Bow/ crossbow hunting

[granville]

i shot in county archery for some years and met a guy who hunted
with bow and a great shot on rabbits .
the kill was clean but never made me want to give up air gun so shot guns .
hunting is for me with a gun not bow .

[Pat g]

Someone posted a video of a deer where a head shot went wrong. It was horrific! The guy who caught it on camera quickly ended its misery. Its whole lower jaw was missing. I remember the guy saying that that is why he never opts for head shots as deer move there heads frequently.

I wish I had the link to it.

Yup absolutely Gordon. This is why its Heart and Lung 90% of the time. Its a proven practice. Works every time. A shooting pal of mine has a guided stalking company and also undertakes Deer management. He currently has an ongoing contract with the Forestry commission taking Red cull beasts in Dumfries and Galloway. Only in the most extreme circumstances is a head shot taken. One thing to remember is that taking head shots on deer can ruin the head particularly if its a trophy beast. Roe deer in particular have a relatively small head in comparison to a red or fallow. Roe also tend to move their heads more frequently and erratically than some of the larger species.
I have seen that video Gordon. It was featured on the Fieldsports channel a few years back. And the point i was making to Neil. The accepted humane method of taking bunnies with a sub 12ft lb airgun is to take head shots but its a totally different kettle of fish shooting large game with a Centrefire rifle.
However back to shooting Animals with a Bow!! Nah never approved. They simply lack the terminal energy required to ensure a clean kill everytime. The projectile,I.E the bolt or arrow is not particularly well designed to achieve humane kills in comparison to a modern semi jacketed core locked hunting bullet. They lack the velocity and there is too much margin for error IMO.
And before anyone provides some link via You Tube of what comes across as effective Bow hunting in foreign climes remember that they will only show successful hunts and not botched hunts which results in injury. The bow cannot compete with a firearm for effective humane hunting. As far as i'm concerned bows are for targets and nothing else. Many may think different though.
Thank god bow hunting is not allowed in this country. One piece of legislation that i for one certainly accept,
ATB,
Pat

[neil]

not going to enter into a debate over it BUT, theres a difference between a clean kill and a certain kill, centre fire and rimfire will do the job, even more so when using expanding ammo, but if the only desire is a certain kill why not use polonium

[Pat g]

not going to enter into a debate over it BUT, theres a difference between a clean kill and a certain kill, centre fire and rimfire will do the job, even more so when using expanding ammo, but if the only desire is a certain kill why not use polonium

Unfortunately i don't have any load data for a polonium tipped round Neil Seriously though as a deer stalker my only desire is to ensure a quick and effective humane kill and heart and lung shots are the accepted method as described in great length within best practice guides if you were to complete DSC 1 and 2. My 243 has never let me down on any of the Deer species including Reds when taking heart lung shots. This target area is recommended for a reason and as i have said in a previous post its because it presents the biggest target area and because that area contains the most crucial organs.
Expanding ammunition as you put it is a legal requirement Neil as a FMJ bullet will pass through an animal without displacing its terminal energy. Having said that even soft nosed expanding ammunition exits the animal on virtually every occasion. The use of ballistic tips is not recommended on Deer for two reasons. The first being that the trauma damage is horrific leading to meat damage and two, the bullet can displace its energy too quickly and in some cases not penetrate far enough to take out vital organs. However they do work on Charlie though to great effect i might add
Back to th OP though. Bows and large game is a no no in my book. On another theme i have just read on the news that a pet cat was found in Birmingham with a cross bow bolt embedded in his head. Thankfully he has survived and is now recovering at home but the vet said that its the worst case he has ever seen And yet these things are openly available for sale to every charv and irresponsible low life out there!!!! That of course is another topic
ATB,
Pat

[eboswan]

The human race used bows for hunting and in wars for thousands of years because at that time it was the most affective weapon i wonder how many tribes in africa still use the bow not many i guess because they have learnt that the ak47 is far superior.(thats what they all carry on the news/documentaries anyway)
Why does man still hunt with a bow,because we can i suppose.

[Pat g]

The human race used bows for hunting and in wars for thousands of years because at that time it was the most affective weapon i wonder how many tribes in africa still use the bow not many i guess because they have learnt that the ak47 is far superior.(thats what they all carry on the news/documentaries anyway)
Why does man still hunt with a bow,because we can i suppose.

I'll tell you why man still hunts with a bow Bri. Coz they are far more accurate than any of Mr Kalashnikov's offerings . Never intended to be accurate of course but i did see a documentary years ago of Mr Kalashnikov himself hunting Boar with a customised version. Funny how every one calls every AK an AK47 when in fact the majority seen today are actually the AK74. A more up to date model but still bloody inaccurate
ATB,
Pat

[Timmytree]

The human race used bows for hunting and in wars for thousands of years because at that time it was the most affective weapon i wonder how many tribes in africa still use the bow not many i guess because they have learnt that the ak47 is far superior.(thats what they all carry on the news/documentaries anyway)
Why does man still hunt with a bow,because we can i suppose.

I don't have a gripe with subsistence hunters like the African bushmen using bows, that is their right, to maintain their way of life.
My uncertainty is with crossbow or bowhunting by people who have access to more suitable weapons, especially when they're paying for the animal and usually just for bragging rights.

[mark holding]

It all falls back onto the ability of the shooter. It seems crazy that you need an FAC for an air rifle shooting over 12FT/LB. I wouldn't do it myself, as I have no experience in the use of the bow, but the crossbow is still used by some special forces units around the World, because of how quiet they are, and would probably suit the average rifle shooter better than the bow. You only have to go and watch the archery stands at Chatsworth House Country fayre to appreciate the power of the compound bow, which are devastating out to the 90 Metre / 100 Yard ranges that they use, and possibly well over 60 FT/LBs at the target, due to the speed and weight of the arrow.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/whi ... s-crossbow

[Pat g]

It all falls back onto the ability of the shooter. It seems crazy that you need an FAC for an air rifle shooting over 12FT/LB, when a bow or crossbow with an energy more powerful than a 9mm pistol require no license. I wouldn't do it myself, as I have no experience in the use of the bow, but the crossbow is still used by some special forces units around the World, because of how quiet they are, and would probably suit the average rifle shooter better than the bow. You only have to go and watch the archery stands at Chatsworth House Country fayre to appreciate the power of the compound bow, which are devastating out to the 90 Metre / 100 Yard ranges that they use, and possibly well over 150 FT/LBs at the target, due to the speed and weight of the arrow.

Yes 150 ft lbs at 150 yards as opposed to a 243 at 1750 ft lbs at 100 metres says it all. The Bow is vastly inferior as a humane hunting tool as opposed to a rifle shooting an expanding core locked bullet designed to impart its energy on the target animal. Then there is the accuracy comparison or should i say lack of. A modern sporting rifle in average hands has no problem printing 35-40 mm groups at 200 meters. Bows and the taking of large Game have no place in modern hunting as far as i'm concerned. I enjoy my stalking and take pride in ensuring a humane kill every time. Thank god bow hunting is prohibited in this country although i agree its madness that these things can be bought over the counter as easily as an airgun
ATB,
Pat

[olly321]

Not for me