flight bow for birdhunting?

[hova]

i was reading an article or something a while back that talked about native americans using reed for arrows. i was sitting here thinking of a way to hunt something like duck with a bow. i know it could be done with a normal hunting bow , but i dont think you need as much arrow there.


i have been thinking of doing a flight bow for a while now , and wonder if something like a 30# molle would launch reed  (or phragmite iirc) arra's fast enough , to take something mayhaps duck or pheasant ?

im just pondering , so dont take it literally . this is just a WWYD kind of thing.


-hov

[don s]

pheasent and duck are hunted just using a recurve or longbow. why would you need a flight bow to hunt them. i remember seeing a video of a guy that ducks down (no pun intended) and when a duck is about to land near his decoys there is a split second where the duck seems to hover. he pos up and arrows the duck in midair. the guy was pretty good at it. i have also watched pheasent hunting with trad bows. it looks like a lot of fun. tred barta had one of his shows where he hunted goose. he took shots as they were about to land. don

[Don Stokes]

Hunting is hunting, and flight shooting is target archery. If you're hunting, use your hunting equipment.

[CaptainJ]

A bird in flight doesn't have the inertia that an animal on the ground has. You need heavy hunting weight tackle for them. Ducks and Pheasant can be knocked down with blunts or judos, but geese require a broadhead on a  heavy arrow.
That all said, bird hunting with a bow and arrow is more fun than we should be allowed to have!
Watching an arrow in flight intersect with a bird in flight is one of the most fascinating experiences I've ever had.
Haven't got a dove yet though. Man those things are fast and small!
CJ

[don s]

cj, although i've never hunted pheasents or ducks with a bow. i have heard that a broadhead is required unless you don't mind chasing the bird down when it hits the ground. don

[hova]

thanks for the heads up. i shoot trap , so i go for fps. the more i thought about it the other night , i figured it would just make me that much better with my bunny/turkey/deer bow and arra's.

i was just under the impression that a faster arrow would work with the thinner skin of birds. was thinking i would have to be so lucky to get it with a regular bow.

going to go out for pheasant and duck this year , so of course i want the most reliable setup that i can hack together. once im done with the swap bow , im going to get some hard maple and use the hickory i have as a backing. i think something thin and right around 40 or 45# .

if duck hunting , i can only image 50 or 100 shots through something 50+ , but i dont know if 30 or 35 would have enough oomph.


now to bird points . would somethin like a single bevel trade point work, or would i want to go ahead and do two edge? been considering picking up knapping , but i dont know if i want to spend all that time on a point that is most likely going to miss...lol..

thanks again for your idears.
-hov

[Rattus58]

Originally posted by don s:
cj, although i've never hunted pheasents or ducks with a bow. i have heard that a broadhead is required unless you don't mind chasing the bird down when it hits the ground. don

My first Turkey I shot, was shot by accident with a rubber blunt... this is long story, but nonetheless, the result was a very dead and internally messed up turkey. My next turkey was shot in mid air just as it got up, and my 3 bladed broadhead sliced right though the bird and it glided at least a half a mile before hitting the ground some number of feet of elevation below us... never found that turkey after looking for hours... Personlly, I think shock works better at the close ranges I was shooting both of these birds (less than 10 yards). Unfortunately Broadheads are the only thing "legal" here in Hawaii.

 

[hova]

yeah i will probably go with the magnus (iirc) 4 blades 2" cutting dia head. i saw the guilotine , and while it would afford a rather clean kill , it just seems a little brutish. im on the fence.


i have some steel that i can cut trade points from though , and i have always liked single bevels.

[CaptainJ]

Originally posted by don s:
cj, although i've never hunted pheasents or ducks with a bow. i have heard that a broadhead is required unless you don't mind chasing the bird down when it hits the ground. don

That's right Don.
When I've hunted Duck and Pheasant it's been with dogs.
You don't want the poor dog nipping a broadhead, and the dog will chase them down for you.
But even with a broadhead through the heart I've seen geese fly a 1/4 mile!
So you're absolutely right. If you want anything DOA and not worried about collateral damage a broadhead is the way to go. Thanks for the correction.

CJ