Lion or buffalo hunt?

This seems split down the middle and is clearly a matter of personal preference.

I have never hunted lion, but it's the method of hunting them here that doesn't so much appeal to me. Yes the lions are wild and completely free range in all the hunting areas of Zambia, but the idea of putting out a number of baits and checking back until a shooter has fed at a bait, then waiting a blind to shoot one doesn't really entice me. Now if the challenge set was to track and stalk a lion I may be more interested.

I have hunted buffalo a few times and this method I find extremely challenging and rewarding. Cutting spoor in the early morning and following that spoor for possibly hours until you catch up with what is usually a weary bunch of buff, then stalking in to around 50 meters to put a heavy calibre bullet into just the right part of the animal, now that's a challenge IMO.

I'm sure most of us would find either hunt a memorable experience.

Depends where you intend hunting.
For me Buffalo/Sable.

On foot tracked Lion hunting can be very exciting. Baiting them is also great as long as you get the opportunity to participate in the whole process, however for me shooting the Lion on the bait is somewhat of an anti climax.

sheephunterab said:

Only a question you can answer for yourself but when I answered for myself....it was buff.

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+1
I had the same question (Lion or Buff) after returning from my PG hunt last year. A deal on AH came up for free range buffalo so I am headed to Zambia in August!

brettp said:

Whichever you can hunt free range. If both are, then lion. Buffalo hunting will be around the longest of the remaining big 5 (before they are all closed - just being realistic). Lion could end at any time.

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I'm with brettp, whichever you can hunt free range gets my vote. Canned lions don't do much for me. Neither do Sable or buff in small enclosures either for that matter.

Dammit JG, didn't your momma teach you not to use the "C" word
And I agree. There are hunts, and there are hunts. Any of the three can be wonderful and amazing, or can be disappointing. The devil of course being in the details.

IdaRam said:

Dammit JG, didn't your momma teach you not to use the "C" word

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I reckon its gotta be Lion, would love to hunt Lion in the Luangwa!
There is no way though that a Lion there will be priced the same as a Buff/Sable.

If its a ranch hunt, then do the Buff/Sable and accidentally (as you would explain to your missus) add the Lion

Ha! I couldn't help myself I guess!

I have these two lardass neighbors who couldn't hunt their way out of a paper bag because they both weigh about 375. Both were about 35 yrs old at the time of their big male lion and lioness "hunt" in SA. As luck would have it, they both tagged out within a day and a half. I even saw the video of the great 'hunt". It included a great shot of the treed lioness with the cornered high fence in the close background. The lioness slid down the tree, in no hurry, and was shot. The man killed his male lion while he laid in the shade of a bush about 75 yds away unaware of anyone's presence.

Helluva hunt.

Whichever you do, use a bow....makes everything more exciting!

Buffalo, I have no desire to shoot a lion.

I have strong opinions about certain types of hunting- but that shouldn't affect another's decisions process. I would opt for buffalo. In the end, has to be the individual hunter's decision.

Buffalo or even better combo hunt for both. If had to choose one: easy Buffalo.

dt

jumbo, lion, sable, dagga boy , with a croc and hippo for flavor

brettp said:

Whichever you can hunt free range. If both are, then lion. Buffalo hunting will be around the longest of the remaining big 5 (before they are all closed - just being realistic). Lion could end at any time.

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Thanks for your input. And that is a nice buff.

I would go for the uncanned lion, taking pictures because it is not likely the trophy could make it into the US. I don't like hippos or crocs. If the lion goes off the plate, I would be glad to chase another dugga boy. I would only kill an elephant if it was trying to kill me.

If you hunting Free range Lion, then it means you can afford to add Buffalo, which you can the also use for bait.
Hunt Both on the same Safari

Spear Safaris said:

If you hunting Free range Lion, then it means you can afford to add Buffalo, which you can the also use for bait.
Hunt Both on the same Safari

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It was a restrictive choice, and a hypothetical one at that.

This won't be helpful, but I would say it all depends!

I have hunted lion - once was very exciting (charged by an angry lioness) while another was a complete dud. Hour of tracking and shot under a tree. I've hunted baited leopard, but not lion. I'd concur with those who say that while the whole hunt is an experience, the actual shooting is often anti-climactic. I shot the leopard in daylight (that was the law) - if you were shooting with a spotlight at night, I'd say even less interesting. Then it's the follow up which can get exciting . . . nothing like tracking a wounded cat in the dark . . .

On the other hand, buffalo, done the right way, is not usually particularly easy. You find tracks early in the morning, track until you get a good look at the buff, and often miss them because of wind changes. When you do get a shot, it usually takes more than one to put it down, so there's an interesting follow up. You might get 'lucky' if that's the right word, and find one early, or from the truck, or have it drop to the shot, but I'd pass on those. The best thing is to tell your PH you want only one particular horn configuration, and have some fun trying to find it. I did that, and we tracked more than a few, until my PH said one day "he's not exactly the shape you want but he's a great looking buff" and so I took him.

And sable - well, the hunts are not always as exciting as buffalo, but this is truly a magnificent animal.

On the other hand, if both the buffalo and the sable hunts are canned, er, excuse me, captive bred, then you've got a tough choice to make. It would come down to the size of the area, and the number of animals in that area, for me.

Mort Hill said:

Brett hit the nail on the head. Free range lion. I was advised to hunt lion 10 years ago because even then, I was advised time for lion was limited. It was then, and is now, my greatest hunting memory and achievement. But as someone else pointed out, if you get a 21 day license, you should hunt buff and sable too. Good luck with a question that has two great answers.

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money,do you have the money?if i or anybody had the money to take every animal you had to take and enter the trophies to Roland or sci you could buy any and all the biggest and best awards.PERIOD!thats all it takes.MONEY.

I'd recommend lion, tracked on foot. I'm not much of one for bait hunting.

Buff will be available to hunt forever, lion are at risk.

Lion on foot, buffalo in the wild somewhere...