Buffalo with crossbow

[palmer_mike]

Well, since you ask. Are you suggesting that a bad shot with a rifle would have produced a different result?

Possibly, depends how bad the shot was.

As you know it’s common for animals shot with arrows or bolts to run until blood loss takes hold. Normally not a huge problem unless the animal you’ve just shot is big, mean and ****ed off at you.

If the hunter had made a more sensible choice then a second shot would have been available to him. I would also say that the PH might have been better off with a larger ‘stopper’ than .375 (especially knowing that the client would be using a crossbow)

 

[Nkawu]

Far more preferable than a cross bow!
Btw tens of 1000`s of Cape buff have been taken with the good old .375 H+H

Agreed, but I’d want my PH to have a stopping rifle, not the widely accepted minimal for hunting them, and wearing a big scope no less! I grew up on a farm with lots of buffs in Limpopo and the go to rifle for protection was a ZKK 602 in 458 Lott with open sights.

 

[mereside]

Possibly, depends how bad the shot was.

As you know it’s common for animals shot with arrows or bolts to run until blood loss takes hold. Normally not a huge problem unless the animal you’ve just shot is big, mean and ****ed off at you.

If the hunter had made a more sensible choice then a second shot would have been available to him. I would also say that the PH might have been better off with a larger ‘stopper’ than .375 (especially knowing that the client would be using a crossbow)

Plenty get it right but you still have to put the arrow in the right place,

There has been plenty get charged and hurt from trying with a rifle so pretty much the same, cock it up they will be on you

 

[John Gryphon]

There are some rippin` dugga`s in that lot,however when I see ear tags I do turn off.

 

[Kano383]

The one thing I can't wrap my head around is the scope on a backup rifle.... And it's set on 3x, moreover.

You can stop a charging buff with a .375, no problem... But not if all you see is black.

Express sights, peep, ghost ring, red dot, whatever. But not a magnified scope, I'd cut it off with a hacksaw if I didn't have the Torx key to losen the screws.

 

[Bushwack]

Never been with a PH yet who carried a handgun as well. Odd I think. I agree re cartridge. Min 416 and preferably bigger with iron sights to my mind. And practice. No good waiting for a charge as ph to see if you can still shoot
S

mmmm, yes, odd I think also...all younger PH's are in the fields with "side arms" now a days, they claim it doesn't destroy the cape if a second shot is required...Just keep in mind that the "side arm", your rifle, your scope on the rifle, your rifle sling, shooting sticks, your jacket, your 10-20 rounds around your waste, your bino's, ect. ect. ect. all add up to the weight and movability.

There are reasons we keep everything light and simple, especially if walking 15-20km a day...and now you want all those "attachments" when tracking a wounded buffalo, hell good luck!!

 

[Bushwack]

Agreed, but I’d want my PH to have a stopping rifle, not the widely accepted minimal for hunting them, and wearing a big scope no less! I grew up on a farm with lots of buffs in Limpopo and the go to rifle for protection was a ZKK 602 in 458 Lott with open sights.

this is what we all dream off, NOT all can handle the Lott or even a "stopping rifle" as in your statement above...their ego have to handle it.., if you know hat I mean...nothing wrong with the .375 if you know how to handle it...a lot wrong with a "stopping rifle" if you don't' know how to handle it...

 

[Fabnosh]

I had a young PH who always head shot warthog (assuming you didn't want it caped) with a pistol even when they were very clearly dead. His reason was a huge scar that needed double digit stitches on his calf which he collected from a 'dead' warthog. I could understand his caution but it did make me smile given that I wouldn't go near a shot deer until I'd tapped its eye with a good length of shooting sticks.

FN

 

[Bushwack]

Is a crossbow an effective method of cleanly killing a buffalo? I ask out of ignorance, not to criticise necessarily.

Anyway this is why the most dangerous game I hunt is pheasant. Although one of those dropping on you from a height can also ruin your day, generally it's safer.

yes, very effective IF YOU AS HUNTER CAN USE IT PROPERLY, otherwise you will get advertisements like this on social media...

 

[sikamalc]

Why anybody would think its a good idea to try and shoot a beast like that with a crossbow when there is much more capable weapons out there is beyond me

I agree, its asking for trouble and the PH has to take the flack and sometimes his life. Having hunted and taken Buff its not the sort of animal you want to pi.s off by throwing an arrow at it.

 

[Jamouk]

I've never seen anything die quickly from an arrow ! Even though ive got a hunting compound bow i use it at targets and nothing else as if i shoot something the plan is to kill it quick and humanely and drop it on the spot .. not follow it bleeding to death for 500 yards.. especially a buffalo ! Asking for trouble

 

[mereside]

I've never seen anything die quickly from an arrow ! Even though ive got a hunting compound bow i use it at targets and nothing else as if i shoot something the plan is to kill it quick and humanely and drop it on the spot .. not follow it bleeding to death for 500 yards.. especially a buffalo ! Asking for trouble

well you haven't seen much then and you have not hunted much or seen runners with the rifle,regards wayne

 

[Jamouk]

Seen plenty of runners with a rifle ... would always rather have a rifle .. theres a tool for every job

 

[Jamouk]

Ok maybe a duiker

 

[Kano383]

One question that nobody asks...

Would you hunt a Cape buffalo with a crossbow, or a bow, ALONE? No other weapon on you except a blade, no PH or good friend to back you up with a rifle.

If the answer is "No", this paints the whole "hunt-dangerous-game-with-an-arrow" thing in its rightful perspective.

If the answer is "Yes", then I would certainly not ride a motorbike with you.

 

[mereside]

One question that nobody asks...

Would you hunt a Cape buffalo with a crossbow, or a bow, ALONE? No other weapon on you except a blade, no PH or good friend to back you up with a rifle.

If the answer is "No", this paints the whole "hunt-dangerous-game-with-an-arrow" thing in its rightful perspective.

If the answer is "Yes", then I would certainly not ride a motorbike with you.

would you do that with a single shot rifle and no back up?

 

[NP435]

Bad shots with anything produce ****ed off buffalo that fellow is lucky to be alive.

 

[User00033]

Interesting photos.

When you say Bush Telegraph @takbok, are you directly linked to the source or have these come to you in a roundabout way?

The story sounds quite exciting for sure. Interestingly I can’t see any evidence of a holster on what I assume is the PH, nor are the pistol or the crossbow or the bolt in the photos. Have you got any more that show any of these items?

 

[takbok]

Interesting photos.

When you say Bush Telegraph @takbok, are you directly linked to the source or have these come to you in a roundabout way?

The story sounds quite exciting for sure. Interestingly I can’t see any evidence of a holster on what I assume is the PH, nor are the pistol or the crossbow or the bolt in the photos. Have you got any more that show any of these items?

I don't know them. There was a video and audio file with the pictures. Showing him with a Glock 9mm. One of the guys is holding the crossbow in one of the pictures.

 

[gixer1]

I can’t see any evidence of a holster on what I assume is the PH, nor are the pistol or the crossbow or the bolt in the photos. Have you got any more that show any of these items?

the crossbow is in the background, feck going after Cape buffalo with a crossbow! I used to be fairly against bow hunting but then had a play around with compound, recurve and cross bows, I still have a compound and recurve I took back from the USA and I will say, hanging out of a tree with a compound bow drawn in n a whitetail doe will get your heart pumping! But I still wouldn’t want to take on any dangerous game with a bow!

the crossbows are a little different as they don’t seem to need as much competence (certainly with the modern ones) the challenge with bow hunting is the camo and getting the distances closed in.
Regards,
Gixer