Hunting at S’DUDLA safari’s.

It all started when the farm manager phoned me earlier in the year and asked me if I can please come and help with calling and shooting problem jackal on his farm. In return he offered me an impala ram for free.

As a keen although inexperienced bow hunter but and old hand at calling jackal I jumped at the opportunity to broaden my horizons.

I met the farm manager Ryno Potgieter early on the morning of the 20th of March 2007 on the farm. As an experience bow hunter and Profesional Hunter Ryno was quick to start talking about shot placement on the different species of animals. I asked a lot of questions and Ryno answered them with a passion that burn deep in him.

While I was busy getting settled in the luxurious two bedroom shale Ryno told me about the work he is busy with on the farm. From a team that is busy erecting a new fence on the boundary to where he is busy with deforestation of “sekel bos†and lots of day to day task as well as preparing for the hunting season due to start with in a month.



About 20:00 we decided that it’s dark enough to see if we can get rid of some of the local jackal population. By 23:30 we were back after getting two jackals. These were not wasted as they became food for the local crocodile population.



On the 21st Ryno dropped me at the Eland Hide around 07:00 telling me that the Blue Wildebeest and big impala rams regularly visit the watering hole.

Well the 21 st was a day of heat and quite. All that I saw was a couple of Vervet Monkeys and a couple of blue wildebeest that showed them self’s for about two seconds.

After a long but still enjoyable day Ryno picked me up just after 17:15 at the hide. He has a rule that you do not leave the hide under any circumstance, you have to wait for the vehicle to arrive before getting out. This is to prevent the game animals getting spooked at the water by people. This will ensure that the animals will only come and drink after dark.

The 21st evening did not prove to be any better and we could not get any jackal close enough for a shot although we saw a couple at over 300 yards and heard another couple.

Thursday the 22nd started cool and Ryno dropped me at the Kudu hide (another pit blind)just after 07:00. It did not take long before I saw the first animals for the day. A couple of impala ewes as well as a single ram. They were jumpy and did not come to the water. After a while they moved off. The next visitor about an hour later was a kudu cow. Then things got quite for a while with just the birds for company.

When I looked up from a book I was reading the zebras was standing next to the water. I could not believe how animals of their size could walk so quietly. After drinking they moved off and were replaced by a troop of Vervet Monkeys. They entertained me for a while and then the impala ewes were back. After about 5 minutes the ram showed up but he always stayed in the back ground. The ewes came in to drink and was disturbed by a fat old warthog boar that decided it was time for a drink and a swim.




The impala stayed in the back ground and as soon as the warthog finished his swim the ewes walked in to drink again. The ram always stayed in the back ground not drinking.

Then the impala moved off and I though I will not get a chance again. Instead the impala moved around the pool and started coming back from the right side of the pool. And the impala ram was in the front offering a clear broad side shot. This what I have waited for so long and the 80# Allegiance drew back and felt like a 40# bow.

At the shot the 125gr Magnum slick tricked arrow hit the impala standing 22 yards away right on the shoulder. He exploded and ran right through some thick brush and I saw him go down about 30 yards away from where he was shot.

After calling Ryno and what felt like an eternity Ryno arrived and asked how the shot felt. On the explanation off the shot Ryno said it’s a good shot but was surprised that the arrow did not exit…

We found the ram where I last saw him. My first impala with the bow!!! He is in excellent condition.





We also found the Carbon Express Maxima 350 arrow next to the impala ram.

The entrance wound was huge and the Slick Trick Magnum broad head went straight through the shoulder braked the ribs on both sides. It looks as if the impala was shot with a 10 gage slug.



The arrow did not pass through the Impala.



The Slick Tricks looks like a serated blade and a blade is broken.



Is the blades to soft for African Game???

Will have to do more research:wink:

Gerhard

Lots of broadheads will get wrinkled up if they lodge in the opposite side while the animal is expiring.

The ferrel on the head didn't break or bend. That's pretty good. Obviously by the look of the blades that took some serious abuse. Looks like the arrow cracked right below the insert. Seriously, thats a strong ferrel!

I'd be more disappointed with it not coming out the other side of the animal. I would have expected a fixed blade with a trocar type tip to blast right thru. I think the steep angle of the relatively short length blades really hampers the slick tricks penetration. They sure seem to fly good though for everyone I know who has shot them.

I like the Montec G5s because you can keep resharpening and using them until you loose them. They fly good too.

I want to test the Muzzy 100gr next.

I have heard a lot of good things about them as well.

Slick tricks realy fly great and they work. To see the animal die with in sight of the blind is really awesome.

Gerhard

Congratulations, nice ram! I would add that much of the deformity of your broad head was due to bone penetration through the leg. I killed my last impala ram with a similar shot.

I started out with Muzzy's and now use Steelforce heads. I get more pass throughs with the Steelforce. Have a look at them as well and at heads of similar design. I was not happy with Muzzy on crusty animals like warthog.

Thank you,

I will have a look at the Steelforce as well.

Gerhard

Hey what a boyke!!!
Congrats man!
Lochi

I have had good success on Alaska moose with Thunderhead 125's. Pass through shots on two moose, hit bone coming out on one. The point on the bone strike did not survive but niether did the moose. Cheers.

Great hunt and story Gerhard. Go with a Muzzy, you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for the feedback.

Gerhard

I've got two legitimate beefs with the Muzzies and Thunderheads. They are great heads but each has a significant issue you should be aware of. I've made clean harvests with both. I like them but they are not perfect.

1. On the 100gr Thunderheads, I've had ferrels bend on game before. This happened on a couple of pigs I shot. A bent ferrel is devestating to this heads design. The result of a bent ferrel on a Thunderhead is invariably blade loss. In one case only one blade was still attached to the broadhead. I don't know where in the penetration path it lost the blades, but it did leave them inside the animal. If you look closely at the design and how the blades are held in, you will see how this happens.

2. It's been quite awhile since I've used Muzzies, so maybe this issue has been fixed. This was a quality issue. It used to frustrate me very badly. In the past I found, some of the Trocar tips that screw on to hold the blades in absolutely would not go on straight. It was either an issue with the threads on the ferrel or the threads in the tip itself. The result was a point that was not in the true center of the shaft. This seemingly insignificant detail could really affect arrow flight past 25yds. I found this out the hard way. Finally I got tired of sorting them. If you choose to try them I strongly suggest you check for this.

Gerhard

Slick tricks are great broadheads, considering that you destroyed the blades on the on-side shoulder, and the animal only went 30yds i would say that you couldnt expect any better from any head made.

Looking at the off side shoulder its apparent that the arrow wanted to go on through its just that the blades were too dulled to cut through the skin. How sharp were the blades? i always sharpen with a diamond hone and blade guide to a razor sharpness, but with hitting so much bone no one can predict what a head will do.

I wouldnt change anything until something bad really happens. On slick tricks web site they show a Cape buffalo's rib that was completely penetrated by a 125gr magnum to kill it effeciently not too shabby.

I shoot a 100gr regular slick trick out of a 60lb Bear TRX and on my last whitetail(132lb) live weight it punched through a rib on both sides and exited with an awesome blood trail, i love em.....

Slick Tricks are awesome broadheads.

Considering the broadhead broke the shoulder bone and ribs on both sides.

The blades were razor sharp.

I would like to use Muzzy's to compare to Slick Tricks.

The standard slick tricks would probably give better penetration than the magnums.

Gerhard

Muzzy for me...if it's a shot above 40m then i would go for the solid rocket expandable.Nice shot u got there!

Thank you.

Gerhard

I have posted this before for the slick tricks users,,, where do you find them? I asked at Gander Mountain which has a large selection close to where I live and they said they never heard of them??? Maybe they need new help there, but I would like info from this forum group to the best palce to find them. I have been using Muzzy 125 3 blade on a Matthews switchback at 70 LBS. and went 10 for 10 on plains game hunt in Namibia and I am going back next year but I am willing to try something new on all our wild pigs here in Texas before then. The guys with me did really well using steel force 125 grains, the cut on impact with the bleeder blades,,, the videos on a few of their animals were almost gross to me seeing all the blood spewing with the steel force...almost that is,, makes an old dog willing to try a few new broadheads. I want to learn more about the slick tricks so let's hear it. drwes

Try www.slicktrick.net.
Gerhard

Easy enough! Not out of line in price either. Thanks for the link. I do like the option of replacement blades and the abilty to sharpen, similar to why I liked the Muzzy. For large boars and large African Plains game such as Elands, wildebeasts, gemsbock and girrafe, would you reccommend the 125 magnum or what are the forums experience with weight and size selection when you step up to larger animals than whitetails, thanbks, drwes

After speaking to the Slick Trick manufacturer he suggested that the standard would give better penetration on big game.

The Slick trick I used on the Impala in this post was a Magnum.

Also visit www.archerytalk.com there is lots of info about the slick trick and other broad heads.

Gerhard

Thanks for the info, I have registered at archery talk and sent a request from slicktricks for advise on which broadhead giving them my bow set up, thanks for the help drwes

Ann & others interested in Steelforce heads,

I started using Steelforce heads a few years ago. I only shot one animal with them and I will NEVER use them again. The animal I shot was a female Red Deer and she was never recovered. I was only 15 at the time and was shooting a 50 lb. bow. I shot her at 12 yards. My placement was perfect, about 2 inches behind the shoulder and about 6 inches from the bottom of the chest. The arrow didn't go more than maybe 3-4 inches into her. We had very little blood and eventually lost the blood trial in some 3 ft. tall grass after about 3/4 mile of tracking. We never found the arrow, but I know what happened because I have seen 3 other Steelforce broadheads do the exact same thing. They are so long and thin with no chissel point that they actually roll up like a cigarette if you hit any bone. I suspect I hit a rib and it rolled up, preventing it from penetrating like it shoud have. My dad also shot a female red deer on that same hunt and he lost her as well. He was shooting a 70 lb. bow. Now, perhaps we just had an extreme case of bad luck. But in any case, we have all switched to Muzzy's. No more Steelforce! Also, we were shooting the Titanium, not the Stainless.