First pheasant hunt

[britt]

I am going on my first pheasant hunt in Feb. Using my Heartland 45# longbow. I will be putting some arrows together with flu-flu's. And fields tips with tiger claws on them. Anybody got any suggestion on how to hit them,HaHaHa. Pull and Pray.

[TealCoin]

Sounds like my theory!

Sure seems like a tough challenge.  Never have shot aerial targets, but I'd love to try someday.  Neet some foam cicrles, couple dozen flu flu's, and a sod field!

[oxnam]

I am a little biased, but our DVD, Introduction to Aerial Archery will get you off to the best start possible and really shorten your learning curve.  The link to our website in in my signature.

A couple things will really help.  Practice getting to full draw, anchoring, and releasing as quickly as possible on stationary targets.  Flushing birds are very agile after gaining stable flight and can actually dodge your arrows.  So getting your arrow off while the birds are more vulnerable is important.  Also, the faster the bird gets moving and the further the distance, the lead becomes significantly more challenging.

There are a lot of drills to do in between, but the final practice should be on actual clay pigeons out of a thrower.  This will strongly reinforce the need to shoot fast and is the best practice you'll find for shooting at flushing birds.

With a lighter bow, you need to use the least amount of fletching possible while keeping your arrows safe and recoverable.  You'll see on clay pigeons, that your arrows will not impact the clays with the same authority as it would on a stationary target.  You may hit a clay pigeon and not even break it.  Penetration suffers significantly on birds that are flying away.  Your field tips with claws will likely leave you with disappointing results.  With your setup, the main variables that will determine the lethality of your hits are the range of the bird, angle to the bird, and your fletching selection.  If it's allowed and the dogs can be tethered, use broadheads.  If not, try to avoid straight away shots even though they are the easiest.  You will hit the birds so much harder if they flush towards you or present a crossing/quartering shot.  

Last tip is safely shoot at everything that flies.  Even hail mary shots have a chance.  An arrow sitting on the bow will never kill anything.

Have fun!

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

Well said...for sure especially the advice about shooting clay's.

[Sam McMichael]

Hell, I can't hit birds with a shotgun, so I know I don't have any useful advice to give you. It sure sounds like fun, though. Remember, pick a spot, a moving spot. Good luck, and give us some follow up.

[Krex1010]

I'll admit I have a major man crush on any of you fellas that can hit winged critters with an arrow. Mucho respecto!

[Lineman72]

If your using dogs don't use broadheads. If your using your bow while others are shooting shotguns. Be prepared to have your arrow shot at. Good luck. It's much fun

I use the cheapest, as in free, three blade broaheads for pheasants most of the time. Not good for dogs. I make up arrows with the cheapest parallel cedars that I can find. I do not ever use fluflus. I only hunt wild birds. I find that with lighter bows, fluflus and blunts are not quite enough at times.  I walk very slowly when pheasant hunting, almost stalking pace.  The death march that many gun hunters use does not get me the take off from my feet gentle rise to the leveling off type of flight from the bird that I want and can hit more often. The pheasants that get up hot at angles and considerable distances may be fun to shoot at, but the odds of hitting are not so good.

[Homebru]

The rules for Britt's hunt are:  Archery only.  Over dogs. No broadheads allowed.
homebru

I am not sure that tiger claws on field points is all that safe for dogs either.  I still be tempted to take a cedar blunt, go out and find a couple of chickens to see what the results are. Sharp points and hard working dogs don't mix.
  How to hit them? Watching vids and learning to shoot with fluid power is only a start.  The amount of lead required at times is extreme on cross shots.  The first year we had a dove season, I shot three pheasants out of the air.  However, those doves earlier in the year were safe from me.  The first one I shot at, about 30 yards and passing, I gave it about a 15 foot lead. My arrow flew on a perfect line to its flight and came somewhere about 15 yards behind the dove. If these are released caged birds, wait for that gentle up and nearly straight away shot.  Quite often there is a spot where the flight levels off at about 12 feet up.
  Over in South Dakota I was told about such a place that did this and would only allow rubber HTM or Bludgeon plastic type heads. They hit two, both bounced off and the birds kept flying.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Now that sounds like good sport shooting arrows with a shot gun...  

[kadbow]

Britt, I would go with just the field points.  Are you doing the morning or afternoon hunt? You will have a blast, plenty of shooting.

I do not think that field points work by themselves for any game shot. When we did a chicken/barbeque  hunt with the kids, even the kid with a 50 pound longbow had us chasing after it to finish it off. He shot it with a field point with those judo like springs that slid onto the arrow first, that did not work, so then with just a field point. His second one was with a HTM that at least put his chicken down so he could ring its neck.
  When my daughter has a chicken or two that they want to butcher that is difficult to catch, they let my eight year grandson old shoot it with a Hill broadhead from his Prairie Predator or the teenager who uses a steel blunt and a 53 pound longbow, either way, it works every time.

[britt]

Mark, I am going on the morning hunt.