Cape Buffalo With A Crossbow - April 2010
11-22-2010, 05:07 AM
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Cape Buffalo With A Crossbow - April 2010
BOWHUNTING GRANDMA BAGS BUFFALO
As reported by Don Martin of the Kingman Daily Miner:
Hunting big game in Africa is exciting, but imagine the danger involved in pursuing a 1,800-pound cape buffalo while armed only with a crossbow!
Well, that's exactly what Jayne Alford, a grandmother from Prescott, did recently.
Alford is not new to bowhunting. She has been bow hunting for 18 years and has taken a number of great trophies in America with stick and string. But last year, she decided for her birthday she would attempt to take a cape buffalo with a crossbow.
Alford began a year of preparation. She got a Barnett Revolution AVI crossbow, 150-pound draw weight, which shoots 22-inch Easton carbon aluminum arrows that are called bolts. Even with this setup, Alford would need to be within 40 yards of her dangerous quarry.
After a year of practicing, she was ready to go.
The hunt started early that day and the hunters quickly got onto a herd of cape buffalo and followed them all morning, watching and waiting for them to lay down to escape the heat of the day.
When they were comfortable that the herd was settled in, they slipped away for some lunch.
When they returned a short time later, what they found was something that every cape buffalo hunter dreads.
Unbeknownst to them, one of big herd bulls had got into a fight with another dominant bull, and after being beaten and injured, the injured bull was driven out of the herd into the thick underbrush.
Awaiting them was this huge black beast that was in a bad mood, to say the least. With the video cameras recording all of the action, a stalk on the bull was started.
The hunters surprised the bull and at first it ran into the camphor brush before Alford could get off a shot.
With the bull now aware that hunters were nearby, he didn't retreat. Instead, he set up to face his arch enemy. The hunter was armed with a crossbow and backed up by several professional hunters, or PH as they are called there, while the bull with his thick and pointed 42+" wide horns lay in wait.
As the hunters moved in, and with the camera rolling, the unexpected happened.
The bull stepped out of the brush and at first they thought he was going to run away again. But the bull had other ideas.
Instead of retreating, he charged!
With one her professional hunters screaming, "Shoot, Miss Jayne, shoot! He is at 20 yards!" she let loose a lethal bolt from the crossbow.
The bolt found its mark in the chest of the huge bull at 8 meters, but he was determined to crush the hunters.
When the bull was almost on top of the hunters, one of Alford's PHs shot two rounds off from his 500 Nitro Express at the feet of the charging bull. The shots kicking up dirt and rocks caused the bull to turn and run away.
The hunters immediately followed, and a half mile later, they found the bull. As the bull stepped out of the brush, it was obvious that he was severely wounded, but that didn't stop the bull from lowering his head to make a charge at Alford and her team.
As much as Alford wanted to be the first woman to ever bag a cape buffalo with a crossbow, human life was now at stake. At that point, she grabbed a 458 Magnum rifle and fired twice at the bull.
Once more, the bull broke off the charge and fled into the thick underbrush. They trailed him another half mile before they found him piled up.
According to Alford, "The bull was playing dead, and it's the dead ones that will kill you!"
As they cautiously approached the "dead" bull, it started to get up. At that point, Alford fired another crossbow bolt straight into his heart.
With that shot, the great beast expired.
Though it will not be recognized as being a cape buffalo taken with a crossbow, it is something that Alford is obviously very proud of.
"This truly was a hunt of a lifetime. And if I could have taken the bull solely with a crossbow, I would have been very happy.
"But under the circumstances of having a rogue bull who was already in a bad mood, wounded and ready to stomp anyone or anything on his path into a bloody pool in the sand, it was in the interest of safety to stop the second charge with a gun.
"I am still happy with my buffalo and will keep this memory forever!"
(L to R) Marcus-PH, Me, Ethan-PH, Lucky-Driver/Cameraman and Brighton-the BEST tracker in SA!
And thanks to Cactuflage, a local Arizona Camo company we lookes so cute all dressed the same.
Ethan, my PH and I with my trophy
Lucky my driver and camera man did not feel so lucky to be standing beside me when the bull charged. I was so focused on the buffalo and didnt know I was scared until in the middle of the night when the adrenaline wore off...then I was terrified at how close and fast the bull was on us before I could fire my first shot.
All in all..it was the best birthday ever and my Hunt of a Lifetime!
As reported by Don Martin of the Kingman Daily Miner:
Hunting big game in Africa is exciting, but imagine the danger involved in pursuing a 1,800-pound cape buffalo while armed only with a crossbow!
Well, that's exactly what Jayne Alford, a grandmother from Prescott, did recently.
Alford is not new to bowhunting. She has been bow hunting for 18 years and has taken a number of great trophies in America with stick and string. But last year, she decided for her birthday she would attempt to take a cape buffalo with a crossbow.
Alford began a year of preparation. She got a Barnett Revolution AVI crossbow, 150-pound draw weight, which shoots 22-inch Easton carbon aluminum arrows that are called bolts. Even with this setup, Alford would need to be within 40 yards of her dangerous quarry.
After a year of practicing, she was ready to go.
The hunt started early that day and the hunters quickly got onto a herd of cape buffalo and followed them all morning, watching and waiting for them to lay down to escape the heat of the day.
When they were comfortable that the herd was settled in, they slipped away for some lunch.
When they returned a short time later, what they found was something that every cape buffalo hunter dreads.
Unbeknownst to them, one of big herd bulls had got into a fight with another dominant bull, and after being beaten and injured, the injured bull was driven out of the herd into the thick underbrush.
Awaiting them was this huge black beast that was in a bad mood, to say the least. With the video cameras recording all of the action, a stalk on the bull was started.
The hunters surprised the bull and at first it ran into the camphor brush before Alford could get off a shot.
With the bull now aware that hunters were nearby, he didn't retreat. Instead, he set up to face his arch enemy. The hunter was armed with a crossbow and backed up by several professional hunters, or PH as they are called there, while the bull with his thick and pointed 42+" wide horns lay in wait.
As the hunters moved in, and with the camera rolling, the unexpected happened.
The bull stepped out of the brush and at first they thought he was going to run away again. But the bull had other ideas.
Instead of retreating, he charged!
With one her professional hunters screaming, "Shoot, Miss Jayne, shoot! He is at 20 yards!" she let loose a lethal bolt from the crossbow.
The bolt found its mark in the chest of the huge bull at 8 meters, but he was determined to crush the hunters.
When the bull was almost on top of the hunters, one of Alford's PHs shot two rounds off from his 500 Nitro Express at the feet of the charging bull. The shots kicking up dirt and rocks caused the bull to turn and run away.
The hunters immediately followed, and a half mile later, they found the bull. As the bull stepped out of the brush, it was obvious that he was severely wounded, but that didn't stop the bull from lowering his head to make a charge at Alford and her team.
As much as Alford wanted to be the first woman to ever bag a cape buffalo with a crossbow, human life was now at stake. At that point, she grabbed a 458 Magnum rifle and fired twice at the bull.
Once more, the bull broke off the charge and fled into the thick underbrush. They trailed him another half mile before they found him piled up.
According to Alford, "The bull was playing dead, and it's the dead ones that will kill you!"
As they cautiously approached the "dead" bull, it started to get up. At that point, Alford fired another crossbow bolt straight into his heart.
With that shot, the great beast expired.
Though it will not be recognized as being a cape buffalo taken with a crossbow, it is something that Alford is obviously very proud of.
"This truly was a hunt of a lifetime. And if I could have taken the bull solely with a crossbow, I would have been very happy.
"But under the circumstances of having a rogue bull who was already in a bad mood, wounded and ready to stomp anyone or anything on his path into a bloody pool in the sand, it was in the interest of safety to stop the second charge with a gun.
"I am still happy with my buffalo and will keep this memory forever!"
(L to R) Marcus-PH, Me, Ethan-PH, Lucky-Driver/Cameraman and Brighton-the BEST tracker in SA!
And thanks to Cactuflage, a local Arizona Camo company we lookes so cute all dressed the same.
Ethan, my PH and I with my trophy
Lucky my driver and camera man did not feel so lucky to be standing beside me when the bull charged. I was so focused on the buffalo and didnt know I was scared until in the middle of the night when the adrenaline wore off...then I was terrified at how close and fast the bull was on us before I could fire my first shot.
All in all..it was the best birthday ever and my Hunt of a Lifetime!
