Bow Set for first trip to South Africa

[Winpro63]

Hi Guys !

I have a questions for a bow setup for Africa hunting. My setup is a follows:

Bow: Hoyt Ventrum 33 at 70lbs
Draw length: 32 inch
Sights: Tru Glo 6pins
Arrows: Gold Tip XT Hunter 300 32.5 inch
Broad head: NAP DK4 125gr

The arrow weight is around 410gr

The questions are:
1; Will this set up work on my following target game:
Nyala, Bushbuck, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Kudu, Blesbok, Warthog, Baboon and Jackal

This is my first trip to South Africa. My hunt is 10 days, July 23, 2022 until August 04, 2022
Any help, suggestions, teachings would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you very much!

 

[BourbonTrail]

Arrows seem light for African game (should target 650gr.+) , and too flexible (should be looking for between 150 & 250 Spine) especially for your draw length. Also, try and target an FOC of at least 20%.

I recommend giving grizzlystiks a serious look. May want to consider a fixed blade broadhead as well (single bevel), especially with wildebeest, kudu and zebra on your list.

Poundage & Bow are plenty good enough.

I think @rookhawk has a similar draw length and he’s also a big proponent of Dr. Ashby’s recommendations for archery tackle in Africa. He may share his setup.

Ashby Bowhunting Foundation

The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation’s goal is to provide the bowhunter with the information and ongoing research to achieve highest possible success rate and reduce the wound/non-recovery rate of big game to the lowest level possible.

www.ashbybowhunting.org

Good luck with your quest for knowledge.

 

[Winpro63]

Thank you, sir. I had the wrong spine weight arrows it should be 692gr.
I also plan on taking 125gr NAP Hellrazor Broadheads

 

[rookhawk]

Arrows seem light for African game (should target 650gr.+) , and too flexible (should be looking for between 150 & 250 Spine) especially for your draw length. Also, try and target an FOC of at least 20%.

I recommend giving grizzlystiks a serious look. May want to consider a fixed blade broadhead as well (single bevel), especially with wildebeest, kudu and zebra on your list.

Poundage & Bow are plenty good enough.

I think @rookhawk has a similar draw length and he’s also a big proponent of Dr. Ashby’s recommendations for archery tackle in Africa. He may share his setup.

Ashby Bowhunting Foundation

The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation’s goal is to provide the bowhunter with the information and ongoing research to achieve highest possible success rate and reduce the wound/non-recovery rate of big game to the lowest level possible.

www.ashbybowhunting.org

Good luck with your quest for knowledge.

My son’s Africa setup (he’s 11) is a 650gr-680gr arrow at 42lb draw with a 23.5” draw length and a 345ibo bow. He uses the lightest, crappiest arrows we can find (lightest) and feathers. He uses the heaviest and highest quality ethics archery insert system with single bevel iron will two blade arrows.

my setup is 32” DL and 68lbs with around an 750gr arrow for non-DG and I’m shooting about 250fps if I recall correctly. Sirius 150 spine arrows, same inserts and broadheads as the kid.

he does more bow hunting than I do but he’s had many heart shots on things like bears, deer, impala, etc. Always easy pass throughs. He hasn’t tested on eland or elk yet, maybe this year. We didn’t bring our bows with us this trip, just waiting to connect now for a rifle safari.

 

[Winpro63]

Thank you sir, I posted wrong grain arrow weigh it should be 692gr

 

[rookhawk]

Thank you sir, I posted wrong grain arrow weight!!

I won’t harass you about light arrows, many opinions on that, although momentum is key in my opinion.

pulling no punches, your broadheads suck. As in F- terrible. Anything a local US bow shop says is a good broadhead is a terrible broadhead.

Correct broadheads include:

iron will
German kinetics
Tuff heads
Alien archery
Kudu

etc.

The only African usuable broadhead I’ve ever seen at an archery shop is the bare-minimum Magnus Stinger. It’s what my kids started with at age 7 for big game hunting, but they are far from great.

Sorry if my post is sort of jerky, but I want you to be shaken and do some reading up rather than think you have something remotely suitable.

 

[Winpro63]

Thank you sir, my correct arrow weight 692gr.. I mistype the correct arrow weight.
I will take your advice about the board heads.

 

[rookhawk]

Thank you sir, my correct arrow weight 692gr.. I mistype the correct arrow weight.
I will take your advice about the board heads.

i don’t have huge misgivings with your arrow weight. What I’d love to see is perfect arrow flight. To get there, I’d try 25gr less and 25gr more. Whichever weight is best 667gr, 692gr, or 718gr, that’s your arrow.

But you need incredible integrity in your insert/outsert system, you want high FOC, and you want a two blade single bevel cut on contact broadhead to maximize penetration which will assist with bone breaking on rib or an errant shot and they can be sharpened perfectly.

Check out iron will single bevels and ethics archery inserts and collars. You’ll be impressed. Also check out tuffheads which are heavier broadheads so you use lighter inserts. All proven killers.

 

[Winpro63]

i don’t have huge misgivings with your arrow weight. What I’d love to see is perfect arrow flight. To get there, I’d try 25gr less and 25gr more. Whichever weight is best 667gr, 692gr, or 718gr, that’s your arrow.

But you need incredible integrity in your insert/outsert system, you want high FOC, and you want a two blade single bevel cut on contact broadhead to maximize penetration which will assist with bone breaking on rib or an errant shot and they can be sharpened perfectly.

Check out iron will single bevels and ethics archery inserts and collars. You’ll be impressed. Also check out tuffheads which are heavier broadheads so you use lighter inserts. All proven killers.

Thank you sir, I appreciate the information!!

 

[Ryan]

For a 125 grain broadhead I'd include the Slicktrick. I've used the Magnum 125s on blue Wildebeest, nyala, and blesbok with great success and I wouldn't hesitate to use them on kudu or eland if it was in my sights. A lot of others around here have used them with great success.

If you'd like to use a mechanical go with the hybrids. My preference is a Muzzy Trocar HBX. The HBX comes in 125 grain. Used them on bush pig and nyala in 2018 and they worked great. The tough part may be finding them. The 125s seem to be out of production or just out of stock lately.

I'll leave the whole arrow weight thing alone. None of mine in my trips have been over 525 grain and none of my animals went far.

And just as a heads up, avoid flying through Amsterdam if possible. They apparently have an issue with bowhunting. Your bow can go through Amsterdam, but they won't even let broadheads transit through. So if you do have to go through there like I did last year you'll want to use a broadhead your outfitter can pick up in South Africa. My outfitter had a couple packs of Slick Tricks waiting for me when I arrived last year.

 

[Northwest9]

For a 125 grain broadhead I'd include the Slicktrick. I've used the Magnum 125s on blue Wildebeest, nyala, and blesbok with great success and I wouldn't hesitate to use them on kudu or eland if it was in my sights. A lot of others around here have used them with great success.

If you'd like to use a mechanical go with the hybrids. My preference is a Muzzy Trocar HBX. The HBX comes in 125 grain. Used them on bush pig and nyala in 2018 and they worked great. The tough part may be finding them. The 125s seem to be out of production or just out of stock lately.

I'll leave the whole arrow weight thing alone. None of mine in my trips have been over 525 grsin and none of my animals went far.

Good to know

Im heading over in June/July now us aussies can finally travel again, and will be taking my bow this time, and using SA friends rifles as well

My bow is a PSE Decree HD Ti
31" draw, 70lb
arrows are BDH Eliminators with inserts/outserts and a 125gn Slick Trick Magnum, giving an overall weight of 585gn

Ill only be going for warthogs and springbok with the bow, once Ive hunted the other animals I want to target with a rifle

 

[TucsonFX4]

Arrows seem light for African game (should target 650gr.+) , and too flexible (should be looking for between 150 & 250 Spine) especially for your draw length. Also, try and target an FOC of at least 20%.

I recommend giving grizzlystiks a serious look. May want to consider a fixed blade broadhead as well (single bevel), especially with wildebeest, kudu and zebra on your list.

Poundage & Bow are plenty good enough.

I think @rookhawk has a similar draw length and he’s also a big proponent of Dr. Ashby’s recommendations for archery tackle in Africa. He may share his setup.

Ashby Bowhunting Foundation

The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation’s goal is to provide the bowhunter with the information and ongoing research to achieve highest possible success rate and reduce the wound/non-recovery rate of big game to the lowest level possible.

www.ashbybowhunting.org

Good luck with your quest for knowledge.

I am anything but an archery expert, but I have dabbled in some research and have grown fond of Dr. Ashby’s conclusions. I agree with them, but also admit it is very comparable to bullet opinions. There’s room for disagreement and just because someone just an A Frame or TSX is the best ever, doesn’t mean a core lokt won’t work.

For anyone looking for a “modern” approach to Dr. Ashby’s principles, take a peak at the YouTube channel Ranch Fairy. He’s pretty animated (or obnoxious may be another way to describe it) but he frequently references Dr, Ashby and I found good value in many of his videos. Just another resource…

 

[rookhawk]

For what it’s worth, my son’s setup and results were featured on “Ranch Fairy’s” social media sites.

RF had some good starting points but his “project dik dik” was a quick “here, I’ll prove it to you” exercise. He didn’t dig deep.

But his opinions (facts really) regarding cutting edge types, tip types, weight forward, fewer bevels, are all excellent.

Chisel tips, 3-4 blades, replaceable blades, two-bevel edges, and mass marketed steel types that can be affordably mass produced are the antithesis of what we are doing over here.

the fatal flaw is taking a modern, way overpowered bow, launching light arrows, then citing successes on US thin skinned deer, is the road to ruin. You can do everything wrong in America when you’re shooting an 80lb bow with Walmart broadheads into whitetails.

For examples of what I’m talking about, look on YouTube for Driess Vissers safaris. Great operation it appears, all bow hunting, but horribly embarrassing to watch the American clientele shooting huge draw weight bows with light arrows and junk or mechanical broadheads…few pass throughs. Pro tip: don’t get less pass throughs with 80lb bows than 8 year olds do with 35lb bows, it looks clownish and prolongs animal suffering.

momentum, momentum, momentum

And make sure the steel of the blade is as high quality and sharp as a custom knife.

you will not get this advice at a typical bow shop because you cannot make and market broadheads with enough profit to make it work in the American bow shop business model. The broadheads at bow shops cost $0.50-$3.00 to manufacture per pack, plus $30 in marketing, distribution, advertising, etc. Good broadheads start with a $15 piece of steel. Put another way, a good broadheads raw material costs 10x-20x the entire finished product mass marketed at bow shops.

 

[Winpro63]

For a 125 grain broadhead I'd include the Slicktrick. I've used the Magnum 125s on blue Wildebeest, nyala, and blesbok with great success and I wouldn't hesitate to use them on kudu or eland if it was in my sights. A lot of others around here have used them with great success.

If you'd like to use a mechanical go with the hybrids. My preference is a Muzzy Trocar HBX. The HBX comes in 125 grain. Used them on bush pig and nyala in 2018 and they worked great. The tough part may be finding them. The 125s seem to be out of production or just out of stock lately.

I'll leave the whole arrow weight thing alone. None of mine in my trips have been over 525 grain and none of my animals went far.

And just as a heads up, avoid flying through Amsterdam if possible. They apparently have an issue with bowhunting. Your bow can go through Amsterdam, but they won't even let broadheads transit through. So if you do have to go through there like I did last year you'll want to use a broadhead your outfitter can pick up in South Africa. My outfitter had a couple packs of Slick Tricks waiting for me when I arrived last year.

Thank you very much sir, I greatly appreciate it!!

 

[Winpro63]

Arrows seem light for African game (should target 650gr.+) , and too flexible (should be looking for between 150 & 250 Spine) especially for your draw length. Also, try and target an FOC of at least 20%.

I recommend giving grizzlystiks a serious look. May want to consider a fixed blade broadhead as well (single bevel), especially with wildebeest, kudu and zebra on your list.

Poundage & Bow are plenty good enough.

I think @rookhawk has a similar draw length and he’s also a big proponent of Dr. Ashby’s recommendations for archery tackle in Africa. He may share his setup.

Ashby Bowhunting Foundation

The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation’s goal is to provide the bowhunter with the information and ongoing research to achieve highest possible success rate and reduce the wound/non-recovery rate of big game to the lowest level possible.

www.ashbybowhunting.org

Good luck with your quest for knowledge.

Thank you very much sir, I greatly appreciate it

 

[Hunter101]

Congrats on your bow safari you will have a blast. I shoot a 409 grain arrow and have had complete pass through on everything from jackal to eland. Pick a hair and let the arrow fly

 

[Winpro63]

Congrats on your bow safari you will have a blast. I shoot a 409 grain arrow and have had complete pass through on everything from jackal to eland. Pick a hair and let the arrow fly

Thank you sir!! I appreciate it!!

 

[375Fox]

I’m glad to see bushbuck on your list. I think most hunters overlook it on their first safari, but is really one of the top trophies you can hunt.

 

[Winpro63]

I’m glad to see bushbuck on your list. I think most hunters overlook it on their first safari, but is really one of the top trophies you can hunt.

Thank you!!

 

[ruger375]

My brother and I have gotten great performance from our Zwickey Black Diamond 2 blade Eskimo broadheads during our 3 trips to SA and nearly 40 years of use in the US for deer, elk, bear and hogs. Perfect arrow flight, enough arrow weight and seriously sharp blades are key in our opinion, and you don't even need to mention accuracy, that's a given, an animal shot through the stomach is just as gut shot with any blade as another......... Ron's setup is a 55lb Hoyt Spider with a total arrow weight of 460 grains, I use a Black Widow TD recurve at 47lbs with a total arrow weight of 605 grains, 2 very different rigs that produce similar results.

Practice religiously, especially through a narrow shooting window as a lot of blinds in SA have as it can really hinder your depth perception which can mess with your mind.

FAIR WARNING, you will become so addicted to this bowhunters paradise you'll be thinking about your next trip before you board the plane home!!

Good Luck my friend