Buffalo Safaris

" No other game animal is held in higher esteem as a worthy hunting adversary than the African buffalo. The sheer thrill of hunting this mountain of muscle and attitude is unrivalled and addictive. It is one of the only beasts in the bush that looks at you as if you owe it something... "

Behavior

Buffalo are herd animals concentrated on the open savannah where grazing and water is plentiful. They tend to graze from early evening into the night and then the cooler parts of the day, seeking shaded cover as it gets hotter. Both sexes have horns, with males developing the much desired gnarled bosses as they get older. Their eyesight and hearing is quite poor but their sense of smell is excellent. It is much harder to get close to a herd of buffalo than solitary bulls.

The Hunt

Buffalo are generally hunted on foot (this is what makes this hunting so exciting), picking up and following fresh spoor at waterholes or across roads. Older bulls tend to separate from the herds and are solitary or form small bachelor groups often called Dagga boys (meaning mud boys).

The best shot placement for buffalo is to hit vital organs, hopefully breaking bone somewhere in the process. Any experienced PH should advise to go for the "boiler room". If hit properly, the animal will grunt at impact and take off at a gallop, usually signaling death with a characteristic bellow. Very few shots, regardless of caliber will pull a mature bull to the ground unless the shot hits the spine. If in a herd, the wounded animal usually breaks away and heads to thick cover.

DO NOT BE FOOLED - each situation is unique and buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals when wounded. Despite their size they are extremely quick and cunning at camouflage, as they remain absolutely still until one is right upon them.

Caliber

Buffalo are thick-skinned animals and the minimum safe caliber is the .375 Magnum. However, with Buffalo you can never have too much gun. Most PHs swears by the .375 Magnum as a starting point, with the .416s & .458s being a good compromise on price and power. Some hunters will load a soft-nosed round for the first shot, followed by solids as the animal moves off. Personally I think that the soft point bullets that they manufacture today, is all you need. Remember, you want to do as much damage as possible with your first shot and heavy grained, good quality soft-nosed bullets are essential.

The Trophy

Trophy size judgment on buffalo is quite easy but remains an individual choice. Old lone bulls usually have worn horns with characteristic gnarled bosses. The sheer menace and presence of these bad-tempered old men make for an excellent hunt and well-deserved trophy.

A good set of horns starts with a thick heavy wide boss, running outwards and downwards (the deeper the curl the better) well past the ears before curling upwards and back in again. The points then raise upwards and backwards, the higher the better. As a rule, the further past the ears the outer upward curl of the horns is, the better the trophy. In fact, Rowland Ward measurement is based upon the spread of the horns while SCI uses this measurement as supplemental information.

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