Part of my Zim bull was fused. I guess this is the best part of buffalo hunting, zero chance of shooting two that look the same.
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Thoughts on Cape Buffalo under 40"
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Kevin Peacocke
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My PH carries a 500 and he has had to fire it on three of the last four buffalo he has guided. This is new information since I wrote up the facts I have accumulated and outlined in the Buffalo are Tough thread. This isn't about opinion, but taking note and learning from data.
hoytcanon
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Personally, I care WAY more about drop and curl than I do about width... lots of terrific bulls under 40"...
LWPhunt
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What ever is pleasing to you, some folks have a need for measuring to be the biggest, never happen, always bigger ones exist. Sage advice on here, journey, memories, adrenaline, get those and you like the shape, bingo, you won. Big boss turns some folks on, wide wide others, curls others. Look forward to hearing what you get.
Slickshooter
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This old Selous bull was well under 40”
Adam Stevens
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proper
ThinusS
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My first buffalo, Coutada 14, Mozambique back in 2004. I've never measured him, and never will, but even in his prime he would not have been anywhere near 40". And yet, this is the buffalo I will always remember.
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ThinusS, that photo sums up the whole thread in one frame — an old bull you'll carry with you long after any tape measure is forgotten.
I look at a lot of buffalo, and honestly the spread is the last thing I check. What tells the story is age: a hard boss gone solid and met in the middle, tips worn and broomed back, a deep old body and that grey, battle-worn face. Nine times out of ten the bull carrying all that character has given away an inch or two of width to the years — a proper old warrior that's already passed his genes on. Taking him is exactly the right thing to do, and he's the one you remember.
Wide is easy to photograph. Old is what you hunt for. Give me drop, curl and a rock-hard boss over a soft-bossed 42-incher any day of the week.
Cheers, Chris
I look at a lot of buffalo, and honestly the spread is the last thing I check. What tells the story is age: a hard boss gone solid and met in the middle, tips worn and broomed back, a deep old body and that grey, battle-worn face. Nine times out of ten the bull carrying all that character has given away an inch or two of width to the years — a proper old warrior that's already passed his genes on. Taking him is exactly the right thing to do, and he's the one you remember.
Wide is easy to photograph. Old is what you hunt for. Give me drop, curl and a rock-hard boss over a soft-bossed 42-incher any day of the week.
Cheers, Chris
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To build on what I said earlier — the reason I've come to value the boss and the age over the spread is partly from the breeding side of things. When you watch bulls grow up year after year, you stop seeing a number and start seeing a life: the young wide bull still has soft, open bosses and years left in the herd; the old dagga boy has gone hard, worn and often narrower, but he's done his job and he's the one worth taking. A 38-inch bull with a boss like a helmet and a grey, battered face is a far greater trophy to my eye than a 42 that's still soft on top. Inches are easy to measure and easy to chase — character takes a hunter willing to look longer.
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K_P wrote on Buckleyguy12's profile.
Good morning from Montana.
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I'm looking at a post from 2018 where you were looking for a lefty Winchester in .375 H&H Magnum. I'm selling mine. My email is [redacted] in the event that you're still searching for a unicorn.
Best,
Kelly Palmer
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