ZIMBABWE: Hunting The BVC In Zimbabwe For Buffalo, John Sharp Safaris Exceeding Expectations

[gillettehunter]

Great report and some excellent buffalo. Congrats
Bruce

 

[tarbe]

The way I see it there are 3 separate issues here.
1. Great shot placement will usually kill most animals with almost any bullet. (Not that cape buffalo fall into the same category as most other critters
2. Hunters get lucky (and unlucky) all the time. Good luck should never be confused with good bullet performance.
3. Good bullet performance, or at least performing as advertised. And how a company reacts and stands behind their products.

Tim thank you for the honest straight up report. At least this manufacturer admitted they have an issue. But disappointing they did not issue a recall or at least a warning. Still way better than the flat out denial that Hornady practiced for years....

Bob

It was exactly the Woodleigh response that had me in such a spot.

They were very transparent and honest and I wanted to give them a pass. But...it was after I poked a buffalo and showed them a bullet that did not act like a Woodleigh.

So, I give credit for owning it...up to a point.

I really wish they had tried to get the offending bullets out of the marketplace so guys wouldn't be risking life and a $30k safari on bullets prone to failure.

Maybe that is asking too much? But I do feel like I did not get what I paid for. But I am thankful that my shot conditions allowed for a clean kill despite the bonding failure.

I don't want to be bad-mouthing anyone. But honest assessment is too important.

 

[ActionBob]

Bob

It was exactly the Woodleigh response that had me in such a spot.

They were very transparent and honest and I wanted to give them a pass. But...it was after I poked a buffalo and showed them a bullet that did not act like a Woodleigh.

So, I give credit for owning it...up to a point.

I really wish they had tried to get the offending bullets out of the marketplace so guys wouldn't be risking life and a $30k safari on bullets prone to failure.

Maybe that is asking too much? But I do feel like I did not get what I paid for. But I am thankful that my shot conditions allowed for a clean kill despite the bonding failure.

I don't want to be bad-mouthing anyone. But honest assessment is too important.

A balanced approach by them might be to supply buyers with replacement bullets at the cost of factory blemishes. Then you could use the current lot for practice and still have good hunting bullets.

 

[Graham Hunter]

Congrats to both of you & great reports. However I'm very disappointed. Not even one loincloth pic.

 

[K-man]

But honest assessment is too important.

Exactly! In the field, actual test results and no excess drama or bias. Thanks! Glad you had a dead animal anyway, good job!

 

[tarbe]

Congrats to both of you & great reports. However I'm very disappointed. Not even one loincloth pic.

We are saving the loincloth shots for the movie!

 

[gizmo]

Ok, I’m caught up now and am speechless. What an amazing hunt!!!!!!! This is the stuff dreams are made of.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Green with envy.

+1 What a grand adventure with exceptional animals!

 

[Bullthrower338]

On the way back to camp after sitting a blind for hyena we decided to swing by one of our other baits to see what might be around. We had drug guts around the roads leading up to the baits. The trackers definitely earn every dime they make reaching into the 35 gallon barrel and dragging that rancid gut out to tie behind the cruiser. I made the comment to Dave several times that I would lose my job if I was told to wallow around in that swill! I strategically placed myself upwind each time the barrel was opened and still almost puked. I was pretty certain that the whole way that it worked was the hyena would be incapacitated from the smell and it would give us time to kill him!
Nothing at the bait but just down the road was a Civet Cat! I have always wanted one and never look a gift horse in the mouth. I bailed out and had them hand me Dave’s C&H 375 that we had loaded with solids for just an instance as this. We had zeroed the 375 for 50 yards, I held center shoulder on the Civet offhand at about 15-20 yards and touched it off. It ran across the road and I passed a second shot for fear of hurting the hide. A decision I would regret all night long! We looked for the Civet for over an hour, finding bone in the road and no blood whatsoever. How can you shoot something so small with a damn 375 and it not die? I was bummed out all evening and hoped to find him in the morning.
We went out first thing and looked for the Civet, for hours we looked under every bush, anywhere that looked like a hiding spot! The trackers actually followed tracks up to a spot where he had laid down and substantially bled. Dave thought that maybe a hyena had picked him up during the night. I was pissed at myself for not holding higher and compensating for the close shot! Dave told everyone to walk up the hill in a direction opposite of the way that we saw him go the night before. My hopes of finding the Civet were all but gone when I saw Dave throw his 458 Lott up and rack a round into the chamber as he was looking into a pile of brush. My first thought was lion or something else that was going to eat my PH all because my dumb ass wounded a Civet Cat and put us here, but Dave yelled for me to come! Either he found the Civet or he was going to offer the fat guy to the lion instead! About when I got there the Civet took off from the brush pile and I shot him as he was about to dive into another downed tree. Whew! That shitshow was now over and I dont think I could have felt better! I have wounded and lost 3 animals in my life and each one has tore at my gut and still does. Incredible job by Dave and his boys to keep looking and find him. He is an absolutely beautiful animal and I will cherish him and never forget that morning.

My shot the night before had passed through both front legs just below the brisket, sure didn’t seem to slow him up much by the way he ran out of the brush!

 

[Royal27]

My shot the night before had passed through both front legs just below the brisket, sure didn’t seem to slow him up much by the way he ran out of the brush!

That was your mistake. The trick is to hit both legs on the same side, then he can just run in circles. Or that's what mine did anyway.

 

[tarbe]

Absolute toad of a Civet!

 

[sestoppelman]

We are saving the loincloth shots for the movie!

Let me know when that one goes to the theaters, I will try to be out of the country about then!!

 

[Bullthrower338]

Let me know when that one goes to the theaters, I will try to be out of the country about then!!

Keanu Reeves is playing me and Tim is going to be played by Elton John so it should be interesting, half John Wick, half Piano Man with some Big Bore action! John and Dave respectfully declined having any part in the making!

 

[sestoppelman]

Keanu Reeves is playing me and Tim is going to be played by Elton John so it should be interesting, half John Wick, half Piano Man with some Big Bore action! John and Dave respectfully declined having any part in the making!

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on the civet!!

 

[tarbe]

Keanu Reeves is playing me and Tim is going to be played by Elton John so it should be interesting, half John Wick, half Piano Man with some Big Bore action! John and Dave respectfully declined having any part in the making!

I think the .470-proof Impala will steal the show.

 

[Bullthrower338]

Impala with Kevlar Balls!

 

[Lmcquin]

Awesome that you found him?

How far from where you shot did he bed down?

I’ve zero experience with a wounded cat of any kind but for whitetail deer I’ve always noticed that if you leave them alone after the shot they typically don’t go a long distance before stopping. Now if you bump them out of the first bed then they go on for a long dang ways and can be lost pretty easily.

 

[ActionBob]

Impala with Kevlar Balls!

Is that title of the movie?

Just before you and Tim prance across the screen in your loin clothes with a bit of Snappy peaking out between steps

 

[Bullthrower338]

Awesome that you found him?

How far from where you shot did he bed down?

I’ve zero experience with a wounded cat of any kind but for whitetail deer I’ve always noticed that if you leave them alone after the shot they typically don’t go a long distance before stopping. Now if you bump them out of the first bed then they go on for a long dang ways and can be lost pretty easily.

We found the blood pools about 200 yards from the road, he had went about 200 yards from there when Dave jumped him up. The bad thing about leaving anything over night there is that the hyenas, leopard or Lions will get them before morning.