Legality and Efficacy of Bowhunting in the UK

[tusker]

I shall be bow hunting this June in Namibia, target animals kudu, Oryx, Red Hartebeest and what ever else. I will write an honest review of my experience on my return.
My bow is 65lbs weight and my arrows are 580 grain total weight including 125 grn single bevel broadhead. I have been shooting this present bow for 3 years and I am achieving great groups at 30 yrds. (see photo) I am happy at 40 yrds but groups open up. I have never hunted with my bow so I am not sure if I will enjoy it as much as a rifle but it is an itch I have to scratch.
Tusker

 

[gixer1]

I shall be bow hunting this June in Namibia, target animals kudu, Oryx, Red Hartebeest and what ever else. I will write an honest review of my experience on my return.
My bow is 65lbs weight and my arrows are 580 grain total weight including 125 grn single bevel broadhead. I have been shooting this present bow for 3 years and I am achieving great groups at 30 yrds. (see photo) I am happy at 40 yrds but groups open up. I have never hunted with my bow so I am not sure if I will enjoy it as much as a rifle but it is an itch I have to scratch.
Tusker

The thump of my heart the first time I had a whitetail doe in my bow sight with it drawn was the same as any buck fever I have ever had - it really is a thrill to be in position, now drawn and locked and waiting for the right position.

That shot was not taken, due to fading light and the doe being just out of my comfort range - I am proud that it was not taken, as proud as I was that I could have taken the shot…

I would think you will greatly enjoy it.

 

[artschool]

I shall be bow hunting this June in Namibia, target animals kudu, Oryx, Red Hartebeest and what ever else. I will write an honest review of my experience on my return.
My bow is 65lbs weight and my arrows are 580 grain total weight including 125 grn single bevel broadhead. I have been shooting this present bow for 3 years and I am achieving great groups at 30 yrds. (see photo) I am happy at 40 yrds but groups open up. I have never hunted with my bow so I am not sure if I will enjoy it as much as a rifle but it is an itch I have to scratch.
Tusker

that's on my list as well!

 

[Klenchblaize]

I am happy to throw my hat into the ring on this one, so here goes. No. I have extensive experience of shooting a variety of different bows over many decades, I have made my own arrows, and believe I am pretty accurate with a bow. I am not accurate enough though, and that is the point. Watching African clips on U-tube, unless the archer is very close the animal has time to react and move, hence a "perfect" shot may miss the vital area. Near enough is not good enough. There will be a high incidence of wounding, far too high to be ethical. A secondary issue is the lack of noise and the possibility of aiding poaching. So, just to be clear, no.

Struggling to understand how Robin Hood and his Merry Men managed to shoot the King’s deer if it’s that difficult.

K

 

[artschool]

Struggling to understand how Robin Hood and his Merry Men managed to shoot the King’s deer if it’s that difficult.

K

K don't you remember the part in the Prince of Thieves when Kevin Costner registered all of his arrows with the Sheriff of Nottingham and then they had that massive sword fight when he refused to give a sample of his DNA?

 

[25 Sharps]

The location of the registered person, also, the identification of the arrows.

Catching poachers is, and always will depend on having feet on the ground catching them in the act, otherwise it’s all hearsay.

So the bow hunter now has to register all places they shoot ?

 

[25 Sharps]

Struggling to understand how Robin Hood and his Merry Men managed to shoot the King’s deer if it’s that difficult.

K

With a simple self bow too…

 

[25 Sharps]

I get that but making an effective and safe functioning pistol is beyond the ability of 99.9 of people who actually would want to do that.

Firearms are hard to get hold of in this country so the FAC system works (as well as it can) but bows can be bought anywhere by anyone with no trace.

So if we can agree that licensing bows or arrows or the hunting if such won't make a difference to people breaking the law currently and neither will it deter those wishing to break the law in future then why are you suggesting any form of it at all?

Because it would allow those who wish to do it, legally, to do so, whereas currently they / we / I cannot.

 

[gixer1]

So the bow hunter now has to register all places they shoot ?

Would that be an issue?

 

[25 Sharps]

Would that be an issue?

I mean, people get their knickers in a twist about clearing land, and it would be a pain if you were to get a lot of invites.

But if it got it over the line I’d deal with it!

 

[gixer1]

I mean, people get their knickers in a twist about clearing land, and it would be a pain if you were to get a lot of invites.

But if it got it over the line I’d deal with it!

That’s kinda what I mean - not that I think it will but small steps maybe would help.

I concede not ideal but I don’t think we’ll ever get to that when it comes to firearms or bows.

 

[Tim.243]

Would that be an issue?

This would Quick re-load. Big rifle or bits of ally plastic and carbon fibre fwd to min 30.

 

[nun_hunter]

Because it would allow those who wish to do it, legally, to do so, whereas currently they / we / I cannot.

Regulating bows or licensing them won't do that. A change in the deer act would do that with no need to place any further restrictions on bow users.

 

[nun_hunter]

After seeing the news this morning I think it's set back even current legal bow ownership

 

[VSS]

After seeing the news this morning I think it's set back even current legal bow ownership

What's the news this morning then?

 

[nun_hunter]

What's the news this morning then?

Man 'threatening people with crossbow' shot dead by police in southeast London

The man, believed to be in his 30s, was reportedly armed with weapons including a crossbow and was threatening to harm residents inside an address in Southwark in London, according to police.

news-sky-com.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[Selous]

You’ve never shot a bow have you?

the vast majority you shoot with a bow will pretty much be below horizontal. The arrow will hit the ground very quickly after the intended target. They just don’t have the BC, velocity or energy of a bullet. Once in the ground it will bury itself in the vegetation very quickly, even if it slides along the ground.

Arrows don’t ricochet and they don’t carry energy very far, they are far, far safer than a rifle, even than an FAC air rifle shooting slugs

Arrows can deflect quite frequently from what I have seen. They may not bounce back but it is still a significant safety issue

 

[nun_hunter]

Arrows can deflect quite frequently from what I have seen. They may not bounce back but it is still a significant safety issue

You'd have to be pretty close to a deer to be hit buly a deflected arrow. Bearing in mind how hard it is to intentionally stalk within 50m of an unsuspecting deer it's even harder to imagine that a member of public out for a stroll will be that close.

 

[Smellydog]

Yes please, bring it back, make it legal. Wonderful fulfilling sport and efficient.
Certainly not cruel at all.

 

[Selous]

Having watched quite a lot of bow hunting videos I have to say I am totally unimpressed by the efficiency of killing that everyone in favour assures is excellent. The impact of the arrow imparts very little shock and I’m my opinion the time to achieve loss of consciousness is prolonged compared to a comparable rifle shot. If anyone can point me to evidence that shows bang flop response to arrows in the same way as is frequently seen with rifle hunting then I’m prepared to reevaluate my opinion but until then I regard it as inhumane in the same way as hunting with a knife or spear. For the record I dislike deer running after rifle shots too although I accept it is a fact of stalking that this will occur in a percentage of cases. I would attribute the reduced lethality to the broadhead incising tissue but not removing it which increases the risk of chest wounds sealing up. An expanded bullet at normal rifle velocity will crush and remove a permanent wound channel approximately 3 times the diameter of the expanded bullet which speeds bleeding and makes sealing the wound much less likely. All this talk of licensing bow hunting in the UK is truly fanciful as others have said.