Buffalo temperament?

[mdwest]

My data set is so small it is difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Unfortunately I think that is going to be true for even the most experienced buffalo hunters as well as highly experienced PH's and outfitters...

If youre Craig Boddington and have hunted more than a hundred buffalo, under an extremely wide range of circumstances, across a wide variety of terrain and locations... is even that enough to be able to offer anything more than an opinion?

Unless there is a definitive study conducted, that purposely removes as much bias as possible, that happens over a fairly substantial period of time, that includes exceptionally well defined control measures, that is properly analyzed, etc..etc.. no one is really going to KNOW something as nuanced as how much more or less aggressive one data set is vs another, why it is or is not more aggressive, etc..

Hell.. you really cant even start down that path until you establish a firm definition of "aggressive"... are we going to limit that to charges? what about false charges? what about "he looked at me like I owed him money?", etc , etc....

You also have to define "behind a fence"... Im going to guess a buffalo thats a member of a 200+ animal herd located on a 5,000 acre property is very different than a buffalo thats one of a dozen animals on a 10,000 acre property.. even though both are behind a fence..

 

[Flbt]

I don't know either, I also only hunted buffalo on open areas. I just suspect that fenced-in buffalo are more aggressive when I compare with what sometimes happens with cattle in our fields or game in a small fenced reserve.

No idea on buff
I have only been around American bison and water buff.
Both were mean as hell they used the same stuff as the bridge metal things for there fence. ( non hunting they were trying to use them as a test for meat production)

On cattle the worst were the wild or swamp cattle but normally only when you were pressing them and or trying to pen them.
If they could run they would but when they could not they could be bad.
One reason I all ways carried a revolver.

Tame of fenced cows that were worked every day normally were not that bad.


Well except limousine cattle. I had the worst luck with them dammed things and there not really any of the so called mean breeds

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

In the context of Mr. Watkins’ death, some have stated, others implied, that game ranch/preserve as in fenced-in buff are more aggressive.

What are the facts?

Who can give us chapter and verse on why game ranch buff may be (are they?) nastier than free range?

no one can give a definitive answer to this
we are not buffalo, nor have we lived as buffalo inopen large areas or behind fences. for me i dont think it makes any difference whatsoever either to the buffalo or to the hunt.
i do have a lot of experience hunting buffalo on a large (fenced) but not open area
i pride myself in being honest and running an honest operations as many of my clients and other outfitters on here will attest to

buffalo is a buffalo
buffalo hunting is dangerous and this is what we knowingly sign up for, wether on 5000ha or 500000ha i honestly dont think it makes a damn worth of difference to the animals, or there will to live.

regards

 

[cwpayton]

I was in SA in April/May. Hunted Cape Buffalo. Two good bulls came into a waterhole. I shot the lead Buffalo. He disappeared into the long grass. My PH had a bad feeling. Thought he heard it fall but no death bellow or any other indication of death. We cautiously went in after him 10-20 minutes after the shots. We slowed our pace after going in 100 feet as it was THICK. Suddenly, the long grass swirled 50 feet in front of us. Out came ANOTHER Cape Buffalo, my original buffalo's Askari, head down, front legs churning dirt in a concentrated charge straight for us! I threw up the Blazer 470 NE and pulled BOTH triggers simultaneously! 1000 grains of solids at point blank range. I stopped him a measured 2 1/2 meters away! He flipped over on his back at the roar of the double. Spine shot just behind the head. I walked over behind him as he bellowed in rage. A coup de gras ended his anger at the killing of his best friend. His best friend, my INTENDED Cape Buffalo, lying dead 40 feet behind us!

pictures?

 

[mark-hunter]

I was in SA in April/May. Hunted Cape Buffalo. Two good bulls came into a waterhole. I shot the lead Buffalo. He disappeared into the long grass. My PH had a bad feeling. Thought he heard it fall but no death bellow or any other indication of death. We cautiously went in after him 10-20 minutes after the shots. We slowed our pace after going in 100 feet as it was THICK. Suddenly, the long grass swirled 50 feet in front of us. Out came ANOTHER Cape Buffalo, my original buffalo's Askari, head down, front legs churning dirt in a concentrated charge straight for us! I threw up the Blazer 470 NE and pulled BOTH triggers simultaneously! 1000 grains of solids at point blank range. I stopped him a measured 2 1/2 meters away! He flipped over on his back at the roar of the double. Spine shot just behind the head. I walked over behind him as he bellowed in rage. A coup de gras ended his anger at the killing of his best friend. His best friend, my INTENDED Cape Buffalo, lying dead 40 feet behind us!

If I may ask, how was this handled later?
Needed to pay two trophy fees, or extra buffalo was treated as self-defense?

 

[Africa1]

If I may ask, how was this handled later?
Needed to pay two trophy fees, or extra buffalo was treated as self-defense?

Extra buffalo was treated as self defense. I was not asked to pay for it.

 

[Africa1]

pictures?

Full story with pics coming. Thanks for asking!