AFRICAN BUFFALO
cyncerus caffer

No other game animal is held in higher esteem as a worthy hunting adversary than the African buffalo. The sheer thrill of hunting this mountain of muscle and attitude is unrivalled and addictive. It is one of the only beasts in the bush that looks at you as if you owe it something...
"All writers are agreed as to the hazards of invading the haunts of this savage animal, whose skulking habits, no less than his tremendous strength, render him an object to be greatly dreaded...........he is described to of so irascible a disposition that he will attack his great enemy, man, without the smallest provocation. And should he succeed in destroying his victim, it is his wont to stand over the inanimate corpse, goring and tossing it in vindictive fury with his formidable horns, trampling it under his feet, crushing and mangling it with his knees and stripping off the skin with his rough and prickly tongue; desisting occasionally, but to return again with renewed appetite, as though his revenge might never be glutted!" - Captain William Cornwallis Harris: The wild Sports of Southern Africa



CITES
Although buffalo are not considered an endangered species, some countries do have them listed as protected game and require special permits (non-CITES).

SCI minimum scores
Cape Buffalo - 100"

Habits
Buffalo are herd animals concentrated on the open savannah where grazing and water is plentiful. They tend to graze at night and in the cooler parts of the day, seeking shaded cover as it gets hotter. Both sexes have horns, with males developing the much desired gnarled bosses as they get older (many of the older hunters believe that the boss of a mature bull will stand up to the penetration capabilities of many heavy calibres). They are grayish-black in colour and at a quick glance may appear as large boulders. Despite their size, they are extremely well camouflaged in dense cover. Their eyesight and hearing is quite poor but their sense of smell is excellent. It is much harder to get close to a herd of buffalo than solitary bulls.

Hunting tips - the hunt
Buffalo are generally hunted on foot (this is what makes this hunting so exciting), picking up and following fresh spoor at waterholes or across roads. Older bulls tend to separate from the herds and are solitary or form small bachelor herds.
The best shot placement for buffalo is to hit vital organs, hopefully breaking bone somewhere in the process. Any experienced PH will rebuke head or neck shots and advise to go for the "boiler room". If hit well, the animal will take off at a gallop, usually signaling death with a characteristic bellow. Very few shots, regardless of calibre will pull a mature bull to the ground unless the shot hits the spine. If in a herd, the wounded animal will break away. Buffalo are one of the only animals that purposefully circle back onto their own trail to "hunt" the persuer. Usually they will circle back on their trail near and anthill, a fallen tree or any area that provides decent cover.
Buffalo hunting and their dangerous nature when wounded has been documented by all the great white hunters and on various video footage. DO NOT BE FOOLED - each situation is unique and buffalo are one of the most dangerous animals when wounded. Despite their size they are extremely quick and cunning at camouflage, as they remain absolutely still until one is right upon them.

Hunting tips - the calibre
Buffalo are thick-skinned animals and the minimum safe calibre is the .375 Magnum. Many people have killed Buffalo with a well placed shot from .270s and 30-06's, one old frontiersman even claimed a head shot with a .22 hornet. However, with Buffalo you can never have too much gun. Today's hunter prefers the large bore double rifles (if you can afford it) as most shots are less than 50 yards and in heavy cover.
Most PHs swear by the .375 Magnum as a starting point, with the .416s & .458s being a good compromise on price and power. Some hunters will load a soft-nosed round for the first shot, followed by solids as the animal moves off. Remember, you want to do as much damage as possible with your first shot and heavy grained, good quality soft-nosed bullets are essential.

Hunting tips - the trophy
Trophy size judgment on buffalo is quite easy but remains an individual choice. Old lone bulls usually have worn horns with characteristic gnarled bosses. The sheer menace and presence of these bad-tempered old men make for an excellent hunt and well-deserved trophy.
A good set of horns starts with a thick heavy wide boss, running outwards and downwards (the deeper the curl the better) well past the ears before curling upwards and back in again. The points then raise upwards and backwards, the higher the better. As a rule, the further past the ears the outer upward curl of the horns are, the better the trophy. In fact, Rowland Ward measurement is based upon the spread of the horns while SCI uses this measurement as supplemental information.

Hunting tips - where
Buffalo are fairly widespread throughout Africa, with the Cape or Southern Buffalo being the largest and most hunted. It is uncommon to hunt for buffalo and return home empty-handed.
Recent reviews of the record books and word from outfitters and professionals suggest that Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana are producing the best trophies. However this is largely dependant upon the concession you hunt in. If a Gold Medal is your objective Tanzania consistently produces buffalo of this class. (Note: Zambia's GMAs (open areas) are still closed for hunting with no reliable reports of it opening in 2003 as of yet. Game ranch hunting is currently open).
Recently there have been outfitters offering buffalo hunting in Mozambique at very reasonable rates and some decent trophies have been taken. However the quality and number of buffalo are very much dependant upon the different concessions. There are some reports of hunters walking waist deep in swamp-water for 7 days and not seeing any sign of buffalo!
In South Africa a different situation exists. Buffalo are often infected with bovine tuberculosis and in South Africa, there is an imaginary "line" drawn across the country - called the Red Line - SOUTH of which no infected buffalo are allowed to be transported at all, either to game reserves or to game ranches/hunting concessions.
Theoretically, that should mean that "clean" buffalo fetch higher prices at game auctions than those infected and why farmers who own clean buffalo are loath to shoot them. However, there is still a huge demand for trophy hunting buffalo - and infected buffalo can be hunted and exported as long as all the taxidermy work is done in the region it is shot in.
It is always worth comparing prices in South Africa with Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia as the actual trophy prices tend to be higher in South Africa. The cost of the hunt is usually more reasonable however with fewer extra costs (chartering planes, govt taxes) and there are no time restrictions as there are in the other countries. This means that safari costs work out pretty much the same.
Most notable are the kneecaps, prepared as a stew or goulash in a traditional cast iron pot over a slow fire for a number of days. The wait is worth it! Buffalo steak and kidney pie is another favorite. Many also consider the tongue to be excellent.
In the early days of Northern Rhodesia buffalo were not exactly plentiful near the growing settlements and to hunt them required many days of trek by wagon to a suitable area. Once there, the hunters would hunt as much as they could in order to get as much meat out of the trip and most of their forays coincided with full moons.
They would tie a piece of white cloth around the end of their 9.3X57 Mauser barrels and use this to aim in the dark. A herd would be located, usually on the open plains while they grazed, and then the fun would start with 4 or 5 hunters closing in from different directions. Often the herd would stampede and the only way to avoid being trampled was to shoot down one of the front buffalos and jump onto its body, all the while shooting as fast as possible.