"Can I bowhunt?" is a question I am often asked... and my reply is usually "What do you want to hunt and what type of bow do you have?"

Here are some very basic pointers and recommendations for hunting African game with a bow. Now bowhunting is a sport that has so many aspects, far more than rifle shooting, therefore I am sure that many of my opinions will go against what others think. I have had a degree of success with bowhunters and while I may not have tried everything...not by a long way, I have seen what doesn’t work and a few things that do!!!

The first question I am usually asked is "How big a bow do I need?"
For general plains game, I have successfully taken a wide variety with a 70# bow shooting 400 – 450 grain arrows. Bigger bows are fine and will mean that you can shoot a bit farther as you will have heavier arrows that retain their energy for longer, but with anything upwards of that you will be fine. I recommend staying away from mechanical broadheads, again there may be some great ones out there, but good old thunderheads and g5 broadheads do an excellent job on African plains game.

If you want to shoot hippo, elephant or buffalo, I would recommend nothing less than 100# and nothing less than 950-grain arrows. Some may say you can go lighter, but better be safe than sorry. You will want a narrow two blade broadhead and be sure that you choose one that has a rounded tip when looked at through a magnifying glass. Pointed tips will often bend or even break off on contact with heavy bone, seriously affecting your penetration. I have a contact in South Africa who will build custom arrows for you if necessary, he is an All Africa Games gold medalist, and has personally shot plenty of big game, something not many archery vendors can say.

On elephant or buff with the heavier bow you won’t be shooting closer than 25 yards, with those stiff arrows, much closer and they haven’t finished their yaw cycle yet and they absolutely need to hit at right angles in case of a solid bone hit. One of the issues is getting out of the way to avoid having to shoot with the rifle and spoiling the bow trophy!!!

Hunting will be walk and stalk on the big game and a combination of walk and stalk and tree and ground stands for the plains game.

Be well prepared and bring a cable bowpress as well as extra string.

I would also recommend you bring at least two dozen arrows and 30 broadheads if you are a serious bowhunter, I have had a guy shoot 7 animals on the same day, and even if it’s just warthogs and impala it’s heartbreaking to run short of arrows when there is a lot of opportunity.

Other vital equipment:

• Facemask • Rangefinder
• Tuning and sighting equipment , allen wrenches etc.
• Extra fletching , fletchtite and a jig

My recommended broadheads:

I realize there are hundreds to choose from, but below is a simplified list of what I have seen work with devastating effect on all manner of game...in order...

• G5 Montec and Tekan 9 Tekans with the mechanical part removed
• Thunderheads
• Zwickeys

As I said in opening, all of this is my personal opinion and I would suggest you seek other counsel from your local proshop. However, I ask you to be sure that any recommendations they make have proved to be successful on the animals you intend hunting.

Shoot straight!!!