jjs,
Yes charter flights are included in my pricing..

Shakari,
Right on, any outfit that makes guarentees on trophy size is subject to a jaundiced eye IMO or has a fence around it..

It takes hard work, lots of walking to find a 40" or better and you need a lot of luck...I'd rather be lucky than good anyday.

I know they are there and I know that even the old big 46 and 50 inch boys are around if you can find them, but then they shoot a 40 Inch mule deer behind my house from time to time, and I have not seen one that big in some 22 years of driving around and hunting that area, I shot some big ones but someone else kills the 40 plus deer, so there you go, knowing they are there and killing one is up to the Red Gods and mother luck..

With people starving in Zim and the poaching thats taking place, anyone who wants to hunt Zim had better do so quick because there is going to be bugger all left to shoot at there in a couple of years.

Look, I didn't say this outfit never shot anything less that 42 - they just didn't do it last year, and agent I am talking to said he doubts they would go 2005 without shooting something under 40 inches.

My point is, from what I can tell, Tanz seems to offer big buff if you go to Masai or even western tanz. My experience with the Selous was not great, but I heard M1 isn't great for big buff anyway, esp when the grass is long. The guy who hunted after me on that trip didn't shoot a buff at all!

anotherAZwriter,
Well, lots of big bulls have been killed in the Selous over the years, they have a lot of buffalo and I usually see at least a 100 buffalo a day. I usually, at least see a 42 or 44 inch bull every year, sometimes I kill it and sometimes I dont'....The selous is a big area, some parts are good, in fact most of them are good,but I suppose a few are not...Don't know.

I think I can shoot a 40 or better inch bull in a week or ten days in the Selous most of the time...Most of the Selous hunts are 7 day hunts and time scares the client and he takes a nice 38 inch bull and is happy, A 38 inch bull with big Selous bosses is a darn nice trophy and how many folks can tell that difference of 1 inch on the tip of each horn on a wall mounted buffalo

The Masai has about two concessions that are good, and sometimes its hard to kill a buffalo in the Masai, depending on the weather and water, the bulls are not always in the Masai, mostly they live in the park and wonder in and out..

Sometimes after hard hunting big bulls get scarce in any concession..It's just hunting and lots of circumstances involved in success...

I shot the largest bull of my life in a hard hunted concession and he was with a partner that was almost as big, so I see buff as like gold, they are where you find them..

But I think the biggest mistake in hunting is carrying that darn tape around in your pocket, and letting the rest of the hunt pass you by...If you make the record book, no one but you will ever read your name in it...

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
anotherAZwriter,
Well, lots of big bulls have been killed in the Selous over the years, they have a lot of buffalo and I usually see at least a 100 buffalo a day. I usually, at least see a 42 or 44 inch bull every year, sometimes I kill it and sometimes I dont'....The selous is a big area, some parts are good, in fact most of them are good,but I suppose a few are not...Don't know.

I think I can shoot a 40 or better inch bull in a week or ten days in the Selous most of the time...Most of the Selous hunts are 7 day hunts and time scares the client and he takes a nice 38 inch bull and is happy, A 38 inch bull with big Selous bosses is a darn nice trophy and how many folks can tell that difference of 1 inch on the tip of each horn on a wall mounted buffalo

The Masai has about two concessions that are good, and sometimes its hard to kill a buffalo in the Masai, depending on the weather and water, the bulls are not always in the Masai, mostly they live in the park and wonder in and out..

Sometimes after hard hunting big bulls get scarce in any concession..It's just hunting and lots of circumstances involved in success...

I shot the largest bull of my life in a hard hunted concession and he was with a partner that was almost as big, so I see buff as like gold, they are where you find them..

But I think the biggest mistake in hunting is carrying that darn tape around in your pocket, and letting the rest of the hunt pass you by...If you make the record book, no one but you will ever read your name in it...

Good point.

that is true Ray, but being selective is what makes it a challenge. I have shot a few raghorn bulls that I was pretty proud of - because I did it myself. My best elk was a 7x6 on the first morning of my first hunt - on a DIY hunt with my brother. If you have the November 98 issue of Petersen's HUNTING there is a pic of it on a story I wrote.

Anyway, I already shot small bulls - I want a big one now. Will I get one? Who knows, but I want to do my homework to increase my chances as much as possible.

Never been to Tanz, but am considering going over in 06 based on the following:

1) Tanz didn't get its big Buff reputation for nothing.
2) The PH's and agents that I have spoken to are very enthusiastic and professional in their dialog with me.
3) And most importantly: The clients of these outfitters that I have spoken with in person rate Tanz far above elswhere when it comes to Buffalo hunting.

I like to hear from clients before making a decision. They can give you the unbiased facts about a possible hunt.

Jeff

anotherAZdwriter,
your right, its good to be selective and try to get the biggest bull in Africa...

The problem is two or three fold maybe 4 fold

Most hunters get antsy after a day or two on a 7 day hunt, and take a nice 38" bull with good bosses, can't blame them for that..

Some hunters just want a representive trophy and thats fine too..

Some panic and demand the first shootable bull they see, because the afraid they might go home empty, and can't blame them for that..

Some hunters have expectation beyond belief and most of them go home empty handed and sometimes mad...A lot of this is from what they gleen from talk forums and magazines, they just cannot believe they didn't get a shot at a 65 inch buffalo...

Then there is the sad story of hard hunting, determination, and finally a window of opertunity and bingo the hunter missed, wasn't ready, didn't do what he was told by the PH, didn't believe the bull was as good as the PH said it was and it left while they argued and a million other reason...BTW, I have probably lost a fine trophy animal for all of the above reasons at one time or another...

The bottom line is I have seen all of the above happen in the Selous, and the biggest bull I ever shot there was one that didn't impress me at all, he had over 50 inches and looked like a longhorn steer to me, another a client shot one that had drop to the ground almost, and a 36 inch spread and he was beatiful...My best bull is displayed on my web page and he only has a hair under 40 inches, but the drop, bosses, and curl measured better than that long flat bull by 9 inches..so where and what is a good trophy, in Tanzania they are where you find them IMO...I have hunted about everywhere in Africa, and I just wouldn't have a clue where to tell a client to kill a 46" buff..I have seen them almost everywhere that has not been over hunted and some places that have...

Bottom line is when the Red Gods smile...

I personally enjoy hunting with a client who has high standards - I guess I enjoy the challenge and I certainly don't mind at all if he turns opportunities down.......but it's a funny thing - I've noticed that most of the hunters who have never taken a Buff are the ones who make most noise about trophy size.

Those who have taken a Buff are a lot more interested in the closeness and difficulty of the shot and the quality of the stalk.

Just occasionally I come across a client who has specific requirements about quality of the stalk, closeness of the shot AND trophy quality ( I don't just mean width).......and they're the best ones of all to hunt with.

Am thinking seriously about tanzania next year mostly for the experience of going there. Cant imagine a place the size of the Selous with no africans in it. I killed a great 45 inch buffalo in zimbabwe on my first hunt so its more about total experience than inches.

quote:

Originally posted by gunny:
.........so its more about total experience than inches.

That's what I tell WW II (Wonderful Wife #2)!