit and they can still run and the arrows pull out sometimes loosing the rabbit. I've been experimenting with some points for rabbits to try out this year. I used a blunt and flared the end with a hacksaw. I also used some old 4 blade broadheads which were made out of a very hard to sharpen material. Hope I didn't ruin any collectable broadheads here.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/reddogge/Archery/IMG_2242_zpsfd554dce.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/reddogge/Archery/IMG_2243_zps85547684.jpg)
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Originally posted by monterey:
Being a DIY'er and sorta frugal (cheap :) ) these serve me well. Drill a hole slightly larger than a finishing nail through the field point and insert a piece of a nail or other stiff wire through. Bend slightly to retain. It is easy to straighten the wire or nail to remove for target shooting then easily replaced to hunt. This provides just enough to do lethal damage and to prevent the clean pass through that can happen with a plain field point.
(http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac170
rr
I do this also, only using a field blunt for rabbits and the field points for squirrels.
/longcruise/Archery/Bunny%20hunting/3ed7d6b6-6b05-43dd-b152-d83781b44abd_zps08179bc9.jpg)