I almost fell out of my chair with all the comments on the other thread that buffalo hunting was just OK, unchallenging, mundane, and a ho-hum, so-so overall experience.

Wow. I shake my head just typing it.

So, all you guys that are bored by buffalo, what really gets you excited? Anything?

Serpentine Tattoos on slender female ribcages...

Just Sayin...

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
Serpentine Tattoos on slender female ribcages...

Just Sayin...

You forgot the tongue stud.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
Serpentine Tattoos on slender female ribcages...

Just Sayin...

Jeff, shhhh! My wife reads this from time to time.

What happens in Florida . . .

I gotta agree and I'd expand it to be any well done, flowing tattoo on a slender pale skinned body. damn.

Of course being married that's probably a more dangerous game

Red

Will,

I like hunting everything. I find moose hunting to be pretty exciting; same with elk. But there is nothing particularly challenging about buffalo hunting. The odds of coming home empty handed are pretty low. They present a huge target. Most I see at taxidermy shops, Cabelas, etc. are very ordinary and are under 37 inches. Unless wounded, they are generally very docile. Some of you guys make it out like it the most dangerous thing on the planet.

I find the charter flight in far more terrifying than any buffalo. Maybe it is too much time in small planes in Alaska. Maybe it is a friend who buried the wheel into his chest on the Egigik River in AK many years ago.

Seeing any animal of above average quality for the area gets me cranked. A huge buffalo certainly does, and it is why i am planning on blowing about 30K to hunt them in Masailand. I get more excited with lion, leopard, and elephant than buffalo.

I just find it baffling that anyone says they love to hunt but only buffalo, elephants, etc. Hell, I like to hunt rabbits with a .22. I love calling coyotes - that might actually be more exciting than buffalo.

Tell me, have you ever been on a packstring hunt in the Rockies for elk? What about a fly in DIY caribou hunt in AK? Ever hunted moose in the Yukon, AK or BC? Ever sheep hunt? Ever hunt in Mongolia? New Zealand? Hunt red stags in Scotland? Hunt grizzly or brown bear in AK? If so, would you trade any of them for another buffalo? I know I wouldn't.

I guess I'm responsible for that mess!

Sorry guys I didn't mean to say that buff hunting was boring or that it sucked. I just had one hunt that wasn't primo and was whining like a little school girl about it I guess.

That other DG hunting you are talking about though hmmm..

It's ALL GOOD!!!! It's that "roaring in the blood", to take a phrase from a well known book title!

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
It's ALL GOOD!!!!

+1

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Tell me, have you ever been on a packstring hunt in the Rockies for elk? What about a fly in DIY caribou hunt in AK? Ever hunted moose in the Yukon, AK or BC? Ever sheep hunt? Ever hunt in Mongolia? New Zealand? Hunt red stags in Scotland? Hunt grizzly or brown bear in AK? If so, would you trade any of them for another buffalo? I know I wouldn't.

I've done a bit for a boy of 37 years . . . 27-ish hunts have taken me to England, Argentina, NZ x2, Sasketchewan, 10 states, and six African safaris, and all I can think of is how many safaris (with buffalo, of course) I could have taken if I'd not gone to those other places.

Different strokes.

Jeff/Will:

That was funny as hell. Of course one had to be there to have any idea what you guys were talking about!

Back to the subject matter, I think buff and elephant are the best. While I will always whack a big kudu or warthog, my future trips to Africa will concentrate on buff and elephant. Nothing like tracking for miles and miles .

I love buffalo hunting and have been blessed with several fine specimen.

For me it is the tracking I enjoy. I would rather take an ass whipping from the pope than ride in a cruiser all day. Being on the ground and tracking and chasing buffalo/elephant/eland/etc is my favorite hunt.

I do love buffalo.

I agree, buffalo hunting sucks . . . compared to elephant hunting.

quote:

I agree, buffalo hunting sucks . . . compared to elephant hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
So, all you guys that are bored by buffalo, what really gets you excited? Anything?

I was one of the guys who said I found buffalo hunting "just OK" on the other thread.

The truth is, I had many contacts with buffalo and in every case they turned tail and ran.(Save me the "yeah, but when wounded" BS, I know, I get it...)

Lion scared me every time we made contact, and when I shot one my adrenaline hit its highest point ever. I love lion hunting.

And Elephant! You never know what they will do when you invade their space. While closing in on the bull I eventually shot, we passed a group of females from about 20m while they slept on the top of a little hill and we didn't realize it until we were already past them. Talk about stepping over your own grave.....

Buffalo would interest me if hunted without a PH.

With all of one buffalo in the salt take my opinion for whatever you think it's worth.

The adreneline rush I experienced from my one hunt will keep me going back. Just the thought of what can happen when I put the crosshairs on a bull will carry me through as many buffalo hunts as I can do.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
[QUOTE]

The truth is, I had many contacts with buffalo and in every case they turned tail and ran.(Save me the "yeah, but when wounded" BS, I know, I get it...)

Yea, that's the point. Every time I've made contact with a Whitetail, Elk, Mule Deer, etc., they turn tail and run. Buff are just as spooky and alert as Whitetail! But they have the added excitement of being able to turn the tables on you which Whitetails don't.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Tell me, have you ever been on a packstring hunt in the Rockies for elk? What about a fly in DIY caribou hunt in AK? Ever hunted moose in the Yukon, AK or BC? Ever sheep hunt? Ever hunt in Mongolia? New Zealand? Hunt red stags in Scotland? Hunt grizzly or brown bear in AK? If so, would you trade any of them for another buffalo? I know I wouldn't.

Yep, done every bit of that and then some. By the way, Mongolia really SUCKS! But to answer the question, besides hunting brown bears and African Cats, I can think of nothing I "enjoy" more than buffalo. I love big whitetail/muleys but I spend so much time guiding for them, that its not the same.

Buffalo, what a pleasure, and a tremendous trophy to boot! I'll go buffalo hunting with you anytime Will.

I was a little underwhelmed on my buffalo hunt. Maybe it's because I live in an area with cattle, which get out, and am around them as we get them back where they are supposed to be. To me, they smell like cattle, sound like cattle, and act like cattle( unwounded ). Also, I felt very much like a second class citizen on a 10 day Tanzania buffalo hunt, as opposed to a 21 day full bag hunt, which I was told of all the big names that take those hunts. I had the feeling from staff that I was a waste of there time, wouldn't go back to Tanzania, unless I had some personal references. I am heading back to Zim next year and hope to have a better experience.

Sure does! I can't quit.

For us po folks that are saving and hoping to do one buffalo hunt before our knees play out this is disheartening.

Being a one animal wonder is just not for everyone. Take it easy it's not personal. It's just different.

Honestly, I've never truly understood nor appreciated the allure and desire to hunt Cape Buff. Different strokes for different folks...

However, although I haven't BTDT, I have the sneaking suspicion it's not comparable to walking into the back 40 and shooting cattle.

Frankly my dears .....
It all just sucks! buffalo are just cattle. I don't personalty know any one who has been bitten by a lion . I only know one person who has been chewed on by a leopard and I only know one person who has been hit by an Elephant cow (altho that is a very interesting story , told with dry British humor).

Being the kind generous and honorable gent that I am I am officially offering to relieve you of the sillyness and misery of wasting your valuable time in Africa fooling around with these animals. You just pay for the trip and I'll take your place and take responsibility of the chore of hunting .


This is a first come first served offer so don't hesitate as I am sure that my dance card will fill quickly and I can only do one hunt at a time.

quote:

Originally posted by CharlesL:
For us po folks that are saving and hoping to do one buffalo hunt before our knees play out this is disheartening.

You should not be disheartened one iota. Hunting buffalo is exciting and wonderful fun. Tracking buffalo and getting up to 50 yards for the shot is the stuff that dreams are made of. If someone told me that all I could hunt for the rest of my life was buffalo, I would die a content man. My hope for you is that your dream comes true. Stay the course.

I have been blessed to take the Big 5. For me the thought of walkin down old Syncerous Caffer is the best. FO it's a long stretch from walkin to the back 40 and pottin' Elsie the cow, but it could work out like that. Until you have sweated, bled, been defeated and ultimately scored you have no clue. Leopard is cool. Lion is awesome, but expensive.
Elephant is excellent, but I will hunt Buffalo until I am dead. I have only taken 8 but the two my father and my brother took, gave me chest pains. I think however they were the best. Understand most of my buff have come hard and honest. I love it and I live for it.

I can't wait to do it again.

Jeff

Ernest, let me know if you get full up, I'm ready to help out also and I got a Rodda double that is rarin to go!

Although I have never hunted Cape Buffalo, my favorite hunt is behind good dogs chasing wild quail. Not appropriate in the African Hunting Forum, but that is what has made me a hunter of the world, or the lack of wild quail I knew growing up.

I have hunted Africa, albeit plains game in SA, South America where I wanted to get up close to their "buffalo," and killed thousands of birds in Argentina.

I hunted deer growing up, but at an early age I fell in love with bird hunting. My dad, despite being a fatass, could outrun an NFL wide receiver once a dog was on point. In Texas, and in most states, wild quail are gone, or hard to find. That being said, I transferred my hunting passion to other things; deer (ok), pigs (you bet, I'll kill them all), dove (Argentina 4x helps), plains game in SA was fun.

To those who have hunted WILD quail, what gets your heart pumping; bumping a covey or a dagga boy?

I have done a fair amount of hunting over the years. Not as much as some and more than others, like most of us, I guess. I have carried out different roles on the hunt - as a youth I did quite a lot myself, hunting and culling plainsgame, bird-shooting, a bit of PAC...Whilst working as a hunting apprentice/camp manager for a couple of different companies during the 90s, I accompanied many hunts in the role of tail end Charlie - water-bearer, spare rifle carrier, bait hanger, runner...As the younger brother of a dedicated PH, I also spent about a decade on permanent 'appy' call, as younger brothers of dedicated PH's tend to. Between 2002 and 2007, I worked as a hunting journalist for Roger Whittall Safaris, hunting big game in the Lowveld and the Zambezi valley. It goes without saying, that I have accompanied some memorable safaris and experienced some exciting moments along the way. Tracking down and witnessing showdowns with big elephant bulls, assisting my brother and his clients to account for numerous huge leopards, including one of 190 pounds, hunting everything from rabbits to elephants with PH's Roger Whittall, Pete Wood, Thierry Labat, Rich Tabor...Adrenalizing myself to the max chasing leopards with hounds...

When all is said and done, I don't think I have ever enjoyed hunting more than when I was tracking a small group of dagga boys through the jesse flanking the Chenje river in Chewore south, with my buddy PH Thierry Labat and his client Steve Townzen...Creeping stealthily through the jesse, Steve cradling his double rifle, the dung still wet and warm, bovine smell filling my nostrils, blood pumping...

Just my opinion. And then there was that elephant bull with Rich Tabor and Bob Glick...But no, I will stick with buffalo as my number one hunt, bearing in mind that I have been on many more buffalo hunts than elephant hunts, or lion hunts, or leopard hunts...One thing I don't think I'll ever do again is sit in a blind. Buffalo, elephant bull, leopard with hounds - ranked 1, 2 and 3 in that order in my book. I don't have enough lion experience to opine much on it.

If Roger Whittall had to offer me a free hunt of my choice today, I reckon I would choose buffalo bull, kudu bull and bushbuck. Maybe a nyala too....And some birdshooting and fishing, of course...

All boils down to different strokes for different blokes eh?

Happy hunting chaps, David

quote:

Tracking buffalo and getting up to 50 yards for the shot is the stuff that dreams are made of. If someone told me that all I could hunt for the rest of my life was buffalo, I would die a content man. My hope for you is that your dream comes true. Stay the course.

+1

Buffalo hunting?

How about this a couple of years ago?

An Unintended Buffalo

Got my adrenalin flowing.

You bet, I am the same and it really has nothing to do with the hunt itself. I always go with my son and friends. It is not always a ball buster. Does not cost a fortune (except for good dogs). This year my son and a few good friends are loading up the pickups and driving from Texas to Montana to hunts huns. The road trip is fun in itself with the right crew, then the fresh mountain air and watching dogs work. We will leave the cell phones at home!

EZ

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
Although I have never hunted Cape Buffalo, my favorite hunt is behind good dogs chasing wild quail. Not appropriate in the African Hunting Forum, but that is what has made me a hunter of the world, or the lack of wild quail I knew growing up.

I have hunted Africa, albeit plains game in SA, South America where I wanted to get up close to their "buffalo," and killed thousands of birds in Argentina.

I hunted deer growing up, but at an early age I fell in love with bird hunting. My dad, despite being a fatass, could outrun an NFL wide receiver once a dog was on point. In Texas, and in most states, wild quail are gone, or hard to find. That being said, I transferred my hunting passion to other things; deer (ok), pigs (you bet, I'll kill them all), dove (Argentina 4x helps), plains game in SA was fun.

To those who have hunted WILD quail, what gets your heart pumping; bumping a covey or a dagga boy?

I have been lucky. I have taken the big 5. Other than rhino, I have taken them multiple times . I am up to 34 buffalo( not all bulls and not all trophies).

In my experience, I have shot buff that dropped instantly or ran off a very short distance to die. Some may not think that is exciting. I do not agree. There is always the thought that something could go wrong and this could be the one that has a bad attitude.

My own most exciting incident lasted ALL day. It was very early. We saw an incredible bull. He was facing us. At the shot,he went down and got up then ran. Blood was everywhere . We followed and followed and followed for 18 miles! I finished him. Being that tense for so long when we had to stay alert was amazazing. I was also having to look after a wife who had no clue of the danger. For what ever it is worth, the video showed that the bull dropped his head right as I shot. The bullet broke his lower jaw and came to rest on his spine. Had I shot with a solid, he would never have moved.

I have only had one real incident. To make a long story short, we walked right by a downed buff(and very much alive) not knowing he was there, thinking that a second buff was the one we were after. I shot the buff as he lay on the ground 3 times from close range. As i stood there reloading my 416, the damn thing got up and was trying to get us. I would love to say that he was on us like black lightening but the truth is he was so hurt that I could have easily ran out of his way. Then it hit me. Had I shot the other bull, this bull may have hammered us from behind . Scary stuff.

Anybody that thinks Buffalo hunting sucks needs their head examined!

Put up your scope sighted rifles, go after wary Dugga-boys and don't take any shots past 15-20 yards! then, if you think that sucks...

...well let's just say you have an issue or two that have nothing to do with Buffalo hunting!

And to those that think they are nothing more than cattle - I reckon you have never spent enough time around livestock to understand that "just cattle" can kick your ass without a second's notice! More than one "experienced" rancher out here has been mauled / killed by those so-called "just cattle"!

Buffalo hunting mundane? - put-up the iPhone and get some "real" action - go hunting buffalo on their terms!

That is, if you have the balls!

JW

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Wemmer:
Anybody that thinks Buffalo hunting sucks needs their head examined!

Put up your scope sighted rifles, go after wary Dugga-boys and don't take any shots past 15-20 yards! then, if you think that sucks...

...well let's just say you have an issue or two that have nothing to do with Buffalo hunting!

And to those that think they are nothing more than cattle - I reckon you have never spent enough time around livestock to understand that "just cattle" can kick your ass without a second's notice! More than one "experienced" rancher out here has been mauled / killed by those so-called "just cattle"!

Buffalo hunting mundane? - put-up the iPhone and get some "real" action - go hunting buffalo on their terms!

That is, if you have the balls!

JW

Jeff,

Can you recommend a good psychiatrist?

Actually the only buffalo hunting I now do are for buff wounded by someone else, crippled as by snare or one that has gored someone. Now that is interesting buffalo hunting to me. At least it is if it doesn't interfere with my elephant hunting.

465H&H

So if the choice (due to funding limitations) was a buffalo or a tuskless elephant hunt, understanding that there's no intention of mounting anything at home but photos, which would you do?

I can't stand to go all the way to Africa and NOT hunt buffalo. BUT as Jeff said I prefer to hunt them with an iron sighted double rifle uip close and personal. A scope CAN take some of the essence of the hunt away for me. Which was an issue on my last hunt, not having my double with me hurt my "widdle" feelings!

Given the choice between tuskless and buffalo for me at the moment I'd probably do a tuskless as I've only killed one elephant and multiple buffalo. Of course the economics make sense to do both as that trip will be cheaper than separate trips to come back and do one or the other.

Welcome to safari economics 101, how to rationalize your hunting expenditures.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I have been lucky. I have taken the big 5. Other than rhino, I have taken them multiple times . I am up to 34 buffalo( not all bulls and not all trophies).

34 Buffalo!!

Hunt them in the thorn thickets of Kitiangare and tell me you're bored! There, they will charge you unprovoked from ten yards and you will barely have time, maybe, to get off a shot. Two dead clients in the past six years, I think, or is it eight?

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Hunt them in the thorn thickets of Kitiangare and tell me you're bored! There, they will charge you unprovoked from ten yards and you will barely have time, maybe, to get off a shot. Two dead clients in the past six years, I think, or is it eight?