Whether you take up traditional archery gear to hunt or just for the great fun of it, there are plenty of clubs and shooting events geared to traditional archery for you to participate in. Traditional archery clubs have been popping up all across the Southeast that have regular competitions and events to participate in. But, as a hunter, you have the opportunity to test your woodsmanship to the extreme. You get to step into the home of the wild creatures, get within a handful of yards without being detected by them, and release an arrow that will put them down in an ethical and efficient manner. It’s not easy, but the rewards are so very worth it!
I find an awful lot of fun chasing small game with my bow, mostly rabbits and squirrels. I’ve found nothing better to hone your woodsmanship as well as your marksmanship than to quietly stalk squirrels to within spitting distance in order to send them an invitation to dinner with an arrow. I like to wait until the squirrels are forging on the ground and close the distance, keeping a tree or underbrush between us. If I can see him, I know that he can see me, so I stalk in as close as I can to his last known position and study the ground until I spot him again. Your movements have to be hidden as much as possible and the rest, super slow and deliberate to remain unseen. The shot itself, I try to keep inside of fifteen yards; squirrels are a small target and rarely remain still for very long, so closer is always better.
There are quite a few options for small game hunting heads to tip your arrows with. I use the spring armed Judo style points, which while effective on the game, will not bury up under the grass or leaf litter and get lost. They’re cheap and do a great job, but back in the day I’d just put a quarter inch flat washer behind my field point and never found a reason to complain about the performance.
The date for the Third Annual Brookville squirrel hunt is coming up on the 18th of this month. For this event, my team partner Ryan Pete, and I will be using our bows trying to win the several-thousands of dollars in cash and prize up for grabs. If any of you would like to join me sometime, to hone your skills on a mess of squirrels and gain some mighty fine fixins’ for a delicious squirrel supper, reach out to me. I’ll look forward to it!
As always, I welcome any comments, questions or maybe you’d like to share a story of photos of your own success from the woods, give me a shout out at [email protected]. God Bless, Good Hunting!
