Seems if this hunter was either:

1) a better shot or

2) used a rifle

to cleanly Kill Cecil the Lion we would not hardly have this international mess on our collective hands. I have not seen this mentioned? Could have happened with any weapon but archery and crossbows lower the clean kill ratio quite a bit. Next to a Park pulling a lion out at night? Not the brightest idea with crossbow IMHO

cleanly killing that damn lion would not alter anything about this current mess fueled by antihunting wackos.

I wonder if this is going to result in a ban on hunting DG with a Bow/Cross Bow?

The incident has provided enough cannon-fodder for it to happen.

How many Leopards aren't cleanly killed with a rifle at night? I agree with DTala. This is a total shit storm. He could have killed it with a blowgun and we would have the same outcome.

Sorry, I dont agree with 'NIGHT HUNTING" for anything except vermin.
SHAME ON ANYONE WHO SHOOTS GAME AT NIGHT!!!

Define VERMIN.

I suspect there are a great many bush Africans that consider lions vermin.

quote:

Originally posted by emron:
Sorry, I dont agree with 'NIGHT HUNTING" for anything except vermin.
SHAME ON ANYONE WHO SHOOTS GAME AT NIGHT!!!

And as Crazyhorse would say, ""In spite of what some members of this site choose to BELIEVE, None of our opinions are any more important than Dog Shit"!
and this was one of those opinions.

quote:

Originally posted by emron:
Sorry, I dont agree with 'NIGHT HUNTING" for anything except vermin.
SHAME ON ANYONE WHO SHOOTS GAME AT NIGHT!!!

SHAME ON ME, THEN!

quote:

Originally posted by emron:
Sorry, I dont agree with 'NIGHT HUNTING" for anything except vermin.
SHAME ON ANYONE WHO SHOOTS GAME AT NIGHT!!!

Simply asked, why?

There is no shortage of idiots in hunting as in all other pursuits. Look around you. Half of those you see are below average.

I see no reason at all not to use any form of weapon to hunt with, as long as the person is capable of using it properly.

Sadly, many hunters use rifles which they incapable of handling at all.

The same goes for hunting game at night.

There are certain species which are hunted at night, and where it is legal, I see no reason not to.

It is that same old saying "When in Rome, Do As The Roman's do"

The Greenies make much of the fact that the hunter(s), after wounding the lion with a bow, followed it up for a day and a half before killing it, apparently with a rifle. The PH probably had the rifle.

Actually, they should be commended for following it up and dispatching it.

As readers of this forum know, almost never does an animal drop to a shot, except in the cowboy movies. Most run at least 50 yards. I myself followed up a wounded Cape Buffalo late in the day. My PH was just starting to suggest that we quit for the night and come back the next day when we found it and I killed it. A minute more and we would have had a follow up of many hours.

Of course, when following up wounded cats, the PH often goes alone without the client.