Dealing with wounded Cape buffalo

[perttime]

Tracking. It will be found and best that you see or hear it first. Otherwise, the danger goes up exponentially.

Do you follow immediately, or wait a little and let it settle down?

In my northern part of the world, the advice is generally to wait a little and let it settle down. The deer, moose, bear, whatever is getting weaker every minute.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

If it were not for the dogs this could have gone badly.

“People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

The same is true about dogs and people and hunting!

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Do you follow immediately, or wait a little and let it settle down?

In my northern part of the world, the advice is generally to wait a little and let it settle down. The deer, moose, bear, whatever is getting weaker every minute.

Personally I wait a minimum of 10 minutes.
During that period of time much talking and listening takes place between the PH, trackers and client. When the follow up takes place it is the trackers job to track. The PHs job and the clients is to keep their eyes open for imminent threats. Remember danger comes in many forms and directions, not just the buffalo that was hit.

 

[Jonathan Kashouty]

As you all know shot placement is paramount. Practice endlessly at the range shooting off sticks and rapidly taking second and third shots so you can naturally cycle your bolt quickly.
If wounded follow the directions exactly how your PH states.

 

[uplander01]

The bigger rifle the better, my last buff hunt was a 2 buff deal, and I never got tired of carrying around the 500 jeffery, not the easiest rifle to tote around. Everything makes sense once you put it up on sticks and are fixin to punch a hole in that black monster.

 

[BeeMaa]

As you all know shot placement is paramount. Practice endlessly at the range shooting off sticks and rapidly taking second and third shots so you can naturally cycle your bolt quickly.
If wounded follow the directions exactly how your PH states.

That skull would have made for one hell of a European mount with a bullet hole between the eye socket and the boss.

 

[krish]

Wow! 11 shots from a .470 NE, 7 or 8 rounds from a .500NE and/or .458 Lott. You guys are scaring me! LOL I thought I might be able to hunt ONE buffalo in my lifetime, but now I'm not so sure. I would have thought ONE 400gr. bullet from my .416 Rigby or ONE 500gr. bullet from my .458 Lott through the HEART would be sufficient but guess not. Guess I'll have to practice for a head shot if I ever have a chance to hunt a buffalo?

Yes I have read msny a time over 35 years thar at times when the first shot is not right Buffalow's becoming very dangerous. On one account it took 11 or 12 shots to finish of the Buffalo but still killed the tracker who was protecting the PH. IT made me cry reading about it.
Use enough gun.
Krish

 

[mark-hunter]

The recent recovery cost was $500.00 per hour. The search took 1.5 hours.

It's a very simple decision.
Pay an extra $750.00 or loose a $12000.00 trophy.

This is acceptable solution, from client standpoint.

What about dogs, blood hounds? Are they used sometimes to find wounded buff?

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Wow! 11 shots from a .470 NE, 7 or 8 rounds from a .500NE and/or .458 Lott. You guys are scaring me! LOL I thought I might be able to hunt ONE buffalo in my lifetime, but now I'm not so sure. I would have thought ONE 400gr. bullet from my .416 Rigby or ONE 500gr. bullet from my .458 Lott through the HEART would be sufficient but guess not. Guess I'll have to practice for a head shot if I ever have a chance to hunt a buffalo?

It makes sense really, once you have shot out the heart and lungs any more hits there add little extra effect. Now you are down to the brain and the spine, and a charge is probably the best chance to hit either of those.

 

[BRICKBURN]

The only logical thing to do is to call a helicopter in. That's what we did a week ago.

View attachment 516669View attachment 516670

That is one pricy tracker! Obviously safer.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I guess using a helicopter instead of proper trackers and a bit of fear is one of the differences between hunting in different countries?

 

[IvW]

Do you follow immediately, or wait a little and let it settle down?

In my northern part of the world, the advice is generally to wait a little and let it settle down. The deer, moose, bear, whatever is getting weaker every minute.

PH should asses the first shot placement and make a decision based on that.....in some cases waiting up to an hour would be advised....

 

[spike.t]

I guess using a helicopter instead of proper trackers and a bit of fear is one of the differences between hunting in different countries?

 

[Safari Dave]

My PH wanted me to load my magazine rifle this way for buffalo:

solid
solid
expanding
solid
expanding (which would be the first shot) in the chamber

 

[Dinsdale]

I guess using a helicopter instead of proper trackers and a bit of fear is one of the differences between hunting in different countries?

About the time they tell you to start paying for a helicopter, is when you realize you bought the wrong hunt.

 

[slad68]

Hi guys, not sure if this is the correct post to ask...

I have seen several videos where the PH follow shoot straight after the client, and even in some cases dropping the buffalo
Is this necesarry? I mean, if no danger or charge why this happens?

I would definitely not be happy with this situation...

You have all the right not to be happy if your ph shoots directly after your shot, especially if that wasn't the arrangement.

I have had hunters require a back up shot immediately after they shot and still held off on my shot.

Not everyone is the same but when hunting with me you can be assured that I will not shoot unless we are in a dangerous situation. Any Buffalo with a well placed shot to the heart or lungs will go down after 100 to 250 yards and the blood trail will also confirm the quality of the shot. Simple rule, if there is a good blood trail, the shot was good, if not the shot was bad.


After determining that the shot wasn't good the decision should be made, do you as hunter want a buck up shot on first sight or only in a dangerous/charge situation? If the Buffalo charge EVERYONE SHOOTS....period.

 

[flatwater bill]

Everyone likes to hunt "dangerous game".......unless it actually becomes dangerous.....
Watch YT, and you will see some clients and even PH's terrified of buffalo.
better to have a calm, cool PH with 450 or larger double I think.
this is very pertinent, as I am in the first stages of researching a buffalo hunt.
Have only a 375 and a 416 Rigby to choose from..............thanks to OP for posting
FWB

 

[slad68]

I guess using a helicopter instead of proper trackers and a bit of fear is one of the differences between hunting in different countries?

In your professional opinion, what would you do if a single track with no blood gets mixed up with 40 other buffalo tracks and you have no idea where to go? Loose the animal and submit your invoice or find it by any way possible?

FYI....referring to a Zim tracker as a proper tracker is a overstatement. I don't employ any Zimbabweans in my business. They are the most useless and spoiled bunch I have ever had to deal with.

 

[slad68]

About the time they tell you to start paying for a helicopter, is when you realize you bought the wrong hunt.

The time they tell you to start paying for a helicopter is the you should realize you buggered up and should have practiced more.

 

[Scott CWO]

Do you follow immediately, or wait a little and let it settle down?

In my northern part of the world, the advice is generally to wait a little and let it settle down. The deer, moose, bear, whatever is getting weaker every minute.

It varies by PH. Where I guide in Alaska for brown bears, I wait at least a half an hour when a wounded bear gets into heavy cover. In 2021, I had a client shoot a big bear at 30 yards with a .375JDJ single shot handgun. The bear spun and took off going away (thankfully) and into heavy cover. I got a shot into the bear at 40 yards with my Lott as he was about to disappear. He kept going out of sight but I could tell we had both hit him. We waited about 45 minutes while we climbed up a hillside to do an overwatch to look and listen. After 45 minutes, we slowly entered the cover. It was so thick that we about stepped on the bear before seeing it. Thankfully, it was dead. If we had charged right in after the bear, it could have ended badly if he was still alive in such heavy cover. I would think the same waiting period could work in Africa for buffalo. Luckily, all my buffalo went right down or stayed within sight until down.