SOUTH AFRICA: I Have Smelt The Buffalo

[Sika98k]

Great write up so far! Were you in RSA the first week of June? If so we shared the cold front !! From the UK I can recommend flying with Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow. It’s a direct flight and you just rock up with your rifle (and a broad smile!!) to check in. Bummer about your rifle… Did you have a company like Africa Sky guest house or Air 2000 sort your import permits?

@SRvet I was there June 7th to 14th. I’m not sure if Virgin fly out of Dublin to LHR. It might be worth checking out for next year. I did the paperwork myself. I was persuaded by someone who is in line for a decent ball kicking that the EFP would suffice. Needless to say it didn’t.

 

[Sika98k]

And again ! I’m doing this a bit a time , my literary skills need to recover !
Ok, Wednesday dawned and the PH’s had decided on an earlier start. Breakfast at 0530 and Tucker commented I was looking very well . He was collecting a lot of firewood every day !

I’ll just add here that the cow I shot was in the bush in the above photo.

We cut tracks some way out and it was decided amongst the PH’s, Eric the tracker and Paul the ranger that the Buffalo were moving a lot at night owing to the full moon and grazing . We (I) could see signs of their grazing in the open.

We headed over to the ridge to see if they had gone into a canyon. We hit a buffalo trail that confirmed their movement. In the canyon we split up to search for tracks. A pack of baboons followed myself, Tyler and Eric along the skyline, thankfully not barking at us. The radio crackled and we returned to meet Dempsey and Paul. They had spotted 2 herds lower down. The hunt was on with a chance of success.

Eric led the way, Tyler next followed by myself then Dempsey and Paul. They reckoned the herds were 600 yards away bedded in the bush. So we went looking. Fresh dung was evident on the ground and the occasional branch still sticky with sap from being chewed on.

We heard some movement up to our left and paused for several minutes to identify it. An impala grunted, it was the rut for them so we moved on. Then we saw and heard the oxpeckers. Everyone smiled and pointed at their descent into some bush ahead of us. Hand signals were exchanged and we moved in . Tyler was a genius spotting the buffalo. We had crawled forward as Eric had indicated some bushes that the buff were bedded in.

Tyler was looking through his binoculars at the bush and slowly brought the sticks into position. This was a sitting shot I had not practiced. Ever so quietly he asked if I could see the two front legs. I had an irresistible urge to laugh ! Man I’m looking at a bush and he’s telling me there’s a buffalo in it, get real ! I glassed the bush again and suddenly clocked the two black branches were legs ! I nodded to T. “Shoot it in the triangle “ Happy to oblige I brought the crosshairs up the leg and into the triangle and squeezed off.

All hell broke loose as buffalo burst out of cover. I have no idea how many there were. I was back on my feet rapidly and had one up the spout again. As had been explained to me previously the herd can starburst. They don’t know where you are they’re just getting away.

My cow emerged and we all said “ good shot” when we saw it. It was hosing blood out of its chest and struggling to stay upright. It went down and the death bellow followed. After a minute to regain our composure Tyler and I advanced toward# the animal and he told me to put a round in between its shoulders. Did and no reaction. Dead on arrival.

Relief and big smiles all round. My relief that I didn’t cock up and killed it cleanly from 26 yards. The PH’s relief that they hadn’t a wounded buffalo to find in the bush. I’m sure it’s always on their minds.

We took photos, I had a great sense of achievement. This was what I wanted, up close and personal. We used Google maps to find the closest track and walked out. Dempsey walked off to get the truck, we chilled and relived the stalk in.

We had to cut a track in to recover the Buffalo. Pangas and slash hooks came out. Eventually we got it loaded and returned to camp. The skinners were delighted to receive the first buffalo of the season. It nearly had a boss.


I fell asleep in the bakkie on the way back. Waking up on a particularly big bump the others laughed at me. They said it wasn’t unusual after the adrenaline left you.

A couple of decent Gin and tonics with dinner restored the status quo. Again early to bed for the next days adventures.

 

[Sika98k]

Great start of the hunt. Whisky, cigars, Africa and hunting. What can go wrong?

Sorry for our national airline being a PITA.

It never gets easier. But you are right a good Nicaraguan cigar and a glass of Jameson cure most ills. Throw in a bit of African hunting and you are golden !

 

[DieJager]

Waidmannsheil! Always a relief when it is a good shot and everybody is happy.

 

[Sika98k]

Thursday morning Dempsey had left us to ou4r own designs as he had to prep for a client arriving at the weekend. Breakfast again at 0530 and Tucker, the chef, again has a great breakfast provided. The stack of firewood out back is getting larger !

We check Büffel Pan and there has been two herds drinking at different times. How they decipher this is a mystery but I’m learning quickly that DG hunting is a different ball game, far more exciting . We head off to see if we can cut off their tracks. A couple of kicks later we rounded a corner to see a youngish buffalo bull on the side of the track unaware of us. Tyler stuck the front off the Toyota in as far as possible into the bush and we bailed out. The bull gave an early morning snort and headed into the bush.

Tyler advised we would wait and see what else came across the track. 2 more bulls, each saw the back of the Toyota but didn’t notice us. The third animal to show was a shootable cow. It came out onto the track and glared at the truck. “On the shoulder” I was happy to oblige. Hit and I sent another one at it as it wheeled. It disappeared into the bush on the same side as ourselves. Thre was no death bellow but the others were confident of a good strike. It’s a bit difficult to retain the sight picture when 300 grains is heading down range. Shortly afterwards there was an explosion of buffalo in all directions. I wasn’t counting but the others reckoned up to 45 were in the vicinity.

We gave it 5 minutes and walked forward to the shot sight. We needn’t have worried, the cow was dead on the ground in the bush, just simply out of our view. We loaded up and went back to the skinners who had an early start. We had that one on the grass before 7am.

 

[Sika98k]

2 down and 1 to go. After dropping the buff off at the skinners we stopped for a cup of coffee before heading out again. We called into the baobab tree of which the reserve has several . Amazing to see these trees that can be 100’s of years old.

The buffalo had departed to parts unknown. This time we had given those in the vicinity a good fright. It’s estimated there are some 200 on the reserve. All tracks showed buffalo moving at speed. So we had to go searching……….

Some distance away we cut tracks and Eric decided this was a group that was moving at a normal pace, grazing a bit here and there and the dung was reasonably fresh and not spattered. We set off. Keerist ! This was hard going for an old fart. Lots of stones underfoot, uphill,downhill bending all the time under bushes of varying spiky origins.
Then we came across some very fresh poop glistening in the sunshine. Even I was aware of our proximity to the quarry. I had to take my hat off to Eric, the tracker, poop, fresh poop. Look around and decide which way they’d gone , off we go again, fantastic.

Then came that signal to halt, a hand extended backwards. We all went down on one knee. Eric sniffed the air and indicated to his nose. Shortly afterwards I caught the scent also on the slight breeze. Tyler, I think spotted the buffalo first and we crawled, sidled up closer to get a better shooting lane. Several animals were feeding as we could see the bushes moving. Then a cow appeared, I went up on the sticks and was just about to shoot when she bedded down. The head and shoulders were obscured by branches and there was no shot. Time passed, a lot, hours. I’m told it was 10 minutes. Liar ! To alleviate the tension I turned to Tyler and indicated to come closer so I could whisper. He lent forward, I whispered “ I’ve got to take a crap” he looked shocked and then grinned as he knew I was winding him up.

The long and short was the wind eventually busted us the cow was up and running with the rest in a flash. We paced it out, 18 yards ! That’s hunting but it’s marvellous getting so close to them. We headed back down, across the hill and made our way back. I took another “community “ impala on the way home.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

The guy that was my roommate in college and best man later at my wedding can not walk 30 steps into a hunt without feeling a "pain" and needing to take a dump. It was like clockwork.