47" Buffalo

[KEMP AFRICAN SAFARIS]

I just want to get more feedback regarding big Buffalo what are you the hunter feel a Buffalo in this class should price, I am not here to argue about anything just want to see what the hunting community is willing to pay for a big Buffalo.

Thank you

Dawie

Contact me if you have real intrest in a 47" Buffalo and I share info with you.

 

[wesheltonj]

For me, that would depend on the location of the Buffalo. If located where Rowland Ward would allow in their record book, I would certainly pay a premium, otherwise it would be the going rate for Buffalo.

 

[KEMP AFRICAN SAFARIS]

Ok lets say its hunted on a fairly large area 5000 acres all is good for record book entry ,what do you consider a premium ?

 

[YancyW]

I assume you are asking for an all-in price, so 7-10 days of day fees and trophy fee?

 

[KEMP AFRICAN SAFARIS]

Yes not to get technical lets say a 10 day all in and trophy fees for the buffalo .
what will you be willing to pay

 

[Bhfs300]

How about a look at this monster of a cap Buffalo. Good bosses, old or wide young?
What about a photo from the 5000 acres.

 

[Royal27]

Same as for a 37. I wouldn't pay a premium.

 

[WAB]

I’m not sure if this is the situation, but I would not pay to hunt a known animal in a controlled environment. I’d rather shoot an old scrum cap in a truly wild concession.

 

[IdaRam]

Hi Dawie, a very interesting question. I expect you will get a range of interesting replies that will reflect the various individual ways that people view their hunting experience and what they hope to get from it.
I have friends that are much more “trophy” oriented and other friends that are much more “experience” oriented. For me personally I lean quite a long ways toward the “experience”.
I have a point of view similar to Royal’s in that I would not pay more for a specific size buffalo. However, if a PH and his crew were exceptional and due to their efforts I ended up shooting a well above average buffalo, I would certainly factor that into the equation when it came time to leave a tip.
Also, different countries have different ways of doing things. Kinda apples and oranges comparing pricing of a hunt between, for example, South Africa and Mozambique. I am willing to pay more for a “free range” experience than a 5000 acre high fence hunt, even if I shoot a smaller buffalo. That’s just me.
Best wishes with your research and the hunt.

 

[375Fox]

For a South African hunt, I would be much more willing to pay a premium for a bull you could advertise as being from an unmanaged/wild herd in a large area rather than a specific high trophy quality bull that is in a controlled herd/area. This applies to sable as well.

 

[enysse]

If you hunt for adventure and memories, the size of the Cape buffalo won’t matter. You don’t hear of too many huge Cape buffalo taken in the wild any more. Still on AH I have seen some nice picture perfect Cape buffalo sold at good prices in the past give or take about $20000. I’m sure someone out there is looking for a Cape buffalo that is exceptional in size.

 

[mark-hunter]

I just want to get more feedback regarding big Buffalo what are you the hunter feel a Buffalo in this class should price, I am not here to argue about anything just want to see what the hunting community is willing to pay for a big Buffalo.

My personal view:
Lumpsum trophy fee just like for any other buffalo.
What I like about African hunting in general, is that trophy fee in most cases is fixed.

European system of CIC scoring, and charging as per CIC score is too expensive, it is loosing the point. I am not thrilled about that system a bit.

I understand that South Africa is mostly about game ranching and farming.
The biggest breeder bulls, are paid dearly for, for their genetics, and many species are managed and invested in, to bring the best trophy possible from selected gene pool.
So investment in breeder bulls must be paid off.

On the other hand - i hunt for experience, and prefer experience of good hunt, more then size of trophy, and for book records, I simply do not care.

If the top trophy of 47 inch buffalo will cost, for example 15-20 K USD, with same outiftter I will gladly take mediocre buffalo of 34-36-38 inches, for (6?)-7-8-9 k USD. Or old buff cows for (1.5k?)- 2 - 3k as well.
Providing that the hunting area is of appropriate size, and habitat type, to have free range, free roaming, free chase experience.

So, to be competitive, my idea of pricing is to reduce costs to less then average fee for average trophy, and increase costs to much more then average fee for trophy in size of 47 plus.

 

[K-man]

This feels a bit like an auction at a feedyard. I am sure that is not what the OP was intending, but I am waiting for a cadence and a gavel to drop. Good wishes to you and whoever hunts the animal.

 

[Ridge Runner]

This feels a bit like an auction at a feedyard. I am sure that is not what the OP was intending, but I am waiting for a cadence and a gavel to drop. Good wishes to you and whoever hunts the animal.

+1
When I read this earlier that is how I interpreted it.

Five thousand acres is a lot of land, but when your talking Africa, and most outfitters are offer hunts on 4, 5, 10 times or more land; 5000 acres isn't that big of area. IMO.

 

[Red Leg]

I will not go anywhere to hunt a specific animal in an enclosure. A trophy of any size is not worth the feeling that would come with such a hunt (did it once on a deer and have no pride at all in that “trophy”). That said, I have hunted a buffalo on a South African Ranch, and I have no real complaints. But our threshold was age. However, given a choice, I much prefer the Caprivi and Mozambique where my PH’s worked their butts’ off to find their client the best bull they could in the time available. The 42” bull in my avatar is from the Caprivi.

Not everyone thinks that way. As you well know many of your peers advertise specific animals with premiums on size. I am sure someone will bite.

 

[Bullthrower338]

I paid 7k Trophy fee in Zim for a 41” bull, the guy a few weeks before our hunt shot a 49” bull and paid 7k trophy fee. Truth be told I would have been just as happy with a 36” bull that was old, worn down and nasty. I hunt SA and enjoy it, but would not personally participate in a bidding war on a specific critter. Some guys are more sensitive to having the biggest and the best on their wall, I prefer to have a better tale to tell even if it means that the animal is just representative of the species. I hope you get what you want out of him, 47” is an impressive beast!
Cheers,
Cody

 

[Wheels]

There will always be people that chase records, so you should come out with a decent amount of money from a 47" buff. How much I don't know since I don't really know many people that fit into that category. Including most I know through AH.

At least three paradigms seem to be changing, and long term, that may not bode well for large prices on bred RSA buffs going forward.

1. Over the years, people like Dr. Kevin Robertson and others have really pushed to shoot old mature hard bossed bulls. This allows the genes to continue to be spread. I realize this doesn't apply to RSA buffs since the breeding is generally supervised, but the tendency from hunters I know is for hard bossed bulls, regardless the size.

2. The decline in the hunting and breeding industry in RSA.

3. There seems to be a trend among hunters to want to hunt open areas. That may be due to the fact that as hunters age they have the financial ability, and there are not as many younger hunters refilling the pipeline, thus more hunters considering hunting in open areas.


In my opinion, this buff shot by @Jfet is the best buff posted to AH in the last year. Perhaps I am in the minority, but I am willing to pay more for this buff than a 50" buff with soft bosses, shot on any place with fences.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/namibia-into-the-caprivi-kowas-hunting-safaris.51742/


What I hope doesn't happen is for raised 30" buff to be left alone for a few more years, then tranquilized and a sawzall and grinder taken to the horns to have a new category of scrumcap.

Hope you get your bull sold for as much as you can. I am all in for farmers.

 

[wesheltonj]

By my calculations the range of a Cape Buffalo is 92,160 acres, so at 5000 acres, I would not be willing to pay anymore for that one versus a 38” one. 100k acres High Fenced and Rowland Ward eligible, then yes I would pay more, but I am not going to get in a bidding either.

 

[Hank2211]

I think we have gotten a bit off what Mr. Kemp was looking for in this thread . . . and I'm going to make it worse. Perhaps @AfricaHunting.com or @BRICKBURN can take the posts regarding how one we prefer to hunt buffalo out of this thread and create a new one: "How Do You Like to Hunt Buffalo." Just a thought.

Personally, I join those who have no interest in hunting a known animal in a fixed area, and I have to say 5,000 acres is a bit small, in my view. That's just me - I hunt for the experience and not for the record book. I have no problem with those who choose to hunt for the record book, so long as they choose old males who have done their bit. I have a nice 43" buffalo and have no need for a larger trophy, or any size trophy for that matter. Last year I spent 10 days looking for what I now consider a wonderful trophy, and with some difficulty, found it on the last day of my hunt. The picture is below. The best thing about hunting an animal like this is that the trophy fee is very low, and is absolutely no reflection on the experience. Hunting old dug boys with scrum caps is, in my view, more challenging (because they are harder to find and tend to have acquired slyness with age) than hunting "regular" trophy buffalo (although in fairness to Mr. Kemp, 47" is not a "regular" trophy - that would be snorter as my Zim friends would say).

 

[spike.t]

I think we have gotten a bit off what Mr. Kemp was looking for in this thread . . . and I'm going to make it worse. Perhaps @AfricaHunting.com or @BRICKBURN can take the posts regarding how one we prefer to hunt buffalo out of this thread and create a new one: "How Do You Like to Hunt Buffalo." Just a thought.

Personally, I join those who have no interest in hunting a known animal in a fixed area, and I have to say 5,000 acres is a bit small, in my view. That's just me - I hunt for the experience and not for the record book. I have no problem with those who choose to hunt for the record book, so long as they choose old males who have done their bit. I have a nice 43" buffalo and have no need for a larger trophy, or any size trophy for that matter. Last year I spent 10 days looking for what I now consider a wonderful trophy, and with some difficulty, found it on the last day of my hunt. The picture is below. The best thing about hunting an animal like this is that the trophy fee is very low, and is absolutely no reflection on the experience. Hunting old dug boys with scrum caps is, in my view, more challenging (because they are harder to find and tend to have acquired slyness with age) than hunting "regular" trophy buffalo (although in fairness to Mr. Kemp, 47" is not a "regular" trophy - that would be snorter as my Zim friends would say).

View attachment 332148

Hank that must be the twin brother to this one.....