Elephant with a bow?

[HankBuck]

I know bow hunters who have taken elephant and hippo with a bow. One hunter made a one-shot kill on an elephant. It is a doable hunt with the proper equipment and proper shot placement.

I had a PH tell me that most elephant bow hunts ended with a gun.

I wondered about that, would the PH allow the time required for a bow shot to be lethal? Or would most PH consider it UNsafe and immediately put a follow up shot into the elephant? Guess it depends on the situation and the PH. I also wonder - of all DG hunts in general, how many times the PH puts a bullet into Buffalo, lion etc.. — 25% of the time or even higher??

 

[Flewis]

View attachment 549481
One shot kill. It is legal in TZ if you apply for a permit.

Nice!

 

[uplander01]

With an absolutely skilled archer I’m sure it can be done, but as previously mentioned my guess is most of those hunts end with a gun. For every 1 guy that successfully accomplishes this feat there are probably 9 others where it was a real mess.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Hank my PH said they need to finish many of their Buffalo bow hunts with a bullet.

I made it clear if I flubbed my shot and they see my arrow placement was off and would most likely end in a long dramatic tracking job.

to immediately get a bullet in it. My ego isn’t so fragile that I would put the team in danger because of my crap shooting skills.

We belly crawled the last 150 yards to get in bow range. Then I had to crawl alone to the side for a clear shot as my PH stayed back covering me with the rifle. Probably 20 yds to my left


But as luck would have it. The one arrow had the bull bellowing in very short order.

 

[HankBuck]

Hank my PH said they need to finish many of their Buffalo bow hunts with a bullet.

I made it clear if I flubbed my shot and they see my arrow placement was off and would most likely end in a long dramatic tracking job.

to immediately get a bullet in it. My ego isn’t so fragile that I would put the team in danger because of my crap shooting skills.

We belly crawled the last 150 yards to get in bow range. Then I had to crawl alone to the side for a clear shot as my PH stayed back covering me with the rifle. Probably 20 yds to my left


But as luck would have it. The one arrow had the bull bellowing in very short order.

I think most PH would “take over” if their client made a poor bow shot - or if a dangerous situation arose (charge etc..) - regardless of what the Client wanted and I accept that and think it is appropriate. I had discussions in advance with my PH in Tanzania (also guide in AK/grizzly) asking to “Not” put a bullet into my animal Unless necessary or I made poor shot etc... Both were fine with that but each reiterated that they would fire “if needed” regardless of my wishes and I fully understood and agreed with that. The AK guide surprised me when he also said “some clients ask for me to shoot ‘immediately’ and keep shooting until animal is down”. He said many just want to be sure they go home with a grizz and not too concerned with who’s bullet killed it. I can relate to those that want to make a good ethical clean shot and take their trophy unassisted - especially the bow hunters. I don’t think it’s ego, just a characteristic of people that are self reliant and prefer to accomplish certain things on their own (although in Africa I had PH & 15 staff in Camp “taking care of me and my every need”).

 

[Daisy]

View attachment 549481
One shot kill. It is legal in TZ if you apply for a permit.

That is an unbelievable elephant. Wow

 

[HankBuck]

View attachment 549481
One shot kill. It is legal in TZ if you apply for a permit.

Very NICE - would that anyone would be thrilled with that Bull !!

 

[Scott CWO]

That is an unbelievable elephant. Wow

Yes, a friend. Not mine. I used a Lott on mine.

Going with another friend in November. He’s using a .50 caliber handgun if he can get a permit. If not, he will use my Lott. We are splitting a full bag. Him - elephant, leopard, buffalo and plains game. Me - lion, buffalo and plains game.

 

[Doubleplay]

Any and every animal can be killed with a bow. But an elephant might take a long time to die or might not be recovered unless shot by the PH immediately. I witnessed a lion shot by a crossbow at 35-40 yards(long story) and my PH friend ended up shooting it because odds of recovering was next to zero. Hunter was congratulated and made to believe he hunted the animal with a crossbow!

 

[Dewald]

Can someone recall if it was Brian Marsh that wrote of an old time game warden that believed a bow was a better choice for finishing up wounded elephant in the thick stuff than a rifle?

This is not to start an argument, just wondering where it was written and the context. I think either in his autobiography “a Pioneering Hunter” or maybe in Months of the Sun by Ian Nyschens

 

[IvW]

I my......now I have heard everything......
Whoever came up with that idea is nuts.....
Drop my 500 Jeff and grab a 90lb bow.....
Some people need to change their medication......

 

[mikesheree]

View attachment 549481
One shot kill. It is legal in TZ if you apply for a permit.

Anything is “legal” in Tanzania for the right . But is it ethical or is it ego with a high likelihood of a s*** show?

 

[Labman]

Quite a few years ago I was hunting elephants in Zim. The PH and I were near the broder of the concession when we noticed a helicopter flying around on the bordering concession. The PH was curious as to what was going on and he made a few phone calls that evening. Found out that an archery hunter had stuck an arow into an elephant. They lost track of the elphant and hired a helicopter to help in finding him. Unfortunately for the hunter they couldn't find the elephant and he lost his trophy fee along with the cost of the helicopter.

 

[mrpoindexter]

I wondered about that, would the PH allow the time required for a bow shot to be lethal? Or would most PH consider it UNsafe and immediately put a follow up shot into the elephant? Guess it depends on the situation and the PH. I also wonder - of all DG hunts in general, how many times the PH puts a bullet into Buffalo, lion etc.. — 25% of the time or even higher??

I will chime in here. I have not hunted an elephant with a bow - I was denied a bow permit in Zimbabwe on my elephant hunt so I had to use a rifle. I do have a bow capable of taking an elephant. It is a 90lb draw Mathews Monster Safari (28.5" draw length, 1,250 grain arrow with I think 116 foot pounds of kinetic energy).

I have used this same bow on Cape buffalo, North American bison as well as giraffe. I think a giraffe is a tougher animal to take down than a Cape buffalo, but just not as dangerous. My last giraffe was the first one I shot broadside and it went down with 1 arrow after running about 200 yards.

I have taken 3 Cape buffalo. All three went down with just one arrow. The farthest any one ran was 60 yards. Only one of the three even lived long enough to give a death bellow and that one gave me three of them.

It is not legal to hunt an elephant with a bow currently in South Africa or Namibia. It is legal in Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Cameroon. I have been told it is not illegal in Zim, but good luck getting a permit because most places in Zim will not issue the permit. I am not familiar with the regulations and legalities on bow hunting elephants in other African countries.

We can go round and round on the ethics of bow hunting DG and it is not likely to change much as ethics are a personal thing. For every rifle hunter who feels it is unethical to hunt that animal with a bow, I can find 10 city slickers who think it is unethical to hunt, period. Such debates do not accomplish much. What I will say is this: most people, including rifle hunters, have no real appreciation for how lethal an arrow is. True, they don't have the stopping power of a rifle, but I think they are at least as lethal and quite possibly more lethal than a bullet.

Now, on to other things - most of my hunts with a bow do not end with a gun. Very few of them, but some have. That said, a lot of hunts with a gun also end with a gun and sometimes another person's gun. It is just very difficult to get a second arrow into an animal unless it is essentially walking dead. I think a fairer comparison would be to see how many animals go down with one bullet vs multiple and compare that to how many animals go down with one arrow vs having a follow up shot (of any kind). I think we might find the rifle hunting crowd a bit surprised by that result, although I might have some bias as I am just using my personal experience as a guide.

 

[Flewis]

I don’t think anyone doubts the killing power of the bow. It has zero stopping power. Would you hunt elephant with a bow as your backup? I have no problem at all with you hunting with your bow, too each his own.

 

[mrpoindexter]

No, using a bow as a backup would be insane. That said, the stopping power is the top priority for backup weapons.

 

[IvW]

I will chime in here. I have not hunted an elephant with a bow - I was denied a bow permit in Zimbabwe on my elephant hunt so I had to use a rifle. I do have a bow capable of taking an elephant. It is a 90lb draw Mathews Monster Safari (28.5" draw length, 1,250 grain arrow with I think 116 foot pounds of kinetic energy).

I have used this same bow on Cape buffalo, North American bison as well as giraffe. I think a giraffe is a tougher animal to take down than a Cape buffalo, but just not as dangerous. My last giraffe was the first one I shot broadside and it went down with 1 arrow after running about 200 yards.

I have taken 3 Cape buffalo. All three went down with just one arrow. The farthest any one ran was 60 yards. Only one of the three even lived long enough to give a death bellow and that one gave me three of them.

It is not legal to hunt an elephant with a bow currently in South Africa or Namibia. It is legal in Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Cameroon. I have been told it is not illegal in Zim, but good luck getting a permit because most places in Zim will not issue the permit. I am not familiar with the regulations and legalities on bow hunting elephants in other African countries.

We can go round and round on the ethics of bow hunting DG and it is not likely to change much as ethics are a personal thing. For every rifle hunter who feels it is unethical to hunt that animal with a bow, I can find 10 city slickers who think it is unethical to hunt, period. Such debates do not accomplish much. What I will say is this: most people, including rifle hunters, have no real appreciation for how lethal an arrow is. True, they don't have the stopping power of a rifle, but I think they are at least as lethal and quite possibly more lethal than a bullet.

Now, on to other things - most of my hunts with a bow do not end with a gun. Very few of them, but some have. That said, a lot of hunts with a gun also end with a gun and sometimes another person's gun. It is just very difficult to get a second arrow into an animal unless it is essentially walking dead. I think a fairer comparison would be to see how many animals go down with one bullet vs multiple and compare that to how many animals go down with one arrow vs having a follow up shot (of any kind). I think we might find the rifle hunting crowd a bit surprised by that result, although I might have some bias as I am just using my personal experience as a guide.

Buff from a blind or on foot?

 

[mrpoindexter]

Buff from a blind or on foot?

Both. On foot definitely harder and more dangerous.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I was at the Harrisburg Outdoor Show a couple of years ago looking to book my first African Dangerous Game hunt. While there I was talking with one of the major outfitters and just so happen to be introduced to a member of the team who has also written a book about having hunted all of the Dangerous 7 with archery equipment, particularly elephant at some [IMO] stupidly close range, 15 yards (?) if memory serves me right, with a crossbow.

Ego, advertising, the adventure, or just because/ he wanted to see if it could done and he wanted to do it??

Is it possible to kill elephant with archery equipment? Yes.

As an all seasons, all weapons hunter; archery, muzzleloader, cartridge rifle, handgunner, I believe in being proficient with and using the right weapon needed for a quick and humane kill.

Bottom line is; I just don't see the need, if a hunter/huntress chooses to put themselves in a dangerous situation and they get maimed or killed that's on them. However, when that same hunter/huntress puts the rest of the group with them at risk of being maimed or killed because the hunter/huntress has to get dangerously close to a dangerous animal to be effective with their preferred weapon of choice.

 

[HankBuck]

I will chime in here. I have not hunted an elephant with a bow - I was denied a bow permit in Zimbabwe on my elephant hunt so I had to use a rifle. I do have a bow capable of taking an elephant. It is a 90lb draw Mathews Monster Safari (28.5" draw length, 1,250 grain arrow with I think 116 foot pounds of kinetic energy).

I have used this same bow on Cape buffalo, North American bison as well as giraffe. I think a giraffe is a tougher animal to take down than a Cape buffalo, but just not as dangerous. My last giraffe was the first one I shot broadside and it went down with 1 arrow after running about 200 yards.

I have taken 3 Cape buffalo. All three went down with just one arrow. The farthest any one ran was 60 yards. Only one of the three even lived long enough to give a death bellow and that one gave me three of them.

It is not legal to hunt an elephant with a bow currently in South Africa or Namibia. It is legal in Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Cameroon. I have been told it is not illegal in Zim, but good luck getting a permit because most places in Zim will not issue the permit. I am not familiar with the regulations and legalities on bow hunting elephants in other African countries.

We can go round and round on the ethics of bow hunting DG and it is not likely to change much as ethics are a personal thing. For every rifle hunter who feels it is unethical to hunt that animal with a bow, I can find 10 city slickers who think it is unethical to hunt, period. Such debates do not accomplish much. What I will say is this: most people, including rifle hunters, have no real appreciation for how lethal an arrow is. True, they don't have the stopping power of a rifle, but I think they are at least as lethal and quite possibly more lethal than a bullet.

Now, on to other things - most of my hunts with a bow do not end with a gun. Very few of them, but some have. That said, a lot of hunts with a gun also end with a gun and sometimes another person's gun. It is just very difficult to get a second arrow into an animal unless it is essentially walking dead. I think a fairer comparison would be to see how many animals go down with one bullet vs multiple and compare that to how many animals go down with one arrow vs having a follow up shot (of any kind). I think we might find the rifle hunting crowd a bit surprised by that result, although I might have some bias as I am just using my personal experience as a guide.

Good insight and appreciate You sharing your bow hunting experience with DG. I’m not surprised by your success on Big game with a bow, a well placed arrow is very Lethal - and I believe much less painful to the animal then a bullet...there is less “shock”. I’ve used my compound bow to take many whitetail deer (70-80) and all inside of 35 yrds (most inside 20) also 3 black bear with a bow. At least 10-12 or so deer just jumped and ran 10-20 yrds then stood as they bled out and fell over, clearly not in panic or severe pain. All 3 bear ran less then 30 yrds, fell over & death moaned or stopped and fell over seconds later — also not seemingly in panic or pain they way I’ve experienced with rifle shot deer & bear. My “guess” is that when an arrow misses any bone and passes “inbetween” the ribs and completely thru {double lungs or heart} the deer feels little pain, seems confused. Although loss rate is higher with a bow then with a rifle (mine around 5%-6%) I’m sure most died quickly but ran 150-200 yrds. I found a couple 3-4 months later when Winter and heavy snows beat down the cover....just hard to find them if they hit a swamp or briars in the early September season. To minimize loss, I keep my shots to under 30 yrds. In NJ where I hunted from tree stands and over bait - shots averaged 12-17 yrds, 25 was longer then average and only a few taken over 30....there was no need to stretch it. I never hunted antelope or mule deer with a bow and that would require longer shots - 40-50 yrds at times.

I was at the Harrisburg Outdoor Show a couple of years ago looking to book my first African Dangerous Game hunt. While there I was talking with one of the major outfitters and just so happen to be introduced to a member of the team who has also written a book about having hunted all of the Dangerous 7 with archery equipment, particularly elephant at some [IMO] stupidly close range, 15 yards (?) if memory serves me right, with a crossbow.

Ego, advertising, the adventure, or just because/ he wanted to see if it could done and he wanted to do it??

Is it possible to kill elephant with archery equipment? Yes.

As an all seasons, all weapons hunter; archery, muzzleloader, cartridge rifle, handgunner, I believe in being proficient with and using the right weapon needed for a quick and humane kill.

Bottom line is; I just don't see the need, if a hunter/huntress chooses to put themselves in a dangerous situation and they get maimed or killed that's on them. However, when that same hunter/huntress puts the rest of the group with them at risk of being maimed or killed because the hunter/huntress has to get dangerously close to a dangerous animal to be effective with their preferred weapon of choice.

I understand your point, I’d be interested in hearing from a PH that has guided bow or cross bow hunters to an elephant. Although bow & crossbows have similar effective ranges and killing power - a cross bow is much easier to use and requires very little movement when it’s time to shoot (no draw required and you can “hold” for as long as it takes for good shot). Noise from crossbow or bow is much less then any rifle (even if suppressed). My question to a PH is: Does the lack of gun “shot/report” result in a “less startled” elephant ? (And less startled herd?) Does that more quiet bow/crossbow make it less dangerous in some ways — even though the arrow/bolt will take longer to have a lethal result?. I’m only speculating but am interested in someone that has seen it several times and who’s opinion is backed by experience. I do know that “if” I ever got to hunt an Elephant - I’d chose a rifle (even though I’m an avid bow hunter) because I’d be more confident with a rifle on a once-in-a-lifetime trophy. If I was able to hunt elephant many times - I still think I’d stick to a rifle....Elephant don’t seem to be “easy” under any circumstances.