The Bastardization Of The Term Dagga Boy

[Muting the Goat]

I agree with what you wrote but I don’t see the harm. It’s a buffalo bull. It’s up to the hunter to tell the PH the type of bull he’s looking for. I also think many have an unrealistic ideal in their mind for many areas. I think the more African hunting one does the more the definition of dagga boy gets refined for each hunter.

I think there is harm when a client tells the outfitter/PH they want to shoot a specific type/class of animal - whether it be a 30" mule deer or a dagga boy - and after killing an animal that doesn't meet those standards - the client is told they do meet the standard. In the example of a 30" mule deer, it's easy to measure the antlers and know if it truly is as big as the client was told. But a subjective term like dagga boy is easier to be abused by unscrupulous outfitters/PHs.

 

[Muting the Goat]

Please take note that the correct Zulu word is DAGHA.
Dagga refers to Cannabis, and there is no word like Dugha.

Dagga/Dugga/Dagha - It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world!

 

[Muting the Goat]

Very interesting topic and discussion but it seems as though we’ve cleared up approximately nothing. I’ve not shot a Bull yet myself, but maybe on my next trip I’ll try to get close enough to tell if any bulls spotted are proper Dagga Boys or not.

Just to be clear, the tags in their ears don’t tell me anything definitive right? I was thinking that maybe they were color coded or something.

(Before anyone blows a gasket, that was my version of sarcasm, if your blood pressure started to come up, you might consider another swallow of whatever you are currently consuming.)

In reality, we didn't clear anything up!

 

[Altitude sickness]

Sounds like a good enterprise for an up-and-coming wildlife biologist.

collar some bulls of various ages and check their patterns. of course like a migratory birds and a band. they could be shot but put enough out and that won’t be an issue.

Look at the old Bulls shot in Mozambique swamp units. Huge herds.
I think the herd or loaner criteria is the least accurate

 

[Muting the Goat]

Sounds like a good enterprise for an up-and-coming wildlife biologist.

collar some bulls of various ages and check their patterns. of course like a migratory birds and a band. they could be shot but put enough out and that won’t be an issue.

Look at the old Bulls shot in Mozambique swamp units. Huge herds.
I think the herd or loaner criteria is the least accurate

The term dagga boy originated in Zimbabwe, so perhaps its use is only applicable in that region. I know my friends in South Carolina call freshwater turtles "cooters" - and that's not how we use the term in Arizona!

 

[Rafiki]

I would think that most would call this an example of a "Dagga Boy" (the buffalo not me). This old fellow was taken in TZ last October. We caught up to him at the bottom of a "jungle" covered ravine after many hours of tracking. He had no hair to speak of, scarred face and hide, worn boss and tips and on inspection extremely worn teeth. My PH estimated that he was about 15-years old. Old and tired as he was it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.

 

[DieJager]

I have yet to hunt them but what if I shoot a young bull that identifies as a dagga boy?

Changes are that you shot a bull that is a left winger, probably goes to the girls bathroom and fancies other bulls.

You can easily spot them because they wear pink hats.

 

[Muting the Goat]

I would think that most would call this an example of a "Dagga Boy" (the buffalo not me). This old fellow was taken in TZ last October. We caught up to him at the bottom of a "jungle" covered ravine after many hours of tracking. He had no hair to speak of, scarred face and hide, worn boss and tips and on inspection extremely worn teeth. My PH estimated that he was about 15-years old. Old and tired as he was it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.


View attachment 663794View attachment 663795

I agree - this is what I consider a dagga boy, and I think most people would agree. Congratulations, that's a great bull! Imagine the battles he's been in with lions, hyenas, and other bulls. What a warrior. And don't discount yourself - you might qualify for dagga boy status!

 

[Andrew62]

Seriously, I do see a few splotches of mud. But the point is there are some definitions that do not always apply. So maybe we say 6 of the 8 criteria need to be present. For instance Old bulls do not ALWAYS stay separated from the herds.

And some very old worn down horns are found in herds.

But calling my first bull approximately an 8 yr old a Dugga Boy would be silly.

It won’t matter soon as Dugga Boy is being replaced by. “ post breeding age bull” as the new requirement that all Buffalo hunters must follow to be accepted

You're cracking me up on these posts today, lol, you should consider changing your name to "Butter", because you're on a roll!!! lol

 

[grand veneur]

I have now read this definition several times in various articles and it was also until now for me the definition of a Dagga-boy.

‘Dagga boys’ is a term used to describe old and usually solitary buffalo bulls who have been forced out of the herd by young virile bulls, or have fallen behind the herd due to their need for softer vegetation.

 

[VINOYASADO]

What about this guy? would this be considered an authentic and truly dagga-boy?

 

[dogcat1]

No, he just has a bad haircut....

 

[BRICKBURN]

Its almost the same as the term "Dark Africa" and we know how many pages that took???

It is about the same type of debate.

Let's have some fun.
Since we are chatting about Bastardization.
Language is constantly evolving and when you throw a few cultures into the mix: Dutch, English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, etc.

What does ‘dagga’ mean in Jamaica?
Dagga or daggering is a ‘dance'. It’s when men stand behind women and hump them like dogs. It sounds bad but it’s apart of the culture.

As noted already:
Dagga (Afrikaans pronunciation: [/ˈdaχa/]) is a word used in certain areas of Southern Africa to describe cannabis.

dagha​

/ˈdɑːɡə/, /ˈdaɡa/
Forms:daager, daga
Origin:Afrikaans, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa
a. Building mortar, used for laying bricks and for plastering walls and floors, previously made chiefly of mud or ant-hill soil and sometimes mixed with cow-dung and/or blood; now often a mixture of soil, sand, and lime

Then we have the "internet authority" story telling version:

DAGGA BOY​

This might seem a strange description for a lone African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) seen wallowing in the mud, walking ever so slowly towards a waterhole or grazing in the veld. The double ‘g’ in dagga is pronounced as you would the ‘g’ in ‘gold’ or ‘glory’. The term ‘dagga’ in this context most likely has its origins in the Zulu word udaka (meaning mud or clay). In fact, you might frequently see remnants of mud caked on the hide of these lone buffalo. This is because they seem to spend a lot of time either rolling in mud or immersing themselves in muddy wallows.
These solitary old buffalo are past their prime – you can usually see how their covering of hair has thinned so that bald spots appear. By wallowing in thick mud the buffalo ensure they have a barrier against both the sun and the parasites that might infest these bald spots. Here two of these old dagga boys have teamed up in the Kruger National Park to seek water. Note the Red-billed Oxpeckers on their backs – they too help rid these animals of pesky parasites.
This lone dagga boy is grazing in the Addo Elephant National Park – not far from water, yet with no other buffalo to be seen in the area. He is possibly staying in this area with soft green grass because his teeth have worn down with age and so it is easier to eat. Note his heavy boss and upward curved horns – he must have been a formidable bull in his prime.
Now he lives away from the herd. He might team up with another dagga boy. Either way, as he weakens with age – and without the protection of the herd – he will become a target for predators.


1861 Dictionary English - Zulu (Remember this is from 1861 not 2025 politically correct dictionary)
https://fhya.uct.ac.za/public_files/Colenso_Zulu_English_dictionary.pdf

"It is a Zulu-English Dictionary, and, therefore, is meant to contain, as far as possible, only pure Zulu
words, and not such words as belong to the ama Xosa Kafirs, and to the other kindred tribes, which inhabit the Southern part of this Colony.

Gu QA ( Isi ), n. Large bull buffalo, which keeps away from the rest of the herd

DAKA DuA ( U for Ulu), n. Mud; mortar.

GQABO (Um), n. Clay of any colour, used for making spots upon the person.

GcABA, v. Cut the skin, and put in medicine ; inoculate; vaccinate; put spots on the forehead with
coloured clay, as some tribes near the S. border of Natal.


Happy hunting for whatever your idea is of a trophy Buffalo and however you choose to describe it.

 

[BryceM]

Well, I sort of like the spirit of the thread. Not every buck is a stud. Not every elk is a monster. Not every buffalo is a dugga boy.

I actually hunted with Dawid Muller from Dugga Boy Safaris, and I shot my bull out of a herd of 100 animals…….

But, I hear that’s quite common in the Caprivi concessions.

Perhaps he had been off by himself earlier in the day……

All joking aside, they’re magnificent animals, and fortunately there are plenty of options available. You can hunt them however you’d like.

 

[375Fox]

What about this guy? would this be considered an authentic and truly dagga-boy?

View attachment 663805

I think that counts as a dagga boy to most anyone. I really don’t care that much how the phrase dagga boy gets applied. However, my big pet peeve is any buffalo with a broken horn automatically gets aged an extra 5 years. Younger bulls can break their horns too.

 

[IvW]

In my opinion not in the past. An old buffalo was not a Dagga-boy if it walk with a group of other buffaloes or a herd.

This is totally incorrect these old warn out bulls may leave the hustle and bustle of the breeding herds but are more often than not accompabied by other old bulls in bachelor herds that can be 2 to multiple bulls.....
If you follow your belief then 99% of buffalo hunters will never shoot one as they will be forced to follow single tracks only....
Stupid buffalo hunting plan tosay the least....irrespective of where you are hunting....

 

[BGHNTR416]

Was watching a hunting video and the PH was calling animals that weren't buffalo "Dagga Boys" which was the first time I had seen or heard of someone using the term that way.

 

[ACE (in CT)]

All joking aside, they’re magnificent animals, and fortunately there are plenty of options available. You can hunt them however you’d like.

I think you meant to add: 'As long as you use the appropriate CRF'.

 

[grand veneur]

This is totally incorrect these old warn out bulls may leave the hustle and bustle of the breeding herds but are more often than not accompabied by other old bulls in bachelor herds that can be 2 to multiple bulls.....
If you follow your belief then 99% of buffalo hunters will never shoot one as they will be forced to follow single tracks only....
Stupid buffalo hunting plan tosay the least....irrespective of where you are hunting....

#30

I don't know what this comment is about.

Anyone who has often hunted buffaloes knows that there are herds, smaller groups and then there are also solitary buffaloes . For me, the term Dagga-boy was always a word that was not entirely understandable because it was only found in English-speaking countries. We call this in our language areas a solitaire or an einzelgänger, which clearly means what it is. But none of this affects the hunting of buffalo, where in most cases herds or small groups are followed and rarely only single isolated buffaloes during the entire hunt. As far as I am concerned, you can shoot younger or older Dagga-boys, solitary or standing in the middle of the herd Dagga-boys how many you want. In all cases the word Dagga-boy sounds very good and continues to stimulate hunting tourism in Afrika.

 

[IvW]

You state only single bulls can be dagga boys which quite frankly is uninforned cluelessness....rather simple.....

Using your logic only single buffalo tracks are worthy of following?