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I have not hunted the cape buffalo, on my bucket list to do, but did hunt the asiatic buffalo in the top end of Australia just before or certainly in the early days of what we know now as the PH guided hunts.

We were accompanied by a professional pet meat shooter who normally shot from his vehicle taking two or three loads of buffalo meat per week for his business. As with most game, the buffalo and other animals often stood and watched as a vehicle drove by provided it wasn't too close but they did not stand around once we were on foot especially if spotted or the wind changed. For the bulls my friend and I shot we had to stalk in cover and down wind to get in close. We were able to shoot other buffalo to load up with meat for our guide at the end of the day, some really close milling around in the scrub and others out in the open once they took off after the first shot was fired.

I doubt that anyone would be allowed to take running shots on unwounded animals when being guided in Africa or Aussie now therefore the idea of the animals just standing around as it seems to get applied to the asiatic buffalo seems to me to be a moot point. Most video of cape buffalo hunting I have seen seems to be a similar style of hunting as in Aussie, careful stalking around on foot downwind and as unseen as possible until a good bull can be identified, singled out and shot while standing.

As to being charged to add excitement to the hunt this could happen with either of the species and seems rare for an unwounded animal of either species anyway, so to choose between species hoping to face a charge is wishful thinking and one I wouldn't be planning a hunt on.

The hunting territory in Northern Australia is every bit as tough or tougher and is more isolated as anywhere you would likely hunt in Africa. Aussie is hot and very humid,exceedingly energy sapping and has does have other dangerous animals around too. As always we had to watch for snakes and there were crocs around many of the water holes. For me it is still a toss up between returning to the Northern Territory to shoot more than just one buffalo (a culling trip sounds good) or to Africa. Africa does hold that romantic ring to it for me and off course it would be good to hunt amongst some of the uniquely African animals.

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