Hippo on land Vs. Buffalo for first Dangerous Game hunt?

[Safari Dave]

IMO, a hippo on land is more of a stunt....

I would absolutely do it, if given the opportunity, but I wouldn't travel 8,000 miles to do it.

I've been around many hippos on my one trip to Mozambique, but never saw one out of the water.



Buffalo, definitely!

 

[Siennacoyote]

Hippo is a bit cheaper in a dangerous game area. You would typically go to hunt dangerous game and then add on plains game if time permits. You would need to reserve the animals you’re interested in far in advance with your outfit, 1-2 years if not longer. South Africa fits the a la carte profile a bit better if you want to hunt plains game first, then possible adding buffalo or hippo. Hippo in South Africa with be substantially more expensive then a DG are in Zim or other countries.

If you think you want to hunt DG for a first hunt, don’t hesitate and just go for DG and add on plains game if time and money allows

Are you serious that hippo is cheaper in Zimbabwe ? So if I wanted to do dangerous game of hippo and crocodile I might be better served to do Zimbabwe for that instead of rsa?

 

[revturbo9967]

Are you serious that hippo is cheaper in Zimbabwe ? So if I wanted to do dangerous game of hippo and crocodile I might be better served to do Zimbabwe for that instead of rsa?

Yes it will be over all cheaper in Zimbabwe than SA. I have seen hippo adversiments on the forum for SA and they typical are north of 12k for the one animal.

Plus if you hunt croc somewhere other than SA you won’t be limited to paying per foot. You can just go find the biggest croc.

 

[Sarg]

Hippo even hid in the open, very hard to see till right on top of them !

This was a long way from the river in a little depression .

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Are you serious that hippo is cheaper in Zimbabwe ? So if I wanted to do dangerous game of hippo and crocodile I might be better served to do Zimbabwe for that instead of rsa?

I would say get quotes for both and you decide. I am doing Hippo and Croc combo this June. I went RSA over Zim. I got quotes from several and with day rate difference and extra travel to Zim. I found about same all in pricing and RSA came in best for me with other plans I have this trip. Just doing this as a combo.
Now if in Zim for other DG adding on hippo and croc will be cheaper most likely.

 

[Philip Glass]

Full disclosure, I've never hunted Africa and still haven't ruled out a plains game hunt for my first Safari.

When it comes to DG, both Hippo on land and Cape Buffalo have the greatest appeal.

Knowing very little about either, how do these experiences compare? Are they in the same cost ballpark? Similar difficulty?

I'm curious to hear accounts from those that have hunted both.

Shooting a hippo in the water doesn't appeal to me.

I'd be using either my CZ in 416 Rigby or Model 70 in 458 WinMag on this hunt.

About the same cost but you will want to hunt buffalo as your first DG safari. I prefer the idea of a PG safari first but there is nothing wrong with going for buff first either.

 

[IvW]

The problem with many singke hippo on land is that they are younger upcoming bulls kicked out by the bigger dominant bulls....yes you can find single old large bulls also kicked out but that is not the norm....

 

[IvW]

IvW, are you using Rhino Monolithic Solids or Rhino expanding Solid Shanks in your .500 Jeffery for hunting hippopotamus on land ?

All my life, I exclusively preferred solids for hippopotamus on land. But during my most recent two hippopotamus hunts, I’ve found success with controlled expansion bullets (namely the Barnes TSX). It’s still too early to tell if I should abandon solids altogether, so I still keep solids in the magazine for the last two shots as insurance (Cutting Edge Bullets monolithic brass Safari Solids).

Rhino 340gr solids in the 375 and 570gr solids and 570gr Solid shanks in the 500. I would not hesitate using the 600gr solid shank either....

 

[revturbo9967]

I do like the huge bodied, scarred up bulls

 

[Northern Shooter]

Now for the real question, which tastes better? Hippo or Buffalo?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Now for the real question, which tastes better? Hippo or Buffalo?

Cape buffalo tenderloin grilled over an open flame with coarse salt and extra virgin olive oil is extremely delicious.

So are hippopotamus steaks but margin for preparation error is completely nonexistent. The under belly (if ground up and fried with garlic & tinned tomatoes) is excellent with pasta (think of it as a bushmeat Bolognese sauce).

Hippopotamus tail stew is absolutely food for the Gods.

 

[revturbo9967]

Now for the real question, which tastes better? Hippo or Buffalo?

Hippo is very close to beef and very tasty. I did have stuffed buffalo loin and it was amazing as well.

 

[tward1604]

All this food talk is making me hungry and I still have work to do.

With the lack of hippo and buffalo in my part of Texas you aren't making it easy on me to try these things

 

[PCC600]

I'm biased towards Hippo on land myself as on a couple of my DCA hunts I was charged & one got very close.

Spent nearly 4 days on one & a week on the other, one was a killer already & the other a maimer but I hunted these on my own & some of the hunting was in very thick cover.

Very exciting, also these are a huge animal !

I suppose for a traveling hunter the Cape Buff hunt would be the normal pick ?

Not mine but they do make a cool mount to.

View attachment 592237

Have a mean bite to this is a bite & shake on a Ford Bakkie


View attachment 592246

Hunting on your own - well done .

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Are you serious that hippo is cheaper in Zimbabwe ? So if I wanted to do dangerous game of hippo and crocodile I might be better served to do Zimbabwe for that instead of rsa?

I haven't shot a hippo, but have hunted multiple buffalo, and spent some time trying for a hippo on land in Zim this past year. I want a big bull on land (hence not having shot one), but would take one in the water for bait. Hippo in sugar cane fields at night sounds like my kind of excitement.

I don't know what your budget is but here's a rough breakdown below for a 10 day hunt so you can compare. You might find prices cheaper elsewhere this is just based off two places that I've hunted (1 in RSA and 1 in Zim). I even compared the RSA Outfitters I've hunted with and took the cheaper option. If you were to do all 3 I'd say Zim without a doubt. You can probably also negotiate a little as a "Package" vs their printed prices.

RSA
Daily Rates - $550/day = $5500 (make sure you look at DG Rates, not the $300-400/day PG Rates)
Hippo Trophy Fee - $6800
Croc Trophy Fee - $3800
Buffalo Trophy Fee - $8500

Zim
Daily Rates - $1100/day = $11,000
Hippo Trophy Fee - $4000
Croc Trophy Fee - $4000
Buffalo Trophy Fee - $5000

As others have said, I generally find the trophy fees to be less in Zim, but that's offset by the daily rates. I WOULD NOT shoot a Croc in RSA. Majority are farmed, you pay based on size, and it's a bit different kind of hunt.

 

[revturbo9967]

I haven't shot a hippo, but have hunted multiple buffalo, and spent some time trying for a hippo on land in Zim this past year. I want a big bull on land (hence not having shot one), but would take one in the water for bait. Hippo in sugar cane fields at night sounds like my kind of excitement.

I don't know what your budget is but here's a rough breakdown below for a 10 day hunt so you can compare. You might find prices cheaper elsewhere this is just based off two places that I've hunted (1 in RSA and 1 in Zim). I even compared the RSA Outfitters I've hunted with and took the cheaper option. If you were to do all 3 I'd say Zim without a doubt. You can probably also negotiate a little as a "Package" vs their printed prices.

RSA
Daily Rates - $550/day = $5500 (make sure you look at DG Rates, not the $300-400/day PG Rates)
Hippo Trophy Fee - $6800
Croc Trophy Fee - $3800
Buffalo Trophy Fee - $8500

Zim
Daily Rates - $1100/day = $11,000
Hippo Trophy Fee - $4000
Croc Trophy Fee - $4000
Buffalo Trophy Fee - $5000

As others have said, I generally find the trophy fees to be less in Zim, but that's offset by the daily rates. I WOULD NOT shoot a Croc in RSA. Majority are farmed, you pay based on size, and it's a bit different kind of hunt.

After hunting croc in the wild, I feel it is the most underrated species in Africa. Everyone who’s interested in croc needs to do themselves a favor and hunt one near the Zambezi or Kariba . I hunted both hippo and croc, and croc by far is a better hunt.

 

[thriller]

Full disclosure, I've never hunted Africa and still haven't ruled out a plains game hunt for my first Safari.

When it comes to DG, both Hippo on land and Cape Buffalo have the greatest appeal.

Knowing very little about either, how do these experiences compare? Are they in the same cost ballpark? Similar difficulty?

I'm curious to hear accounts from those that have hunted both.

Shooting a hippo in the water doesn't appeal to me.

I'd be using either my CZ in 416 Rigby or Model 70 in 458 WinMag on this hunt.

buffalo

 

[McKenzie Sims]

Have done both and will say 100% go for the buffalo it’s a much better African experience especially if you’re looking to make it your first hunt.

A true tracking buffalo hunt might be the greatest hunt on earth for its cost to value wise. Dry land hippo won’t be much tracking, sure you might cut tracks and follow them but its nothing like tracking Cape buffalo. Not down grading an on-land hippo but for a first time African experience I think you might do a diss service to how you will see Africa. Hippos need water so you won’t be that far from water with buffalo you can experience the entire area you are hunting.

Good luck planning.

Cheers.