First Buffalo hunt: Mozambique vs. South Africa

[xbr897]

I admit to being fairly new to hunting in Africa, with just 2 South Africa hunts under my belt. First was on a Cabela's package in 2022 (using PH's rifle) and then booking on my own for 2023 (using my Blaser R8). A little while back I was looking at Cabela's packages for 2024 and their offering of a Cape Buffalo hunt caught my interest. It was to be booked in South Africa and was at first tempting as it seemed to include both a Sable and a Cape Buffalo at a price typical for just a buffalo, but they later changed description to just the Buffalo so not so much of a 'deal'. Though I decided not to book that, that set the idea of a buffalo hunt in my head. I started reading threads here on where to hunt and have some basic info of South Africa being less 'wild' that other locations.

I don't want to feel like I'm just out grocery shopping for a buffalo, even if its a very nice one that would be a great mount. The Kudu I shot on the last day of my first safari is still crisp in my memories as it took us 3 days trying to find one to get it, and that work for it made it all the much more rewarding. For a Buffalo, I want to have a high chance of success but I don't want to just get out of the vehicle on the first day, walk a mile, and shoot one. I want to work for it to find the right one for me, not just to find one.

I've talked with two outfitters, both well recommended here. One hunt would be in South Africa and the other would be in Mozambique's Niassa province. I'm trying to decide which one to do. I've seen some recent threads but haven't seen more specific info on the actual experience of the more 'wild' hunts. I'd appreciate any links to trip reports from anyone who has experienced each location or other threads with more specific details around differences between them.

I understand that the lodges will be more basic in Mozambique, not quite as nice as something like the South Africa lodge facilities that have been posted here in trip reports. But in terms of the hunt itself, how different is the environment? more flat in any area? more marshy/wetlands? I realize Mozambique will have no fences and a 15-20000 acre area in South Africa would have fencing. On my 2 hunts before, I know I was within some high fenced areas on some days (not for the Kudu). But other than entry driving through the fences, I don't recall seeing any fences during actual hunting.

For me, I'm in early 50s. I'd like to think I'll return to Africa each year or every other year at worst. But, I've seen too many friends and colleagues in past few years that pass away in their 40s and 50s having missed out on things they wanted to do in life. My original thought was to go with the South Africa hunt at lower cost and then if I like it to do the more wild hunt down the road. But now I'm more considering going for the Mozambique hunt to get the more wild experience and then decide if I want to repeat it down the road, try a less wild experience, or consider myself done with Buffalo and looking back to other animals. Any thoughts, experience, suggestions are appreciate. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

 

[Flewis]

Got my buffalo on the first day in Zambia. My nephew got his on 5th in South Africa. Take your pick. With the right outfit there is no wrong answer.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

I admit to being fairly new to hunting in Africa, with just 2 South Africa hunts under my belt. First was on a Cabela's package in 2022 (using PH's rifle) and then booking on my own for 2023 (using my Blaser R8). A little while back I was looking at Cabela's packages for 2024 and their offering of a Cape Buffalo hunt caught my interest. It was to be booked in South Africa and was at first tempting as it seemed to include both a Sable and a Cape Buffalo at a price typical for just a buffalo, but they later changed description to just the Buffalo so not so much of a 'deal'. Though I decided not to book that, that set the idea of a buffalo hunt in my head. I started reading threads here on where to hunt and have some basic info of South Africa being less 'wild' that other locations.

I don't want to feel like I'm just out grocery shopping for a buffalo, even if its a very nice one that would be a great mount. The Kudu I shot on the last day of my first safari is still crisp in my memories as it took us 3 days trying to find one to get it, and that work for it made it all the much more rewarding. For a Buffalo, I want to have a high chance of success but I don't want to just get out of the vehicle on the first day, walk a mile, and shoot one. I want to work for it to find the right one for me, not just to find one.

I've talked with two outfitters, both well recommended here. One hunt would be in South Africa and the other would be in Mozambique's Niassa province. I'm trying to decide which one to do. I've seen some recent threads but haven't seen more specific info on the actual experience of the more 'wild' hunts. I'd appreciate any links to trip reports from anyone who has experienced each location or other threads with more specific details around differences between them.

I understand that the lodges will be more basic in Mozambique, not quite as nice as something like the South Africa lodge facilities that have been posted here in trip reports. But in terms of the hunt itself, how different is the environment? more flat in any area? more marshy/wetlands? I realize Mozambique will have no fences and a 15-20000 acre area in South Africa would have fencing. On my 2 hunts before, I know I was within some high fenced areas on some days (not for the Kudu). But other than entry driving through the fences, I don't recall seeing any fences during actual hunting.

For me, I'm in early 50s. I'd like to think I'll return to Africa each year or every other year at worst. But, I've seen too many friends and colleagues in past few years that pass away in their 40s and 50s having missed out on things they wanted to do in life. My original thought was to go with the South Africa hunt at lower cost and then if I like it to do the more wild hunt down the road. But now I'm more considering going for the Mozambique hunt to get the more wild experience and then decide if I want to repeat it down the road, try a less wild experience, or consider myself done with Buffalo and looking back to other animals. Any thoughts, experience, suggestions are appreciate. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

we can certainly help you out with a great walking and stalking buff hunt that you wont forget
if you want more info, caontact me please
but more importantly your thinking is correct, people are dying or delaying adventures all the time
no time like the present, book and hunt, do 1 in each country, just get out there and hunt

 

[Hank2211]

Let me start with my own - personal - definition of a ‘legitimate’ buffalo hunt. It’s one where:

1. The buffalo are not put and take; that is, the buffalo you will be hunting is from a self-sustaining herd which lives and dies on the same property. Having said that, the buffalo you are hunting may not be part of a breeding herd (private game ranches usually keep cows in separate areas), but that’s often the case when chasing dugga boys as well, so I don’t differentiate there.

2. The property is large enough that the buffalo can escape you. I don’t have a personal minimum in terms of size, but topography will be important. What may be adequate for one sort of terrain may be too small for another.

3. You hunt in the traditional manner. That is, you start early in the morning by checking waterholes for fresh tracks, and when you find them, you begin to track. I have nothing against anyone who wants to shoot from a truck, or use a truck to spot and stalk. If that’s OK with you, then go for it. But it’s not what I look for.

You can have a “legitimate” buffalo hunt in South Africa, using this definition, but you may have to press the issue and you should get it in writing. Your hunt in Mozambique will more likely be ‘traditional‘, but even there, the buffalo may have been re-introduced, as many areas were decimated during the civil wars. But the buffalo which live there now live natural lives and normally have the ability to come and go as they please (although availability of water tends to keep them to certain areas).

On the other hand, you will more likely be assured of a bigger (though not necessarily better!) trophy in South Africa, but if you have time and are patient, and in a good area, you can often find very good specimens in Mozambique as well. Just know that buffalo which are bred for horn size do tend to show the results of that breeding!

Lastly, you will likely find that the cost of hunting a buffalo in Mozambique is generally higher than in South Africa. The trophy fee may well be lower, but the daily rates are almost certainly going to be higher. Mozambique is a poor country and hunting there makes me think of “olde Africa” more than hunting in South Africa, but some just say one is more ‘third world’ than the other, so again, that’s a matter of personal preference. If you forget something back home, you can usually find a replacement in South Africa not too far from wherever you might be; that’s not often the case in Mozambique. And, if this matters to you (it doesn’t to me), English isn’t widely spoken in Mozambique, although your PH will almost certainly be a native English speaker.

The bottom line is that you should decide what matters to you, and then make sure whichever outfitter you choose understands exactly what you want and is prepared to give it to you - in writing is usually best (and check references if you don’t know the outfitter - it can be hard to fix problems once you’re in Africa).

Best wishes for a great hunt.

 

[WAB]

Personally I prefer a tracking hunt in a bush camp. I want to hear leopard saw and lion roar. I’d like to have to work around the odd elephant while on the track.

Of the buffalo hunts I have done, my favorite was in Dande with Len Taylor.

 

[TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS]

Good Day Sir

We at Tsala Safaris pride ourselves on our authentic buffalo hunting experience either in South African on our own 10 000 acres property or on our concession area in Mozambique.We also have a wonderfull concessions area bordering the Kruger National Park.

All our hunts are conducted on areas with self sustaining herds ,tracking on foot ,getting in close.

There are few buff hunt reviews of our operation on AH.

You are most welcome to contact us , even if its juts to talk buff hunting and get a feel for things.

Regards

Rouan

 

[Rare Breed]

I admit to being fairly new to hunting in Africa, with just 2 South Africa hunts under my belt. First was on a Cabela's package in 2022 (using PH's rifle) and then booking on my own for 2023 (using my Blaser R8). A little while back I was looking at Cabela's packages for 2024 and their offering of a Cape Buffalo hunt caught my interest. It was to be booked in South Africa and was at first tempting as it seemed to include both a Sable and a Cape Buffalo at a price typical for just a buffalo, but they later changed description to just the Buffalo so not so much of a 'deal'. Though I decided not to book that, that set the idea of a buffalo hunt in my head. I started reading threads here on where to hunt and have some basic info of South Africa being less 'wild' that other locations.

I don't want to feel like I'm just out grocery shopping for a buffalo, even if its a very nice one that would be a great mount. The Kudu I shot on the last day of my first safari is still crisp in my memories as it took us 3 days trying to find one to get it, and that work for it made it all the much more rewarding. For a Buffalo, I want to have a high chance of success but I don't want to just get out of the vehicle on the first day, walk a mile, and shoot one. I want to work for it to find the right one for me, not just to find one.

I've talked with two outfitters, both well recommended here. One hunt would be in South Africa and the other would be in Mozambique's Niassa province. I'm trying to decide which one to do. I've seen some recent threads but haven't seen more specific info on the actual experience of the more 'wild' hunts. I'd appreciate any links to trip reports from anyone who has experienced each location or other threads with more specific details around differences between them.

I understand that the lodges will be more basic in Mozambique, not quite as nice as something like the South Africa lodge facilities that have been posted here in trip reports. But in terms of the hunt itself, how different is the environment? more flat in any area? more marshy/wetlands? I realize Mozambique will have no fences and a 15-20000 acre area in South Africa would have fencing. On my 2 hunts before, I know I was within some high fenced areas on some days (not for the Kudu). But other than entry driving through the fences, I don't recall seeing any fences during actual hunting.

For me, I'm in early 50s. I'd like to think I'll return to Africa each year or every other year at worst. But, I've seen too many friends and colleagues in past few years that pass away in their 40s and 50s having missed out on things they wanted to do in life. My original thought was to go with the South Africa hunt at lower cost and then if I like it to do the more wild hunt down the road. But now I'm more considering going for the Mozambique hunt to get the more wild experience and then decide if I want to repeat it down the road, try a less wild experience, or consider myself done with Buffalo and looking back to other animals. Any thoughts, experience, suggestions are appreciate. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

just my two cents having just got back from a Zim buff hunt on 2 million acres no fence. while i certainly enjoyed it, got a nice buff the experience itself was no better to me versus my buff hunt in Limpopo. Both hunts took me seven days to get my bull and both involved walking up and down hills which i both was ready for and enjoyed. Zim cost me $7k more than Limpopo. to me it was important to experience the latter but i would not make that choice again, just my experience.

 

[Rare Breed]

Tsala is by far my favorite place to hunt for a nice buff. i am hunting leopard with them in 25 and without question my third buff will be with them as was my first in Limpopo

 

[thi9elsp]

I can't comment on South Africa as I've not yet hunted there although it is on my planned future hunt list. I've hunted buffalo with plains game in both the Zambezi Valley and Niassa Province Mozambique. The following apply to the Niassa hunt:

Travel: Plan on some domestic hops to get to Niassa. Probably via Maputa through Beira, Tete or Lichinga. Then road transfer or possibly a charter flight. It adds to the adventure and cost.

Camp: Expect tented accommodations, possibly on concrete slabs with ensuite. Once the camp staff zipped us in at night, you do not leave the tent until they get you up in the morning. We had baboons in the trees at night, lions nearby, and leopard prints too. Food was based upon what was hunted supplemented by eggs, vegetables, soups (Portuguese tradition), and fresh baked goods.

Hunting: Up by 5 am, out of camp within a half hour, driving to water holes and looking for tracks crossing the dirt tracks. Surprising to me were the amount of hills / elevation climbs while tracking in Niassa in the hunting block where I hunted. You will likely have blown stalks due to wind, elephants, or buffalo circling around and bolting. After two, three or four hours of hiking, often times it will still be an hour or more hike to get back to a road where the driver can meet you. Rinse, wash, repeat! ;-). But well worth it.

John

 

[Flipper Dude]

I just like hunting buffalo where there are lions and elephants and bears (oh my!)

 

[WAB]

I just like hunting buffalo where there are lions and elephants and bears (oh my!)

Bears?

 

[Dinsdale]

Personally I prefer a tracking hunt in a bush camp. I want to hear leopard saw and lion roar. I’d like to have to work around the odd elephant while on the track.

Of the buffalo hunts I have done, my favorite was in Dande with Len Taylor.

+1……gonna be hard to top my 2017 hunt with Len.

OP…I did several SA and Namibia hunts both fenced and unfenced for plains game before booking a DG hunt in Zimbabwe.

Had some really good PH’s (and one lemon); if I had to do it again I’d have done less hunts overall and done more DG hunts in “wild” places given the same budget.

 

[uplander01]

Go to wild Africa. By wild I don't mean a ranch/property, the money will be a negligible difference in the big picture if you do your homework. You may have to travel a little longer, work harder and suffer more with elements present, but it will be worth it. I'm a big fan of Makore Safaris, hunted with them twice now, they don't disappoint, Ph's all good, Mozambique Coutada 9, or their Zimbabwe Save Concession can't get any bigger or wilder.

 

[WAB]

Go to wild Africa. By wild I don't mean a ranch/property, the money will be a negligible difference in the big picture if you do your homework. You may have to travel a little longer, work harder and suffer more with elements present, but it will be worth it. I'm a big fan of Makore Safaris, hunted with them twice now, they don't disappoint, Ph's all good, Mozambique Coutada 9, or their Zimbabwe Save Concession can't get any bigger or wilder.

The Duckworth’s are first class!

 

[revturbo9967]

This is a thread I started a few years ago asking a similar question. Very good information.

Hunting Buffalo in South Africa vs everywhere else

I've been in the debate in my head for quite some time now to hunt buffalo sooner rather than not at all. I'm not in any planning stages right now but I've been reading an awful lot about Buff hunting in the Caprivi. From hunting reports and videos, this area seems like a prime DG destination...

www.africahunting.com

 

[Beck]

I have hunted buffalo in South Africa and Mozambique. The outfitter is very important as you can have great experiences in either country. I would suggest contacting Cabassa Safaris - they have locations in SA and Mozambique - they can curtail the hunt to your needs/desires. My hunt in Mozambique was more challenging, and the buffalo was much smaller - but I admire that trophy more than my other buffalo because of the experience

 

[375Fox]

I have not hunted Mozambique yet but there is a significant difference in experience between wild hunts in concession areas and ranch hunts. A huge number of variables play into success on a hunt in a wild area. Time of year, previous rains, burning, lions, one week to next can be a very different hunt and different game numbers in area. A ranch hunt is much more predictable because of the fence and smaller area and most ranches have very few, if any, real predators. I think the question to ask yourself is what makes the trophy valuable to you. A wild buffalo to me is one that crossed boundaries, fought to breed, and was harassed by poachers and lions its whole life. Any degree of human management would start to diminish the trophy to me. The first buffalo I ever saw in RSA was getting chased down the highway along fence line. It was a trophy bull, I don’t know if it was an escape or a botched transport attempt. I also hunted plains game on property with only young bulls that were brought in and hunted a different property where two rouge bulls broke in from somewhere and I’ve driven past many breeding camps. The quality of buffalo hunting can vary a lot in South Africa. Many outfitters are not directly managing the areas they hunt there and sharing the areas with other outfitters. I’d ask clearly what self sustaining means and verify it if it’s an important consideration to you. The definition appears to have become very flexible and incorporated with game ranching industry there. There are good and bad concession areas as well, but game numbers can only increase naturally through good anti-poaching and adding water. Recognizing a quality concession area is more clear to me.
I’ve read and heard nothing but amazing things about Niassa, but from what I understand it is also one of the more expensive areas you can hunt. Have you considered looking into Zimbabwe? You could hunt some of the best areas there at same day rates as Niassa but significantly lower trophy fees on plains game and lower dip/pack costs and shipping home costs and no individual license fees. An area like Nyakasanga you will get wild Africa with no villages and see lions, elephants, buffalo most days. A community area like Dande with villages will be better pricing and a tougher hunt, but still nearly 100% success on buffalo. Zimbabwe might be a good compromise for you.
If you can afford and have the time, wild Africa really gives a better hunt in my opinion. Also the fenced areas will be there in 20 years. Many concession areas are under more pressure each day as the human population grows in Africa. I’d go while you can, they might not be there tomorrow.

 

[wesheltonj]

On South Africa ask if Roland Ward has accepted a trophy shot on that property into their Record Book. The relevant question is not if they are Record Book size, but acceptable based upon their guidelines. If not pass. A lot of RSA does not qualify.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

On South Africa ask if Roland Ward has accepted a trophy shot on that property into their Record Book. The relevant question is not if they are Record Book size, but acceptable based upon their guidelines. If not pass. A lot of RSA does not qualify.

What if you have never had a client want to register their trophy withrowland ward or SCI?
So mamy clients dont bother with registering their trophies. Its about the experience

 

[Zim Fan]

Niassa is easy enough to get to. If you go into JNB, the next day take the SA Airlink flight to Pemba and then you will take a charter to camp.

For Big Buffalo later in the season is better. Dave Langerman has had great success for many years in the L7 concession and just this week he was on Hornadys show with an excellent bull he took with a client last year. Plenty of really nice Sable to choose from.

Camps are not SA 5 star but are very nice and the food is very good. Hot water, ensuite bathrooms and a true wilderness area.

Head to Zim, Moz, Zambia or Tanzania for your Buffalo adventure.