Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Bwana Jim's Discount Safaris

Bwana Jim's Discount Safaris

Just got back from a buffalo hunt in Namibia with Bwana Jim Discount Safaris. Never having been to Africa I didn't know quite what to expect, but I must say this hunt was way different than anything I could have ever imagined.

I was a bit skeptical about this safari due to the cost - $5,000 � for buffalo, 7 days, all inclusive. That was a lot less expensive than any of the other hunts I had looked at. Turns out my initial thoughts weren't as bad as I thought.

When I met Bwana Jim in Dallas, he seemed a nice enough fellow but there was something that didn't seem quite right. Every question was met with enthusiasm and explanations about how his hunts were different, even when I asked about buffalo in the arid, rocky hills southwest of Windhoek. I had never heard of buffalo being in that part of Africa but Jim explained that they were stragglers from free ranging herds of yesteryear or strays from game ranches. Again, I had never heard of such things, but not having been to Africa, I reluctantly accepted his explanations. That is, until AFTER I put a 75% non-refundable deposit down.

It was only after I got home and was able to do a bit more internet research that I realized no one seemed to know Bwana Jim or had ever even heard of him. Try as I might, I could not come up with ONE reference. I felt like I had really been had, and with 75% down and no recourse, what was I to do?

I decided to make the best of what I was certain would be a horrible trip if not an outright scam, so I went ahead and made the necessary arrangements for my first hunting trip to Africa. Bwana Jim was initially very elusive, difficult to get in touch with, and sometimes downright rude when I could contact him, but with much persistence I finally got him to respond. He seemed really surprised once I told him this was a once in a lifetime deal for me, and that I had been saving up for nearly 9 years for just such a hunt. It was only after that conversation that he became more available and he seemed genuinely concerned to the point of almost acting like he felt sorry for me. What I really didn't understand were the occasional sly smirks I thought I detected at times.

Bwana Jim was to meet me in Windhoek at about 2:30 in the afternoon when my plane arrived. By 7:30 that evening I had almost decided Bwana Jim had misunderstood my arrival time and perhaps thought I was due in at 2:30 AM, but he finally arrived and we loaded my luggage and headed for the farm. It seemed like we had been driving about an hour when we came to a city that turned out to be Windhoek. Come to find out, the farm is on the opposite side of Windhoek by another hour and a bit.

We finally arrived at the farm late and after unloading, I was shown to my room. The room was cozy, clean, and as nice as one could want or need. Leaving my bags in the room, I went to the main house where I was served an excellent gemsbok stroganoff, vegetables, bread and fine South African wine.

Morning came all to soon after the long flights, great food, and much needed sleep. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, toast, jams, juice and coffee before heading out to find buffalo. We loaded up in the crisp morning air, the light jacket I brought coming in handy as we set off to find the edge of the clear, cloudless sky and hopefully, buffalo.

Away from the farm the country became quite hilly, with steep draws and high ridges where the road snaked up and down and through the thorn bushes that, as it turned out, would tear ones clothes from ones body if not careful, along with bits and pieces of skin and flesh. Views from the high points were incredible, allowing one to see into the middle of next week.


The tracker scanning for buffalo

Animals were in abundance, with wart hog, gemsbok, zebra, blue and black wildebeest, among others. But no sign of buffalo. We went on like this for the first couple of days, passing many opportunities at nice game, but I had come for buffalo and wanted to make a nice bull my first African kill.

Around mid day the third day we received word that a buffalo was seen near the farm, so we made haste to get there while the spoor was still fresh. At some point along the way, word again reached us that the buffalo was on the farm. I found this surprising, but didn't say as much, keeping my thoughts to myself. I wouldn't have expected a buffalo to wander so close to the daily activities inherent with an operating farm.

We arrived at the farm just after noon to much excitement and fanfare with waving of hands and jumping about from the staff. I dismounted from the truck while Bwana Jim encouraged me to hurry, and make sure my rifle was loaded and on safe. I had read much about what bullet to use as a first shot, most recommending a soft, followed by a solid. I had decided to use a cast bullet in my .470 NE as the first round followed by a monolithic solid as the second, back up shot.

I was quickly led to the back of a row of buildings, where Bwana Jim told me the farm hands and cornered the buffalo in a corral. Again I found this strange, but again, kept my peace.

Sure enough, on rounding a corner, there stood my buffalo. He was nothing like I imagined. While large, he wasn't overbearing as I had heard and read about. His horns didn't have the curl, and there were no bosses as I had seen in countless photos. I mentioned this to Bwana Jim as he stared intently into the Zeiss glasses that had previously and constantly dangled around his neck. Bwana Jim whispered that he was in fact quite young, so his horns weren't fully developed and that it would take several more years before he would start to resemble those I had seen in photos, but he was a good bull.

A short stalk got us within shooting distance of about 10 yards. I must say, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind or had envisioned. I asked Bwana Jim if he thought the cast bullet would be appropriate. He hesitated a bit as he had no experience with cast bullets, but said that if I felt comfortable using one to go ahead as he was certain he could stop a charge should the need arise.

The bull was standing broadside looking out toward the wide open spaces at first. Bwana Jim whispered for me to take the shot. Just as I was about to let loose the first round, the bull took a step to the left, putting him quartering away a bit, then lowered his head as if to charge some unseen foe. As his nose reached the ground, I put the 515 gr. cast bullet behind his right ear. He dropped in his tracks so the followup solid wasn't necessary, and whereupon Bwana Jim took my left arm and hustled me away. I asked where we were going and said that I didn't get any photos. Bwana Jim said lunch was getting cold and that the hands would take care of the buffalo.

I finally insisted that I wanted photos, so Bwana Jim reluctantly conceded and we went back to the kill site. The skinners were already there (actually, they had been standing off to the side) and had cut the throat and were in fact in the process of cutting the head off, effectively ruining any chance for a decent shoulder mount. Or for that matter, any kind of mount at all.

I wanted to see how the cast bullet preformed, so I looked around and found the entry point. Just as I had been told, the bullet failed to penetrate fully and was lodged somewhere in the skull. It's a wonder it put him down at all and that a charge wasn't received, although one may have, had the skinners not been nearby to immediately start the skinning process.


My first buffalo

As I continued to examine the buffalo, I noticed that the �ball bag� as I had heard it called, was missing from this buffalo. I quizzed Bwana Jim about this and he explained that this buffalo may have been attacked by a lion as a calf, or that his �bag� may have been torn loose while trying to cross a fence, (although I had previously noticed that all fences were slick wire), or that it may have been a birth defect, or was torn off in the bush. He said that may also explain the lack of curl and bosses and general lack of aggression given his age, which he estimated as about 6 years.

I asked about trying some buffalo steaks or tenderloin, but Bwana Jim said it was pretty much like beef, so much so that I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway. Again at my insistence, Bwana Jim reluctantly said he would prefer to partake of a nice steak in Windhoek and that he knew just the place. That evening we headed to town and ended up at a place called Joe's Bier House. Joe's place was worth the trip, with several different bars/restaurants all wrapped into one, a really unique place with all the junk collected from all over Namibia by Joe over the years. Although they didn't have buffalo on the menu, Bwana Jim assured me the hamburger he bought me would taste just like the buffalo I had taken, although his steak did look really good.

All in all, it was a good hunt with fine food and accommodations and a dedicated staff. I don't know as I would recommend Bwana Jim Discount Safaris for the experienced African hunter, but for this first timer, it wasn't that bad of a deal. And, I'm not so sure there are that many buffalo in the area as we never saw any in the bush, and the one I took was the only one we did see.

I think I'll probably find a different PH to hunt with next time and in a different area, if there is a next time. I guess you do get what you pay for.