Foxi, the last hunting example is telling for me.
PH NO experience with bow hunting.
This always turns a situation into a rodeo. They lack knowledge and are more prone to panic because they do not trust the bow and arrow or the methods required to hunt with it. It is different.
eg. 1. I had a PH telling me to shoot at a Vaalie that was already spooked by our presence. You could have taken the shot with a rifle, not a bow. He kept leading the stalk, not the bow hunter. Totally unfamiliar with bow hunting. It took days to train the guy.
eg 2. On a Caracal hunt. The cat was treed and the dog handler saw the bow come out and was immediately raising a concern for his dogs safety. He had obviously had an experience with a bow hunter that was not positive.
I shot the cat through the heart, it died almost instantly and fall from the tree dead. Perfect heart shot. The handler was all smiles. No hurt dogs.
Proper shot placement is key, no matter what the weapon used on the hunt.
I have taken bull Elk with the bow that did not even react to the heart shot. It was not aware that I was present, did not react to the heart shot (flinch like it was bothered by flies). We actually had to physically run at it screaming to make it run out of the gully. ( It made recovery easier.) Without us screaming at it, it would have stood there and bled to death in moments.
I have watched Cape Buffalo do the exact same thing. They react as though another Buffalo pocked them in the ribs. No distress, no running. Shuffle, walk away and lay down and die.
Shot placement screw ups happen with the bow and the rifle. One shot kills are the goal with the most humane result for any hunter. No matter the quarry.
Perhaps it is a cultural issue.
I am investigating hunting deer in the UK.
- They can use suppressors - we go to jail if we possess one. Criminal charges.
- They stalk in urban parks - We have no such thing.
- They can use dogs to hunt deer - we go to jail if we use one. They see it as ethical, we see it as criminal.
- The Deer Stalkers are trained to hide the dead deer from people to avoid upsetting them.
- They can hunt at night - we call people Poachers who hunt at night. Illegal. We can not even discharge a rifle at night.
- NO bow hunting in the UK - We use bow hunting in close proximity to populations for safety concerns.
- They can sell venison - No selling venison here. Illegal.
- Game in the UK is owned by no one - Game here is owned by the government "Crown"
Trying to understand differences is sometimes confounding.