When i came across this photo taken by a guide friend of mine i just thought "wow"....



this is what its all about

Nice buff. Must be in Ngorongoro.

it is. Notice how out of condition he is.......its a shame he will probably end up dead on the crater floor very soon and that set of horns will be lost to dust....instead of selling it to a hunter for $$

What a magnificent trophy!!
Looks like an old battle-hardened warrior.


Are there any environmental factors why we rarely see pictures of Ngorongoro buffalo with broken horns? Is the savannah habitat responsible for the large spread not being a hindrance?

Instead of the "you owe me money," look, this guy seems to be saying something like:
"Ok. I cleaned out the barroom. Now which one of you SOB's is next?"

That is a great photo. I took the liberty of resizing the photo, so those with dial-up connections could enjoy it without having to wait for the large photo to download.

Regards,

Terry

What spread has?
48 ?? 49 ??
L

Thanks Terry, Perhaps you could do the same on the other thread "hunting the NGR for big 5"

quote:

Originally posted by Lorenzo:
What spread has?
48 ?? 49 ??
L

My guess would be 54+

Woww !!
I missed by long...maybe he just has very small years..

L

Wonder why he is so skinny with all of the green grass around? He must be old or worn out from the ladies.

Dear Dogcat,

His teeth are worn out.

VBR,

Ted Gorsline

Is it common for an old buffalo to have that much space between the boss? Simply curious as the only Africa I will probably ever experience is between the pages of various books and magazines, or here on the 'net.

If that was your ONLY chance to pull the trigger on that fine bull (imagine a large herd and he is about to be swallowed up by it and you can see it coming), how many of you would take the shot and if so, where would you aim.

quote:

Is it common for an old buffalo to have that much space between the boss?

That space is not a sign of old age. That is just the way they grew. Some bulls never have their boss grow together.


Regards,

Terry

quote:

Originally posted by T.Carr:
That space is not a sign of old age. That is just the way they grew. Some bulls never have their boss grow together.

Thanks, Terry. I had gotten the idea somewhere along the line that the space between the boss typically narrowed with age. I appreciate the info.

quote:

Originally posted by Prewar70:
If that was your ONLY chance to pull the trigger on that fine bull (imagine a large herd and he is about to be swallowed up by it and you can see it coming), how many of you would take the shot and if so, where would you aim.

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

At the apparent distance indicated by the photo, i would take him between the eyes with a solid, run up and anchor him with an insurance shot. You don't want too many shots to go off in a National Park as it tends to attract attention

quote:

Originally posted by JLarsson:

quote:

Originally posted by T.Carr:
That space is not a sign of old age. That is just the way they grew. Some bulls never have their boss grow together.

Thanks, Terry. I had gotten the idea somewhere along the line that the space between the boss typically narrowed with age. I appreciate the info.

Jon, you are also right in that when young and immature, bulls have a "gap" of skin and hair between the bosses and the gap may or may not become smaller as the boss hardens and becomes more massive. I have seen many old buff with a similar gap to this one

Male buffalo start out as calves with their ears up and horns up. As the boss develops the horns get pushed downwards and this in turn pushes the ears down. They horns keep dropping as the buffalo ages but the bosses do not necessarily ever meet.

On a few bulls the bosses do meet and grow tight together but in most cases the bosses never meet no matter how old the buffalo gets.

As buffalo walk in the grass the dust on the grass polishes their boss until all the corrugations are gone. In addition, buffalo are muscle bound and so when they turn their heads sideways they polish the underwides of their horns on the mud on their shoulders and this act polishes the undersides of the horns.

They also break or wear the tiüps of their hoprns down as they age. In the end some end up with a just helmet with slight upward tipping ends that make them look exactly like they were wearing a German WW2 army helmet or a Darth Vader helmet. This is what makes them look sinister.


VBR,


Ted Gorsline

Thanks Ted and Bwanamich - good info is always appreciated.