MOZAMBIQUE: Buffalo With TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Thanks for sharing your story, congratulations!

 

[Andrew62]

You really drew me into the hunt to the point of getting excited when the trackers tapped on the roof! That sound when there has been nothing for a long time kind of makes your heart skip a beat.

Boy, isn't that the truth!! You can go from boredom to anxiety in about 2 seconds!! lol

 

[cmk]

Thanks for all the kind words, folks.

A hard earned buff- and a beauty! Congrats!

I’m sure it’s good to have your feet up now :-D

Yes it was! In the second to last picture (from the morning of day 9), my feet are in sandals. Looking closely, you can see one of the band-aids. :-D

Wonderful bull and great report. I must wonder.... is English a second language for you? If so, you have mastered it quite well.

Thanks - Swedish is not much spoken globally, so one has to adapt...

 

[cmk]

If you don't mind me asking, how do you feel the NorthFork SS performed for you? Good penetration, even expansion, accuracy, etc.? I have some of these for my own Jeff that I will be working a load up for soon. Would you use them again?
Would you mind sharing your recipe?

I would say that they worked perfectly well - to the best of my knowledge. Unfortunately, no bullet was recovered.

Thankfully, the buffalo went down in an easily accessible area, but it still took a bit over an hour to get to the car, cut a road and load it up. Then another hour to get to camp. So it was pretty late, and had been an exhausting day. So a G&T, dinner and then off to bed.

I had planned to be present at the unboxing, so to speak, but that either happend later that evening, or very early next morning. When I got to the 'skinning shed' (a tree) just after breakfast, it was already done. I did not go through the pile on the ground to determine what had happened to which organ. I did take a look inside the chest cavity though, and there was a neat hole coming in, and going out for the first shot, roughly like this - or perhaps quartering to just a tiny little bit more (pictures shamelessly borrowed from the Internet):

There was no exit through the skin that I could see, so the bullet was probably under the hide just behind - or at the rear edge of - the off shoulder.

There was also an entry for the second shot, but I don't recall if I saw an exit;

It would have been nice to recover the bullets, but the bull was just about to be loaded back upon the truck for delivery to the village, so I didn't push it.

My recipe is;

• Norma case
• Fed 215
• 72 gn Norma 203-B (which is 'the same' as Reloder-15)*
• COL: 89.3mm (3.515")

This gives 2225-2250 f/s in my rifle

* No, it is not really the same. But they are both made by the same manufacturer, to the same specification. However, it could be that Alliant and Norma does further screening and testing before putting their name on it. I would consider them close enough to use 203-B in a RL-15-recipe for starting loads, and work my way up.

Yes - I would use again, but I will start crimping from now on.

The last shot I fired 'on the run', I did not hold the rifle properly. Scope touched my forehead, but no real 'kiss'. The cartridge on the right was the last one in the mag, and I believe that this can be the reason it shrunk a bit.

 

[cmk]

I really enjoyed your report and your sense of humor. The drought has been quite terrible and I'm wondering what I will find end of Oct when I return. I respect the perseverance/grit/stubborness it takes to be successful in these situations. Your description of walking on cornflakes is quite accurate! You really drew me into the hunt to the point of getting excited when the trackers tapped on the roof! That sound when there has been nothing for a long time kind of makes your heart skip a beat. I also know what that's like to feel like the PH is starting to get frustrated with the lack of luck. Thankfully, most of them hide it pretty well.

Big respect to you on not giving up and getting that bull in spite of everything that happened...or didn't happen. Well earned! Proper bull. Congrats!

Thanks.

Yeah, when we understood what that tapping indicated, were pretty quick to get out of the car again

End of October, that sounds a bit masochistic, but I guess it depends on where you are going?

 

[DmacD]

I would say that they worked perfectly well - to the best of my knowledge. Unfortunately, no bullet was recovered.

Thankfully, the buffalo went down in an easily accessible area, but it still took a bit over an hour to get to the car, cut a road and load it up. Then another hour to get to camp. So it was pretty late, and had been an exhausting day. So a G&T, dinner and then off to bed.

I had planned to be present at the unboxing, so to speak, but that either happend later that evening, or very early next morning. When I got to the 'skinning shed' (a tree) just after breakfast, it was already done. I did not go through the pile on the ground to determine what had happened to which organ. I did take a look inside the chest cavity though, and there was a neat hole coming in, and going out for the first shot, roughly like this - or perhaps quartering to just a tiny little bit more (pictures shamelessly borrowed from the Internet):
View attachment 632709
There was no exit through the skin that I could see, so the bullet was probably under the hide just behind - or at the rear edge of - the off shoulder.

There was also an entry for the second shot, but I don't recall if I saw an exit;
View attachment 632715
It would have been nice to recover the bullets, but the bull was just about to be loaded back upon the truck for delivery to the village, so I didn't push it.

My recipe is;

• Norma case
• Fed 215
• 72 gn Norma 203-B (which is 'the same' as Reloder-15)*
• COL: 89.3mm (3.515")

This gives 2225-2250 f/s in my rifle

* No, it is not really the same. But they are both made by the same manufacturer, to the same specification. However, it could be that Alliant and Norma does further screening and testing before putting their name on it. I would consider them close enough to use 203-B in a RL-15-recipe for starting loads, and work my way up.

Yes - I would use again, but I will start crimping from now on.
View attachment 632717
The last shot I fired 'on the run', I did not hold the rifle properly. Scope touched my forehead, but no real 'kiss'. The cartridge on the right was the last one in the mag, and I believe that this can be the reason it shrunk a bit.

Thank you so much for your reply. It seems the NorthForks did their job, and that gives me even more confidence in them.
Excellent report too!

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Very well written, and thank you for sharing. It doesn't always turn out quite how you hope, but you still had some great success! Congrats and thanks for trusting in us to be a part!

 

[enysse]

Congratulations on a fine old Cape buffalo! Excellent details!

 

[Green Chile]

Thanks.

Yeah, when we understood what that tapping indicated, were pretty quick to get out of the car again

End of October, that sounds a bit masochistic, but I guess it depends on where you are going?

The last 2 years I've been going 2x a season....once earlier and then much later...just getting a different feel for it all. Last year, the late hunt was in Zim in a tented camp and it was pretty hot...with no air con. This year the 2nd trip is in Limpopo and we will have air con at night.

 

[LivingTheDream]

That buff is a monster! You did great considering your feet were hurting. I have been there and it isnt fun! Good job on keeping with it!

 

[John A Flaws]

Congrats on a successful hunt and a great report.

 

[Safari1]

Congrats on your buff!

What about elephants in the area?

 

[cmk]

Congrats on your buff!

What about elephants in the area?

Thanks - plenty of tracks seen, though the only animals we saw were the ones described in the report. We did not hang around any water holes at night or before dawn, which would probably have been better for elephant spotting.

If I understood it correctly, there are some good ones to be found in this area, and I believe that one or a few 80 (or possibly even 90) lbs bulls have been taken - if not on this property, then on neighbouring ones - in the last year or two. Something about 'good genetics in Gonarezhou' or something like that. And perhaps also the fact that elephant from Moz cannot be exported to EU or US = less hunting.

But I might have gotten part of this wrong. Maybe @TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS can shed some light?

 

[TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS]

Hi Safari1

Yes we have plenty of good elephant in our area.We are very lucky in sharing our open boundary with Gonarezhou National Park ( Gonarezhou meaning the place of the Elephant ).

We also have an excellent and dedicated anti poaching team on the ground that have done a lot of hard work in reducing poaching in the area.

We get two tags each year for our blocks with CITES permits but unfortunately US Fish and wildlife and the EU does not want to import Elephants from Moz.

Yes cmk you are correct there have been some big bulls taken in the last few years not on our blocks but the adjacent blocks.

Regards

Rouan

 

[cmk]

Perhaps I did not stress this enough in the initial report...

@TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS is without question one of my favorite families with Rouan and Brandon being incredible PHs!!! You sir took an incredible free ranging stud of a buff at 43-44 inches with what looks to be 16-17 inch boss!!! That sir is a bull of a lifetime!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

Awesome hunt report, thank you for taking the time to post this. I have hunted with @TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS 2 times and am looking forward to booking a 3rd trip with them at the SCI show this January.

I also have hunted with Tsala. Great people. Sounds like a great hunt. Very nice buffalo. Well done.
Bruce

Tsala Safaris are top notch, can't wait to hunt with them again!

... but I can only agree with your comments - and I understand them fully. @TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS organized this perfectly. Everything was planned and prepared as well as it possibly could be. And when it came to the execution of the plan; well - let's not overly stress my contribution to the "we" in "we decided" and "we planned" etc.

Rouan knows his stuff inside and out - and as a first time visitor to these parts, I think it best to be very humble, and listen and learn.

Very well written, and thank you for sharing. It doesn't always turn out quite how you hope, but you still had some great success! Congrats and thanks for trusting in us to be a part!

Thank you. In retrospect - well, one week - I've come to realize that this whole thing wasn't what I had hoped for - it was way BETTER, and I think I've been more successful than I have a right to.

 

[Rare Breed]

Perhaps I did not stress this enough in the initial report...








... but I can only agree with your comments - and I understand them fully. @TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS organized this perfectly. Everything was planned and prepared as well as it possibly could be. And when it came to the execution of the plan; well - let's not overly stress my contribution to the "we" in "we decided" and "we planned" etc.

Rouan knows his stuff inside and out - and as a first time visitor to these parts, I think it best to be very humble, and listen and learn.




Thank you. In retrospect - well, one week - I've come to realize that this whole thing wasn't what I had hoped for - it was way BETTER, and I think I've been more successful than I have a right to.

@Tsala safaris always over delivers on expectations!!!

 

[Luminous Ham]

Great story! Congrats!

The map in your posting, where is that from?

 

[cmk]

Great story! Congrats!

The map in your posting, where is that from?

Thanks.

I don't really know where it is from initially, or if it is still current (NP borders etc), but I think I got it in a PM from Rouan - just to indicate the hunting area. I added the approximate borders, which may not be wholly accurate.