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 The notion that magnum size bows are needed to dispatch big game was dispelled on my last African safari. The old truth that precise shot placement and scalpel-sharp broadheads are the real key to successful bowhunting proved itself once again.
I organized a group of whitetail hunting friends from the southeast to experience this bowhunting adventure in South Africa. Included in the group of seven were two ladies other than myself. An old friend, Phyllis Speer, the Arkansas "Becoming An Outdoor Woman" program Coordinator and Debbie Carter from Tennessee who teaches and competes in shotgunning and center fire shooting sports. Both women had years of hunting experience but neither had ever had the opportunity to take an animal with archery tackle. Phyllis who is an accomplished flintlock shooter sat in on one of my bowhunting classes at a B.O.W. workshop and was immediately bitten by the bow and arrow bug. She purchased a Browning Micro-Burner bow and with daily practice was soon as punching the 10 ring out of her targets. Debbie had attended several B.O.W. functions and subsequently added archery to her list of shooting passions.
Despite their well-honed shooting skills both women were apprehensive about the deadly effectiveness of their relatively light weight equipment. Debbie is a very tiny lady who stands less than five feet tall. She has a 22 inch draw length on her left-handed Hoyt Mystique bow and can comfortably draw 42 lbs. Her arrow shafts were Beaman ICS-500's tipped with Savora 80 grain Contender broadheads. Perhaps this set-up is not the stereo-type of most big game hunting rigs but it certainly proved fatal to some big game. And may I add that each of Debbie's African trophies were taken with a single complete pass through shot.
 Before the safari Debbie and I discussed at length her hunting equipment as well as the best plan for her to have productive hunt. Depending heavily on my prior knowledge of African plains game and experience with micro-sized archery gear I offered her this well heeded advice. I suggested that she sit a ground blind situated near water or other frequently used area. Also, I stressed the need to patiently wait for the perfect shot opportunity before releasing an arrow. The perfect shot for her would be 20 yards or less at a broadsided, relaxed animal. The rookie bowhunter followed these instructions to the T and was the first in our group of bowhunters to down an Impala. Although Impala are plentiful they are especially difficult to take by bow due to their nervous disposition and unmatched quick reactions. There was no tracking necessary for this animal because even from the narrow shooting hole in the ground blind Debbie saw the elegant Impala go down. What a confidence-boosting way to start a bowhunting career !
A couple of days later, Debbie used much the same technique to take a fine adult wart hog which sported perfectly curled tusks. This time the shot was from a slight quartering away angle and it traveled but just a few yards out of sight before collapsing. Wart hogs often find themselves the main entree at the dinner table of every African predator. This state of being constantly pursued has evolved these swine into a high strung, ever alert porker with very erratic behavior. The enormous snouts of the wart hog are equal to a whitetail deer in their ability to detect the slightest hint of a threatening odor. Their thick, mud crusted hide covers a tough bone and cartilage plate which protects their vitals area. As with other hog varieties, arrow entry and exit holes are sometimes plugged with fat thus hampering blood flow. Wart hogs are indeed a worthy trophy to take with a bow and arrow.
 Phyllis's physique and equipment set-up was quite different from Debbie's yet it will still be considered in the bantam category by most archers. Phyllis has a 28 inch draw length and pulls 48 pounds on her Browning bow. She chose Gold Tip carbon arrow shafts and Savora 100 grain Contender broadheads for this dream hunt. Phyllis decided to try her spot-and-stalk skills on the plentiful plains game. She realized that she also would be restricted to close, perfect-angle shots. Patience is a virtue and perhaps never more than when bowhunting, by nature women seem to have a double helping of patience. Phyllis patiently tried stalk after busted stalk until she got the shot opportunity she wanted. The shot was at a huge old wildebeest bull right at dusk. In the excitement of the moment she was not sure of the exact shot placement and chose to give the animal extra time before pursuing it. Dark fell and in Africa it is not a smart idea to tramp around in the bush following a blood trail since that is exactly what the other large predators might also be doing. Her guide advised to begin the search at first light the following morning. The night was long for Phyllis in her hut wondering about the outcome of her first shot at an animal. Her mood dropped several more degrees when she heard a gentle rain begin to fall on the thatch roof during the night, certain that all blood trailing possibilities would be washed away. The rain had stopped and the stars were twinkling when Craig Coppen, the head bowhunting P.H., brought Sinuous up to the morning fire. Sinuous was a native tracker and according to Craig, the best in the entire area. Grinning broadly and speaking in very limited English, he reassured Phyllis that he would find the bull. At first light Phyllis was showing Sinuous the exact spot where the wildebeest was standing and the direction it ran. Although there was no remaining spoor, Sinuous walked directly to the downed animal which had traveled less than 100 yards into the bush. The pair discovered that the shot had been placed perfectly and had passed completely through the thick chest of the bull. Cheers and shouts erupted from the lady from the Razorback State as realization of what she had just accomplished with her micro sized bow settled in.
Phyllis's second big game animal was a highly prized nyala. These elusive creatures are rarely even seen much less taken with a bow in a spot-and-stalk situation. However luck was on the side of the lady hunter as she spotted the naturally camouflaged animal hiding in the thick brush and sent another arrow accurately to its mark. This time it was the Professional Hunter who sent out yelps of excitement for the successful bowhunter.
By some standards perhaps my own equipment could fall into the bantam weight category. However, I have used similar set-ups in the past and felt confident in its ability to efficiently handle the job. For this trip to the dark continent I took two Browning bows set up exactly alike. I have a 25 ½ inch draw length and prefer to shoot double cams on a fifty five pound bow. My arrows were Carbon Express 200's made by Game Tracker tipped with Savora Contender 100 broadheads. Using this set-up and employing both spot-and-stalk and hide hunting methods I took some very impressive animals. The first cloven-hoofed game to fall to my arrow was a very mature nyala male. Taken in a spot-and- stalk situation and shot in a severe quartering away angle the gorgeous animal barely went 80 yards before succumbing to the arrow. Two fine impala rams dropped almost instantly from total pass-thru shots in the vitals. The diminutive Bush Buck is considered by many P.H.'s as the greatest small plains game trophy to be taken with a bow. They are referred to as tiny cape buffalo by the natives, many of which suffer injury and death yearly to this ill-tempered goat-looking animal. I was warned before-hand of the consequences of not making a fatal shot first shot. Craig, the Professional Hunter, said, "The Bush Buck will come after you or hide and wait for you to walk by then flip his head over and gore you with his sharp horns. He is so small and quick that you'll only see a flash and then it will be too late." I crept through the game trails in the lush vegetation half-way expecting to feel spiky horns going through my stomach at any time. It was the flicker of a tail very similar to a whitetail deer which caught my attention. Using hand signals to Craig who was following behind I let him know that I had spotted the heavy-horned buck. It took a kneeling position to find a clear shooting lane in the jungle of vines and as the Bush Buck was munching on leaves he calmly stepped into that one opening. Once again, the bantam weight equipment did its job.
 One of my favorite things to hunt in Africa is the wart hog. As noted earlier, these animals are very wary. Their acute senses never rest, they are paranoid of everything ....even each other ! On the last evening of our hunt the thought of a relaxing sit in a ground blind near a water hole sounded great to me after all of the excitement of the previous days. Several times on this trip I'd had opportunities to take nice hogs but chose not to shoot unless it was a real monster. My 1996 wart hog taken in Botswana sported 12 inch upper tusks so I knew what a really large hog looked like. While settling in for the afternoon wait I enjoyed the sounds and the smells of Africa. Guinea fowl and other large birds came first to fill their craws with water and grit followed by a clan of Baboons. The first hogs to visit the shallow pool was a small sow with four pigs. Down on their calloused knees each one went to drink and root in the mud. One quick grunt and all five tails went erect, looking like rear antennae as the troupe vanished back into the bush. Sometime later a nice looking boar cautiously eased into the clearing. Acting very nervous, he approached the water then trotted away without drinking. This scenario repeated itself three times before he felt confident enough to drop to his knees and loudly sip the murky water. For a reason which I could not figure he bolted out of the area at a dead run. The sun was now behind the horizon and I assumed that most of the days activity for all prey animals was winding down when I saw a very dark form slowly emerging from the thick cover. I'm sure that my jaw dropped inches as the monster wart hog came into full view. There was no question that this was THE one I had been holding out for. The old boar seemed to sense my position. He stared directly at my motionless form for a long time never venturing to my side of the pool. He drank on his front knees yet never took his eyes off me. I was pinned down and wondering if there would be a shot opportunity before darkness fell. The giant hog faded back into the bush without offering the necessary angle for an ethical shot. I was soaking in a short moment of disappointment when the smaller male hog which drank earlier dashed into the clearing followed by the old monster male. A fast but brutal fight took place right before my eyes. This was just the diversion I needed to quickly nock an arrow and get into shooting position. The smaller hog grabbed the first chance to escape the mauling he was taking and fled with his tasseled tail straight up. The old boar strutted his victory a bit too proudly in front of my concealed position. The green fiber-optic pin glowed brightly against the charcoal colored hog and the sharp broadhead found its way behind the shoulder and through the ribs before the hog tore away through the twilight. Sporting upper tusks that measured almost 15 inches each and weighing an estimated 500 pounds this was definitely no bantam weight animal.
Each night for dinner the camp cooks prepared the animals we had taken. Everyone had the opportunity to sample a nice variety of wild game and choose their favorite. There was never a question that the women in camp were bringing in their share of the bacon by making well-placed shots with razor-sharp broadheads from their bantam weight bows.
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