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Use blunt tips for small game
The first thing everyone should know about small game hunting is that blunt arrows are a good idea. A sharp arrow has enough killing power to take down a deer, but you don't need it to kill a squirrel.
If you use sharp arrows, they will get stuck in trees. Blunt arrows are much better unless you need the power of a sharp arrow. Usually, you will not need to buy any new arrows, only new tips.
A blunt arrow is powerful enough to go through a small animal but not sharp enough to stick into a tree. You can reuse a blunt arrow many times. Blunt arrows also won't burrow under vegetation, which is another way to lose them.
There are many types of blunt arrows you can buy. The tips can be shaped like spheres or the end of canes. Some blunt arrows also have small points attached to a larger flat tip.
Are target points good for small game?
I don't use or recommend them. Target points have disadvantages and don't have any real advantages. Target points do work, but they are never the best hunting arrows.
Target points are not very lethal and may only wound a small animal. They will also burrow under plants, so you can lose them more easily than blunt arrows. Use target points only for targets.
Judo points
Judo points are designed to penetrate small game without sticking into trees or stumps. Judo points have springs surrounding their tips. The springs prevent the arrow from burrowing under the ground and becoming hard to find.
Judo points also prevent the arrow from sticking into wood surfaces. You can use the points for target practice, as they will usually tumble over when they hit wood. Judo points are ingenious and are great for bowhunters.
Flu-Flu Arrows
Just as you can lose arrows that burrow under plants, you can lose arrows that fly too far away from you. This is particularly true when you are aiming the bow up to hit small game in trees. An arrow will fly away, and you will never find it again.
With most arrows, the fletching is designed to help your arrow fly farther and more accurately. With flu-flu arrows, the fletching minimizes how far your arrow can fly.
Flu-flu arrows have four veins spiraling around the shaft. This unusual fletching creates drag, so much drag that your arrow will slow down after only thirty yards.
These arrows make a huge and not a small difference. It is usually easy to find your arrows when using flu-flu arrows. You will lose all of your typical arrows very fast if you shoot up to hit birds in trees.
Use broadheads for not so small game
While blunt points are good enough for rabbits, you should kill pheasants with broadheads. A blunt arrow may kill a larger animal slowly, so you should use broadheads despite their disadvantages.
Jackrabbits are another relatively small animal large enough to hunt with broadheads. Just because an animal is considered small game does not mean broadheads are overkill.
You do not need a higher or lower draw weight for small game
In big game bowhunting, you need a powerful bow with a high enough draw weight to take down a big animal. A bow with a low draw weight is good enough for smaller animals.
You also do not need to lower your draw weight when hunting small animals. A powerful bow is just as good as a lighter one, as long as you use the right arrowheads.
Where can you find arrowheads for small game hunting?
Any archery store will have blunt points and other arrows and tips useful for small game hunting. You can also order this equipment online.
Squirrel hunting
Hunting squirrels is quite a challenge and will make an expert bowhunter out of you. To hit squirrels, you have to be accurate. Like all hunting, it is a waiting game and takes patience.
You can find squirrels near acorn trees. You may have to wait for a while before you see one, and you may have to relocate to another tree a lot of the time. Their tails give them away.
Hunt squirrels with flu-flu arrows. Even in a thin forest where you can see a fair distance ahead of you, you can easily lose arrows in aerial shooting. Flu-flu arrows work very well and will reliably slow your arrow down.
Rabbit hunting
Rabbits are the most commonly hunted animal in the United States. Rabbits are easier small game than squirrels, but they are still a challenge. They can be harder to find than squirrels, but they are numerous.
Look for green plants a rabbit could feed on. You can find rabbits near their food sources. Be still and wait for a rabbit to appear.
If you are hunting rabbits rather than jackrabbits, use blunt arrowheads rather than broadheads. Everyone who has ever tried rabbit meat before knows it is excellent food.
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