what make a good buffalo, and a good buffalo hunt

so i came across another thread that asked a similar question but he was looking for a hunt

so i thought to ask these 2 questions and i assume(hope) it will turn into a really good discussion

what makes a good buffalo?

what makes a good buffalo hunt?

Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS said:

what makes a good buffalo?

what makes a good buffalo hunt?

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1) for me, personally, my buffalo is enigmatic. I’ll know him when we meet

2) my experience was perfection. It was hard, the terrain was thick and challenging ranging from heavy jess on rocky/hilly ground to intimidatingly dark river edges. My PH was great. We laughed just as hard as he worked. I left wanting more hunting experiences like that. I almost don’t care if I never find my old bull. The pursuit became the passion.

I’m focused on the experience. For me, it’s seeing the trackers work and having a really experienced PH. I’m always amazed at the trackers ability to stay on track and the things you would never see or notice on a spot and stalk hunt that you get by following tracks. Then getting up close to buffalo in thick brush is in experience itself. I have found the camp interestingly shapes my view of some hunts. I really like coming back to a simple quiet camp with a fire. Helps decompress and reflect on the day. I’ve had two safaris where camp wasn’t set up to really properly accommodate a fire and it changes things.

What makes a good buffalo? To me just one you worked for that has 2 horns and a hard boss. I’m am impressed most by the oldest bulls though (still with two horns).

A good buffalo changes as a hunter matures and gets more experience as a DG hunter. When I first hunted buffalo I wanted the typical 40in plus bull with nice drops and a hard boss. at a certain point (I am there now) some hunters morph to only wanting an OLD well beyond breeding age buffalo with worn smooth bosses and broom'ed horns, down to the ultimate that is a scrum cap. Some will always want the classic buffalo.

Good buffalo hunt will be a tracking hunt. One where you follow tracks (My first buff took 9 days and we tracked for just over a 125 miles). Deals with the fickle winds, alert buffalo, thick bush and jess, with a good and tired hunter, PH and Tracker. One where you stand there for a few minutes and in complete silence give thanks to the good lord and thank the old buffalo for the privileged to be in the wilderness and to have hunted such a magnificent creature. Also a good hunt is one where you have worked hard the PH and tracker busted their butts but you just didn't find "THE" buff and you walk back to the truck with a smile on your face. Then give thanks to the good lord and thank the old buffalo for the privileged to be in the wilderness and to have hunted such a magnificent creature.

That in my .02 cents worth.

A good buffalo is (i) an old bull, which has long left a herd, with at most a couple of other old bulls, horns worn down if not actually broken off (scrum cap is the ideal), hair missing from his face and body, scars over his rear from lion encounters, and (ii) one you worked hard for.

A good buffalo hunt is one where you locate tracks near water early in the morning, follow them for some time, all the while thinking to yourself that the trackers must be making this up, and then actually finding the buffalo, only to discover that they’ve backtracked and found you first and run off, so you have to wait, and then you track some more, and then you get as close as you can, and you take a shot that actually goes where you intend, and an old warrior gives you one last bellow, and then you smile.

Hank2211 said:

A good buffalo is (i) an old bull, which has long left a herd, with at most a couple of other old bulls, horns worn down if not actually broken off (scrum cap is the ideal), hair missing from his face and body, scars over his rear from lion encounters, and (ii) one you worked hard for.

A good buffalo hunt is one where you locate tracks near water early in the morning, follow them for some time, all the while thinking to yourself that the trackers must be making this up, and then actually finding the buffalo, only to discover that they’ve backtracked and found you first and run off, so you have to wait, and then you track some more, and then you get as close as you can, and you take a shot that actually goes where you intend, and an old warrior gives you one last bellow, and then you smile.

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Perfect summary

Done right, its a thoroughly analog experience in an excessively digital world.

As 375Fox said, it’s everything you see following tracks on foot, that you’d don’t see driving spot and stalk.

It’s having a pack of wild African dogs spook the herd you’ve worked so hard to stalk and sort. It’s having a lion jump from a tree when you follow a wounded buffalo into the thickest cover they can find. It’s the surprisingly turn of luck you get when you least expect it but have most earned it. As one recent PH put it, its getting in that animal’s “bubble”.

Any mature buffalo, in the twilight of its natural life, that can give you that experience, is a great trophy.

Great questions-
1. What makes a great buffalo? Well, old, hard bossed and smart that requires a lot of fun tracking. Forget the width or spread of horns. Focus on the boss and listen to the PH for the words - "That is a proper buff". Shoot that one.

2. What makes a good buffalo hunt? Simple, tracking and stalking. If you don't get to track and stalk for at least a few days, you are not getting your money's worth. My first buffalo hunt went 6 days in Dande North. My "worst" buffalo hunt was in Zambia with lazy PH that diesel stalked everything. I made the mistake of tolerating his laziness and drinking for 3 days before we quit him and left.

The PH makes the buffalo hunt. If you hunt with a Zim trained PH, you should be in for a great experience.

Stuart’s questions are timely for me, as I just returned home a few days ago from a hunt that fits both the definition of ‘A good buffalo’ as well as ‘A good buffalo hunt’.

I’ll be filing a hunt report soon, but the kinda short version is I was hunting Coutada 9 in Mozambique with Neil Duckworth of Mokore Safaris. We were fortunate to find the track of a lone Dugga Boy on day one but eventually lost the track. The next day we found the same track early in the morning and a mile or two from where we’d lost it the previous day. We took off on the track over hard ground with tall, thick grass, definitely tough tracking conditions. The buffalo was mostly just wandering while feeding, not really traveling anywhere. We lost the track several times but eventually picked it up again and continued onward. After probably 3 1/2-4 hours we felt we were close and were proceeding carefully as we expected to find the buffalo at close range in the thick grass. We stopped at a large termite mound which Neil climbed to get a better look from the elevated position. He wasn’t up there long before he motioned for me to quickly get up there with him.

The buffalo had been bedded down and invisible in the tall grass, but stood up to change beds while Neil happened to be atop the termite mound. He was feeding into a steady wind at just 50-60 yards, completely unaware of us. I was quickly on the sticks and waited about a minute for him to feed into the open past a tree. He was quartering away when I shot, hitting him hard with a North Fork solid that ranged through his left lung, got the heart and lodged in the offside shoulder. Three shots over 10-12 seconds and he was down 30 yards from where he took the first shot. It was a relatively short buffalo hunt, only two days, but an excellent tracking experience that rewarded us with a great example of ‘A good buffalo and a good buffalo hunt’. His bosses were mostly smooth and full, broken on the fronts exposing skull, his spread wide and his tips broomed back to the point they ended pointed straight up, not hooking over. Neil commented afterward that this same buffalo had eluded him two years earlier in the same area where we took him, so it was a special bull and hunt for him and Nhamo, as well as for me.

A good buffalo hunt starts with the relationship you have with your PH and the others around you. If you have done your job, the PH will know exactly what you are looking for and not waste time with other bulls.

But seeing (in person) is what it really takes. Whether you are looking for 40+ or worn down scrum cap, don’t settle. Keep hunting.

The combination of the hunt, the people and the pursuit of the game is what makes it memorable for me. The trophy is nice, but it’s the experience that makes it worthwhile.

OLD, OLD, & OLD DAGGA BOYS
In close with a Double Rifle. "When I can smell his breath, I'm close enough to kill him"

Hank2211 said:

A good buffalo is (i) an old bull, which has long left a herd, with at most a couple of other old bulls, horns worn down if not actually broken off (scrum cap is the ideal), hair missing from his face and body, scars over his rear from lion encounters, and (ii) one you worked hard for.

A good buffalo hunt is one where you locate tracks near water early in the morning, follow them for some time, all the while thinking to yourself that the trackers must be making this up, and then actually finding the buffalo, only to discover that they’ve backtracked and found you first and run off, so you have to wait, and then you track some more, and then you get as close as you can, and you take a shot that actually goes where you intend, and an old warrior gives you one last bellow, and then you smile.

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This sums it up perfectly.

Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS said:

so i came across another thread that asked a similar question but he was looking for a hunt

so i thought to ask these 2 questions and i assume(hope) it will turn into a really good discussion

what makes a good buffalo?

what makes a good buffalo hunt?

Click to expand...

I will answer your second question first with two words, the experience! Your first question using myself is this your first buff or second plus? For my first just me I wanted at least a 40 inch bull and got a 43 inch one. After that it is now all about age taking a mature worn down old dagga boy. Just me for my first one though I was not ready to take what I take now

MKuze Falls PGR RSA, back in 2010, a very large property, where you can find the dangerous seven.

There is a buffalo herd, and the tracker knows there is a small group of bachelors, which we have to find out, after four days, there is the result

PH Kobus Scrivante



Tracker Zippo, and Game Ranger Rasta (my nickname for him)

Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS said:

so i thought to ask these 2 questions and i assume(hope) it will turn into a really good discussion

what makes a good buffalo?

what makes a good buffalo hunt?

Click to expand...

For me an old dugga boy, well past its prime, having passed on his genes, and and now now living out his days alone or with a small group of old bulls of the same pedigree.

A good tracking hunt through the bush any day. Follow the spoor, lose him, pick up the track again the following morning and head out with that little bit of hope and anticipation that maybe today is the day. I want to get in lose < 30 yards is preferred or a priority and making the first shot from my double count. i.e place it exactly where my PH tells me to and I agree.
I’ve never been much interested in counting inches or chasing the biggest horns. For me, it’s the hunt the tracking, the bush, getting close, and finally standing there with an old bull at spitting distance. That’s what makes it worthwhile.

Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS said:

so i came across another thread that asked a similar question but he was looking for a hunt

so i thought to ask these 2 questions and i assume(hope) it will turn into a really good discussion

what makes a good buffalo?

what makes a good buffalo hunt?

Click to expand...

In my simpleton english:

1. Hard boss, old buffalo
2. Fair chase, free range

But, I can eaborate further.
Rigby Dagga boy definition. I cannot descibe any better.

1. Old bull, lion-chewed, tattered ears, born free. Living free. Past breeding age. Hard, heavy bosses.

2. Fight on his terrain, on foot, with an actual chance of going home without a buffalo. Not seeing a fence during the hunt is a huge plus. Surviving the experience is another huge plus

Very personal questions. My Dad and I were going to Africa for Cape Buffalo. Then he had a heart attack and died in the deer woods of central Vermont, doing what he loved, at 41. I was 11 years old. I never lost that dream of Africa. At 50 I did my first hunt in Africa...Kudu being my main objective with assorted others. Last year I did my Cape Buffalo dream hunt. My Dad's spirit was truly with me. In the most Northern part of S.A. my dream came true. After reading everything I could and watching all the videos, I was mentally and physically ready for a charging Cape Buffalo. Addendum, my chosen recreational activities have generally generated a healthy dose of adrenaline. Winter backpacking, mountain climbing, buji jumping and sky diving. I work on roofs for a living. You get the idea. It's the experience that completes me. I am 69 and still chasing it. Last year's hunt for Cape Buffalo was stunning! We went to a 25,000-acre property early in the morning, I shot my PH's $20,000 double in 470 NE for the first time before we started to hunt. He had me shoot at an earthen pot 40 yards away. A smashed pot and we were off hunting! My father was a gun dealer, so I am experienced with most all firearms...except doubles. Which is why I wanted to shoot his. Our tracker rode on the front of the Land Cruiser until he picked up tracks. Off we went and followed them until they split up. 6 went one way, 2 another, and as it was approaching dark by now..my PH and the tracker knew these two were headed for a known water hole. We quickly made our way to the water hole area, now it's 5:20 PM in late April of 2025. We. my PH, tracker and myself quickly set up the sticks. My PH said,"Be ready,he's coming from the right!" I said to myself, "How can he know this!" Literally 3 minutes later 2 bulls came walking from the right 50 yards away exactly as my PH said they would! Incredible! "Take the lead bull with the nice drops. Shoot when I tell you, whispered my PH." My bull had his head down with his askari close behind him. After my bull passes a patch of Mopani, he came into full view broadside facing left. Quietly, urgently, I heard, "Shoot!". Laser focused on this moment I'd waited a lifetime for; I put the red dot one third of the way up his body from where his front leg intersected his body and squeezed the trigger. After recovering from the recoil, I heard my PH shoot his 458 Lott and a desperate, "Shoot again! Off the sticks I swung and fired. Silence. We all stood around in shock as it happens SO fast! We waited several minutes and as it was growing dark fast my PH suggested we drive his LandCruiser as far as we could before we set out looking. First I reloaded with solids. Facing the front end as we came to a stop within 40 yards of starting, the long grass maybe 30 yards away swirled violently in a circle and my bulls askari came charging, head down, straight for us! The moment I had dreamed of for many years was here. How would I react? Laser focused again, I threw up the double 470 NE loaded with 500 gr. solids, followed his charge with the red dot on his spine and with my PH's voice rising from inside the truck, bellowing shoot,shoot,SHOOT!!! I said to myself, "This is going to hurt." pulled BOTH triggers on the 470 NE simultaneously. The bull instantly flipped over onto his back bellowing loudly spine shot. Four and a half FEET from the front end of the Toyota!! Like I had been doing this all my life, I hopped off the rear end of the Toyota, walked over to him and quieted him instantly with 500 grains more. We all stood around for several minutes contemplating the "What if's" 2 dead Cape buffalo within 40 yards of each other. My first one died without a sound! The first Bull 39 1/2 inches and with nice drops, the other 38 inches. For me, everything I ever dreamed of and more. Next year Zimbabwe for tuskless! For me, it is the experience. It is VERY personal.

@Africa1 - wow experience of a lifetime for sure. The fact that you let go both barrels from the back of the truck and not tip over is creditable

In my first buffalo hunt (a 2x1 in the Selous), my hunting partner shot a very average 36" bull off the sticks at ~100yds, hitting it high in the scapula with his .416. The Hornady 400gr soft point shattered, luckily sending a shard into the spine. It slowly fell over like a 4'x8' sheet of plywood balanced on edge. What a vacuum of drama, and a general feeling of "That's it? " There was no stalking up to it; we'd been on a slight hill as the herd slowly meandered by.

I thought to myself that I was glad he had won the coin toss, as I didn't want my first buffalo to be that easy and such a nonevent for an average specimen. (I learned months later that my hunting partner was a war vet fraud and convicted serial thief. He'd fooled us all in our crowd. So, he got exactly the buffalo he deserved.)

While I wouldn't want to spend a week of days on the same buff (unless he was a monster), I don't want him to fall into my lap, either. For me, the intensity of the stalk is more important than him making RW. For me, a thick hard boss is more important than width of spread (to a point).

Be fit enough to earn your buff in a sporting arduous stalk, and use (slightly more than) "enough gun" which you are not afraid of. Be able to shoot well off sticks. Swift A-Frame or Barnes TTSX will not let you down. .375 is OK, but only that. Heavy for caliber .416 or .458 at >2300fps is worth a bit of recoil premium. Good hunting!