Finally getting a shot at an elephant with a bow!!

[thoma018]

Very cool!! Sounds like a dream and I wish you luck and a successful venture. Tell us about your bow set up. Thanks.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have often thought playing bullfighter with 18-wheelers at night on the freeway while wearing black pajamas would be exciting. Good news is I think it's still legal everywhere. Ole!

 

[wildwilderness]

Best of Luck! I would have liked to tag along but already overbooked this year as it is.

Will be looking forward to your report. As to croc Ive seen a couple shot with a bow. lungs do work if you hit them right. I unfortunately hit a bit low and took a few more shots and a loooong time to recover it. Whatever you do don't shoot the head- the arrow just bounces off! ask me how I know

 

[Scott CWO]

Best of Luck! I would have liked to tag along but already overbooked this year as it is.

Will be looking forward to your report. As to croc Ive seen a couple shot with a bow. lungs do work if you hit them right. I unfortunately hit a bit low and took a few more shots and a loooong time to recover it. Whatever you do don't shoot the head- the arrow just bounces off! ask me how I know

Hmmm I’ve seen this same thing happen with elk! Was it an expandable? Lol!

 

[BRICKBURN]

FINALLY!
Get sneaky and Shoot straight.
Absolutely, the best of luck to you. I'm looking forward to your report.

 

[mrpoindexter]

Best of Luck! I would have liked to tag along but already overbooked this year as it is.

Will be looking forward to your report. As to croc Ive seen a couple shot with a bow. lungs do work if you hit them right. I unfortunately hit a bit low and took a few more shots and a loooong time to recover it. Whatever you do don't shoot the head- the arrow just bounces off! ask me how I know

If you want to shoot the head, you better be coming down from a high angle or you certainly will get a glancing shot. I wouldn't want to shoot the head and crack that wonderful skull.

 

[Spearhead]

@mrpoindexter , we shoot alligators here in south Louisiana right behind the skull from the back. Would be interesting if you could approach from its back side and shoot at the base of the skull in the upper neck. I'd definitely bring bow fishing gear to help in location, and gentle recovery. That "fishing line" could save you some heartache. Good luck on your trip.

 

[Certus]

Have a good Freind going in sep for leopard elephant with his longbow… Good luck hope you smack a good one

Can he also do a hunt report here, please?

 

[Frederik]

Best of luck to you may you nerves keep when getting 20 yards from that elephant and then get 10 yards closer.
Hope there is plenty of tuskless around to have more opportunities untill you connect.

 

[mrpoindexter]

Best of luck to you may you nerves keep when getting 20 yards from that elephant and then get 10 yards closer.
Hope there is plenty of tuskless around to have more opportunities untill you connect.

20 yards is close enough. Seriously though, 10 yards might be too close. The arrow still needs to stabilize in its flight to maximize penetration so I want to have it no longer wobbling from the acceleration. I suppose I should take some high frame rate video of the arrows when I am practicing to see how far it goes until it stabilizes.

 

[Tug]

Please give us the down low on what type of arrows you're using and the broad head.

 

[Altitude sickness]

20 yards is close enough. Seriously though, 10 yards might be too close. The arrow still needs to stabilize in its flight to maximize penetration so I want to have it no longer wobbling from the acceleration. I suppose I should take some high frame rate video of the arrows when I am practicing to see how far it goes until it stabilizes.

I would highly recommend slo mo video of your arrow flight.
You can set an iPhone on slow mo video and then slow it down further with scrolling.

Set the phone up just behind the bow or down near the target. I prefer it behind the bow to see what the arrow is doing at the release. Is it clearing the riser and rest cleanly? How quickly is it recovering from initial flex.

You are correct. you do not want all that flopping back-and-forth flexing that many bow shops say is normal. I prefer more stiff spine than the charts call for.

the arrow no longer needs to flex around the handle of a traditional bow. For some reason many still hang onto the traditional archers paradox mentality.

crossbows use completely rigid bolts. They don’t need to flex to get good flight and neither does a compound arrow.

It’s imperative that the nock is directly behind the broad head as it hits the animal and that the shaft does not flex when it hits the animal.

To take it to the extreme. picture an arrow flying at a 45° angle and hitting the side of an animal.

I strivevto have the arrow perfectly straight at 10 yards. Most bow shops will set a bow and arrow combination up with the arrow still flopping around at 20 and sometimes even 30 yards, now for Whitetail that’s fine. You can put an Orange on the front of an Arrow and punch an orange through a white tail. Not so much on large animals.

Get your arrows flying similar to a crossbow bolt. No flexing and flopping around. It takes longer to tune that way, and that’s probably why bow shops don’t do it. Or maybe it’s that the shafts and components to achieve this are not sold in bow shops and are pretty costly.

 

[buck wild]

I'm sure you have seen it, but Tom Miranda shot an ele bull on video with a bow. It was maybe 10 yrs ago ?

 

[Adipose]

This is simply awesome! I am really looking forward to the hunt report and pictures. I am very "jelly" and wish I could take that spot for a second hunter. How I hope I can still do this another year!

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

Great news! Looking forward to tagging along as you prep (and obviously for the hunt report!).

 

[Hunter-Habib]

All the best !

 

[BSO Dave]

Get your arrows flying similar to a crossbow bolt. No flexing and flopping around. It takes longer to tune that way, and that’s probably why bow shops don’t do it. Or maybe it’s that the shafts and components to achieve this are not sold in bow shops and are pretty costly.

I'm sure they are hard to find, but there are a handful of bow shops who do have the knowledge and experience to build the right arrows and ensure proper tune for big game... More than likely, the neighborhood Bass Pro or Cabela's archery shop is not one of these places...

I can't speak for other bow shops, but I have built arrows for big game and dangerous game for my customers for many years with great success by simply following the Ashby findings and employing the best available components as they evolve... 20 years ago there were very few choices for big game shafts and broadheads... Back then, I was fusing 2 shafts together to increase both weight and spine... Now, there are several manufacturers that are building shafts & broadheads specifically for big & dangerous game...

You are absolutely correct that arrow spine (enough of it) in combination with total arrow weight, and front of center weight of the arrow build are the 3 most critical components in achieving the fastest arrow stabilization which of course results in both accuracy and maximum penetration.... When the arrow is heavy, properly spined, and the FOC is north of 25%, the arrow takes on dart-like characteristics where the front leads the rear... The extra weight and higher than usual spine consumes the bow's energy more efficiently and arrow stabilization occurs much more rapidly...

With that said, broadhead and arrow shaft design also contributes heavily to the success or failure of the overall set-up...

 

[EPIC SAFARIS]

I am looking forward to hearing the report. Good luck with the hunt. Curious what area you will be in.

 

[DillonG]

This will be a highlight reel, style report!

 

[mrpoindexter]

I will be in Rufunsa