Hey Eric, I have never hunted grouse but I have hunted squirrels before. I used the Ace Hex blunts as they are a stout blunt with a sharp edge to them. This blunt didn’t penetrate too far but it sure left the squirrel unable to move. As a disclaimer, the squirrels that I got are about the size of a rat. Not too big but that is how they come in my neck of the woods.

Hey Eric—- I’ve only used my regular arrows for squirrel along with hex blunts. I’ve no doubt you could use flu-flu arrows if you like but I’d say keep those shots real close. Squirrels are tougher to kill than you might think and those big feathers are going to slow your arrow down quite a bit after 10-15 yards which will retard the penetration.

If you get to liking small game hunting with the bow I’d recommend you look through some past issues of TBM. Jason Wesbrock did a nice piece on inexpensive small game arrows and TJ took an excerpt from Campfire Reflections about grouse hunting (big Blue Grouse) that will give you some ideas as well.

Good Luck!!

I use hex blunts that I have used a rat tail file on the outer rim to make a nastier point. The first time squirell hunting I used a judo and it was not fatal. Oh Yeah a squirell is dang fast and can dodge a regular arrow so I would not recomend Flu Flus.

Pointer wrote: Hey Eric—- I’ve only used my regular arrows for squirrel along with hex blunts. I’ve no doubt you could use flu-flu arrows if you like but I’d say keep those shots real close. Squirrels are tougher to kill than you might think and those big feathers are going to slow your arrow down quite a bit after 10-15 yards which will retard the penetration.

If you get to liking small game hunting with the bow I’d recommend you look through some past issues of TBM. Jason Wesbrock did a nice piece on inexpensive small game arrows and TJ took an excerpt from Campfire Reflections about grouse hunting (big Blue Grouse) that will give you some ideas as well.

Good Luck!!

Herb Calvin wrote: [quote=Pointer]Hey Eric—- I’ve only used my regular arrows for squirrel along with hex blunts. I’ve no doubt you could use flu-flu arrows if you like but I’d say keep those shots real close. Squirrels are tougher to kill than you might think and those big feathers are going to slow your arrow down quite a bit after 10-15 yards which will retard the penetration.

If you get to liking small game hunting with the bow I’d recommend you look through some past issues of TBM. Jason Wesbrock did a nice piece on inexpensive small game arrows and TJ took an excerpt from Campfire Reflections about grouse hunting (big Blue Grouse) that will give you some ideas as well.

Good Luck!!

Not sure if somebody has already replied w/ this head (b/c I didn’t read all of them), but the G5 makes a nice head called the SGH (small game head). It has all the attributes of a judo, but the claws are a bit tougher than a plain wire. They do the job well.

My uncle and I generally use old arrows with .38 Special or .357 brass epoxied onto the end over a filed-down field tip, or judo points or rubber blunts. The ones with the brass on the end are the best because you don’t care if you lose them or not. These are all also good for all-around stump shooting, too. I hate losing judos or good blunts on a bad shot, but losing arrows is how we keep the arrow manufacturers in business.

i’m in agreement with montanaford. i use .38 brass for my small game blunts and have never had any problems. just keep your shots close.

Ordinarily, Eric, I would suggest judos but those arrow saving arms tend to grab the little stickers on twigs and high grass as they move toward the fleet footed targets, especially on the ground and slow up the death delivering impact. As has been mentioned here already, I would opt for the bullet casing blunt, or the newer commercially made blunts with sharp edging, or even a blunted broadhead. Grouse usually succumb to a heavy impact rather successfully – I’m not expert at squirrels, although have dispatched a couple with judos. It really helps to use the same bow you would be using for most of your hunting.

I’d stay away from the straight blunts for squirrels. I’ve knocked them compleatly off their branch with a 50# bow and 38 blunt. They just hit the ground runnin. Grey squirrels are pound for pound the toughest critters on earth. Grouse, on the other hand, are pushovers. A rubber blunt is all you need for even the biggest blue or ruffie.:wink:

clay, your squirrels in idaho must have some pretty thick hide to take a .38 blunt from a 50# bow…lol…i dunno, mebbe our red squirrels are kinda thin-skinned…lol…and yeah, as mentioned, judos can catch on stuff and screw up your shot in a big way….i still like’em, tho, cuz they don’t seem to dig as deep into the duff as blunts tend to…

I was refering to the grey squirrels down south. I grew up in Florida.:D

ok, that makes more sense…lol…these lil reds we got up here it don’t take much to shoot through one, but they are still some tough lil buggers sometimes…i’ve seen some of the greys down in the houston, tx area, and man do they git FAT!!! my wife’s grandparents had about 6 that they fed regularly, and i bet those squirrels were every bit of 5 pounds…

Hi Eric:

There are certainly plenty of opinions on what to shoot squirrels and grouse with. I have shot both with everything from a simple blunt to wide broadhead and know one thing: you don’t lose one of them if you use a broadhead.

Grouse can be tough to kill with blunts. Sure, small spruce and Ruffed are easy to waylay with blunts and Judos, but where I hunt big blues wear flak jackets. Rubber blunts and Judos bounce off unless you are shooting from just a few feet, which isn’t likely. I have seen them take a steel blunt right through the middle and still fly off, never to be found. I have shot more grouse with my bow than I can count: spruce, Ruffed, blue, and sage, and found blues the toughest of the bunch.

I shot this blue last September with a Zwickey No Mercy at about 25 yards. Broke its left wing and knocked it off a log, stone dead. I was more surprised than it was! A blunt or Judo would never have penetrated the feathers, much less the skin.

T.J.

T.J. Nice bird. Yeah, the blues we get up here tend to be tough to kill, too. I’ve made a couple lucky shots on hens that did the job, but a big rooster is a tough customer. The elk of the bird family, in my mind.

MontanaFord

MontanaFord:

Yes, they can be tough. Where I hunt, we used to see a lot of spruce hens, as well as the occasional Ruffed. Blues have taken over in the last ten to twenty years, and spruce have been wiped out. They don’t call them fool’s hens for nothing.

Last fall I had two friends from Germany over to hunt and Norbert shot four spruce…I never saw one. Johann shot two Ruffed and a spruce. I hadn’t seen either of these species on the mountain for over ten years. Did find a lot of dead blues.

At any rate, I find grouse hunting one of the most pleasurable and exciting opportunities in the fall. Wouldn’t be an elk hunt if they were not around.

T.J.

Never understood why anyone would switch to a “small game head” for hunting these critters. If I’m hunting, I have a broadhead at the end of my arrow.

Deadsmple:

Bottom line, at least for me, it’s not cost-effective to shoot broadheads at small game. It’s cheaper for me to make blunts out of .38 Special or .357 brass and arrows that I’ve bent and restraightened than to use my elk and deer arrows with fairly expensive broadheads. I say “fairly expensive” because I can’t afford the really expensive stuff. I’d rather save my straight arrows and broadheads for animals that will fill my freezer rather than just my belly.

MontanaFord

MontanaFord,
I hear you on cost effectiveness. I have the same set of 3 Abowyer BH’s that I’ve been hunting with for several years now. I try not to shoot these at birds, rabbits ,squirrels and such. I have a mess of Grizzlies and Magnus Ones set up for those critters. They are tough enough for the job yet cheap enough that I don’t feel bad if I ruin one.

TJ,

What is that bow you are shooting in the picture with the grouse?

Deadsmple,

Yeah, cheaper broadheads probably aren’t a bad choice for small game. And I suppose depending on what kind of arrows a person shoots, the arrow itself may cost more than the individual broadhead. I am considering getting some old cheap Bear 2-blades for grouse and small game, though, at this point, because you do make a good point that if a person is hunting, they just about might as well be using hunting arrows. How many times have you been chasing a grouse or a squirrel, and jumped an animal that would actually help fill your freezer, not just you belly? It happens, and it might not be a bad idea to keep a broadhead on your string just in case, as long as it’s sharp.

MontanaFord

Just my experiences but I have shot lots of rabbits, squirrels(even big grey squirrels), marmots and grouse (blues, ruffed and spruce) using judos and blunts. I used the blunts for big marmots in the rocks killing most almost instantly even with a shoulder hit and I use a judo for everything else and have never had anything make it more than a few feet after being hit with a judo. 😀

Hey Steve:

I’ve been gone since Thursday, back in Denver, for the Pope & Young Banquet and just rolled in the door.

The bow in the picture above is a 58# Black Widow Takedown in Graybark. I was shooting a 56# one in Osage, but it flashed real bad in the sun, even from a mile away. On a caribou hunt in B.C. three or four years ago, the guides could see the sun reflect off the limb even though they could not see me with binoculars. I had a few animals spook, and now I know why. Since I didn’t want to camo the bow, I just ordered a new one!

T.J.

TJ,

Hope you had a good time in Denver! Thought I might weigh in on squirrels as I have taken close to 100 fox squirrels over the years and learned from the likes of Jerry Pierce and Pat Cebuhar. As you know, those two were the real deal when it came to waylaying squirrels (Pat shot 45+ one season back in the mid 90s). So, when they discussed what works and doesn’t I tended to listen.

Sqirrels are a bundle of sinew and muscle. I recommend nothing less than broadheads and regular fletching to consistenly make a quick/clean kill. Now, the problem is cost when shooting arrows up into trees. I was lucky enough to buy 1000 Bodkin 2nds from Whiffen Archery for .25 cents a piece back 15 years ago. Not only does a broadhead kill quickly, but there is much less damage to the meat due to the clean cut vs. bruising from a blunt. Or you can you can do as Jerry did and make your own custom point with glued on injector blades on a field point. For pure bowhunting enjoyment, squirrels are hard to beat.

Mark

Yep, a guy needs at least one “dress” bow 😆

I just picked up some 250g Hammerheads from 3Rivers. They are doing well on the stumps; I’ll have to wait a few months to try them on game.

See you guys in a little over a month…the kid and I are fine tuning the chili!

just thought i would put my 2 cents in, first off you guys are lucky to have lots of grouse opportunitys. Down here in Maryland we will be lucky to see one during the season and if we do see one the closest i have ever gotten is about 30 yards. And as far as tips for squirrels i would sugest a judo. It has always worked for me!!! NEver used a blunt but i would imagine the arrow shatering if you hit the tree, then again probably most people dont shoot into trees with recurves besides me!? here if you want you can watch my squirrel video, i was using a judo and a 55 pound deer master recurve by greatree!!!

oo and if you are thinking of using flu-flu’s you might want to consider this, i have had several squirrels dodge my regular arrows and my bow is not slow. it shurley isnt the fastest but is is probably around 180-220 fps!? Check out this short snippet of flim, it is a squirrel dodging one of my arrows!!

always enjoy your videos greatreearcher:D, keep ’em coming

always good to hear when people like my videos as much as i love making them, thanks for the good feedback
Chris

Hey eric!
I found a small ring with wires on it like a judo. it slides on behind any point that screws in. I use them on broad heads. I havn’t lost an arrow and you know a broad head will do the job. I shot a rabbit 3 times and chased it for two hours with judos. I wont hunt with judos again. sorry I don’t remember the brand name but they work. I got them at wholesale sports in Saskatoon but Im sure any archery dealer will have them.

Hey Eric,
You can get small rings with wire prongs on them like judos have. They go on behind any point that screws on. I only use broadheads on small game after hitting a rabbit 3 times with judos and chasing it for 2 hours. I havn’t lost an arrow with these and you know a broadhead will get the job done. Sorry I can’t remember the brand name but they’re not hard to find!

the little arms you put behind broadheads of feild tips are called either muxxy grasshoppers or there is another set of arm type things that you just stick on the shaft but they slide up and down the arrow!

how big are the wire prongs on the ones that go behind the field tip or broadhead? that might be the ticket for small game broadhead hunting…

Michael

I’m with TJ on this one. I’ve center-punched grouse with blunts only to have them fly off into Never Never Land looking like shish-kabobs. My basic rule is: don’t shoot anything you want to kill with anything but a broadhead. I keep a box of old, dinged up, rusted heads for just this purpose. They have too many miles on the chassis for big game, but they’re fine for grouse and bunnies. Don

the little prongs that go behind a broadhead or feild tip are the same size as judos, and if you put them behind a broadhead they make a awesome turkey point!!

I wonder if a person could take apart the bigger judo-style heads and put them behind a broadhead. I shoot in the brush a lot, and would like a little more “grab” to keep from losing my arrows.

Michael.

Zwickey makes something along those lines. I think it is called a Scorpio. It slides down your shaft and is only recommended for aluminum and carbon I think.

yea jesse is right, but like he said they slide up and down the shaft the muzzys dont, just a difference in each persons preference, obviously something that is stationary will not penetrate as deeply as something that slides!