Elephants are relatively fast animals. Top speed is between 21-25 mph for the fastest elephants, or about as fast as the world's quickest sprinters. However, they don't have to slow down for small barriers...like trees.

 

I have to disagree. Bow hunters are usually the higher-skilled group of hunters. Chances are, if you can hit a deer with a bow, you can (and will) hit them in the right spot. It's not nearly as easy as firing a gun.

Anyone can go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap rifle and hunt. Not so many can afford a much more expensive bow, expensive arrows, and all the other gear typically required to bow hunt (well, if you're using a compound bow, at least). You can shoot longbow or recurve fairly cheaply.

Anyways, in short, I think more animals are left wounded and unfound by rifle hunters than bow hunters. An arrow is actually (I'm told) more merciful - it's so sharp the animals really don't feel it. They bleed to death - they don't die from massive trauma by absorbing 20000000000 ft-lbs of energy from a high-velocity bullet (I'm exaggerating the energy, naturally) that mushrooms on impact and tears/gouges (as opposed to cuts) through them.

 

too bad you can't ask the animal how he/she wants to be killed.... that would be the nice thing to do.

[QUOTE=JonBoy,Nov 30 2004, 09:25 AM]
An arrow is actually (I'm told) more merciful - it's so sharp the animals really don't feel it.

 

I don't agree in trophy hunting, either. I haven't even hunted yet, though I hope to within a year. I'll eat the meat, though - should be interesting. I'm actually more interested in going to watch than anything - you get to see lots of wildlife in Texas (or Colorado)...