Tock a couple of bows with me to Africa. Just go back.

Shot my second buff with a bow. All cutting tracks and spot & stalk. No blinds/pan shooting bullshit.

All credit goes to William, our tracker, whose skills are simply non human........

Some Awesome animals and, all with a bow! Congratulations.

Nicely done!

I would rate your results a great accomplishment. Congrats and well done. Very nice trophies.

Congrats Frank!

very nice Frank!

Great Lion

Frank,

Awesome!! Now you have a Lion to replace the one that fell apart.

Cheers
Jim

Congrats and thanks for posting.

Great trophies! But! While I admire the patience, skill and stalking ability of successful bow hunters I have doubts as to the wisdom of taking DG with a bow. When things go wrong it is a gift which keeps on giving to the antis. Cecil the lion did immense damage to African hunting. Is it fair to the poor bloody trackers and PH who have to follow up a wounded buffalo?
Not to mention the poor bloody buffalo with a stick in it's guts.
If we are concerned about the long-term future of African hunting I think we should be using enough gun!
If you insist on using a bow perhaps you should be willing to follow up a wounded buffalo with the same weapon.

quote:

Originally posted by the Pom:
Great trophies! But! While I admire the patience, skill and stalking ability of successful bow hunters I have doubts as to the wisdom of taking DG with a bow. When things go wrong it is a gift which keeps on giving to the antis. Cecil the lion did immense damage to African hunting. Is it fair to the poor bloody trackers and PH who have to follow up a wounded buffalo?
Not to mention the poor bloody buffalo with a stick in it's guts.
If we are concerned about the long-term future of African hunting I think we should be using enough gun!
If you insist on using a bow perhaps you should be willing to follow up a wounded buffalo with the same weapon.

So your saying sticking a bullet in the guts is better?

Not at all, but you have to concede that at the same range and same circumstances most bow hunters would be more likely to put a 400 grain bullet into a buffalo's shoulder than an arrow. I don't expect my comments to be popular, I just want bow hunters to think about the long term consequences of their choices. You may believe that the opinion of the non-hunting majority has no importance but they also get to vote.
How many PHs would prefer a client to be carrying a bow rather than a rifle when following a blood trail into the long grass?

since the dawn of history there have been a hell of a lot more buffalo killed with a bow than with a gun.

Absolutely! But there was no social media then. Poachers kill buffalo with bows, spears, muzzle-loaders and AK47s and often have more balls than brains.
I have never questioned the ability of very skilled bow hunters to kill dangerous game and as previously stated, I admire the stalking skill and dedication required to be successful.
I am merely questioning the wisdom of choosing to do so and then publicising it.
One more incident like "Cecil" and you can forget about importing any trophies.

quote:

Originally posted by the Pom:
Not at all, but you have to concede that at the same range and same circumstances most bow hunters would be more likely to put a 400 grain bullet into a buffalo's shoulder than an arrow. I don't expect my comments to be popular, I just want bow hunters to think about the long term consequences of their choices. You may believe that the opinion of the non-hunting majority has no importance but they also get to vote.
How many PHs would prefer a client to be carrying a bow rather than a rifle when following a blood trail into the long grass?

So where did the OP specify the range? Obviously it worked. Your holier then thou attitude is only based on personal opinion nothing else.

Quite so, Roger. It is only my personal opinion and I am often wrong. However, I will take some convincing that a bow hunt that goes wrong and gets publicised will get no more negative press than a bad rifle hunt.
I don't expect devoted bow hunters to give up their sport. You can call me holier than thou or any other name you like but that is not debate or presenting evidence.
I look at fine bow hunters like my son in law, a highly decorated ex-green beret, who still works for the US army. He specialises in teaching ultra long range sniping. He doesn't miss much with a rifle but he still misses deer with a bow.
If you miss or wound a deer in America there will probably be no witnesses and no publicity. Wound a lion or buffalo with a bow in Africa and there could be very negative publicity. That may not be fair or just but it still reduces the chances of our grandchildren being able to hunt in Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by the Pom:
Quite so, Roger. It is only my personal opinion and I am often wrong. However, I will take some convincing that a bow hunt that goes wrong and gets publicised will get no more negative press than a bad rifle hunt.
I don't expect devoted bow hunters to give up their sport. You can call me holier than thou or any other name you like but that is not debate or presenting evidence.
I look at fine bow hunters like my son in law, a highly decorated ex-green beret, who still works for the US army. He specialises in teaching ultra long range sniping. He doesn't miss much with a rifle but he still misses deer with a bow.
If you miss or wound a deer in America there will probably be no witnesses and no publicity. Wound a lion or buffalo with a bow in Africa and there could be very negative publicity. That may not be fair or just but it still reduces the chances of our grandchildren being able to hunt in Africa.

Operative word here “could”. Really based on what? People who don’t like hunting anyplace in the world will use any excuse possible no matter the weapon choice.

Not to denigrate your sons ability with a rifle but it sounds he needs more practice with a bow or take closer less risky shots.

We all miss sometimes regardless of the method if you hunt long enough. But the original poster obviously didn’t so just let it stand as it actually happened,you personally don’t like Bowhunting but many people do.

Why trash a thread on a hunting report when it could be done on a different topic altogether and people wonder why so little hunting reports are reported these days.

quote:

No blinds/pan shooting bullshit.

This made my day!


Well done! Any equipment notes you would care to share, sir?

You are right Frederik. I was wrong to change this thread and I should have started a new thread. My apologies to the OP!
Having said that, I am unconvinced that even experienced bow hunters can place an arrow with the same consistent accuracy that the same hunter could place a bullet from a rifle on the sticks when faced with dangerous game. Let us agree to differ on the reaction of the media to an animal wounded with an arrow or a bullet. I think we can agree that trackers and the PH should not be exposed to danger unnecessarily.
Too many threads deteriate into pointless argument on this forum because no one will agree that different view points can be valid. Enough!

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:

quote:

No blinds/pan shooting bullshit.

This made my day!


Well done! Any equipment notes you would care to share, sir?

Yup. No blinds. Why bother, might as well be a pussy then and shoot from the truck with a rifle using a telescopic sight to ensure the women don't get unnecessarily scared or hurt.............

2 bow hunts, 2 buff both S&S, no blinds.

I used a PSE Levitate 75# with a Sirius Apollo 200, 250gr Cutthroat, 200gr half sleeve & 75gr HIT inserts for a TAW of 912gr for lion & buff. Used an Athens Vista 35 75# with the same arrow for my first buff last year.

PSE Mach 34 70# with a Gold Tip Airstrike 300, 150gr VPA 3 blade, 75gr HIT for a TAW of 502gr for plains game (used a Vista 33 75# last year).

And no, I am not an Ashby enthusiast. I use what's right for the appropriate animal.

I wound up having a crazy last second tuning session the week before I left- was supposed to take the Athens' again, but on Tuesday, 6 days before I left had to scramble- long story.

ps: I learned to shoot a bow in 2019 at X10 Archery right up the road from you in Stafford.

pss: Don't bother enticing the gas-lighters.

Thanks Frank.