Please recommmend an outfitter.

Like to help you out but our first hunt for buffalo will start Aug 17 in the Selous. Will post a reply when I get back.

I can say that one does not know how it will all sort out, given the recent deaths, none of which were with new outfitters. They call this dangerous game.

Near as I can tell, you should book with a good man with a track record and take a good rifle and a decent cartridge with the ability to shoot it.

Keith

Stoker

Welcome to the wonderful world of AR ...

Where are you calling from and any other information about you might be helpful to respondents ..

Take care out there

Peter

I am in Northern Ontario Canada. I hunt deer, moose, and bear.I spent some time guiding bear hunts but the cancellation of the sring hunt ended that. I own 100 acres at my residence and have a hunt camp with 2200 acres of crown land to hunt. We hunt with hounds during the rifle seasons.

I have a Quebec caribou hunt booked and would like to hunt cape buffalo next.

Rifles are not a problem Wife says I have too many 22 to 458.

Holy Smoke



It must be damn cold up there in the north, rather you than me. I spent 4 years in Vancouver WAY BACK in time which is mild by comparison BUT still too bloody cold for me a spoilt African. Give me the heat over the cold any time of the day or night ..



Back to hunting buff.



Basically any rifle that you are comfortable with from .375 upwards is legal. From our personal experience the .416 has proved most popular with the hunters, also .458, but you know best what you can shoot accurately and with confidence. The Xperts will ALWAYS tell you accuracy and bullet placement in the correct spot are more important than caliber perse.



IN SA and Zambia the main season is from May to November, BUT June July August and September are the most popular with hunters because of the winter dry season guaranteed.



Ray, Shakari, and other Xperts will tell you more about Mozambique and Tanzania as the terrain can vary and seasons are a bit different in TanZan.



Zimbabawe is proberbly the cheapest BUT there are many shady operators and a lot of government interferance going on there of late, but there are still some good operators around. I guess prices are cheaper because they are in a desparate situation politically and will cut prices to survive.



I personally always believe that by cutting prices one will ultimately go out of business BUT that is another topic all on it's own to look at.



You need to have about $10K up your sleeve for the hunt, including the airfares and dip and pack, except in SA where it will blow out a bit and IMHO is not budget friendly for Nyati



Regards and keep warm up there



Peter

Be careful. Buffalo hunting will grab hold of you like nothing else. I took my first trip to Zimbabwe in 1998. I killed my first buff during the first hour of the first day with a .375 H&H. Took my second buff in the swamps of Mozambique with a .458 WM. That was an unforgettable experience. This past year, I hunted the Selous with Zuka Africa Safaris. I took two good buffs (38" and 39.5") with a .458 Lott and without a doubt it was the most exciting and wonderful hunting experience I have ever had. I have booked there again for September 2005. Whatever you choose, .375, .416, .458, etc. burn a bunch of powder before you go.

The rifle isnt as important as the operators willingness to practice practice practice. Buffalo hunts vary in price from zim and moz to botswana and tanz. Zambia falls somewhere im between. If you are with a good operator you will be safe relatively speaking whichever place you choose. South Africa is not only expensive the buff are behind fences which doesent appeal to some folks. Many of us who have been hunting zim for years dont feel intimidated by govt intervention . If you are starting fresh give ray or keith atcheson a call and book through them. It doesnt cost any more and you are more insulated from trouble.

Where do you guys think is the best place to bop a 40 inch buffalo? I have hunted the Selous and they seem to have a lot of mid to high 30 inch bulls.

Not to be rude at all ....



But the best place is where you find them, ethical hunting is not a supermarket where you can choose an animal off the shelf, be wary of anyone that guarantees a trophy of a certain large size ... all the countries mentioned in this thread have sizes OVER 40" to BOP and they have been bopped in numbers, but how do we know what you will find in the bush @ any moment in time ???



Happy hunting



Peter

AnotherAZWriter,

Chewore North, Zimbabwe

Hey Peter,
Just out of interest...what cut-price buffalo hunts have you heard of? In Zimbabwe I mean. I agree with you 100% that cutting prices is a dodgy policy but from the little that I know of hunting in zim prices are still much the same as they have been in the last years...more or less...

All the best,
Andy
Live to Hunt, Fish to Live!

Andy

What I am really saying is Zimbabwe is the cheapest in general terms for southern africa cape buff hunts, there are always exceptions to the rule of cource BUT most of the agents and xperts will tell you the Zimbo's are cheaper than in RSA Bots Moz Zambia and Tanzan ... As to cut price specials that is a loose statement of mine, if in fact that is what I said. What I should say is due to political and economic circumstances they proberbly have to out of necessity cut the backside out of prices more than in other relatively stable Southern Africa hunting countries

Peter

I wish I could recommend an outfitter. I'm trying to decide what to do for a 2006 buffalo hunt myself, so I'm very interested in the posts on this topic!

Zambia.