20 September 2016, 15:57
BuffHunter63Buff with Lin Stanton
Shot my buff 3 days ago. Lin and his trackers are awesome. Still in Zim, tired but happy. I learned more about buff hunting then I ever dreamed. We got into buff every day and but for my old legs I would have got a 41" buff. I am happy with the one I did get. It is much larger than my first two.
BH63
21 September 2016, 04:12
Brandon.GleasonCongrats! Looking forward to the details. Safe travels home.
21 September 2016, 21:59
FjoldGreat!, looking forward to your photos.
22 September 2016, 06:14
D. NelsonCan't wait for a full report, but I'm always anxious to hear about a Buff hunt!
Travel safely!
Best regards, D, Nelson
22 September 2016, 07:47
64rcsLindon is a heck of a guy. Met him while I was there in 2013. Congrats on your Cape. Looking forward to seeing pictures and story.
23 September 2016, 21:25
BuffHunter63Thanks for all the good words and yes Lin Stanton is first rate as both a PH and as a person. I would gladly book with him again (although I would work harder to get in shape). One of his trackers said I should come back and hunt lions with him. If only I could afford it. Nkululecko and Jabulanie were absolutely flawless as they worked as a team. I feel fortunate to be able to have hunted with them. Tomorrow they head north to hunt Ellie. Should be a blast for everyone.
29 September 2016, 21:15
BuffHunter63Here is a quick recap of my buffalo hunt with Lin Stanton. I spent 8 days at the Mibizi Camp on the Mwonesi River, Nuanetsi. I saw tons of game to include eland, kudu, wildebeast, warthogs, baboon, nyala, giraffe, elephant, duiker, steenbok, impala, zebra, bushbuck, bushpig, crocodile, and waterbuck.
I also saw a cheetah, honey badgers, jackals, bat-eared foxes, and a mongoose. We saw fresh lion tracks and leopard tracks, but didn't see the cats themselves.
I wanted a big buffalo, and we hunted hard for 6 days. Everyday, we would follow tracks. We got into buffalo everyday. On the first day, I turned down a 38" buff. On the second day, we tracked and caught up with a 41" buff, but the PH felt it was a little too young, and the boss too soft. On the 5th day we followed some bulls for almost 9 hours. I was totally zonked, by the time we finally got within shooting range. A bushpig rushed by at about 6 feet and I totally ignored it I was so tired. By the time I managed to get into positon, it was too dark to shoot. These group of buffalo contained a 45" and a 42" buff. The 45" was too young to shoot, but the PH wanted me to shoot the 42" buff, but I just couldn't get into position in time. So goes hunting when you are an old man.
The next day we tracked some bulls for about 5 hours. Unfortunately the wind changed just as we got close to where they were bedded down and they took off at a run. We decided to call it a day and head back to camp. On the 2 hour drive back to camp, we spotted a small herd of buffalo in some trees. The PH stopped and glassed them. He thought one would go 38", so we quietly moved into range. The wind was in our favor and I shot the biggest bull at about 25 yards. The bull ran off about 30 yards leaving a blood trail that even I could follow without difficulty. We found the bull lying down and I shot once more, finishing the buff. My first shot was perfect, and the 400 gr Swift A-frame had entered about 1/3 up the body centered on the front leg. The second shot, a Barnes 400 gr solid, was halfway up the body and perfectly centered over my first shot.
Although not as big as I originally wanted, I was more than happy with the buff (turned out to be 36" with a nice boss) as my arthritic hip was giving me fits from all the walking.
Lin and his crew were fantastic, and I would love to hunt with them again (but first I need to get my hip replaced).
It had been 13 years since I last hunted Zim, but I plan on returning a lot sooner next time.
I stayed at The Afton House in Jo'burg, two nights on arrival, and one night on departure, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the rooms, service, and companionship of the staff and fellow hunters. The $100.00 for the pre-approved SAPS firearm permit was money well spent.
BH63
18 October 2016, 07:43
The Big Game HunterCongrats!
Looking forward to seeing photos!