Buffalo Tales

[Bruce]

Buffalo Tales… continued

So, now it is a good couple of years later and I am unfortunately no longer resident in Zambia , but still fortunate enough to be back in RSA, so hunting and fishing remains within our sights!!

I have arranged a 15 x day safari in Zimbabwe in the S-E area bordering the famous Gonarezhou National Park and almost at the famous “ CROOKS CORNER “ neck of the woods that we read about in African Hunting books & History. This is also the centuries old migration path for the elephants trekking Northward from Kruger Park area, Westward from Mozambique and all meeting up for some or other party/ hippie type bash of the times in this Gonarezhou area. I was seriously looking to get a good size tusker and then call it a day as far as elephant hunting was concerned. Having to pay the Safari day fees and charters in any event, I took advantage of the other species on quota and booked 2 x Cape buffalo as well. These were to be for my sons and IF they then couldn’t make it due to work commitments, I would HAPPILY take over that responsibility!!! As it turned out, they both could only get away for 8 x days hunting and then had to get back to RSA and work… cost me an additional charter flight to get them back to Harare for their international flight back to Cape Town… but, heck, that’s what Dad’s are for.. right?

We landed in Harare and everything went smoothly, rifle permits went like a dream, but Thomas’ luggage did not arrive. We wasted some time sorting out the lost baggage issues at the airport, but fortunately our PH lives in Harare and he foned his wife to take charge of this the next day and to collect on our behalf when it was delivered. She was amazing and did it all and the bag got sent down to us by overnight transporter ( SWIFT – who my late mother used to work for at one time way back in the Rhodesia days when I was still a young primary school lad!).. so Thomas got sorted with his own kit and Louis and I got our stuff back from him that he borrowed to get going for the first day.

For privacy sake I will not mention the PH’s name and will refer to him as PH. There was an issue a few months later where a foreign hunter shot and killed a 120lber elephant in this nearby hunting area, so this became an Edward the elephant issue following on from Cecil the Lion..

We spent the first couple of days at PH’s privately owned ranch outside Chiredzi and hunted a concession about 20kms away on the outskirts of some sugar cane plantations and bordering a Conservancy that was demarcated by a river that was mostly dry. Being late May it was mid winter and NO rain for a good few months. So, we would travel down this track that followed the path of the river, looking for buff tracks that had crossed and hopefully headed off into the concession area and NOT back across the river and into the Conservancy, which was a non-hunting area for us! We had picked up fresh tracks on both the first two occasions that we went into this area, but too late and the buff had long crossed into the Conservancy. We made a plan.. as all good hunters do… we got up earlier and drove there quicker and got into the area WAY before sunrise. The vehicle was parked at an estimated “good spot “ and from there on we walked in following the track in pitch darkness, trying to be as quiet as possible and ALSO hoping not to collide with any hungry lions or angry elephant cows and their calves! We walked and then we walked some more… it was still dark. THEN… the very distinct rumblings of a buff herd into the darkness ahead. We stopped dead still… the buff carried on rumbling. I could see jack shit through the scope on my 458 WM ( VORTEX 1-6 x 20 ) which has incredible light sensitivity… passed it to my son, Louis, who was going to shoot first to see if he could see better… my eyes have looooong gone given up the ghost on the excellent bush vision that I had when I wore a younger man’s clothes ( sounds like a line from Billy Joel’s Piano Man song??? ) Louis could also see jack shit… the buff still kept up their racket. We desperately wanted to get onto them before they crossed back into the Conservancy, BUT also did not want to spook them. We advanced more slowly, rifles ready.1 x tracker, Louis and PH in front both with 458 WM.. Dad and Thomas next, me with my 375 H & H and Thomas carrying an FN 7,62 ( 308 ) of the PH’s. The other tracker and a young cadet PH under training bringing up the rear. The driver remained at the parked vehicle with radio comms between us so that he would come, ONLY WHEN CALLED!

We walked some more… the buff racket was getting louder. I was not sure if this was because the herd had quadrupled in size or that we were just getting closer?...OK, we were getting very close now, but we could still see jack shit.

We stopped… MOVEMENT ahead… something had JUST crossed the road and it was AWAY from the river!!!! We did not flinch or whisper a word, letting our eyes try to accustom to the circumstances. We saw more dark hulks… some moving ever so slowly, others dead still.. It was definitely the buff herd and they had just crossed the river FROM the Conservancy into our hunting area…we stood like that for a good 5 minutes or so… I could see PH whispering into Louis’ ear… then the sticks came out and Louis set up… I could still see jack shit. I was wondering to myself what the hell could they be seeing that I was not seeing… I was only 3m behind them at this stage and slightly off to the right. Louis was still on the sticks… it had been a while now… I imagined he was waiting for a bit more light to get a better target view… by now we could make out horns and sex the dark hulks in front of us. A cow stood slap bang in the track and looked towards us… for a long time… I was praying that she would not spook and give the game away. They could see our shapes, I’m sure… but just did not know what the hell we were and why we were not moving… the wind was PERFECT.. from the buff straight down onto us.

I looked back to what Louis and PH were doing… still the same crap. On the sticks… Louis glued to the scope, PH on his left close to his ear. I was desperate to ask Thomas if he could see anything but knew that would blow it… keep calm Dad… it will all go down! BANG!!!!!!! The 458 broke the bush silence… the buff took off in ALL directions… their noise had now increased fourfold as they dashed here and there, most of them crossing straight back over the river to safety, but some headed off into the bush in our side of the world!

I could see a little bit more than jack shit now… not much more, but some!!

We did not move… the bush quietened down… we waited. As good daylight set in, we firstly warmed up a bit and then got braver as NOW we could see ( well, I speak for myself here)… we discussed the issue in a group. It was too close for the tell-tale THUMP of the bullet impact, but Louis and PH were adamant it was a good shot. We slowly made our way to where the bull had stood looking at us.. he had been quartering towards, LEFT TO RIGHT… apparently, so I believe what Louis and PH said… they could see… much younger men than I… well, PH not that much but still… we followed the hoof prints , but there were plenty… NO BLOOD.. we waited some more, hoping for the death bellow.. NADA! We started advancing again… THERE… the DEATH BELLOW in all its Glory!!! Back slapping for Louis’ first Cape Buffalo bull. Not so fast says Mr PH… that one is surely down and dusted, BUT we need another one and a whole lot crossed the road and into the bush on the hunting side. Let’s go get brother Thomas’ buff….we followed tracks for a while but it was soon clear that the drifters had kept running and vanished to be sought after on another day. We headed back to Louis’ bull… we found him dead, just as he had tried to enter the river bed and into the cutting / path used by buff, elephant and hippo for ages to access and leave the river bed. Lying at a weird angle in the steeply sloped pathway… IF he had only had the strength to keep going for another 100m he would have collapsed on the other side and in the Conservancy are… no good to us there!! Lucky break for Louis, BUT more importantly a GREAT shot… straight into the chest/ neck area for the quartering shot and taking out the heart.. the 500gr Swift A Frame performing perfectly again!!

 

[bassasdaindia]

great reading Bruce , thank you

 

[BRICKBURN]

Good job on all counts.

 

[Jon Glajchen]

What an adventure! Well done.

 

[Desperatezulu]

Great stories, Bruce! Keep 'em coming!

We spent the first couple of days at PH’s privately owned ranch outside Chiredzi and hunted a concession about 20kms away on the outskirts of some sugar cane plantations and bordering a Conservancy that was demarcated by a river that was mostly dry.

Sounds like the Mkwasine/Save area?

 

[Bruce]

Great stories, Bruce! Keep 'em coming!

Sounds like the Mkwasine/Save area?

I cannot for the life of me remember the river name or the Conservancy on the other side...I am almost sure it is the Chiredzi Conservancy?? Will get feedback from PH once he finishes his Xmas/ New Year break!!!

 

[AB2506]

NOTE: You pay UPFRONT and if you do not hunt or are unsuccessful, tough… NO REFUNDS!!

Sounds like limited entry hunts in North America!

Great adventure. Keep it coming.

 

[Bruce]

Buffalo tales continues..... we are still in Zimbabwe at the Chiredzi hunting concession and my first born son, Louis, has put his first buff bull in the salt ( previous buff tale )


NOTE: In previous tales I promised to get back with the names of the Conservancy and River where this all took place. Save Valley Conservancy and the river is the Mkwasine River.


So now, Thomas, the other son in my life needs to get his buff into salt.

We head out with the same tactics in mind that we successfully employed with Louis' buff. This being that we left PH's farm early morning to hit the hunting area along the river bed zone before sun up. We again parked the trusty Cruiser, leaving the driver there with a radio, and set off on foot down the track which followed the path of the river. We walked +_ 3kms and as it was just about getting light enough to see, we came onto the buff herd again... Well, we heard them a mile away! Making a lot of grumbling noises and once we got close enough to see, we could see that they were indeed very agitated and crossing backwards and forwards across the road. Some buff running back into the river bed to cross into the Conservancy, but then spinning around and high tailing it back to the road area and safety of the herd. Something was up!!! We huddled together and whispered ideas back and forth amongst us... THEN, the roar and grunts of the King of himself loud and clear from just across the river!! CLOSE…. VERY CLOSE. Typical “after the kill” type grunts and racket made by the lions. The lions had obviously just made a kill from the buff herd, either in the river bed OR just across and still in the Conservancy… the reason why the herd was so jittery and nervous.

We could see better by now and the dark hulk shapes started looking like buffalo. They were eyeing us out as well, but MORE worried about the lions than us. We stalked closer and tried to get within shooting distance for Thomas. Some cows in the open road area were really giving us the eye… next thing, the herd took off and high tailed it into the thicker bush across the road and away from the river… GOOD for us as this was our hunting area. But also bad, as the bush was thick and the going was toyugh… very difficult to track. The herd split up. We followed what we though would be the main section. After a few hours of this, we realised we were onto a hiding from nothing… the buff KNEW we were following them so just kept going!.

We called it a day…

We drove around into other areas and looked for tracks crossing the tracks/ paths that were driving along. Also, asking villagers and people we came across what the buff situation was. Trouble was, they ALL knew where the buff were… they ALL wanted to take us and show us… they ALL wanted meat… in the end most of these were just made up stories in the HOPE of getting something to eat out of it.. One such villager, and one of the local Chief’s sons, led us on a wild goose chase for hours the next day… I didn’t mind as the scenery was outstanding… traipsing through thick, riverine forests, nice and cool, then hitting the blaring sun again in the dry grass/ bush areas… NO BUFF!

We packed this in and called for the vehicle to come and meet us at some intersection or other. We started walking off to this meeting point and just before we got to the cross road point, we came onto fresh buff tracks that had crossed into this thicker bush area that we had been walking in all morning. It was a BIG area by BLOCK, so once we got the vehicle, we drove around the block area looking for any sign of the buff having exited the block… NADA!! They were still inside.

We went back there the next morning early, taking up the tracks at the original crossing point and following them into the bush. We knew they were fairly far ahead of us, time wise, so could move along a lot quicker.’

We eventually caught up with the herd, who were VERY relaxed, and just slowly moving along browsing here and there, not in the least worried about lions or us, as they did not even know we were there! It was a fairly large herd and unfortunately also split up into groups, so we had to be wary of the wind and stragglers not giving the game away. The bush started thinning out, with some open patches in between thicker clumps of bush etc… it was difficult to stalk closer with the herd not quite in shooting distance, but the open patches making it difficult to get closer before the herd again slowly moved away on their sojourn.

We had a local black Zim PH on this day’s hunt and he called us closer together… explaining that we should ALL get onto all fours, rifles across our backs and crawl across the open space in front of us to the thicker area that we were targeting. NO WAY, I thought to myself.. the buff will spot us and bolt!! SURE AS NUTS….. we crawled in single file across this patch, with a LOT of buff looking straight at us…. They did NOT BOLT!!

They were curious as hell as to what we were, but did not even flinch at this strange procession crossing the space. MAYBE we looked like antelope moving across?? Another lesson learnt in another day in Africa!!!

We got into our position ahead of the herd, set up the sticks for Thomas to sight down a naturally formed alley way across which the buff would have to pass, as it was in the general direction that they were grazing/ moving along. PERFECT position, side on to the moving buff and at 39m as per the range finder. We waited, numerous cows and young bulls passed in front, but no shooters. The Chief’s son was going ballistic, demanding that we shoot.. any buffalo… just shoot… all he could see was fresh meat, shame!!

Patience is the game.. we were patient… the Chief’s son was not!!!

Suddenly, after a ½ an hour or so of this waiting for the right moment, all hell broke loose WAY BACK in the bush to the far area behind our herd… stampeding buff taking off. We did not even know they were there… this spooked our herd and they also bolted and followed the rest into the far away bush.. BUSTED!!!!!

It was nearing sundown so we headed back to the vehicle to hunt another day… Thomas’ buff was still not in the salt!


My two sons had to return to RSA within the next two days so Thomas never got his buff in the salt… we return to the Gonarezhou area next month, where I will pursue my dream elephant bull and Thomas to get his buff… of course I will also take a buff, AFTER Thomas has sorted his buff.

FOOTNOTE: After the sons left, I went back to this Mkwasine River area and scouted around for that herd… they did not appear, BUT we did bump into 4 x bulls on their own, very thick bush and only 30m off the track. I managed to take one, shown in the foto here, one shot kill, 458 WM with 500gr Hornady DGX bullet.

 

[tarbe]

All I can say is "WOW!

And...thanks for sharing!


Tim