Mozambique Elephant with Trad bow
International
I had the great fortune to kill a Bull Elephant last week in Mozambique . I was hunting with ESP safaris. They had never hunted elephants with a bowhunter but did a great job. The first day we worked within 30 yards of a big group before they got are scent and charged. We hunted hard for the next 4 days before we got in close again. I clipped a rib going in and only got about 12" of penetration , at the shot. After the shot the world went nuts and elephants were every where folks shouting guns firing, it was quite a rodeo . The next morning we found my bull dead with the arrow completely inside. I used a 85# Black Widow iron wood recurve with 300 grain Tuff broad head. Total arrow weight was 1100 grains. I fired a couple of test arrows afterwards and they zipped right in. I hope to have some videos up this weekend when I get back to the states Buff
Trunk considered best part, taken to chief
Holy-Moly what an accomplishment!
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
The stuff of legends mate. Very few in the category of bowhuntr have taken such a magnifent beast let alone with a trad bow. HUGE Congrats.
The stuff of legends mate. Very few in the category of bowhuntr have taken such a magnifent beast let alone with a trad bow. HUGE Congrats.
Nice job and with a stick no less! There is an elephant thread that started recently, you may want to post on there?
Congrats.
Rick M
Never mind, I see it up there now. Should have looked first.
Well done.
Rick M
Congrats! Just to clarify, was the elephant shot with a rifle after your arrow??
Wow! That is awesome. Did they end up hitting it with any of those gun shots or did the single arrow cause the death?
Congrats!! You da Man!! Makes me want to plan another trip!!
Buff, that's amazing!!! Congratulations!!!!
Tell us a bit about your gear. Bow weight, arrow weight, etc..
Awesome accomplishment.
Wow, amazing Buff! Big Congratulations!
I am admittedly slow, but must confess I am not following the story. Was it the arrow that got just a foot of penetration that killed him or was the death the result of all the folks that were firing guns following the bow shot?
How did the 12" of penetration end up totally inside the animal.
Congratulations. Bet the gun shots were to drive the animals off. "quite the rodeo" indeed. Reminds me of the old joke about what the specks are in between an elephants toes - now there's a new punchline - slow bowhunters!
The PH tried to break the hip after the shot to keep the elephant from being able to keep up with the herd. Dealing with a wounded elephant is tough. Dealing with his 15 friends at the same time calls for air support. My best guess on the arrow is that bumping into the others pushed the arrow on in.
You can see on the video they are pushing each other around before we started running
Awesome...Incredible feat, gunshots or not...Congrats Buff.
Set up was a 83@28 iron wood psax I was drawing it 29"
Arrow was a heritage350 shaft with a newsman shaft inserted full length. 100 grain brass insert, 75 grain titanium broad head insert , 4" of aluminum footing and a 300 grain Tuff broad head All JB welded together
Thanks for clarifying the role that guns played in the elephant with traditional bow story. One heck of a gutsy deal regardless of what weapons were used to bring the beast down.
Marty, can't wait to hear about the entire adventure. See you next weekend!
Matt Napper Shiloh Ranch
Look forward to the videos. Congratulations.
WAY TO GO BUFF!!!! I look forward to hearing the whole story when I see you in October.
TBB
Pat,
I thnik Moz Ivory is not importable??
You can still get a permit to import from Mozambique. Mine was a PAC hunt so I can't bring anything back. You are comparing a $10,000.00 PAC hunt to a $30,000.00 CITES
I didn't believe Moz was importable for US citizens only for other countries.
PAC hunts are becoming more popular because of the advancements in reproduction taxidermy.
Great trophy with any weapon IMO.
Can I get a link to the video? Thanks, Todd.
Thanks for Posting Buff!! Great stuff!!
could not get it to load, but after a while it did. WOW!
Not really .... On a pc They are a windows file and will not play on a iPad
Congrats! That's quite an accomplishment.
Congrats on an adventure that few of us can imagine much less know how we would react that close to an elephant.
Great job Marty, and congrats. I made 3 trips to Africa and know the hardships of a dangerous game hunt. Be proud, you have a great trophy.
Mike
wow Buff You da man Awesome!
Great job again, Buff...Congrats!
Great job! That is awesome!
NOW THAT IS AN ACCOMPLISHMNET AN AFRICAN 6 HARVEST WITH W RECURVE !!
hunt .... anything but Wh deer
Now that is awesome!!! Congrats!
Congratulations! Awesome!
>>>>----------->
Good job, no pic of the entry shot? Any video of the actual shot, love to see it.
The arrow shot is at the 1:24 mark of the first video. Tough to see,but it is just before the rifle shot.
Looks like the Ashby head from Alaska Archery Supply that I got a few years back. That head eats up the MO on contact!. I understand needing a 85# bow with that head!, JK
Congratulations!!
So a rifle was used (shot to hip to put it down ?) in the taking of the elephant ? That would certainly rule out P&Y (even if they keep elephant records)' Sorry, but in my mind your trophy is tarnished because of the rifle. Not saying it wasn't a hell-of-a-feat but the use of a gun certainly disminishes the bow killed trophy. Fred Bear had his elephant shot in the knees, so that kill means little. Other than he then shot it with a bow and the shot would and did prove fatal I think Bob Swineheart may of been the first to take an elephant with a stickbow (longbow in his case) without use of a gun ! (Gun backups for sure)
If I some how misunderstood, and mischaracterized your taking of this animal (.Where another or 2 cows had to be shot ) I apologize. Doesn't quite seem to fit my perception of a "great bow killed trophy !"
Negley may have preceded Swinehart....didn't he?
Hawkeye,
You go do it.
TBB
I am sorry but if it had to have a bullet put in it, is not a bow kill to me.The thread title is--Mozambique Elephant with Trad bow.Should have been With the help of a bullet hole.
Congrats and thanks for posting! Great video too!
Mm, other way around, Swinehart's was earlier, circa 1965.
Hill's was knee shot, not FB's.
I would bet anyone here money the decision was 100% with the PH. He likely saw half an arrow penetration and made the split second decision. It was his call, in a flash moment of time when literally lives were on the line.... the PH, not the bowhunter. He runs the show. I doubt you will ever find any elephant bowhunt that is run any other way.
Split second decisions, totally out of your hands. And in the end.... you were just a few yards from the largest and arguably the most dangerous land mammal on earth. And you were standing there trying to kill it with nothing but a sharp stick. Incredible. Coming out of it alive with a dead elephant.... anything over that would be frosting.
Must have to use a wheelbarrow on those things to get around.... thanks much for posting this. Awesome is about the only word that comes to mind. What an adventure!
I don't care if ya killed it with a slingshot or an AK. That was an incredible hunt! Thanks a bunch for posting!
Amen to that. Nothing but guts demonstrated by all involved.
Also it does not seem there is any anxiety over the rifle, per se, moreso the presentation of the thread with the title that was used.
Come on Jake take your slingshot!
There'd be more dead people if it weren't for quick decisions from PHs in the heat of the moment.
Guys crack me up. He booked a bow hunt. Had the kahunas to get in spitting distance from what could turn out to be the last thing he ever sees, makes a decent shot.... with a stickbow! and some need to diminish that. sheesh
Hunt of a lifetime. Good luck Jake and pat!
Everyone should understand that when you book an elephant bowhunt, there is an implicit understanding that the PH has final say for the safety of the group....period. If he believes that the group could be in danger, you're going to hear a boom immediately after the arrow hits the animal. If that is not acceptable, don't bother booking an elephant bowhunt. It made me pause....but I still booked the hunt.
Buff,
What a great experience!!
Hill shot 3 elephants, on for a movie the May have been shot in the knees, Swienhart shot 2 elephants, Negley shot 7 elephants (not all were recovered) and Fred Bear shot 1 elephant. There are a couple of others who are less well known too, Buff is one of the first people in 30 years to hunt elephant with a stickbow. Great accomplishment with any bow!
Lets not forget, this old cat who killed 3 trumpeters 2 with a recurve back in the 60's.
Buff, Congratulations on your elephant! I had an opportunity to see the video and talk first hand with Steyn when he was here in town a couple of weeks ago. Sounded like an amazing hunt! How was your experience with ESP Safaris? I have a buffalo hunt booked with Steyn in June '15. Excited is an understatement!
I'll bet the Elephant that Tink shot with that Oneida at 105# thought he was being shot at with a rifle. :)
Cazador,
Was that bull shot in Tanzania? The tusks look long and narrow, which I believe is characteristic of Tanzania bulls....although back in the 60's, this may not have been the case. Do you know any details of Tink's hunt?
Shooting this elephant in the hip only seems prudent to me.
This was a pac hunt so this herd was causing problems. Obviously there was a village nearby and having a wounded elephant running around for an hour or three isn't a good idea.
Buff referred to another reason why in an earlier post as well. Separating this bull from the rest of the herd only makes sense.
I don't think using common sense diminishes this as a bow kill.
Very cool story, pics and vid Buff. Thank you for posting it up.
You can find a lot of details on Tink's hunts. Love him or hate him, Tink was the real deal and has walked/hunted in places that some of us have never heard.
I really like things that took place back when it was ground breaking. It just doesn't apply to bowhunting either. High risks, road blocks, paying off crooked cops, I love it. I'm sure Tink paid his way out of a few places in his day. Heck he's most likely paid more on getting out of situations than most of us spend on a hunt in a year!
PS, I bet he's had his share of hot chicks too! HA!
And Tink is forever on the hunt for dangerous game... the hot chicks! lol
Good luck in the election Tink ol buddy!
I think TD nailed it.
A guy goes into a hunt like this taking his chances that the elephant might have to be rifle shot for the safety of all.
No question.
When the arrow hits the elephant it is going to end up dead every time. It's just a matter of by what at that point. No PH us going to risk letting an arrow stuck elephant get away.....just to protect the integrity of a potentially eventual "bow-kill" .......nor should they.
Nicely done Buff, I really enjoyed the videos and your humble attitude. 99.99% of us will never be in the position of drawing down on an elephant (with any type of bow), so we have no right to say if the outfitter was right/wrong in hitting it with a bullet. It's like Pat's Grizzly hunt in BC. In his heart he knew he killed it with two different arrows, but the situation called for backup, which was the outfitters call (and likely a very wise decision). Congrats on the elephant!
Good job Marty. You're a braver man than me. Thanks for sharing.
Good stuff....
My friend Denny Behn took one a few years ago witg the compound ...his a rrow actually broke two ribs one upon entrance and the other upon exit.....I have to dig up the pics ...pretty impressive stuff.
Congratulations Buff! Incredible! Thanks for posting.
Mark
First, thanks to Pat for posting the video where we IPad users could watch it. Very good !
Next, let me preface this with the statement that I have never been to Africa, and won't ever go. BUT, I have read lots and lots in the last forty years about it. You can be sure that not only does the PH run the hunt, his very livelyhood depends on him making the decision to shoot or not based on the SAFETY of his client and others. It is his decision and his alone ! That said, congrats to you Buff for a nice elephant and what must have been a fantastic hunt ! The fact that the PH did what he thought was right does not diminish anything about this hunt in my mind.
No one can argue that it takes guts to walk up to within trad bow distance of one of these giants. I've heard if they don't run over you they just drop their head on you running you through with their tusks.
I will say that if you want a clean quick kill then a bow is not the weapon of choice for Jumbo. This is why the PH helped speed the inevitable along. I think the bull just saw Buff with the stick bow and died of shock that someone other than he had giant balls.
It's a bow kill brother Buff. You big balled son-of-a-buck!
I want to kill one too but I think I'll go double gun.
congrats Buff! Amazing feat, amazing video and story. Well done!
Incredible hunt! I dare say the PH shooting the cow was more to feed the villagers than stop a charge! Lol, not that it matters. I also bet Jake watches that video "kill" sequence at least 10 times! Lol.
Mr. Buff I admire your moxie! Congrats on fulfilling your dream! Mike
Here are the pics I previously wrote about..
Hawkeye, I don't know where you got the idea that Fred Bears elephant was shot in the knees. Another story you or someone else dreamed up. If you want to bad mouth Fred Bear, and Marty, and other people on there hunts, maybe you should go over there and show us how it's done. Marty, Congrats on a great hunt and a great bow trophy! Maybe some of these internet experts will go over and video there hunt and show us how it is really done.
How is it a bow trophy. a great hunting trophy no doubt, but not a "bow trophy" when, in the words of the bowhunter himself........
"I clipped a rib going in and only got about 12" of penetration , at the shot. After the shot the world went nuts and elephants were every where folks shouting guns firing, it was quite a rodeo ".
and then......The PH tried to break the hip after the shot to keep the elephant from being able to keep up with the herd. Dealing with a wounded elephant is tough. Dealing with his 15 friends at the same time calls for air support. My best guess on the arrow is that bumping into the others pushed the arrow on in.
There appears to be a significant misunderstanding on the part of some of the armchair experts.
PH's, ANYwhere in the world, have a legal and MORAL obligation to keep their clients and others from being killed, gored, stomped, bitten, clawed or otherwise rendered inert.
For some of you, your toughest decision today was whether to have 2 sugars or 1 in your latte, or whether to actually post on this thread.
That does not begin to compare what goes through a PH or guide's brain in the half-second or so he has to decide whether to mash the trigger. Doesn't matter whether it is a close encounter with an elephant or a brown bear...
You really have no clue. And in my opinion you demean yourself by denigrating the hunter who posted his video/photos here. Pete
no misunderstanding pete.
as I said above "a great hunting trophy no doubt, but not a "bow trophy". Not sure why that is controversial to some..........it is actually quite foundational.
Does anyone consider a kill assisted by bullet to be a clean bow kill. the critieria really has nothing to do with dangerous game vs. not.........it could just as readily be about a an 80 pound yearling doe for that matter.
Bow killed animals meet their demise solely by arrow and gun killed animals meet their demise with assistance from bullets.
This is not a gray area. This is not an indictment on the who, how, or why of the introduction of the firearm into the kill. it is most certainly not denigrading the hunt or hunter.
it is calling foul on a thread that leads one to believe an elephant was killed in Mozambique with a traditional bow.
The critter was not going to die from the hip shot, it died, as the post mortem showed, from the arrow.
Is it a 100% bow kill, technically no. Is it a bow "kill", absolutely in my book.
TBB
Let them argue all they want-you had some Balls buddy & an experience like no other. YOU had the THRILL of up close & personal with a great Beast. Congratulations..
