Thread: Possums with a recurve crossbow

Looking for any feedback as to bolt and point selection for hitting possums with a 90-150lb recurve crossbow. Yes, a .22 is better, did that heaps when younger, but the quiet and advantages of a crossbow for night hunting - esp not sending projectiles a mile on a miss or passthrough - make it interesting.

Looking at whether blunts on a heavy aluminium shaft might be an option. Blunts work well with a recurve on possum.

Cheers,

Remote

blunts,lighted nocks...flouro tape on shafts and glow in dark bits everywhere to help find them again..might not be stupid idea to have a light string like for bow fishing attached to arrow either...be a right bastard to relocate them in the dark. poke arrow into the V of there collar to smash ribs n chest bones.dont know if can get ponts that designed to stop if cutting first but that would be ideal..fufu arrows be better still

An accurate shot with a blunt will most likely need a quick follow-up to kill it at anything more than a few metres. Field points are likely to be about the same. A broadhead is obviously your most certain killing option, but has much the same problem as a .22, in that you need to be accutely aware of where the bolt will land if you miss.
@Micky Duck - Fluflu probably won't go so well in a crossbow.

yeah fluflu probaly wont...dont know if he can do the light string like bow fishing thing,but do know I wouldnt want to try and relocate arrows in the dark.

Yep, been there, done that! Found my arrow about 6 months later!
The string idea is actually bloody smart. If you could get it to work, it would be a big time and money saver.

Look at some of the tube bowfishing posts, some cunning set ups there...

In the 90,s we were using something called the scorpion claws, made by zwickey, the same guys who made the judo point.
You were sliding it onto your aluminium shat behind what ever point you were using and it was slowing penetration really well.
I m not sure it would work on carbon shafts .it might damage them

We use Cold Steel Cheap Shot broadheads on possums. They are a pretty hardy animal and we found that the blunt heads made them very crook but didn’t kill them.

Unless you’re shooting at possums on the ground I think you will just have to accept you are going to lose some of your bolts.

I dont know much about crossbows, so this may not be possible, but with my longbow we used old broad heads on longer arrows with a milk bottle lid with and x hole cut in to on the shaft. The arrow penetrated the possum an the lid stopped the arrow from exiting. never bothered with shot at possums on trees or up trees. Just end up with a BH stuck in trunk or and arrow gone somewhere if you missed.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

blunts,lighted nocks...flouro tape on shafts and glow in dark bits everywhere to help find them again..might not be stupid idea to have a light string like for bow fishing attached to arrow either...be a right bastard to relocate them in the dark. poke arrow into the V of there collar to smash ribs n chest bones.dont know if can get ponts that designed to stop if cutting first but that would be ideal..fufu arrows be better still

LOL what could possible go wrong. Shot the dam thing in the guts and when I reeled him in......

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

blunts,lighted nocks...flouro tape on shafts and glow in dark bits everywhere to help find them again..might not be stupid idea to have a light string like for bow fishing attached to arrow either...be a right bastard to relocate them in the dark. poke arrow into the V of there collar to smash ribs n chest bones.dont know if can get ponts that designed to stop if cutting first but that would be ideal..fufu arrows be better still

You can get nocks with built in flashing led lights

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

I got real sick of trying to pull broadheads and flatheads out of trees, just saying.

Thanks a lot for all the comments. A lot of good suggestions. The bow-fishing reel and rig is something we thought of in fact, and still has me thinking. But big long arrows, tiny possum up a tree... I reckon a crossbow with cheap bolts possibly made from old shafts and broadheads might be the way to go. Blunts have worked for me but it has to be a chest or head shot. Anything else is no good.

even without the reel...a decent length of light string will help with finding arrow..... but it would be nice to be able to limit its total flight somehow.

Flu Flu arrows.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flu-flu_arrow