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sioux arrows!
half eye:
Speakin of buff huntin.........here is a quote from "North American Bows, arrows, and quivers" ; Otis Tufton Mason ; first appeared in in the "Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution" 1893. This quote is Mason citing Oliver Marcy from "Science, vol. VII, p.528"
"I have in my possession the sixth dorsal vertebra of a buffalo, the spine of which contains an iron arrow point. The arrow struck the spine about 2 inches above the center of the spinal canal, and penetrated the bone .82 of an inch. The bone at the point struck is .55 of an inch thick, and the point of the arrow protrudes beyond the bone .27 of an inch. The arrow was shot from the right side of the animal and the plane of the point was horizontal. The animal was mature and the bones well ossified. Though the vertebra has been much weathered, the epiphyses adhere closely. The animal was not as large as some individuals. The whole vertical length of the vertebra is 13 inches.
"The arrow must have penetrated several inches of flesh before striking the bone." Otis Mason adds; "He does not take into consideration also the thick hide and matted wolly hair, both especially thick at the point struck."
This is only one arrow point in one animal, so there isn't enough info to make general statement, however in this case here it appears that the shot was from horse back, and aimed either for the spine or was a lung shot that hit high. Just some more of my "internet crap" research, so take it for what it's worth. For the scientific types the book is considered ..." ....but still remains viable as a study of the subject, and even today few works surpass it." Written by Steve Allely, April 22, 2007
rich
JackCrafty:
This painting by Catlin shows that this buffalo is dying from a lung shot. Probably typical.
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JW_Halverson:
There is a rather incredible museum that occupies most of the main street in Epping, ND. One of the items that grabbed my interest waaay back in 1975 was the section of buffalo hump vertebrae that had the iron trade arrowhead imbedded at the juncture of the hump rib and the main body of the vertebra. For those that have not seen the hump vertebra, the spinal process on the very top of the bone reaches up to 12" high - like a rib, except not seperate bones like the ribs surrounding the chest. The angle of the broadhead was such that the buffalo had to be on the ground when the shot was made because it was angling downward at 45 degrees!
Most likely, it was a final kill shot on a downed animal. But that leaves me to speculate that the buffalo was not butchered after it was killed. Hump meat was highly prized, right? If they had butchered, they would have found the broadhead and recovered it. Trade points were valuable goods, not to be left behind. Or else the animal got away and was not recovered. I don't know if there was any bone remodeling around the point or not, so this is all speculation, not the real CSI where we'd have the dramatic answer in just less than an hour.
Traxx:
JW,
Your theory,is spot on.Ive worked with Buff a horsebackand im gonna tell you,that a point blank shot,along side a critter is a dangerous predicament to put yourself and your mount in.Also,it doesnt present a high percentage kill shot.A rear shot,and slightly quartering away shot,presents a high percentage shot,behind the short ribs and in to the lungs and or other lethal organs.Besides,running along side any Bovine,generally causes them to make an abrupt turn,in either direction,which doesnt present a very well placed shot.This may explain the head in the hump,that you describe.Maybe shot by a younger inexperienced hunter,who got a bit excited and flubbed the shot.
Tom Leemans:
Here's some interesting info. http://margo.student.utwente.nl/sagi/artikel/native/
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