mr mauser
AH member
Suddenly, in mid-September 2023, Steven Philip Hennings, my hunting guide and PH who I know very well, calls me and asks if I would like to go hunting buffalo with him in the north of Namibia in the area of the Salambala Conservancy. I had always told Philip that I would like to hunt a very old buffalo in the north of Namibia – Caprivi Region.
I didn't want to miss such an opportunity and so I flew to Namibia with my own rifle at the beginning of October 2023. After some preparations, we set off with our other companion Santos on a long 1300 km trip from Philips farm in the Khomas Highlands @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS up to the Salambala Conservancy in the Caprivi Strip. A little tired, we reached our destination near the border with Botswana early in the morning, around 14 hours after starting. Our hunting team from the farm with hunting guides Isaak, Hendrik, Michael and our cooking lady Elma had already driven ahead with the necessary equipment for the hunting camp.
We were then led to a hunting camp in the bush that had been abandoned for some time by a friendly office employee from the Salambala Conservancy in Ngoma. This had a solid tent roof hunting lodge that we could use, a fire pit and a place for slaughtering the game we had hunted. Exactly what we wanted – just not too much luxury – original hunting! We quickly set up our tents and equipment despite the extreme heat (around 40 degrees Celsius) - we wanted to explore our hunting environment and the available game as quickly as possible. Together with our games scout Oped we set off in the afternoon.
Elephant and buffalo dung could be found everywhere in the bush and on the pads. The light, sandy soil in the Mopane Woodlands also revealed many signs of changing game. The vegetation was generally quite dry in the wider area of the camp. The floodplains we later explored along the Choberiver (border river between Namibia and Botswana) were also dry and very easy to walk on. Rain was forecast, but it hadn't fallen yet. We were able to see herds of zebra and impala as well as waterbuck in the river floodplains on a scale I had never seen before and the sight fascinated me beyond measure. I couldn't take my eyes off the hundreds of animals spread across the vast area of treeless floodplains. This is how I imagined paradise...
The following day we had our first lucky hunt. In the back floodplains we were able to hunt an old Burchell zebra stallion with a very unusual coat color as well as a strong Blue Wildebeest bull with my FN Mauser in 404 Jeffery caliber (see pictures of my post 1951 FN-Safari-Rifle in an earlier african hunting post – June 2020 - „Bought an original FN in 404 Jeffery“).
On Friday, October 13th, the hunt for syncerus caffer should finally begin directly on the Choberiver. Our games scout had found out about a herd of buffalo on the banks of the river in the Muyako area that we wanted to take a look at. The anticipation was huge and we decided to set off early at 4:00 a.m. in order to be on site at the Choberiver in time for sunrise around 6:00 a.m.
After a longer night-time journey and after picking up another local guide, we were at the reeds of the river at sunrise. Fishermen who were sailing through the reeds on narrow canals in their dugout boats reported to us, that they had seen a herd of buffalo in the reeds a few kilometers west the day before. A little later, our spotters were able to spot a herd of buffalo ahead, estimated at 15 to 20. It stood well covered, facing us in the tall, green reeds on the banks of the Choberiver. Since the wind was unfavorable to us, we had to make a wide arc to the east and then stalked along the reeds towards the herd. Philip, Isaak and the games scout Oped were my companions.
From my notes:
“…as we approach the herd, we hear their movement in the reeds through the rustling of the reed leaves. Half-covered by thinned-out reeds, we continue stalking on uneven ground.
Suddenly part of the herd breaks past us in the thick reeds - not really visible to us. We also think we have recognized a strong bull. We walk very slowly along the reeds when suddenly several cows with strong horns stare at us from the reeds on the bank. A few moments later the herd breaks out of the reeds and flees diagonally away from us into the more open reed areas of the floodplains, where we soon lose sight of them. As the herd flees, we see several bulls, one of which appears to have a very strong boss and is noticeably old given its stature. We discuss briefly and then continue slowly in the same direction, taking advantage of the now more open reed cover. Then, as we come upon an approximately 50 meter wide aisle along the reeds, we suddenly hear rustling in the reeds ahead on the right. Apparently the buffalo are moving back towards the river. I think they want to rejoin the part of the herd that fled first. Or they are disturbed by us again or they got wind of us.
With the shooting stick aligned and the 404 mounted, I quickly get ready. Philip stands diagonally next to me with his Sauer 202 in caliber 458 Lott. Last but not least, Isaak carries the heavy Merkel 470 NE.
And already the first bull comes trotting across the aisle. Distance about 50 meters.
Good curls and delivery, but not really very old, clearly visible in my scope.
But then: close behind, another buffalo, clearly more massive in body, crosses the aisle. I recognize the big light gray boss of the buffalo, shining briefly in the pale sun. This must be the old "scrum cap bull". At the same time Philip whispers to me, "...it's the second one!!!"
I swing the rifle with the moving body and give the old buffalo a side-on low heart shot, which the bull acknowledges with a typical kick out with both back legs. Repeated, out is also the second shot, before the old bull disappears in the dense reeds.
Fascinated and spellbound by the moment, I continue to look at the reeds, where the shot bull and his companion have disappeared.
Then, unexpectedly for me, Philip fires a shot next to me with his 458 without me being able to see a target. The shock wave of the shot takes my breath away and I hear it whistling loudly in my ear..... What happened? Philip had been paying attention and noticed that the rest of the herd had not turned around, but were now fleeing in the reeds in our direction. There must have been another ten or twelve buffalo, which had apparently changed direction in their panic after my shots. After Philip's warning shot, however, they turned away from us .... still a short rustle in the reeds - then silence.
It's good to have an attentive PH at your side during such a hunt. It's better to have a whistle in your ear than to be unexpectedly overrun by a panicked herd of buffalo.
During the next minutes we listen attentively for noises from the reeds. After a few minutes we hear, not very far away, the death bellow of the old Daggaboy. But the second buffalo is probably still with the shot buffalo - clearly audible from the constant rustling in the reeds in front of us. I insist that we wait half an hour and only then start the search in the dense reeds.
At first, we don't find any blood on the approach shot in front of the reeds and behind them, which I don't like at all. But after 40 meters on a reed path I discover clear traces of blood on the yellow reeds on the ground.
At the same moment Isaak discovers the stretched bull to the side of us almost at the edge of the reeds. Philip approaches the buffalo from behind with his rifle raised and finds that it has already died. I also approach and am immediately impressed by the huge helmet head of the really old daggaboy lying here."
That's exactly the kind of old bull I've always wanted. Curls and spread are certainly very impressive on other buffaloes - but on this old buffalo its fascination comes from the very huge helmet head, the boss shining gray in the sun. I can't say it better than Kevin Robertson in his book “Africans most dangerous” S. 221: “This old bull`s horns are my favorite. Thick, massive, and heavy, with broke-off-tips and the boss worn glass-smooth from rubbing, they symbolize everything that is Syncerus. I admire them every day, and therein lies their true value”.
The joy of me and my fellow hunters is enormous. We had not expected to be so successful in our first hunt for buffalo. On closer inspection, you can see that the buffalo was only slightly hairy and the ends of its horns were already very worn. His teeth also testify to a great age. Seen from the front, the old Daggaboy looks like a ram and thus appears very impressive. We estimate his age to be at least 15 years and are surprised that he was not a loner but still with the herd.
After the buffalo got his last bite (German hunting tradition) and photos were taken, we weighed the old buffalo with united forces and the winch of the truck on the loading area. Its weight was estimated by us at about 700 to 800 kg.
The hunt went by in a flash: at 6.00 a.m. with sunrise we were on the spot - already at 6.15 a.m. the hunt started - at 6.35 a.m. I shot the buffalo and at 7.15 already we found the buffalo in the high reed grass of the Choberiver.
Everyone was especially relieved that we did not have to search for a sick buffalo in the completely dense reeds. This would have been very difficult and probably very dangerous, as the visibility was sometimes less than 1 meter. It was also a great advantage for us that the floodplains were still dry and therefore easy to walk on. In the rainy season or after rain, we were told, everything would sink into the mud and tracking game into the riparian reeds would be almost impossible. Really a lot of hunting luck and obviously good timing and that on a Friday the 13th, a day that is actually said to have rather unlucky courses!
For the exciting and successful hunt I would like to thank Philip, our gamescout Oped, the always attentive hunting guide Isaak and his entire energetic hunting team, which has done an excellent job. It was an unforgettable experience for me and certainly also for the other people in the impressive environment of the floodplains directly on the Choberiver.
A hunting life dream came true for me. Thank you Philip!
I didn't want to miss such an opportunity and so I flew to Namibia with my own rifle at the beginning of October 2023. After some preparations, we set off with our other companion Santos on a long 1300 km trip from Philips farm in the Khomas Highlands @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS up to the Salambala Conservancy in the Caprivi Strip. A little tired, we reached our destination near the border with Botswana early in the morning, around 14 hours after starting. Our hunting team from the farm with hunting guides Isaak, Hendrik, Michael and our cooking lady Elma had already driven ahead with the necessary equipment for the hunting camp.
We were then led to a hunting camp in the bush that had been abandoned for some time by a friendly office employee from the Salambala Conservancy in Ngoma. This had a solid tent roof hunting lodge that we could use, a fire pit and a place for slaughtering the game we had hunted. Exactly what we wanted – just not too much luxury – original hunting! We quickly set up our tents and equipment despite the extreme heat (around 40 degrees Celsius) - we wanted to explore our hunting environment and the available game as quickly as possible. Together with our games scout Oped we set off in the afternoon.
Elephant and buffalo dung could be found everywhere in the bush and on the pads. The light, sandy soil in the Mopane Woodlands also revealed many signs of changing game. The vegetation was generally quite dry in the wider area of the camp. The floodplains we later explored along the Choberiver (border river between Namibia and Botswana) were also dry and very easy to walk on. Rain was forecast, but it hadn't fallen yet. We were able to see herds of zebra and impala as well as waterbuck in the river floodplains on a scale I had never seen before and the sight fascinated me beyond measure. I couldn't take my eyes off the hundreds of animals spread across the vast area of treeless floodplains. This is how I imagined paradise...
The following day we had our first lucky hunt. In the back floodplains we were able to hunt an old Burchell zebra stallion with a very unusual coat color as well as a strong Blue Wildebeest bull with my FN Mauser in 404 Jeffery caliber (see pictures of my post 1951 FN-Safari-Rifle in an earlier african hunting post – June 2020 - „Bought an original FN in 404 Jeffery“).
On Friday, October 13th, the hunt for syncerus caffer should finally begin directly on the Choberiver. Our games scout had found out about a herd of buffalo on the banks of the river in the Muyako area that we wanted to take a look at. The anticipation was huge and we decided to set off early at 4:00 a.m. in order to be on site at the Choberiver in time for sunrise around 6:00 a.m.
From my notes:
“…as we approach the herd, we hear their movement in the reeds through the rustling of the reed leaves. Half-covered by thinned-out reeds, we continue stalking on uneven ground.
Suddenly part of the herd breaks past us in the thick reeds - not really visible to us. We also think we have recognized a strong bull. We walk very slowly along the reeds when suddenly several cows with strong horns stare at us from the reeds on the bank. A few moments later the herd breaks out of the reeds and flees diagonally away from us into the more open reed areas of the floodplains, where we soon lose sight of them. As the herd flees, we see several bulls, one of which appears to have a very strong boss and is noticeably old given its stature. We discuss briefly and then continue slowly in the same direction, taking advantage of the now more open reed cover. Then, as we come upon an approximately 50 meter wide aisle along the reeds, we suddenly hear rustling in the reeds ahead on the right. Apparently the buffalo are moving back towards the river. I think they want to rejoin the part of the herd that fled first. Or they are disturbed by us again or they got wind of us.
With the shooting stick aligned and the 404 mounted, I quickly get ready. Philip stands diagonally next to me with his Sauer 202 in caliber 458 Lott. Last but not least, Isaak carries the heavy Merkel 470 NE.
And already the first bull comes trotting across the aisle. Distance about 50 meters.
Good curls and delivery, but not really very old, clearly visible in my scope.
But then: close behind, another buffalo, clearly more massive in body, crosses the aisle. I recognize the big light gray boss of the buffalo, shining briefly in the pale sun. This must be the old "scrum cap bull". At the same time Philip whispers to me, "...it's the second one!!!"
I swing the rifle with the moving body and give the old buffalo a side-on low heart shot, which the bull acknowledges with a typical kick out with both back legs. Repeated, out is also the second shot, before the old bull disappears in the dense reeds.
Fascinated and spellbound by the moment, I continue to look at the reeds, where the shot bull and his companion have disappeared.
Then, unexpectedly for me, Philip fires a shot next to me with his 458 without me being able to see a target. The shock wave of the shot takes my breath away and I hear it whistling loudly in my ear..... What happened? Philip had been paying attention and noticed that the rest of the herd had not turned around, but were now fleeing in the reeds in our direction. There must have been another ten or twelve buffalo, which had apparently changed direction in their panic after my shots. After Philip's warning shot, however, they turned away from us .... still a short rustle in the reeds - then silence.
It's good to have an attentive PH at your side during such a hunt. It's better to have a whistle in your ear than to be unexpectedly overrun by a panicked herd of buffalo.
During the next minutes we listen attentively for noises from the reeds. After a few minutes we hear, not very far away, the death bellow of the old Daggaboy. But the second buffalo is probably still with the shot buffalo - clearly audible from the constant rustling in the reeds in front of us. I insist that we wait half an hour and only then start the search in the dense reeds.
At first, we don't find any blood on the approach shot in front of the reeds and behind them, which I don't like at all. But after 40 meters on a reed path I discover clear traces of blood on the yellow reeds on the ground.
At the same moment Isaak discovers the stretched bull to the side of us almost at the edge of the reeds. Philip approaches the buffalo from behind with his rifle raised and finds that it has already died. I also approach and am immediately impressed by the huge helmet head of the really old daggaboy lying here."
That's exactly the kind of old bull I've always wanted. Curls and spread are certainly very impressive on other buffaloes - but on this old buffalo its fascination comes from the very huge helmet head, the boss shining gray in the sun. I can't say it better than Kevin Robertson in his book “Africans most dangerous” S. 221: “This old bull`s horns are my favorite. Thick, massive, and heavy, with broke-off-tips and the boss worn glass-smooth from rubbing, they symbolize everything that is Syncerus. I admire them every day, and therein lies their true value”.
The joy of me and my fellow hunters is enormous. We had not expected to be so successful in our first hunt for buffalo. On closer inspection, you can see that the buffalo was only slightly hairy and the ends of its horns were already very worn. His teeth also testify to a great age. Seen from the front, the old Daggaboy looks like a ram and thus appears very impressive. We estimate his age to be at least 15 years and are surprised that he was not a loner but still with the herd.
After the buffalo got his last bite (German hunting tradition) and photos were taken, we weighed the old buffalo with united forces and the winch of the truck on the loading area. Its weight was estimated by us at about 700 to 800 kg.
The hunt went by in a flash: at 6.00 a.m. with sunrise we were on the spot - already at 6.15 a.m. the hunt started - at 6.35 a.m. I shot the buffalo and at 7.15 already we found the buffalo in the high reed grass of the Choberiver.
Everyone was especially relieved that we did not have to search for a sick buffalo in the completely dense reeds. This would have been very difficult and probably very dangerous, as the visibility was sometimes less than 1 meter. It was also a great advantage for us that the floodplains were still dry and therefore easy to walk on. In the rainy season or after rain, we were told, everything would sink into the mud and tracking game into the riparian reeds would be almost impossible. Really a lot of hunting luck and obviously good timing and that on a Friday the 13th, a day that is actually said to have rather unlucky courses!
For the exciting and successful hunt I would like to thank Philip, our gamescout Oped, the always attentive hunting guide Isaak and his entire energetic hunting team, which has done an excellent job. It was an unforgettable experience for me and certainly also for the other people in the impressive environment of the floodplains directly on the Choberiver.
A hunting life dream came true for me. Thank you Philip!
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