Guest Post: How to Hunt Small Game with a Bow

Hello, my friend and welcome back!  Today we have a guest post for you with a lot of usable information.  I have always hunted squirrel will my day when I was growing up.  In fact, it is some of my favorite memories. Brandon Cox has written a wonderful article on the subject and I hope you enjoy it.  Until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared.  God Bless America!

-Sarge-

How to Hunt Small Game with a Bow

 

Some bow hunters only grip their favorite weapon a couple of weeks of the year, which is weird because most states have bow seasons ten months of the year. However, much of archery season is dedicated to small game. You’re probably asking yourself why someone would want to hunt small game with a bow? Well, the reason is there is always something in season.
Big game hunting is popular and is what most hunters hit the woods for, but it isn’t the only reason. By hunting small game with a compound bow, you get to extend your archery season to the entire year. Bow hunting with small targets also makes this extremely challenging. Below, we’ll go over some simple tips that will allow you to hunt small game with a bow easier.

Small Game Choices

When hunters say small game the first animal many people think about is squirrels. And they’re right; squirrels are one of the most popular small game to hunt with a bow. Squirrels are often easy to get close to but are one of the smallest targets offered to bow hunters.

Squirrels are not the only small game animal that bow slingers can focus throughout the year. Other small animal prey that is perfect for bow season include skunks, opossums, packrats, raccoons, mice, badgers, snakes, prairie dogs, groundhogs, and rabbits. Another great bonus with hunting small game with a bow is that there are usually liberal bag limits. So, if you’re in the mood to stock the freezer with rabbit and squirrel, you’ve got plenty of room to do it.

If you polled small game bow hunters, the most popular animal they hunt would be squirrels. The second most favorite animal is rabbits. One of the reasons rabbits are a popular choice is because they breed like crazy, which makes them plentiful and extremely widespread. Usually, a bunny can be found along the edges of fields, briar patches, and near thickets. When rabbits spot hunters or any other human for that matter, they usually freeze, which gives you the perfect opportunity to shoot.

If you aren’t interested in hunting squirrels or rabbits, you could always kill raccoons. In fact, raccoons are one of the best small animals to hunt in winter months. The smart, little trash pandas are naturally drawn to cornfields and are easy to spot because of their glowing eyes, which makes dawn and dusk the best time to hunt these mess makers. It’s important to note, you can’t kill raccoons in every state. Some states also require that raccoons only be hunted with dogs. If you can hunt coons in your area, you’ll more than likely need a small game tag. Unlike rabbits and squirrels, you’ll probably want to use a broadhead to kill these pests.

Small Game Bow Gear

If you’re heading to the woods or just a field in your backyard to hunt small game, you probably have questions about the type of gear you will need. Most hunters don’t buy any particular equipment for small game hunting. Instead, they just use the same gear they use when deer hunting or other large game. Using the same gear makes you use while hunting bucks will give you a better shot.

However, this technique doesn’t include arrows. Broadheads are expensive and can destroy a small animal, which doesn’t make them the best choice for hunting. Instead, you should consider blunts or small game points.

How to Hunt Small Game

Another unique issue with hunting small game is being able to hit the targets. Despite their small size, many small game animals are incredibly bright and escape easily. The biggest obstacle is being able to get into an effective range. One way to get within an effective range is to wear the right camos. If you want to increase your chances of getting as close as possible, it might be a good idea to wear face paint and a head net too.

Small game animals are usually considered prey. As prey animals, small game is sensitive to movement and noise. To avoid spooking small game before they even know you’re there is to move slowly and smoothly in their environment. Being stealthy in the woods hunting squirrels and rattlesnakes will also make you a better big game hunter too.

Now you know why you should think twice before you hang up your bow at the end of a season. If you don’t take advantage of small game hunting, you’ll be a better hunter when the big game season starts, and you’ll get the satisfaction of taking part in something challenging.

About Author:

Brandon Cox is the founder of StayHunting, who is passionate about all things of hunting and fitness. Through his hunting website, he would like to share tips & tricks, finest tech that will excite all of the intricacies of hunting whether you be an amateur or a professional