I spent this past weekend hunting Water Buffalo in South Texas. A good friend of mine tagged along, and was gracious enough to spend some time with us during the stalks, taking photos with his Nikon D90 as the hunt progressed. He was able to capture a truly outstanding series of photos when I shot my bull….

We had a great time hunting, and this bull made us work for him….with several failed stalks, but ultimately a successful end to the hunt with the bull being taken quickly and cleanly. He was an old mature bull that we estimated around 1,800 lbs.

I’ve always known Water Buffalo were tough, but I had no idea just how tough they actually were. The bull took four shots from my .375 H&H using 300 grain Swift A-Frames….with none of the shots producing exit wounds (this surprised me). First shot was in the center of the shoulder, second was behind the shoulder, third shot severed the spine, and fourth shot was in the shoulder as well. The bull only covered about 40-50 yards during the course of my shooting, and even I was surprised at how fast I was able to make follow-up shots on the bull as he was running at 120 yards. My adrenaline was pumping, my instincts took over….and I think also my years of competitive clay shooting contributed to my intense focus and quick shooting.

I hope everyone enjoys the photos….

Bull spotted….time to go after him….


Bull in the thick stuff, need to get closer for a clear shot….


The bull busted us, and this is right before he took off….


Wondering what to do next….


Walking a sendero later in the day….


Looking for the bull….


Bull has been spotted again (4 hours later)….


We spotted the bull on the far side of a pond, and he knew something was up. However, I did not feel comfortable taking a frontal shot….


I got into a better position against a brush line for a clean broadside shot. I am getting ready to shoot….


First shot (shoulder)….


Shot reaction, notice my hand is already on the bolt handle….


Chambering a second round….


Second shot, behind shoulder (notice the bullet impact)….


Third shot, spine (notice dust from bullet impact)….


Rear legs collapsing from spine shot….


Bull is down….


Moments after the fourth and finishing shot to his shoulder….


Drag marks from the bull’s rear legs on the dam of the pond….


Trophy photos….










Beautiful South Texas sunset (photo taken with my cell phone)….

Looks like a mighty fine way to spend a weekend.
Great pix. I know you'll enjoy looking back at them and remembering this hunt.

I too am a fan of Texas sunsets.

Congrats.

GWB

Hope the meat will be a reminder to you of the hunt, each day that the Buff comes to the dinner table.
Congrats.

That's a great sequence of photos, and congratulations on taking your bull.

But I'm disappointed to see that you didn't whip that 1911 or whatever it is off of your hip and give the bull a series of double taps until he fell. After all, what other reason could there be for carrying a pistol on a hunt like this?

quote:

what other reason could there be for carrying a pistol on a hunt like this?

Cuz he can
What "other" reason is needed?
Nice work Eland, trophy room is filling fast

Good job man!
Nice Buffalo

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
After all, what other reason could there be for carrying a pistol on a hunt like this?

I don't know about ya'll, but any time I go afield I'm armed. I carry a Glock 35 long slide. It will hold 16 rounds. I also keep at least one spare mag. I stagger jhp's and fmj's.

I was carrying a Glock 36 om 45 acp. I was charged by a wounded hog starting about 10 paces. I put 7 in him in before he got 6 paces. Talk about your nuts shrinking up to your sternum. I caught myself clicking the trigger a couple times after the slide locked open. I may not get the penetration I get out of a 41 or 44 mag. However the comfort provided by 16 rounds that I can put down range in less than half that many seconds is well worth it. Plus the lighter auto is much more accommodating when carrying 14 to 16 hours a day. Between hogs, wetbacks and other creatures, I am always armed.

GWB

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:

quote:

what other reason could there be for carrying a pistol on a hunt like this?

Cuz he can
What "other" reason is needed?

And notice the boots? A .45 is a good snake gun.

Good Job all the way around Wade,Congratulations.

Good job dude!

Excellent pictures.

Are you guys afraid if snakes or something? (just kidding)

Nice sequence of pics. I like.

Very nice series of pictures. I bought my wife a new camera for Christmas, but I doubt it will ever see the hunting fields.

Congrats on the bull!!

Nice bull, sounds like a fun and exciting hunt.
Congrats.

Great pics !

Nice job! I gotta get one of those brutes someday.

Congratulations on the bull! Your shot sequence pictures are great also.

Great shooting Wade!

I wasn't aware anyone in South Texas had waterbuff.
Thats the kind of critter I'd like to send a 800gr NONCON into.
Frontal shot would be perfect!

Great action photos.

I would carry a .45 everyday everywhere if i could,but that would land me in jail

Great hunt Wade. Excellent pictures as well. Congratulations.

Great photos!

I don't know how you could shoot a buff with a smile like that! Nice shooting, pics and buff.

Great shooting Wade, awesome photos.
Thank you for posting

Nice Photos, One of these days I'll do this with my Lott.

great post and pics. congrats!

Great story and nice pics, so how much did the hunt run you?

I am curious as to why you passed on the frontal shot? Perfect heart/lung with no ribs in the way.

A-Frames are good bullets. If you handload....BBW#13 Noncons and Solids are GREAT bullets. Michael said the petals were exiting on broadside cape buff shots.

GREAT REPORT i killed hundreds of water buffalos and always have interst in pursuing them ,did you taste the meat ,i can assure you thats a ton of delicious beef .
Its a mediterranean water buffalo very similar to our buffalos .Juan

Interesting set of horns. I had always thought that they would have the same crescent shape as the ones in Oz and Vietnam.

Very nice!

Rich

A fine bull, congratulations, great photos. Well done all the way around. I'm sure that you noticed, as I have in the past, that the 375 isn't quite as powerful as some have claimed that it is, but it still got the job done along with your fine shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by just-a-hunter:
Nice report! Nice buff! Nice rifle!

Could you post pictures of the recovered bullets?

Thanks,

Todd

Did not recover any of the bullets....I didn't go into the chest cavity or remove any of the guts (makes cleaning much easier).

quote:

Originally posted by drewhenrytnt:
I am curious as to why you passed on the frontal shot? Perfect heart/lung with no ribs in the way.

I was just hoping for an exit wound....but obviously that didn't happen.

Good shooting, and good photography.

I would have had to "go inside" and find the bullets.

One of my favorite things is to recover my bullets.

Cool report!
Thanks for sharing and congrats