quote:

For you, this is a decision only you can make and like some here have said they found buffalo a little bland, and you may find it that way yourself on the first one, but I assure you if you hunt Mbogo long that opinion will change the first time you get in the grass with one that has been poked with a non-lethal shot, and must be sorted out!

……………..What ever you decide, savor every minute of it, because all you have at this point is today and tomorrow may never come!

Well said.

Guys, I'm not the only one who said that buffalo hunting is just "ok". Zimbabwe also said that he had no interest in hunting them again.

To be clear, I fully acknowledge that the vast majority of hunters who get a chance to hunt cape buffalo love hunting them. It is a fact that no other animal in Africa is a addicting as the buffalo.

Buffalo is the only animal that seems to draw large numbers of hunters back to Africa again and again. Sure, a few oddballs get stuck on elephant hunting, and a couple go back again and again for lion(well maybe Aaron is the only one...), but many hunters just can't seem to get their fill of black death.

For whatever reason buffalo hunting just doesn't touch my soul as it does with most of you. And while I haven't hunting them in the long grass, I have had quite a few close encounters. During these close encounters I found the buffalo to be less than courageous as each time they faced us for a second or two, then they would turn and run.

I also found them pretty easy to kill when hit right(which I was lucky enough to do on both of my buffalo).

I have thought of giving buffalo hunting another try, but it is hard to spend that kind of money on something that you are pretty sure you won't absolutely love.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
Guys, I'm not the only one who said that buffalo hunting is just "ok". Zimbabwe also said that he had no interest in hunting them again.

To be clear, I fully acknowledge that the vast majority of hunters who get a chance to hunt cape buffalo love hunting them. It is a fact that no other animal in Africa is a addicting as the buffalo.

Buffalo is the only animal that seems to draw large numbers of hunters back to Africa and again. Sure, a few oddballs get stuck on elephant hunting, and a couple go back again and again for lion(well maybe Aaron is the only one...), but many hunters just can't seem to get their fill of black death.

For whatever reason buffalo hunting just doesn't touch my soul as it does with most of you. And while I haven't hunting them in the long grass, I have had quite a few close encounters. During these close encounters I found the buffalo to be less than courageous as each time they faced us for a second or two, then they would turn and run.

I also found them pretty easy to kill when hit right(which I was lucky enough to do on both of my buffalo).

I have thought of giving buffalo hunting another try, but it is hard to spend that kind of money on something that you are pretty sure you won't absolutely love.

I have also said it is overrated. I simply don't find them to be much of challenge. Now a big one - that is a different story. That doesn't mean I am unafraid of them; I certainly respect them, but no more than I respect I mountain that can kill me if I try and do something stupid.

And yes, I have hunted them in the long grass...

Now, all that said, I am going to be shooting two more in Jan, as long as luck is on my side.

The very first African animal I took was a really nice Eland. It didn't trip my trigger. Just another PG animal to me but then, we didn't have to track it for 15 days either. I've taken 3 Buffalo and if I could afford it, I would go every year. The hunt this year included lioness's that charged us after I shot my buffalo. We disturbed their morning hunt. They were not happy. Most exciting hunt I have ever taken. Definitely buffalo for me. Tried elephant. I shot one. I'm done with them. It hurt my soul when I was done. You either love ele hunting or don't, It was an exciting hunt but the kill was a side brain shot from 30 yards and didn't do a thing for me.

If you feel that the cost for Buffalo is just too prohibitive then at least look at a true wilderness hunt for Eland. There are a few outfits in places like Mozambique that offer real Safaris at reasonable Plains game rates which include Eland and offer so many wonderful experiences such as the sound of Lion roaring and Hyena yelping around camp and bumping into Elephant on the hunt. Things for fond memory's.
www.mokoresafaris.com and www.kambakosafaris.com are just two company's that would be ideal for such a hunt.

Nice Eland OZ!

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
If you feel that the cost for Buffalo is just too prohibitive then at least look at a true wilderness hunt for Eland. There are a few outfits in places like Mozambique that offer real Safaris at reasonable rates for PG including Eland with things like Lion roaring behind camp that make wonderful memory's.

Guys, this Ozhunter chap is dead on. Hunting eland on a maicured ranch is not even on the same level as buffalo. But hunting them in the wild.... Well it doesn't get better than that.

Bill, I love Africa and have been fortunate to have lived my dream. A 10 to 14 day hunt gives you time to be selective of your animals. Seven days is not enough. You are there, Africa so make themost of it. As for buf or eland I would not settle for any eland then a big hairy foreheaded bull, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But a buff up close and tracking for both trophies is the best also.

Mike

OZ you are spot on...

I am from CANADA, and I took my guns to Zimbabwe, via the USA, and had no problems there and back. So take your own guns.

White North

Wow, what a question. I think MJINES said it best:

Posted 26 November 2011 06:40 Hide Post
Hunting eland is a tracking hunt and a lot of fun. Besides that eland are probably the best eating there is in Africa. That said, hunting buffalo is a whole different experience. Hunting something that is capable of hunting back is an incredible experience. I would save and go for the buffalo hunt.

That said, the eland must be the most underrated of all African antelope--but they are the biggest, the strongest, and I think they are the most "switched on." Like most of the other respondents, I probably wouldn't trade an eland hunt for a buffalo hunt (unless it was a Lord Derby eland!!!!!), but the eland is a coooool animal. Regards, Craig

I would try to do BOTH, eland and cape buff, in Mozambique.

Once again, some very good points offered here.
John H - That is what ideally I will try to do. The point is that financially it may not be possible and still keep married!! Time will tell over the next year or so. When I put my mind to it I'm usually able to sock away a surprizing wad. Its about priorities, unfortunately they are not necessarily only mine.
As a side note: Why are daily fees about double for buff as compared to PG? Is it a more costly hunt to conduct or a supply and demand thing or a combination of the two?

Bill

Danger pay for the PH and supply and demand give the higer day rates. Mostly the latter I suspect. If this is really going to be your last Africa trip, think long and hard about finding a way to get a buff. There is a little tingle you get on a dg hunt that can't be replicated. An eland hunt in a dg area will probably give you a little taste of it though. Your problem is a good one to have.

All the best,
Dean

As I said I have only killed one Buffalo so I am of course an expert. But I do disagree with the idea that it is such a challenging animal to hunt and so extraordinarily dangerous. I found that tracking is tracking no matter the animal and the only Buffalo hunt I was on consisted of LARGE amounts of tracking. The herd wandered all over the place. As my Dad used to say they seemed like a goose in there direction. He said everytime a goose blinked his eye he woke up in a new world and went off in a new direction. We actually found the herd when a tracker saw a flock of Ox-peckers flying overhead and guessed they were going for the herd so we went that direction and surely enough we found the herd. One shot and I missed completely. Gave the herd some time and followed and they had not gone far.Again one shot and one dead Buffalo. As to their being such dangerous adversaries I have never heard of an unwounded Buffalo trailing and killing the hunter ,possibly it happens but most accounts I have read it is a wounded Buffalo that becomes dangerous. I do know that large cats will actually stalk a person and would to me be far more dangerous and an Elephant is magnitudes greater in dangerousness.I have shot 3 Elephant and in each case the Elephant and the herd took off running AWAY from me. The Buffalo herd appeared to do the same. The first Leopard I shot ran about 50 feet and then turned and crouched waiting. We found it dead. So I have never been charged by a Buffalo but then neither have I been charged by an Elephant ot a Leopard and I find both to be far more challenging for me to hunt than Buffalo. If fear excites you then something must be wrong with me because fear SCARES hell out of me. I do actually ENJOY hunting Eland and MOST plains game especially Kudu. I would never again waste my prcious hunting dollars on a Buffalo. I know others feel much different about it. So be it.

If Eland were aggressive, Eland hunts would be more expensive than Buffalo.

I absolutely love hunting Eland. I love hunting Buffalo too! But you have to weigh the cost. No they are not the same, but you should get quite an experience with an Eland hunt.

Eland are more difficult to hunt. They dont grunt and make noise and they are the color of the Bush, they are not black like Buffalo, not easy to see. They don't smell like Buffalo. I have stalked into the middle of a herd of Eland with good Bushman trackers and none of us knew it until the bush exploded with Eland all around me.

Buffalo and Eland hunting are not the same, but don't discount the Eland experience.

+1

Been reading a lot about buffalo hunting not to mention the hours spent in front of TV watching all available buffalo hunting videos to try to hunderstand what drives so many people wanted to go for it, but, believe you really need to try it.
Next year in June I am going to Namibia for my Eland hunt, and that will determine, if it is really worth the extra costs of a buffalo hunt.
Just my view.

Another plug for eland in Mozambique,
both bulls taken in 2010 with Mokore Safaris.