Get experience first? Or, hunt dangerous game right away?

Tanks said:

The most notable hunter that got killed this year was hunting PG with a shotgun when they ran into a group of cow elephants with calves.

Now, I don't know the details, in Zimbabwe in DG country the PH always has a stopping rifle, not sure if his PH did. After I was done with elephant and buffalo and switched to my .300 RUM, for PG, from my .500 my PH still carried his .470. Heck, we came across lion tracks, heard elephants in the bush etc., so it was the right thing to do.

Click to expand...

I definitely understand and agree with your position. How many inexperienced hunters go after DG right off the bat (rhetorical question)? Based on this generalized question, my response was in the most generalized terms. There will always be exceptions and this type of generalized question always opens responses where specific challenges will occur.

What is meant by "get experience first"?

Anyone who has previously hunted bigger game species can easily book a hunt for dangerous game without having hunted plains game first. An exception might be hunters who have only hunted birds and small game before and wish to familiarize themselves with hunting larger game species. They can book a plains game hunt first, but any other much cheaper hunt for somewhat larger game would also suffice in this case as preparation and getting experience for a dangerous game hunt. After all, the most important thing for hunting bigger, and in all cases DG game species, is learning to shoot firearms of a somewhat larger caliber, rifles that many people might never use at home because they do not need them for the game species found there.

My wife had never hunted Africa when we went to Uganda last year, but she is an avid hunter in Wyoming. The first morning out we were going to try to find a warthog so she could get a feel for the process of hunting with a PH. Instead we found this and all went perfectly.

Ultimately, there is no a hard-and-fast rule. Some will go hunting DG without any issues, regardless of their prior experience, while others will require some preparation and sometimes varying degrees of guidance during the hunt.

1st hunt Buffalo and Tuskless

First trip to Africa, 3 buffalo in Tanzania, was a great trip, have enjoyed some PG hunts along the way

I took both Cape buffalo & plains game on my life’s first African Safari to Kenya in 1974. I also tried to unsuccessfully take a lion over bait. But that one had to be spoored and finished off by my white hunter. My bullet (one of those beastly aluminum jacketed 300Gr Winchester Silver Tips) had broken to pieces upon striking the great cat’s shoulder.

I personally feel that both plains game and dangerous game can be hunted by a first timer on the same safari, provided:
I) You have plenty of practice
II) You listen to your white hunter

My first African animal was a cape buffalo. A hunt I dreamed about since I was 9 or 10. Plains game is a nice way to get some extra hunting time in, but does not hold enough allure for me to go to Africa just for that. I have been blessed with getting a wide variety of big game animals in the USA, some dangerous, any trip to Africa for me is going to have to include some DG. If Africa is a hunters first big game hunting experience then plains game first makes sense, if a hunter is experienced elsewhere why start with critters that may not hold much appeal to them ?

I have never really enjoyed hunting plains game in Africa. I only did it as part of a dangerous game hunt, if there is still time left or if meat is needed for the kitchen. You see plains game everywhere in Africa; this is quite different when hunting deers or high-mountain game, where you might spend days out in the field without seeing something. A completely different challenge. For this reason, I have always preferred hunting in northern regions or high mountain ranges over hunting plains game in Africa.

Betterinthebush said:

Two schools of thought. I’ve got my opinion, but I’m very interested in reading others perspectives.

Click to expand...

As long as you are very competent with your rifle, willing to listen and follow instructions, go for whatever you want. Just know Africa and DG is very addictive.

While this is a very important consideration as far as I am concerned I am going offer an unusual suggestion/plan that I don't think anyone would ever follow. I am not making light of the question, I am going to honestly tell you exactly what I would do if I could do it all over again .

I hope you are sitting down. This may get weird. Better have a drink too.

Here goes. First the virtues signalling, I have taken 19 cape buffalo, mostly with a single shot big bore.
If I got a re-do on my 15 years of hunting in South Africa, this is how I would do it.
First of al, I would get a Plain Jane .458 WM and load a couple of hundred rounds of cheap bullets over light loads.

I will also get a set of electronic hearing protectors and a set of shooting sticks. I would go to the range once a week and fire no more that 15 rounds off of the sticks, not the bench, at a 50 yard 3 inch bull. I will shoot slowly and deliberately and always wear the electronic ear muff. They make a big difference with the flinching issue. ( My nervous system doesn't like that loud bang and it makes me flinch.)

I will repeat the above until I can shoot my .458 with light loads, without flinching. I notice that by this time all my shots are inside the 3 inch bull. Bonus!

Next I would load 50 round of CEB .458 Safari Rapters on top of a good load and sight them in at 50 yards using as few shots as possible. Then i will stop shooting it.

I am now good to go for the next step... the African Bushveld !

Yes, I will hunt plains game on my first hunt in Africa ... with a camera. Plains game are very thrilling to walk amongst in the bush and to get close enough to get good photos. My PH and tracker will enhance the experience with their African bush craft and folk lore stories. If I absolutely must knock down a PG, I will hunt a Blu Wildebeests, Kudu or Gemsbok. They are fairly interesting, but they will not blow ones hair back like a cape buffalo will.

So far I am saving a lot money here. By the time I are done I will have saved enough for a extra buffalo or two.

Next up on this first hunt is the cape buffalo hunting, the Holy Grail of the African Safari. Am I ready for this?
Hell yes! Remember the 10 shots into a 3 inch bulls-eye back at the range? Thats a "One Shot Dead-Right-There" buffalo kill, all day long with a 458WM loaded up with a proper bullet. That's because a heart/lung shot on a cape buffalo is actually more like a 6 inch bulls-eye. And it's also because I didn't let anyone talk me into using a .375HH (again!) which is not a one shot kill, buffalo cartridge.

One last thing. No cheap, mediocre bullets. While you should take 30 plus rounds you will probably only use one cartridge per buffalo if you use "top shelf" bullets in a .458 WM.

One more thing, this is a fork in the road. Cape buffalo bulls cost about $10,000 USD each.
Standing near the bull I will notice another buffalo that is trickier, quicker, more alert and more dangerous than the bull. It short it is usually a more challenging buffalo to hunt. It's called the cow and don't tell anybody but sometimes you can hunt 2-4 cows for the price of hunting one bull.

Happy Hunting.

I'm in the camp of going on a PG hunt first.


This gives you an idea of:

- what African hunting is about
- African travel (or the challenges associated)
- the level of competence of PH's
- the "roles" of trackers, skinners, camp staff, etc.
- modest to luxury accommodations depending on your taste
- international travel with firearms

(and I would advise a first time African hunter, to go to a "simple" destination - just South Africa, for example)



For the first DG hunt, I would go to "wild" Africa:

- no game ranches, fences, etc.
- sleep in a tent
- listen to lions roar and hippo sounds at night
- deal with little creepy crawlies in your tent

Of course, if you are an experienced international traveler (with firearms) and good hunter with some DG experience (bears, etc.) without anyone's assistance, this would not necessarily apply.


Still, I think a buildup to an ultimate crescendo is the way to go. I'm thinking elephant and maybe lion might be my crescendo...


But, even after the "big trip," I still want to go back to pick up game that I haven't taken, or take advantage of an opportunity that may present itself:

Sable
Waterbuck
Bongo
Leopard
Lechwe
Gazelle
A "super deal" on a wild Black Rhino

I did not vote- nothing wrong with either option.

Nothing wrong with either option.

I don't care to hunt DG on a ranch, but to each his own.

Whichever made the person want to go to Africa in the first place. Some people dream only of making it to Africa to hunt a buffalo. Since they were kids that's all they wanted. Why should that person go do a plains game first spending lots of money and time on a hunt they aren't really interested in? To satisfy other people on the internet? If they come back from that trip and get a terrible health diagnosis, did they live out their dreams, or did they do a trip they weren't really interested in because the internet unnecessarily told them to do PG first?

Other people it's not about buffalo or maybe any specific animal, it's about going to Africa. For them, plains game might be the most fun way to live out their dreams.

Everyone should do the thing they want to do the most, first. Because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

All depends on someone’s skill level and budget.

I did a PG hunt and ultimately tacked a Cape Buffalo Hunt deal with another outfitter onto the backside while I was already in Africa. Zero regrets, it definitely sunk the needle pretty deep into me and has cost me some money and PTO.

If someone is a fairly experienced hunter/shooter I see zero reason they couldn’t or shouldn’t do DG first or at least tied into their first hunt/trip, especially if comfortable shooting a 375 or larger rifle.

No rights or wrongs with this one. The same criteria applies to either option. If ! ….. you are competent with the appropriate/necessary rifle and can take advice from a professional…you can’t go too far wrong.

Whatever floats your boat. Go hunt a big bull elephant as your first african animal, like @Wahoo did. Or work your way from an impala/blesbok up.

What I can say, is that in most cases, your one and only safari will turn into a lifelong obsession. You will therefore at some point definitely go hunt DG. Perhaps there is something to be said, to take your time going up the summit, instead of starting at the summit.

Hunting dangerous game is not inherently more difficult. In fact, for some animals, the target area may be bigger. I think leopard is a more difficult skillset but buffalo offer a bgger heart lung than plainsgame. The cost of a bad shot may be higher in danger and monetary terms but the actual skill needed may very well be less. DG may have more pucker factor but the actual requirements are the same. Move quietly, shoot straight, hit the target.

VertigoBE said:

Whatever floats your boat. Go hunt a big bull elephant as your first african animal, like @Wahoo did. Or work your way from an impala/blesbok up.

What I can say, is that in most cases, your one and only safari will turn into a lifelong obsession. You will therefore at some point definitely go hunt DG. Perhaps there is something to be said, to take your time going up the summit, instead of starting at the summit.

Click to expand...

Your post is exactly where I sit. In fact, your analogy of a mountain is the precise language I think of where it concerns how I view the subject.