My Buffalo with a Bow (Mercy Kill)

Why do we criticize shooting a buffalo over hay. But we justify shooting a leopard, bush pig, honey badger, and lion and others over bait. Why the difference????

Maybe we should say something on how those buffalos didn't look healthy at all, and looked like they were malnourished. I believe that is a bigger issue and the antis can and will use against us, vs. how that buffalo was shot.
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I'll submit that a lot of work and tactics go into hunting of leopards from bait locations to placement of bait etc.. There is a reason people say one hunts elephants with their feet and leopards with their brain. I also know of people that did not get their leopard until multiple trips as it is not a sure thing.

To me the buffalo looked like a malnourished herd of cattle. That is on the outfitter though rather than the "hunter" however most hunters I know would not have touched any of that buffalo for free let alone at a reduced price. If cattle at my ranch were in the condition of that herd the ranch manager would be looking for a new job.

It just adds to further bias against hunting DG in RSA. Save your money and do a real buffalo hunt (free range) elsewhere.

Disclosure: I have strong opinions against DG hunts in RSA.
 
I'll submit that a lot of work and tactics go into hunting of leopards from bait locations to placement of bait etc.. There is a reason people say one hunts elephants with their feet and leopards with their brain. I also know of people that did not get their leopard until multiple trips as it is not a sure thing.

To me the buffalo looked like a malnourished herd of cattle. That is on the outfitter though rather than the "hunter" however most hunters I know would not have touched any of that buffalo for free let alone at a reduced price. If cattle at my ranch were in the condition of that herd the ranch manager would be looking for a new job.

It just adds to further bias against hunting DG in RSA. Save your money and do a real buffalo hunt (free range) elsewhere.

Disclosure: I have strong opinions against DG hunts in RSA.
+1 on the above, and I wouldn’t hunt ANY DG animal in RSA.
 
We are our worst enemy when it comes to criticizing hunting, and at times we are worst than the antis. Yes, it's a public forum, but do we have to criticize everything? I get it, we are a very opiniated bunch, but come on.
We are also our own enemy when we post certain footage publically and on youtube...some things should not be posted in my opinion....
 
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We are also out own enemy when we post certain footage publically and on youtube...some things should not be posted in my opinion....
+1! There is a guy who posted himself killing a bear with a spear from his tree stand…the bear screams in agony on impact, and the “hunter” is whooping it up! F-ing BRUTAL!
It made me sick. Same with the Dbag bow hunter David Wadell….screaming, crying, and high fiving everyone….no compassion or respect for the animal and it looks terrible
 
Yip agree I recall a video of an elephant hunt not too long ago....dropped but not dead and the hunter could just not get the other shots right....had the camera stopped rolling nobody would have been the wiser....but it sadly did not....ending in a greenie sh*t storm......common sense should prevail....
 
Yip agree I recall a video of an elephant hunt not too long ago....dropped but not dead and the hunter could just not get the other shots right....had the camera stopped rolling nobody would have been the wiser....but it sadly did not....ending in a greenie sh*t storm......common sense should prevail....

I think that video was leaked in retaliation to Wayne LaPierre from the company that took the video as they were suing each other.
 
Yes, brutal. The elephant was grumbling and with tears in it’s eyes
 
I haven't been 'run-off'. I've been very busy, in Asia. I know my shot with the bow, was bad. I messed up. I have NOT tried to enter this in the SCI records. I put the scores for bow and rifle up just for size reference. In hind sight, I should have left those numbers out of the video.

When I decide to pay for a buffalo hunt in the future, I assure everyone, this is NOT the type of hunt I will plan. I did not plan to shoot a buffalo during that hunt. The buffalo needed to be killed, and I was there when he showed up.

Someone wrote something about it being a good thing the buffalo didn't charge me, because I was easily run-off by a few guys on a public forum (something like that). Comments like that show that you don't know me, nor the types of activities I enjoy, and am willing to try. I'm not some great historical hunter or extraordinarily braver than anyone else on here, but I don't believe most people would consider me to be a coward, nor do I believe I have a responsibility to respond for an indefinite period of time to a thread I started.

I'm embarrassed by my poor shot with the bow. Sorry. I believe it's good to show when we mess up as well. After reading through these comments by my hunting peers, though, I'm beginning to wonder if I should take the video down. I don't want to give fuel to anti-hunters. I hadn't looked at it in that way, previously, but now I'm seriously considering it.

I really didn't expect there to be so many messages when I logged on after being away from the forum for several weeks, and I had no intention of bringing this thread to the top again, but it seems this was necessary to at least try to clear up some of this. I don't see any reason to continue this discussion any further, but of course, it's a forum, so if anyone wants to write more, go ahead. I'm finished with the topic on here, though. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this comment, I'm in Asia (currently Indonesia), and I'm busy with other things.
 
Shot a kudu once upon a time that was entangled in a fence and starving to death..the PH called the owner..shoot her. I offered my rifle to the Ph, he refused…no you do it.. I declined..he insisted, again I said no..we drove off a ways..he turned to me and asked if I wanted it to suffer any longer…I shot it, in the head.. an old cow at her time. No photos….drought killed many that year…I remember that old cow as much as I have any Old bull. Not something I want to repeat. No hoorah, no hi five. Quick end to bad situation.
 
Shot a kudu once upon a time that was entangled in a fence and starving to death..the PH called the owner..shoot her. I offered my rifle to the Ph, he refused…no you do it.. I declined..he insisted, again I said no..we drove off a ways..he turned to me and asked if I wanted it to suffer any longer…I shot it, in the head.. an old cow at her time. No photos….drought killed many that year…I remember that old cow as much as I have any Old bull. Not something I want to repeat. No hoorah, no hi five. Quick end to bad situation.

Why in the heck did your PH refuse to shoot it and then do that shaming thing after you drove off? I was waiting for you to say that he then charged you a trophy fee. Sounds very strange.
 
No trophy fee…I just don’t think he had the heart any more than I did, did not take it as shaming. We were headed back to tell the landowner where it was so the landowner would take care of it, sometime. Just did not want it to suffer any longer while the landowner Got around to shooting it. It had been there entangled for some time.
 
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No trophy fee…I just don’t think he had the heart any more than I did, did not take it as shaming. We were headed back to tell the landowner where it was so the landowner would take care of it, sometime. Just did not want it to suffer any longer while the landowner Got around to shooting it. It had been there entangled for some time.

Oh, gotcha. I guess I was just thinking that it should be off'd straight away if it couldn't be freed. I can't stand to see something suffer, especially in a fence.
 
To each his own but the idea of "hunting" over a bale of hay with an old tire next to it, and then watching a herd of skinny buffalo with ear tags come in to eat, doesn't do it for me.
That visual perpetuates the stereotype that fenced-in South African-type game ranches is not "real" hunting.

Again, to each his own but definitely not for me. I do understand that that buffalo was probably 10% the cost of what a Zambian Buffalo would cost, so if it worked for you then good for you.

It’s not wild hunting but it is, in fact, real hunting (killing). Not my cup of tea but I find it incredibly hypocritical that many of us poopoo poorly-run (or any) in-fence Africa hunting; while cheering on TX hunts in a high fence. If anything, I applaud the shooter (also question his sanity) for taking the initiative to go all the way to Africa to do what could have been done in TX.
 
It’s not wild hunting but it is, in fact, real hunting (killing). Not my cup of tea but I find it incredibly hypocritical that many of us poopoo poorly-run (or any) in-fence Africa hunting; while cheering on TX hunts in a high fence. If anything, I applaud the shooter (also question his sanity) for taking the initiative to go all the way to Africa to do what could have been done in TX.
My understanding is that he didn't "go all the way to Africa to" hunt Buffalo. He was there already on another hunt. The owner/manager (or whoever it was) was aware that this animal was in very poor condition and the best thing to do was to euthanize it. I assume that they also wanted to either cut their losses or make whatever profit they could, and so they offered the opportunity to @Bule Jagter for him to "hunt" it at a discounted price. They made it into as much of a hunt as they could, given the circumstances, and hopefully everyone was satisfied with the outcome.
The problem comes when it's posted online where people can (and will) share their opinions, and some do so more tactfully than others. It is undoubtedly the type of situation that churns up emotions, gets people talking, and can be quite confrontational.
My personal opinion?
Probably best if it wasn't posted. Too controversial, and leaves oneself open to criticism and even worse, criticism of hunting in general. The antis certainly don't need more fuel for their fire.
I would agree that the animal should have been put out of it's misery, and I can understand why it was made into a "hunt", but perhaps it would have been best if it were just dealt with similarly to the situation described by @Areaonereal whereas it was just quick and quiet. Posting it online opens it up to judgement. I don't really like when hunters judge other hunters, as I think it is vital for our own survival to be as united as possible, however I've been guilty of it myself.
In this particular instance I didn't really care for the (no offense intended) "showboating" and cheering and celebrating of a Buffalo bow kill. Personally I feel that the animal had suffered enough. To then be wounded with an arrow, further wounded by a bullet, and then finally finished with an arrow......I guess it left me feeling unsettled and wishing it was just euthanized quickly.
At the same time I can understand that perhaps this was the OP's first Buffalo, and that he was excited. I know that to successfully take a Cape Buffalo with a bow is something I would be ecstatic about! I would want it to be (what is, in my eyes) a true hunt, and a true bow kill. But I have a feeling that @Bule Jagter would have wanted the same thing. He didn't go to Africa intending to hunt a Buffalo, and he just "took what Africa gave him", which is advice that many on here have given to others. Africa didn't give him a walk and stalk hunt on a healthy Buffalo. It gave him one that needed to be put out of it's misery. For me to be completely honest, if I were to go on a Buffalo hunt, and anybody but me put even one bullet in the beast, I wouldn't consider it to be MY animal. But I would imagine that I would still post pictures up here, etc. Pose for pictures indicating it was my kill, even if I didn't truly feel that way. Why? Because that may be the only opportunity I have, and as close to doing it "proper" as I'm ever going to get. I have my own thoughts about what makes a hunt a hunt, and what makes my animal mine, but sometimes we take what we can get and make the best of it. Maybe that's what happened here. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
 
It’s not wild hunting but it is, in fact, real hunting (killing). Not my cup of tea but I find it incredibly hypocritical that many of us poopoo poorly-run (or any) in-fence Africa hunting; while cheering on TX hunts in a high fence. If anything, I applaud the shooter (also question his sanity) for taking the initiative to go all the way to Africa to do what could have been done in TX.
Yes excellent point. I bet too that none of us would refuse to shoot a pen raised pheasant over digs, or catch a stocked trout either
 
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I have had the good fortune to hunt buffalo in the Caprivi (1), the Zambezi Delta of Mozambique (2), and a reasonably large fenced property (14 K + acres) in the Limpopo. This is my report of the Limpopo hunt which was also published, largely unchanged, in African Hunting Gazette.


My only point is that quality cape buffalo hunts can happen in many areas in South Africa. Mine certainly was. Regrettably, hunts also take place that strain the definition of fair chase. Those hunts, particularly when given wide circulation, harm all of us.
 
Which is a good thing...
 

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