African Hunter Published Books Hunter's Guide to Bowhunting the African Way | Page 15

to the list of species which may be hunted with bow, albeit on an
experimental basis requiring a special permit for every dangerous
animal hunted.

Above left: Lacy Harber (L) and Peter Johnstone with a leopard taken at 20
yards with a Thunderhead broadhead. Above right: David Aughtry hunting
with Zimbabwe Wildlife Safaris took this buffalo using a 78lb Long Bow with
900gr arrow and Steel Force broadhead.
Bow hunting - for the operator - does require a different thought
process to rifle hunting. There are several peculiarities which need to
be addressed, and infrastructure developed accordingly. Any bow
hunter worth his salt will tell you that the ethical consideration is one
which drives just about every other aspect of the sport. The base
criteria (as with rifle hunters) is to kill cleanly and quickly,
eliminating as much of the “chance” factor as possible. Typical
shooting ranges are around 20 metres - often less - and rely on the
use of blinds. Arrow velocity is only around 250-260fps (about one
third the speed of sound) and often the animal will hear the bow
before the arrow reaches its target. While the animal may not have
time to process the information of the arrow release sound, their
natural instinct to flinch or duck upon hearing a foreign or sudden
sound (string jumping as it is known), will often make the difference
between a clean kill and a wounded animal. The closer one can get
to the animal, the less this phenomenon is likely to occur.
Elsewhere in the world, bow hunting from blinds is the accepted
practice as most hunters do not have the time, or range to complete a
traditional stalk and shoot approach. Extensive research and
African Hunter Magazine – Bow Hunting the African Way

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