Non trophy Buffalo hunt

[TNsavageman]

Hey guys! I am looking for some information. I have been lurking here for a while but just joined today. I am planning an upcoming safari and I just want to get all of my ducks in a row. I have heard about non trophy buffalo hunts, but I haven't seen any prices listed for those. I am considering a cow hunt but if I could get a "non" trophy bull that would be great too. I am not somebody that has to shoot the biggest. Just looking for a good experience.
Thanks for the help
Eli

 

[TokkieM]

Eli, I may be wrong, but from my point of view the bulls that you are referring to as non trophy would be young bulls. In SA at least they will not hunt a young immature bull easily, it does not make sense to shoot a young bull if he has the potential to become a trophy bull, unless he is a problem animal. Old bulls with broken horns and worn down tips are somewhat of a trophy themselves, if not in size, but in their own right for a trophy hunter that will take a none typicall old warrior.Cows you will be able to find easily at a reasonable cost in SA.

 

[TNsavageman]

Thanks for the reply! That's the info I was looking for. I had seen some broken up old bulls priced differently and I was wondering if that was the norm.

 

[siml]

Eli, shooting a buff cow, just isn't the same as hunting a bull. Rather go for that old bull or broken horn.

 

[siml]

If you can do a buff bull towards the end of season, you could get a good bull at a decent price.

 

[gordon-kruger]

Regions... Perhaps it's good to say that a low price cow is find in the FMD zones, the rest of RSA you would probably not find a cow under 30.000 usd.... I would say the same as TMS a old worn down warrior is something to put up on the wall... a cow is a cow and you will most probably come back for a bull !!!

 

[Nyati]

Welcome to AH, Eli.

Totally agree with the gents above, go for and end of the season old bull, you´re likely to get good offers.

 

[Royal27]

I'd set a budget of what you want to spend and then back into it from there. Depending on your budget you may be able to get more than you think you can. I'd also suggest you define what you mean by "experience." Is it just the stalk you are after, and therefore a relatively small area in SA is OK? Or, do you want to be in the wilds of Zim or Tan? Not saying one is better than the other, but the experience can certainly be different. Just something to think about.

And like others have said, look for end of season deals with reputable outfitters. The deals are there!

 

[siml]

in the wilds of Zim or Tan? Not saying one is better than the other, but the experience can certainly be different. Just something to think about.

Royal don't forget about Mozambique,..

 

[Royal27]

Royal don't forget about Mozambique,..

Did I say Tan???? I meant Moz....

That actually brings up the biggest problem I personally have - too many great places, and great outfits, to hunt with them all!!!

 

[Red Leg]

Hi Eli, Glad you opened the discussion. It is hard to determine what might constitute a "non-trophy" bull. An old, worn 34-36" dagga boy is one hell of a trophy and takes as much effort and logistics for the outfitter as a 42" bull which will make the book. Unlike whitetail, at least among wild herds, there is no such class as a "management" bull - i.e. a younger bull that won't reach a certain potential. (I can't speak for the management practices of herds behind fences on game farms - but I also have zero desire to hunt buffalo in that environment.) There is also some RSA hunting for buffalo which are nominally free ranging near Kruger - They may have a trophy fee structure for those - again, not my cup of tea. If you want to hunt a bull, the best deals are currently in Zim and Moz. Tanzania and Namibia's Caprivi are probably the "best" places to hunt buffalo, but both are starting to fall into the "if you have to ask" category with respect to cost. I would call a reputable consultant (I have personally used Jack Atcheson Jr for years http://www.atcheson.com/ - there are several others) and have a discussion about budgets and goals. His job is to find a way for you to fulfill that dream.

Also, bear in mind that a lot of dangerous game concessions offer relatively little in the way of plains game. If this is your first safari, spending ten days hunting PG in Namibia would give you some real on the ground experience and help you focus your decision about where and how to hunt that buffalo.

 

[spike.t]

@TNsavageman this is a good deal in zambia and the luangwa will give you a great experience http://www.africahunting.com/thread...nation-buffalo-hunting-package-special.21676/

 

[siml]

Red Leg, I don't think Namibia can even come close to Mozambique when you hunting buffalo...most days when I have been out hunting buffalo on the Zambezi, you will at least see over a 1000 buffalo, Tanz, I don't think there is such a thing as a cheap hunt.

 

[BRICKBURN]

The trophy ethos with regard to Buffalo has done quite a shift with the old worn down or broken horned bulls being prized. Most other species a broken horned trophy is a management animal, not with Buffalo now.
Slick marketing or conservation?
As others have noted you are not going to get a discount, other than end of the season quota, etc.

Good luck with your search.

 

[siml]

Was trying to find pics of the herds we see in Mozambique, in the background you can see about 500 buffalo.

 

[Royal27]

Was trying to find pics of the herds we see in Mozambique, in the background you can see about 500 buffalo.

I so enjoyed hunting the dagga boys that I swore I didn't care if I ever followed a herd again. but I'd sure like to see a big herd like that. What a sight it must be!

 

[fairgame]

Not so much price but location,location. Zambia is another brilliant option and there are a good deals being advertised on a number of forums.

 

[siml]

Royal, I agree with you fully, dagga boys are the best to hunt, but are dam hard to find in the swamps, with the herds we watch for the birds, 1000's of birds follow the herds, so when you see the birds flying, you know where the herds are eating.

 

[Royal27]

I grew up on a farm and during harvest especially you could go down there and tell where the work was being done due to the birds. I used to love watching the Egrets hunt!

 

[Red Leg]

Red Leg, I don't think Namibia can even come close to Mozambique when you hunting buffalo...most days when I have been out hunting buffalo on the Zambezi, you will at least see over a 1000 buffalo, Tanz, I don't think there is such a thing as a cheap hunt.

TMS, I absolutely won't quibble about numbers. I have hunted Coutada 14 in Moz and the Caprivi, and the sheer scale of the herds in the Delta was unbelievable. That said, were I trying to get a record book class old buffalo, I would opt for the Caprivi. I would also find myself spending nearly twice as much for the hunt! There we would see dozens of buffalo a day rather than hundreds, but the proportion of older mature bulls seemed quite a bit higher - at least when we were there. Glad I got the big boy, but I'll go back to hunt Moz again.

Old delta bull from Coutata 14

Big Caprivi dagga boy