I just watched the Under Wild Skies segment on buffalo hunting out of dugout canoes in the Okavango Delta. Looked interesting, is this common or just something they put together for television? The hundred yard off hand shot with the eight bore was fairly impressive.

I don't know what kind of canoes they have but I met someone here who hunted deer from a canoe. He had a 7mmRemMag and shot off the side of the boat.He and the boat flipped over !!!I know how to handle a canoe and have hunted geese successfully without getting wet.A calm river and stable boat makes hunting buffalo very manageble.

I had a hard time following that whole show. The first buff they shot at was too far away for the 8 bore, and was missed cleanly with a modern scope sighted double. Later, when they got another chance, an offhand shot was taken with the 8 bore at 100yds, and a one shot kill resulted. I would have thought that was too far to try an 8-bore. I would hesitate at 100 yds with the modern double with scope. If that shot was acceptable, I wonder how far the first miss was to preclude the use of the 12 bore? Also, although we never saw the buffalo until it was on the ground dead (they discussed in detail shooting the second buff from the left in a group of bachelor bulls, but then shot toward the extreme right side of the herd off camera), there was a lot of discussion as to whether to take a second shot. There was a lot of pointing and the comment was made, I believe, that he only went about 30 yds. I am surprised that the PH, at least, didn't want to put in another shot as long as the bull was moving.

Yeah, there were for sure some inconsistencies. The shot seemed to be incredible frankly, all I could see was a mass of buffalos and there was a lot of grass in the way. I wish they would show where the animal was acutally hit.

Having been in the Okavango last Sept, I can say the only way to hunt at the height of the water is from boat, especially for Lechwe. There are large dry areas where it may be possible to take some species but, for the most part, all of the animals take refuge either in the water or on the small islands surrounded by water, with the possible exception of giraffe. They're much safer from lions, leopards, and Wild Dogs in those conditions.
Dave

Guys,

Hunting from a mokoro in the delta has been common practice for some time. Jeff Rann made a video called "Mokoro Mokoro" and they actually stalked the buffalo and sitatunga in the dug out. Wilson also made a video with Capstick were they hunt sitatunga from a mokoro. If I rememeber it was "Botswana Safari".

Regards,

Mark

I haven't seen Under Wild Skies, but I do own an 8 bore and a canoe and I have been in the Okavango in a mokoro. As a muzzleloader I have two standard loads for the 8 bore; an 875 grain round ball charged with 275 grs. GOEX 2ffg and a 1260 conical charged with the same load. The rifle is a flintlock and weighs 14 pounds. Recoil is "significant". Use of the slug will break bone and detatch retinaes. Effective range with this sort of mass should be between 50 (optimal) and 75 yards max. In narrow shallow draft boats with no keel or without somebody planting a pole on the bottom I can tell you that boat is going to roll like a Michelin if shot at port or starboard. I saw enough crocs in the Okavango that I'd just as soon pass on standing in the middle of some channel having just shot my one and only load.

I was watching TV on either the Discovery channel or Animal Planet, and I caught the middle portion of an interesting show two weeks ago called "swamp lions of the okavango", or something to that effect. It was showing how they have learned to adapt to the high water levels, and prosper. They may swim, but they sure don't act like they like it!!!!!!!!!