AFRICAN
BUFFALO - cyncerus caffer
No other game animal is held
in higher esteem as a worthy hunting adversary than the
African buffalo. The sheer thrill of hunting this mountain
of muscle and attitude is unrivalled and addictive. It is
one of the only beasts in the bush that looks at you as
if you owe it something...
Hunt Buffalo in Zambia
"All
writers are agreed as to the hazards of invading the
haunts of this savage animal, whose skulking habits,
no less than his tremendous strength, render him an
object to be greatly dreaded...........he is described
to of so irascible a disposition that he will attack
his great enemy, man, without the smallest provocation.
And should he succeed in destroying his victim, it
is his wont to stand over the inanimate corpse, goring
and tossing it in vindictive fury with his formidable
horns, trampling it under his feet, crushing and mangling
it with his knees and stripping off the skin with
his rough and prickly tongue; desisting occasionally,
but to return again with renewed appetite, as though
his revenge might never be glutted!" - Captain
William Cornwallis Harris: The Wild Sports of Southern
Africa |
 |
 |
habits
Buffalo are herd animals concentrated on the open savannah
where grazing and water is plentiful. They tend to graze
from early evening into the night and then the cooler parts
of the day, seeking shaded cover as it gets hotter. Both
sexes have horns, with males developing the much desired
gnarled bosses as they get older (many of the older hunters
believe that the boss of a mature bull will stand up to
the penetration capabilities of many heavy calibres). They
are grayish-black in colour and at a quick glance may appear
as large boulders. Despite their size, they are extremely
well camouflaged in dense cover. Their eyesight and hearing
is quite poor but their sense of smell is excellent. It
is much harder to get close to a herd of buffalo than solitary
bulls.
hunting
tips - the hunt
Buffalo
are generally hunted on foot (this is what makes this hunting
so exciting), picking up and following fresh spoor at waterholes
or across roads. Older bulls tend to separate from the herds
and are solitary or form small bachelor groups often called
Kakulis or Dagga boys (meaning mud boys).
The
best shot placement for buffalo is to hit vital organs,
hopefully breaking bone somewhere in the process. Any experienced
PH should advise to go for the "boiler room".
If hit well, the animal will grunt at impact and take off
at a gallop, usually signaling death with a characteristic
bellow. Very few shots, regardless of calibre will pull
a mature bull to the ground unless the shot hits the spine.
If in a herd, the wounded animal usually breaks away and
heads to thick cover. Buffalo are one of the only animals
that will purposefully circle back onto their own trail
to "hunt" and lie in wait for their persuer. Usually
they will circle back on their trail near and anthill, a
fallen tree or any area that provides decent cover.
Buffalo
hunting and their dangerous nature when wounded has been
documented by all the great white hunters and on various
video footage. DO NOT BE FOOLED - each situation
is unique and buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals
when wounded. Despite their size they are extremely quick
and cunning at camouflage, as they remain absolutely still
until one is right upon them.
hunting
tips - the calibre
Buffalo are thick-skinned animals and the minimum safe calibre
is the .375 Magnum. Many people have killed Buffalo with
a well placed shot from .270s and 30-06's, one old frontiersman
even claimed a head shot with a .22 hornet. However, with
Buffalo you can never have too much gun. If you can afford
it a well oiled gleaming double rifle packing 500 grains
of lead is you preferred choice.
Most PHs swear
by the .375 Magnum as a starting point, with the .416s &
.458s being a good compromise on price and power. Some hunters
will load a soft-nosed round for the first shot, followed
by solids as the animal moves off. Remember, you want to
do as much damage as possible with your first shot and heavy
grained, good quality soft-nosed bullets are essential.
In 2005 I was
hunting buffalo on the open Busanga plains and the client
shot a large bull quartering away, with a .458 magnum. The
shot was perfect, well back in the ribs online for the heart
and lungs and I assumed we would find the bull dead a few
yards away. After half an hour of tracking in the long grass
we still had not got close. Eventually we got the bull,
about 2 miles away and it turned out that the 500 grain
bullet had hit the ribcage and run up alongside it between
the bone and the skin. It had not penetrated the ribcage!
hunting
tips - the trophy
Trophy size judgment on buffalo
is quite easy but remains an individual choice. Old
lone bulls usually have worn horns with characteristic
gnarled bosses. The sheer menace and presence of these
bad-tempered old men make for an excellent hunt and
well-deserved trophy.
A
good set of horns starts with a thick heavy wide boss,
running outwards and downwards (the deeper the curl
the better) well past the ears before curling upwards
and back in again. The points then raise upwards and
backwards, the higher the better. As a rule, the further
past the ears the outer upward curl of the horns are,
the better the trophy. In fact, Rowland Ward measurement
is based upon the spread of the horns while SCI uses
this measurement as supplemental information.
|
|
hunting
tips - where
Buffalo
are fairly widespread throughout Africa, with the Cape or
Southern Buffalo being the largest and most hunted. It is
uncommon to hunt for buffalo and return home empty-handed
unless you are hunting an area that has very few or no animals.
Tanzania
is still the supermarket king of buffalo package hunts as
the Selous game reserve is a vast repository for these bovines.
Without a doubt this is one of Africa's largest concentrations
of Cape Buffalo and prices are reflective of this. However,
do not expect a massive trophy and realistically you will
work very hard to shoot a bull upwards of 40 inches here.
Masailand and Western Tanzania used to produce magnificent
bulls but these days they are few and far between. Tanzania
still has the benefit of being able to offer 2 buffalo on
one safari which is hard to come by in other countries.
Zambias
Luangwa Valley must rate as the best compromise
between numbers of Buffalo, prices for a 7 day hunt and
a realistic chance at shooting a bull into the mid 40's.
North Luangwa has herds of buffalo into the thousands and
the concessions here are given very high quotas each year.
In addition, these hunts allow Hippo and Crocodile to be
taken as well so this makes a attractive package.
Of
late, owing to the country's misfortune, Zimbabwe
offers very decently priced Buffalo hunts and if you choose
the correct concession and hunt at the right time of year
then you stand a very good chance of success. Rememeber
that the actual picture in Zimbabwe is not as bad as one
is led to believe and once you are out in the bush hunting
you will not even remember the bad things you have heard
are happening there.
Buffalo hunting in Mozambique
is available at reasonable rates and some decent trophies
have been taken. However the quality and number of buffalo
are very much dependant upon the different concessions.
There are some reports of hunters walking waist deep in
swamp-water for 7 days and not seeing any sign of buffalo!
In South
Africa a different situation exists. Buffalo often
carry bovine tuberculosis which severly effects livestock
THUS an imaginary "line" drawn across the country
- called the Red Line - SOUTH of which no infected buffalo
are allowed exists. So if you are hunting a buffalo south
of this line it means the beast has been through a quarantine
process and is likely to be expensive. Buffalo are most
commonly hunted around the boundaries of the Kruger National
Park on private concessions and there are some massive bulls
around. Prices are higher but the hunt is very similar to
hunting out in the real Africa. Hunts for Buffalo in the
Zululand reserves also takes place on a tender basis which
also makes for an good hunt.
zambian
hunting - south african hunting
- wingshooting - fishing -
family adventures
|
