You are right! I'm not criticizing here just stating my opinion.

It's a matter of personal taste at the end of the day Bwana! Just shoot one of each!

Details of the hunt ----- I should add here that a post from Judge G last year was the clincher on which Safari company to use, his description of the care Pierr'e van Tonder gave to his clients convinced me in the end. I was met at Dar es Salaam by Silva who got me through customs, to the hotel, to the bush plane, etc all like clockwork. Camp was first class with comfortable tent with private bath with flush toilet and hot shower, the best of food. Equipment was new and top notch, personal as well. ----- Day one up at dawn, great breakfast, in truck with Pierr'e, four trackers, driver, game scout. Found Buffalo sign 9:00 the crew said they knew where they were going. Sure enough, 10:00 we see where they cross the road, hear them and pursue within 80 yards. Pierr'e instructs me every inch of the way, telling me what to expect, which one to shoot, where to shoot it. Head tracker, Twiga a Masai, places the shooting sticks. I am shooting a .416 Rem with a 370 grain North Fork soft at 2400 fps with North Fork solids of the same weight to back them up. I hit him at the last rib with hime quartering away from me, he goes down, gets up, walks slowly away as the rest of the herd rushs off. I hit him in the shoulder with a solid, he goes down, gets up goes in two circles and then goes belly up. I have a perfectly mushroomed North Fork bullet that racked from last rib to between first and second rib at neck bone to show it's fine work. A cautious approach and celebration, pictures, etc follow. ----- That afternoon we get with 20 yards of another herd and didn't shoot, they finally winded us and rushed off. ----- Second Day we saw Elephants, Hartebeest, warthog, Hippos, Zebra and other animals but didn't shoot anything. ----- Third day Shot a Hartebeest at 8:30 in the morning, with another perfectly mushroomed North Fork bullet that went through shoulder and neck bone before lodging in the off side skin. trailed Buffalo three miles, saw two Dagga Boys that skedattled. Missed a 250 yard shot at an Impala. Shooting a .358 STA with 270 grain North Forks that will certainly do it's part when I do mine, this time I simply missed. Later stalked a Zebra and didn't get a shot. ----- Fourth day we found Buffalo sign at 10:00 and followed for approx. 12 miles, gave up trail, saw a Dagga Boy, which skedattled. At 3:30 saw the herd we had followed, trailed them and got up to 80 yards and after many minutes of glassing bedded down Buffalo found a big old Bull laying down. He got up with his head hid by a tree, his rump hid by a cow, I had a target of his gut with him quartering away, I aimed a little forward of the main gut to place the bullet through the lungs, fired and they all rushed off. We found good blood, trailed 3 miles and saw him standing facing us at 60 yards. Pierr'e said rest on my shoulder, I did but before the crosshairs could settle on his face, he wheeled and ran. We blood trailed many more miles that day and the next but finally determined I had probably hit shoulder or neck but no bone and he was not going to die. All I can say is he was a big SOB and I hated to lose him, but we did all we could do. Those trackers were truly amazing, expecially Twiga (Meaning Giraffe, he is 6'6") I beleave he could follow a dog across a parking lot. I was honored that Pierr'e and the trackers let me help blood trail and provide protection, I understand they sometimes put the hunter back at the truck for the dirty work. ----- Day five we found a very nice Impala ( one inch short of Rowland Ward ) and I made a 80 yards shot through brush with only the shoulder in sight. Load was a 270 grain North Fork at 2850 fps from my .358 STA, he dropped in his tracks. That afternoon after more blood trailing for the Buffalo from the day before we supprised a very nice Zebra Stallion at about 80 yards, I hit him through the neck, he went down got up, ran I hit him high in the shoulder he went down, got up and ran across the road in front of us I hit him again, he went down got up and ran before falling in a heap. Taking three 270 grain North Forks and still running gave me much greater respect for this tough animal, that is also very elusive. We hunted more for Warthog and Wildebeest but didn't find the size of Warthog desired and the Wildebeest were AWOL. ----- A fastastic hunt with a super organization. The pictures show Pierr'e and his wife Anneli, all the trackers including Twiga, Sinjoree (another Masai), Augustino, Amerina, the game scout and truck driver. The Picture of Twiga in his traditional Masai garb is special to me, as he awarded me with a Masai hand made Hippo hide bracelet from Saeeds Hippo the day I left camp. Pierr'e and his crew were First Class all the way, the food and service were exemplery in every respect, the facilities could not have been better. If any of you want to hunt Africa, consider Pierr'e is all I can say. Sorry for the length,, it just took a while to say everything, and I know I left out something. Good shooting.

phurley5,

Great photos of some fantastic animals! Glad you had such a great hunt. Love the Buff...!

I look foward to reading your account.....so.... get crackin' on that story!

You can't win here can you?? Post story get yelled for photos...post photos and get yelled for story!


Congratulations!

Dave

Well done, Pat. Lovely impala too. One cannot hunt enough of them.

You're hooked!

Don't say I didn't tell you so!

Nice buff Pat,hearty congrats.
Sounds like you followed right into my footsteps,still miss the crowd.what a pleasant time!Savor the moments

Congratulations. Those are really beautiful animals.

Wishing you many more hunts in the future,

Thanks for the pics.....I'm getting very antsy for a return trip.....and I love seeing other's photos.....

Thanks again
Vapo

Pat"

Congrats!

I can tell by your account of the trip that you had as great a time as I had...Probably thinking...like me...when am I going back!!

Sheephunter:

I met you on the way out...saw your picutures while in camp.

You had great results and Congrats to you as well! That Lepoard was very large indeed!

Pat and Sheephunter:

Let me know if you guys are ever heading to Memphis. Are you going to Dallas in January?

jjs ----- We don't live that far apart and should get together sometime. If you are ever in the West Kentucky area give me a shout and I will do the same if I get near Memphis. I still remember the Peabody Hotel and it's ducks from a previous visit, perhaps a good meeting place to relate experiences someday. Good shooting.

sheephunter ----- You must have had a tremendous hunt, Pierr'e is still talking about your leopard. I would love to go back someday and perhaps take a son and grandson. Like Scarlett said " tomorrow is another day". Good shooting.

jjs, pat
careful now.It looks like we forming quickly a club here
I am grateful and happy that you all had such a nice and meaningful experience as myself.What a friendly exitable group Pierre has there.
Pat, it looks like Pierre hid your bull from me! we had been looking for a deeply curled one.Very nice.
jjs, sounds like we need to go back -heeh

P H

The deep tight curl of your buffs horns makes a great trophy. It seems that buffalo in Tanzania have more of this characteristic than in other countries. The boss is not quite fully developed, but I will choose this horn configuration over a monsterous boss any day.

Nice animal, shot in the Selous???????

Dak

Dakota 45056 ----- Shot in the Selous with Pierr'e van Tonder in his Mahenge concession. Good shooting.