Two partners & I are looking to book a buffalo & plains game hunt in Tanzania for 2007. I have been to Africa three times, twice to Zim in 1994 & 1996, & South Africa this summer. I have a nice buffalo, score 105 from Zimbabwe, but I have always wanted to hunt in Tanzania & wish to rely on the experience of people who have been there before to give us some guidance. The other guys going on the trip have never been to Africa before, but have hunted extensively for the past 30 years in the US & Canada. I have had lots of correspondence with booking agents & PHs & we think we want to go to Massailand, but I get conflicting response on that subject. We want the opportunity to hunt two really big buffalo each on a ten day hunt with a quality outfit that hunts their own area. We are willing to hunt 3x2 & will go anywhere necessary to fulfill our part of the hunt. I would like to take some of the plains game that I haven't taken to date; such as waterbuck, bushbuck, reedbuck, & baboon. but it would be of secondary consideration to buffal.
I stumbled across this site yesterday & was excited, after reading some of the forum, about the diversity of subjects & response from the members. I look forward to your response & am glad to have the opportunity to communicate with people who also share the "addiction" that is African Hunting.

Welcome, you'll find many very informed people here, I am just not one of them.

Have a GREAT TIME when you go.

Joel,

Welcome to the forum.

Masailand tends to have fewer Buff than the Selous for example, but they do tend to be bigger trophies...... however, if each hunter wants to take 2 Buff then I'd recommend you each hunt 1x1. A 2x1 hunt in Masailand (even a 10 day day one) may well mean you won't all get all your Buffalo. It would almost certainly be "do-able" in the Selous though.

joec, welcome to AR..If you want a real deal hunt...Find tracks and track them down kind of hunt with absolute wilderness the Selous is the place to go..Spent 21 days there this past summer...

Mike

will send you a pm

For Masailand I'd hunt with Adam Clements SafariTrackers and Bundu Safaris in Lolkisale and Lobo. I've hunted there with Ridge Taylor when he was still alive and there are big buff there, without a doubt. They are very water dependent so ask plenty of questions before you sign on the dotted line. When the rains have come and there are plenty of places to water the hunting is incredible, when droughty and the water drys up, the buff head back to the Park with the exception of Lobo which has permanent water there in the form of a river. I think Adam is putting in some new man-made lakes but you need to check with him as to where they are on that project. Good hunting!

Check out my hunt report in Kigosi from this September. I have no doubt I could have held out for 40+ inchers. The other PG you want is there and you can do it on a 10 day hunt.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6321043/m/784100445

Joe,
You cannot go wrong in either Selous or Masailand.
If you want quality Buff and numbers Lolkisale and Lobo with Adam Clements and Bundu Safaris is unbeatable in my opinion( see my report this past September). Selous has good numbers of Buff(I was there in '03), but quality is not as plentiful. They are there, but you work a lot harder to get a 42 incher. Ease of hunting is probably a toss up depending on where in the Selous you hunt, LU-5 with Adam Clements/SafariTrackers had large herds of Buffalo in September/October due to riverine block and nice green grass. We had Buffalo daily and two herds of over 200 came through.
Plains game are not a problem in either area.
You may have trouble booking for '07 now, but go for it.
Robert

I vote for adam Clements' Safari Trackers. I went with them on a family safari in August. Sean Kelly was my PH. I didn't get a Buff but we were focused primarily on getting my three boys ages 16, 15, and 11 their first animals (our shooting skills didn't make Sean's job any easier). Only ended up hunting Buff about a day and a half. We saw plenty but none we wanted to take. I'm told water and the rains drive animal availablilty, but all my research indicates Masailand is the best place for bigger animals. Adam and crew seem to manage their concessions to ensure good genetics (i.e. no immature bulls). Luck and skill drive what animals are taken, but the professionalism of Adam and his team drives the rest. The camp was comfortable. The food was great. Adam's team literally took care of everything from the time we stepped off the plane to the time we stepped back on. I couldn't have been more pleased. I don't remember ever feeling so welcome at a vacation destination.

Also, Masailand requires no charters, saves time and money.

A great Zimbabwe trained PH that with his family now reside in Tanga, Tanzania is Jonathan Taylor.
Jonathan hunts most of Tanzania's hunting areas and can be contacted on email: taylor@kaributanga.com

Here is another vote for Lolkisale. Over the years, it has been hard to beat!

Joec,

As many have suggested, Lokisale/Lobo with Bundu safaris is a great choice for BIG buffalo. Another great choice would be Maswa Game Reserve although I suspect these would cost more as the outfitters that operate there, Robin Hurt, TGT and Raoul Ramoni aren't cheap.

Heed Shakari's comments about hunting in 1x1 combinations if you all want 2 buff each...The rest of the species are available on a 14 day license only so you would have to "strike a deal" with the operator on how to achieve that in 10 days. Of course, Maasailand has no waterbuck, not many reedbuck and bushbuck either. Note that you should have gazelles(In Maasailand), hartebeest, impala, warthog, zebra, wildebeest on license as well as buffalo so its not like you won't know how to spend your time in between your 2 buffs

Most of all, welcome to the forum.....and don't forget a hunt report WITH PHOTOS once you are back

Bwanamich,
Surprisingly Lolkisale has a resident breeding herd of Waterbuck. I was also surprised to learn that during the September period the Bohor Reedbuck numbers go up once the green reeds are burned and allow you to see them. We did see members of each species in July, but numbers were very low.
Robert

I meant to say that Maasailand normally does not have a hunting quota for waterbuck. Does Lokisale have quota for waterbuck? Personally, I think it would be madness to shoot them.

Bwanamich,
Lolkisale does have a quota for Waterbuck and they took a nice 28+inch trophy last year.

JoeC good luck on setting up your safari, you will never regret going to Tanzania. It is as close to Kenya when I was there in '73 as anywhere you could go today.
Robert