Buffalo cow

Hello all

I stumbled across this site whilst researching for my first cape buff hunt sheduled for 2012, whilst reviewing all the offers of course i have noticed the substantial diffrence between hunting a bull and cow. I have i think...decided i shall wait a little longer and save for a bull perhaps try my luck with an end of season deal.

I wanted to know how many of you had decided to hunt a cow and if you had underestimated the female of the species? please share your tales/photos

Rgds

Originally Posted by Muntjac

if you had underestimated the female of the species? please share your tales/photos

Rgds

I have definitely done this....but not with buff cows! Don't think i should probably share the photos either. Ha.

In all reality though, i would add a buff cow to a bull hunt. I haven't quite understood those going specifically for a cow (all the travel expense, etc) when a bull is not much more if you shop around.

I agree with Tom, I think if you like a lot of taxidermy, a female and male side by side would look good...but for me it's too expensive to just hunt female cape buffalo. The only female species that is really nice is a Nyala female...for the money!

Yes hunting buffalo doesnt mean going after a cow but if you do it for the experience and not the trophy the hunt is just as much fun and much cheaper. Instead of coming over for a cow hunt just add it to a plains or big game hunt.

Have a look and decide for yourself.

How much do you sell your cow hunts for? The hunts i have seen have not been very much below a discounted bull hunt.

Tom, unfortunately our buffalo cows are priced in rand and with the weak dollar at the moment I dont think we can go lower than $3000.00 trophy fee but then again you will only pay our normal plainsgame daily rate. That is why I said great to combine with a plainsgame hunt.

I should clarify my comments above first, I'm not a big buffalo hunt...to many years on the farm milking...for the most part hate cattle! I'd rather hunt kudu any day over a cape buffalo cow hunt....there are so many Zimbabwe cull hunts for male cape buffalo...that if I was a cape buffalo nut...I'd go hunt there. And look under the Hunt Report section of this website for further information.

I do like Fredrik's post, he's seen it all...and has a ton of experience...actually miss his posts when he's busy at work . Really enjoy his kudu and bushbuck posts!

Well, that is a better price than i had anticipated. The hunts i had seen up for offer had been in the $5,000-7,500 range for a cow. The kicker is, i've even seen bull hunts sell around that range in the last two years with the down economy. But at the $3,000 or under price, that is much more affordable.

Originally Posted by enysse

I do like Fredrik's post, he's seen it all...and has a ton of experience...actually miss his posts when he's busy at work . Really enjoy his kudu and bushbuck posts!

Thanks for the compliment, but there are a lot of hunters out there who has more experience than me, I'm still young but working on it.

BTW have you hunted a big eland bull in mopane bush yet ? Solely by tracking it to me that is one of the best plainsgame hunts you can do and since your such a fan of the spiral horns I'm sure that will get your attention.

Frederik,

Your question on eland in the bush brought back memories of my first eland hunt in Zim in '96. After a wonderful stalk in very thick bush,(very green and lush due to late rains), we finally tracked up to a small herd of eland and set up at a choke point. When they arrived my PH Mike Smith pointed out the one we wanted and said "Start shooting" to which I answered with one round from my .375. The eland ran around 40 yards and collapsed. We quickly ran up and Mike said "S#@t, female!" He got fooled, it was a cow but you know what? I told Mike and the trackers what a great job they had done and it was in fact one of the most interesting and rewarding stalks I have been on in Africa and I wasnt the least angry about it either. BTW, I'm on my way to Zim in June with BULL eland at the top of the list! Looking forward to it.

Hi Muntjac,
Well for me, there is no interest to hunt a buffalo cow, only for meat. To follow a herd and shoot it is quite easy but if you look for a trophy bull it's another story to get in shooting position and much more exciting and what about lone bull!!!! Believe me, save your money and look for bull or look for buffalo from west Africa (burkina faso or Benin) where it is less expensive and you can get some great other species.....like roan, harnessed bushbuck, nagor reedbuck and so on.
Christophe

some good advice thanks chaps, i shall be booking a bull hunt. Im going to try my luck with late season deals (my financial decison is based not on available income but the fact i have a wife and two kids) if one doesnt become available then i suppose it gives me a little more saving time, from the reports iv read i think im going to go Zimbabwe. My only reservation with a late season booking is if i go down that route my choice of PH is of course limited and i appreciate the immense role the PH plays in the whole experiance, from running camp through to shipping trophies to the taxidermist. If you could recommend a PH in Zim who would it be gents?

In October of 2009 I hunted tuskless elephant and buffalo cow with Martin Pieters in Omay North in Zimbabwe. I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the hunt. It was a very cost effective hunt for dangerous game. His area also offers some great fishing. Martin was my PH and is very good. Hunting buffalo cow is easier than hunting bulls. The area we hunted was very difficult, the jess was very thick which made the hunt exciting. The follow up was even more exciting.

Mokore Safaris in the Save in Zimbabwe is another good operator. I hunted with Neil Duckworth in Mozambique and on the Save this year. Neil is another great PH.

The Omay is 1,000,000 acres and is a CAMPFIRE area. Martin hunts the entire Omay including Omay south for a total of 2,000,000 acres. Very good dangerous game area that offers some good plainsgame hunting also.

Mokore's area is part of the Save which is an 850,000 acre conservancy. At one time the perimeter was fenced (approximately 325 K if I remember correctly) with no interior fences. Some of the fence has been since removed and some areas occupied by war vets. There is some great hunting for dangerous game and even better hunting for plainsgame.

Here are the links to both hunts.

Mozambique and Zimbabwe with Mokore Safaris

Tuskless / Buffalo with Martin Pieters


tim416 books for Mokore and probably could help you with Martin also. This is Martin's website.

Martin Pieters Safaris :: Omay Zimbabwe Safaris :: Welcome

Hope this helps.

Terry Wagner
Terry Wagner Worldwide Hunting
wagnerwwh@aol.com
Front Page - www.wagnerworldwidehunting.com - Touch Africa Safaris, Zimbabwe, Plains Game, Dangerous Game Safaris ZM - Otjiruse Hunting, Namibia, Frank and Gudrun Heger NA

If you look under the Touch Africa Safari website....I think you will find what you are looking for possibly...A $7000 buffalo hunt....bull cape buffalo in Zimbabwe...it's under the rate section.

Mike70560, has some wonderful advice too...Martin Pieters is a very good PH!

And Frederik advice is spot on...and bull eland hunt in the mopane brush is a very exciting hunt.....definitely affordable and eland can be the devil to hunt! I definitely would like to do another eland hunt!!!

Originally Posted by Mike70560

and some areas occupied by war vets.

Ugh. "War vets". Makes me sick to hear about alleged "war vets" occuping lands and moving into designated hunting areas. But that is probably for another thread.