After taking back the head and horns of the buff to camp, we all had lunch, then Doug and Mick headed off to hunt some more while Andy and I went back to the carcass of the buffalo so I could do some broadhead testing. I ended up shooting an arrow into the buff four times from various angles using the same new ABS Ashby head, but not sharpening it between shots. My first shot was from an angle similar to the one I had shot at when the buff was alive, except on the other side. This time, however, the buff was stretched out straight rather than being curled around as I previously described, so no spaces between the overlapping ribs were open. The first shot center-punched a rib and buried itself deeply into the middle of the rib with the point just coming out the inside surface of the rib, which left the back portion of the broadhead sticking out of the outer surface of the rib. Of course, we had to dissect the skin back to see what had happened at the rib. By moving the broadhead back and forth in the direction of the cutting portion of the blades, we where able to pull it out. The tip of the broadhead was slightly chipped but repairable, and overall the broadhead looked pretty good, although it was not nearly as sharp. The second shot was from the side directly though the scapula. The broadhead had no trouble penetrating the scapula, but it was stopped by the ribs on the inside. Remember, this is a slightly damaged, dulled broadhead. The third shot was from the same side as the shot on the live buff and at a somewhat shallower angle, with a result similar to the first shot of the four shot test series. The rib was fully pierced by the point, and the broadhead was buried deep in the bone, but it did not cut fully through the ribcage to enter the vitals. Again, we were able to pull the broadhead out of the rib but rocking it and pulling with substantial force. Finally, on the fourth shot, we decided to use the "perfect" shot of placing the arrow into the meat on the rear portion of the shoulder while shooting directly from a broadside position. Even with a dulled and chipped broadhead that had been shot into bone three times without sharpening, the arrow drove into the buffalo and traveled through both lungs. I think if the broadhead had been sharp and undamaged, it would have gone through the other side, but the arrow probably would have stayed partially inside the buffalo. What this testing showed us was that shooting a big buffalo like that from any angle other than broadside and shooting it anywhere other than the meat at the rear of the shoulder could easily result in a failure of the arrow to cut into the vitals and inflict a fatal wound. That testing guided all of us in future stalks. An almost ideal placement for the shot would be where the tip of the horn is over the shoulder in this picture, or maybe slightly forward of that spot.
Our testing took us the rest of the afternoon, then we headed back to camp to wait for Mick and Doug.
Allan
Topic: Somewhere over the rainbow -- back from the land of Oz (Chapter One) (Read 19392 times)
