Cape Buffalo Makes it Number Three!
International
Happy Memorial Day to everyone. My wife an I just returned yesterday from East London, South Africa in my attempt for buffalo number three. I'm still dealing with jet lag so some of my post may seem more incoherent than usual but here goes. We didn't spend much time on this trip sightseeing and actually made a stalk the first afternoon we arrived. We spotted the back and horns of what appeared to be a nice bull about 1000 yards out and headed after him. That was the beginning of my education on this hunt. We crept through some of the nastiest brush, tall grass and thickets with everything in them guarded by thorns, needles, sharp branches, etc....you get the idea....I've ever seen. Light was getting in short supply by the time we made our way to where the Cape Buffalo was but he had moved on and it was time to head back. That was the first of many stalks and I apparently do not have any problems with my heart because it was put to the test in several ways on this trip.
Awesome...looking forward this thread!!!
Day two brought a lot of mixed emotions about the day before. Poking a Cape Buffalo with their notoriously bad attitude in such tight quarters wasn't exactly ideal conditions. But, I had faith in Andrew Mackay whom I've hunted buffalo with on two prior occasions. If he thought we could get it done then that's the way I had to think. So, with the help of the tree-top pep squad we scouted for the same buffalo but never sighted him again. Worked for me....I needed a day to stop leaking from the previous day's stalk. Note the thorns in the photo.
E. V. Krull is the owner of the property we were hunting and every evening he had dinner with us and we discussed the day's hunt, history of the area, his property and politics. It is a truly unspoiled natural property that encompasses over 50,000 acres (yea...8 square miles) with only a single fence bordering the property....no cross fences. They honestly have no idea how many animals they have on the place and only allow 5-6 hunts a year to subsidize expenses.
The buffalo were determined not to be seen so we decided to take the edge off by making a stalk on a nice warthog. Mistake! Hogs live in thick stuff right? Guess where he headed.......yea, Thornville. Thanks to the aid of a bright moon and Buster, the dog we surfaced from the brush about 9 pm. Leaking has resumed.
E. V. estimates they have between 35-50 rhinos on the place but we only saw a mother with 2 young one day and a lone bull another day. I had no idea how bad the poaching problem is in Africa for rhino. Last year nearly 1000 were poached for their horns and this year the count is over 400 already.
Finally, a lone buff is spotted and we make a plan. A bit of levity is always a good idea before getting down to business.
Ever since I watched 'Black Death' DVD.....I have no sleep nights!!
Totally enjoy my friend,
Good luck, Robb
The stalk wasn't as bad as some before as we came in on a hillside above the buff. We could hear him feeding just below us and I was able to find a 2 foot hole in the brush where I hoped he would pass. I first caught sight of the horns as he kept shifting back and forth feeding. He took a short step forward and the shoulder came into view. I drew and settled my 20 yard pin on the spot and let it fly. After a loud wack from the impact I turned to Andrew who had his .416 Rigby pointed in the direction of the bull and asked if he could see the shot. He said it was good height but may be a bit back and angling forward. OK....not bad but we never heard the death groan. We gave the bull an hour and proceeded with caution. Thanks to Buster and two fantastic trackers we caught up to the bull. He still had enough steam left to give Buster some death-inflicting passes so Andrew's .416 had to finish things. No doubt the bull would have died but he may have taken some company with him.
Andrew Mackay and I enjoy our third buffalo success together.
Upon examination of the bull we found out why he didn't go down as soon as we had hoped. The arrow centered a rib then changed direction angling rearward instead of continuing forward. It clipped the very back of the first lung but completely missed the second lung ending up in the gut of the bull. I can't say whether the condition of the broadhead totally explains the circumstances but I have a feeling it didn't help. I had a complete pass through with this head on an Australian Water Buffalo with no damage. The very tip broke off on my buff in Argentina but I attributed that to it lodging in the off side shoulder. This however is another story and I won't be using this head on another dangerous game hunt. The head below in the photo is an unused one for comparison.
OK, with the bull down and everyone in camp happy, happy, happy we went for whatever we could. After countless stalks on different species of plains game we had another opportunity at a big female warthog. Gotta love those hogs.
I mentioned the poaching problem that exists today in Africa and I got first hand exposure to it. We decided to take a break from crawling around on our bellies for a while and go after some baboons....long range. There are several areas along a river that have rock bluffs where the baboons live and may offer a shot. As we approached our vantage point we heard dogs and people yelling. The owner's son, Karl and one of the trackers went after the poachers but they had already killed a bushbuck and made it across the river with it. I'll leave the rest of the details as to what took place next to your imagination but think Wild, Wild, West!!!
With only a couple of days left Andrew and I decided to pull out all the stops. We had seen a large herd of Blesbok but avoided putting too much pressure on them because of all of the eyes. We glassed the herd for a while before spotting a ram and 4 females feeding separate from the herd. The stalk was on. We completely circled downwind and below the herd along a long ridge to get to the ram. As we used the brush between us and the ram to close the distance we didn't see the herd of Impala that moved in. We had 70 yards to go and light was fading so we got on our bellies and went straight for the ram with Impala snorting and raising hell. The wind was finally in our favor and they didn't know what we were. The ram stood his ground as I took the shot from 37 yards quartering towards us. The arrow hit the crease between the shoulder and chest and the ram ran two complete circles of about 30 yards then came right at our side...full speed. He then hit a bush and did a complete flip, got to his feet and proceeded downhill at the speed of light. Andrew and I could only look at each other and ask.....Did you see that??? That experience finished up a fantastic trip to the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Hopefully Andrew and I can soon check Musk Ox off the bovine quest I appear to be on. I'll be sure to make a post on BowSite should it take place. Have a good season this year!!!
Cool story and nice write up.
If that is a German Kinetic, I'd be curious to when you bought it and it's weight, etc. Did you take a photo of the rib?
Thx Bill
The head is a 150 gr Silver Flame (formerly German Kenetics) Didn't take photo of the rib...sorry.
sounds like a blast !! sad thing all the poaching goin on over there ! PJ what was your setup for Buff
Phil, awesome story and fantastic trophies!! Glad you all made it home safe. Dangerous game trips are always exciting to read about. Based on what you remember about the broadhead and the rib of your buff, can you recall if the rib was split or did the rib just have a whole blown through it. Just curious as I do as much research as humanly possibly for the best heavy weight set up.
Any info would be very helpful and congrats again on an amazing trip.
Well done!!
Best regards, Scott Alberda
PJ those heads I believe are not German Kinetics but made by ABS in China, those and the Ashby are often brittle, after my experience I would never use either on heavy or dangerous game. The genuine German Kinetics I believe are still available and were always a quality made head.
If I had not seen a picture of that "Silver Flame" head fail I would not have believed it. I can't imagine the stress needed to cause it to fail! Congrats on your adventure! Mike
cityhunter, I used a Bowtech Insanity at 70#, the 17.2 gr/in Easton Dangerous Game FMJ arrows with a Carbon Express nock protector behind the broadhead for a little extra strength and FOC. Total weight is 776 gr with the 150 gr Silver Flame broadheads.
B N A A guy, Andrew was able to put a finger in the rib hole and told me it was dead center. I know where you're going with the split or hole question but sorry we didn't make that determination. I wish we would have......I'd like to know myself. Everything seemed a little rushed at that point and it was the first buffalo taken on the place with a bow so we seemed to be distracted with other things along with a lot of excitement. Another observation.....the forward 1/3 of the ferrule was bent. Whether the blade cratering caused that or the ferrule bending caused too much lateral stress on the blade resulting in the break, I don't know. I think the solid 210 gr Silver Flame head would have done a better job. My guess......the cut outs on the 150 gr head provide for too many weak stress points subject to failure when encountering a very dense material like heavy bone. I like the edge on the Silver Flames.....sharp as hell. My other 2 buffs died within 50 yards on double lung shots. Because this arrow changed course the lungs were spared. It looks to me the combination of the bent ferrule and blade failure caused the change in direction of the arrow. I don't think the Silver Flames are a bad broadhead but for an animal of this size I think the 210 gr solid blade is a far better choice over the 150's.
Congrats! That's an amazing buff.
Thanks for the info Phil. Again heck of a trophy and job well done!!!
Great animals n story Phil-- pizza on the house --
Phil I heard stories about you this past January at the DSC Convention. You are one adventurous dude- a try DIY style hunter.
Congrats on a great hunt and some great trophies. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
Phil I heard stories about you this past January at the DSC Convention. You are one adventurous dude- a try DIY style hunter.
Congrats on a great hunt and some great trophies. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
Paul T......you are right. The head I used was purchased from ABS. Thanks everyone for the comments and glad I was able to share the experience with you through BowSite. Clutch, let me know when that pizza is ready!!!!
Thanks for a great thread!
Thats why i get my silver flames from Germany.. They make a better head than the ABS heads..
Great story! Congrats on a fine trophy!
Very nice Cape Buff & other PG....Congrats! Great pictures and great story! Thanks for sharing...
Looks like a great trip! Thanks sharing it with us!
Phil thanks did u fig out what speed that bow was shooting them arrows ! I think Chuck Adams wrote once how he placed a arrow thru the lungs and was shocked how long it took for the buff to expire !!
cityhunter.....It's been a while since I tested my set-up but I think they were moving through the chrono at about 220 FPS. Thanks to some of the responses on this thread it comes to my attention that the German Kinetics (original?)are available. When I was doing my research and deciding on my broadhead (about 3 years ago) I couldn't find the German Kinetics except on Ebay (used??). I was under the impression GK sold the design to ABS so I made my purchase from them. Today you can buy "Silver Flame" broadheads with the same outward appearance from either ABS or GK. I don't understand what the deal is here but you would think there would be some issue with this....especially if the manufacturing process and quality are different. I admit I certainly don't understand this so if anyone does, feel free to let us know. I've always heard the GK heads were bullet proof and thought that was what I was buying but....(see photos). I would be willing to give the GK's a try if they would hold up better than the ABS version.....I saw on the GK web site there is a distributor in Texas. Thanks!!!
I was glad to hear that the heads used were the Chinese version sold by ABS and not the ones currently made by German Kinetics.
The brittleness and other reports of failures almost always involve the ABS imports.
Someone else with more info can comment in depth, but Markus, the original designer had to step aside from the company, allowing it to be sold due to some mundane conflict with German law and his position. The company rebranded under GK and a new owner. This was the natural progression for a company of such high regard. Markus is still involved and the process of creating one of the best broadheads ever, continues on.
Phil,
Silver Flames used to be made in Germany by a German Kinetics. They were sold to a Canadian firm I believe Alaska Bowhunting and marketed as 'Silver Flames' They are now manufactured in China.
The original German broadhead are still manufactured in Germany by Silvia and Ingo Kuhn with the blades made in Solingen.
The Silver Flame (Canada) has a 1 1/8" cut as does the GK however the GK also makes larger heads (XL) that have a 1- 1/2" cut.
They fly great, stay sharp through extended target use and leave great blood trails. They are marketed and intended to be used many times and from my experience as tough as they come.
After the Euro exchange thing they are about $75 shipped.
There is only one supplier that I know of in the States and it is: http://southshorearcherysupply.com/german-kinetic-broadheads-p-51081.html
They give excellent service and instant shipping!
Thanks......I'll be hunting some down soon.
Thanks for sharing and congrats!
Phil, I used the GK for my cape n lion-- at that time silver flame weren't on the market--I had no problems with the GK on the cape-- 815gr set up at 80#s-- the head drove thru the entry rib n pierce the exit rib side-- wasn't a pass tru but the head was sticking out the exit side--30 yd shot -- I still have the killing bheads on my wall with the arrow--I wouldn't hesitate to use the GK again
First off, congrats on the buffalo.
Being the engineer of the SilverFlames, it always hurts a bit seeing a destroyed broadhead. Surely nothing is indestructable but I doubt that would had happened to original.
As already mentioned above, the originals are known by the name GERMAN KINETICS, since ABS protected the name "SilverFlame" for their products. If you want the Originals you need to buy them in Germany or from Jerry Ratliffe (SouthShore Archery Supply/Florida)
There were times, where I found 5 to 6 different companies who tried to knock off my heads by cheaper copies. Too often the customer and the animal had to pay the price twice. Luckily quality will remain at the end.
Best of luck Markus
I ordered some German Kinetics brodheads over two months ago, direct from Germany....still haven't gotten them. Good thing my elephant bowhunt was cancelled (NOT).
Thanks for the response Markus. As a footnote to this boradhead issue, I contacted ABS and made them aware of the problem. I still have 3 of these broadheads new in the case and I asked them if I could exchange them for a set of their 100 grainers that I thought I could use on whitetails. No go. Since they didn't have me on record as having purchased the 150 grainers from them they wouldn't do an exchange. Somehow I think the issue of the 150 grainers falling apart got lost in the shuffle. I guess customer service falls in line with the product.
PJ same response I got from them when my Ashbys snapped, they know these heads ( Ashbys and silver flames) have been doing this for a number of years, it appears they have still not addressed the issue.
I heard of the same issues and have 3 boxes of Ashby's that I'm not sure whether they are good or bad. Apparently with the Ashby's it was only a batch that were "dodgy" but ABS are not coming out and saying from when to when (or why).
This element of doubt is reason enough to go for an alternate brand that you are sure of the pedigree.
JCHB
Congrtas Man, lets do lunch and catch up! Compare trips!!
PJ, thanks for this timely thread as it confirms "by fire" the research I have been doing in preparation for a Cape buffalo trip, booked for 2015.
Thanks also to Medicineman and Ricardo Longoria for all the info and research that was covered in the thread for the "now canned" elephant hunt.
I am scheduled for a trip to Australia in early August for Asiatic Buffalo as a trial run for Cape. Using info gleaned from several sources my setup ends up being almost identical to yours. This thread gives me confidence that my setup is up to the task.
I chose the new Bowtech 360 set at 73 pounds. The Easton Dangerous Game Shaft, with a machined stainless steel outsert, and a 180 Grain German Kinetic broadhead. My bow shoots this 781 grain arrow at 228fps and is yielding 90+ foot pounds of energy.
By the way it only took a couple weeks to receive the broad heads ordered online, paid for via Paypal, direct from Germany.
The broad heads fly great and are hitting exactly with mt field points.
At this point am shooting daily and looking forward to drawing some blood on a knarly Asiatic!
Jchb I would not use them on any heavy game it's just not worth the risk.
DJ,
Based on your thread, I am wondering if my order was not confirmed....I never got my broadheads from German Kinetics....
Medicineman, why don't you email them and inquire. I emailed back and forth several times and they were always pretty quick to respond...typically within twenty four hours I assume because of time difference.
They dinged my Paypal acct pretty soon after the order and I received an email acknowledging the order. They also provided tracking info...
I got the heads before I got the outserts...lol .
I have ordered a bunch from GK.
in fact I ordered two more packs today.
I've done side my side comparisons on the GK's and ABS silver flames - the quality and sharpness of the GK's are much better -
I have only shot the silver Flame XXL's - all my other heads are GK.
I have killed three whitetails with the ABS Silver Flame XXL's and they performed good. but I can tell they are not the same quality as the Original GK's - the ABs silver flames have alot tooling marks and they are not as sharp.
I'd be Hot if my broadhead ended up in pieces like that - especially @ $100 per three pack.
Good luck dj on the Australia hunt. Get that broadhead through both lungs and he won't go far. Your equipment will do the job. Just hope for a broadside shot and not the head-on, nose in the air with the menacing look one that rattles your nerves and may require an underwear change. Enjoy the Outback......it's an interesting and unique place. Don't forget to lay out some Dingos and hogs if you get the chance.
Wow, what a hunt! Thanks for sharing!
PJ, any advice on other things to see or do. We have three days prior to the hunt and want to optimize time. The wife is going, she is a hunter and we plan on adding some critters for her as well.
Any input would be appreciated.
Pj, do I need to take a varmint call?
dj, what other areas of Australia are you visiting and what other game are you interested in? hunting the NT you will not need a varmint call you can and your guide will easily call the dingos in.
Who is the outfitter if using one?
We are flying in to Brisbane three days prior to the hunt. We then fly to Darwin, overnight and drive 7 hours to the hunting camp.
We have been told that we should go to Cairns for sightseeing, but that's a thousand miles from Brisbane which would require additional flights.
We booked our hunts through Leithan Valley while at the Dallas Safari Club show.
We would love to hunt sambar, axis, fallow, and black buck but as I understand it, these specie are not available near where we will be hunting in the Northern Territories. Thus we will be hunting what is available in the area, buff, scrub bull, hog, and whatever else we run across.
You could hunt Red deer, Rusa Deer and hogs not far from Brisbane, if your interested I could put you in touch with a top outfitter who may be able help out for a few days. let me know
Congrats on a nice bull and thanks for the write up. A cape and perhaps a zebra are the only two animals I really would like to travel to Africa to take.
Butternut, if you have only two on the wish list don't go....Africa will bite you after you experience her and your wish list will grow.
Enchanting place and experience.
dj, I can certainly see falling victim to Africa's allure.
dj, sorry I was trying to get through Bigpizzaman's post.....took a while. We (my wife and I) went to Mary River Australian Safaris to hunt a Rusa Deer prior to the buff hunt. They are near Emerald Springs,NT and offer a lot of game....Addax, Sambar, Hog Deer, Axis, Blackbuck and both species of Rusa Deer. You can also hunt Banteng and scrub bull near there. It sounds like Mary River Australian Safaris could take care of most of the other critters you're interested in and they are south of Darwin about 3-4 hours drive. Contact Kevin and Carol, the owners......we had a great time with them. They have a web site under that name and it should come if you Google them. If you get a chance to stop at the Bent Bull Bar and Grill in Emerald Springs....do it! Ask the owner about his trip to Memphis to see "The King". He'll have you in stiches.
No problem, the leopard hunt was quite an adventure...heartbreaker for sure, but. You know after all these years those are the shots I relive more often than the perfect ones. You still want them all to be perfect.
Thanks for this info, this may fill the bill nicely...wish I had known earlier so I could have made additional arrangements around flights, etc. still it may work out and certainly provides additional options. Thx
Looking at the picture posted by dj then the picture posted by PJ you can see that the originals have 2 cutouts on either side of the feral and the ABS version has 3 coutouts on either side of the feral. Simple visual check to tell which head you have.
Rock, you are observant but missed it a bit. pJs head is a 150 grain whereas mine is a 180. The 200 grain has NO cut outs . The overall dimension of the GK is the same throughout the weight ranges and material is removed to account for the various weight heads.
There are some visual differences between the GK's and ABS versions of these broadheads....such as the ABS squiggly line logo on the ferrule. At the time I purchased these I was under the impression ABS acquired GK and the heads were of the same quality as per ABS's marketing. Their logo on the ferrule made sense. What I discovered first hand and what others have commented on here is that these are not the same broadheads despite the appearance and marketing fluff. Identifying the ABS logo is easy enough to do but as Markus pointed out, there have been 5-6 companies that have made copies of the original GK heads and I'm sure they don't have the ABS logo either. So, what I have taken away from this experience is if you want an original GK head you have to get it from a reputable dealer. Appearances alone will lead you astray.
Congrats on a great hunt! Must have been awesome. Thanks for sharing
Iv seen a few Silver flames brake like that, Old and New, nice steel but brittle
