Amazing hunt and trophies. Incredible experience and thank God you are all safe.

I have never hunted DG but I am always amazed by stories of buffalo with broken legs and lung shots keeping up the aggression for so long. I hope to hunt buffalo in 2013 & this is another reminder to make sure of a heart or spine shot.

Reading that story just gets my blood boiling!!! I am ready to go back hunting right now. Damn economy. Nixon told me of a story where a wounded buffalo took his .416 away from him with the strap in his horns. Glad you, Nixon and everybody else are okay. I guess that is why it is called dangerous game hunting! What a story.

Wow! Congratulations!

Butch,

This is the first chance I have had to read your report. Even after talking with you all I can say is WOW. Thanks for taking care of Nixon. My son and I leave in 21 days to hunt ele. with Nixon. I look forward to hearing him tell the story.

Good luck in Zambia.

Hartley

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:
Mandlazim,

Dixon and Macundo were our trackers for that day. Gift works hard and a good hand, but not quite yet the tracker that Dixon is though.

Nixon told me that he has been hunting since the 80s and faced many a charge and false charge and had some very close calls, but this was the first time he had been hit. But, like Steven Meyers said, there are only 2 kinds of PHs, the ones that have been hit by a Buffalo and those that are going to be hit.
If you stay in that game long enough, it will happen.

Yes sir - you hit it on the head - Dixon is a deadly tracker! Nixon used to have a another very good tracker named Peter - wonder if he is still around?

Gift...although good - has got some big boots to fill if he intends taking over his father's business!!

Thanks again for exciting report!

Thanks for your thoughts, I'd agree thoroughly.

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:
Somebody said you can kill Buffalo but you can't stop them, I agree with that.

Looks like with a hit in the boss and above left eye Nixon was pretty close - still far...congrats again and glade you made it.

What a terrible experience !! The charge obviuosly.

The hunt increadible but after reading how close you and your PH was of being kill I think it is a good idea to wait 20 or 30 minutes before tracking a wounded buff.

Thanks for sharing, one thing is sure, you're a tough and brave man.

L

Butch, incredible report. Glad everything turned out okay for all concerned. Sometimes it is not the doddle we expect it to be for sure. Good luck in Zambia and be safe.

Thank God the two of you weren't carrying double rifles!

Bang, bang, bang, bang . . . . squish.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Thank God the two of you weren't carrying double rifles!

Bang, bang, bang, bang . . . . squish.

That just opened a can of worms
Begno good for for being the type of man we all aspire to be

quote:

Originally posted by RAC:
Reading that story just gets my blood boiling!!! I am ready to go back hunting right now. Damn economy. Nixon told me of a story where a wounded buffalo took his .416 away from him with the strap in his horns. Glad you, Nixon and everybody else are okay. I guess that is why it is called dangerous game hunting! What a story.

Great picture.. I took it in Chirisa in the warden's office on an ele/buff hunt there in '09.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Thank God the two of you weren't carrying double rifles!

Bang, bang, bang, bang . . . . squish.

Who says if you were using a double in a big enough caliber you would need the next three bangs?

I will be hunting buffalo in about a month's time,so I am asking the following question for learning purposes,the two shots on the head one while the buff was charging and the second one a finisher shot,what caliber rifle was Nixon using? should the shot have turned the buff? I have the utmost respect for both Nixon & Butch,they both showed immense courage and I would hunt with either anytime.

Nixon put three shots into the head/face, one into the the right boss, one over the left eye, another broke the jaw, Nixon was using a .458 Lott, apparently if you don't brain them, they don't pay any attention to it. The finisher just under the left eye, when the Buff was down and unable to get up, was made with my .416 Rigby. A Buffalo's head is apparently a honeycomb and none of the shots turned him. That shot over the left eye was amazing. When we skinned his head there was about 3" of skull bone behind that shot that was gone. All Hornady solids.

Just remember, chicks dig scars. Good for you. You can't buy a story like that. The greatest thing is you are around to tell it. Congratulations.

quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:

quote:

Originally posted by RAC:
Reading that story just gets my blood boiling!!! I am ready to go back hunting right now. Damn economy. Nixon told me of a story where a wounded buffalo took his .416 away from him with the strap in his horns. Glad you, Nixon and everybody else are okay. I guess that is why it is called dangerous game hunting! What a story.

Great picture.. I took it in Chirisa in the warden's office on an ele/buff hunt there in '09.

I wasn't sure where I got that. I knew it came from accurate reloading. I liked it so much I saved it in my files. Thanks for taking it. I hope you don't mind me sharing it as I thought it was appropriate for this post.

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:
Nixon put three shots into the head/face, one into the the right boss, one over the left eye, another broke the jaw, Nixon was using a .458 Lott, apparently if you don't brain them, they don't pay any attention to it. The finisher just under the left eye, when the Buff was down and unable to get up, was made with my .416 Rigby. A Buffalo's head is apparently a honeycomb and none of the shots turned him. That shot over the right eye was amazing. When we skinned his head there was about 3" of skull bone behind that shot that was gone. All Hornady solids.

Three shots and it did not turn the buff,only fair to say that Nixon is an excellent shot under duress and a Cape buffalo is one tough son of a bitch.
Would the results have been any different using a premium soft such as an a-frame? I am asking because I have loaded up the following bullets for my hunt,Woodleigh softs,A-frames and Hornady DGS,rifle to be used,my Heym DR470 ne.thanks.

I don't know the answer to your question. I doubt it though. If we would have hit the brain, it would have been over.
Nixon and I both prefer to shoot solids. I have killed two other buffalo with solids and we were in elephant country with elephant on the menu, so the choice of solids served two purposes.

Butch, what might have happened if you had shot that buff with your Chapuis 9,3X74R?

I killed a buff while hunting with Nixon that took 4 shots with my Chapuis 9,3X74R. I was using a 286 gr Woodleigh PP followed by Woodleigh solids. Makes you think!

Butch,
thank you sir.

RAC

Based on what I experienced, I will never again consider hunting Buffalo with a double rifle.
Elephant maybe.

You know, I have hunted Zim three times and all of the PHs carried bolt action rifles.

Now THAT is a Hunt Report. Glad that you survived to hunt another day! THANK YOU for saving Nixon's life under extremely stressful circumstances!!

Excellent job Butch, way to stand in there. You should indeed be proud.

I am sure your family is happy to have you home in one piece, and speaking from experience, they probably cannot quite figure out why you are going back!

Thank you for the honest and detailed report and pictures.

Wow! That is a hunt to remember.

I knew Nixon needed a new gun stock, now i know why.

Glad it all worked out for both of you.

Wow... this is definitely a hunt to remember. Outstanding!

I've already shared the url with some friends.

Phew, I am glad you and Nixon lived and the bull eventually died! Fine buffalo Butch, congratulations.

PH's have mixed opinion on the bolt/double option, just like here...I think both have there advantages and disadvantages in tight situations. No bullet will stop a wounded, charging buffalo unless it hits the brain. That is when a buffalo becomes the most dangerous game, it is the only animal which won't turn or at least be rocked when hit in the head with a heavy caliber. It will just absorb and keep on coming.

David

Thanks David,

I own double rifles, and intended no disrespect to the die hard DR guys. It is more of a comment about my own abilities with a BA vs a DR.

You are certainly right about the brain shot. I saw every shot hit him and he just shuddered and kept coming. Nixon, with open sights, sure tried his best, and I did what I could to help out.

I salute you...

Wow...incredible!!!!!!!

Glad you're alive to talk about it...

Wow that was an amazing hunt report. They grow buffalo hunters tuff down in your neck of the woods. You certainly do "walk the walk" Sincere congratulations.

Begno,

A hunter's salute to you.

Waidmannsheil !!

As incredible as the story is your grit and the fact that you kept the safari going.

Well done.

Holy smokes Butch, what a story!! Glad you're back in one piece!

The Legend of Bengo.....

Great story...I'm glad you were able to tell it to us...

First and foremost I am sure glad both of you came out all right!

WHAT A STORY, AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!!!!!


.

Thats the kinda stuff nightmares are made of!

As with soldiers contemplating war, the prospective dangerous game hunter will always ponder how he will respond to a situation gone life threatening. Will he stand his ground and deliver the shot that saves his colleagues and himself? Or will he panic and run, becoming his own nightmare version of Francis Macomber.

Fortunately, most of us will never have that question answered.

But you did, Butch. You not only answered that question by your actions, but in the process provided the rest of us with an exemplar of how we all would hope we would respond. A truly singular dangerous game hunt that is nothing short of remarkable.

You can comfortably rest on your laurels, sir, having the abiding respect of your peers.

Well done and well told.

Great report and I am glad your still with us.

Damn! Glad you guys came out okay, that's a hell of a story!

Greg

quote:

Originally posted by Zephyr:

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Thank God the two of you weren't carrying double rifles!

Bang, bang, bang, bang . . . . squish.

That just opened a can of worms
Begno good for for being the type of man we all aspire to be

SQUISH, STOMP, STOMP, SQUISH !

Where's the single shot rifle?