The Wendy Lou exotic hunting ranch in Central Texas has added a breeding pair of Cape Buffalo to their ranch. They plan to build a huntable herd and the buff look very comfortable among the mesquite and Cedar trees and cactus.


The coyotes and cougars will not pose a threeat to these buff.

Supposed to be a nice place. They were cheaper about 4 or 5 years ago than anyone else. Seems like prices are now the same as anywhere else in central Texas or the hill country. Seems like ranches in far West Texas or far South Texas are about quite a bit cheaper, but population drives that more than anything else.

Horns sure don't look like any cape
I've seen pictures of.

George

look like a type of water buff

I have hunted buffalo for almost 40 years.

In their real habitats.

That is the only place to hunt them.

I have also hunted a few animals on farms in Texas.

Comparing hunting in Texas to hunting in Africa does not work.

Less differences one finds in comparing night and day!

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
Horns sure don't look like any cape
I've seen pictures of.

George

Younger animals. The market for live animals, including buffalo, has dropped remarkably in South Africa and it will be interesting to see if it takes off to some degree in other parts of the world.
Where would these have come from? Asian Water Buffalo can be used as embryo hosts for Cape Buffalo, I understand.

I don't think anyone is claiming that an hunt on a high fence will be the same as a wild animal in the wild.

Having hunted low fence Barbary Sheep in West Texas on a 500,000 acre property recently, I am not sure that the species matters as much as the fence.

Karoo asked where the animals may have come from?
I do not know, but there are other established Cape Buffalo herds on other ranches in Texas, so that could be one source.
A friend of mine recently helped load a breeding pair of Kudu on one high fenced Texas ranch that had been sold to another exotic ranch. They did not sell cheap.

This trade in animals is very common in Texas, especially when one ranch has an excess of an animal that is in demand. When there is an excess and no buyers is when we sometimes find bargains.

Thanks Crshelton
These animals breed slowly but steadily and there will always eventually be breeding stock available.
South Africans really perfected the art of intensive breeding of high value game. Nutrition and veterinary attention (keeping them healthy) is everything.

There is at least one online exotic animal auction company, I think there are still live exotic auctions in Lampasas and maybe a couple of other places, Harper?

https://www.wildlifebuyer.com/ Plus this guy!

And this guy: https://www.exoticanimalsforsa...lsforsale.asp?page=2


Actually the www.texashuntingforum.com has an entire section toward the trade of exotics, and another one for hunting them.

The Wendy Lou is a couple miles south of my place and although I’ve never hunted it, I’ve been fortunate to spend a day there. It’s a very well run ranch. It’s game fenced of course and in no way the same as hunting in Africa, but they don’t hunt over feeders and it’s not one of the put-and-take exotic hunting ranches. I hope the buffalo do well there.

777 ranch in Texas has cape Buffalo for an affordable price of 50,000 dollars.

I guess the one benefit is being able to keep the meat. Does cape Buffalo tast like water Buffalo?

quote:

Does cape Buffalo taste like water Buffalo?

I did not eat any of my Limpopo Cape Buffalo but have eaten meat from two water buff shot in Texas and their meat was good. In fact, after being marinated for two days, the grilled brisket was excellent- better than the backstrap!

I have taken a bison and water buffalo. Both where good but I found the Bison to be far superior in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by steel:
777 ranch in Texas has cape Buffalo for an affordable price of 50,000 dollars.

By the time you are done with incidentals and lodging etc. you are at $60K. That is quite a bit more than even Tanzania prices.

This was interesting:

quote:

Recommended calibers: .270, 7mm, .30-06, and .300

I guess the buffalo at the ranch are wimps.

I eat bison almost 3 or 4 times a week. During the initial onslaught of Covid, it was one of the only meats available because it was expensive. So we bought 50 pounds of it.

We have been eating it for about 7 years regularly several times a month. As you can't always get grass fed beef.

My father has killed two bison, one on the elk refuge and cow on a ranch in Wyoming. The one he shot on the refuge was probably some of the best meat in the world. The ranch one was an older cow. She was tough, and tasty but really tough.

I am not sure I would do anything other than grind any wild bovid that wasn't a 1-2 year old. The tenderloins on the old cow bison were inedible as straight tenderloins. You had to pound them flat with a meat hammer and then they were good.

How was the hunt on the elk refuge? I have been there once and it was amazing to see an endless number of elk sourounding on horse drawn sled. Never seen anything like it before. Did not get a chance to see bison there due to the park ranger trying to keep them away from the grazing elk. I'm sure a hunt there must have been amazing. I'm sure the tags for that are also very hard to aquire.

You can always cut the meat into cubes and stew it for hours. Another thing you can do is pound the meat thin and bread and fry it. Pretty tasty that way.

Don't actually know anything about the refuge hunt. I lived in Australia when he drew the tag.

I lived in Spain when he shot the one on the ranch. I just know it was near Cody.

Joined the military at 18, and am 45 now and have never came home.

How big a fence? In South Africa they can have pretty small fenced in concessions what’s the difference besides a long plane ride?

There are a lot of exotics on small pastures in Texas 400-2000 acres.

In Africa I noticed that most pastures were bigger, but I have not been a to very many places.

Texas has or had a law that DG could not be allowed on Texas ranches, These pictured bulls don't look like Cape Buffalo to me, the flat horn indicates water buffalo, and they have been legal for years, but not the Cape Buffalo..If this has changed Id like to know and check it out myself..I tried some years ago to import Cape Buffalo to my ranch and no dice..Same with Rhino and elephant, all dangerous game...???????????????

Hello Ray,
Is it possible that some things have changed in Texas since you ranched in Texas?

Please check out the web site of the 777 Ranch as they seem to think that they have Cape buff too. They also have quite a variety of other exotic animals.
Enjoy!