Penetration issue on squirrels!

[bendotwood]

Today I had a squirrel shrug off a hit from a 900gr 25% foc arrow tipped with a 275gr field point and adder, shot from a 70# bow.

While I did get a follow up shot in and recover the squirrel, I was baffled as to why it didn't  penetrate more than the field point.

The arrow was a dense spiral flu flu, which I suspect was the issue.

Has anyone else had problems with spiral flu flus lacking the power to take game?  Should I switch to 6 fletch, which go way farther than spirals?

[Rob W.]

I thought flu flus were great till I hunted with them.

I like sgt's and my regular arrows. Sometimes footed.

[Duncan]

Spirals probably create the most resistance making them slower moving. I use 3 or 4 fletch and trim them to my needs. But mostly I just use my regular fletching

[Slickhead]

spirals for arial shots and coolness factor.
Regular fletch for squirrels
May have been part of the problem

[reddogge]

4 fletch helical 5" will give enough energy at 30 yards to bowl over any squirrel. They'll carry at least 80-100 yards.

[BowsnLabs]

Squirrels are plain tough critters to kill sometimes.  If deer were that tough we'd all be in trouble.

[Cootling]

I wouldn't worry about it.  I think the issue is not your fletch, but the fact that squirrels and other small game can "give" and absorb impact in a way a deer won't.

[Birdbow]

I've had enough squirrels take solid hits with all kinds of blunts/small game heads from my whitetail setup and then escape unrecovered that I won't shoot them with anything but old, ground down broadheads. Hate to lose any animal I shoot. If they were deer sized, we'ld have to hunt them with elephant calibers!

[Stephengiles]

I agree with Cootling. Had the same thing happen to me once. Regular fletch from a 55# bow. I shot it off the top of a stump. My theory is it was trying to move and the arrow pushed some. Had to finish it off in the tree. 70# might be too light for squirrels though......sorry had to say it.

[Thumper Dunker]

Squirrels have real tough hides and soft bodies. What I see a lot is that the arrow hits what's ever behind them and keeps the arrow from going all the way threw them. You want a fast hard hitting arrow for ground squirrels I like adders behind a sharp field point. Adder keeps the arrow in them so I have a handle to drag them out of their holes . Tree squirrels I use broad heads.

[SELFBOW19953]

I use 125 gr Snuffer seconds that I bought years ago for squirrel.  Also use my regular fletch.  Flu flu's are noisy and squirrel will dodge them.

[59Alaskan]

Broadheads work.
Squirrel are tough

[Chumster]

As Thumper said, Squirrel's are tough. I have hit several and they just run off after recovering from blunts. I shoot my three fletch with old broad heads.

[JamesKerr]

Old broadheads only for me.

[wapiti792]

I shoot a 3 fletch arrow with full width to them like I was making a flu flu but only put 3 feathers on a 2216. I then take 9mm shell casing and hot glue them to a 125gr field point...I then go around the rim of the casing with tin snips and make a "ninja star" point. It'll kill them suckers!

[Nativestranger]

The problem with hitting small and light creatures like birds or squirrels is a slow but heavy arrow tend to push away the animal instead of penetrating them. This is likely made worse by the flu flus. Imagine a 16 ton truck hitting you at 3 mph vs a motorcycle hitting you at 60 mph.

[frassettor]

This sums it up ...

 

[Fattony77]

Originally posted by frassettor:
This sums it up ...

     

I KNEW IT!!!!        

[Lineman72]

Roflmao!!!
Super squirrel! Good one

[lefty4]

Lots of good insights here.

But,

Birdbow nailed it on the head, broadhead that is.