I’ve booked a buffalo hunt at the BVC and because I’m only interested in a really old dagga boy of around 12-years and older I wonder what I can expect. Anybody hunted there during the last, let’s say two years? Were there plenty old ones? The size of the trophy has no meaning to mean, I mean the width, but what I like: a big boss. A scrum-cap buffalo would make me v e r y happy. Any photos of old dagga bys from BVC?

Who will be your PH? I hunted there in '14 but was not after buffalo. Saw a tremendous number of lion though. That makes it interesting. BVC is a special place.

I think their buff program is much improved in the last 3-4 years based on this pictures I've seen. But, I reckon many of their old worn out bulls are killed by lions, of which there are plenty. So, shoot an old bull and call it good. Holding out for a scrum cap might be a recipe for coming home empty handed.

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Originally posted by Bama15:
Who will be your PH? I hunted there in '14 but was not after buffalo. Saw a tremendous number of lion though. That makes it interesting. BVC is a special place.

John Sharp. I’m aware of the high number of lions, one of the reasons why I have a bit of a headache ‘cause I don’t want just an old bull but a very old one. I would never shoot a youngish buffalo.

I've hunted the BVC twice and taken two bulls there. One was 42" with 14" bosses, with PH Martin Nel, The other one was 41.5" with 16" bosses, with PH Shaun Buffee. There were some old boys around, but the lion population, even then was large enough that they were literally hunting and harassing the buffalo both day and night. A scrum cap might be possible, but in my estimation, a long shot.

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Originally posted by Sunshine:

quote:

Originally posted by Bama15:
Who will be your PH? I hunted there in '14 but was not after buffalo. Saw a tremendous number of lion though. That makes it interesting. BVC is a special place.

John Sharp. I’m aware of the high number of lions, one of the reasons why I have a bit of a headache ‘cause I don’t want just an old bull but a very old one. I would never shoot a youngish buffalo.

Sharp will give you an honest assessment. You should ask him.

As has been mentioned. Scrum caps don't live long in areas with high densities of lion, since they can no longer defend themselves. BVC has a high density of lions.

I am having dinner with John Wednesday night...I can ask him face to face for you.

I will be hunting buffalo with John during the second half of August. When are you going?

Tim

We hunted there in 17. I took an ancient old bull there. We saw a lot of buffalo as well as other game. If you have patience and can walk, it should be no problem.

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Originally posted by tarbe:
I am having dinner with John Wednesday night...I can ask him face to face for you.

Thank you Tim, no need to ask John, obviously I have done it myself. His reply: Possible but not easy.

You guys misunderstood me. Of course first thing I did was talking with the ph about buffalo, what I can expect etc. However the BVC is a huge place and there must have been several hunters during the previous two years. From them I would like to hear what they have seen, did they see any very old buffalo, maybe they even have photographs? That was my question. Sorry when my wording wasn't clear. Even after living decades in Africa I'm still a German ;-)

Since almost 40 years I'm often at Kruger National Park, also as a guide. Not seldom I bump into very old bulls, also scrum-caps. Such buffalo I would like to shoot - nothing else.

This is as near as I can come to what I think you want from my photos of Cape buffalo. I shot this photo in Kruger in 2003. Unfortunately the broken horn is on his left side.

Sunshine- You will have an amazing safari and to top it all off it is with a PH who surely must rate as " the best of the best"

That in itself makes for a very special safari! I am reading Johns book now- awesome awesome read! Just shown my little girls why you don't play with snakes by showing them pics of Johns arm!! Go and have a great time!

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Originally posted by Buzz Charlton:
Sunshine- You will have an amazing safari and to top it all off it is with a PH who surely must rate as " the best of the best"
That in itself makes for a very special safari!

Buzz, you nailed it. I thought to myself even if I don't get what I'm looking for I have hunted with John Sharp. Of course I have his book. Well, let's wait and see...

To each his own, but I still can't see the attraction of a scrum cap. To me it is like shooting a decrepit old deer. As a conservation measure, I can see the value, but not if you have to pay $5000.00 for the privilege???

An old dugga boy with an 18" boss and a 40+" spread would certainly be the trophy of a lifetime, but a scrum cap??

BH63

I am headed there for the last ten days of July for a non trophy bull. If we see a broken horned old bull or a scrum cap I hope they let me shoot it for a non trophy, never asked Pete what the definition is. Mainly just excited to be tracking Buffalo again, hopefully many days of it before we find the right one. May try and take a few plains game, and do some bird shooting. At any rate I am guessing you will be in good hands Sunshine.

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Originally posted by Gale Johnson:
I am headed there for the last ten days of July for a non trophy bull. If we see a broken horned old bull or a scrum cap I hope they let me shoot it for a non trophy, never asked Pete what the definition is. Mainly just excited to be tracking Buffalo again, hopefully many days of it before we find the right one. May try and take a few plains game, and do some bird shooting. At any rate I am guessing you will be in good hands Sunshine.

There will be guinea fowl there in quantities I have never seen elsewhere. I shot quite a few sand grouse one afternoon at a waterhole. We saw a black rhino at the same waterhole the next afternoon.

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That in itself makes for a very special safari! I am reading Johns book now- awesome awesome read! Just shown my little girls why you don't play with snakes by showing them pics of Johns arm!! Go and have a great time!

Buzz, i am reading the book now. I just read that chapter last night. Nasty looking wound

Sunshine. I ve hunted buffalo twice in BVC and shot two 42”, the second time for 5 days looking at 5 breeding herds and 15 dhaka boy groups but saw no scrum caps however my friend went to the area in BVC north of the main conservancy where there are no lions and shot a very nice old scrum cap. I m going back again in July.

quote:

Originally posted by Buzz Charlton:
Sunshine- You will have an amazing safari and to top it all off it is with a PH who surely must rate as " the best of the best"

That in itself makes for a very special safari! I am reading Johns book now- awesome awesome read! Just shown my little girls why you don't play with snakes by showing them pics of Johns arm!! Go and have a great time!

Thank you Buzz for your very kind words - I am truly flattered.

Like most things in hunting, achieving your goal is a function of the time you have available to attain the goal.