Buffalo or Sable

[Bigguns]

Planning a 2nd trip to South Africa in 2019.

Question for the AH community, would you prefer a Cape Buffalo or a Sable and “smalls” for the same budget? What is the preference?

 

[cpr0312]

I mean a sable is a beautiful animal, but the experience of hunting buff is hard to beat.

Are you saying you have an offer for the same price picking either sable or buff? I would go buff!!!

 

[Royal27]

Buffalo, hands down.

Sable in SA, to me, isn't much of a hunt. They are pretty easy.... Now if you just want a Sable then go for it, but if you want a bit more of a challenge, do the buff.

If in SA, I'd also look at some of the APNR areas that are available as opposed to a ranch.

 

[GA Hunter]

Buffalo

 

[Mekaniks]

Right now it looks like sable costs are about 60-70% of the cost of a bull buff in SA.
If you do some reasearch I bet you could probebly hunt a sable and two buff cows for the cost of a good bull.
That said a free range buff bull hunt would be awesome. And then add a Sable at the same time would be incredible. So my vote is to just HUNT BOTH!,

 

[cls]

Planning a 2nd trip to South Africa in 2019.

Question for the AH community, would you prefer a Cape Buffalo or a Sable and “smalls” for the same budget? What is the preference?

Cape Buffalo would be my vote

 

[fourfive8]

No question- buffalo

 

[K-man]

Buffalo. When I was in the Save conservancy last the trophy fee on buffalo was $5000. Trophy fee on sable was $7000 plus an extra day rate. Buffalo are a rush you just don't duplicate with plains game, just my take. Probably the only animal I may hunt more than once.

 

[ActionBob]

Most deffinately buffalo. If it is in a large enough area such as an APNR.

Depending what you are looking for as far as the expierience.

Personally I would go to a place like Mozambique or Zimbabwe or even Zambia for buff and/or sable. It has been a transitional learning process for me but several Outfitters from RSA have taught me this

And if you watch the deals that come along, it can be very reasonable to hunt the real wild areas... Heck even Tanzania has some creative and economical buffalo deals. And really good trophy potential, just be aware of the associated costs there.

 

[CAustin]

Old Black Death himself should be on the top of the list.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Where are you going to hunt?

 

[IvW]

Buffalo without a doubt. There are a few areas where you can hunt them on very large areas out of large self sustaining breeding herds or as small groups of dagga bulls. They may cost a bit more in these areas but the hunting experience would be a lot better.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

No question, Cape Buffalo.

 

[petrusg]

Why not do Both? It is hard to compare a Dangerous game hunt with a plains game hunt.... If you want to add a couple of trophies to your room the i would go for Sable and some plains game but if you have all the trophies you can think of and want to do the hunt for the experience i would go for the buffalo. Please have a look at some of our specials we are running on Sable, Buffalo Bulls, Buffalo Cows, and plains game.

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/pro-hunting-safaris-discounted-hunt-package-deals-2018.41902/

 

[Shootist43]

My second trip is going to be my 75 Birthday gift to myself. Well almost, it was actually my wife's idea. Due to a motorcycle accident back in 1971 I'm barely able to walk. If I were younger and in much better health maybe my choice would have been Buffalo. But life intervened, now I'm going for a Spiral Slam and maybe a Sable. Other guys in my party have hippo and buff on their menu, my hat goes off to them. At the end of the day we will be sharing stories and a cold one over a campfire. To me, that is more of what hunting is all about.

 

[Red Leg]

Where are you going to hunt?

This is an important question. In SA you can hunt buffalo on a large concession/ranch from a self-sustaining population or shoot one released onto a game farm simply to be shot. Those tend to be two very different hunting scenarios.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Buffalo! Or just do both then it’s a no brainer.

 

[LivingTheDream]

I'm thinking both...but I have been known to be a bad influence with hunting budgets.

 

[gillettehunter]

There have been some price adjustments on Sable. Especially in RSA. Not sure how low they will go. They are probably down 30-40% over the last 3-4 yrs. As they go lower the chance to do both could be possible. Sable from a wild area like Zambia, Moz or Zim is a different sort of hunt than one from RSA. Because of poaching concerns many RSA sable are on smaller properties away from roads. No use making it too easy to poach an animal that brought 8K a couple of yrs ago and still will bring 5K. They also check them regularly to make sure they have not been bothered. They get used to trucks driving through. Just not as wild. Sable are a beautiful and majestic animal. They can be challenging or simply a shoot.
As mentioned by ActionBob above the same may be true of a buffalo in RSA. When they are raised in a area with predators with a lot of room to roam they act differently then when raised in smaller bomas and released for hunting. So part of the equation comes down to where as asked by Brickburn above. Then property size and are they a self sustaining population.
Most love the thrill of a buffalo hunt. I have been to Africa 4 times and have still only hunted plains game. I was offered a buf while in RSA a few yrs ago. Looked too easy to me where I was at that time. Like just walk up to him and shoot. Not really a hunt. So I passed. Currently have an exceptional offer down in the East Cape on good sized properties. 55,000, 30,000 and 25,000 acres owned by one company. All have buff. Trying to decide if I want one there or in a "wild" area. Not sure what I will do.......... Right now, thanks in big part to AH, I have way too many offers. Still trying to sort out my priorities. Then the who with and where will become clearer.
Bruce

 

[Bigguns]

This is an important question. In SA you can hunt buffalo on a large concession/ranch from a self-sustaining population or shoot one released onto a game farm simply to be shot. Those tend to be two very different hunting scenarios.

I do not want to hunt a Buff that was released just to be shot.

I was thinking SA on a large concession or ranch.