This is written for a general audience. Folks who have not been cape buffalo hunting yet but would like to try it.
Enjoy, Brian



Did You Hear The Ox Pecker?
by Brian Gallup

Our plan was to hunt an old cape buffalo cow in the Lowveld. We would sneak up close enough to get a good shoulder shot. I would do the shooting, my wife would do the videoing and Pieter Kriel of Mkulu Safaris would do all the work. It was a good plan.

North of the Olifants River near Phalaborwa there is a lot of mopane bushveld. There’s also some nice big rolling open areas, with koppies surrounded by glacier strewn boulders. But, the buffalo are in the mopane bush and you have to go in and find them.

The trees were widely spaced and we could see in any direction for about 100 meters, and so could the buffalo. The dry ground was covered with noisy leaves that were blown into serpentine piles. It was mostly level bench land, truncated by ancient dry river channels. Mopane bush veld is exciting to hunt in. The tricky part is that the moody spring winds move through the trees from every direction.

We couldn’t have asked for a better safari crew. The two trackers, Samuel and Peter were good spirited and on the ball. The outfitter and PH, Pieter Kriel and the back up PH, Johan were real professionals. Focused, able, and considerate. What’s more they loved the bush. And our cook, Michael, was awesome.

Before a stalk, we would ride in the back of the hunting vehicle checking for spoor and watching for a herd. Johan was good with spoor and he would keep his eyes on the sandy ground as we drove slowly along. Meanwhile, Samuel looked deep into the bush for a glimpse of a herd. When one of them would spot something promising, we would leave the truck. It took time. Usually my wife, Sandy, and I would just wait in one spot while Pieter, Johan and Samuel would scour the ground, sorting out the spoor. We wanted a herd with lots of cows. After a while they would come back with a thumbs up or down.

If the spoor was good with lots of cow sign, we would start tracking until we found the herd. We repeated this process several times a day for three days and never got close enough for a good shot on an old cow. The buffalo were spooky in the shifting wind. It was a lot of work.

Late morning of the fourth day we stopped for a break. The men treated us to some bush knowledge. I leaned my rifle against an old leadwood tree, drank some water and listened as we learned about the art and science of tracking. Sandy and I were fascinated.

“We have been following two herds.” Pieter started. “One was mostly bulls and they moved through here early this morning. Another herd with a good cow population grazed through here recently. Maybe an hour ago. They are moving towards water. The herd of mostly bulls moved east.”

“The easiest spoor to read is the droppings.” Johan pointed with his rifle barrel, ”Cow droppings pile up like this. Bull droppings splatter out like this. For the last half hour we have been following a smaller herd than before, and there is much less bull manure. This spoor shows plenty of yearlings and cow tracks.”

Pieter added, “You get the time line from the tracks and the dung. In this heat the dung dries hard pretty fast, and the wind quickly rubs the edges off the tracks in the dry sandy ground. A while ago some of the spoor we were following was a half day old. Now all this spoor is very fresh. Two herds.”

Johan asked, “Sandy, do you know how I can tell that they are heading for water? “
“Heavens no, but I would like to.”
“Well, I know where the water hole is.“ We were all chuckling as we started following tracks again.

Sandy and I were soaked with sweat and loved every minute of it. We were in the bush with good men tracking the most dangerous animals in the world to hunt, the cape buffalo.

At one point, Johan and Samuel were about 15 meters ahead of us, working the tracks and kneeling down to look through the trees for black buffalo legs. Pieter was with Sandy and I when he whispered.
“Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“Did you hear the Ox Pecker?”
“Just now?”
‘There it is again! Look, you can see it now.” He pointed to something flickering in the tree tops to the north of us more that 100 meters away.
“It’s the Red Billed Ox Pecker.” he said.

Peter took the time to explain it. He was always good that way.

“Where there is an Ox Pecker there is usually a buffalo. They eat the ticks and bugs off of the buffalo. If I was following a wounded buffalo right now, I would mark this place with a cairn of three or four stones. Then I would take a deep breath and follow that Ox Pecker because that’s probably where my wounded buffalo would be, circling around to get me.”

Johan and Samuel were still up ahead. When Samuel looked our way, Pieter pointed to the Ox Pecker and Samuel told Johan, who looked through his binoculars for a moment, then grinned and nodded in agreement. We would follow the Ox Pecker.

We were back in the game. Sandy and I could feel it and she winked at me. No tracks, no droppings. Just an Ox Pecker in a tree. We began to see more Ox Peckers fluttering along as we went. Johan was in front and would sometimes crouch down and use his binoculars to look under the branches for those buffalo legs.

As we crept along, the bush seemed to be getting denser. More moisture in the ground maybe.
I looked back at Sandy and she had the video camera up and recording.
There was an open place about 70 meters ahead and even I could clearly hear the Ox Peckers.

This was Johan’s water hole. Good man. We nudged forward through the branches until I could see our herd of bulls and cows drinking to their hearts content. And our Red Billed Ox Peckers. What a beautiful sight.

This time things were different. We had some good cover and a light breeze in our faces. I could smell the buffalo. The gentle noise from the drinking herd helped cover any noise we made. We reached some good cover within 40 yds of the water. I waited with my rifle on the sticks for Pieter to pick me out a perfect old cow.

You know how it feels. Three days of stalking, sometimes frantically trying to get a shot off in time, but mostly just walking, creeping, crouching, and crawling. Now I was resting purposefully on the shooting sticks waiting for someone to say. ”Are you happy? Take it!

My single shot, break-open rifle, was a .577 NE loaded with the 700 grain Peregrine, Bush Master bullet over 116 grains of N550 powder. I was watching a tall old cow through my 1-5 Weaver scope, when Pieter whispered. “Yes, that’s the one! If you’re happy, take the shot.”

The cow was standing at 30 meters with her left side to me and her head up. A bull stood beside her and when he lowered his head to drink I had just enough room to slip the big slug over the bull’s neck and into the centre of the cow’s shoulder. It was 5 inches above her heart but it was still a good shoulder shot, and I took it.

When a buffalo is hit in the shoulder it usually lurches, turns and runs for about 30 meters. But for a moment, this old cow hardly moved. I saw the bullet hit, I saw the ox peckers leap off her neck and I saw the bull jump away. But for an instant the cow just stood there. While I opened my rifle and reached for another cartridge, she slowly tried to lift her left leg to take a step. But the Peregrine bullet had shattered her shoulder and she fell flat on her chin. She was done.

We looked her over closely while Johan kept his rifle in hand, just in case any buffalo came back from the herd. She was old and thin and worn out. Pieter had worked his magic, Sandy had it on video, and the Peregrine Bush Master bullet was amazing. Just as we planned.



Retired in BC, Canada, Brian recalls that his first formal hunting trip was with his father in 1958, for pronghorn antelope in southern Alberta, Canada. He and his wife Sandy have lived and hunted in some pretty remote places, including the MacKenzie River Valley in Northern Canada. They now spend more time in Africa.

Thanks. I really enjoyed your story. I've only taken one buffalo, but I relive the adventure often.

Badger Matt,

Thanks, friend. Brian

Yes ! Yes ? Yes ! Fantastic story ! If you have heard the Oxpecker you have hunted ! If you have felt the heat on a finger poked into a patty of buffalo manure you have hunted ! And if you have smelt the sweet cattle smell of buffalo on the wind you have hunted !

Alf, Thanks for the great comment, Brian

Buffalo hunting!

Never fails to satisfy!

Great story, and thank you for sharing it with us.

Great story Brian.

Have you tried the Peregrine Bush Master bullet on any other game?

Yes, indeed, very enjoyable story, thanks.
I have heard the ox pecker, seen'em too.
I refuse to stick my fingers in the buffalo pooh without an exam glove, however.
Always practice safe scatology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xudYUvcal58

Rip ...

Thanks to everyone for the comments.

Blair,

Have you tried the Peregrine Bush Master bullet on any other game?[/QUOTE]

No I have not yet. I have a 100 Bush Master bullets in 358 for my 350 RM and 358 Winchester that I have yet to try. Brian

RIP, I will check your youtube link, Thanks, Brian

Brian:

Very good read, write some more of it now.

Sounds like a very good shot you made.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

George

georgeld

Thank you George. The shot was at close range and I had a good steady rest on the sticks.

With the .577NE it's mostly about just not flinching!

Also, I have another buffalo hunting story in the works. Thanks for the encouragement. Brian

Thank you for sharing! Never stepped foot in africa, but I can get enough of a sense of things from your description!

There is never such a thing as “ only once in Africa “
You’ll go again Brian

724wd,
Thank you. That is just what I was thinking when I wrote it. I wanted to describe some of the styles and procedures for new comers. Plains game or dangerous game hunting is just about the same as in the story. I don't think it has changed since "The Horn of the Hunter".

I and my wife are fortunate enough and old enough, to have hunted in Africa eight times but we remember brilliantly the excitement of the first trip.

If you are ever planning a trip, please PM me if I can help with costs and safety tips. Brian

Great story & great hunting. Just my kind of bush lore.

Thanks

Hey Naki!
Thank you ol' pal! Brian

I really enjoyed your experience. Thanks for posting.

Thank you Ann, for your kind comments. I really enjoy writing buffalo hunting stories. I am working on another one that I will call Bullets For Buffalo. Easy next year maybe. Brian

Brian!

Frank, Thank you. Brian

Yes a very nice story. It has a somewhat Ruark like feel to it, looking forward to some more!

Cougarz, Now there's a compliment and I will gratefully take it. Thanks, Brian

Very nice. Thanks for posting.
Cal

Brian,
wish you many more such adventures

Thank you Cal and DRSS, Brian

Terrific story Brian!

Thank you! Victor.

Great story!
Thank you!

Ammohouse, Thanks for your kind post. Brian