Bowhunting for rabbits ??

[Tri-Power]

This fall we're going to give it a shot and was wandering how many of you already bowhunt for rabbits. Could have killed two this morning while running the dogs. What i mean is they were in range and everything was right. That don't mean i could hit em bit i think i could.

Bill Stone

[Alabama John]

Bill, we used to hunt rabbits and squirrels with a bow and flu-flu arrow. Also used blow guns with flu flu darts. They do not go too far and so you will have them to use again. Sort of a rite of passage for young men. Some old timers still use them for squirrels and turkey, and some still use a flip with ball bearings for squirrels, but I prefer a 12 guage.

[Tri-Power]

No sport in the 12 ga. for me. We use 22's all the time but will do the bow thing this year some just for fun. I guess if a man had dogs that were gun shy he could use a bow and they wouldn't hear a thing. I don't have that trouble but that's a thought.

Bill Stone

[NSB]

Tri-power, I hope you like the sound of babies crying. The arrow pins them but doesn't kill them out right. It is challenging though. If you don't mind the noise, have at it.

[Tri-Power]

The arrows we use have blunt rubber tips on them and they don't pin nothin. When it hits em they are out colder than a wedge. I don't mind crying babies as long as they aren't around when i'm trying to listen to something important and they are at someone elses house.

[MasonsBeagles]

Shoot I do good to hit em with a shotgun. lol

[Alabama John]

NSB, all arrows and darts that are shot into trees had better be blunt tipped so they will bounce back when you miss or anyone I know would have to have a big pocket book to buy enough arrows and darts and would have a tree looking like a pin cushion from missing.

The flu-flu arrows feathers are bunched together in a large wad to act as brakes (not like the streamlined arangement normally seen for distance shooting) in order to stop the arrow after a very short distance or you would shoot your arrows way to far from you and lose them.

[Guest]

We reserve one spot every year for just bowhunting purposes. It is fun to bow hunt unless you really enjoy eating a lot of rabbits because the kill ratio is way down when you are slinging arrows. I like it because nobody jump shoots and the dogs usually get some good running. We have one huge hunt every year here where there is usually 40-50 people bows only every one gets to set up stands the day before. They killed 6 rabbits last year and 110 arrows were shot. It is a christmas tree farm and rabbits were going every where.

[BlueLine]

When using either a bow or .22, do you hit them on the run or only when they are sitting still? Sounds like a real challenge.

[Guest]

we only hunt with bows or .22 pistols on cottontail in MI. Most of the time with the pistols you can hit them any time, but with the bows you have to have them hopping slowly and catch them when they stop. Its hard for us because we like to hare hunt a lot and run a faster dog so the rabbit rarely ever is hopping with the bows but we are there for the dogs to run and not to kill or I would hunt with a shotgun.