Africa hunting?
- Thread starter gelatine
- Start date
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
True, just so long as folks aren’t looking at the McHunt combo #5 South Africa package a few hours from the airport thinking they’ll see dark Africa. Plains game in the places you want to hunt and experience Africa really isn’t a whole lot cheaper than a good buffalo deal a lot of the time.
I've only been once, but did two completely separate hunts in different countries with different outfitters. From my perspective, the Botswana plains game hunt was an amazing experience, one I certainly don't regret, but having done it once I can't see repeating it.
The Caprivi buffalo hunt was a whole 'nother thing; I spent the entire time in search of the one animal, and we looked for and followed tracks all day, for days on end. We added extra miles to our treks while detouring around elephants; we had our vehicle charged and chased several times by the same angry old bull ele in the same area day after day; we floated down the river in mokoro canoes, watching monster crocodiles sliding into the water around every bend. On one occasion we were following the trackers through shoulder-high grass amid stands of 12-foot-plus papyrus when we bumped into a hippo feeding on land. The sound of grunting and heavy pounding feet, as we stood with shouldered rifles and watched the disturbance in the greenery barreling towards us, is a memory that will never leave me. We never even saw the actual animal until the moment it crossed directly in front of us and plunged into the river, almost close enough to touch with an outstretched rifle barrel.
When I finally laid hands on my buffalo, I had to sit down and wipe tears from my face. The overwhelming emotion of having achieved a dream that had haunted me for half a century was mixed into about a gallon of left-over adrenaline, and it was a pretty potent cocktail. Had never tasted anything even close up to that point, and haven't found its equal in the years since then. I don't know if I'll ever get back there, but I do know that if I do it certainly won't be to hunt plains game again. Buffalo, elephant, hippo...maybe leopard; definitely not plains game, except maybe as an incidental extra. No comparison in my opinion, not even close.
The Caprivi buffalo hunt was a whole 'nother thing; I spent the entire time in search of the one animal, and we looked for and followed tracks all day, for days on end. We added extra miles to our treks while detouring around elephants; we had our vehicle charged and chased several times by the same angry old bull ele in the same area day after day; we floated down the river in mokoro canoes, watching monster crocodiles sliding into the water around every bend. On one occasion we were following the trackers through shoulder-high grass amid stands of 12-foot-plus papyrus when we bumped into a hippo feeding on land. The sound of grunting and heavy pounding feet, as we stood with shouldered rifles and watched the disturbance in the greenery barreling towards us, is a memory that will never leave me. We never even saw the actual animal until the moment it crossed directly in front of us and plunged into the river, almost close enough to touch with an outstretched rifle barrel.
When I finally laid hands on my buffalo, I had to sit down and wipe tears from my face. The overwhelming emotion of having achieved a dream that had haunted me for half a century was mixed into about a gallon of left-over adrenaline, and it was a pretty potent cocktail. Had never tasted anything even close up to that point, and haven't found its equal in the years since then. I don't know if I'll ever get back there, but I do know that if I do it certainly won't be to hunt plains game again. Buffalo, elephant, hippo...maybe leopard; definitely not plains game, except maybe as an incidental extra. No comparison in my opinion, not even close.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Ardent and jjohnwm, you both are quite good at descriptive writing. Your experiences hunting buffalo sent me back to Africa for a brief moment. Thank you for that!
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
It left an impression powdermaker, I hope to do Africa a few more times in my life but it’d have to be a really wild part of it. Won’t be about the animal, that’s just a reason to be out there with a rifle in my hands and an appreciated bonus, it’ll be about the adventure.
Congo / CAR keeps popping into my head and one day I’ll have to do something about it when I have more time. Haven’t been in the African rainforest yet, and it’s calling to me.
Congo / CAR keeps popping into my head and one day I’ll have to do something about it when I have more time. Haven’t been in the African rainforest yet, and it’s calling to me.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Yup, that does it for me. Makes me want to do buffalo #2!
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Not sure who coined the phrase....."miles and miles of bloody Africa".
CAR is maybe a thing from the past but forest where you get the dwarf buff elephant bongo and sitatunga is a thing an hunter need to do to see how some people are living there put aside how good hunters they are with their dogs too ...
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Sunrise from my tent’s front porch in Zimbabwe ten years ago. These are the moments that make me travel to hunt, the animals are just a reason. It was a thick place to hunt buffalo after rains exploded the vegetation, and as a result the best hunt I’ve done I suspect. Will dig up some more.
I may well have to go for work before adventure, but it’s a bit of the same, just no hunting. Still daydream of it often.
I may well have to go for work before adventure, but it’s a bit of the same, just no hunting. Still daydream of it often.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Not sure who coined the phrase....."miles and miles of bloody Africa".
Gorgeous photo!
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Thank you. I can only describe it as "sun blasted". I would like to see it now, after the rains have returned. Namibia had been through a two year drought. Apparently it is very green there now.
Crazy_Farmer
Regular
- Location
- Running Traffic, BC
All I can say and recommend. If you are able to, hunt the wild places. The experience alone is what you go for. Animals are secondary. I can’t see going to SA and filling a list 10+ long appealing to me. At one time I considered it and almost put a deposit down. But held off and sure it costs a helluva more. But my experience in Zimbabwe was straight out of the turn of the century. As close to the good old days of all the legends I read and dreamt about.
Like others CAR and the jungle is a dream I hope to someday see. Not sure if it’s a reality but a dream I will always hold. I hate and sound down on SA and Namibia. I don’t mean it and know for some that’s their once in a lifetime dream of hunting Africa. But my dreams do not have fences.
Like others CAR and the jungle is a dream I hope to someday see. Not sure if it’s a reality but a dream I will always hold. I hate and sound down on SA and Namibia. I don’t mean it and know for some that’s their once in a lifetime dream of hunting Africa. But my dreams do not have fences.
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Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
That’s a hell of a Leopard Buck, the head on him. Crazy Farmer, love it and nice buff and kudu, looks like a great impala too. Will have to dig up more Africa this could be a great thread.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I had much the same as Buckmaster’s experience on Buff chasing this guy in the Kalahari, we just walked and walked for days on his tracks. He knew we were there long before we’d catch sight of him, growl at us and move on. Was an exciting sound the first few times but the program gets old after days of it.
We hunted the heat of the day as even a only a moderately fit human can walk a lion down in 40 degrees, they can’t cool themselves in peak heat and finally stop in the shade and face you. Not a hunt I’d do again though it was interesting, once.
We hunted the heat of the day as even a only a moderately fit human can walk a lion down in 40 degrees, they can’t cool themselves in peak heat and finally stop in the shade and face you. Not a hunt I’d do again though it was interesting, once.
Hi, Folks:
I started to plan my next safari. As I went to Baker lake last time, this time I'm thinking
to go somewhere warmer..... Africa?
I'd thinking something exotic but not too controversial.... So my choice is as followed:
Cape buffalo, Kudu, and giraffe. (Giraffe was my first choice but everyone started talking
it's so cute, they are harmless, why you wanna kill it?.. And it's Controversial... So I
decided to go for something ordinary: buffalo).
After a bit research, I think the best location/price I can find is Namibia.
I talked to some friends and they had bad experience about bribing in Africa, so I wondered
other than bribing, anything else should I be aware of?
I will be renting a rifle there instead bring my own rig. The 375hh with scope is my bottom
line. I don't think I can handle anything bigger than that without muzzle brake.
Any ideas and comments are welcome. What should I be aware of in the trip? Any special
gears I may need? Vaccination?
Thanks for your time and help.
I hunted the buffalo in the Caprivi late march a couple of years ago. It's a bit hit or miss in the early season as the buffalo can easily be somewhere you are not (and it's pretty thick) like Angola or Botswana. You will see a lot more tails and horns than shoulders and chests to aim at.
Plains game is a much better bet early in the year,you might even get rained on.
I've done three hunts in Namibia and they were all fun except the buff hunt.
And I blame the buffalo for that.
I spent a month in there and drove half the length of the country , it's a great place to vacation and I would do it again .
