Beautiful day to be outdoors sending some arrows downrange in the woods! I've found nothing better practice for bowhunters than a walk in the woods shooting random targets. Uphill, downhill, through limbs and brush. Really helps a fella get dialed in for real-life bowhunting scenarios.



However, I've got to come up with something to keep this from happening. What sometimes appears to be a rotten tree stump in the distance is actually still very much solid after 1/2" of old bark!  :(  I prefer aluminum shafts and have my bow tuned to them perfectly. These were 2016 shafts. Any ideas on how to beef up the front of the shafts without adding a ton of extra weight? Maybe I should be a tad more careful with the "rotten" stumps I choose to loose an arrow at, or simply pick out leaf clumps or something. Its too good of practice to give it up.
Any suggestions (no, I really don't want to change shaft material)?

You might try to foot your arrows with a larger size aluminum shaft, about 1.5"... Sorry, can't tell ya what size to use... I foot my carbons for stumping and 3D with 2117's... Well worth it...

... mike ...     ...

One of my stumping arrows is a judo and the other has a screw-in rubber blunt.  If a target looks questionable, it gets the screw-in rubber blunt.  Arrows last longer that way.  If a target is backed up by weeds or a thick bed of leaves, it gets the judo.  I lose less arrows that way.  If  a target looks both questionable and is backed up by thick brush, then I ask myself if I really want to take the shot.  The answer is usually "Yea."

Nothing wrong with a walk-up and see, on a questionable stump. It's not a 3D shoot, where you could be disqualified for doing so. I don't know why people would think that is "taboo", especially if it would save you from breaking arrows.    

I shoot 2016s and foot them with 2.5" of a 2213 or 2215. (Can't remember the actual size right now) I cut the 2016 shaft .75" shorter then my desired arrow length. I expoxy the insert of the 2215 into the footing. When dry I slide and hot glue the footing over the 2016. The inset in the 2215 buts to the 2016. So you have about 1.75" of actual shaft over shaft footing. They hold up really well for me. I also shoot mostly judos other blunts.

I shoot 2016s and foot them with 2.5" of a 2213 or 2215. (Can't remember the actual size right now) I cut the 2016 shaft .75" shorter then my desired arrow length. I expoxy the insert of the 2215 into the footing. When dry I slide and hot glue the footing over the 2016. The inset in the 2215 buts to the 2016. So you have about 1.75" of actual shaft over shaft footing. They hold up really well for me. I also shoot mostly judos and other blunts.

McDave:  Carrying arrows with different points for different targets is exactly what I've done for nearly 50 years while stump shooting.  Helps a LOT!  

The other thing I do is carry some low-cost wood shafts for closer shots so my top-end arrows don't get destroyed.  I've never found that at 10 or 15 yards a little arrow weight difference matters as long as the arrows fly well from the bow.  When I put them together, I don't bother being fancy with stain or anything.  Just basic shafts to fling.

If you insist on shooting hard targets with aluminum you will soon be out of arrows.

I hunt, rove, and shoot targets with aluminum. I shoot actual stumps with oak dowel shafts. Pretty simple.

Its called stump shooting, but I rarely shoot a stump. Big Logs laying down are a lot more safe.

Red, beastmaster, where so you get your oak dowels from?

I mostly pick leaves, pinecines and other soft targets when stumping. But I know that occasionally you see a stump that is just too tempting! The rubber blunt idea is a good one in those situations.

QuoteOriginally posted by bunyan:
[QB] Red, beastmaster, where so you get your oak dowels from?"

Lowes has 5/16 oak dowels. I hand sort and flex them in the store and pick the stiffest. They work just fine for my 45-50# bows. I use a hook to rub out the bends. They shoot good enough for stumps.

When I shot heavier bows the 3/8" ramin dowels were my stumpers.

We're not trying to obtain perfect flight, just having fun. Aluminums are ok for most shooting but when I want to go out and pound the stumps a quiver full of cheap dowels is the way to go.

I tried carbon collars and they still shattered. I was not impressed. They were on beman bowhunter shafts. Now I just watch what I shoot at.

I never shoot at stumps rather clumps of brush, bushes, anything else with a judo point. Your present technique will prove to be expensive after a while.

Thanks, beastmaster!

I noticed the original poster is showing pics of hex style heads. I've heard some say they have a tendency to catch on an edge and torque; busting shafts behind the head as shown. I think switching heads will realm help.

DarrinG,

Consider internally footing your 2016 with 1-3" of carbon shaft.  Either blank carbon behind your 2016 insert or dispensing with the 2016 insert and using carbon with its own insert flush with the end of the 2016.  That would significantly increase the strength of the front end, although you're moving the weak point in the shaft to the area immediately behind the internal footing.  To guard against mushrooming, use a short external footing of aluminum (1" or so).

Total weight gain with both internal and external footings should be less than 50 grains and your shafts would be measurably stronger against bending, particularly up front.

QuoteOriginally posted by DarrinG:
[QB] Beautiful day to be outdoors sending some arrows downrange in the woods! I've found nothing better practice for bowhunters than a walk in the woods shooting random targets. Uphill, downhill, through limbs and brush. Really helps a fella get dialed in for real-life bowhunting scenarios.

No argument here.  My camp name came from my affinity to stump shooting over deer hunting.  ;-)

I use the same Douglas fir shafts I hunt with for stumps.  Lose several annually but it's well worth it.

When I hunt I carry five broadheads and two blunts  for stumps.