shooting a muskrat

[camoman45]

we shoot all the muskrat's and beaver around here,but normally with a gun, i'm gonna try and get one with my recurve. if i set my bow up to go bowfishing, would my bowfishing arrow work??? i've never shot it and seen how accurate it was, it has no fletching except for the saftey slide thingy, thanks for your time

[Rico]

I think you will have a very limited range a few feet. Those beaver are big and probably a well placed sharp broadhead would work better.

[Ia Hawkeye]

camoman45,
private message sent.

[Louutah]

Camoman45....growing up in N.Wyoming, my friends and I would spend hours walking the canal banks in the fall after they turned the water off shooting muskrats.  90% of the time I used a bow, tipped with anything from field tips to an assortment of broadheads, of course the water was only 18-24" and it was easy to retrieve my arrows....I did lose some and broke quite a few hitting rocks etc. but it was a great time.
I never shot a beaver but the rats never made it too far regardless what they were hit with.

[straitera]

Fletch is unimportant on your fish arrow. Beaver are tough. Suggest BH's.

[Guru]

is it legal to shoot muskrats?

[WidowEater]

magnus blunts with the bleeder blades, its great possum medicine so it should work on the rats, dunno for the beavers though, maybe woodsmans

[BrianfromTulsa]

never shot a muskrat but I have shot a few beavers.  Do not use a fish arrow.  shoot broadheads.

[Warden609]

I would not use a fish arrow on a beaver. They are super tough and I really don't think you will like the results.

[mike g]

Check your game laws about useing a Barbed arrow on mammals....
    Here in CA it's illegal....And as mentioned above Beaver are hard to Kill Id use broadheads for sure....
    I use about two Dz arrows a year on Beaver, Going tonite for the last hunt of the season....
    I have 9 arrows left to sacrafice to the beaver, Racoons and muskrats....

[Greyfox54]

My first trad kill was a muskrat that was stealing vegtables out of our garden , wouldn't have minded if he ate a few things but he would go down the rows taking a bite out of everything .I was 10 years old and didn't need any prodding to go on a "hunt" . Took a couple days of sitting and waiting and even a few misses but it was well worth it . 15# York yellow fiberglass bow and 19 cent cedar arrows from R&S auto and home center. I have an old pic not sure if I can post it . I say trad kill but at the time it was a modern recurve bow kill , about 1964 I still remember the shot .

[Charlie Cole]

And muskrats are tasty. Greasy, but tasty.

[owlbait]

Fish arrows work great on muskrat and I am not at liberty to identify my source of knowledge on this subject. Not sure how they would work on beaver, but I would try a Muzzy trocar gar point on them.

[camoman45]

oh and another thing guys, i meant shooting a muskrat, not a beaver with a fish arrow, i should have clarified myself,

[Three Arrows]

I got muckrats in my pond digging tunnels and dens that collapse later when I go over with my 9k mower.  You bet I shoot them every Spring!