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Jim and his son James, hunted cape buffalo with us on their first African safari. We'd spent some time planning this first ever hunting safari and as always were very excited to be hunting cape buffalo, one of the most exciting hunts on this planet.
Videographer, Paul Ruschenbaum joined us on the hunt to capture the hunt on camera.
Jim hunted with a 416 Rigby and James with a 375 Ruger, both using Barnes X rounds. Jim hunted a nyala in the river thicket early on the hunt. It rained constantly for a couple of days and we didn't get much productive hunting in before targeting buffalo.
We spotted a large herd of buffalo from afar and followed two dugga boys as they peeled off from the herd and bedded down somewhere in a wash. We hiked along the edge of the wash, peering down below, hoping to spot them before we got too close. Too late, the bush rustled 20 yards below as and ran out the opposite side of the wash. We were ready for a shot, but they never stopped and ran clear across a plain and into another valley. We followed for a couple of hours but they'd rejoined the herd and were moving away from us at a good pace.
That afternoon, with the use of a spotting scope, we saw a big dugga bull bed down inside a hollowed out thicket 1000 yards above us. We hiked quietly to within 60 yards from where the bull was still bedded down, only his horns visible. Two hours we waited for him to stand up and give us a clear shot but he wasn't obliging. An afternoon breeze picked up from the east and I knew he'd wind us. I got James on the sticks in time as the buffalo bull turned broadside. James hesitated for split second. The bull shifted again now giving him a frontal shot. Far from ideal shot on a buffalo. Being well below him, we were however confident the angle would carry the bullet up into his vitals. James fired and the bull bolted. James made a 2nd running shot to get his first African animal. A typical buffalo hunt in many respects. Lots of stalking, patience culminating in split second, adrenaline fueled moments. Well done James.
Jim's buffalo went exactly according to plan. We were out at first light in the morning and saw a large herd of 40 bufflao grazing along a mountain slope. We watched them for a half hour until we determined that they were in fact grazing along the slope in an easterly direction. Even from 1200 yards out we could identify several old bulls, one particular one got our attention. His hard boss glistened in the early morning son and he had s skin condition normally associated with old dugga bulls. We picked an outcrop ahead of us, hiked up there and waited patiently. Our plan worked perfectly with the old dugga bull leading the herd. He emerged through the bush, 170 yards out and stood broadside. Jim's 416 barked and the bull was down. Another exciting cape buffalo hunt.
We visited the Boer War Museum in historical Graaff Reinet and spent a morning viewing elephant in the Addo Elephant National Park. Thank you for trusting us with your dream cape buffalo hunt and look forward to 2025 when we hunt buffalo again.
