Arrow hunting gives a sensation to hunters that no other weapon can and hunting a small game with an arrow is a challenge.
Therefore, it takes a lot of practice, skill, and even a bit of luck to become a skilled small game arrow hunter!
And it’s always a good idea to learn something new, practice, and improve your skills. If that’s what you’re looking to do, you’re in the right place.
Down below, you’ll learn some of the best small game arrow hunting tips that will help you in the long run, so keep on reading!
Benefits of Arrow Hunting VS Rifle Hunting
Bowhunting with an arrow is just a lifetime experience that remains exciting and always requires you to improve your skills.
Not many people know that arrows have a greater effective range and even though it’s harder to master a bow, there’s still that sensation that will remain there from day one every time you shoot an arrow. And knowing your arrow can go up to 365 meters or so (about 400 yards), and see it fly is a huge game changer.
The bow will help you strengthen different skills and it provides a very even playing field among hunters.
Best Small Game Arrow Tips for Hunting
Hunting with an arrow is a challenge and it requires a certain skill that needs to be practiced over time so it develops for a hunter. However, hunting a small game with an arrow is the ultimate challenge and these tips below will help you hunt a small game with your bow!
1. Proper Equipment for Small Game
Small game hunting doesn’t require a big or fast bow, yet it requires small archery that will help still provide the speed needed, but with less resistance which will be easier on the hunter.
There are arrows specialized for small game hunting called flu-flu arrows and they’re very similar to archery used for practice. However, they have much larger fletching.
2. Specialized Arrow Points
Hunting small games doesn’t require any special arrow points yet the best ones are blunt points which are often made of reinforced plastic or rubber. However, broadhead can also be used for slightly larger games since it comes with blades that provide better efficiency and are more deadly.
So even though you don’t have much of a choice, this will make arrow hunting for the smaller game much more simple.
3. Practice at the Proper Distance
Even though arrows can fly up to 300 or even 400 yards, the flu-flu arrows, and blunt arrow points don’t require a long distance for you to hunt a small game.
Therefore, when practicing, practice making shots at smaller targets from a smaller distance first and then work your way up to a bigger distance between you and the smaller target as you improve your skills.
4. Find Your Dominant Eye
Just like with any type of arrow hunting, you will always need to find your dominant eye first as this will help you with your practice, build up your skills, and improve your game hunting, especially when it comes down to the small game.
The easiest way to find your dominant eye is to close one of your eyes, and if the object doesn’t move and is stationary when you’re looking at it with only one eye, this is your dominant eye.
Otherwise, if you look at the object with your non-dominant eye, the object will move away and won’t be stationary.
5. Hunt with the Correct Wind
This is an important tip for all bow hunters, but especially the ones who use flu-flu arrows to hunt small game.
Always do your best to place yourself “downwind” when approaching your game as this will help you improve your accuracy.
What Size Arrow is the Best for Hunting
The most optimal arrow size for hunting small game is a .006″ shaft which is ideal for up to 50 yards and has very acceptable performance.
Even though it can bring a bit of inconsistency, depending on the quality of the arrow. However, if your hunting for a small game exceeds 50 yards, you’ll be better off using a .003″ or even a .001″ shaft.
The small difference will have huge improvements in the results, depending on your skill set and the distance you hunt at.
Traditional VS Compound Bow
A traditional bow is always a better choice for hunters who are only into hunting small game such as rabbits, game birds, and others.
The reason for this is that a traditional bow allows hunters to take quick snapshots ideal for the fast-moving game.
On top of that, a traditional bow is always lighter, and easier to carry, arrows can be reused if you miss the target in most cases since the speed it travels at is slower, and yet shots can be fired very quickly which is important.
Even though it takes a lot of time to master a traditional bow, it’s the ultimate bow type for small game hunting for every bow lover.
How Much Should Your Arrow Weight for Small Game Hunting
Now that you know what type of bow is the best, what type of arrow size, and now the arrow weight.
The best way to calculate the arrow weight is to understand how much your bow weight is. Traditional bows weigh anywhere around 50 pounds.
From there, it’s easy to calculate the arrow weight as you usually take 6 to 8 grains per pound of bow’s weight.
Therefore, an ideal grain range for small game hunting using a traditional bow is about 360 to 400.
Conclusion
Small game arrow tips can be of much help, especially to new hunters, but also for seasoned hunters who are still working to improve their bow hunting game.
Of course, hunting with a bow, especially a traditional one requires a certain set of skills. But once you master it, you’ll be hunting some of the fastest and the smallest game out there with ease.
In this post, you know exactly what type of equipment to use, how to find your dominant eye, and how to set yourself up for success.
Did you ever go bow hunting and did you use a traditional bow to hunt small game before?
