Do You Need Small Game Hunting Arrows and Tips?

It might sound kind of crazy at first, but hunting small animals (like hunting rabbits or squirrels) with a bow is a really fun and great way to keep your skills sharp. It's also a lot less stressful than your normal big game hunting on animals like deer, moose, pronghorns, or elk.

But before you just get up, grab your bow, and head out the door to hunt small game, let's talk about small game hunting arrows and tips, and why they're best for hunting small animals vs. big game.

Bowhunting Can Be a Fun (Almost) Year-Round Challenge

During down times throughout the big game seasons (perhaps you've tagged out early or you're in between archery and gun seasons), keep small game hunting at the back of your mind. It's really fun and challenging, but also a nice mental break activity that you can still do to keep your skills sharp throughout the season.

When it comes to archery, there are many different challenges that archers have to face and overcome. There are also some challenges that archers like to put upon themselves to maintain sharpness or to improve their skills. One of them is going after small game with a bow and arrow.

Satisfaction (Still) Guaranteed — Even if it's Small

When hunting small game with a bow, you are able to get the satisfaction of harvesting an animal with your archery gear, earn a delicious wild meal, and have fun in the process — all without the intense planning and everything that comes with hunting big game.

As most of us who archery hunt know, there are many different types of broadheads out there on the market to choose from to complete our arrow setups, from small-diameter fixed blades, large-diameter expandable broadheads, and everything in between. If you've only hunted bigger animals, hunting small game animals will now also open up another realm of tips and broadheads to look at and consider before hitting the woods.

Why Hunt With Small Game-Specific Arrows or Tips?

Hunting for small game such as squirrels, rabbits, or even some game birds (if you really want a challenge) will require the use of certain types of tips or broadheads that will allow a hunter to dispatch an animal still quickly and ethically, but also hopefully not lose any arrows — or at least not very many!

The size and destruction potential of standard or big-game broadheads is more arrow firepower than you need if your target is something like a squirrel or rabbit. For example, an arrow you would use for elk or deer would obliterate something that small, leaving you without any meat to harvest. Plus, it's simply unethical to destroy a creature with something meant for larger game.

Instead, small game arrow tips deliver a precise shot that prevents pass-through. It's enough impact to kill without over-penetrating for a more ethical kill.

Save More Meat

Small game hunting arrows and tips will also help ensure less damage to the meat of your game animal. When it comes to smaller animals, this is a very huge thing to try and avoid, as there can already be very little meat on them to begin with.

So, keeping the damage to a minimum is another reason to look into these different tip options before heading out to the woods.

What Types of Small Game Arrow Tips Should You Consider?

You have some good options for smaller broadheads when planning your hunt.

Judo points or blunt tips are some really great options to look into for small game hunting. These two styles allow an archer to deliver a killing blow to an animal, but also, in the case of a miss (which will be common), these tips prevent the arrow from going under or into the ground.

This helps the hunter retrieve the arrow after the shot. Finding more arrows will definitely make hunters much happier and more likely to continue to hunt small game if they are not constantly losing arrows.

What About Using Small Game Broadheads?

There are also small game broadheads hunters can use to hunt smaller animals. But, again, keep in mind that these critters will already not have a ton of meat to them to begin with. So, if you choose to use a broadhead, shot placement will become even more important.

Another thing to keep in mind when and if using a broadhead (instead of a blunt tip or judo tip) is that if you miss or have a complete pass-through shot, those arrows can get lost in the ground and underbrush. You may need to use more caution when walking in that area to avoid stepping on that broadhead later. 

Do You Need Small Game Arrows?

What about the shaft (arrow)?

Most hunters will be able to get a package of fairly inexpensive tips to hunt small game and match the arrows they already have. However, if you are interested in using different arrows to hunt small game, including birds (where legal to do so), a very good arrow option is a flu-flu arrow.

These arrows have oversized feathers that help reduce the speed of the arrow as well as its flight distance. The arrow's features help keep you from losing the arrow after you have shot it.

So, if you prefer to keep your big game arrow setup different from your small game arrow setup, the flu-flue arrow is one way to have a whole new arrow specifically designed for small game hunting. However, just know this is not a necessity.

Keep the arrows you prefer and just swap the tips based on what you hunt.  

Try Small Game Hunting Arrows and Tips (and HuntWise) for Year-Round Hunting

Small game isn't just delicious table fare, but it can also be a really fun time of year to go out and try something new with minimal stress. Plus, it doesn't take much to get started.

Find some small game hunting arrows or tips that you would like to try, and give small game hunting a try with your archery gear. If you get really good at ground animals, maybe up the ante a little bit and try bowhunting some game birds such as pheasants, doves, or other upland birds (where it is legal to do so).

No matter what you hunt, have fun, shoot straight, and I hope you give archery hunting small game a try this year. 
 

Don't forget to use HuntWise to find the best times to hunt small game! 
As you use the off-season to go after smaller game, it's also an excellent time to download HuntWise and explore it free for your first week.