Tentative Rifle hunter...

[Alexandro Faria]

Due to various factors, I am currently in the process of acquiring a 7mm for hunting purposes. In the mean time (12months+), I was considering jumping on the archery band wagon… I have a few issues/questions:

1) Assuming a solid vital shot is made, what is the usual time taken for the game to die? (Blesbok to kudu size)
2) What's a decent starting kit? I'm not the type to care about cool gadgets and so on, just simple, effective and will do its job if I do mine…
3) Any advice? :/

Cheers guys!

 

[bluey]

1) seconds
2) anything in 60 - 70 lbs , try as many bows as you can ,when in the bow shop. or archery club
3) practice, practice , practice, when your ready , practice some more
try stalking in the areas where you riffle hunt , with your bow
when practicing try many different angles and distances

 

[Alexandro Faria]

1) seconds
2) anything in 60 - 70 lbs , try as many bows as you can ,when in the bow shop. or archery club
3) practice, practice , practice, when your ready , practice some more
try stalking in the areas where you riffle hunt , with your bow
when practicing try many different angles and distances

Thank you! I've been a little reluctant as I have worried about ethical kills… I've never had an animal run more than 10 meters (bar 1 shocking shot due to pulling). It's really important to me that the animals I hunt don't suffer, I'd rather buy meat from another hunter than hunt with a bow, if it's a slow death.

 

[bluey]

the furtherest an animal has gone from my experience with archery is 200 metres and it was dead in under a minute, that was a pulled shot too , from a blind , that I was to tall for.... most have been around 40 - 70 metres, and were out of the game in 6- 9 seconds
much the same as riffle hunting , but with much less meat damage

 

[G Skinner]

Great advice here . The only thing I would add is join in on a few rounds of 3D ...don't get hung up on the scoring ...just shoot each target as a kill shot .
Glen

 

[billc]

Archery is a great way to take game and it is just like a rifle. A bad shot and the animal will take time hit the spot and they will dead in under a minute for the must part. You just dont get the dead right there stuff with the bow like a rifle.

Just always remember to make sure the front leg is forward so you dont shoot through the shoulder on the side your aiming at. Hitting the far shoulder is ok but to many guys take bad shots and dont even realize why it was a bad shot. That shoulder covers the vitals and if leg is back makes it very hard to get the quick kill shot we all like.

 

[firehuntfish]

1) Assuming a solid vital shot is made, what is the usual time taken for the game to die? (Blesbok to kudu size)
2) What's a decent starting kit? I'm not the type to care about cool gadgets and so on, just simple, effective and will do its job if I do mine…
3) Any advice? :/

1) I once hit a gemsbok with a perfect double lung pass-thru verified at the skinning rack that ran 400 plus yards. I have also heart shot animals that didn't even react except for a slight twitch before falling over where they stood. Some species are tougher than others and each animal has its own personality. There is no textbook answer as to what they will do or how far they may run even with a lethal hit in the vital organs.

2) You can reasonably expect to get into a new quality bow set up as a package with a rest and sight for around $500. I do not recommend used arrows, but decent quality arrows are cheap enough to start out. Expect to spend another $150 or so on arrows, field points, and broadheads.

3)From there the sky is the limit. One can easily spend $1200 or more on a state of the art name brand bow, and then another $500 on a high end rest, sight, and stabilizer. I would recommend finding a reputable archery shop and look for a good quality used set up as a beginner to see if you like the sport and that you are going to stick with it. And, as others have mentioned PRACTICE! Also, take basic archery lessons if they are available.

As far as your concern of the ethics of archery hunting, that has much more to do with the archer than the equipment. Rifle hunters are just as capable of wounding animals as archery hunters with poor shot placement, or using the wrong weapon for the job. Arguably, if you are going to wound an animal, they have a better chance of recovery from an arrow wound than a bullet wound. The goal obviously, is not to wound an animal in the fist place if at all possible. That is where practice and familiarity with your equipment as well as your limitations come into play.

For the most part, even with the best placed arrow, the animal shot with a bow will take longer to expire versus one shot with a rifle. A bullet destroys tissue from cavitation well outside of the projectile's path. An arrow lacerates tissue with virtually no cavitation. Hemorrhage is the ultimate cause of death. I personally don't feel that an animal hit lethally in the heart or lungs suffers much at all. But, is it a slower overall death than from a bullet on average? Yes...... If you can't get your head around that concept, maybe bowhunting is not for you. Each hunter must decide that for him or herself.

 

[jeff]

Don't get too hung up on poundage, my wife shoots #50 and she got pass troughs on kudu, blue wildebeest and zebra. Shot placement is far more important than speed.

 

[Lee M]

It all comes down to practice and patience with archery. It takes a while to gain the confidence needed and a target and an animal are very different. If your just taking it up you may need some time to give yourself a chance to be ready for Africa. Remember you draw blood and you bought it. I agree with Jeff and firehuntfish that a high draw weight and high end gear is not needed. Good quality gear is available for a reasonable price. But there is nothing like a stick and string. It is the best and any game taken is a trophy

 

[gpelkhunter]

my $0.02 after 25 years of bowhunting.
here are some tips I pass on to someone getting into archery.
Get a bow you like the draw cycle and it "fits" you.
For a rest, go with QAD drop away, I have the new HDX, top of the line and worth the money, my first one I had for 4 years and put through probably over 15,000 shots and it started giving me problems with dropping early, they replaced no charge. Once set they work great and are a containment rest so no issue with arrow falling off. Great when it comes to paper tuning your bow for final set-up with broadheads.
http://www.qadinc.com/2011-Ultra-Rest.html
For a sight, the latest I bought is a G5 Optix, with 3 set pins and a 4th moveable, works great as the 3 set pins I have at 25, 40 and 50 yards and the moveable can go to 100. 99% of a person's shots are under 40 yards. the pins are 0.019, very fine for pinpoint shooting, try those or get the 0.029 as they work great for hunting. Also has a light option to “charge your pins” for last light shooting. Lots of other multi pin sights out there, tru-glo and spott hogg are high quality.
http://www.g5outdoors.com/category/28
Buy a sight cover, they are a life saver when tromping thru the bush, saves busting a pin.
For a peep sight, get the G5 hunter so you can see your sight ring when you draw, great for quick alignment for hunting, with max light during last minute shooting at last light.
For a quiver get a light one with a quick single detach point with 5 arrows max,
For a stabilizer they are not really needed for the new bows as they are so quiet to shoot, try and see if you notice any difference before you buy.
For arrows, I shoot Carbon Express Maxi reds, expensive but worth it, get an arrow that is less than 9 grains/inch as it keeps your trajectory the flattest, still plenty of kinetic energy with a 65 or 70 lb draw. I shoot 68 lbs with a 435 grain arrow and get about 290 ft/sec with KE of +80 lbs.Other good arrows are Easton or Gold Tip. Fletching is variable, I still like 4 inch vanes but the quick spins are good too. Get bright fluorescent colors, I use orange and white. Get white nocks for practice, easier to see the arrow flight. For final arrow tuning and hunting, you must have lighted nocks, buy Nocturnals, they never fail and simple to use. Worth the money to see exactly where you hit the animal and to find your arrow after the shot. Go with 100 grain field points, most common and usually work for 99% of the bows.
http://www.carbonexpressarrows.com/a.../maxima--red--
http://nockturnal.com/
For broadheads, only shoot cut on contact, I have tried just about every one made and some of the best are DRTs, Magnus Stinger, German Kinetics, They shoot identical to field points with a tuned bow. They do great on penetration, 95% pass throughs, and easy to sharpen in the field, very reasonably priced, except the GKs. Other good broadheads are Muzzys and Slick tricks with replacement blades.
http://www.magnusbroadheads.com/cate...er-Broadheads/
Release is personal preference, try a bunch, for hunting I use a trigger style not a back tension. Get with a buckle so your setting is always the same. Mine is a Truball that has a swivel head so it does not torque the string with adjustable length and trigger tension. I have had it for 10 years, well over 30,000 shots thru it.
http://www.truball.com/Wrist Straps.html
Put on a string loop to save your string.

Do the 3D as it is totally different aiming experience compared to dots!
Practice until you don't have to think about your form, then you're getting close to heading out to the field, enjoy.

 

[Alexandro Faria]

Thanks for all the info, guys! I now no longer feel like I'm running blind into this, if I decide to pursue the discipline. My varsity has an archery team, so I'll spend a semester with them first to see if it's something I enjoy.

I still battle with slow deaths. I hunt to be a part of the cycle, not to kill. I won't be getting into the field until I am completely sure that whatever I arrow will be dying a quick and calm death. So I think, for now, I'll start with the target stuff, see how I like it and go from there. I might just settle on only shooting small game (impala, blesbok, springbok, pigs) and so on with as devastating a broad head I can find.

I don't know, I feel I don't have enough information on the topic to form a serious opinion. Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate the help and input!

 

[G Skinner]

Alexandro .... you are stepping in the right directions .....ask the questions . Archery is the challenge . Some of us find gun hunting unfair and easy .... in the end we are all Hunters . I personally look at it as not the kill , but the hunt . If I actually get something ..that is a bonus . Good luck and play safe !
Glen

 

[CAustin]

As with any hunt it's shot placement that counts!