THE ELEPHANT STORY

Howard Hill has been asked many times to tell the facts on bagging an elephant with a bow and arrow.

Following is a list of questions and answers.

1. How many elephants did you bag?   3
2. How many arrows did it take for all three?   4
How heavy a bow did you use?   115 lbs.
Was this a hand drawn bow?   Yes
Did you use an explosive tip or poison on the tip of the arrow?   No
How long an arrow did you use?   41" with a special designed broadhead
How much did the broadhead weigh?   1700 grains
How much penetration did you get?   31.5"
Where is the best place to hit an elephant?   Between the ribs into the heart or lungs
How much did the elephant weigh?   10,000 lbs.

"WHY I SHOOT THE LONGBOW" by Howard Hill......It must be remembered that the modern glass laminated bows used today are faster than the bow of past years. I have always said and still maintain that no person shoot a bow he cannot draw with ease. Being first of all a hunter, I wanted a bow that would throw a heavy hunting arrow with as little arc as possible. To achieve this end I knew I would have to increase the pounds pull of my bow, and I worked toward this result. I started with a bow that I could pull easily. By practicing constantly and gradually increasing the pull of my bows, I developed, over a period of years, the muscles to pull very heavy bows with no undue strain. For many years I could handle perfectly bows pulling up to 100 pounds at 28 inches, though my favorite weight for hunting was between 80-90 pounds. Few men have ever spent enough time to develop sufficient strength for handling easily such heavy bows as these.

P.S. Even at the age of 62 years he could draw and shoot a 75 lb. hunting bow with ease and comfort. Infact, two or three times each week he would shoot a bow of that weight for 30 to 90 minutes, shooting from 110 to 150 arrows. Howard never liked the use of sights or other paraphernalia on his bows. He considered these to be crutches and felt they took away from the challenge of the bow. Also, he liked his bow clean and free of any encumbrances that would hinder the maneuverability of the bow for moving shots. He considered cable and pulley bows something that detracted from the romance of the ancient sport of archery.