How old is this bull?

[IvW]

Young bull, had great potential, 4 years old max 5 years old, pre-breeding bull(if in fact it even had opportunity to breed), all the grey stuff is soft boss, will boil away during processing.....

4200 lbs....must have been eating a lot of alfalfa.....2000 lb is a large body weight buffalo...

Hate to burst your bubble but I would not have permitted a client I was hunting with to shoot this buffalo as a trophy...

You asking this question raises the doubt that you are not, as the hunter satisfied, and you are seeking assurance....

Let me take an uneducated ques, you never saw any breeding herds of buffalo or buffalo cows with calves during this hunt, you did not have the opportunity to look over multiple bulls, bachelor herds or with cows, only bulls,,,I may be wrong....but I don''t think so. Please correct me if I am wrong or if I missed the hunt report...

 

[BRICKBURN]

My question is always going to be; Did you have fun hunting it?

 

[IvW]

My question is always going to be; Did you have fun hunting it?

True. However what where the expectations of the hunt? What was paid for? A hunt where you had the opportunity to look over multiple bulls and decide? This is my dream bull? This is what I have paid for?(Whatever the amount was).

Yes you should have fun, and yes it should be an unforgettable experience...but then after it is in the salt you should not be asking, is it big enough, is it old enough is it a hard boss...

You could have a lot more fun hunting old cows or non trophy bulls at a fraction of the cost without asking questions afterwards regarding age and hardness of the boss.....

This is not an old hard bossed bull, if that was what you where paying for no problem, but then also not the need to ask....or seek justification.

My 0.02c anyway....

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

If I were going to place a geuss on weight I would put it 1100-1200 lbs range. Again never dealt with Cape buffalo but father and I ran a pretty good size beef herd and he was a butcher so you get used to estimating live weight dressed weight ect.

4200lbs would be a respectable white rhino bull and I hardly compare this buffalo to a rhino.

Again bearing in mind I have no experience with buffalo so nothing I speculate on the subject should be taken as gospel. And I am in no way criticizing the op.

 

[Firebird]

4200 kgs instead of lbs maybe-still a heavy bull. Very honestly how many buffalo get weighed in the field? So accurate weights outside of a facility that can weigh them with guts in are going to be few and far between. I'm with Brickburn, I bet you had a heckuva good time and I am jealous. Cost is always a comparative tool. Rich guys tout how affordable Zim is and guys like me scrape for years on end just to hunt plains game and we glory in it on a farm in South Africa. Dont let anyone steal this from you. If you didn't love it you wouldn't have pulled the trigger.

 

[Firebird]

For the record, I'll call it a farm bred bull at 6 maybe 7 years and yes the boss looks a bit soft still. It will shrink and your taxidermist will rebuild it to look like the photograph with foam and apoxie sculpt. If I am correct, the bull fulfilled his purpose, he was not born to spread his genes, he was bred to fulfill a hunters dreams. I'll guess he has made yours come true.

 

[WAB]

Ummm, 4,200 kegs is 9259 pounds. Now we’re getting into elephant territory! If I see a 9,000 pound buffalo I’m going to crap my pants and go back to camp!

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Each kg or kilogram is equivalent to 2.2bs so 4200x2.2=9240lb. The largest male I can find record of weighed 2338lbs and was farm raised on beef rations.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I have absolutely nothing against farm hunting @Firebird I will be lucky if at some time in the future I have the means to do so my self, nor was I in any way attempting to belittle the op. I've clearly stated on several occasions I'm no authority on Cape buffalo. I simply wished to enter my geuss and be either validated or educated by some of the fine gentleman whom have more knowledge then I.

 

[Firebird]

Just trying to work with the op's figure. Go the other direction 4200 divided by 2.2 is 1909 lbs. Pretty sure you knew that and were having some fun, but thats how my mind did it and 1900 (relax I just rounded down) is still ALOT of buffalo.

 

[WAB]

Just trying to work with the op's figure. Go the other direction 4200 divided by 2.2 is 1909 lbs. Pretty sure you knew that and were having some fun, but thats how my mind did it and 1900 (relax I just rounded down) is still ALOT of buffalo.

LOL, yes, we are just having fun. Gotta find something to smile about these days!

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

@WAB when 9000 pound buffalos roam wanna go halves on a field piece?

 

[Justbryan]

Sorry guys 2200 lbs. Typo.

 

[Justbryan]

I could be remembering wrong. I appreciate the input. I guess my taxidermist can rebuild any horn shrinkage.

 

[Pheroze]

Did you post a hunt report? As the man says, pay your taxes!

 

[One Day...]

Young, soft and fairly light bull...

HOW OLD IS THIS BULL - Hard or partial soft? Does smooth mean soft? No hair loss. Will there be a lot of shrinking?View attachment 337150View attachment 337151

- Soft boss.
- Non-broomed pointed horns.
- No facial hair loss.
- No grey/white hair.
- Non-scared juvenile pointed face.

Very young bull... If pressed for a number I would say 4+ years old...

These bosses are likely not going to survive the boiling, or even the skinning...

FYI
- Horns reach full development around 5 years old (he is likely there or close to there).
- Hard boss start forming around 10 years old (he is clearly years away from it).
- Life expectancy is 20 to 25 years.

Regarding weight, this buff does not seem to have the thick neck, heavy shoulders, etc. of a mature heavy buff. Hard to say for the pics, but I would not be overly surprised if this one did not pass 2,000 lbs...

Great genetics, and great potential. The perfect example of a bull too young to shoot in the wild (he likely did not pass on his genetics yet, breeding age is around 5 years old in herds where they have to compete for breeding rights), but the rationales are different with private breeding herds...

Still, regardless of weight and age, in days of acute trophyitis when hunting experience and animal character do not seem to mean much anymore to a growing number of shooters, I would have personally insisted to the client that the bosses are likely not going to survive the boiling, or even the skinning...

 

[WAB]

@WAB when 9000 pound buffalos roam wanna go halves on a field piece?

Take no prisoners!

 

[BenKK]

Folks tend to get excited and overestimate the weight of a buffalo or scrub bull. I do. So in my case it’s a good idea to ask the opinion of an old cattleman (my Dad), who usually says something like, “No, son, I don’t think he’d be more than 800kg.”

 

[BenKK]

Very rare to see a bovine approach the big one-triple-zero.

 

[BRICKBURN]

4200 kgs instead of lbs maybe-still a heavy bull. ...........

I want to see that one.