Africa’s Bowhunter – August 2019

pounds. A bow of 50–60 pound draw weight (minimum) is, how-
ever, recommended and even higher if it will result in a faster
arrow. Complete arrow weight including broadhead, f letching,
nock, shafts and inserts should not be less than 300 grains and
would be better in the 400-grain weight range. A fast, f lat shoot-
ing hunting arrow is a decided advantage when taking long shots
and will help to reduce the chances of a misplaced arrow due to
string jump. Virtually any sharp broadhead will work well in
the lightly boned, thin-skinned, and lightly muscled springbok
as penetration is not a problem. Mechanical broadheads (where
allowed) will also work well with fast arrows. See Table 1 and
Fig u r e 7.

Table 1

Arrow velocity Slow arrow

(< 220 fps)

Moderate

arrow

(220–260 fps)

Fast arrow

(260–300 fps)

Very fast arrow

(> 300 fps)

Recommended

hunting range (yards)

0–25 0–30 0 –35 0 –

Shot placement
The only shot likely to present itself which will provide the
bowhunter with a good chance of success is a broadside pre-
sentation (Figure 8). The springbok is not a large animal, is
very difficult to approach to within 30 yards or less and has
extremely fast ref lexes, which a bowhunter may discover when
the springbok “string jumps” his arrow! Any attempts at shots
other than a broadside heart-lung presentation are likely to end
in a miss or a wound and are not recommended. Occasionally
a quartering-away or shot from above may be considered if the
animal approaches very close to or under a hide. If a shot is

attempted downwards from an elevated platform remember to

aim the arrow so that it ends up in the vitals (Figure 8A, B and

C). The animal is lightly boned and thin skinned and will offer

very little resistance to a broadhead-tipped arrow. Although

longer shots are not generally recommended this is one animal

where the bowhunter may be justified in attempting a shot up to

40 metres because it is very difficult to get much closer to these

little gazelle.

After the shot

Springbok are not particularly tough animals and are generally

easy to find after having been hit by a well-placed arrow because

they live in fairly open habitat. They are often found on sandy

substrates that lend themselves well to registering spoor, mak-

ing it easy to track them. Remember to give enough time for the

shot to take effect before initiating follow-up procedures. Even

after a good heart-lung shot wait for 30 minutes before starting

to look for or attempting to approach a downed animal. Wait

appreciably longer for a suspected liver shot and at least four

hours before following up on a gut shot animal. As a generaliza-

tion springbok do not look for dense cover to lie up in when they

are wounded, but will often go down in open areas. •

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