Welcome to Infinito Safaris

Equipment

Bows

We allow hunting with traditional and compound bows.
Draw weights must be from 40lbs and up.
Make sure you can hit a 9 inch grouping at 30 yards with three arrows.

Broad heads

Okay, you have your bow and you have matched your arrow weight now it is time to pick a broadhead to complete your arrow. If you are only shooting targets a simple field point will do the trick, but if you want to hunt with your bow you will need a broadhead that will quickly and humanely dispatch the animal that you choose to harvest.

You will need to choose between a fixed head and a mechanical head. Each of these heads has a distinct advantage, it is simply a matter of picking the right one for your specific bow setup and hunting needs.

As a general rule a fixed head will penetrate better than the majority of mechanical heads. Mechanicals on the other hand tend to be more accurate under the majority of conditions than a fixed head. Mechanicals tend to be more accurate because there is less blade surface exposed in the flight of the arrow. However the broad heads featured above have a technology incorporated that steers the broad head from the front improving accuracy, and have absolutely no wind planning
Broad heads need to be tuned but only after the bow is properly tuned. Make sure that shooting form; proper nocking point and proper centre shot are first correct.

Broad heads need to be perfectly straight and aligned on the arrow. A broadhead should be assembled on the arrow, tightened and spun like a top on a hard flat surface to check for straightness. You must strive for no wobble, so try the broad head with several arrows.

Everything must be in a straight line on the arrow because the broad head acts like miniature fletching and the angle that the broad head is positioned will be the angle the arrow will want to go until the arrow's fletching can control the flight.

Broad head groups that tend to go high or low can usually be helped by adjusting the nock. If there is a matter of the arrow deviating horizontally try some minor center shot adjustments. These adjustments should be made in 1/16 inch increments until the groups become tighter and more uniform.

Remember when practicing to have your field points the same weight as your hunting broad head.

Here are some adjustments you may want to make:

If the broad head groups above the field points, move the nocking point up.
If the broad head groups below the field points move the nocking point down.
If broad heads are grouping to the left, you may either increase the poundage of the bow, change to a heavier broad head or move the arrow rest or cushion plunger in towards the bow. Make adjustments 1/32 inch at a time.
If broad heads are grouping to the right, they are behaving like the shaft is too weak. You may decrease the poundage of the bow, change to lighter broad heads, or move the arrow rest or plunger out away from the bow. Make adjustments 1/32 inch at a time.

If you notice after making several adjustments that your groups are starting to open back up you probably have gone too far in your adjustments.

Make sure that before you attempt to tune your broad heads that you have added all the accessories to your bow. Use only good quality arrows; change only one variable at a time when you tune.

** If after making all the recommended adjustments you still are unable to obtain good arrow grouping you may want to change arrow size to a stiffer or weaker shaft. In this case you will have to retune.**

How to increase penetration

It is a reality that despite our best intentions and efforts, not every animal we shoot at will be double-lunged and fall within sight. Blood trailing is a part of bowhunting, and with plenty of blood sign to follow, the odds of finding the animal quickly are much improved.

The vast majority of bowhunters pursue animals from elevated hides, pit blinds, pop up hides or tree stands. Many of the shots taken will be at ranges of 18 to 25 yards. It takes a hunting outfit set up with penetration in mind to do the job under these conditions.
On a marginal hit the most important thing is penetration. There’s no such thing as too much penetration. I hit a nice Blue Wildebeest a few years back right through the lower part of his shoulder. I wasn’t planning to hit him there, but I did. My arrow not only cut deep enough to punch both lungs, it actually passed all the way through the Blue Wildebeest and was laying on the ground on the other side. That’s one trophy that may have gotten away (the trailing process would have been much tougher with a single-lung hit) if I hadn’t been thinking penetration when I put my hunting rig together. I was shooting a heavy draw weight bow and conventional fixed-blade broad heads.

Increase Your Draw Weight

For every pound you increase your draw weight your penetration energy increases by approximately 1 ¾%. You can see that a couple of pounds may not make a big difference, but five pounds, or more, starts to have a significant effect.

Shoot the heaviest draw weight you can handle accurately under all hunting conditions. There are many different standards floating around to help bowhunters determine their maximum accurate draw weight. One says to shoot the highest weight you can draw without having to raise your bow arm above parallel when you pull the string back. Another recommends the maximum you can draw sitting down flat on the floor with your legs out in front of you. I personally believe you shouldn’t shoot a bow that you can’t hold at full draw for at least a minute without shaking. Regardless of how you achieve your maximum draw weight; make sure to get in plenty of practice before and during the season to keep your shooting muscles strong.

Increase Your Arrow Weight

With all the unfounded hype surrounding arrow speed vs. penetration, it’s no surprise that many bowhunters believe dropping their arrow weight by 50 grains to pick up 10 extra feet per second is killing their penetration energy. In truth, a heavy arrow does absorb more of the bow’s energy when you release the string, giving it more in-flight (kinetic) energy, but the differences are much less significant than you may have been led to believe.
Based on efficiency studies performed on various bow styles shooting mid-weight arrows, (450 to 600 grains) a 50 grain reduction or increase in arrow weight results in a corresponding change of roughly 1 to 1 ½% in penetration energy. To pick up any real advantage by increasing arrow weight you would need to bump it up dramatically - to the tune of several hundred grains!
Even though the goal of this write up is to look for ways to increase penetration, we shouldn’t overlook the important fact of knowing where not to look for it. Unless you’re already shooting light arrows, (under 450 grains) to give up 10 fps for only a one percent increase in penetration is a mistake.

Tune Your Bow Perfectly

In addition to being more accurate, arrows that fly perfectly penetrate better than those that slash their way to the target. When the arrow hits an animal with all its momentum directed right down the shaft, as it does when flying straight, penetration is maximized. Plus, straight flying arrows carry their speed better down-range, which also improves penetration.

Experiment With Different Shafts

Several years ago tests were conducted by AFC Carbon Arrows in which a couple of interesting outcomes were noted. Carbon arrows and aluminum arrows of exactly the same weight were both tuned and shot from a shooting machine at various distances into a wide variety of materials including sand, ethafoam and even beef livers. In all cases the carbon arrow penetrated more deeply (as much as 25% more) than an aluminium 2312 of the same weight.
How this correlates to performance on live animals is still inconclusive. No one has been able to perfectly duplicate the conditions of actual penetration on game in a controlled test environment. It is logical, however, that smaller diameter shafts would penetrate better than larger diameter shafts in many different mediums due solely to their reduced surface area. I’ll leave it you to arrive at your own conclusions as to whether carbon out-penetrates aluminium in real live game.
For what it’s worth, the test also showed that 40 yards down-range the smaller diameter carbon arrows retained about 1 ½% more of their initial velocity than did larger diameter aluminium arrows of the same weight.

Use The Best Penetrating Broad heads

We can shoot all we want into foam bales and measure how far the broadheads bury, but foam isn’t the same as an animal’s shoulder. Unfortunately, tests using foam and other inanimate materials are all we have to work with, so we have to make the best assumptions we can based on the information available.
All else being equal, broad heads with small cutting diameters penetrate more deeply than heads with large cutting diameters. It is purely a matter of the amount of tissue contacted. Heads having blades with a low angle have the potential to penetrate better than heads with a high blade angle and the same cutting diameter. In most cases, two- bladed heads will penetrate better than three-blade (or more) heads of the same cutting diameter. Under the majority of conditions, mechanical heads don’t penetrate as well as fixed-blade heads. And cut- to-point broad heads have been shown in testing I’ve seen to out- penetrate all other styles.
In other words, if you want a broad head that promotes better penetration try any combination of the following styles: fixed- blades, fewer blades, cut-to-the-point designs and/or a smaller cutting diameter.
Penetration is an important part of equipment selection, even if all you hunt are whitetails. By doing all the things listed here you’ll greatly increase your penetration on game

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Bow hunting tips

Practice. Archers practice all summer in anticipation of the upcoming hunting season. Mostly, they practice in short sleeve t-shirts and other summer attire. Things change drastically when one adds a jacket, long sleeve shirt and pants or a 3D suite. Things such as draw lengths and anchor points. These are things that effect arrow flight. Heavy clothing such as your jacket might be in the way of your bowstring when you release. The arms are most often the problem. Also, practice with your broad heads to be sure they fly the same as your field points. This is VERY important. It always amazes me just how few hunters shoot their hunting points before the hunting season. Broad heads of equal weight do not always have the same flight characteristics.
Know your EKR. Effective kill range, that magical distance that even under extreme pressure one can place his or her arrow in a nine inch circle. Not once, not twice, but nine out of ten times. For some this distance is 40 yards for others it is 25 or even 10. No one can tell you what your EKR is but yourself. Limit yourself to this distance and you will have the confidence to succeed. Instead of spending countless hours tracking, you will be spending time cutting up venison.
Ask Questions. Do not be afraid to ask questions. If you are not sure why your bow is suddenly shooting erratically, ask a more knowledgeable archer for help. The same holds true in your hunting arena. The Professional Hunter you are hunting with can be your best source of information. Question him as to the whereabouts of any of the animals on your wish list.
Play the wind. Ahhh... the all telling wind. Above all else play the wind to your favour. Your Professional hunter will have several stands to allow you to hunt in different wind conditions.
Hunt hard, hunt late. You have got to be in the bush if you are going to get the opportunity at that Kudu you have dreamt about all your life. Be ready to get into the hide at 1st light and be prepared to be still in the hide at last light. Early morning and late afternoon animals are very active but you will be surprised to see the amount of activity during the middle of the day as well.
Make the shot count. Do not get lazy and forget to practice. Try to shoot at least a couple of broad heads early morning before heading out to the blind.

Know your adversary. Learn as much about African Plains Game as you can. Read everything you can on their habits. Go to a zoo and watch them up close. Be accustomed to seeing them within bow range. Above all... TRUST YOUR PH

After the shot

A shot animal knows that something has happened, but he usually doesn't know what, where or why.

1.Make sure you keep watching the animal and note the animals reactions after the shot.

2. Mark the spot where you have last seen the animal disappear.
3.   An arrow kills by bleeding the animal. You must give it time to die:
      a.         Wait at least 1/2 hour on a good hit or longer on poor hits.
      b.         As much as 5 hours or overnight on a bad hit like a gut shot.

While you wait, try to recall everything that has happened.

Where exactly was your hit?
How much penetration was there?
Where did you last see it?
Did you hear it fall?

When your PH arrives, relate the above information to him, and he’ll do the rest!

For the Infinite Adventure