Hello All,

I have been directed by "she who must be obeyed" that I am to return to Africa in 2019 and return with another cape buffalo.

Wanting to stay in her good graces I'm looking for suggestions/recommendations on a good PH/Outfitter and area for a chance at an honest 40 incher (I've got a 38). I'm leaning towards Zim but not opposed to going anywhere.

Looking forward to the responses.

Thanks in advance.

Kind Regards,
Longfeather

Thierry Labat. Go wherever he suggests. He has been PH of the year twice as selected by his peers.

I would highly recommend going to the Bubye Valley Conservancy with Nigel Theisen as a PH.

www.safari5africa.com

nigeltheisen@gmail.com

Thierry is a hell of a good hunter. Sango, where he often hunts, has a lot of buffalo. A hell of a lot buffalo. If my memory serves me correctly , I shot 5 in 2 trips there. Of those 5, 3 were over 40. One was 44.5. One under 40 had bosses that were 18.5 and a massive body.

I shot 2 other on the neighboring property. One was 46.5.

Check out Jamy Traut Safaris, he will have Waterberg next year. It's not cheap but a 40" buff will be zero problem there. Jamy's operation in Namibia is top shelf for sure.
Thanks

Classically if you really want over 40”, masailand or the Serengeti areas of Tanzania would be excellent. However, they are more money.

I’ve had really good luck on buffalo with Brian Van Blerk, who hunts Zim and Tanzania.

I also saw a bunch of big ones in the Luangwa of Zambia.

Try and get an established good PH and your chances are better than with a less experienced hand.

Rob and Barry Style, Buffalo Range Safaris in Zimbabwe.

quote:

Originally posted by RCG:
Rob and Barry Style, Buffalo Range Safaris in Zimbabwe.

I will second this.

We see 40 inch buffalo in Tanzania quite often, and pass them up because they are still young.

A very old bull with worn out horns is a better trophy in my opinion.

I have shot buffalo over 40 spread which looked more like cows.

They had very narrow bosses, despite the fact they were quite old.

Getting an old bull with a good, hard boss that is over 40 inch is great.

They are around, you just have to be at the right place on the right time.

Contact Buzz Charlton of CM Safaris who is a member on here. I'm sure he can sort you out with a hunt in Zim.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
We see 40 inch buffalo in Tanzania quite often, and pass them up because they are still young.

A very old bull with worn out horns is a better trophy in my opinion.

I have shot buffalo over 40 spread which looked more like cows.

They had very narrow bosses, despite the fact they were quite old.

Getting an old bull with a good, hard boss that is over 40 inch is great.

They are around, you just have to be at the right place on the right time.

The most important thing to me is with who you hunt, where you hunt, how you hunt, then comes the size.The cost too but that is obvious.I believe a very wild 30+ inch dagga taken on a tracking hunt is more rewarding and makes a better trophy than a 50 inch buff shot out of a domestic like herd.Also too is how you hunt.Do you get close with an open sight rifle? Does the outfitter already have the GPS location of your animal or are you hunting a new or unknown area.

I had a good chance at an honest 40" bull (that the PH would have let me shot) in 2016 while hunting on the Nuanetsi Ranch in Zim with Lindon Stanton (Mbalabala Safaris).

We had already passed up on one 40" plus buff because he was too young to shoot.

I didn't take a shot because I was having a cardiac episode after walking 18 km though the thorn bush. Totally my fault.

Most reputable PHs will not let you shoot a 40" plus bull if it is still not past breeding age.

You need to make sure you and your PH agree on to what you will and will not shoot.

You must also be prepared to pass up on a lot of almost 40" buffs and do one heck of a lot of walking (and sweating).

According to Lin, you will probably have to look at over a hundred bulls before you find an older, mature, 40" plus buffalo.

(Or you could go to a game ranch where you are guaranteed a 40" plus bull provided you pay a premium for size).

Some outfitters will talk 40" plus buffalo, but they really expect you to shoot a 32" to 36" inch buffalo after a few days of walking and not shooting.

You have to be prepared to go home empty handed if you truly hold out for a 40" plus mature bull.

(After 5 days of hard hunting, and realizing my health condition, I settled on a 36" buff with a nice boss and beautiful drop.)

Good luck.

BH63

The only over 40" bulls I have shot have been Greater Kruger bulls. Got a 41" with monster bosses two weeks ago to go with two 43" bulls I also got on Greater Kruger hunts.

.

BH63

There are places where you can expect to shoot 40 inches but I agree you'll generally have to look over some buffalo to find what you want.

Mark

Some 3 year old buff will go 40 inches and a lot of hunters shoot them, which is a shame in my opinion as they do not have mature horns, just spread, it should be against the law to shoot a 40 incher with small bosses, a 10 to 15 year old 40 incher is a real trophy and they as elusive as a 30 inch mule deer, they are out there but not under every bush...Same for bulls up to 45 even 48 inches, but even fewer..A fully mature 38 inch bull is a better trophy than a young 40 incher...I see the boys that shot a young 40 incher at the seacliff braging and showing picture of their baby 40 inchers, sickens me to death. I,ve killed my biggest and best bulls in Tanzania..I refuse to hunt high fenced bulls in So. Africa, but they have some real monsters..Even Zim has some fenced bulls purchased at the sale barn..Be aware..

Check out Corris Ferreira at Track-A-Hunt Safaris

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
The most important thing to me is with who you hunt, where you hunt, how you hunt, then comes the size.The cost too but that is obvious.I believe a very wild 30+ inch dagga taken on a tracking hunt is more rewarding and makes a better trophy than a 50 inch buff shot out of a domestic like herd.Also too is how you hunt.Do you get close with an open sight rifle? Does the outfitter already have the GPS location of your animal or are you hunting a new or unknown area.

I totally 100% agree with everything in your post George.

Who said anything about hunting domestic animals?

.

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:
Who said anything about hunting domestic animals?.

If you think I was referring to your post, I was not. The open areas boardering Kruger seem to be top notch.

And the terminology used was “domestic like”.

I think I read a report on Uganda someplace here that was quite eye-opening. Lots of big mature bulls. I would look into it.

Yep, the karamoja area in Uganda has lots of mature buffs.

Yep, several good options mentioned here. Buzz has some crackerjack bulls in his Dande area in Zim if you take your time and look through 'em. Johnny DuPlooy also has taken some nice bulls out of his Luangwa Valley concession in Zambia. Uganda is also a possibility as is Mozambique. A 40'er is never a guarantee and shouldn't be if you are really in wild country.

Talk to some folks, read some hunt reports and make one of the shows in Dallas or Reno and decide...

In my first post I said 40 inchers are not under every bush, much the same as 30 inch mule deer but on a 10 day hunt in Tanzania in a decent concession I would expect a 40 to 42 inch bull if I worked at it, no guarantee but a real good probability...Anywhere you hunt a lot has to do with how hard the area has been hunted, the gene pool is there in Tanzania but overhunting kills the big boys..