Dear Ben

Thank you for taking the time to discuss this.
With the attitude that you display to this matter in your reply above you have gone a long way to answering my disquiet on this matter.
30 seconds, no that does not seem an unreasonable time and if I read you correctly you would not hesitate in using a firearm to prevent it from dragging out.
That is however somewhat at odds with the other poster that replied to your origional post.

Perhaps it is the perception of the standard for the record book that needs adjusting. When one reads some of the older tales of derring do and Elephants when less than perfect firearms were used, it was normal for the person firing the first shot to claim the animal even if his was not the killing shot.
If this applied to bow hunting perhaps that would be better. The skill is in making the hit after all not in the manner of dying. I can see no reason that one should not be rewarded for that hard skilled work.

I appriciate the skill that is involved into getting into bow range on a stalk (much closer than many get with a rifle). I have seen however too many videos of bow hunters ( and rifle tourists I must add) sitting in hides above water holes because they have not the skill to do it any other way. Even videos from a well known bow manufacturer and exponent doing just this.

It appears from your pictures that you are not one of these, so good on you.

In answer to 500 Grains,
It can only be, As soon as possible. Circumstances can alter cases and it would be frivilous to place a specific time on this. In cover it may take minutes to locate an animal. All I can say is that having done so, one should, and I have, shot it in the brain immediatly no matter what my perception of it nearness to death maybe.
I belive all of us that have hunted extensivly have had times where we wished that things had gone better and regret the elapsed time from first to last shot was not much less.
The only comfort one can take is the knowledge that if one could, one would have ended it sooner.
Mistakes happen. What plays on my mind is anybody setting out with the intention of not ending it quickly if "it will not count for the record" or not posessing the means to do so.

It is like 9.3's point. If you have to feed your family you do what you have to do, with whatever is to hand. But we don't we do this for pleasure. I think that it behoves us to do it quickly and calmly. That for me is the distinction between "Humane" and "Inhumane"

Regards

Regards