Free Book Giveaway There's Something About Buffalo by Kevin Thomas

Status
Not open for further replies.

Kevin Thomas

AH veteran
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
Messages
141
Reaction score
232
Location
Wiltshire - UK
Website
www.kevindthomas.com
Deals & offers
5
Media
53
Articles
25
Member of
Previously ZPHGA, PHASA, SCI, ECGMA - all now lapsed since I'm no longer active in the industry but still support it fully.
Hunted
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique.
I will be giving away three signed and inscribed copies of my book There’s Something About Buffalo, including shipping to fellow members of AfricaHunting.com. If you are not already a registered member you can join by clicking here.

For a chance to win one of the three free copies of my book you must enter by leaving a post on this thread that says "There’s Something About Buffalo", that's all it takes. Post your entry below by clicking the "Post Reply" button.

Entries must be posted between August 28, 2018 to September 18, 2018 (at midnight Central Standard Time). After the close of posting an AH moderator will hold a random drawing to select the three winners. The three winners will be announced and posted by September 20, 2018 in this thread.

To learn more about There’s Something About Buffalo by Kevin Thomas or to purchase this book you can visit www.kevindthomas.com.

We ask that the prize winners post a book review after reading the book in the Hunting TV Shows, Books & Video Discussions at the following link: https://www.africahunting.com/community/hunting-tv-shows-books-video-discussions/. Also if any of you have already had the pleasure of reading this book you can post a book review as well.

Thanks to everyone who will be taking part in this contest and best of luck.

Best personal regards,
Kevin Thomas (@Kevin Thomas)

After retiring as a Professional Hunter at the end of 2013 I've been focusing on writing and my books can be seen on my website at www.kevindthomas.com


About
Kevin Thomas was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1950.

When he was 17 he joined the Rhodesian Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management. Following six years' service and with the escalation of The Rhodesian Bush War, he left the game department and became a charter member of the Selous Scouts. After three years as an operational combat non-commissioned officer, he transferred to the unit's training wing as a counterinsurgency instructor.

Upon leaving the Rhodesian Army he turned to full time professional hunting and safari guiding across most of southern Africa.

At the end of 2013 he retired from the safari industry and he and his wife Brenda relocated to the UK. They currently live on a narrowboat where Kevin continues his writing, photography and painting.


There's Something about Buffalo
In his latest book Kevin has invited friends, colleagues and clients (including well known hunting writers John Barsness and Gregor Woods) to share their experiences of hunting African buffalo.

The book is a mix of interesting facts about buffalo and all that is involved when hunting them with some chapters including photographs and diagrams.

Robert Ruark famously wrote in The Horn of Africa that a buffalo ‘looks at you like you owe him money.’ It was perhaps his poetic way of capturing, in few words, the tenacious and brooding nature of this species. Many of the stories and anecdotes in this book expand on that sentiment.

There's Something about Buffalo can be ordered directly from my website at www.KevinThomas.com.

Front cover
theres-something-about-buffalo-front.jpg


Back cover
theres-something-about-buffalo-back.jpg



The book: There's Something about Buffalo
Pages: 300
A Few Chapter Excerpts:

Chapter 1: Early Years by Kevin Thomas
Within days of my arrival I was instructed to sign out a .425 Westley Richards from the station gun safe. I also signed for two boxes of Westley Richards Kynoch cartridges. Due to ammunition shortages for the calibre in question I only got to fire two shots at paper. An old cardboard box placed on the sand in the Lundi River bed. The rifle, nearly back in the white for most of its barrel length from regular usage, had an island front sight and a four-blade folding rear sight.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-1.jpg

Caption: The indomitable Shangaan game scout Sgt Hlupo, who taught me the finer skills for hunting buffalo, and in the background tracker Gondo, one of the best trackers I’ve ever hunted with (Photo credit Kevin Thomas).


Chapter 3: Random Thoughts on Buffalo Hunting Calibres by Kevin Thomas
Whilst I certainly don’t want this chapter to read as if it is a treatise on the .375 H&H alone, I’ve always found from my own experiences as a PH, and prior to that, as a government game ranger doing PAC work, that the .375 H&H magnum was adequate for buffalo. I must however, qualify this with the words, if used in open country, and I cannot emphasise these words enough.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-3.JPG

Caption: In this photo the 300gr Remington Premier 'A' Frame bullet recovered from a buffalo can be seen to have mushroomed perfectly. It was used by my client Bill Porteous, from the UK. He was using his 1951 pre-64 Winchester .375 H&H wearing a Leupold 1.75 - 6x32. Bill killed his buffalo on the fringe of a dense thicket, hitting the spinal cord immediately forward of the shoulder. The only shot other than a brain shot that is not directly related to wound channel size. Normally, the larger the wound channel the quicker the animal dies, because that's exactly what expanding bullets are designed for. With the brain shot, and the spinal cord shot just forward of the shoulder, death is instantaneous. However, if the spinal cord is missed problems can arise (Photo credit Kevin Thomas).


Chapter 6: Shot Placement & Tracking Buffalo by Kevin Thomas
There are, however, a few things to remember about shot placement on buffalo. The safest and most commonly used shot on buffalo is the side-on heart/lung shot, followed by the neck/spinal shot although the latter shot can be misplaced more easily than the former.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-6.jpg

Caption: Action on lost spoor, attach diagram


Chapter 7: The Buffalo Hunt by Kevin Thomas
It is far preferable to anchor your buffalo where he goes down and not allow it to recover, and then pumped full of adrenalin depart the scene. If it has been well hit it certainly isn’t going to go very far, and it’s always a warm and fuzzy feeling to find your buffalo ‘dead’ rather than waiting for you to approach so it can attack you.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-7.JPG

Caption: A buffalo cow lingers to see what all the fuss is about after the herd has been spooked (Photo credit Kevin Thomas).


Chapter 8: Cape Buffalo: An American View by John Barsness
We waited another minute, then followed the blood trail, leading back across the donga to a small clearing where a buffalo bull stood broadside, something shiny covering his shoulder, and three buffalo butts were disappearing into the forest on the other side. I shot the bull three more times before …

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-8.jpg

Caption: The writer with his Botswana buffalo bull after a long tracking exercise that ended up in a dry streambed (Photo credit John Barsness).


Chapter 9: An Ode to the Dagha Boy by Kevin Thomas
The dagha bull acknowledged the bullet by hunching his huge forequarters and then markedly accelerating across the sandy riverbed with his tail curled up over his rump, a good sign, before entering and then crashing down noisily inside a reedbed on the edge of the riverine bush.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-9.JPG

Caption: Buffalo bulls love to wallow and can often be found in the vicinity of mud baths (Photo credit Manfred Lotze).


Chapter 10: Watch Out for the Buddy! by PH Paul Zorn
… suddenly the game scout shouted from way over on the truck ‘Hokoyo yena buya!’ (‘Watch out, it’s coming!’). With a snort the bull accelerated down a small incline and came thundering towards us at a full-on gallop. Lifting my rifle, I shouted for Don and Dan to get out of the way. And then, full of adrenalin, I focused on the fast approaching buffalo, reminding myself I only had time for a maximum of two shots before he’d reach me.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-10.jpg

Caption: Don West from Wisconsin with a 40” Omay buffalo in Zimbabwe, shot circa 2004 using PH Paul Zorn’s .416 Rigby (Photo credit Paul Zorn).


Chapter 12: Hunting a Wounded Buffalo by Kevin Thomas
A common error that could become an extremely costly one is if both the client and PH are too hasty when trying for an anchoring shot on a stationary wounded buffalo that is close, but not actually charging. If the buffalo isn’t killed instantly, both client and PH could end up having empty chambers at a critical point during a sudden extremely close, fast, inbound buffalo attack. As an example of what I’ve stated in the above paragraph, I’ll make mention of …

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-12.JPG

Caption: If at all possible try to account for a wounded buffalo before it gets into dense greened-up in leaf mopane thickets, trying to account for a wounded buffalo in that stuff can be a lot worse than hunting in the proverbial jesse thickets. There’s nothing wrong with the buffalo in this photo, I’m just trying to show how dense mopane thickets can be (Photo credit Katrina Leatham).


Chapter 14: Some Buffalo Hunter’s Tales
PH Craig Robinson’s Close Call

… I thought of shooting for the brain when he was 10 yards away … but held back, 5 yards … but held back, and then because he hadn’t dropped his head, I let him have it straight in the face at about 2 yards, and then leapt to my right – the bull tried to hook me but missed, brushing me aside, and knocking me off my feet with his shoulder. As I was recovering …

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-14.jpg

Caption: PH Craig Robinson and his client Dave Merkel, with Dave’s buffalo after their close quarter joust, Craig was lucky to have come out of it unscathed (Photo credit Craig Robinson).


Chapter 16: Buffalo Can Be Mean! by Kevin Thomas
After being viciously hooked in the stomach by the buffalo’s one horn Alistair was thrown upwards with tremendous force. Crashing back to earth, he clutched his exposed intestines and in immense pain and shock rolled into the riverbed. Meantime, the buffalo turned its rage on Bellingham the architect of its grief, and despite his imposing physical presence it killed him outright within moments before …

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-16.jpg

Caption: Botswana safari operator Mike Gunn after his buffalo ordeal (Photo credit Mike Gunn).


Chapter 17: The Trackers – Unsung Heroes by Kevin Thomas
No book on hunting African dangerous game would be complete without a chapter dedicated to the all-important role of the trackers. Without them, the hunt wouldn’t succeed, it’s as simple as that.

there-s-something-about-buffalo-chapter-17.jpg

Caption: On the big safari concessions across much of Africa now, the trackers are invariably in the forefront of the ongoing war against elephant and rhino poachers, and often pay with their lives. This sad epitaph bears testimony to one such man, Nguenha ‘Ngwenya’ Jose Mareau who was shot and killed in a confrontation with ivory poachers on Mokore Safari’s Mozambique Concession. When information had been received of the presence of an elephant poaching gang, he’d willingly joined the police follow-up and in the ensuing gun battle was tragically killed. All of us who venture out into the hunting fields of Africa, can only salute such men – without their courage and dedication there wouldn’t be much to hunt. (Mokore Safaris)




WHAT TO DO TO ENTER THE BOOK GIVEAWAY BY RANDOM DRAWING
For a chance to win registered members must simply post "There’s Something About Buffalo" in this thread. Each individual post will be a single entry.

Post your content below in this thread. If you are not already a registered member you can join by clicking here.

Entries must be posted between August 28, 2018 to September 18, 2018 (at midnight Central Standard Time). After the close of posting we will hold a random drawing to select the winner. The winner will be announced by September 20, 2018 in this thread.

SUPPORTERS OF AfricaHunting.com WILL GET ADDITIONAL ENTRIES BASED UPON SUPPORTER LEVEL. If you wish to become an AfricaHunting.com Supporter today click HERE to increase your chances of winning this great prize. If you have ever thought of supporting AfricaHunting.com now is definitely the time!


- REGISTERED MEMBERS: 1 entry total
- BRONZE SUPPORTER: 2 entries total
- SILVER SUPPORTER: 3 entries total
- GOLD SUPPORTER: 6 entries total
- PLATINUM SUPPORTER: 12 entries total
- TITANIUM SUPPORTER: 20 entries total

- LIFETIME BRONZE BENEFACTOR AND ABOVE: 30 entries total



Multiple entries can be made all at once in consecutive posts or spread out throughout the time period of the contest. If more entries are made than you are allowed, all of your entries will be void and ineligible to win. Also remember that the time limit on editing/deleting own posts by members is 30 minutes. For a post to be valid "There’s Something About Buffalo" post needs to be posted separately from questions and comments. Questions and comments are not counted as valid entries.

Each post has a post number which is your entry number. At the end of the competition one number will be randomly selected and awarded the @Kevin Thomas book giveaway prize. The website RANDOM.ORG, a true random number generator, will be used by moderator @AfricaHunting.com and a witness to randomly draw the winning post number from amongst the valid entries.

Random Drawing Contest Rules
1. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.  Giveaway entrants must be over 18 to participate. The winner’s age will be verified and a new winner will be selected if the original winner does not meet the age requirement.

2. This drawing is open to all registered members of AfricaHunting.com. If you are not already a registered member you can join by clicking here.

3. Multiple accounts from the same IP address or belonging to the same person from different IP addresses will be void and entries will be considered invalid. Winners identity will be verified and must match the name of the person who created and registered the account.

4. Entries must be posted between August 28, 2018 to September 18, 2018 (at midnight Central Standard Time). After the close of posting an AH moderator will hold a random drawing to select the winner. The winner will be announced and posted by September 20, 2018 in this thread.

5. Winner's failure to see announcement or receive notices due to any reasons including to but not limited to spam, junk e-mail or other security settings or for winner’s provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information is not the responsibility of AfricaHunting.com or @Kevin Thomas. If winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the prize within twenty-one (21) from the time announcement was posted, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected.

6. Any prize unclaimed after twenty-one (21) days from the date of notice of the winner will not be awarded to the original winner.

7. Prize will be made available only to the identified and verified winner.

8. The prize is non-transferable, non-assignable, non-refundable, non-redeemable for cash and no substitute prize will be offered.

9. Only 1 book is redeemable by each winner at one time.

10. The books will be signed by the author @Kevin Thomas, and if required and requested also inscribed. @Kevin Thomas will cover all worldwide shipping to cover all postage costs via airmail.

11. Except where prohibited by law, the winner by acceptance of the prize agrees that @Kevin Thomas and AfricaHunting.com or those acting under its authority have the right to use the winner's name, picture/portrait, likeness, content from the winner’s hunt for advertising and promotional purposes without consideration or further permission.

12. @Kevin Thomas and AfricaHunting.com, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, retailers, agencies and the respective officers, directors, employees and agents, are not responsible for distorted, incomplete, illegible, undelivered, damaged, or lost entries; and/or any contest disruptions beyond its control.

13. Entrants and winners are solely responsible for their own actions relating to this prize, and the acceptance and/or use of a prize. By participating and/or by acceptance or use of the prize, all entrants and winners agree to release and hold harmless @Kevin Thomas and AfricaHunting.com, their parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, retailers, agencies, other prize sponsors and the respective officers, directors, employees and agents from and against any liability arising in connection with the use of the prize.

14. AfricaHunting.com reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the campaign or website or violates the Terms & Conditions of AfricaHunting.com.

15. We ask that the prize winners post a book review after reading the book in the Hunting TV Shows, Books & Video Discussions at the following link: https://www.africahunting.com/community/hunting-tv-shows-books-video-discussions/. Also if any of you have already had the pleasure of reading this book you can post a book review as well.
 
There’s Something About Buffalo!
 
"There’s Something About Buffalo"
 
"There's something about buffalo"


Thanks fir the opportunity!!
 
"There's something about buffalo"
 
There’s Something About Buffalo

Thank you for the opportunity. It looks like a good read.
 
There’s Something About Buffalo
 
"There's Something About Buffalo."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Forum statistics

Threads
53,626
Messages
1,131,406
Members
92,685
Latest member
YvonnePaws
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

Impact shots from the last hunt

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top