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I'm a 71 year old Oregonian, a fair shot, having lots of guns but no DG hunting experience. I'm in a fair state of physical preservation for my age as I exercise regularly. I'm a long way from senility. I give this background because I'm thinking about safari before I get too old or too out of shape. I'm considering slowing down my gun buying and saving around $12,000 to $15,000 over a year's time for probably my only African hunt. At this time I'd like to do it in South Africa-- my only reason being the chance to meet virtual friends there in the seminary wherein I teach by distance education. I would like to have buffalo as my prey, and am not much interested in other species. I read a lot here,respect all the experienced authories, and I ask you answers to three questions (or any other advice you choose to throw in): (1) Given my age, condition, and budget is my hope doable? (2) Is South Africa a reasonable preference over other countries? (3) Am I too narrow minded in only wanting to hunt buff? Thanks, | ||
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Bill, I will let others comment on questions 2&3; I will answer question 1. I backpack several times per year in the Grand Canyon, mostly doing back country hikes. A few years ago I met a guy at the bottom of the canyon who was 80 years old. He was in better shape than many 30 year olds I saw at the rim eating ice cream and taking pcitures. I have a friend who just turned 60. Two weekends ago he ran a 100 mile foot race (not over several days, but all at once). He finished 33 in a field of over 300. One of my goals is not to be so out of shape that at your age I can no longer hunt. The other is to have the quid to pay for it. My retirement goal is to hunt instead of looking back and lamenting how wonderful life used to be. Good luck! | |||
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Bill: (1) you are not too old (2) South Africa is very expensive for buffalo relative to Zimbabwe or Mozambique. For example in Zim, maybe $1,000 per day for daily rates plus $3,000 trophy fee on buff. (3) ABSOLUTELY NOT! Buffalo hunting rocks. Also, you could maybe get a hunt at your local SCI fundraiser and save a bunch on the daily rates. Having a Cape buffalo on the wall sure makes reading about Africa more fun and big bore rifle collecting more fun too. Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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Hi Bill, Your hope is definitely realistic and attainable. Don't worry about being narrow minded about only wanting a buffalo. Once you get there you will change your mind. Nothing against RSA, but it would be much more affordable to go to Zimbabwe for your buffalo and well within your budget. South Africa's buffalo are almost entirely on fenced game properties and tend to be much more expensive due to their disease free requirements. Since you are a little older you might want to consider any of the operators in the Save or Bubye Valley Conservancies. These are both huge areas mostly flat with good roads to make it easier to get around. You will also have the ability to see many other of the Big Five there. Good luck and I bet you will not be able to go only once. Mike STAY IN THE FIGHT! | |||
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Bill, to follow up. So say you go to Zimbabwe to the Save (which is a great suggestion). If you go for a ten day buffalo hunt at $1,000 per day plus $3,000 trophy fee, then you have money left over for a kudu, wart hog, and zebra or whatever plains game Mother Nature sends your way. You can always spend some time in South Africa before/after your hunt. Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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You need to go to Africa and you will go more than once, I promise you. Once you get there and see the animals, you will most likely get the itch to shoot other animals in addition to buffalo. The sight of a big Kudu bull will stir the soul. -------------------------------------------- National Rifle Association - Life Member National Wild Turkey Federation - Diamond Life Sponsor Pope & Young Club - Associate Member | |||
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Bill G, To be sure Zimbabwe is a great place to hunt a Buffalo, and it will likely be a different sort of hunt from one you will find in South Africa, but maybe not too different. And you must be honest with yourself regarding your physical condition. Talk to some who have done buffalo hunts in Zimbabwe about how they work. AND, I understand that Cape Buffalo prices have been falling pretty quickly in South Africa,and the daily rates are 1/3 to 1/2 what they are in Zim these days - so it may be wise to wait to see what the South African outfitters come up with to match your original plan. Les | |||
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I would say that you are definately a "GO". I took my first safari at 55 but wish now that I had started at least 10 years earlier. I just finished an elephant safari in Zim at 62 and it was a tough but wonderful hunt and I took a great Ele. Like you, I excersize regularly and that was the difference of a very good ele as opposed to a lesser one. Dont wait - go and enjoy yourself, you will never regret it and always remember it. I took a great buf in SA two safaris ago. There are good hunts there but I prefer Zim or somewhere more remote. | |||
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Sir, You are more than welcome to keep us in mind in your preperations. I will be more than happy to guide you on a Buffalo hunt in South Africa. Please do not let the people give you a misguided concept about Buffalo hunting in South Africa. You will have a very good, exciting and fair chase hunt, if booked with the right outfit. I will even host your friends in camp for you. And so B.T.W. $15,000.00 is not that far off the ballpark for a Buff with us in South Africa. You are welcome to email me at charl@infinito-safaris.com Regards, Charl van Rooyen Owner Infinito Travel Group www.infinito-safaris.com charl@infinito-safaris.com Cell: +27 78 444 7661 Tel: +27 13 262 4077 Fax:+27 13 262 3845 Hereford Street 28A Groblersdal 0470 Limpopo R.S.A. "For the Infinite adventure" Plains Game Dangerous Game Bucket List Specialists Wing-Shooting In House Taxidermy Studio In House Dip and Pack Facility In House Shipping Service Non-Hunting Tours and Safaris Flight bookings "I promise every hunter visiting us our personal attention from the moment we meet you, until your trophies hang on your wall. Our all inclusive service chain means you work with one person (me) taking responsibility during the whole process. Affordable and reputable Hunting Safaris is our game! With a our all inclusive door to door service, who else do you want to have fun with?" South Africa Tanzania Uganda | |||
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Bill, This might sound strange coming from Zambia but from what I have seen posted here I would strongly suggest the wilds of Zimbabwe. Andrew ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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 A good man this Mr fairgame. The Save would indeed be ideal for you, with half a dozen great operators to choose from there. Send me a PM or email hulmour@yahoo.com and I will send you some options.David | |||
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Bill, I think you'll find that a PH can be pretty creative in adapting a hunt to meet the client's abilities. A Cape Buff, while it might require some walking, is an excellent choice. It doesn't get more "African" than that! | |||
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+1 for buff in Zim If you're only going to go to Africa one time, it makes sense to try to go to wild Africa. Even if you're okay with shooting stocked animals behind a fence, it seems something is lost from the experience when you don't have the chance to bump into elephants, see crocs in the river, hear wild lions calling at night, etc. | |||
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There is nothing that can compare to a tented camp in the Selous. Lions roaring all night, crocs in the river next to camp, elephants wandering through camp at night, hippos in the river, a lifetime of memories. Jim "Bwana Umfundi" NRA | |||
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Bill, Go read my hunt report. My father and I went on safari in Zimbabwe for Cape buffalo, kudu, blue wildebeest, impala and warthog when he was 70. He did and got it all. My father and I just returned from Namibia where we hunted hard and got leopard, elephant and gemsbok. My father is now (tomorrow in fact) 72, broke his right shoulder last February and had half of his right lung removed for cancer in May of this year. He busted his ass and had an incredible time. I have zero doubt that you should head to Africa for your first DG safari and come back to tell us you've already booked second. Have a GREAT time!!! NRA Lifer; DSC Lifer; SCI member; DRSS; AR member since November 9 2003 Don't Save the best for last, the smile for later or the "Thanks" for tomorow | |||
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Bill, I was in Zimbabwe last June and the only thing that I shot was a buffalo. It's not narrow minded, it's focused. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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That's it exactly! Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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I'd make buff my priority but not not want to take anything else. Let the outfitter/PH know up front that buff is what your primary focus on, everything else is secondary. Gotta eat while you are out there...may as well shoot a trophy for the pot!  Robert If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy. Thomas Jefferson, 1802 | |||
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Zimbabwe withput a doubt umnles you feel you must spend $5000-10,000 more to have a good time. it is wild Africa at a reasonable price. as far as age-who cares- JUST DO IT!! Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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Took my first safari In the Save; humani operated by Roger and Guy Whittall. I was 58 years old and looking first and foremost for a buff with my bow. Well, i did not score on the buff, but we hunted for them morning and night. I did get ( outside my planned expectations) zebre, warthog, impala, elephant, baboon and giraffe. I went back with Guy last month to get the buff in Coutada 14, Mozambique. I was fitter, and needed to be, the tracking over dry land and slashing through warercourses, was like Dark Africa. Don't hesitate, plan to come back to Africa, move more and harder thsn Gary Player, and take your suppliments!! DAL | |||
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Its likely you will want to go back after the first experience providing you do it right. A buff hunt with someone like Charlton-McCallum Safaris in Zimbabwe would be my pick. A good friend has hunted With Myles McCallum every year for ten years bar this season and I think he's now in his eighty's.  | |||
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PM sent Regards, Chris Troskie Tel. +27 82 859-0771 email. chris@ct-safaris.com Sabrisa Ranch Ellisras RSA www.ct-safaris.com https://youtu.be/4usXceRdkH4 | |||
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+1 We're planning a Selous hunt in 2013. I will be a month shy of 71. I will be in shape, walking and shooting a lot in the months prior to departure. Keep in good shape and hone your offhand shooting skills and go! You will never, ever regret it. | |||
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+1 Dream it...Discover it...Experience it... Patrick Reynecke Outfitter and Professional Hunter Bushwack Safaris Box 1736 Rustenburg 0300 North West Province South Africa www.bushwacksafaris.co.za Cell: +27 82 773 4099 Email: bushwacksafaris@vodamail.co.za | |||
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Once again the helpful friendliness of AR members is proven by the many who took the time to provide excellent responses to my questions in this thread and also in PMs. Thanks to all. As I said at the beginning, I need to save for a year to afford safari. So any plans are subject to change as the following shows. As a result of the input of several of you, I am now thinking that a country other than RSA, as, perhaps, Zimbabwe, might satisfy my desire to taste African hunting for the first and likely the only time. Bill ........................ | |||
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