Cape buffalo vs the rest?

[wildfowler.250]

Folks I’m planning trip 2,(yes I said once and once only to the other half..). Now this may be 4-5 years away with how things go but what I’m trying to work out is:

Is a Cape buffalo hunt worth the same / more than a weeks PG hunt? In experience or adventure.

What I feel I’ve missed a bit is remoteness with my last trip. There’s videos of Zimbabwe in particular tracking buffalo, stumbling into elephants. Seeing hippos. Looks like a real adventure.

But at the same time, I could do Namibia for gemsbok, lechwe , brown hyena ect. Have lots of different hunts experiences for the same money.

I’m probably euro mounts only from now on as there’s a limit to how many space you can take up anyway.

My feeling is the Cape buffalo hunt is so highly regarded for a reason and it seems like more of an adventure and worth saving up for longer for.

Thoughts?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Nope; nothing worth it about Cape buffalo hunting. I don’t enjoy it at all.

Oh, wait. I do…

 

[wildfowler.250]

Nope; nothing worth it about Cape buffalo hunting. I don’t enjoy it at all.

Oh, wait. I do…
View attachment 751251View attachment 751252View attachment 751253View attachment 751254View attachment 751255View attachment 751256View attachment 751257View attachment 751258View attachment 751259View attachment 751260View attachment 751261View attachment 751262

Thanks for the reply! What I’m trying to gauge is would you weigh the experience well above plains game? You could probably take anything from 5-10 PG animals ,(assuming $2k - $4K per animal) for one Cape buffalo.

I feel the hunt and remoteness swings it for the buffalo. But I just wanted to gauge people’s feelings

There must be a reason they’re so sought after. In all honesty, if I was ‘unlucky’ to tag a buff on day one then I’m sure there’s bushbuck and warthogs still to chase which would still be great.

 

[Sabre]

I think you will be the only one who can answer that question for you.

There are people who will save for 10 years and sacrifice a lot in life, to go hunt an animal that another hunter might hem and haw about going to do it if someone offered it for free.

For whatever reason we all have our preferences of what animals are desirable to hunt and sometimes we can't even explain them.

There are animals that I was never interested in hunting until I saw them in the wild while hunting another species and then I became infatuated. The opposite has sort of happened as well, where I thought maybe I might want to hunt a species and then saw them in the wild, and while I enjoyed seeing them, I realized I had almost zero desire to hunt them. Gun to my head, I couldn't explain it. We are just all bitten by different hunting bugs at different times.

Buffalo are very expensive compared to most PG. So my opinion on it is, if you have always wanted to hunt one and are dying to do it, you should focus on it. If you aren't dying to hunt one and haven't always wanted to, and just want to go to Africa again, the same money buys a lot of PG hunting.

You should do what you feel driven to do. You will enjoy it more.

 

[Sabre]

There must be a reason they’re so sought after. In all honesty, if I was ‘unlucky’ to tag a buff on day one then I’m sure there’s bushbuck and warthogs still to chase which would still be great.

A huge part of the reason they are so sought after is that they are the most achievable of the big 5 of Africa. They are huge, impressive, incredible animals. But if you made any of the big 5 as accessible as buffalo are to the average Africa client, they would be equally as sought after.

 

[BryceM]

it depends. I did a 100% wild buffalo hunt as safari number 5 (or 6 maybe?). For me, that was worth saving up for. Ranch-style, I’d rather do PG, and am doing that again this year. DG is its own religion, and it’s an absolute kick in the pants.

 

[BeeMaa]

I do not recommend hunting Cape buffalo or your bank account be dammed.

In all seriousness, it's addictive. After doing it once, you will be hooked. Every safari after that will be buffalo and...(enter whatever game animal you choose). You will never feel so alive as when you are chasing Black Death. Cheers.

 

[wildfowler.250]

I think you will be the only one who can answer that question for you.

There are people who will save for 10 years and sacrifice a lot in life, to go hunt an animal that another hunter might hem and haw about going to do it if someone offered it for free.

For whatever reason we all have our preferences of what animals are desirable to hunt and sometimes we can't even explain them.

There are animals that I was never interested in hunting until I saw them in the wild while hunting another species and then I became infatuated. The opposite has sort of happened as well, where I thought maybe I might want to hunt a species and then saw them in the wild, and while I enjoyed seeing them, I realized I had almost zero desire to hunt them. Gun to my head, I couldn't explain it. We are just all bitten by different hunting bugs at different times.

Buffalo are very expensive compared to most PG. So my opinion on it is, if you have always wanted to hunt one and are dying to do it, you should focus on it. If you aren't dying to hunt one and haven't always wanted to, and just want to go to Africa again, the same money buys a lot of PG hunting.

You should do what you feel driven to do. You will enjoy it more.

I do get that. For me it was always going for a kudu. Even from a young age. I scratched that itch on my trip and managed to get one on a low fence cattle farm area. Maybe didn’t scratch the wilderness itch though. Nyala was a close second. I do really like zebra for some reason and could hunt another so that does make a lot of sense.

I’ve never really desired the Cape buffalo. But I am watching more and more films about it. I think I just really want that wild Africa experience,(albeit Tanzania is likely out of budget due to lengths of hunt). Similar feel in that Alaska from a UK perspective has an appeal, maybe for caribou.

I think I do fancy a good tracking hunt with an element of getting up close and seeing elephants ect at the same time. Maybe just the buffalo is the best way to do that. Maybe followed by a cape eland as a close second?

 

[wildfowler.250]

I do not recommend hunting Cape buffalo or your bank account be dammed.

In all seriousness, it's addictive. After doing it once, you will be hooked. Every safari after that will be buffalo and...(enter whatever game animal you choose). You will never feel so alive as when you are chasing Black Death. Cheers.

When it comes to looking at picking up extra shifts and they’re the same price as a car, it’ll probably have to be one and done

 

[Rem280]

Depending on where you go, a couple plains game can be added fairly cheap on a Buffalo Hunt!

 

[Muntjacer23]

I do get that. For me it was always going for a kudu. Even from a young age. I scratched that itch on my trip and managed to get one on a low fence cattle farm area. Maybe didn’t scratch the wilderness itch though. Nyala was a close second. I do really like zebra for some reason and could hunt another so that does make a lot of sense.

I’ve never really desired the Cape buffalo. But I am watching more and more films about it. I think I just really want that wild Africa experience,(albeit Tanzania is likely out of budget due to lengths of hunt). Similar feel in that Alaska from a UK perspective has an appeal, maybe for caribou.

I think I do fancy a good tracking hunt with an element of getting up close and seeing elephants ect at the same time. Maybe just the buffalo is the best way to do that. Maybe followed by a cape eland as a close second?

Speaking as a fellow Brit both Africa and Alaska are top of my list. I’ve booked a South African buffalo hunt as a more affordable alternative to a proper North American moose hunt.

But a proper tracking hunt buff hunt in Zim would be truly incredible. So maybe one day!

 

[uplander01]

First off never tell your other half “once” about anything. Wait an extra year or two if you have to save and do a buff and a few plains game species on a 10 day hunt in a wild area like in zim, moz, caprivi. It will be worth it.

 

[coreydb]

It's apples and oranges; both fruit. If you want to collect a quantity of trophies to fill your man cave, or your African hunts are years apart, then plains game is ideal. Cape buffalo is one of the 5 big DG and a trophy unto itself.

 

[AZDAVE]

Once you hunt DG (Buffalo-Lepord-Lion-Elephant) PG gets kicked to the curb every time. At least for me.
Do I enjoy hunting plains game yes

Do I enjoy hunting DG YES YES YES!!!

The is something special to match wits with DG on their turf. The experience of the hunt in my opinion at least for me is Buffalo vs plains game the Buffalo will always come out on top.

Only you can answer the question for yourself.

 

[Niklas]

My first trip to Africa was for plains game in Namibia. Great trip really enjoyed it and brought home all my trophies.

My second trip to Africa was for DG, buffalo being one… hunted a really remote area I Zimbabwe with @Dalton&York Safaris… best trip/hunt of my life.

There is something special with buffalo hunting. For me, it is one of those hunting experiences that you just want to experience again and again… I for sure will continue to hunt buffalo even though it is already “checked off the list”

 

[SRvet]

Once you hunt DG (Buffalo-Lepord-Lion-Elephant) PG gets kicked to the curb every time. At least for me.
Do I enjoy hunting plains game yes

Do I enjoy hunting DG YES YES YES!!!

The is something special to match wits with DG on their turf. The experience of the hunt in my opinion at least for me is Buffalo vs plains game the Buffalo will always come out on top.

Only you can answer the question for yourself.

I totally agree with you there @AZDAVE. There is something particularly addictive about DG hunting. I also like needing to use stupidly big rifles in classic calibres compared to PG. I think it adds to the romance of the whole experience. Using a big double is just the next logical step …….‍

 

[Flipper Dude]

I love hunting buffalo, but taking an eland track and trying to come up on him is right there with it.

 

[chashardy]

Hunting buffalo is a whole different experience. On my first buffalo hunt in SA, I also took several PG species. When hunting PG, it was me and the PH with the tracker usually staying in the vehicle to come pick us up. PH had a pistol holstered but no rifle. On the day we went out for buffalo you could tell the intensity was ramped up about ten times. PH had his 450/400 double, I had my 375H&H double and the tracker had the sticks leading us into the bush. I got off the first shot and didn't place it correctly on the bulll as he was trotting when I took the shot. Now we are tracking a wounded bull and the outfitter comes out with his 470NEdouble to provide added security. We successfully ambushed the bull about two hours later. I was hooked on buffalo hunting and have taken two more since then.
Do it.

 

[Firebird]

I like your plan to hunt buffalo in the most remote place you possibly can. And of course you will get some but not alot of plains game on the same trip.
Cost wise you might be able to do Buffalo and plains game in South Africa for cheaper than zim or similar. I have gone this route with no regrets.
I guess it boils down to what you can spend to get what you want-

 

[godwincp]

Buffalo hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia takes you to some of the most remote places on the planet and you will never feel more alive. Watching the trackers perform their magic is worth the price of admission. And I agree with Flipper Dude tracking an Eland is equally as exciting and difficult. With the cost of shipping and taxidermy on plains game you could easily cover the cost of trophy fees for a buff.
But if you go you will go back!