Author Topic: African Elephant War Bow Questions  (Read 23184 times)

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Offline Hawkeye1974

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African Elephant War Bow Questions
« on: July 02, 2011, 12:30:47 pm »
Has anyone ever seen, used and/or fired one? Also what are they made from? Ironwood?Ebony? Do you have to order them from Africa to buy one or is there a website and how much are they? There was a woman online who claimed to kill an elephant with one but there were no pictures of the bow.
I have seen plenty pics of English yew bows, so I am curious about them.
 
If a guy can fire 3 arrows 125 meters he not only deserves his own movie.  He deserves his own reality show!!! 

-Anonymous

Offline PatM

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2011, 12:23:38 am »
Here's a thread with some old pics: http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/reply/228548/t/Re-Elephant-bow-.html
 Not going to be a common item these days since you can't poach elephants.
 African bows would be made of the same type of woods you would use anywhere else to make a heavy bow. Nothing magical about them.

Offline Hawkeye1974

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2011, 04:46:20 am »
Thanks PatM
I appropriate the info all this is new to me hope to learn from you guys.
Hawkeye1974
If a guy can fire 3 arrows 125 meters he not only deserves his own movie.  He deserves his own reality show!!! 

-Anonymous

Offline stickbender

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2011, 10:54:15 pm »

     Hawkeye, Howard Hill used I believe a 105# Bamboo bow, and a six foot arrow.
There was an article on his killing an Elephant with a bow, back in the sixties, in either Sports Afield, or Outdoor Life.  It showed a picture of him, and the Elephant he shot, and the bow and arrow.  I don't remember the whole story, just the fact that he killed the Elephant, with the bow and arrow, and the pictures.  I had once thought it was Fred Bear who did it, but it was actually Howard Hill.  Regardless of how he achieved it, it is still an incredible feat.  As for the Woman, wow!  But I have to wonder, if the heard was somewhat tame, as in used to tourists, as they may not see too well, but their hearing and sense of smell is phenomenal!  None the less, it is incredible that she was able to kill an Elephant with a bow and arrow.  However, ...... ::) ;D  Howard Hill used a self bow, not one with training wheels, and fifty percent let off. ;D ;D  I give her credit where it is due, indeed.  Being able to get the the first pull past the let off is admirable indeed.  8)  But I still wonder about the 12yds., and I hate to bring up suspicions, without seeing an actual video of it if there is one, but ..... ::)Could the herd have been baited?  But still to get that close to a herd of Elephants, wether they are used to people or not, takes a bit of nerve.  I would not, because an Elephant can be exceptionally fast when it wants to, and that trunk is quite a marvelous piece of nature's engineering.  If an Elephant gets that trunk close enough, it can fold your hand, and take your chips pretty quickly. ;)  Just think of King Kong grabbing you! :o  ;)  I wonder what she had for back up?  Even Fred Bear, carried a .44 magnum, and his guides had sufficient guns to end a hunt gone wrong.  He shot some mighty big bears with a recurve!  But She deserves all kudos she can get for such a feat. ;)  I will look at them at the zoo, I have neither desire, nor the nerve to try to shoot one with a bow, not to mention the strength to pull that weight of a  bow back to proper length. ;) ;D ;D

                                                                Wayne

Offline Hawkeye1974

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2011, 02:22:48 am »
I agree totally Wayne, I am just find bows with that kind of power amazing.
I have no aspirations to kill an elephant but the force of african and english warbows have me stumped.
If a guy can fire 3 arrows 125 meters he not only deserves his own movie.  He deserves his own reality show!!! 

-Anonymous

Offline stickbender

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2011, 05:09:43 pm »

    Yes indeed, some of those bow will humble you.  There is supposed to be documented proof, of a 75-100 yd. shot of an English Long Bow, that sent an arrow through a knights leg, and into his horse, and killed the horse, and impaled the knight to the horse.  I was told that when I was in England, back in 1990.  But some of them were in excess of a hundred pounds.  Took one hell of a man to pull that back, and hold it.  I would not want his meat hooks, getting a grip on my neck! :o  But they were selected as young boys to be archers, and trained daily with bows, so they sort of grew into it.  Some of the skeletons on board the ship that sank in the harbor, (can't remember the name of it at the moment.  Mary something, Rose? maybe.) were believed to be archers because of the thicker and flattened bones of the left forarm, due to the constant strain of archery and heavy bows.  I give her credit indeed for being able to pull that string back to the let off point.  Doubt I could.  I wouldn't hunt an Elephant, but I would dearly love to have some tusks, and an Elephant foot umbrella stand.  Saw a matching pair of tusks in the home of a very wealthy man years ago.  They were at least six feet tall and very thick.  I remember seeing an Elephant leg umbrella stand, in an antique shop when I was a young boy.

                                                                        Wayne

Offline CraigMBeckett

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2011, 08:50:40 pm »

     Hawkeye, Howard Hill used I believe a 105# Bamboo bow, and a six foot arrow.


Wayne I don't know where you got the idea HH used 6 ft arrows, take a look at the video of the kill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buyE2sYXU5Y

and you will see he used normal length arrows.

Craig.

Offline stickbender

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2011, 05:43:47 am »

     Ok, I stand corrected. ;)  I read the article back in the early to mid 60's.  Somewhere in there  a six foot arrow was mentioned for somethig or another.  Thought it was for the Elephant.  I could have the six foot arrow from another article of that era, confused  ???with Howard Hill's remarkable feat. Thanks for the video. 8) 

                                                                   Wayne

                                                         

Offline stickbender

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2011, 05:56:04 am »

     Buuuuutttt.....the arrow was not a normal length, arrow......it stated it pierced 31 inches, into the heart, and there was still almost half of the length left sticking out. Though it did not look quite that long in the pictures.  Still not six feet.  Could be Artistic license on the part of the narrator. ;) Cool video.  That was quite a distance he shot at it also.  :o 8)  Thanks again. 

                                                                  Wayne

Offline heavybow

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2011, 08:20:35 am »
Howard Hill used a 115# bow. ad the arrows were 41" long.

Offline Hawkeye1974

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2011, 11:12:16 am »
Watched the video that is one POWERRFUL BOW! 
The arrow length might work for me, I am 6'6" and weigh  about 316 pounds.
If a guy can fire 3 arrows 125 meters he not only deserves his own movie.  He deserves his own reality show!!! 

-Anonymous

Offline Hawkeye1974

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2011, 11:23:26 am »
That was some serious shooting the arrows might work for me.
41'  I am 6'6" and 316 pounds, unless some can give me better info on the size of arrows.
If a guy can fire 3 arrows 125 meters he not only deserves his own movie.  He deserves his own reality show!!! 

-Anonymous

Offline stickbender

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2011, 06:21:20 pm »

     I thought it was 105# bow, but whew, a 115# bow! :o :o  I doubt I could even string it, let alone shoot it as casually as he did.  I wonder, did he built it, or have someone build it for him?

                                                               Wayne

Offline Ian.

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2011, 07:35:37 pm »
115's nothing, the bow he pulled was 170 for the record way back when, if anyone has any info on that bow I would love to hear it.
ALways happy to help anyone get into heavy weight archery: https://www.facebook.com/bostonwarbowsbows/

Offline stickbender

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Re: African Elephant War Bow Questions
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2011, 08:45:47 pm »

     Sheesh! 170# ! :o  The heaviest bow I read about was built and shot by a N.A. Indian,can't remember his name, but, he made and shot a 200-220 lb. English war bow! :o  Showed him shooting a 1/2 inch arrow through a thick metal bucket filled with sand.  I would have to use bow like  that for a walking staff, or bridge support. ;)

                                                                  Wayne