I spent a couple of hours stump shooting - sometimes, I feel like doing this exclusively for my practice, combined with some 3Ds.

Stump shooting helps picking a spot; shooting at unknown ranges and unorthodox positions, as you would hunting from the ground.

I'm glad I'm using my tapered Ash arrows - tough as nails with judo points.

There's only one thing better than spending an hour out stump shooting...and that's spending 2 hours out stump shooting.

Judos, blunts, broadheads, field tips...I like'em all!

stump shooting is under rated ,, it will really fine tune your shooting and give you some exercise too,,

Agree with all above.

Big soft B.C. stump.

It doesn't get much better than that! Jawge

I spend a bit of time shooting targets early in the spring just to work on form and build some strength up but in no time I'm in the woods behind the house shooting stumps, mushrooms, pine comes leaves etc, Thats my go to practice for hunting. In our area I find the rubber blunt to be the best all around point to keep from loosing, breaking, or burying arrows. I know the terrain where you live will dictate what works for you.

I love stumping, but have way too many rocks were I go. If I miss a stump, say just shoot over it, I sometimes hit a rock, and break an arrow.

You don't let no steeeenking rocks tell you what to do. 8^). Our mountains here are made of limestone...you just learn to shoot more accurately. You'll still break some arrows, but that's part of the deal. They make more.

Stump-shooting is my favorite—especially when a few chums are along!

My 7 yr old daughter and i have started stumping every sunday after church. We stump and shoot trash on our way in. And on the way out we pick up all the trash. Helps me teach her the preservation of mother nature and to respect it.

Ever have a stump duck the arrow ? I think its time for me to go fishing .

I love to go stumping when I get the chance, its a lot of fun !

Stump shooting is an absolute blast. Teaches you estimate range, shows you how your eyes and depth perception affect your shooting in different light conditions, and at different angles. Good exercise just moving around.

Doesn't do squat to teach you how good a shot you really are.

My best stump preserve won't be shootable again until slash the loggers left rots down--4 or 5 years. But when it does, there will be ten times as many stumps!

I used to do a lot of stump shooting and should probably start again. R-man...never had one duck on me but I swear I've had some jump in front of my arrows!!LOL. Lance.

Stump shooting is the very best of traditional archery. You will see very few , if any other archers with modern equipment participating. I've learned through trial and error, what was stated in the first thread by E'P'A' . I frequently stump shoot in an area of the Pocono mountains that every stump is surrounded by rock. I do miss and have broken many arrows, along with the Judo point being launched into the leaf cover and parts unknown. I make my own wood arrows, and the absolute best set up for us, is an ash arrow with a judo point and one of those rubber heat shrink tubes that keeps the judo attached to the arrow shaft, even if it broke behind the Judo. When you plan a stump shooting outing with three sons you hate for it to end because you broke all your arrows and lost all your Judos! BTW Jack Zwickeys' Judo point is indestructible... and one of his greatest innovations. TLM

Paul, show us how you secure that judo with shrink tube. I think I got it, but more details and even a pic would be good. I lose way too many of those expensive judos and like your frugal approach.

I love stump shooting just as much as hunting. I find myself more focused stumping then shooting 3d. Here in NYC you need to have a valid hunting license and something needs to be in season to shoot on public land.

Blackhawk, The shrink tube I use is called "Headsavers". I bought them from either KK or 3R, not sure which one. Luckily I have one that I haven't used left. Hope my photos help. TLM

Blackhawk, After sliding the "Headsaver" over your shaft, I melt some glue, heat up the Judo and put it on the shaft. I wait for the Judo to cool, then slide the "Headsaver" over the Judo's ferrule and then hold a Bic lighter near the "headsaver" ,until it shrinks around the shaft and the Judo. Done this way you won't lose your Judo. It may take years to wear a Judo out stump shooting. TLM

Now that Headsaver is a money saver! Thanks for the tip and the pics.

You can also use plain old electrical tape to wrap the Judo and back onto the shaft.

After breaking the wires off of a doz or more judos over the years, I've come up with a more economical solution.

Drill two holes through a field point or blunt and push weedwacker line through. Make em any weight you want. When the line gets beat up just replace it. I can't see myself ever buying judos again.

Thanks George! And yes, they make more arrows, but I still have to buy them. Ha!

An afternoon of stump shooting is one of the most enjoyable evenings a feller can have!

My dog is my stumping buddy. We both get out and have a good time. Roving and stumping is also one of my favorite things to do in the Spring, Summer and maybe this Winter too if the snow does not come.

Stumping is the best practice there is for long shots at deer because you can practice out to that distance in the same conditions you will encounter when hunting.

I always make each shot from where I pulled the arrow out of my last target without doing more than pivoting or two steps.

The area I like the best is a plantation with a bunch of five year old red pine stumps about 10 inches in diameter. Perfect targets.

I call this spot Stumping Heaven...lots of targets!

D Hay; they sure do make great stump shooting buddies

here sombody found one (he saves me alot of $'s in lost arrows

Andy that picture ofyour pup just made my night. Thanks

And it's good to have a friend to take along.

Tradmt, got a number of old judo gins just like that. Need to find a fix to use again.

Andyman, already talked to you about the dog. Great dog pics here folks!

My Tess (Springer Spaniel) was the perfect hunt dog. Not even close, she'd rather retrieve my arrows than anything!! I can still see & hear her barking & spinning in circles everytime I even touched my bow. She died coming on 2 years ago. Miss her a bunch.

I'd prefer to stump than anything else ... Hunting is good, but stumping is gooder.....

Ben, I was going to say this even before you posted. I have a different feeling about stumping. It is something to do when I can't hunt. I love taking the boys out and can't when I'm hunting big game - my only regret about it. But when that last day of season comes, even when I have put game meat up or get a decent set of horns to bring back the memories, I have that hollow, let down feeling that it's over for a whole nuther year. I hate the feeling I can't go out and have the option of shooting an animal even if I choose not to. The stump foray is okay, but not a substitute for a stalk on live quarry. Once 28 Feb gets here (last day of any season, big or small game), the bummer sets in. Then I look forward to turkey season. If I still lived out west, I'm be distracted by shed hunting. That is all but futile here, so its down to stumping...

I'm kinda glad when big game is over. It allows for not worrying about bothering someone if they are deer hunting, and you can pretty much roam the stump woods with impunity. Squirrel and rabbit seasons are in till late February so there is still something to hunt if you feel the urge.

Andy, my stumping partner has certainly saved many a lost arrow too. I can still plan on ending up with fewer arrows than I started with. It is just part of the deal. ;)

Speaking of Stumping, I haven't seen a post by Hinterland Rover in quite a while. Miss his posts of his roves - Anyone else notice?

Yea! hope he is Ok

Helps depth perception also unmarked distances. Dale that is a beautiful dog. I favor Goldens also had them from Blondes to Rusty colors.

Eric - where do you do your stumping, if I may ask?

I have a feeling it's as Pete A and Trap posted, but if there is an option here, I'd love to know what it is.... Strictly speaking, I'm not even sure that it is legal to stump around your own property on a Sunday afternoon around here...

Eric - where do you do your stumping, if I may ask?

I have a feeling it's as Pete A and Trap posted, but if there is an option here, I'd love to know what it is.... Strictly speaking, I'm not even sure that it is legal to stump around your own property on a Sunday afternoon around here...

You guys up north are lucky, what clean woods you have, here in Fl. it's swamp, cactus and vines plus kudzu, which has taken over much of FL.

I usually carry a couple of hawks with me, this stump was petrified, you can see the arrow barely stuck. I throw the hawks then back way off to shoot the arrow.

The woods are "clean" because everything at ground level has been eaten!

Think I'd be happier with a little more food for the deer and more cover to hunt them in...

North is good, even north of NYC. I don't know what the NY State regs say about stump shooting north of Westchester Co. during the off season, so I just assumed its no problem . I see no Stump Police where I go. If there was some dumb rule that said I could not go out in the woods at anytime of the year and shoot arrows at inanimate objects, well, then...... heheheh. There is plenty to eat on the ground in Oneida Co. GF, c'mon up! You want cover, we have it. Lots of it, with food. Some of the woods are clean, but most of it is impenetrable, swampy, choked with grape, multiflora rose, blackberry, poison ivy, and Virginia Creeper. Some is doghair thicket, and thats where the deer go during heavy hunting pressure. You can go in there with them, and they just skirt around you and stay in there. Stumps like to stay out in the open mostly though.

This is my favorite stump. Its in WA...

Some 'Clean' wide open spaces for stump shooting in the Great White North! It IS fun - but I still prefer live game.

I blunt yucca (cactus) seed pods.

That would be some pretty fancy shooting there, Bob!

The thing is, Trap, we have these stupid blue laws; you can't hunt on Sunday, ergo you cannot be afield with equipment that could reasonably be used for the purpose of hunting. And, strictly speaking, target shooting is not permitted on state lands, so if you're not hunting you must be breaking the law in some other fashion. They kinda get you coming and going!

Good thing we have a long season on coyotes; I wouldn't shoot one with a Judo, but I don't think that having a few in your possession is necessarily a prosecutable offense!

That is pretty bad Matt sounds like too much government. The stumps must be on the protected species list......Ha!Ha!

Calvin, the snow and severe cold kills back most everything up north our vegetation grows year around, some areas a bullet couldn't get through.....Ha!Ha!

After living here for 59 years the pictures of the wooded areas north of me just look so nice, even Georgia looks so much different than FL.

The wording was kind of ambiguous here in Pa., but stump shooting was never illegal. A few years ago, with the help of the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania, the wording was changed so everyone could understand it was okay to stump shoot in any public woods, as long as it is done in a safe manner. And, since you can hunt coyotes on Sunday, you can be in the woods with the bow and arrow to enjoy roving as well. You still have to possess a hunting license, but otherwise you're good to go.

Oh yeah, the Connecticut Blue Laws. NY discontinued that back when I still had black hair. I didn't think other states still had that (until recently when I read on here some southern states do). Kinda limits you to a pretty narrow window. Do you ever go after them thar coyotes? RonG, I like FLA but I've never hunted there. Up until last year my Mother lived in central FLA and there were bear crossing signs along the roads near her. It looks pretty dense in those palmetto thickets. I imagine the hunting is pretty good. PA sounds like it has made stumping available due to public outcry. Good on them...

The only way I practice, easy on shoulders as you do not shoot as much in repitirtion

Calvin, it was basically that most didn't understand because of the wording in the rules. Credit to our state archery association, the UBP, for pushing the issue to just change the working to make it more understandable.

The PGC goes out of its way to help hunters, even extending some Game Lands and State Forest roads from mid September to mid January to give them more access. Close to where I live, they even made some handicap access into an area for those sportsmen who are wheelchair bound.

My father used to go hunting in PA and really liked it. I was always too young so I never got to. But he brought back copies of 'Pennsylvania Game News', that I always looked forward to reading, kind of like the Conservationist in NY. I always thought PA did a good job taking care of sportsmen n women.

Love the pics, and those of the dogs made my day!

I find myself caneoing or ATVing and looking over stumps that have just the right look, just the right rot, maybe a little moss or lichen. And I think to myself "I should bring that STUMP HOME" Do I have a problem??

It is all I do. Can't stand to shoot at a target. I own 60 acres and take my longbow for a walk each morning before work. Shoot birch shafts with Zwickey judo points.

Hey Dale in pa. - recognize this one?

Just discovered how well a 9mm casing fits an 11/32" shaft as a blunt.

Big funny Scott! Not weird at all. Just consider yourself a practicing environmentalist...with maybe a drinking problem?

Reading my mail lawdy. Nothing but stump practice 38+ years. Still fun as day one!

.38 and .357 cases also work. They have an added benefit over 9mm of extra volume. Melt shot in the (fired) case with a torch. Adds point weight. Made quite a few of these many years ago.

Just make sure it has a spent primer

Yeah Steve, looks familiar. The only problem with the 9mm case is they only weigh a little over 60 gr. Better off with a .357 mag case, about 78 gr. and long enough that you can add some lead to get them up to at least 125 gr.

I am shooting carbons and mine like a 175 gr point. My stumping point is a 145 gr hex head with an adder collar ~ 175ish gr. The adder collar helps keeps the arrows from burying to deep under the grass or duff.

We have a dry climate and it you shoot a stump here, chances are great that you will break an arrow. That said I shoot weeds and grass clumps and it works out about the same and is tons of fun

Bob Rowlands, if you have yucca seed pods chances are you have other cacti, but mostly rocks.

Any ideas for appropriate rock-hunting blunts?

In Minnesota, we're not allowed to stump in the WMAs. My brother has about 20 acres of land but not a rotten stump on it. It's still possible to get in a rove, shooting at dirt and grass clumps and so on, but I prefer to just put out target bags and practice that way.

Joe

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