Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award

lifetime achievement award

The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation is honored to sponsor the Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award with the winner being chosen from among those candidates that best meet the four criteria detailed hereinafter on a cumulative basis. Dr. Ashby invested nearly three decades in the study of arrow performance and broadhead lethality. In 1981, Dr. Ashby assisted in a bowhunting research study commissioned by the government of South Africa to determine if African game could be ethically and humanely harvested with a bow and arrow. Four years later, Dr. Ashby and his team published what has come to be known as the “Natal Study”. In 1986, based on the findings of the Natal Study, the South African government legalized bowhunting. Subsequent to South Africa, other sub-Saharan countries followed suit. Upon completion of the Natal Study, Dr. Ashby continued his arrow and broadhead penetration research for nearly three decades. His research has led to empirical findings in arrow lethality, revealing the 650 grain heavy bone threshold, the 19% FOC (Forward of Center) threshold, and the effectiveness of single bevel broadheads on breaking bone as well as increasing soft tissue damage. Dr. Ashby’s testing is the closest thing to the scientific method as is possible under the testing conditions.  Never has anyone tested arrows and broadheads on actual game animals on such a scale.  Bowhunters everywhere owe Dr. Ashby a debt of gratitude as his data reveals which broadheads and arrows perform the best on game animals. 

All bowhunters worldwide, are eligible to be nominated for the Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award. Criteria for the Award, scored from 0-5 with 0 being the lowest score and 5 the highest and weighted equally (25% each) will be as follows:

1.     Personal history of ethical hunting practices and use of appropriate equipment.

2.     Participation in bowhunter education and/or efforts to forward ethical bowhunting practices and equipment through government agencies.

3.     Active participation in hunting related conservation organizations.

4.     The animals hunted.  

Candidates with the highest overall score among qualified entries may be declared the winner of the award. The winner of the Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award can nominate candidates for this award. The winner of the award is selected by the Officers of the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation. The hunting category can be for animals hunted with any type of bow(s). The Ashby Bowhunting Foundation may issue this annually. Due to the overall award criteria, this award may not be issued on an annual basis.

Application for Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award

2022: Mr. Ricardo Longoria

ABF is pleased to announce that Mr. Ricardo Longoria of Texas is the 2022 recipient of the Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award. Ricardo Longoria has been hunting with a bow and arrow for nearly four decades. During this time, he has had the opportunity to bowhunt extensively on six continents, collecting close to 300 different big game species. He especially enjoys the challenge of hunting at high altitudes for ovis and capra species as well as a variety of dangerous game animals, including Africa’s “Big Six”. Ricardo is an active participant in SCI’s Record Book and World Hunting Awards programs, being the youngest person to ever achieve SCI’s highest hunting honor, the World Conservation and Hunting Award, and it was with a bow and arrow. Ricardo is currently the SCI Alternative Hunting Methods and Major Awards Vice-Chair and also served as the founder of the SCI Bowhunters Chapter. Having a strong commitment for wildlife conservation and game management, Ricardo has spearheaded and underwritten breeding programs for endangered species such as the Addax, Arabian Oryx and Dama Gazelle. Through an association with Conservation Force, he has also been a key supporter of the “Ranching for Restoration” program, which is aimed at breeding and shepherding endangered species on United States ranches as well as providing funds for supporting these same species in the wild in their native ecosystems. Additionally, he has been successful in his efforts to relocate the Texas White-tailed Deer and Rio Grande Turkey to areas of South Texas and Northern Mexico where poaching activity and over-grazing had nearly eliminated them. His commitment to hunter education and youth recruitment has been shown through his active financial support of various organizations including the Conklin Foundation Endowment Fund, SCIF’s Hunter Legacy Fund, membership in SCI’s Lion & Shield Society (Lion Level), the Pope and Young Club/St. Charles Museum of Bowhunting (Ishi Level), the Pope and Young Club’s Trust Fund (Gold Level), the Pope and Young Club’s Fred Bear Society (Kodiak Bear Level), Shikar-Safari Club International, Trinity Oaks, Weatherby Foundation International, and others.

Previous Winners

2021: Mr. Strang Middleton

ABF is pleased to announce that Strang Middleton of Zambia is the first International recipient of the Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award for 2021. Strang has taken most of the game in southern Africa, from duikers through the Dangerous 7. He has bowhunted extensively and is a strong advocate for ethical bowhunting. Strang is a dangerous game bowhunting guide and is known by bowhunters around the world as one of the go-to guides. Strang completely understands the Ashby principles of utilizing the most efficient arrow and broadhead systems in the world to achieve the ultimate balance in equipment for the hunting task at hand.

2020: Mr. Mark Buehrer

ABF is pleased to announce that Mark Buehrer was selected for the Dr. Ed Ashby Bowhunting Award for 2020. Mark has bowhunted four continents for 46+ years and is well known and respected throughout the archery industry. Mark has promoted ethical bowhunting through multiple conservation organizations while operating Bowhunting Safari Consultants to assist bowhunters worldwide.

2019: No Winner Selected

2018: Mr. Oscar Taylor

OT was selected as he met all four criteria with a lifelong history of ethical hunting practices for over forty years, being active in bowhunter education, being involved with multiple conservation organizations along with being the President of SCI Houston Chapter, hunting four continents, and being an avid supporter/promoter of Ashby’s studies.

2017: Mr. Rob Neilson

“Rob, you have certainly lived up to every intent I had for winners of the Ashby Bowhunting Award. You are truly worthy of being recipient Number 1, and deserve to be the benchmark against which every applicant for the Award should be judged. Thank you, Sir. I'm proud to see you as President of ABF and we are lucky to have you in that position. As we would have said in Africa you are truly, "the right sort" - the highest compliment that can be paid.”

Ed Ashby - Founder