[Bvalette]

in reply to: Hippo with a long bow #21840

Nate Bailey wrote: Nice job! Just wondering what does Hippo taste like?

We did eat some…but it was an old male. It was tough and chewy and tasted like…Hippo. I wouldn’t eat it again, unless it was a young one. I’ve eaten lion and caracal and they were both tender and tasted like the best steak! I’m serious. no one else in camp would eat it…but I did and I was really impressed. The camp staff and some local folks all took the rest of the hippo and ate it.

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Hippo with a long bow #21835

deisel4bt wrote: Truly amazing!!! this is only fueling my desire to hunt in Europe while being stationed in Germany! I want to attmept hunting Afica but the future Mrs wont let me due to the danger/disease/crime she reads about. there is nothing wrong with dreaming……some dreams will become reality:D

You should go to Africa and hunt! I’ve never felt unsafe in Africa. Take your shots and you’ll be okay. There are cities in the US that I’ve felt unsafe in! Accidents can happen anywhere, that’s for sure. But I’ve found Africa unique and exciting. Take her along…go to Victoria Falls, stay at Livingston Hotel on the Zambezi River. She’ll love it.

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Hippo with a long bow #9528

Dr. Ed Ashby wrote: [quote=Troy Breeding]Hope you got plenty of data from the shot. You know as soon as Ed see’s this he is going to ask. Filming the hunt will be a big help.

CONGRATULATIONS BRETT! That makes my day! A big Hippo bull will weigh in at around 6000 pounds; about identical to a big, bull White Rhino. They are incredibly tough animals. 😯

Bvalette wrote: I continued to shoot the hippo and it dropped in about 1 1/2 minutes!

Tell us about what the outcomes were on other shots and; just got to ask; did you take any test shots after it was down? 😀

Ed
Thanks very much Ed! I was so impressed with the performance of the Ashby broadhead. And the PH’s in camp were more impressed than me. I knew it would do the job, I just had no experience doing it. The talk around camp that night between the PH’s was fun to listen to. Not so much about me, but about the broadhead and how it sliced thru that tough hippo skin! They are all believers now!
I do have photos of the arrow in the heart and the heart itself with the huge slice in it. I’ll get those to you. Along with the video clip. You can email me and give me your email address. Or you can go to my writing website and email me from there: brettvalette.com
I did not take any shots on the dead hippo…I did do one final shot after it had dropped, right behind the front leg. Penetration was good, not as deep as the first arrow…and I may not have pulled back as far as I should have in all the excitement and that I was fatigued after four shots.
I can’t wait to try this broadhead on an elephant. I’m totally confident now! I have an excellent longbow, excellent broadhead…I hope I can keep my cool.
B

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Hippo with a long bow #9066

jmsmithy wrote: Yeah Brett it’s amazing the killing power of a well placed broadhead as well as the enormity and power of some of God’s critters. I’ve taken No American Bison in So Dakotah and Eland in So Africa. The size of those critters is astounding. Hunted, but couldn’t place a clean arrow, on Brown Bear. They too, huge and Dangerous – esp at 18 yards.
Looking to head back to Africa for Zim trip in 2014-15. Hope for Leopard and Buff and possibly a Hippo. Love to do with a bow and you’ve given me hope. I’m in ok shape, fairly strong for 43 going on 44 and shooting bows all my life. Currently shoot 50#@28″ Widow for deer, black bear etc w Ashby head. I go plan on kicking up to 60-65 lb for upcoming elk/moose trips. I guess keep working and I can get upto that 85-90lb range needed (legally as well I believe ) for those bigger Dark Continent critters…

I’m 53…I’ve got ten years on ya! All it takes is determination to get up to that poundage…the up side is that it makes pulling your deer or elk bow so easy..the down side is that I don’t use the bow for anything else. It’s really a specialty bow. But Zach Ferguson made it beautiful and it is smooth, no shock and fun to shoot.
BV

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Hippo with a long bow #8595

jmsmithy wrote: Awesome Brett ❗ Job well done my friend. Question, how long did it take you to work upto 86lb draw weight? Have you always shot heavier weights or have you worked up for the biggest of the big game?

Thanks! I appreciate it. It was a team effort, the PH’s in camp were all out looking for a hippo on land for me…the running joke in camp was that I was setting up my own funeral!
When I ordered the bow from Byron and Zach ferguson I couldn’t pull it! I went to the gym…seated rows, bent over rows, lat pulldowns and some routine back exercises. That helped a lot! Took me about 3-4 months before I could pull it and hold it at full draw…I pull a 29 inch arrow..so I figure I’m pulling 90 lbs. My deer bow is 52 lbs and my elk bow is 65 lbs.
The 950 arrows and the Ashby heads were amazing! When they butchered that hippo, the arrows sliced right thru that tough leathery skin with no problem at all. The bow, the arrows and broad heads, all together worked 100 percent. This is the largest animal I’ve ever hunted and shot in my life!

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #42670

For those of you wanting a African bow plains game hunt…wow, there are some great places and great prices in Africa.
Two outfitters that I have used are Motsomi safaris in South Africa. PH is Pieter. He will spot and stalk anything you want. Took my entire family there.
the other great company is Coenraad Vermaak safaris. My ph was Hans or he’s called ‘Scruff.’ I wrote about this bow hunt in TB magazine a time ago called: Nyala the hard way.
Hans will make you a blind on the spot or spot and stalk.
Both of these companies have web pages.
And both of these companies cut me a deal when I asked, especially now, see if they have a package deal. Especially if you are taking a son or daughter. Ask to have them along to hunt for free or at the observer rate and they pay the trophy fees. It’s a fun way to get teens involved because they see so many animals in a day. Just beware…the taxidermy fees for the heads are about the same as the trophy fees…but it’s so fantastic to see the heads on the wall and remember the hunt.
I also had a videographer along…it is really special to have a DVD of your hunt. I used Lew Harris Safaris in South Africa. They have a film component to their safaris. They are reasonable and fun.
I hope I didn’t sound like a commercial here. but there are a lot of outfitters in SA and I’ve had one really bad bowhunt with one in Namibia.
Always check the references.
BV

[Bvalette]

in reply to: No Gloves and hunting #42270

yes, I have used them and I liked them, and they worked fine for me, and held the arrow on my sting, but I do believe they slow the arrow down. I now use tabs and sometimes a three finger glove. I now put as little on my string as possible. Just a feather wind indicator, and some beaver ball silencers.

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #42267

Wow! What a discussion. And some very interesting and enlightening points of view. I appreciate the interest.
I’m not going to be able to add anything new, but I find some of the comments quite interesting and maybe youthful in perspective. Maybe it’s because I’m 51 years old and grew up watching Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, Bill Neagley and The American Sportsman on TV, but all of the great giant animals on earth have been successfully and humanely killed with traditional archery equipment. I’m not even close to one of those guys, but I want the thrill of trying it. And I firmly believe that with the proper archery set up and practice I can do this with confidence. My set up is a custom made Ferguson longbow at 86 lbs. made by Byron Ferguson’s son. My arrows are heavy in weight, carbon, and tipped with German Kinetics broadheads 200 grain. Another bowhunter (compound bowhunter at Orion Adventures, they do an archery TV show also) uses the Ashby head and dropped an elephant with one arrow. He is pushing me to change my broadheads to the Ashby.
I’m pushing him to do the next elephant with traditional equipment!
Bill Neagley in his video states that he hunted dangerous game without a rifle backup after he was attacked by a lion, but, I’m not that brave (and I have four younger kids), so I will have a rifle backup and the outfitters I’ve discussed this with, require it.
As far as animals running away looking like pin cushions…review the hunts by Pope and Young, they shot alot of arrows into animals. But today, with our superior equipment, that’s not necessary. They also took really, really long shots!
If you watch the ‘old’ movies, the great archers had supreme hunting skills and took close shots at dangerous game.
With the compound bow, I’ve seen — on TV — guys discussing shots at 70 yards! I’ve shot by bow at targets at 80 yards, just see how it performs, but I’m a 25 yard guy. And that is comfortable to me.
Thanks for the opinions and the comments…I’ve been enjoying the read.
BV

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Broadhead Trade #14694

I’m interested in a larger, wider Ben Pearson Deadhead broadhead….used is totally fine. There were two sizes, the narrow width and the larger, wider width.
Do you have one for sale?
Brett

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #14685

Thanks! Michael.
It’s a ways off, but I’m preparing and practicing!
Brett

[Bvalette]

in reply to: NRA pros and cons #48027

I’m a life member of NRA and Safari Club International (SCI) and I belong to my local archery clubs and shooting clubs.
I like the diversity. I’m a hunter and I hunt with tradional equipment, and I hunt with a scoped rifle and an open sight lever action.
I do think the NRA is extreme at times, but sometimes extreme needs to be the course of action to get what you want and to protect what you want.
And I certainly don’t agree with everything they stand for and for that matter I don’t agree with everything my own profession stands for (psychologist) or even my local archery range rules! But overall, I agree. And the mission of the NRA is what I’m part of and agree with.
Like many forms of media, I do think the NRA uses scare tactics at times and fogs the truth.
I remember being at an NRA breakfast meeting of rifle hunters and the table was very vocal about getting rid of wolves. I told them that it made no sense to me that hunters wanted to ‘rid the planet of wolves.” We are conservationists for all animals, not just the ones we like. It didn’t go over well, but I still stand behind my belief and I don’t understand why some animals are seen as extinguishable and other not.
I’ll stay a member of NRA because I want my second ammendment rights protected. Just like my first ammendement rights.
BV

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #48015

Thanks everyone for the encouragment.
As of today, I don’t have an elephant hunt scheduled, but I do have a crocodile bow hunt scheduled for July 2010 along with a rhino dart hunt…that I’m trying to pursuade the outfitter to let me do it with my bow and a special dart arrow, instead of a dart gun.
If I get either animal, I’ll be writing this one for TB magazine, Don. Hope you’d be interested!
Bill Negley’s video, I think, is one of the best…even by today’s standards.
Don, you are lucky to have known him. I wish I had had the opportunity to have met him.
A word on game meat….I shot a cape buffalo this past June with a rifle. The fillets from that buffalo were like a $100 steak from Mortons. Better,even! I could not believe how juicy, tender and flavorful they were.
If any of you get a chance, see the movie, Food Inc. It will make any of you eat more wild game meat. After the movie (and seeing what goes into a beef burger) My wife said I could go hunting more often as long as I bring home game to eat. What a deal! An 8 dollar movie ticket got me more hunting days!
Thanks everyone!
Brett

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #23084

Paza….I went to school in “fagsville.” And a lot of my friends and family work and live in LA and Hollywood and Santa Monca…Very little offends me, but I’m sure there are some archers and hunters who live in Hollywood and surrounding area (I did) and they would object to your vulgar description…but you probably don’t care about that. This is my topic and I object to your name calling.
Can’t we just keep this post about hunting?

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #20313

Yes, Bill Negley’s video is one of the best in vintage bowhunting. He died a year or two ago.
Brett

[Bvalette]

in reply to: Elephant with a bow #18793

Thanks for all the encouragement!
For a great, fun video get: Moments of Truth. Bill Negley is the traditional archer. He filmed some truly amazing tradional archery hunting scenes…he actually gets mauled by a wounded lion on film. He also challenged the Howard Hill elephant shot..proving that Hill had shot the elephant in the knee with a rifle so it couln’t escape. I was excruiatingly dissapointed when I found that out. But Hill was the only archer I knew that had done that unethical deed. Pope and Young, Ben Pearson, Fred Bear and Negley all shot dangerous game fairly.
Brett

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