Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/433799
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 5 4 B ecause of their size, thick hide, and heavy bones, buffalo make an imposing target for an arrow, and I've listened to a lot of discussion about what constitutes adequate tackle to kill one cleanly. Draw weight is usually the first topic in the conversation, but after lots of experience I've decided this is one of the least important variables when choosing archery tackle for a buffalo hunt. In preparation for my first trip, I'd worked my way up to 90-pound limbs for my recurve before an unexpected neck surgery put an end to that. As I acquired more experience, I went to progressively lighter bows on each return trip, to 78 pounds and then to 72. Sharp, fixed-blade broadheads and heavy arrows are much more important than stout bows. On these hunts I always carried shafts made from Brazilian walnut that weighed more than 1000 grains. Above all, shot placement is more important than tackle, as I saw several hunters learn the hard way. A buffalo's vitals are located well forward, and the arrow needs to be placed tightly behind the shoulder with the animal perfectly broadside or slightly quartering away. Shots even a few inches back of the shoulder crease might produce a clean kill on a moose or an elk but will hit nothing but partially digested grass on a buffalo. I'll summarize my views on the subject with a simple statistic. Of some three dozen encounters between buffalo and arrows that I either witnessed or initiated, every properly placed arrow delivered at the correct angle resulted in a clean kill, no matter how light the draw weight of the bow. (Bill killed one with a aren Campbell and Brad Cane with perhaps the first Asiatic buffalo ever killed by a woman with a longbow. Opposite: Razor sharp edges, stout heads, and heavy shafts are the key to clean kills. Bowhunter Jay Campbell with a nice bull. K