I'm A Bit Confused....

[LBR]

Well, even more than usual I guess    .  Here's the deal:  I was talking with a friend last night, and he told me of a fellow he knew that got a pass through on a Cape Buffalo with a 50-something lb (51, I think) recurve, 2219's, and a 190 grain Grizzly.  The only bone encountered was a nicked rib on the way out, but still--it absolutely blew me away.  I'm not the type that believes everything I hear, but I trust this guy.  If I called his name, many of you would know him, or at least have heard of him.  Just wondering what your thoughts are on this.

Chad

[Rick McGowan]

Chad, I flat do not believe it. Anytime its somebody who knows somebody, it sends up warning signals, but more importantly than that, if you shoot all the way through a buffalo, you will hit ribs on the way in and the way out, bare minimum. I have seen LOTS of arrows shot into water buffalo(slightly bigger than cape), with bows that ranged from 70 to 91#, there was not one single pass through, in fact there were only three that broke the skin on the far side. I would guess that shooting through a mature bull buffalo would be the equivelant of shooting through about four good sized whitetails, 51#'s? I don't think so. Rick

[Jackrat]

Well I,m glad rick said it first as the two guys I spoke to that have both shot scrub bulls got what they both called not good penetration.
But then again I was once told this story by my mates,wifes,friends,cousins,fathers,brother,who heard it from his mailman,,,,
Hmmmmmm,yeah I,m kind,a confused to.
Was a good story but.
Cheers jack,,,TIC.

[LBR]

I don't blame you Rick--but I do trust this guy, and I don't think he is one that believes everything he hears either.  If he hadn't heard it from a reliable source (the shooter, I believe) he wouldn't have told me.  Now, I have no intentions whatsoever of going after one of these tanks with a 50-whatever pound bow (already got my 85@30 Crusader on order), but I thought that this was interesting--at best it was a complete fluke, at worst a tall tale.  I don't remember the fellows name, but I will get it and write it down--somebody here might know him.  I also didn't think to ask what the weight/size was either--for all I know it was a skinny calf.

And, for the record, I'm gonna' do my best to get a pass through!  :D  

Chad

[Rick McGowan]

Chad, I don't doubt your friend, but I do doubt the one who said he did it. I know one very famous person who tells about someone killing a water buffalo with a 41# bow and something like 380 grain arrows. It was shot three times, twice after it was running. YEAH RIGHT! I know another very well known hunting consultant who told me, before I went to Australia the first time, that,"those water buffalo are nothing like a cape buffalo, you'll shoot right through them with your set up". THEY ARE EXACTLY like cape buffalo, only bigger. Its interesting that that consultants info, now quotes some of the things I have posted elsewhere nearly word for word on their water buffalo information. Rick

[Chris Wilson]

Aren't the ribs on a cape buffalo almost overlapping?  I've always heard their ribs were large and flat with very little space in-between them.  Seems to me it would be hard NOT to hit a rib on the way in or out.

[Rick McGowan]

Chris, yes that is correct. Cape and water buff have ribs that have been described as overlapping. They are thick and dished at the front edge and taper at the very rear edge, os when they turn the ribs can slide over each other. Otherwise they would be to stiff to move.
The ribs are so close together that you cannot fit an arrow between them without hitting both ribs. I had a hunter this year hit a big bull at the the junction of two ribs, the two blade head just happened to be vertical and slid right, but still the arrow made a small notch in the rib on either side. Rick

[Snakeeater]

LBR,

Out of respect for the person who made the shot, you might want to try to get the details straight from him instead.  It might have gotten changed when it went through the second or third party.