July 20,2000

After a long dusty drive we had reached the Kruger park and got set-up at a lodge.The lodge was a rondaval type like every other rondaval lodge that you see in southern Africa.There was a brick exterior and a thatch roof and it was warm at night and cool in the day.We had not planned to burn much sunshine from these freindly confines as we had come to this area to hunt buffalo.

I got all my gear organized and loaded in the Toyota and then began to pace nervously while waiting for my PH Daniel to get his act together.We left the lodge just after noon and drove the border of the park on a dusty track of a road.We passed a lion breeding facility and several very impressively mained males were spotted lying in the dust just inside the very tall and very electrically charged fence.I was thrilled to see them but a bit saddened at their fate all at the same time.

We left the dirt track and turned onto tar for a half hour or so and stopped at a large highway intersection.The market on the corner was quite busy with colorfully clad women coming and going with baskets atop their heads.Some buying,some selling ,most with a baby swaddled in a wrap that encircled their chest.Little shiny black faces with runny noses and a fly or two on their face for texture.Many with a woolen sock hat on their pate and almost always quietly contented.How they do not fry inside those bundles amazes me.

" I am going to call our local connection " announces Daniel,"he is supoosed to be here to meet us but I don't see him yet."

Two hours later we are still sitting in the lot of this market and still no sign of our man.I try to let it slide over me,we are on Africa time I say,things will happen when they happen.Time here should be a treat not something to be tolerated.I soak up the sights and sounds that are so unique to this part of the world and so completely alien to the one I have left.

A man does show up! Whether he is THE MAN or merely a substitute man I do not know.But he has access to a place where we can pursue buffalo.We drive another hour and finally go through a gate in a high fence(again electrically charged)and make our way toward a large pole barn.The area is strewn about with farm equipment,tractors,welding machines,bailing wire and all the necessities a self sustaining farmer would need.We park our vehicles and a black is sent to fetch a safari vehicle.It has been determined that we will tour the property this afternoon and if a suitable animal is spotted before too late then a stalk will be attempted.If it is too late or an animal is not located we will have a feel for the place and we can begin anew in the morning.

I grab my bow and my trusty camera man his VCR and we take our seat in the back of a Toyaota pickup.It is fitted with a high seat and a rack like you see so often in south Texas or South Africa.No one would shoot from such a vehicle ,it just would not be sporting.And so I wonder why they go to the trouble to fix the rails so as to be so convenient to use as a rest.

I turn my thoughts to my performance of the duties that I will be expected to handle.If we are able to find a buff and close the distance I will need to judge the distance precisely,stand tall,make a killing shot ,and somehow make sure that neither myself or my son get killed in the effort.I am comforted in the knowledge that a healthy buffalo will most often excuse himself to parts unknown if given the chance.Things wont really get hairy until I have shot the bull and by then we will have some inclination about what we are getting into.I can always leave Todd behind if the tracking gets to looking too dangerous.After all if he survives my lifes work has been completed.The line goes on,biological mission accomplished.

All these thoughts are going through my mind as we amble along on dirt two tracks,seeing a giraffe over here,an ostrich over there,a herd of wildebeast scampering off in a cloud of dust.Then there is hushed whispering,quiet yet stilll urgent."There he is", says Daniel.

There he is indeed.A solitary buffalo bull with big black horns and body and eyes and everything else all black too.Standing beside a small pan (pond to the uninitiated among you),staring,glaring ,looking as awesome as I had anticipated."What do you think?",asks Daniel.

THIS IS THE QUESTION I SHOULD BE ASKING HIM; but that does not strike a chord with me at the time.Outside of zoo specimens this is the first buffalo I ever laid eyes on.

"He looks like a buffalo to me" is the answer I give him.

"Do you want to make a play for him."

"If you say he's OK,then yes,let's give it a go."

A plan is concocted and the stalk is began.We work our way downwind and begin the approach.Daniel loads his 375 with three in the magazine and one in the snoot.As he closes the bolt on the gun he holds the trigger down so as not to engage the sear.To fire the gun,the bolt will have to be opened and reclosed again.Works sorta like having it on safety only not so convenient in my book.At Daniel's suggestion Todd and the crew are left behind.Me,Daniel,and one black tracker take off alone.We creep and look,look and creep, and after a while we have the buff in sight again.He is on to us, and I can tell he is on to us.He lets us have a quick look at him from gun range before running off.

I am wandering if this signals the end for the day.But Daniel elects to press on."We will follow him and harass him and maybe he will get tired of running and decide to make a stand.If we don't catch up to him this afternoon then we will get back on the trail in the morning."

The tracker is good and we make good time.Occasionally I see something that tells me we are on a track but they are so indistinct and so many of them that there was no way I could be certain we were still on the rigtht animal.I have learned from tracking plains game with these guys that they are good and there is generally no reason not to trust there skills.

Daylight was runnning out quickly now.Most of the day was shotjust getting here.When these thoughts were just forming in my mind Daniel pulled us up.

"WE should call it off now for the night.The tracker says even if you shoot now we will be tracking after dark.There will be plenty of time to find a buffalo again,this is just our first day."

A bit of a pow-wow ensues with Daniel and the tracker discussing the best path back to where we left the rest of our party.The speaking was in Afrikans and I assume that since the tracker pointed in a direction and we all followed that he was given sway over the situation.I have to assume cause my grasp of Afrikans is no better than my grasp of Swahili or Latin either for that matter.I always feel like I am missing so much when more than half the conversations go right over my head.

We are walking at a good pace now and there is no effort to be quiet.We are merely trying to get back to our vehicle, the hunt is over for the day.And then... there is our buffalo.We have simply walked up on him in the fading light, quite by accident, our misssion nearly accomplished.The buff is at twenty yards,looking straight at us.I freeze as does Daniel at my side.I look to Daniel and with a wave of my head and eyes signal him to move to my right.If his movement will take the buffalos attention and he turns with it I can get a shot at the ribs.Daniel gets one step, then two.Another ,and another.The buffalo turns slightly to face him.This is working perfectly I think.

And then the buffalo charges.He drops his head a bit and he is coming.I wish I could say something manly about my actions at this point,but quite frankly I ran.I ran away.Preservation of oneself and all that I suppose.

Almost immediately I could tell that the buffalo was not coming for me.He was heading for Daniel.I was expecting the sound of a gunshot any second that would secure my buffalo but end my chance to do it myself.These are the realities of hunting dangerous game with a bow.Sometimes the situation dictates this conclusion.I hated it but not as much as I would have hated for one of us to be hurt or killed.

Since the buff went past me I stopped and turned to see what was gonna happen.By now the buff was jammed into a small tree about as big as your thigh.Daniel was on the opposite side and trying desperately to keep the tree between himself and the buffalo.The buff slammed his head side to side ,each time trying to catch Daniel but catching the bend of his horn against the tree.What a guy this Daniel is I remember thinking.He has chosen not to shoot the buffalo and end my hunt tragically.

The buff is quartering away from me now and I realize my opportunity is at hand.I put my release on the string and come to full draw.As the sight picture is starting to look good and I begin to squeeze, a blue coverall wearing black man passes between me and the buffalo.Oh My God!What was this tracker thinking.This is as close to shooting a man as I have ever come and it causes me to pause for just an instant.The buff slid past the tree and lumbered off into the rapidly darkening bush.

Daniel was clutching his right hand to his abdomen as he walked over to pick up his rifle.

"Did the buffalo get you in the ribs,Daniel?"

"No, my hand got caught between his horn and the tree."

"I just knew you were gonna have to shot that buffalo and I would be outta luck."

"I tried",he said," but the gun did not go off."

His trick of closing the bolt on the depressed trigger had come back to haunt him. In the heat of battle he had forgot to recycle the bolt and it could have gotten him or ME killed.Luckily when the buff got to him and knocked him loose from the gun the tree was there to give him a bit of sanctuary.

As I sit in my lodge back in the Kruger tonight drinking my Castle and jotting down these notes, I don't know if I will get my buffalo.I don't know if I will ever get a buffalo.The one thing I do know is this,If I die in my sleep tonight,I will have lived- today...

Excellant story Doc. I commend you for going @ a buff. w/ nothing more than a sharp stick. I hope to have equally fond memories this fall in Moz.

WHEEEeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to take a speed-reading course.

I just can't hold my breath as long as I used to....


Great story, EyeDoc.

Rick.

Perhaps he didn't shoot it because he'd have had to pay the landowner for it. Now had you put an arrow into it, he would have 'remembered' to work his bolt.



George

There was a great article in MAGNUM MAGAZINE about the "closing bolt with trigger depressed" trick. A hunter in RSA was found with a bullet in his gut and his gun some distance away, down a cliff. The hunter was known to use the referenced method.



Reconstructing the accident, it was determined by the police that while climbing, the hunter dropped his rifle and the pressure of the firing pin resting on the primer, along with the jolt of the rifle's falling 10 inches or so and impacting a rock, fired the gun.



The magazine decided to try the technique with several types of rifles by slamming the butt on a hard surface with a cartridge in the chamber and the gun "de-cocked" by closing the bolt with the trigger depressed. I believe they found that the rifles, when drops of 20" were simulated, fired about 30 per cent of the time.



I'm not suggesting anyone try slamming their gun on the deck because if the gun goes off, your head may be a little too close for comfort, but if anyone tries it, I'd like to know the results.



EyeDoc:

Great story... enough excitment for a whole bunch of D.G. hunts, I guess! I hope the P.H. was a wee bit more "ready" the next time you got close to something that fights back.



Your are braver than me. I'm not too sure that I'd want to hunt with a P.H. who didn't remember if his gun was ready when buff hunting. If you go with him again, could I get some life insurance on you? Can't wait to hear the rest of the story.

Eye Doc,
From what I read and based on what I have seen and learned over the years, I would suggest you look for another PH, one that knows a little more about hunting Buffalo or the Safari business in general, especially if your going to hunt them with a bow...There are a number of good Safari companies that do bow hunts..Sounds like to me you got hold of a RSA plainsgame specialist who took you on a private land Buffalo hunt in the Transvall or what used to be the Transvall.....He didn't shoot because he would have had to pay for that big boy, not a position to put you are himself in, that could have been you....

Great story, I hope more Chapters will be forthcoming!

Was Daniel actually a licensed PH with dangerous game experience?

It's hard to imagine an experienced PH with any knowledge of bolt action rifles actually doing something so stupid and potentially dangerous as dropping the firing pin on a loaded round in the chamber!

All it takes is a little jar or bump and "BOOM" you've got an unintentional discharge and maybe a big hole in your client or tracker.

I hate to say it but this sounds a lot like put and take to me. Can you say "canned hunt"?

Great story, doc. I can breathe again finally.

Russ:
Get a life. The story was great. Let it alone.

Eyedoc,
You can't stop now! Holy cow there just has to be an ending out there somewhere!!! Fantastic story! Thank you.
Joe

Eyedoc,

Great story. Best of luck with the rest of your hunt. I'd run too!!!!

Jeff

I agree it's a good story. The story behind the story is more interesting though. The unfortunate hunter doesn't realize he was the real prey. Ironic don't you think? And also a little sad.

I call 'em as I see 'em, sir.

(Your insinuation that I have nothing better to do with my life than post my opinions on AR, aside from being offensive, surely applies to you as well?)

Eyedoc

Great little story. Very excitingly written and waiting for the sequels.

(It does sound a little like there is only one buff running around there but please tell more)

Great story and I look forward to the next installment.

Seems to confirm that hunting dangerous game in RSA can be extra dangerous...

Doc,

Very well written story and a extremely exciting day for you. I must agree with some others that Daniel does not resemble any PH that I have hunted with.

I do look forward to more of your adventure in pursuit of buffalo. Good luck!

Regards,

Mark

Thanks to all of you who said you enjoyed the story.It is a chance to enjoy the experience all over again.Also thanks for the inciteful comments about the nature of the hunt.Many of you saw more through the eyes of my writing than I saw through the in-experienced eyes that served me on the trip.
As noted the hunt took place in the old Transvaal on a ranch that I estimate at around six thousand acres.There was a good herd of buffalo on the ranch and on the next day we stumbled into buffalo several times while looking for MY bufalo.
When we did find my buffalo I made a shot that was low in the chest and the buff only went about fifty yards before bedding down.After the day before, it was a bit anti-climatic.As we positioned the buff for the hero shots I heard the local tell my PH that it was a real shame,"this would have been a fine bull if only he had gotten a few more years growth.Kind of a buzz killer when you hear that.I began to look over my buffalo and I noticed he was quite poor.He had a pretty good sized wound on his rear leg and it was obviously infected.When I pointed this out the local explained that the herd bull had inflicted the wound in dischaging the young bull from the heard.Running off the upstart competition so to speak.
The reason our bull charged was that he was wounded and sick,a fact everyone else obviously knew about but did not share with me.The reason this bull was targeted was that he quite likely was terminal ,or at the very least he was succeptable.When I later measured him he taped 31 inches.My booking agent told me my PH would hold out for 39 inches or better.I guess he did not have any sick forty inchers available.
The good PH Daniel sent me back to shoot plains game the next day and took a Sweede bowhunter to harvest a buffalo.The Sweede made a bad shot and Daniel shot the buff with his rifle.This tells me that he was willing to shoot my buffalo he just failed to do so out of his own incompetence.He could have gotten himself or me killed .And no, I would never hunt with him again.Not for DG or even duiker,his gun handling alone presents too much a hazard for me.
I might seem bitter.Actually only a little.I would be happier if my buffalo had more horn and a harder boss.At the time he was the best buff I had ever seen.The afternoon the story is written about was the most alive I have ever felt.A great experience.I also learned a lot from the experience.My son was with me on the trip and we shared a lot of good memories from the trip.He was able to take several nice impala and warthog on the trip as well as a small waterbuck.I did not act an ass and ruin the experience for him,it would have spoiled what was good about the trip.
So...I am sorry there is no real solid end to the story.The end is better if we leave it like it was written.The hunt was far better than the kill and the good news is that I can always go and hunt again.Only next time these eyes will see with the prism of experience...eyedoc

Doc,

I'm sorry your experience didn't live up to expectations.

Please describe the process used to determine that you were to shoot this particular buff. Was it the PH's idea? The landowner's? Yours?

Did the fact that the buffalo was aggressive enter into the decision?

Has the outfitter offered you any sort of accommodation considering the size of the buff you took?

George

eyedoc,
Ditto GeorgeS, thanks for sharing. Good prose and education for us all. I hope it didn't cost an arm and a leg, and hope you can get back with eyes-wide-open for a non-cull trophy dagha boy, with a different outfit for sure, as you say.

George,

Quite the contrary,the experience was great.It was the buffalo that was not up to snuff.

When we spotted the buffalo the first time Daniel said,"What do you think about that buffalo?"

I said he looks like a buffalo to me.This was the first buffalo I had ever seen and with no history to compare to I failed to put a halt to the proceedings as I would now if in the same situation.I have quite a bit more experience now and can better judge what I am looking at.Even now though ,most of the PH's that I hunt with are better at estimating trophy size than I am and I depend on and trust their expertise.This is the only occasion I can say where a PH took advantage of my lack of experience ,most protect me from it.

The bottom line was that I was charged to euthanize a sick animal.I realized this after the fact but before I left that afternoon.Did it ruin the experience? No! The hunt was made more dangerous because of it.Does that make it a better DG hunt?I don't know.

I know that I am ussually quick to make judgements on lots of issues but this is a case where I just have mixed feelings.I reported the facts to my booking agent when I got home and he was sympathetic but offered me no options or compensation.He did say that he would no longer book hunts with Daniel after my experience.

Please enjoy the story of the hunt for what it is worth.It was exciting,dangerous,thrilling,.All the right adjectives can be used.Would I want to do it again?No.I definitely will hunt buffalo again but not under the same circumstances.Next time I want to feel as good about the hunt after it is over as I did while this hunt was taking place....eyedoc

Either that PH was scared of Cape buffalo, he was concerned about the ability of an arrow to kill said Cape buffalo, or he was a charlatan looking to get you to kill a lesser specimen.

The booking agent didn't have much pull if he dropped the outfitter, and if you were the first guy he sent there, you were in effect his 'guinea pig'.

Well, at least most of us learn from crap like this. I've taken four trips to Africa, and hunted with

After the bums I've hooked up with on my four African safaris, I am so cynical regarding African hunting I often doubt I will ever trust an outfitter enough to book another safari.

Of the seven PHs I've hunted with, I would hunt again with two of them (a third good one died years ago); the other four should be pushing brooms somewhere.

George

EyeDoc:

My friend, you got it right. The part upon which to dwell is the good experience you had with your son.

This year, I went with a friend on his first trip to Africa. We planned to kind of split the trip up into four parts with parts 1&4 devoted to "first-time" stuff for my friend with 2&3 for me. Unexpectedly (and probably, unavoidably) my parts went "tits up". But, what the heck.. I was in Africa with my buddy and I got my money back... and now I have an excuse to try again!

Eyedoc,

You are entitled to half your trophy fee back. This was a "management" kill, not a trophy. Unless you knowingly contracted for a cheap animal.

Now I am assuming you paid the full monte for an RSA buffalo. They are not cheap. If you paid $10K, that's full money. You shouldn't have paid more than $5K for this one. I am talking trophy fees.

Ever heard of reckless endangerment? That they didn't tell you the animal was wounded, and also given the antics of the PH, in the USA you could make a case and I believe you would be successful. Pay for more than a few hunts with the proceeds. If your agent is US-based, you can sue under US law. While you are at it, throw in breach of contract. They didn't deliver what you paid for.

Now you should also be asking whether these buffalo were certified "clean". If not, they can't ship any part of the buffalo off the property, not even to the taxidermist. (And that, btw, is why buff in SA have gone up a lot...there are very few clean herds, ie no foot&mouth).

I would also demand to see the PH's accreditation.

However this turns out, you gained a LOT of experience in a short period of time.

Why don't you let the rest of the guys know who the booking agent was? Full name of the PH? Landowner? (although it sounds like he was the only honest guy...he assumed you KNEW it was a wounded young animal, otherwise he wouldn't have made the revealing statements that he did).

This hunt took place in 2000.The buffalo is on my wall.The experince was what I paid for and got.The Sweede booked through the same outfitter and got a forty incher.The rate was the same.At least mine had no bullet holes in him.I am not the kind of person to hold someone else responsible for everything that happens to me.If I had knew what I was doing I would have said that buffalo is not what I am looking for and we need to find one that better represents his species.I was taken advantage of,yes.But one can only be taken advantage of if he allows it.I allowed it to happen because I was too green to stop it.
As far as the agent is concerned, he is batting about .750 .He has booked me on three very good hunts and this skunk.I would have felt better had he offered me some relief but he did not.

Beautiful story doc. I think it resonates because venturing out in life puts us all at risk for being physically trampled and financially burned. Thanks for sharing it.
JCN

Thanks for sharing your experience eyedoc. Since you were near Kruger, it's a shame you didn't get to spend a few days in the park before going hunting. As a first timer, my outfitter took me there before our hunt so I could see the animals and tune up my game spotting. I would highly recommend this to any first time safari hunter. Although don't expect the animals to stand there and look at you like they do in the park. When you go hunting, it's a whole different ballgame.

Likwise! Definitely positive vibes!

Eyedoc- Thanks for a great read and for letting us all know how the African education process should be looked at. I hope to develope your sense of perspective.

eyedoc

Keep the memories and the experiences. You certainly enjoyed an exciting hunt and incident. I wouldn't worry too much about trophy size as the head on your wall holds the memories of your hunt, it doesn't have a measuring tape draped over it for decoration.

I wouldn't worry about following up on all these "sue" suggestion as I believe you aren't. It would just detract from your memories. Not many hunters have been involved in a genuine charge and most want to (as long as they escape unscathed of course!).

Next time you hunt buffalo you can hang out for a whopper.

(PS My buffalo trophy is also smaller than usual in length. Sometimes communication breaks down or other incidents affect the hunt. Doesn't make the hunt lesser just because a couple of inches less horn length)

Thanks to all of you for the positive comments.I really did not mean for this to turn into an indictment against my PH,outfitter or anyone else for that matter.The story was about a great hunting experience and when asked about the follow-up I should have meerly stated that it was a bit anti-climatic.The day of the kill should not be allowed to depress the thrill of the day of the hunt / charge.Perhaps that is the lesson to be gleaned from this thread.We should enjoy all of our hunts,and hunt in such a manner so that we will enjoy the hunt,and that way we will not have to depend on the kill or the length of a horn to tell us if we had a good experience or not....

Reverend eyedoc has now left the building.

As of now I have taken one large russian boar and a few small deer with my bow, they have all been huge trophies to me,,,but gun hunting they would have been just another kill, I solo still hunt and still hunting with a bow is hard. The fact that you killed a buff with a bow impresses the hell outa me! The fact that it was a wounded one only makes your hunt that much more dangerous and unpredictible!

I'd hang those horns with pride and brag about how I took out the wounded, mad, and unpredictible buff with a solid chest shot from my BOW!