ZIMBABWE: Savé Valley Conservancy: The Buffalo Saga

[Tau Wilderness]

What was the saying of grabbing a bull by his horns, or was that Balls?

We spent our last day doing scouting for Lion and delivering meat.

A young Lion male track.

The Save is a special place.

Our last night in camp and Zim.

What an honor to be invited by Skollie on this hunt!!! I will always be great-full.

To Sean and his team a huge thanks for the hard work and never stop attitude. The Save in November is a hot, gorgeous area to hunt.

We went to bed early, kept hydrated and arrived well prepared, still we only had one real chance on a mature buff.

My little advice to future Buffalo hunters?

Show up ready and walking fit.
Drink enough before you get thirsty don't look at when your PH or trackers drink they are well acclimatized and used to these conditions and will probably only drink when back at the vehicle/camp.
Take rehydrate or something similar every evening to stay ahead of the electrolytes you loose.
DON"T USE NEW BOOTS!!!!
Listen to your PH!!! Even if it feels wrong they know what they are doing and your success is theirs.

Well when will I get my own Buffalo?

Maybe just maybe their is a sequeal coming to this story soon.....hopefully.

 

[VertigoBE]

Waidmannsheil to you both! Thanks for taking us along on your adventure and well done on the excellent writing style! Cheers!

 

[Mauser78]

Love the story, and very well written. The pictures made me feel like i am there with you.
Congratulations on a good hunt and hope to see the sequel soon.
I imagine it must be a blast doing a trip like this with Andre, he is a great guy.

 

[ianevans]

well done and very well written . I fly off tomorrow for my buffalo hunt

 

[Justhunt]

Great report, really enjoyed the pictures. Really nice buffalo!

 

[LWPhunt]

Again, thank you for sharing,

 

[Sideshow]

Looking forward to your sequel

 

[DieJager]

Great report and Waidmannsheil! Looking forward to your future sequel.

 

[DCH Hunting]

Great report, well written and super entertaining. I did Save with my friend, Guy Whittal in March this year...still have to do a report ;-), it was amazingly amazing. Off to the Save again on Monday, this time on the Mozambique side. Will be fun.

 

[GWB]

Ahhhh if this report doesnt get you in the mood for hunting nothing will!
Save Valley looks amazing.

 

[PARA45]

Wonderful report and fantastic pictures. Enjoyed very much and thank you for taking us along. Beautiful Buffalo, congratulations.

Question. With the heat, the meat didn't spoil, or did the trackers opened the gut cavity to cool off the Buffalo?

 

[Timbo]

The screaming symphony of the Cicada's was temporarily subdued by the blast of a 300gr flat nosed solid striking a Buffalo with a full frontal impact at close range.

The Mopanie forest went quit and with that, the last breath of a Duggaboy was exhaled.

Hunting in the Savé is not easy, but rewarding.

View attachment 714166

I totally agree!! I was there in July. Savé is a very difficult place to hunt - but so rewarding!! After a difficult, meticulous, stalk (50yds over 30mins!!) I managed to take a beautiful old dagga boy. Though my 500gr RNSN broke the left shoulder, tore the heart almost in two, and broke the right shoulder, the old boy still ran 50yds in a circle before dropping. In-bloody-credible tenacity!! Two days later I then took an old cow elephant. Both were taken at 35yds.

 

[Nyati]

Thank you for a great story, with fantastic pics !

Now waiting to read soon about your own buff hunt

 

[Mort Hill]

Fabulous recounting of this safari. Love the narration style and details. Was right there with ya, and yes the Save is a special place! Thanks for sharing Bwana!

 

[Slickshooter]

Well done, congratulations man!

 

[Pablo]

Great, well-written story! Congrats to you and your buddy on a hard earned buff!

 

[Tau Wilderness]

Love the story, and very well written. The pictures made me feel like i am there with you.
Congratulations on a good hunt and hope to see the sequel soon.
I imagine it must be a blast doing a trip like this with Andre, he is a great guy.

Yes @Skollie is very laid back and we are a massive opposites. He is smart and calm whilst I go rushing in at 10000MPH.

I have offered him to come hunt a Gemsbok on our property in Namibia, but he is too busy with all the Grandchildren and being an great family man

 

[Tau Wilderness]

well done and very well written . I fly off tomorrow for my buffalo hunt

Good Luck and enjoy!!!

Embrace the heat and the smells of the bush and slow down every now and then and lock in those memories for when you are back home or at work !!!

Wonderful report and fantastic pictures. Enjoyed very much and thank you for taking us along. Beautiful Buffalo, congratulations.

Question. With the heat, the meat didn't spoil, or did the trackers opened the gut cavity to cool off the Buffalo?

Unfortunately we could not cut a path to the Buffalo that night , so it was covered in branches.

We slaughtered it very early the next day, but the meat was then purchased from the community and used for Lion bait.

We did however have "Matetsi osyters" which was amazing...... Deep fried Buffalo testicles that have been cut in slivers. YOU NEED TO TRY THIS!!!!!!

I totally agree!! I was there in July. Savé is a very difficult place to hunt - but so rewarding!! After a difficult, meticulous, stalk (50yds over 30mins!!) I managed to take a beautiful old dagga boy. Though my 500gr RNSN broke the left shoulder, tore the heart almost in two, and broke the right shoulder, the old boy still ran 50yds in a circle before dropping. In-bloody-credible tenacity!! Two days later I then took an old cow elephant. Both were taken at 35yds.

The Ghomas and small valleys great little valleys and sections where the Buffalo dissapear in. As I mention (about 20 times ) We arrived 36 hours after the area had 100mm ( 4 inches) of rain so the bush exploded and grew like nothing I have ever experienced ( I lived in the Rain forest for 8 month and this was way more intense).

Congrats on your hunt!!!

 

[Tau Wilderness]

Thank you for a great story, with fantastic pics !

Now waiting to read soon about your own buff hunt

Well I got my rifle permits to exit with them from South Africa to Zimbabwe yesterday!!!!

I will be taking my Father on a Buffalo hunt with Sean in the Save from 8-15 October 2025 for his 70th birthday and if we have time I will also take a Management buffalo.

My Father took me all the way by road from Cape Town to Linyanti in the Caprivi (2500 kilometers one way) to experience a Big 5 hunt as an apprentice when I was 17 so I can now repay this gift. ( I just didn't tell him how hot Southern Zimbabwe gets during October!!!)

 

[PARA45]

We did however have "Matetsi osyters" which was amazing...... Deep fried Buffalo testicles that have been cut in slivers. YOU NEED TO TRY THIS!!!!!!

We wanted to do that when I shot my Buffalo this year. But, unfortunately, somehow, we forgot all about it and didn't do it.

My friend who accompany me on this hunt, had a great recipe for this. Every year we have a wild game dinner, and this year we had Turkey nuts.