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Crocodile set up ? Which broadhead

5th trip to Africa in August includes big crocodiles. Is my buffalo arrow too much ? (915 total).

.458 mag...8^)

I’m not trying to hijack your thread, but I’m curious about something. Do you have to put the BH in the spot on top of their head? Or do you actually have the ability to hit another vital? I’ve watched too much Swamp People.

I will assume the croc is like a gator and you definatley want to avoid the skull area with a BH.

I shot my 12 foot gator with a bowfishing arrow and head from muzzy the guide had.

There are a lot more people on here with more experience then me through.

Good luck a d post photos.

Check out the Sarah bomar video of African croc bow kill. Dinosaur. Use that set up.

It seems that most people take a double lung shot with a float that attaches to the arrow. I would be most interested in learning whether a bowhunting set-up could penetrate a crocodile skull....their skulls look rather thick and heavy.....

Here is a 10 foot gator skull.

Those are gnarly photos!

I should mention this was not my gators skull. I was unaware with a life-size they keep the skull.

This skull is from the same guide I used who's client didn't want the skull and I just thought a euro of a gator skull was to cool to pass up lol

I took these picture's near Darwin...

Mara River, Tanzania.

I hunted croc on the Luangwa a couple years back. I didn’t get one but the plan was for a lung shot to force it out of the water and onto the river bank to avoid drowning. A stout 3 blade would work best we thought. I was hunting hippo and buffalo with a Grizzlystik Alaskan 300 grain two blade single bevel but switched to a 175 gr VPA three blade to hunt croc. The thinking was a larger hole with the 3 blade would allow more water into the lungs forcing the croc to get out of the water. Had lots of crocs on bait but the big ones are very smart.

The picture of the crocs on bait was taken with a GoPro mounted on a post.

Outfitters I’ve spoken to recommend lung shot as DWU has said. Most guys I have spoken to do not recommend the string/float set-up. Just shoot in the lungs and they will get out of the water to avoid drowning. It’s not 100%, but seems most common way. My good friend lost a monster last year when it didn’t come back up after 2 in the lungs though…

—jim

I took the pictures from a boat on Aligator river outside of Darwin with my camera... We were baiting them. Bait was on a long pole. Got some great photos. Called Alligator river when there are just Crocodiles.

Having done it once and going through the research here is what I would recommend. I would not use the AMF Predator bowfishing arrow with bottle setup. It might work on our American Alligator, but a Nile Crocodile has those protective thick shields all the way down it's side. I center punched my croc and the arrow went in about 3/4 of an inch, shattered the tip and bounced back out. Couldn't have hit him better confirmed by 3 guides. Total equipment fail. That's a 1200 grain arrow from a 70 lb bow so it was not a question of foot lbs. The other choice I had considered, but didn't go with was a 500 to 600 grain arrow with a single bevel two blade head. After the bowfishing arrows set up failed, all I had was my regular 420 grain three bladed replaceable broadhead which was for plains game. We went back after the croc with those and because of the light arrow weight and pushing three blades instead of two through that hide I could only get 1/2 penetration. Croc kept giving me his left side. Finally got a shot on his right side and done. I'm confident a two blade arrow in the 550 to 600 arrow weight (total) would work fine on penetration. Key being a little extra weight but more importantly only two blades versus three to push through those protective shields. Also be aware their vitals are a little further back behind their armpit. Look up some anatomy pics so you can orientate yourself on their vitals. If you shot it like a deer relationally, you'll be too far forward. The other critical success factor is to find an outfitter which has them on 'dams', or what we call ponds. Large crocs will migrate from a water way (river or river fed lake system) during the winter to these 'dams' and kind of hibernate of a sort. Same thing our big Alligators do here in Texas in the winter. That way, you get them on a contained body of water and don't risk them slipping into the river and getting lost. Even if they go in and die submerged you can drag the 'dam' and recover it. Hunting them on a 'dam' in my opinion is the only way to go for Croc with a bow. From what I read before, and from my experience, the head shot with a bow is not very likely or viable because of the angle you'll likely be shooting and their thick skull and the precise point you have to hit with a large arrow as that skull shot is a about a half dollar size area if you try it the way the rifle boys do it to brain it. I just share this so you can learn from my mistakes. I had done tons of research, thought I'd picked the right approach, and it was definitely wrong way to go. Luckily it worked out but would have been better with two blade 550-600 grain arrow with 70lbs. Hope this is helpful.

wow

Need one of those Rambo exploding tips. Don’t like lizards that can eat you. Don’t know if any of you watched the Jim Shockey episode where they went after a croc that ate a village girl. All the villages that lived along this river risked their lives ever time they went to get water. Pretty gruesome when they opened the croc and pulled the shirt and pieces of the girls spine out of it.

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