SA or Zimbabwe

[wesheltonj]

Nonono....Kruger conservancies are fenced....such as the Kruger is....they are mearly an extension of Kruger with hunting rights...

What was thinking, it’s only 5+ million combined acres fenced.

 

[MTA]

I never said all SA buff were "tame". I only commented on the ones that were on all the areas we hunted. Does SA have hunt able wild born buff outside a park and fence? I am unsure, are there huge areas without fences where buff are not drove past daily/weekly or fed in any way shape or form and accustomed to people? Even a huge property means less if the buff were captive born and released at some time.

The herd of 200+ that crossed 50 yds in front of our vehicle in Kruger seamed to be real wild. And there were some real nice hard boss bulls.

As I stated, last year was my first SA hunt, it did not compare to having 50 KM x 50 KM unfenced areas with me the only hunter and all species hunted were born there. I am unsure what the largest unfenced perimeter or interior non park bordered hunting properties for DG in SA are? Also in the 8000 KM we drove all over SA we were shocked that we never saw game outside wire, donkeys yes. Zim and Namibia game crossed constantly on rd with no wire for 100's of KM something we looked out for.

This is not good or bad or any negative to SA, just something I think the OP should know and understand fully before planning a safari. I only ask ALL outfitters to be totally honest with all details and let hunter decide conditions, expectations, type and quality of hunt they want. Countries in question are totally different is what I learned. I will hunt both again.

MB

No dog in this fight, but which state(s)/province(s) in SA did your hunt occur in?

 

[Rubberhead]

If it's a tie then not having to transfer to a domestic airline for me is a serious consideration for tie-breaker. I've only been once and it was to Limpopo simply because I could take a direct from Atlanta to Johannesburg where my PH would pick me up. Unless the stars really align, it can give you an extra day of hunting instead of transferring your guns and yourself to a domestic airline.

 

[Tanks]

I can see being concerned about an extra day spent traveling, maybe if one is on a tight time schedule. For DG there will not be a tie between Zimbabwe or RSA, Zimbabwe wins. Captive bred or wild, fenced or not. Guaranteed shooting of an animal or hunting with a chance of going home empty handed.

Now, if one wants instant gratification, five-star accommodations, sightseeing tours nearby etc., etc. then South Africa wins hands down. Want a traditional wild hunt (or as close as one can get), then go to Zimbabwe.

 

[Tanks]

...Also in the 8000 KM we drove all over SA we were shocked that we never saw game outside wire, donkeys yes. Zim and Namibia game crossed constantly on rd with no wire for 100's of KM something we looked out for.

In RSA as far as I know, by law, all game are considered livestock and live on farms. That is the model.

Back in 2016, at an auction a Cape buffalo bull with awesome genetics sold for R168 million (almost 10 million USD).

 

[BnC 04]

Ive been to Africa 4 times (all RSA) but have Zambia and Zim on the radar and coming up soon.
My opinion pertaining to fences/no fences, 10,000 acres or a bazillion is that if my target animal, say a buff bull stands and stares at with no fear/concern of man then it's not a hunt i choose to be part of. Rollin up on a herd of 200 buff and walking to them while they stand and stare at you is not for me personally. That type of scenario could be across zim, tan, rsa ect ect.
As has been stated numerous times already, be honest with your expectations and relay that to your potential outfitter but I believe a "true" hunt can be achieved in ALL countries across Africa given the proper outfitter/land.

 

[IvW]

What was thinking, it’s only 5+ million combined acres fenced.

Still fenced....

 

[MarkB]

No dog in this fight, but which state(s)/province(s) in SA did your hunt occur in?

I do not see posts as any fight. Just explaining to OP my experience in SA compared to Zim as asked. I must be clear, I never hunted Buff in SA and most likely never will. We hunted Kalahari, Mpumalanga, Free State and Eastern Cape, then drove back across from Cape town to Mozambique border.

I am in no way against hunting behind any fence, that's a debate one cannot win. There was one place where we did see some animals behind stock fences, reedbuck, bushbuck, kudu and warthogs all in rough or farming areas, behind the game fence ranches. I shot many in these areas and all night critters, I also hunted behind high fence, lion and PG. As for Buff the ones we saw were somewhat "tame". Not all in SA but the ones we saw did NOT act like any I have seen, pursued or hunted and shot in Zim. The buff never even came to the camp water hole nightly as they did for us in SA.

For the op @CO_mtnman, if buff is your priority I would want a truly wild walk/stalk hunt for an unknown hard boss bull, not a named/known bull. There are outfitters on here that can deliver that, then sort out what PG are priorities and see what they can offer. Or add a few days in SA on return and collect those PG species in a nice camp/house/hotel/ranch.

Out of your 2 options for me buff would be in Zim without question.

MB

 

[CO_mtnman]

For my buff hunt I am looking for a track and stalk hint for a really old bull not worried about score or numbers except his age just an old white faced warrior who draws social security lol but also seeing my dad finally kill a kudu is my real priority, we have been dreaming of africa as long as I can remember and he has always said a kudu is his bucket list animal and after loosing my grandfather (who also talked africa with us) to cancer when I was a young teenager I made it my life goal to see my dad's dream fulfilled. We went to DSC and met with many wonderful outfits who are all awesome and I'd love to hunt with each and every one of them and also messaging multiple great outfits from the forum who I'd also hunt with any day of the week and twice on Sunday, it's just hard trying to pick just 1 and having never done this before i was trying to see how members of the forum make their decision and overall its been some great information and has brought up many points I did not even think about

 

[BnC 04]

@CO_mtnman
You have the right outlook and are on the right track. You will know when you get the feeling that your dealing with the outfitter thats will fullfill your dreams, whatever area that may be.
It's easy for us "forum members" to spend your money but in the end it's YOUR hunt and the final call comes to your wants/needs.
Look forward to hearing the when and where....something tells me it will be selected sooner than later

 

[Scott CWO]

For my buff hunt I am looking for a track and stalk hint for a really old bull not worried about score or numbers except his age just an old white faced warrior who draws social security lol but also seeing my dad finally kill a kudu is my real priority, we have been dreaming of africa as long as I can remember and he has always said a kudu is his bucket list animal and after loosing my grandfather (who also talked africa with us) to cancer when I was a young teenager I made it my life goal to see my dad's dream fulfilled. We went to DSC and met with many wonderful outfits who are all awesome and I'd love to hunt with each and every one of them and also messaging multiple great outfits from the forum who I'd also hunt with any day of the week and twice on Sunday, it's just hard trying to pick just 1 and having never done this before i was trying to see how members of the forum make their decision and overall its been some great information and has brought up many points I did not even think about

So what did you decide?

 

[CO_mtnman]

So what did you decide?

We haven't decided just yet we have some time before we decide the final outfit but have narrowed down the list to the top 10 give or take

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Sorry I have never hunted buff in SA, my buff were in Zim and some time ago. Wild, spooky, cagy, on foot tracking, even a sniff of human stink and they were gone. Shot only hard bossed old bulls, awesome real hunts. As for cost, my first safari in 04, 18 day leopard, buff and many PG, daily rate and TF, all for $18 US. What a steal, but actual hunt costs are still very reasonable today I think. The other portions of a safari have gone crazy, lodging before/after, D&P, shipping, and such.

In SA I did feed buff, they came up to vehicle or camp veranda lookouts for a banana hand out on many hunting areas, others we drove around them and the banana piles to get to camps. I hunted CBLion last year in SA. Report is posted here. I will hunt buff again, Zim or swamp in Mozambique.

MB

Those sound just like the buff at tallyho
Clever cagey and run like hell
No Banana pile, actually never heard of banana piles before

SA is a big country
Not all buff stand around for hunter to choose one

Make sure u choose good outfitters!!!

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

I never said all SA buff were "tame". I only commented on the ones that were on all the areas we hunted. Does SA have hunt able wild born buff outside a park and fence? I am unsure, are there huge areas without fences where buff are not drove past daily/weekly or fed in any way shape or form and accustomed to people? Even a huge property means less if the buff were captive born and released at some time.

The herd of 200+ that crossed 50 yds in front of our vehicle in Kruger seamed to be real wild. And there were some real nice hard boss bulls.

As I stated, last year was my first SA hunt, it did not compare to having 50 KM x 50 KM unfenced areas with me the only hunter and all species hunted were born there. I am unsure what the largest unfenced perimeter or interior non park bordered hunting properties for DG in SA are? Also in the 8000 KM we drove all over SA we were shocked that we never saw game outside wire, donkeys yes. Zim and Namibia game crossed constantly on rd with no wire for 100's of KM something we looked out for.

This is not good or bad or any negative to SA, just something I think the OP should know and understand fully before planning a safari. I only ask ALL outfitters to be totally honest with all details and let hunter decide conditions, expectations, type and quality of hunt they want. Countries in question are totally different is what I learned. I will hunt both again.

MB

The reason for you not seeing anywild animals outside of fences because it will get poached and eaten
This is the difference in comparing countries with sparse ruralpopulations and different outlook on wildlife
and countries with much mich larger dense populations that are not rural and only see animals as food!!!
So us the farmers and outfitters do what we have to in order to conserve nature and animals or else the only ones left will be in parks

There are huge areas in SA with wild populations of species that are born there
Grow up there
But unfortunately most landowners dont want too many natural predators, this makes animals like buffalo very relaxed.
But when hunted regularly they become very wild and wily