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#7243959 12/30/12
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Gentlemen,

If my priority was to get a nice mature cape buffalo and have the much talked about "safari experience" for my wife and I, where should I go and how much do I need to budget for?

I would prefer a two week trip, and Victoria Falls is a must do. The wifey will just be an observer/picture taker.

I would like the opportunity to take some other game, especially gemsbuck and/or kudu, but a buff would definitely be the priority.

Thanks for any and all info and opinions!

Todd

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Hi Todd

There is much to be said about hunting Cape buffalo. Must it be a free roaming buffalo in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia or Tanzania? Should it be a buffalo in South Africa that will be behind a high fence? There are a number of issues you must take into consideration before making a decision.

I have hunted extensively in South Africa and in many parts of Zimbabwe and have had good and bad experiences in both countries so here are my thoughts and anyone would be welcome to differ.

Cape buffalo in Namibia and Botswana are very expensive. Daily rates in Mozambique is about ready to rip your guts out before you start your hunt and so is Tanzania. Of course, if money is no object then disregard the previous.

Wives are great to have along on hunts. South Africa has more to offer keeping wives occupied if they get bored with the hunt in that the infrastructure is better over here. Some may want a nail salon session or have their toes shone or whatever it is that wives do in one of those establishments. These and other site seeing opportunities exist more readily over here.

With regards to the hunt itself and the safari experience you can have equally as demanding and challenging hunt here as anywhere else if the property you are hunting on is big enough. I learned that expensive lesson years ago and now inspect a property I have not hunted before prior to a DG hunt. The way I hunt for Cape buffalo is to drive till we find tracks, get off and if fresh enough we start tracking. Either there are no good bulls or we get busted so we start all over again.

Comparitively the figures will be about 6 of the one and half dozen of the other. In SA you can expect a trophy fee between $ 8 900 and $ 13 000 and some outfitters over here offer the higher end price for a 5-day hunt daily rates included. If the rates include a trophy fee I am wondering how can you be so certain you will successfully hunt a buffalo?

Anyway, in Zimbabwe your daily rates will typically be higher than over here at about $ 850 a day or slightly more for the hunter with a minimum 7 day hunt and a trophy fee of between $ 3 500 and $ 4 500.

When doing the math the prices end up pretty close to each other, the choice is yours.

With regards to Vic Falls it is impressive. A lot of water and that's it. I enjoyed the lion walks more than the falls and I just do not do the bungee thing. There is not enough elastic to keep this heavy butt from creating a large hole in the earth, so 2 full days there will suffice to see and do what you want.

If you want more detailed information you are most welcome to contact me on email or PM so we can talk. Hope this helps.

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I have never been to Africa (Yet) and there are others here who can probably answer you better than me.

However, I am going on a 10 day Cape Buffalo/Plains game hunt in June 2013 to the Matetsi Safari Area of Zimbabwe.

One neat thing is that we fly right into Victoria Falls so if we wanted time there the flight cost is built right into the trip.

We will be hunting an hour or 2 south of Vic Falls. I can not say as to how the buffalo compare there to other areas.

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I've hunted buffalo twice in Zimbabwe. In my opinion it's the least expensive place. South Africa is more expensive and in Zim the buff are truly wild. There is some good hunting around Vic Falls area. I would consult a good booking agent like Atcheson's. I would also go for at least two weeks and get some plains game or other stuff. The first time I went, I hunted 15 days and took Cape Buffalo, bull elephant, a hippo and a big croc. I could have taken a second buff but after the first one, I was more interested in the hippo and croc. We put out part of the buff for bait and a leopard hit on it. We only had one evening to sit up and the leopard didn't come.


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I have to agree with IndyCA35 about Zimbabwe. It has probably the best cape buffalo hunting for your money anywhere in Africa. Conditions in that country have greatly improved over what they were in 2008. The game is some areas has been very well managed and have plentiful wildlife.

I recently went on a Cape Buffalo hunt with my father in southern Zimbabwe. We were hunting with Three Ways Safaris and their concession was right across the Limpopo River from Kruger National Park. There was plenty of activity in that area from animals crossing the river from Kruger. My father and I each shot a nice cape buffalo. Both were very old with well developed bosses.

We hunted out of a camp on the river. However, it was pretty nice and your wife may be up to it depending on what sort of a person she is. We slept in tents that were pitched on concrete slabs and the camp had a shower with hot water and a flush toilet. We finished our buffalo hunt with a couple of days left and went back to the main lodge to hunt plains game. The accommodations there were VERY nice. I personally would not hesitate to bring my wife to either camp.

When we finished the hunt, my father and I had shot two buffalo, one elephant, two zebra, and two impala between us. In addition to the buffalo, there were plenty of other plains game in the area. I saw literally hundreds of impala. In addition we saw, but elected not to take warthog, giraffe, kudu, bushbuck, nyala, waterbuck, and duiker.

If I had the money, I would go back there in a heartbeat.
http://www.threewayssafaris.com/


Africa Hunting Safaris, Cape Buffalo Hunting, & Other Big Game Hunting Adventures
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Might be worth the airfare and motel to come to Dallas next weekend and visit with ALL the premium PH's in person @ The Dallas Safari Club convention. It is one hell of a show. If you are looking at spending $15,000+ for a safari, it might be worth the investment making the trip to Big D, if not to visit and have some great grub. Go online and check it out 1600 exhibitors, all the custom rifle builders and sellers will be there.

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Buzzsaw is giving excellent advice. Been to DSC twice. Couldn't go this year. I agree with IndyCA35, Zimbabwe would be my choice. Many of the top operators there will be in Dallas. I've hunted there once for tuskless ele and cape buff. Truly wild and remote. Here are a handful of the operators that will be there.

Martin Pieters Safaris

CM Safaris

Zambezi Hunters

HHK Safaris

John Sharpe Safaris

They all have websites, just google them up. There are others that are all reputable. We hunted with Martin Pieters in Aug. 2011. With you and your wife, 2 weeks, airfare, hunt, taxidermy, Vic Falls tour, Charters, etc. $22-$25,000 is realistic.


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Since you plan to visit Victoria Falls I would assume Zimbabwe is in your plans for a buffalo hunt.

In the past three years I have been on safari in Zimbabwe four times and have hunted buffalo each time. We have also been to Vic Falls twice, once before a hunt and once after the hunt.

One option would be to fly to Vic Falls from Jo'berg. You could spend the afternoon and next day sightseeing. That is plenty of time in Vic Falls. Depending on your taste the Victoria Falls Hotel, The Safari Lodge, or the Gorges Lodge are all nice. It is worth having lunch at the Safari Lodge and watch the waterhole. The views are spectacular at the Gorges Lodge, the Vic Falls Hotel is rich in history but is showing her age. The Falls walk, helicopter tour, booze cruise, zip line, are some other activities.

Early the next morning head to Hwange National Park. Spend two days there. Nehimba lodge is great (they are ranked number one on Trip Advisor) Your wife will thank you for this part of the trip. We were there in a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed our time there.

You will now be well rested, your body clock will be on Africa time, and you will be extremely ready to hunt.

A good choice not requiring a charter would be Matetsi. Unit one (Maba'lengwe) would be the one I would consider. There are no gemsbok, but there are some killer sable. It is wild and unfenced and a short drive from either Vic Falls or Hwange. Tim Farren books for them and is a good guy. Ten days of hunting would be good.

If you want to charter or drive further, the outfitters maddog mentioned are very good. I have hunted with Martin Pieters three times, Buzz is extremely good, and John Sharp is a legend. Some others are Cliff Walker with Walker Watson Safaris, Mokore Safaris (who I understand have been awarded a new concession).

Remember, if hunting Zim hunt with a licensed Zim PH and book with a Zim licensed outfitter.

Good luck with your choice,there is nothing like chasing buffalo around the the bush!!

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Several years ago I was asking myself the same question as you.

Zim has some excellent hunting and the prices are low. Why are the prices low, you ask? Because of issues the American government hangs on its citizens and general political instability in the country. As Mike alludes to above, if you hunt with the wrong operator, you can get into problems with the US gov for supporting uncle bob and his pals. The other problem can be lack of game due to poaching. This is not to say Zim is bad, just really do some heavy duty homework and you should have a great safari.

When I made my choice, because I was a newby, I chose the Haldane brothers with Zambezi Delta Safaris in Mozambique. I did not want the potential hassles of Zim. The most recent SCI Safari Times had a nice article by Boddington regarding Moz.

This being said, and now having done two safaris, my next will probably be to Zim.

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Originally Posted by maddog
Buzzsaw is giving excellent advice. Been to DSC twice. Couldn't go this year. I agree with IndyCA35, Zimbabwe would be my choice. Many of the top operators there will be in Dallas. I've hunted there once for tuskless ele and cape buff. Truly wild and remote. Here are a handful of the operators that will be there.

Martin Pieters Safaris

CM Safaris

Zambezi Hunters

HHK Safaris

John Sharpe Safaris

They all have websites, just google them up. There are others that are all reputable. We hunted with Martin Pieters in Aug. 2011. With you and your wife, 2 weeks, airfare, hunt, taxidermy, Vic Falls tour, Charters, etc. $22-$25,000 is realistic.


maddog


This here is great information.

Top notch outfits, all of them.

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Todd:

The preceding posts contain excellent advice.

I have hunted buff exclusively in Zim. Twice in Matetsi unit 3, Twice in Chirisa, once in Chete and once in Sijarrara.

My last buff hunt was 2011 in Chirisa. It is my favorite place to hunt buff and is an HHK concession.

Saw the most buff in Chirisa, but it depends on the time of the year. June-July are good months to go and because of that, June-August hunts sell the quickest.

A bull goes for ~$2,500 in Zim, plus dailies, which vary from $900 to $1,250, depending on the area and outfitter.

You have allotted plenty of time to hunt your buff. if you go to Zim, why not add a tuskless cow elephant? Great fun to hunt and quite reasonable. Usually about $2,500.

A day is all you need to see Vic Falls. The Victoria Falls Hotel is a classic venue to stay. The Royal Livingstone on the Zambia side of the falls is very nice and more like a resort.

I agree that you should go to the DSC show to book your hunt. Many of the prime hunts are sold there and are therefore gone by the time of the SCI show a month later.

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The timing on this post is unbievable as I just sat down to write the exact same question. I just made the decision to get serious about a safari in the next year or two and would really ike to take a Cape Buffalo. My wife is coming along just as Todd's. One additional question...what time of year is recommended?

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Usually the June through August time period. That's their dead winter. I was looking at late Sept. but saw where the temperartures would be in the 100+F range..so have held off to, maybe, this year. Another good place to look is Accuratereloading.com, they actually have a discounted hunt thread there, and some good deals..


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Best time can be dictated by the area. Many areas in Zim are very good in September and especially October. It can be hot, but worth it. I have been in Zim with my wife during September, October, November, and December and have survived.

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Ive hunted cape buffalo in Zimbabwe twice- once in May in Buffalo Range and once in Matesi in October. Later in the year tends to be better. Id defibitely go to Zimbabwe over any other African Country. I've hunted Africa 7 times in 5 countries. Unless you can afford hunting Tanzania (i cant) Zim is the best bang for the buck. Matesi is right beside Vic Falls in the NW part of the country. There are no gemsbok (oryx) in Zim though - you have to go to Namibia (where Big Kudu are plentiful) or RSA. I could spend the rest of my days hunting nothing but Buff and warties and die a happy man. Once youve hunted dangerous game- you wont want to hunt anything else.

tuskless cows are great fun too- they dont call them bitches of the bush for nothing. Probably the most dangerous game there is because there are always babies around and if a cow is coming, shes coming. a bull will bluff and trumpet- a cow doesnt stop.

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Well, the timing of this thread is interesting! I have been thinking hard about Africa for the past 4-5 years, and the more I've read and talked about it, the more confirmed I am in my resolution to hunt buffalo as my primary quarry.

I went to the DSC convention last w/e and met a number of good people from 24HCF and interviewed half a dozen safari operators. I have wanted to hunt Africa for years and now it appears I finally have my chance. I was very impressed with several PH's I spoke with... really, not one of the guys I spoke with gave me anything but positive vibes, for lack of a better term. But the PH I made the strongest connection with was John Sharp. I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago, and we agreed to do a 12-day buff/plains game hunt in Zimbabwe, late Aug/early September of 2015.

To say that I am excited about this is gross understatement.


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Good for you, Doc.

Got a rifle, yet?

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CONGRATS DOC!
Prepare to never be the same....


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like the old quote says, I sure do envy a man going to Africa for the first time...(as I plan my second trip)..

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Yes, I have, actually. I bought a Ruger M77 African in 375 Ruger 2 years ago. I've killed a bison cow only with it so far... it shoots well for me. It has punch a lot of holes in paper besides that bison.

Dunno yet what I'll take for my "light" rifle, if I take one. The 375 might do for everything, as all I really want is my buff, a kudu, and an eland... anything else will be gravy, so to speak. If I take a second rifle it will likely be a 30-06 Model 70, or perhaps my BLR in 358 Win.


"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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