About these Penetration Tests
In 2006, when we were preparing for our first cape buffalo bowhunt, we did extensive testing for the perfect bow/arrow/broadhead combination. We determined that the optimum setup for cape buffalo was an extremely heavy bow, an extremely heavy arrow, and a 2 blade heavy broadhead. Despite two unsuccessful hunts in 06 and 07, that setup remained identical for my 3rd buffalo attempt in 2009. This time, however, I was successful and my equipment worked as I had hoped. As we were waiting for the trackers to bring an Argo back to the kill scene we decided to follow up our penetration test with a unique, real-world test on a fresh cape buffalo carcass!
In addition to the Penetration shots, we also did a forensic analysis on the kill shot, and forensic analysis on the subsequent penetration tests to determine the extent of damage and penetration experienced based on four shot scenarios on a cape buffalo.
Four Shot Scenarios:
Penetration 1 - The actual Killing Shot on the buffalo.
Penetration 2 - A Shoulder-Blade hit
Penetration 3 - A high "triangle" shot
Penetration 4 - A low "triangle" shot
