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Late-Season Buffalo in the Caprivi: A Dagga Boy, Two Zebra and One That Got Away
Our latest expedition took us to Namibia’s Caprivi, now officially the Zambezi Region, for a late-season Cape buffalo hunt in Namibia in October 2026. We were joined by Michael and Mary Maskell from Houston, Texas, with buffalo the main objective and a couple of Chapman’s zebra also on the wish list.
Michael had recently returned from a safari in Tanzania, where he took some excellent East African plains game, including Grant’s gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle and East African impala. The buffalo he had travelled so far for had eluded him, so we arranged a late-season, last-quota opportunity in Namibia that offered him another chance at an exportable Cape buffalo.
We hunted with professional hunter Philip Fourie, with whom Tamlyn and I had previously hunted buffalo, hippo and elephant. We knew Philip well and were looking forward to spending another seven days hunting in Kabulabula, in Namibia's Zambezi Region.
Michael didn’t have to wait long. On the first hunting day, Philip and the trackers located a promising mature bull, and the team began a careful approach through the tall grass.
The stalk lasted around two hours, with temperatures climbing towards 40°C (104°F). Daytime temperatures stayed between 35°C and 40°C (95–104°F) throughout our visit, and working through thick grass under that sun made heat exhaustion a genuine concern on longer stalks.
Michael eventually closed to about 50 yards and took his shot with his .404 Jeffery.
The result was a magnificent dagga boy, estimated at around ten years old, with a hard, well-developed boss and a horn spread of 38 inches. It was exactly the kind of old buffalo Michael had hoped for, and after his disappointment in Tanzania, taking him on the first day made it particularly special.
It was a good example of how a well-chosen late-season opportunity can produce an exceptional result. As our own stalk would soon show, though, buffalo hunting is never predictable.
With Michael’s buffalo secured, attention turned to the plains game.
Mary was first to succeed, taking a beautiful old Chapman’s zebra stallion with her .375 at about 100 yards. He had hardly any teeth left, and his body was covered in scars from years of fighting and surviving in the bush. His worn teeth and battle scars told a story no tape measure could capture.
There was entertainment back in camp, too. Mary and Tamlyn persuaded the chef to prepare the buffalo’s testicles, which proved surprisingly popular with both ladies. Encouraged, they later tried the zebra’s as well. The verdict on that taste test was a good deal less enthusiastic!
While Michael and Mary spent two days at Victoria Falls, Tamlyn, Philip and I went looking for another buffalo.
We found a group in thick grass on the Namibian side of the Chobe River, about 150 yards from the water, and began our approach from roughly a mile away. The grass gave us good cover, but the wind swirled now and then, and we were constantly aware of how easily the buffalo could pick up our scent.
I was carrying my Verney-Carron .500 Nitro Express double and wanted to close to about 25 yards, where I intended to shoot offhand rather than from sticks. After several hours of crawling and inching through the grass, we reached that distance.
Then a small misunderstanding changed everything. Philip began raising the shooting sticks, not knowing I planned to shoot offhand. It was only a slight movement, but it was enough. The buffalo spotted us, broke cover and ran straight for the Chobe. Within moments they had crossed the river and disappeared into Botswana.
That’s buffalo hunting!
The lesson is simple: agree with your PH beforehand whether you’ll shoot off sticks or offhand. At 20 yards, there’s no time to discuss it.
It also showed one of the complications of hunting buffalo in this part of the Caprivi. The international boundary is close, and free-ranging buffalo can move between Namibia and Botswana in moments. A government game scout accompanied our hunting party, an important part of keeping the hunt within its authorised boundaries.
We could have kept looking for another buffalo, but Michael and Mary had travelled a long way and still had a Chapman’s zebra on their list, so we focused on that. Michael took his zebra a few days later.
Around us, the wildlife was remarkable. We saw lions and elephants, and the Chobe’s waterways held plenty of crocodiles and hippos. Few hunting areas in southern Africa are as wild, with large game moving freely between Namibia and Botswana.
The heat made every day demanding, and it showed how different late-season hunting is from the cooler months. Conditions, animal movement and the physical effort of a stalk all need weighing up when you choose a hunting safari in Namibia.
For Michael, the expedition delivered the mature buffalo he had hoped for. For Tamlyn and me, a stalk ended without a shot, and that’s part of hunting free-ranging buffalo too. It was another reminder of why we spend time in the areas we recommend: there’s no substitute for being there, hunting alongside the professional hunters and experiencing the conditions ourselves.
Pictures of the moments
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