How many arrows?

cnelk

New member
Mar 23, 2017
5,542
Im undecided on how many arrows to take on the pack-in horse hunt this September.
We will be 5 miles from the truck for a week.
My quiver holds 5.

Thoughts?
 
10?

Most of the time, I just use 1. But before I bought the Tightspot quiver, I would typically lose a couple every Season.

I always overprepare, I guess anything can happen :think:
 
5 with more in the truck is what I do, But then I am not 5 miles in. I was going to do a 10 mile horse pack in trip this year that fell through, I never thought about carrying more than 5, Maybe Jeff has it right with 10. If I remember you have been known to run out of arrows. :lol:
 
I\'m probably underestimating these 5 miles, but my vote is bring what is in your quiver, and if you SOMEHOW shoot and lose that many, break that many, or whatever else, then go back to the truck and maybe reflect on how you lost them all on the way there :D
 
5 miles is a short trip with a horse. That said, crazy things can happen with horses. Bring a full quiver and a tough tube with backups.
 
I should clarify, the 5 mile trip with horses is going in, getting dropped off, and then the horses will be taken back.

otcwill is on to what Im thinking.
I have some plastic plotter paper tubes that are very lightweight and durable.
I could put 3-4 in one of these
 

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I\'m thinking of bringing 10 ... Probably 8 with broadheads, and 2 with bird-killers.

Things happen, and arrows are not heavy. I will most likely be hunting pronghorn the month prior, and that might eat a few of them, too.

I think we\'ll need to move quite a few things from \"the truck\" to camp ... things that we don\'t want to need, but will. Things like a \"base camp first aid kit\" (or what I like to call a \"second aid kit\") ... some tools for repair of archery equipment, tents, etc.
 
Five will probably suffice. I carry five 90% of the time now. I used to only carry 3. I carry 5 now. Lol. I have shot all 5 of those & had my brother shoot his 4 too tho so idk. I\'m gonna start packing my bow in hard case going in like that so it wouldn\'t b a big deal to carry all you wanted. I knoe youre an experienced packer but i highly recommend doing this. I never have but after pondering on it I\'ve escaped injury to my bow only thru luck in the past & will on \"long packs\" b throwing my hard case on top of my top pack. I do have a Outfitters Supply scabbard to use on most daily jaunts but it doesn\'t really protect it as well if going anywhere off a main trail or one that is used very little.
 
\"Pop-r\" said:
I do have a Outfitters Supply scabbard to use on most daily jaunts but it doesn\'t really protect it as well if going anywhere off a main trail or one that is used very little.

Carrying a bow on a horse is tough ... and somewhat dangerous. A hard case on a top-pack is a bulkly load and hard to secure.

So, we\'re going to carry our bows in on back-packs. We\'ll need the packs anyway, and an empty pack with a bow strapped to it isn\'t much of a load. That way, the bow is safe, and the horse is safe, too. After all, a bow that is poorly-secured to the horse will get damaged, and who do you think will be blamed for that? The horse, or the packer? (Not the packer, of course!)

A horse is often identified as \"The place where blame lies\", whether that\'s just or not. (Kind of a \"Blame it on the dog\"-theory, but larger.)

I have one of the Outfitter\'s Supply scabbards, too, for riding. I won\'t say that I won\'t use it, but I don\'t use it much. It\'s bulky under the leg, bangs on trees, throws the whole show off balance ... and so if riding to hunt, I\'ll usually just carry the bow in-hand.

You know, it\'s hard enough to ride a horse in hunting clothes with a day-pack on, usually on trail-less cross-country ground. Add a rifle and things are really hard. Add a bow, and forget it. At that point it becomes a real test of horsemanship, and though I think I\'m up to it, I\'m not out there to test my horsemanship when I have a bow along.

So, horses are for muscle, not transportation, this fall.
 
A hard case should fit up on top just great. I\'m gonna have two large duffle sitting on top of my panniers & that should create a fairly level spot up top to place a hard case & be fairly easy to secure. I\'m not lazy in any way but if I can put it on my horse I\'m gonna. It only makes sense. Its their job. I figr if smthng does happen it\'s alot safer this way than in a scabbard. Even in a bad wreck the bow probably survives.
 
I only take 5 no matter what flavor of elk hunting I do. The most I\'ve ever used is 2. But I was raised to only shoot what I plan to eat. I\'ve have buddies that fling arrows at every squirrel that runs by.

Other than elk, grouse is tasty but I don\'t want to take the time to field dress then. I wonder if Grandpa would make me eat the tree that jumped in the way of my shot a couple years back. :D
 
\"cnelk\" said:
I should clarify, the 5 mile trip with horses is going in, getting dropped off, and then the horses will be taken back.

otcwill is on to what Im thinking.
I have some plastic plotter paper tubes that are very lightweight and durable.
I could put 3-4 in one of these

hahah..i use the EXACT same tubes.

and i used old plotter paper as the paper i feed into my arrow paper tune jig/rack. great stuff.
 
On my first caribou hunt our boat driver asked where my arrows were. I had four in my longbow quiver. I told him I had two caribou tags, so the other two were for ptarmigan. He laughed and said the compound guys always carry a whole tube and shoot them all.

Turns out I had one left over, with two monster bulls in the boat. I whiffed on one bull that was so close I didn\'t pick a spot and shot under him.

For your hunt, take a PVC tube with eight. I have several I can loan you but I\'m sure you have plenty! :)
 
Fred Bear wasn\'t no Jaquomo.

I\'m bringing 10. 8 with broadheads, 2 with bird-killer heads of some sort. Hell, when I\'m rifle hunting I bring more bullets than that!

In 2013 I took a long-weekend-hunt where we\'re going and I brought 5 arrows in my quiver in. When I got to camp, I had 4. One had dropped off on the trail somewhere. Never did find it. I missed a grouse with another arrow ... and then another! Both of those arrows disappeared under the grass. (Those birds can really make me mad, and when I\'m mad, I don\'t shoot well.)

So, went in with 5, came out with 2, and didn\'t ever shoot at an elk! So, yeah, I\'m bringing 10.

It\'s called \"Peace of Mind\".
 
Fred and the boys took a lot of really long shots back in those days. They needed to carry a bunch of arrows. Howard Hill shot a quiver full at that bull he killed at 153 yards before he finally hit the thing somewhere. ;-)
 
\"Jaquomo\" said:
Fred and the boys took a lot of really long shots back in those days. They needed to carry a bunch of arrows. Howard Hill shot a quiver full at that bull he killed at 153 yards before he finally hit the thing somewhere. ;-)

Apparently, \"bowhunting ethics\" is a historically new concept LOL !
 
Some of the old time black and white videos will curl your hair. Fred once shot a polar bear in the butt so it would turn around for a better shot angle. The concept of \"ethics\" is a fairly recent development. That said, we all miss, make bad shots, lose arrows on the trail (Deertick, anyway!) I took two dozen to Australia, by there was no limit, no license needed, shoot til you run out of arrows.
 
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