Thinking of rabbit hunting with my bow thjs year.We have a LOT of snow and I dont want to loose a lot of arrows. Any thoughts? I know hit the rabbit! But besides that.
Thanks Burt

where shooting in snow is concerned ..... luck.  

Metal detector?

About all you can do is look for the hole in the snow that the arrow entered and kick around beyond it.  It will be under there somewhere!    
I think I remember reading that someone used carpenter chalk on their fletching which leaves a little color spot on the snow to help find the entry hole.  Might be worth a try.

Or come back in the spring.    

Best suggestion of all - buy some cheap arrows and make up a bunch.  The best part about rabbit hunting is it often provides some great action and shot opportunities.  Plus, the Trad Gang sponsor arrow vendors would appreciate the business!    

The memories of the fun you had chasing bunnies will make you forget all about a few lost arrows.  :cool:

When I miss and its alot.I always carry a jurnal and log where its at and go back in the spring It's about all you can do.

Bright fletchings on old arrows, you find some you loose some you hit a bunny once in a while. If your worried about loosing arrows ya might just better stay home but if you want to have a good time go and don't worry about loosing a few. The memories you'll have will far out weigh any lost arrows, arrows can be replaced memories need to be made.
 
 


 

Here's my son now, I can't imagine giving up those memories for a few arrows.

 

Bigger than normal bright red flu-flu's and the cheapest wood shafts you can find. Rather than rub on stain and pretty sealers, just get some spray poly and give a dozen a quick coat, its not like they need a good hard coat for years of use! Red seems to stick out in the snow more than orange, yellow or white to my eyes. Blunts help keep them above the snow somewhat.

what type of points do you guy"s use?Judo,blunts,feild? Thanks Burt

I use judo points mostly.  If I do loose an arrow after a lot of scratching in the snow, I mark the spot with a piece of flagging tape and go back in the spring and find my arrows.
Mike

I've only got one judo point, and the rest are those little star shaped thingies that go behind a field point.......I think they call them turkey spurs or something like that? They are relatively cheap and won't let the arrow bury up in the grass like a regular field point will.

I killed a squirrel with one this fall and it was dead right there.

As far as shafts go, here's my favorite for on the cheap.

Go to your local hardware store, craft store, or even Wally world and get some hardwood dowel rods. They actually don't even have to be hardwood for that matter.....I made some out of pine. I sort through the whole box of 5/16 dowels and roll them on the floor to check for straightness. Sort out the straighter ones and put the rest back. Now look for any bad defects on the straightest ones and put those back. Now you have about a half dozen of the best ones in the box. I paid .57 cents a piece for mine at Wally world and with a tip and fletching, little bit of polyurethane finish....I'm out less than $2 bucks per arrow. Use bright fletchings.

Of course, I also put an arrow wrap on mine for visibility reasons and use bright orange feathers that I cut from full length stock to end up with 4.750" shields.
Just build them like you would any normal wood shaft and pay attention to the grain as much as possible. I didn't need to do any spining down of the shaft for my #48 Bear Grizzly they were right in the ballpark already, and they fly quite well believe it or not.

Dip your arrows in bacon grease and take my dog  

Jim is right. Arrows are replaceable good times only come through once in a lifetime.Shoot Ace Hex heads at them and it will help a little.Im about as amped up for bunnies as I was for deer at the beginning of the season.

No MATTER WHAT HAVE FUN.

Wow....you guys can hit rabbits? You are good.    

All good advice up above, from cheap arrows to just getting out there.
Not much more fun can be had with a bow in hand than chasing bunnies with friends.

On a side note, I prefer to use regular blunts or hex heads. I find that the judos will sometimes grab the brush and deflect the shot....sometimes for bunnies you are shooting through a hole the size of your arrow. It can make a difference.

I've hot a hard enough time finding them without being buried in the snow. I would bring alot of arrows and plan on losing them.

Rabbit hunting is the best time you can have with your bow and some friends. Unless you take your bow into the bedroom with the mrs. I guess that would be a close second.

You're gonna lose some arrows, and you may get your bow caught up on some brush, but you will want to do it over and over again. Just some of the shots you'll take will have you laughing your head off. I assure it. But you will lose some arrows. Just do it. Most of us have junker arrows we test with. Start with those.

Hunted rabbits for nine years with the longbow before i had to put odie my beagle down.Don't care for blunting animals so I used my favorite small game broadhead a three blade bodkin.Seemed to skip less then a two blade.Also shoot flu flu four fletch.Hill style back quiver and your ready for a great sport1

sounds like great fun in the snow. but alas me and snow dont get along to darn cold.      

Our snow left (for now) but I went today anyway.  It is tough to see the little buggers without the snow!  We had between 8 - 12" depending on where you were and the wind had drifted it pretty deep in places.  We had a warm up and rain this past week, which took away most of the snow.  Today was around 55*, light winds and lot of sun.

We have a lot of rock - some large, some smaller and some hidden in all the sage brush.  I use .38 Special brass cases on wood shafts with rubber blunts over the brass case.  This saves the arrow many times when rocks are hit as evidenced today.  The arrow weight is around 600 grains and will flat go through a cottontail - if I don't missssss!  Had a lot of those today.  Still it is a blast and arrows are our ammunition, so plan on shooting and not always retrieving some.

A couple of pics:

I use old broadheads and the zwickey broadhead stopper, or the kondors, or if screw on heads go with the blunt claws or put a flat washer behind broadhead does the trick, kicks the arrow up and easier to find.