SOUTH AFRICA: First Cape Buffalo Hunt & More........

[AZDAVE]

Thank you for taking the time to write a report. Looks like you and your son had a great adventure and took some fine animals. Watching the PH/trackers work is a special treat, and the fact that you were able to harvest the buff and make sure it didn't suffer is a tribute to the hard work they put in to get you position to finish the job. Buff are a special hunt.

 

[Av8or]

Thank you for taking the time to write a report. Looks like you and your son had a great adventure and took some fine animals. Watching the PH/trackers work is a special treat, and the fact that you were able to harvest the buff and make sure it didn't suffer is a tribute to the hard work they put in to get you position to finish the job. Buff are a special hunt.

Could not agree more. Thanks

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

sounds like a great hunt

 

[TheSayHeyKid]

I have already gone on too long. The next two days we hunted in the mountains near Badplaas. Looks a lot like Montana or even north part of Yellowstone. We shot 2 nice black wildebeest, 2 blesbok and a zebra. I was able to shoot my blesbok and the wildebeest on the same stalk , one close and one far. 1000 yard stalk to get close enough to shoot the zebra, worked out perfect and was a great ending to a fantastic hunting safari.

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D*mn...that does look a lot like parts of Montana. I have relatives that live in Lewistown, MT and I have covered a lot of land that looks like that! Thanks for sharing!

 

[buck wild]

very nice

 

[gillettehunter]

Its amazing how much of RSA looks like country out in the west. My first Bushbuck from the East Cape was in a area that looked like lots of places in the Intermountain west.
Thanks for the write up. Never too long. Nice animals. Congrats
Bruce

 

[Ridgewalker]

What a grand adventure with excellent trophies! Thanks so much for sharing! I was sad when it came to an end because I was enjoying it so much.

 

[Av8or]

Thanks for the replies. I was able to shoot my blsesbuck and black wildebeest on the same stalk. We used some tall grass to get about 75 yds from a rock , then it was the old butt crawl for 75 yds. Me, ph and tracker were able to make it to the rock to get set up for a shot at some wildebeest about 260 yds away. As we were glassing and deciding on a wildebeest , I saw a group of blesbuck coming in from our left. I told the ph there is a blesbuck about 50 yds away. ( ph was on right side of rock , view of blesbuck was blocked) he said “tell me when he is 40 yds” , I counted to 3: I said “ he is 40 yds” , he said get ready, blesbuck Walks in front of rock and out the other side , I’m on him at about 20 yds. He sees us and immediately starts in to a full run, I just put crosshairs on his shoulder and keep moving like a shotgun and down he goes like a sack of potatoes, dead, no kicking or anything. Wildebeest ( and a bunch more blesbuck fairly close) just keep feeding and don’t do much. I slowly get on shooting sticks and we pick out a nice old black wildebeest , he is butt on , then front on , finally he turns to my left and I have a nice broadside shot at about 260 yds. Matthew says take him, I squeeze off the shot, I feel really good about the shot and the tell tale ” thump “ rings out, he goes about 25 yds and collapses, double lung shot. 2 great animals down in about 2 minutes . WOW. , that was fun. Rock we used for cover is circled in one photo. Sometimes you have to shoot your way out!

 

[Av8or]

When we shot the zebra , the tracker saw a group of 3 feeding, we were able to park the truck with a tree between us and them ( about 1000 yds away) we slowly began making a stalk in thigh to waist high grass , stopping anytime they lifted their heads. We just stayed patient and kept slowly making gains. Finally we reached a tree that put us about 220 yds away . It put us in the shade and provided good cover. We were able to get on the sticks , get a nice steady rest and pick our zebra. They were all three stallions, we picked the middle one , got as calm as possible, ok “ take him” squeeze off the shot , felt good , I called it about 1 inch above seargant stripe and 1 inch right, ( he was facing left) I heard the whack as it hit him , he disappeared. Wait a few minutes, two zebra come back to area to look, good sign as there are not three that come back. We make our way over and there his 20 yds from where I shot him. Perfect heart shot, great way to end a safari. Best shot of the week. I as off a little , it was 1 inch below the sgt stripe and 1 in left.

 

[Slickshooter]

Fri morning we are all up early ready to go find this buff. We come up with a plan to track him and put everyone else on likely exit routes if we bump him. Off we go , we get on the track and find blood pretty consistently for a while, tracker thinks he is limping . Farther we go , less blood we find but we stay on the track. The trackers are absolutely amazing , we are going through all kinds of bush that I could never find crap in, they find where he has laid down 3 times and fresh blood in each spot. After the last resting spot , they determine that he has found a buddy and there are two of them we are tracking now. 6 hours on the track , unbelievable work by my PH and trackers, we finally get a shot and the buff is down. One more insurance shot ........... so happy to end his suffering, relieved to find him, bittersweet, we were very determined to finish the job , I would have preferred it to end on the first shot, but the highs and lows of hunting can be like no others! When we cut him up , bullet was through his left ham/ ass and went into his stomach, he would have definitely gone septic at some point and died a miserable death. I’m glad we avoided that. A lot of respect for a warrior from me.

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Day 4 we are off again in search of a cape buff. Pretty much a repeat of previous days, we get on a nice track, end up sitting in the brush 35 to 40 yds from a big group and are looking for the “one” . Wind shifts and off they go! In the back is a big bull( guess is 42 inches plus) we are in 2 separate groups and we track this heard and then go to a place to possibly cut them off, my son and other group go to get truck and pick us up. They see the buff in the brush not far from the road as they drive by, we go to track him but never see him again. Time for lunch.. After lunch we go to the area we had seen the buff that the bamboon spooked. We get set up on a spot we think up they are moving through and four bulls come heading straight for us. They stop at about 25 yds ,on the edge of a riverbed, as they see us knelling in the opposite edge in the grass. We are after the last buff , who unfortunately is blocked by the other 3. They all turn to their right to leave , ( our left) there is a nice opening they will all go through so I am on the opening and ready to shoot, ( about 2 garage doors worth of space) 1 buf goes by , 2nd buff goes by...., 3rd buff goes by....I’m on the opening , I have the timing and aim point down , as the 4 th buff begins to appear I am starting to slowly squeeze the trigger.... and that damn buff was a wary old survivor, he turned the opposite direction on an absolute dime as I fired and I shot him right in the ass. . I was so focused and committed, I could not stop the shot, but I knew immediately that I did not like what I saw when the gun went off. We went to see what we could find, we found the track and blood,” this could get very interesting, very fast” is the quote I believe Matthew made. We did not find him that night........................
I replayed the shot and scenario in my head a thousand times and I don’t know anyway i could of stopped the process once it started. Bad circumstances, never shoot a moving buff? , not sure, but I do know that we know have our work cut out to do all we can to honor him and find him and finish the job.

Heck of a Buffalo, congratulations man!!

 

[Rickmt]

Enjoyed your hunT report. Thank-you for a great write up.

 

[BRVDude]

Congrats on a great hunt! You took some terrific trophies and it sounds like you had a fantastic trip. Some very exciting moments, and to share them with your son makes them extra special and memorable. I just returned myself and am in agreement when you encourage people to just take the steps necessary to make it happen. The travel is brutal and can be a bit messy but the rewards are well worth it. The outfitters and PHs are ready and willing to go to work. They just need clients! So follow Av8or’s example and get your butts over there. For those that know, you won’t be sorry. Congrats again on a great report and a wonderful trip!

 

[jacques smith]

Thanks for report. I enjoyed it. Cheers jacques

 

[Av8or]

I am happy i did a report . Everyone should