If you look at it from another perspective, a 540 gr bullet is Way too long for a cartridge of limited capacity, like a 45/70. It's also way too long for a 458 Win Mag. A bullet that long that hits at a relatively low velocity, would tend to tumble and veer off course when hitting bone. You would probably be much better served by a solid brass bullet of around 400 grains in the 45/70 or a 450 grain bullet in your 458 Win Mag. That's IF you want to use a solid on a buffalo. The velocity would be around 2000 fps in the 45/70 and around 2250 in the 458 Win Mag. That way, at least you would have a bullet that would hold together and not tumble at those velocities. From all accounts a 450 grain Brass solid from a 458 Win Mag will penetrate a buffalo from stem to stern.
 
Yes, it was nerve-wracking, not least because I knew that if that Buffalo truly was out there wounded, and not dead as I was beginning to suspect, it was putting a lot of people at risk - my PH, my tracker, other clients that were hunting a nearby unit... and I was the one responsible. It was gut wrenching, day and night.

Why I shot the dead buff again? Maybe I was blowing off a little steam; I also wanted to have a look at the bullets having gone through a set of ribs. I was also carrying 420 grain Hammerheads which I had not employed against the Buffalo, and I wanted to have a look at it as well. As long as we were blowing off steam, I invited my friend Andre to send one of his 500 grain Hornady's into the animals body so I could have a look at that bullet's performance as well. This was the only instance during our time together that he fired his rifle.

A little unorthodox, I know, but I did what I did...

That makes sense, thanks for the honest answer. I can understand wanting to blow off steam and get some bullet performance data points.

Also I bet that was a smelly mess, lol.
 
Imagine the poor trackers that were made to find those bullets...
For sure! But as you can see from at least one of the photos, we had our hands in there as well!
 
Not my idea of a buffalo hunt, neither is it an appropriate caliber, rifle or bullet for the task at hand.....
IvW, I would have rather had this hunt, but my old buff just wouldn’t cooperate. Gentlemen, may I present my friend Neil Barnard of NB Safaris, a Man among men. I would follow him anywhere...
 
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Many dangerous game PH's take their rifle slings off to avoid possible tangles. Shows the usefulness of a double under that circumstance!
 
IvW, I would have rather had this hunt, but my old buff just wouldn’t cooperate. Gentlemen, may I present my friend Neil Barnard of NB Safaris, a Man among men. I would follow him anywhere...
Too bad the camera man choked at the crucial moment. Still pretty impressive.
 
My Grandfather used to say "You can learn something from anyone...even if it's what NOT to do".
I'm glad you had the opportunity to do the hunt the way you wanted, got your Buffalo and no one got hurt.
Also happy to hear you have learned from your experience.

Hope your next hunt report has the same style of writing.

Cheers.
 
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Almost forgot the Tsessebe!
Let's see the taxidermy pictures???? Lmao

Too soon??
 
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Africa Safari July 2017
NB Safaris, Limpopo Province

Day 7 “The Unbelievable Wildebeest”

Time to regroup. Need to stay focused after the final success of the six-day Cape Buffalo hunt. I must continue to hunt.

We decide to go after a group of elusive Red Hartebeest bulls. We haven’t seen them this week, but we know they are out there, staying hidden in the same high bushveld that we found the beautiful Sable Antelope. We’ve seen plenty of Red Hartebeest cows in the low plains. We think the bulls come down at night when fancy suits for a romantic rendezvous, then disappear into the hills again before first light.

While searching for the Hartebeest, we stumble across a herd of Blue Wildebeest. There is a beautiful and hairy Golden Wildebeest bull among the herd, but he is still a bit young. The lead bull, the herd bull, is very nice – big bodied with large, hard bosses and respectable horns, even if a bit of a high curl. I decide to shoot.

He is presenting a perfect broadside to my .338 at 110 yards. As I take aim, he turns to face me. My crosshairs center on the front of his chest, just at the shoulder line. My position fully supported, and I decide to take the shot. He’s hit hard, stumbles, and runs in to the nearby trees. “Congratulations,” says Andre. If all my clients could shoot like you, my job would be a lot easier. Uh-oh. He may have spoken too soon. We give the big Blue Wildebeest bull about 10 minutes, then go out to collect him.

We follow a massive blood trail, complete with scattered lung tissue. Tracks show that he’s stepping hard on his front left leg, stumbling and dragging the hoof. He won’t go far.

Eventually, the blood trickles to a stream, then a trickle, then a few drops, and then stops altogether. Four hours later, we are still tracking the incredible beast with the stamina of Atlas. By the time the light runs out at the end of the day, we have tracked over 8 miles, and lost the trail in the grasslands, where crisscrossing tracks of plains game – antelope, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and countless others – makes the trail impossible to follow further. This Blue Wildebeest bull, “the Poor Man’s Buffalo”, is giving us a run for the money. “Unbelievable!”
 
Yet another break for drama effect! 8 miles, incredible beast, scattered lung tissue....
 

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