ARGENTINA: Epic Argentina Hunt

[Pablo]

Dang, I started sweating just reading this.

 

[Green Chile]

Dang, I started sweating just reading this.

That's good...I was certainly sweating while experiencing it!

 

[Green Chile]

Wow, who wouldn't feel confident with 3 random rounds of .375H&H with an animal that size?

Waiting patiently for this story to continue so I can find out what .375H&H rifle they had and those 3 shells your holding appear to be vintage Federal judging by the plastic holder?

On a side note, while hunting Australia October 2023 I saw a .300win with 180gr TTSX and a .338-06 with TTSX used quite effectively on Water Buffalo, Scrub Cattle, feral horses & pigs.

Some of the guys in the NT swear by the .338win with Woodleigh weldcores or Hydros; personally I prefer more gun and borrowed a .404J

I forgot to mention the rifle is a Weatherby in 375 H&H. It was certainly a little better than the 300 win mag with deer bullets but I didn't have any chance to verify sight in before taking it into the field with the luxury of three whole shells. We are coming up on the use of it though. It will speak soon enough.

 

[Green Chile]

We get back late around 10pm, last ones into camp and everyone wonders if we have been successful on buff. Someone says they saw my buff with others from earlier in the trip and confirms what I said about it being a good bit larger than the other mature bulls. I eat quietly and then listen to everyone's stories of their success and progress towards their own hunting goals. I will be sharing photos of that later in the hunt report. Everyone was successful on nice trophy stags and I would have been proud to take any of their stags, without exception. This is a killer ranch for stag quality.

The owner has come to visit with us and I enjoy listening to him at dinner. I ask about the stag quality and then say, no one will believe these are all free range stags instead of high fence. Tell us something about the quality. He says I have been importing New Zealand genetics for decades. Every few years he will buy 5 quality stags from different ranches in NZ. They are bought for about $25k USD each. The horns are cut off to keep from injuring themselves in shipment. All 5 are put into a shipping container together and shipped to Argentina. Shipping them together reduces stress they have learned. Then upon arrival, each stag is placed in a fenced area with 50 hinds (females). After the 50 are bred, the entire pen is released into free range as well as the new stags. You will see as I post more photos of other stags taken that there is a lot of variety and excellent mass to this ranch's genetics. I think it would be difficult to beat the consistent results week after week that this ranch produces on the free range side. Anyone can raise up a 500+ stag with lab help and supplemental feed. What you produce on the free range side says the most about your operation, in my opinion.

 

[Green Chile]

I had strange dreams last night about buffalo and Africa and I woke up this morning briefly confused…after yesterday’s events, am I back in Africa or…oh yea Argentina. That’s a testament to the quality of this buff hunt. I see these photos of guys walking up to water buff in Argentina in the open with no cover and I have nothing in common with that. I cannot imagine this particular group of buff standing there while you walk up to them with a rifle. Besides being a bit scratched up, I feel good and ready to go. Come to think of it, how can it be a proper buff hunt without a bit of thorns and your own blood sprinkled around. This is a proper buff hunt.

We go back out to the big buff area. I should have asked how big it is. I can see no end to it. The valley stretches a long ways and I believe that the end of the ranch cannot be seen from here. I asked last night where the buff cows are and was told they are in another part of the ranch most of the year. They do not keep them together all year to minimize injuries, etc.

As we drive slowly looking at the area, I see and point out a group of buffalo in an opening in the middle of the trees at the base of the valley about 1/2 mile from us. We get on the binos and you can see this is a larger group of bulls…20-25 strong. While I’m looking, Nestor says he is with the group…let’s go. I load the 375 and the 300 is loaded and we crawl over the fence and start walking their way. If I haven’t said it already, the cattle fence is about chest high with cables for fencing. There is no need for high fencing and most of what is here are buffaloes and red stag. Come to think of it, I never did see a blackbuck or other exotic in the buffalo area.

Down low in the valley, the terrain is different. It’s less dense and you can walk from one cluster of bushes to the next with grass in between. You can even see your feet most of the time! We walk quickly for about 5 min and then slow way down. Nestor says we are close to where we viewed them earlier. This is a lot different than before as we are now watching for a larger group with many more eyes, ears and noses to contend with. Hunting solitary bulls is one thing. Hunting them in a group is much more complex.

We find the edge of the herd and stop to assess the situation. They are feeding in the trees with small openings between. They are about 120 yards from us, moving around in little groups. All bulls…all mature but where is the big boy? We have the wind and they seem to be feeding to our left so we sit and watch the group moving across our point of view. No big bull yet. We move with them some and they reverse and come back the other way. They don’t seem to have a focus but are just grazing without being pressed. We know the big one is in here somewhere. Patience…patience. This is the way.

I feel good about the setup. This is more typical and a lot safer than being a few feet from them in thick bedding areas. They start to move again and we belly crawl, which I have to say is my least favorite form of stalking. I have neck injuries and crawling with a rifle isn’t fun. By the way, if you are crawling on hands and knees (versus belly crawling), the correct method is to sling your rifle around your neck with the rifle hanging below you. Don’t put the rifle in the dirt and push and drag it through the dirt and sticks. If you belly crawl, then put it in the crook of your elbows and snake forward.

We crawl on hands and knees for at least 30 minutes (which feels like hours). At times, the herd pops out and stares at us briefly and then moves back to grazing. We still have the wind thankfully. I get on the sticks twice just in case we get a shot but nothing yet and we still haven’t seen the giant. Then the wind swirls as the day heats up and the herd runs a bit to get away from us. We get up and jog after them and then they run to our left. We continue and they are just ahead of us to our left in a group of trees.

I get on the sticks and we hear them run again but this time towards us. The sound of 25 buffalo bulls running close by is thrilling. You can feel the ground vibrating. They are going to clear the trees right in front of us at about 10-15 yards. I get ready and the lead bulls clear the trees and see us on their left. They swing away from us immediately. My guide yells #1…no #4…and I just sit on the sticks and watch…there is no shot to be called here. There are way too many moving parts here to get jacked up. I put the safety back on and look at Nestor. He shrugs his shoulders and I say no, there is no shot to take like that. He nods and grabs the sticks and we move forward again. Close but not quite right.

 

[Green Chile]

Now we are putting pressure on them and they move forward a few hundred yards before slowing down again. We are on the edge of the valley and I can see the waterhole ahead of us that we tried to ambush them in last night. They are milling around just on the edge of the cover. We give them a minute to calm down and start looking for the angles. The big bull is with them. Something is going to happen here or we will lose the opportunity.

We creep forward from bush to bush. We can see them settling in front of us. I range the edge of the herd and it’s 120 yards. I haven’t shot this 375 before but we are getting ready to find out! I point to a bush in front of us and Nestor nods. I grab the sticks and walk forward a few feet and get on the sticks. Nestor is glassing the herd. He says middle walking right. I pick him up above the other bulls. He is going to the edge…safety comes off and I steady on the sticks. He steps clear and pauses to look our way. The shot breaks on his shoulder and he stumbles and plows a long groove in the ground with his nose. I reload quickly…2 shells left.

At this point, I get to see one of those amazing things in nature. The herd circles him and lifts him to his feet. They walk away from us and he is in the middle clearly taller than the rest. We walk forward and they continue moving away from us slowly. Then they turn to the left and the bull cannot make the turn….he slowly drifts to the back and then he is standing alone.

The herd turns to look back at him and he cannot join them. He turns to face us and his nose is covered in blood. My throat tightens as I type this and remember him facing us in his last moments. What a warrior. I range him and he’s 200 yards now. I reach over for the 300 and put it on the sticks. I hold behind the shoulder and send one…two…three into him. He stands for a moment and then falls. My eyes water as I reflect on all of this.

 

[Pablo]

Amazing hunt! I imagine there was a lot of adrenaline running loose.

 

[Sideshow]

Just brilliant thanks for telling that looking forward to the rest of the report @Green Chile

 

[CamoManJ]

Incredible hunt report!
That Bull is quite the BEAST!!
Helluva story told & I enjoyed every second of it. Congrats on your success.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Congrats, was waiting for the photos. Your focus and persistence always seems to pay off

 

[BryceM]

@Green Chile

A proper hunt, and a buffalo like that is worth a thousand blackbuck. I'm really glad I didn't read this thread until just now. The suspense would have killed me.

I've gotten focused on a particular animal too. Plains game, mostly. Last trip to Africa we chased a certain impala for a few days. He ended up getting away, which was pretty cool if you ask me. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. All the sweeter with DG.

Did you get straight A's in composition? Your writing style is just excellent. Well told good sir.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Fantastic Chile, that’s one hell of a beast. Grand, simply grand buff, and worth story to boot.

 

[One Day...]

Awesome! Congratulations My Friend

 

[HuntingGold]

I really enjoyed your story

 

[Green Chile]

Thank you all for the kind words. I try to write these reports to help anyone willing to learn from my experiences, both good and bad. There is more to write but I know people get anxious if I don't give them some meat in a day or two of writing. I just got back yesterday! More to come but I wanted to share with you the results of a hunt that really moved me personally.

 

[Mekaniks]

Thank you all for the kind words. I try to write these reports to help anyone willing to learn from my experiences, both good and bad. There is more to write but I know people get anxious if I don't give them some meat in a day or two of writing. I just got back yesterday! More to come but I wanted to share with you the results of a hunt that really moved me personally.

Thank You for sharing

 

[Green Chile]

He deserves some more spotlight so here's a few more photos of him...

Notice the chunk out of his hoof as mentioned...dinner plate hooves!

 

[Green Chile]

Weatherby 375 with 2 out of 3 shells left for the next guy...

 

[Green Chile]

Notice how tall and wide just the skull is...

 

[Brod]

I'm really enjoying your writing style and adventure. Have you decided yet what you will do with the buff when home? Skull vs. shoulder mount?