Hi, has anyone here used their tradbow to hunt yellow bellied marmots in the Rockies? I have a 40# @28" recurve (29" draw) and several small game blunts (judos, hammers, and tiger claws to be exact). From your experience, do I have a good enough poundage for any of these heads to humanely kill marmots (assuming good shot placement), or should I use broadheads for better penetration? I understand they have thick hide and fat for the cold climates they inhabit. Thanks in advance!!!

I don't know but would assume a broadhead, a squirrel is super tough and this is the same family but larger

A blunt is probably going to be a lost animal.  Like ground hogs, they hang out at the burrow and will dive in when hit.  I suggest a broadhead.  Best be the cheapest one you can find.  They tend to live in the rocks so a miss and most likely even a hit will do broadhead/arrow damage.

We have a bunch of Bodkins for a buck each plus actual shipping
Terry

I hear if you actually want to eat one to make sure you shoot as young of ones as you can. And shoot the cheapest shafts you can or the toughest shafts you can, as they are known to turn and bite the shaft if impaled but not killed. I read up on them and was ready to go shoot some and then thought better of it from what my research turned up!

Seems like the ideal place to use the Zwickey Scorpio Broadhead Stopper.  I've never tried one but I'd consider it in this case.

I've shot a whole bunch of rockchucks over the years. I'd contact the Nocking Point and get a twenty dollar bills worth of Bodkins. Then as 2madjacks mentioned put a Zwickey Scorpio behind them or even drill a hole and drive a 4 penny finish nail in half way.

By creating shock the animal is more likely to be disoriented for a couple moments while the broadhead does it's work making it less likely the chuck will get down a crack or back up under a big ole rock.

They will take a solid hit and still get to a hole.  Broadhead all the way.

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Thanks for all of the responses! This has been super helpful to bring some practicality to my idea to hunt marmots. I only have wood arrows, so I may pass as I don't want to blow through them before grouse and other seasons. I may have one carbon lying around somewhere I can screw on a broadhead to with a zwickey scorpio, but they would damage my wood arrows.

Also, good tip about the Bodkins. I may do that anyway. If I get a set of more carbon arrows down the line, I may revisit this idea.

Thanks!

I love when Charlie bring out the vintage.   

ground penetrating sonar head, All I hear is whistles.

Small game heads for rabbits and squirrels, broadheads for everything else. First time you have a screaming groundhog go down the burrow with an arrow stuck in it, you wont sleep that night.

Broadheads.

I don't hunt them any more, but whetn I did, I used aluminum shafts with junk broadheads purchased at garage sales. 

I had several AL shafts bitten in half by a rock chuck.