A short buffalo hunt in South Africa may look straightforward on paper. Three hunting days, an experienced professional hunter and a well-managed property should provide enough time to locate a suitable bull. That was the plan when Tamlyn agreed to carry our .500 Nitro Express into the thick November bushveld of Limpopo.
The reality was considerably less predictable. Intense heat, soft-bossed bulls, pepper ticks, equipment problems and a difficult recovery turned a quick local safari into a reminder of how demanding an old dagga boy can be when circumstances begin working against the hunting team.
This is the story of that three-day hunt and the lessons that came from following one old bull through thick cover. Broader information about destinations, costs and hunting methods can be found on our Cape Buffalo Hunts page.
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How the Three-Day Limpopo Buffalo Hunt Began
One quiet Saturday afternoon sitting back and enjoying a few cold ones with an incredible view of the Magaliesburg mountains, I had a thought (maybe after a few cold ones!), “Let’s go big game hunting!”
It seemed like it was the time of the year when things were winding down, and a touch of misery was kicking in as we did not have anything planned for the next few months. Only admin. We had chatted with a few of our contacts and were waiting for feedback from a few hunting lodges in Namibia. But, those plains game hunts would only be in the New Year.
I decided it was too late to arrange a trip across the border, so the plan was to make a few calls and book an African big game hunting safari in South Africa. This would be the easiest and the quickest. Chatting with my wife Tamlyn, who generally agrees with any excuse to plan and go on African hunts, we decided on a Cape buffalo hunt. The bush would be thick and the heat intense.
Tamlyn was not as chirpy when I suggested or rather put out a challenge, that she hunt the Cape buffalo with our 500NE double rifle. Tamlyn’s big game hunting has included hunting a lion in the Kalahari and successfully hunting a crocodile in Mozambique. She also joined our hippo hunting in trip to Namibia.
Tamlyn, who cannot generally say no to a reasonable challenge, finally agreed, and the game hunting safari was on. It was already the first week of November, and the hunt had to be concluded by the end of the month due to other commitments. After frantically making a few calls, with Limpopo as the top buffalo hunting destination in South Africa, we secured a place, and the safari planning began in earnest.
As we were currently in South Africa, we had to reload for the 500NE, and wow, was it an issue to get propellant, cases, primers, and heads (we needed the big rifle magnum primers)? I was meant to sort this out a few months back but had not made it a priority, only now to have it come back and bite me in the proverbial butt.
We posted on Facebook about the upcoming Cape buffalo hunt, from our Game Hunting Safaris page, the objective being to keep our friends updated. To our surprise, Tamlyn received a message from Axe Bullets in South Africa, confirming they would sponsor and supply their 600gr head for the 500NE. This, along with all the reloading data, product development specifications, and sundry marketing material. We could not wait to load the bullets and test on the range! We had received some images of penetration from an outfitter who had been elephant hunting in Botswana using the same bullet heads.
We only had a week to test the load, while making final arrangements for the hunt. When dangerous game hunting, the hunter must be fully confident and familiar with their weapon of choice. Tamlyn still needed some solid range time and many hours of focusing on muscle memory when it came down to handling and operating the 500NE. Tamlyn seemed to be getting quieter and quieter by the day, as nerves started to kick in.
I must admit, I secretly got a little pleasure watching Tamlyn’s stress levels increase as the countdown to the Cape buffalo hunt commenced in earnest. My own heart missed a few beats when I realized that Tamlyn would have the 500NE, Keenan would have the .458, and I would have a GoPro that I had never used before! The dangerous game hunting trip had all the makings of a proper hunting adventure. Big five hunting in Africa is always dangerous and not for the faint-hearted.
Robert Ruark famously wrote, “When coming face-to-face with a buffalo, he will look at you as If you owe him money.”
Cape buffalo are not referred to as Africa’s “Black Death” without good reason.
Three Days on the Tracks of an Old Buffalo Bull
Day One
We were up at 03:30 on the first morning of the hunt. Summer in the bushveld is always challenging, with copious amounts of water required to stay hydrated. The heat was terrible at over 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tamlyn had tested the 500NE on the range at 50 yards the previous afternoon, and everything was in order.
The ranch’s topography was relatively flat, but the scrub was thick, and visibility was an issue. There had been a light drizzle on our arrival, so we hoped to see some fresh signs and tracks.
We had heard many stories of the big buffalo bulls harvested in the area, but the main objective of this hunt was for Tamlyn to harvest her first Cape buffalo, a big Cape buffalo would be a bonus., Day one did not yield any direct results. We had picked up tracks on a few occasions and walked them down. There was not a single opportunity that presented itself.
Day Two
Day two followed the same procedure as day one: Up early, a quick coffee, and out into the field. We stumbled across some awesome plains game such as kudu, eland, and some fantastic impala making an appearance. It seemed as if they knew they were not being targeted and were very relaxed. Maybe they were also just a little too hot and bothered to travel all over the savannah. Later in the afternoon, we followed a nice spoor on the northern part of the ranch, but after glassing him at 200 yards, noted that he was very young with a soft boss. This Cape buffalo still had plenty of DNA ready for distribution!
Day Three
Day 3 started two-fold: First, we realized this was our last day of hunting, as we had only allocated three full days to this challenge. Secondly, I realized to my dismay, that I had made a terrible mistake! I had invested so much time and energy into load development, training Tamlyn on the 500 NE, and packing provisions that I had forgotten to protect against a little pest! The pepper tick! I had bites all over my legs, around the belt area, my back and arms, and a few places where it would not be prudent to mention…
Around 07:30 we came across the tracks of what seemed to be a big Cape buffalo. We followed for about an hour before the professional hunter and Tamlyn spotted him about 50 yards out, resting in the shade behind some Acacia bushes. At this point, I stayed far behind because the GoPro kept making all these beeping noises, and I had no idea how to silence it! I was having a rather miserable morning between the beeping GoPro and the tick bites!
After waiting for what seemed like hours for a gunshot, the hunting party returned only to advise that the old boy had been spooked and run off. Tamlyn did not want to risk a shot through the thick scrub. As it was her first Cape buffalo hunt Tamlyn did not want to force him to move and take quick shots off the shoulder. The trackers had tried to follow the spoor, but lost it after a couple of hundred meters, maybe they too, were having a bad day!
Around midday, an enormous Cape buffalo presented himself at roughly 60 yards out. Tamlyn’s first shot seemed to be “on the money,” while the second went high and missed. Tamlyn, the professional hunter, supported by Keenan, went off in hot pursuit. About an hour later, we heard the 500NE bark twice again.
The buffalo was tracked down in an exceptionally thick scrub with almost zero visibility for another 4 hours before being taken down at last. I was exceptionally proud of the team as this was real up-close work that required bravery and commitment. This is what an African big game hunt is all about.
It turned out that the first shot had been low in the brisket, and no matter how many bullets went into this buffalo, he just did not throw any blood. He was an old dagga boy with badly worn teeth and very little body weight remaining. His horn spread was impressive, but his age, character and the difficult recovery were what truly defined the hunt.
Planning Your Buffalo Safari in South Africa
There are few hunting experiences in the world that compare with following the tracks of an old dagga boy through the thornveld of Limpopo. Whether it is your first dangerous game safari or another chapter in a lifetime of hunting Africa, South Africa continues to offer outstanding buffalo hunting, experienced professional hunters, excellent accommodation, and a wide variety of additional trophy opportunities.
Many hunters combine a Cape buffalo with species such as kudu, sable, nyala, eland, or giraffe, turning a single dangerous game hunt into a complete African safari.
If you are still comparing destinations, browse our available Hunting Trips to see current buffalo safaris across South Africa and the rest of Africa. If South Africa is your preferred destination, our guide to Hunting in South Africa explains the different hunting areas, concessions, seasons, and species available.
Cape buffalo remain one of Africa's most respected and challenging dangerous game animals. Good preparation, the right outfitter, and realistic expectations will do more to ensure a memorable safari than simply chasing horn measurements.
Author: Pierre van Wyk