Africa and a blue Gnu: The conclusion

[FITTER]

Thank you for sharing..... fantastic!!!

[Friend]

The reality of a hunt's possible outcome is great food in accepting the always existing possibility.

The wonderful sharing of your gifted African experience is gracsiously appreciated and later successful recovery is the primacy of respect due the magnificent quarry.

Excellent...

[highlow]

I'm still trying to decipher your post Scott. You speak a language with which I am unfamiliar.
Now to PD's hunt. I'll probably be in the minority but here goes. First and foremost, glad that the animal was recovered. But I doubt that an animal of that size would be dropped like you said from a 46# bow shooting a 620gr arrow. It most likely was reacting so quickly to the shot that in it's haste to exit the scene lost its footing and stumbled in to the water tank. This is an assumption on my part so please don't take it as criticism. I have no doubt you saw it drop.

A beautiful animal and I'm genuinely envious of your being able to hunt the Dark Continent. Would love to do it some day but being well into the "autumn of my years", more like the "winter", that possibility is very remote. Do like to read these stories though.

[Prairie Drifter]

Originally posted by highlow:
I'll probably be in the minority but here goes. First and foremost, glad that the animal was recovered. But I doubt that an animal of that size would be dropped like you said from a 46# bow shooting a 620gr arrow. It most likely was reacting so quickly to the shot that in it's haste to exit the scene lost its footing and stumbled in to the water tank. This is an assumption on my part so please don't take it as criticism. I have no doubt you saw it drop.

A beautiful animal and I'm genuinely envious of your being able to hunt the Dark Continent. Would love to do it some day but being well into the "autumn of my years", more like the "winter", that possibility is very remote. Do like to read these stories though.

While things happened quickly, he did not react until the arrow hit him. I attribute it to the heavy arrow impacting so close to the spine. It hit with a bone crunching "crack" and he fell over. Interpret it as you want.

[rastaman]

Awesome Mike! The Wildebeest and Warthog are my two favorite African animals! They do have incredible endurance!

Way to go on that wildebeest. That animal has proven to be my African nemesis!!!!

Bisch

[Prairie Drifter]

Originally posted by Bisch:
Way to go on that wildebeest. That animal has proven to be my African nemesis!!!!

Bisch

Mine too. If you recall I lost one in 2011.

[hybridbow hunter]

I don't want to be irrespecfull nor start any controversy and all bowhunters including myself have had and will have some bad days, but sometimes it is hard to keep the "politically correct" policy on air.
As a bowhunter I don't really feel comfortable with that story.
What's the rationale to use a 46# bow at short draw for mature blue wildebeest? Not for the "better accuracy with light bow argument" I guess.
I am sorry PD but I don't see anything here to support any "impressive" power of your bow as you stated nor something to be proud of in that killing. Despite the "bone crushing noise"  you told us you have heard,the fact is you didn't get any penetration at all and lost the game.
Something "impressive" or at least effective would have rather been an arrow powered enough to brake the spine or those ribs close under and cutting the big artery running just below the spine, leading to a quick true bow kill. Would more bow have help on that shot? We will never know.
60+#bows allowed me to go through the blue wildebeest nemesis though. 7 times.

[rastaman]

From my limited experience with Wildebeests and African game in general, a high lung shot even with a pass thru can result in a long trailing job.  I didn't see where Mike said what kind of penetration he got or if he got the high back of the lungs or just behind the lungs. If just behind the lungs, a complete pass thru would have still resulted in a looong tracking job.  Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think a more powerful bow would have helped.  What do you think Mike?  Your set up sounds pretty efficient with almost 13.5 gpi and loaded up front. A bad shot whether with a longbow, compound, or gun is still just that...just my two cents for whatever that is worth..no disrespect intended to you Laurent.  

[Prairie Drifter]

It was a bad shot. I hit above the spine in the hump area. Penetration was more than sufficient, but when you don't hit the chest cavity......

It did enough damage to the spine that the bull was gimped up.

And yes, it broke bone and had an exit hole.

Originally posted by hybridbow hunter:
I don't want to be irrespecfull nor start any controversy and all bowhunters including myself have had and will have some bad days, but sometimes it is hard to keep the "politically correct" policy on air.
As a bowhunter I don't really feel comfortable with that story.
What's the rationale to use a 46# bow at short draw for mature blue wildebeest? Not for the "better accuracy with light bow argument" I guess.
I am sorry PD but I don't see anything here to support any "impressive" power of your bow as you stated nor something to be proud of in that killing. Despite the "bone crushing noise"  you told us you have heard,the fact is you didn't get any penetration at all and lost the game.
Something "impressive" or at least effective would have rather been an arrow powered enough to brake the spine or those ribs close under and cutting the big artery running just below the spine, leading to a quick true bow kill. Would more bow have help on that shot? We will never know.
60+#bows allowed me to go through the blue wildebeest nemesis though. 7 times.

Well, I'm glad you can shoot a 60# bow well. Some of us can not. A bad shot is a bad shot. None of us are proud of it when we make them, but it happens from time to time. If you have never made a bad shot on an animal, then you are an exception to the rule. I shoot 50# at my DL, and have absolutely no doubt that my 50# bow will kill a wildebeest as quick as your 60# will, if the arrow is put in the right place.

PD, I'm glad they were able to recover him for you!

Bisch

[ermont]

Crap happens. That's why we call it hunting. We shoot hundreds if not thousands of arrows to prepare for that one shot.No sights, no scopes, no rangefinders and usually in a rush. I still think back on the buck I shot in Colorado. I hit him high at 15 yards and then watched him run two miles. It hurts to the core.

[Bobaru]

Congratulations on your Wildebeest, Mike.  

I recall you providing me some nice advice back in 2014 about African hunting which paid off for myself.

Add one more factor - It would seem these animals have a will to live quite unlike some North American species.

[hybridbow hunter]