Latest Buffalo Shot Call

[BryceM]

Wait.

Most likely they'll turn, if there's one there you want to shoot. Even if they don't turn, going home without an animal always needs to be on the list of acceptable possibilities.

The only bull that's even close to presenting a good angle is the one on the right, and has been said, the angle will require penetrating a ton of paunch to reach vitals. On that buff, green will skip behind the shoulder and won't even enter the chest. Splitting the front legs puts you at the right edge of blue, but that's not a good option on an unwounded buff. Miss by a couple of inches and you might never find him. Or, he might turn around and get nasty, you never know.

The last day of the hunt is the worst time to wound one. You'll rush the follow up, and that's just asking for trouble.

Quartering away arguably gives you better access to the vitals than a broadside, but the angle needs to be closer to broadside than backside. The one on the right needs to turn another 20 or 30 degrees.

 

[grand veneur]

Sure I wont take that shot simple......you can if you wish

What that diagram doesn’t show is how you are shooting though a ton of wet grass/stomach contents. Also, really easy to get one lung which is a good way to do a lot of walking to potentially take a boss ride.

We all know that a buffalo positioned in quartering-away is not the best for shooting, but this position is quoted in the famous book and therefore there is no reason to refuse it immediately. Nobody says one have to do it. I have done it few times, from the right as the left side, in the majority of cases with success, but one time unfortunately not. For this reason I would also recommend that everyone only do it if there is no alternative.

 

[IvW]

Not as a 1st shot I would definately not.....the chance of wounding, putting people in danger is just to high and it is not an ethical shot to take.
Famous book or not......

 

[Longwalker]

The rumen lies on the left side of the paunch. Any shot that would reach the centre of the vitals on these 3 animals would need to penetrate through a meter of wet stomach contents before if could even have a possibility of being effective. Not something I would attempt as a first shot on an unwounded buffalo or any other large, ruminant animal.
When presented with this shot on a wounded buffalo in Mozambique in July, I put one shot in its rear as it ran away at approximately this angle and when that didn't have immediate effect I followed up with another just behind its left ear. The second shot was lucky, and instantly fatal, but I can't consistently repeat such a precise bullet placement on an animal running at over 100 M. Rifle was a .450-400 3" and bullet was the excellent 400 gr. Swift A frame. The rear end shot didn't penetrate any more after just barely going through the whole rumen. It stopped just before the diaphragm. Here is a picture of the results.

 

[Wahoo]

Sure I wont take that shot simple......you can if you wish

That can be discussed.

View attachment 620487

I’m in agreement with @IvW. The diagram fails to take into account an atomic features on left vs right sides. To add a bit more info to the topic- reason being while you may get lucky and hit spleen resulting in fatal hemorrhage it’s more likely the bullet hits the rumen full of dense compacted vegetation (think big trash can full of compressed soaked news paper) that significantly impedes penetration through diaphragm into chest cavity.

Disclaimer- zero experience with Cape buffalo. Lots of experience with other bovine inside and out.

 

[Wahoo]

The rumen lies on the left side of the paunch. Any shot that would reach the centre of the vitals on these 3 animals would need to penetrate through a meter of wet stomach contents before if could even have a possibility of being effective. Not something I would attempt as a first shot on an unwounded buffalo or any other large, ruminant animal.
When presented with this shot on a wounded buffalo in Mozambique in July, I put one shot in its rear as it ran away at approximately this angle and when that didn't have immediate effect I followed up with another just behind its left ear. The second shot was lucky, and instantly fatal, but I can't consistently repeat such a precise bullet placement on an animal running at over 100 M. Rifle was a .450-400 3" and bullet was the excellent 400 gr. Swift A frame. The rear end shot didn't penetrate any more after just barely going through the whole rumen. It stopped just before the diaphragm. Here is a picture of the results. View attachment 632866View attachment 632867

Clearly I didn’t read whole thread-you beat me to it!

 

[Rafiki]

Somebody else can shoot an animal in the ass I won't.

 

[TERMINATOR]

I’d honestly wait for the bull on the right to provide a better shot.

Winner

There is not a good shot in that pic. The one on the right is the best of the bad shot options, but a buffalo's stomach can stop a bullet before it gets to the vitals.

I would be on the sticks on the best bull and make a call and hope he turns to look back...and if not....let them got and try again. There is always another bull to be found

 

[TERMINATOR]

What that diagram doesn’t show is how you are shooting though a ton of wet grass/stomach contents. Also, really easy to get one lung which is a good way to do a lot of walking to potentially take a boss ride.

Exactly

 

[SkullKeeper]

Bull on the right, blue spot. This is exact same angle and shot I made on a bull in Tanzania.

 

[Brian]

I agree with grand veneur. Hard to answer. Also, no one has mentioned what bullet used. That would be important. Also, a good /lucky call (grunt) may turn them for a moment. It looks like the know the hunter is there and they are heading back to the herd. and would not turn.
Might be a able to walk quietly to the left about 6-10 paces and get a better angle. A proper solid might get through the ponch for a good heart shot on left bull.
An accurate shooter might be able to break the shoulder in left bull or right null.
As it is, it is too hard a shot for me, too much trouble and it is definitely no shot for a marginal cartridge/bullet as far as I am concerned. Brian