I know this is not firearm related but some of you archers may find this interesting. A long time friend of mine (Dr Ed Ashby) sent me this link of a broadhead and how it performed on Elephant.
Some of you archers know Ed by his many articles on broadheads and how they perform and how they are constructed.
Interesting video to say the least. If it works on elephant it will work on our animals in the states
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iy6uPyQU0U

I've heard of beating a dead horse, but shooting a dead elephant....?

The arrow test was deceptive. The elephant has obviously expired. There is no air/pressure in the giant lungs of the elephant....just empty space. The chest cavity has collapsed. The muscles and connective tissue are contracted. In addition, the rib cage has already been broken and compromised.

It is similar to shooting at a foam block target. Your first shot never penetrates very far into the target(even with broadheads), however, after you shoot the target multiple times, you will find after each shot the arrow penetrates deeper and eventually you will even have a pass through. The integrity and structure of the target has been deminished. Although this may not the best analogy comparing to an elephant, but the principle is the same. Notice he shot at the same spot.

Can an arrow kill an elephant. No question about it. Would the arrow have a complete pass through on a live elephant? I doubt it.

If bowhunters witnessed true pass through arrow penetration on elephants on actual hunts they would have been bragging about it long ago. It would be the featured article and on the front cover of every bowhunting magazine.



dale

I myself am a HUGE fan of 500 grain arrows in the .458 inch variery traveling at approximatly 2100 fps. The best ones are made by Barnes.

SORRY but that is the only type of arrow that should be used on an elephant.

quote:

Originally posted by Honkey:
I myself am a HUGE fan of 500 grain arrows in the .458 inch variery traveling at approximatly 2100 fps. The best ones are made by Barnes.

SORRY but that is the only type of arrow that should be used on an elephant.

Opinion.

From my experience, a broadhead will produce a whole lot more bleeding than any bullet will. Again, that is just from my experience.

I would not hesitate to hunt elephant with a bow.

I Totally agree with you Steve...

Based on my experience a bow kills cleaner and quicker than a bullet when pulled off right.

I have seen moose and bear both shot with arrows that passed clean through. The animal hardly felt anything, then trotted away a few yards and died within 30 seconds.


However...WHEN IT COMES TO ELEPHANT, HIPPO, LION, RHINO AND THE REAL BIG BEARS BOW HUNTING IS A STUNT AT BEST AND AT WORST VERY UNETHICAL..

JMHO

Dale W,
Thanks for that explanation. I wondered how he got a pass through and my best lung shot only went in to the fletching. But that was enough. It had that distinctive 'thunk' sound a lethal shot makes.
Bow kills are quiet, elegant occasions.

quote:

Originally posted by Honkey:
I myself am a HUGE fan of 500 grain arrows in the .458 inch variery traveling at approximatly 2100 fps. The best ones are made by Barnes.

SORRY but that is the only type of arrow that should be used on an elephant.

Yes!

Just got word that a friend killed a 70lb bull in Moz a few days ago. I will try to get some details on what broadhead and arrow weight he was using when returns.

Dale- There is a post on Bowsite about an archer that took an elephant with a bow and achieved a pass through with the same broadhead being touted in this post.

Your info is now officially dated.It is not hypothetical anymore.It was accomplished already.

Pretty dam awesome. I know arrows often will go straight through a animal as big as a giraff, but I would never have expected the arrows to go through a elephant.

The frontal brain shot of a big 70# bull is discussed on the Hunting report on this site.

In 2007 Vincent Lacoste shot a cow ele at 35 yards when she was wounded and running. His arrow zipped thru and thru the belly. His first shot was in the chest. But the arrow deflected onto a rib, ripped a lung and ended in the liver. That was not enough to floor the cow as he had to belly shot her.
3 months later another frenchman chest shot a 50# bull but in dense cover the arrow was deflected. It entered the belly and zipped diagonally and downward to exit on the opposite side just over the penis. The arrow had still enough energy to shatter against branches. The bull had to be finished with the rifle.