Julián Ramírez de Arellano has become the first person in the world to harvest Africa’s “Big Seven” using exclusively traditional archery gear without any assisted sights, according to Jara y Sedal. The hunter from Chiclana de la Frontera, in the southern Spanish province of Cádiz, completed the milestone after nearly two decades of expeditions, logistical hurdles, and physical setbacks.
Two decades of pursuit across international terrain
The pursuit began in 2007 when Ramírez de Arellano set out to conquer the checklist. By 2009, his expeditions had already drawn coverage in the pages of Diario de Cádiz, at which point three species still remained on his list. Securing special hunting permits, navigating international legal paperwork, managing physical injuries, and enduring the pandemic stretched the timeline to 18 years, forcing him to break the challenge down into distinct stages.
The final two species—the hippopotamus and the leopard—were successfully taken in August 2025, though news of the completed feat was only recently made public through the specialized sporting publication Jara y Sedal. Alongside the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, and crocodile, the seven large African animals represent species of enormous difficulty.
Instinctive shooting mechanics and heavy draw weights
Rather than relying on modern compound bows with mechanical scopes or fiber-optic pins, Ramírez de Arellano utilized traditional recurve bows with tips curving forward, employing a discipline known as pure instinctive shooting. Across his various expeditions, he pulled draw weights ranging from 50 to 90 pounds, tailoring the equipment to the specific anatomy, bone density, and hide thickness of each targeted species. This heavy draw requirement demands rigorous physical conditioning and precise technical execution.
With the final expedition complete, the hunter plans to submit his documentation to international, national, and regional hunting federations. Officials will examine the results to proceed with homologation and official registration.
Documentation review and traditional principles
According to Jara y Sedal, the achievement serves as a broader validation of traditional hunting methods and the concept of “fair chase,” a philosophy that emphasizes pursuing game under conditions that offer the animal a sporting chance.
Records of the multi-year challenge trace back to its early coverage in Diario de Cádiz in 2009, culminating in the final paperwork submissions following the August 2025 harvests.
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