Johannes Schabort discusses the advantages and disadvantages of aluminium arrows vs wooden arrows when hunting with a longbow.

I am something of a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist and longbow foot hunter. I will never make the big switch to carbon arrows.

To me using carbon arrows with a longbow is very much the same as putting a telescope on a black-powder rifle – it just does not feel right. However, there is no law against it. But I do hunt with aluminium arrows also. Somehow it feels in order. The late, great Fred Bear did that. Which is the way to go for a longbow hunter?

Aluminiums
The advantages of aluminium arrows over wood are obvious. Aluminium arrows for a given bow are much stronger, straighter, lighter and more uniform in weight than wooden ones. Aluminium arrows of the same length and number and weight of arrow heads will weigh more or less the same, give or take a few grains, due to small differences in broadhead weight, nocks and feathers – but not enough to make a difference in point of impact. All this makes for a faster, more accurate arrow, making it easier to hit consistently. Wooden arrows, even from the same batch of shafts, will differ much more in weight, sometimes as much as 20 to 30 grains – a bit much, especially for longer shots. A target archer will prob­ably attain much higher scores with aluminiums. Aluminiums are also much more convenient, as arrow heads of different design and weight can simply be screwed into them.

Aluminiums have two “disadvantages” (note the inverted commas!). Firstly, even dull-coloured camo arrows shine and reflect in direct sunlight. I believe glare is what often gives a hunter away – even at long distances. Remember that shiny, flashing branch that you spotted above the bushes way out there? When you picked up the binoculars, it was the horn of a kudu bull after all. You can of cause, dull your aluminiums down by painting them with matt paint.

Secondly, aluminiums make a sort of high, metallic, unnatural noise, both when leaving the bow and when in flight. I believe the sound made by aluminium arrows sometimes causes game to jump the string, especially when the arrows are shot from longbows at slower speeds. I have experienced it.

Wood
Why use wood, if aluminiums are so much straighter, stronger, much more uniform in weight and also more convenient? For a longbow hunter, a wooden arrow just has something which aluminium and graphite arrows do not. Call it something personal, apart from being more traditional, although the latter argument is reason enough for me to use them. It just feels different to make a good, straight, accurate wooden arrow. Wooden arrows also have a practical advantage over aluminiums, ie. weight. A wooden arrow with the correct spine for a given bow nearly always weighs a lot more than an aluminium one, usually resulting in better penetration on the bigger game species.
In bow hunting, penetration of the arrow into the animal is important. Yes, the arrow is slower, with a higher, shorter trajectory, but then bow hunting is essentially a very short-range activity. I believe the weight of the arrow is more important than the draw weight of the bow.
Wood has a second practical advantage: quietness. A heavier arrow makes for a quieter bow, and a quiet bow is a deadly bow. And a wooden arrow makes a much more natural, dull sound, both when leaving the bow and when in flight. I would not be surprised if in the near future I make the big switch – to wooden arrows only.

The big drawback of wooden arrows is that they do not always stay straight. They can warp, even after being straight for years. Never take it for granted that they are still straight. A few weeks ago I had a bad experience on our little farm. I found a big hog, politely standing broadside at 25 to 30 yards. I was as calm as the Dead Sea when I drew the bow. It was a good, crisp, clean release. However, the arrow nosedived sharply down and to the left, hitting the dust between the hog’s hind legs! I could not understand or believe it – until I picked up the arrow. It had warped badly to the left. I failed to check it before going afield. I was not pleased with myself, to say the least. I don’t seem to learn ...

Test them
But I have learnt a lesson: test your hunting arrows, especially the wooden ones. Number them, then shoot all of them a few times into a soft medium at the longest range that you might take a shot at. You might find that only three or four from say a dozen arrows fly well enough to hunt with. Take only these afield until you have solved the problem with the others. Check especially for straightness and alignment of the nocks and broadheads. If they spin true, without noticeable wobble, but still do not fly true, fletching them over again might correct the problem.

May your arrows all fly true!