Cape Buff/Plains Game
International
Question for those of you who have done Cape Buff/Plains game hunts. Did you use the same bow/arrow set up for both? Or same bow with different arrows? Or 2 completely different set ups? Thanks. Mike
I had 2 different bows, as well as different arrows.
Guess I'll have to run with the girls, ain't no " beastly " in me anymore............
Pat, would you be willing to share the details of your setup? I have a few bovine on the bucket list.
With bows these days you can use a 70 pound bow 700-800 gr arrow, good two blade broad head like a grizley stick, and you are good to go!! Can use the same bow for plains game with 450-550gr arrow , but you will need to adjust your pins then..or have a second sight.. Hope it help! Have a great hunt!!!
I used a 82# bow with 815gr arrows-- German Kinetic Bhead-- all the plains animals I used a diff bow rigged up like whitetail htg-- even on Kudu n Eland-- gluc. Send pics
I hunted in Zimbabwe for plains game, and the PH offered me a chance to hunt Buffalo after I had killed the plains game I had wanted. I said no way, as my gear wasn't up to the task. He explained that that the man who owned PSE had been there recently to hunt buffalo and had left arrows and broadheads that were up to the task. He had a chronograph there so I agreed to give it a try if we could get my KE up to reasonable numbers. As I recall, the arrows were weighted Gold Tips with a Steel Force 210 gr head. I used a Mathews Legacy set at 70#, Arrow with head was 920 gr. Killed a Buff without issue. Arrow pierced top section of heart, and penetrated through with head and 3 inches of shaft outside of the off side. So, I know that it will work, but had I known before hand that I would be hunting Buffalo, I would have had a different bow along that was a bit more powerful.
Where's that picture of Pat with the pink panties?
I hunted cape buffalo and plains game in 2015 with the same bow and two different arrows. I successfully harvested a cape buffalo (spot and stalk) and a giraffe (spot and stalk) with a 900 grain total weight arrow (German Kinetics 180 grain broadhead, Easton Full Metal Jacket Dangerous Game 250 - 29" with brass behind the insert). I was shooting a Mathews MR6 at 80 pounds with a 28" draw length.
For the plains game, I was shooting a 680 grain total weight arrow (German Kinetics 180 grain broadhead, Easton Full Metal Jacket Dangerous Game 300 - 28") from the same Mathews MR6. I used a Spot Hogg sight with 7 pins - 20 yards to 80 yards with the 680 grain arrow. With the 900 grain arrow, my same pins were 7.5 yard gaps equating to 15, 23, 30, 37, 45, 52 and 60. I created a label with these distances and adhered the label to the riser next to the sight window for quick reference.
I shot the buffalo at 30 yards broadside while the buff was full alert looking at me. The 900 grain arrow dead centered a rib on the near side and penetrated to a point where the broadhead contacted an offside rib. The buff expired within 40 yards but took about 8-10 minutes to expire from the double lung shot.
I shot the giraffe at 42 yards. Double lung and top of heart. The giraffe went 47 yards and was done in about 15 seconds. I achieved about one inch less penetration on the giraffe than the buffalo.
With the 680 grain arrow setup, I shot a waterbuck at 62 yards, a mountain zebra at 42 yards, and the rest at water holes (burchells zebra, eland in 2015) (2 kudu, nyala, 2 gemsbuck, 2 impala, warthog, blue wildebeest in 2014). I achieved complete pass thrus on all plains game animals.
The heavy arrows makes the bow very quiet.
I chose the weight of the heavy arrow for the buff base on Pat's input here on the site, R. Longoria's input here on the site and others. There is some fantastic input on bowsite.
I brought a replacement string, cable, limbs, field bow press, sight, rest etc. with me so that I could repair the MR6 if necessary. I also brought a 70 lb. bow as a backup. I simply liked having the peace of mind knowing I could rebuild the bow in the field and not end up with a ruined trip, or lost days, halfway around the world.
Nice Bull Toby not your typical country you see most Buff taken in nice think Bosses
Like Barefoot said, most 70lb bows with a 900 to 1100 grain arrow will work for the big game like Cape Buffalo while you can shoot the same rig with normal 400 to 450 grain arrows for Plains game. Just need a second sight or deal with re-sighting in while there. I took my Cape Buffalo with a 70lb PSE DNA shooting Grizzly Sticks Safari arrows with a 215 Grain Ashby two blade single bevel head. Arrow weight total was like 956 grains and had 88 foot lbs with 80 foot lbs being the minimum in South Africa. Had no problem with it on the Cape Buffalo, Sable and Livingston Eland I took. If you go that route you can take a back-up bow that works for either set-up in case you have mechanical problems.
