Oz Buff-2006

[J from Denmark]

Hi Mark, was it a bison or a waterbuff ?

Jacob

[Rick McGowan]

It was a water buff and he was with us when he shot it, but there were some circumstances involved that really don't make it a good example. If I remember right the bow was over 60#, by a few pounds. Nathan knew he was underbowed, so decided that he would only take a shot if it was perfect circumstances. VERY close, standing still , broadside. He got his opportunity, but it wasn't a big bodied buffalo and he made a perfect shot. Getting a perfect shot on buffalo is NOT easy. I have seen a LOT of arrows shot into water buffalo, with up to 90# bows. There is a very good reason that African countries require a VERY HIGH K.E. for cape buffalo and water buffalo can be 20% heavier. Accuracy is the most important thing, but if you don't have enough penetration, the best accuracy isn't going to be much help.

[Don Thomas]

And vice versa. With a fair amount of water buff experience under my own belt, I would observe the following. Every bull I've seen hit in the right place -- perfect loccation and shot angle -- has gone down with no problem, no matter what weight bow. Every one hit anywhere else has been a bit of a drama, again, no matter what weight bow. I hate to offer a firm number on bow weight because circumstances vary so much, but everyone needs a starting point. I would regard #70 tackle as minimum and if you can handle 10# more, do it. Beyond that, it's probably overkill. Of course, this assumes heavy arrows, perfect broadheads etc. Accuracy inevitably suffers somewhat as poundage increases -- that's why tournament target archers shoot light bows. How much loss of accuracy is acceptable? That's for you to decide. But if you can't shoot #70 with reasonable accuracy, you shouldn't be hunting buff, IMHO. Above all, don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you're shooting #85, the buff is going to die. The arrow HAS to be delivered perfectly. Cheers, Don