Minecraft wiki entry for Things_not_to_do, associated text: When fighting a creeper, the player should maintain distance. The best option with this strategy is to use a bow, as this allows the player to kill creepers from beyond their explosion range. A creeper must get close to the player before exploding, enough so that the player can build a 5 block high pillar by jumping and placing a block underneath their feet to allow the player to safely shoot a creeper wandering around the base of the pillar without fear of the creeper exploding.