Pete, the PH I did my first buffalo hunt with made an excellent point during the hunt. A LOT of buffalo clients are older because they can't afford to go until then. They may have hunted some, but rarely with a rifle that kicks as much as even a minimum buffalo chambering, such as the .375 H&H--and due to hearing so many tales of "unkillable" buffalo they may bring a rifle that kicks a LOT harder. So they don't practice much before they head over.
They're often in not great hiking shape, and all the time they're tracking buffalo over hill and dale, they're thinking about the stories they've heard. As my PH said, "By the time they actually get a shot, they're equally scared of the buffalo and their rifle! It's no wonder quite a few botch the shot."
Had another sad conversation recently with my brother who
thinks he wants to hunt buff with me.
Told him he's not willing to get in shape so he can actually
enjoy the hunt rather than have the hunt exhaust him.
Told him as well that until he pulls himself away from the bench and put's in
realistic practice of more than 10 rounds a year then he's just too damn dangerous to be around taking pokes at buff.
