Written by Jon Fossil
Thirty yards in front of me, two huge Cape buffalo were repeatedly goring each other in a battle to the death.
We had been following these two Dagga Boys for several hours and were now only 30 yards from the two combatants with nothing but a small bush between us. I was only carrying my new Ten-Point crossbow armed with three heavy bolts each tipped with two-blade 200-grain single bevel broadheads. While I had practiced extensively with it, this would be my first attempt to bring down an animal using it, and now here I was just yards away from two adrenaline-charged 2,000-pound Cape buffalo!
As I eased around the left side of the bush and rested my crossbow on my tripod I was reminded of ‘lack Death’, the well-deserved epithet for Africa’s Cape buffalo. I knew of several hunters who were severely wounded or killed by charging Cape buffalo. Would I be next?
My hunt began as an 80th birthday present to myself. I was hoping to shoot all the Dangerous Seven on the same trip, with as many as possible using my crossbow. My wife, Siri had already taken the Dangerous Seven on previous safaris – a leopard in Mozambique, Cape buffalo, a hippo, a 14’4”crocodile, a huge lion (#1 for a woman) in Zambia, and an 83-pound elephant in Botswana, plus a darted white rhino in South Africa. She had joined me with the objective of adding several species to her list in her quest for Safari Club’s prestigious Diana Award, given each year to the most successful woman hunter who helps achieve SCI’s mission of “Protecting the Freedom to Hunt and Promote Wildlife Conservation Worldwide”.
Beautiful wildflowers in Zambia.
Our safari began in Zambia with Fico Vidale Safaris to hunt lion, leopard, hippo and crocodile as well as a variety of plains game. The lions and leopard were either too young or too smart, never giving me the opportunity to bag the right one with my crossbow. However, I had already taken a lion and leopard in Zambia with a compound bow, so I didn’t need them to complete my Dangerous Seven goal. However, I did shoot a hippo and an enormous 14’ 2” crocodile at 50 yards with my .375 H&H magnum, and a very large roan antelope at 389 yards with my wife’s .300 Win Mag. My wife was successful with a good sitatunga and red lechwe.
After three weeks in Zambia we moved to Botswana’s NG8 to hunt with Mike Murray and Tholo Safaris. Mike is known as one of the two top professional elephant hunters in Africa. The 83-pound elephant that my wife had shot was with Mike in 2021, making a perfect frontal brain shot from 40 yards. I was hoping for the elusive 100-pounder, and late in the afternoon on the first day of the hunt we snuck to within 30 yards of a very large elephant. When Mike told me it would clearly be larger than my wife’s elephant, I didn’t hesitate. “Let’s shoot him!”
A side brain shot from my .375 magnum knocked him down, but seconds later he stood up and began to walk slowly away in the fading light. We finished him with a couple of insurance shots. His largest tusk weighed 91 pounds! Not quite the 100 pounder I was hoping for, but a magnificent tusker nonetheless. He provided the local villagers with enough meat to feed them for many months.
We then moved to Mike Murray’s free-range property in South Africa to hunt Cape buffalo and plains game. I never expected the dramatic situation that would unfold a mere 30 yards in front of me. Thirty yards in front of me, two huge Cape buffalo were repeatedly goring each other in a battle to the death.
When I aimed at the first bull and pulled the crossbow’s trigger, the buffalo slumped to the ground with a perfect heart shot, but the second, somewhat larger bull, kept trying to gore him while he was down. My PH, Sakie Retief, whispered, “Shoot the second one.” Now, with one bull on the ground and the second very angry bull continuing to attack him, I was again reminded of Black Death. The fact that my PH was behind me with a .470 double rifle was little comfort at such close range. However, I eased around the right side of the bush and fired a broadside shot from a mere 25 yards. Even though the buffalo was fatally hit in the lungs his adrenaline kicked in, and he walked slowly into a very thick stand of trees and bushes. Sneaking closer, my second shot split a 4” tree branch and the buffalo walked even deeper into the thick cover. He was waiting for us in a tangle of downed trees, giving me hardly any shooting lane. But I found a very small opening which gave me only a shot at his spine from less than 10 yards. The shot knocked him down, and one more shot finished him.
Siri’s Sitatunga.
Siri’s Gold medal Cape Kudu.
The power of the crossbow, the speed of its bolt and its lethal effect is staggering! I have shot three Cape buffalo with a bow, and two with a rifle. It seems that when hit with an arrow just behind the shoulder the buffalo just doesn’t know what hit him, and he walks away without charging. I believe that with a bullet, they hear the loud “boom” and feel the tremendous shock of the heavy slug. The bow is silent and the broadhead slips between their ribs without the shocking effect of a bullet.
Now I had two huge buffalo down. We dragged the second one next to the first one and measured them both. They were 45” and 47½” respectively. Both were considerably bigger than my previous 44” best. My PH told me that he had never even heard of two Cape buffalo that large being shot so close together, even with a rifle. What a great 80th birthday present!
We ended our hunt in South Africa with Tam Safaris where I shot a 45” sable and darted a black rhino. My wife shot an aardwolf, a bat-eared fox, an Eastern Cape kudu, and an Eastern Cape grysbok.
This was my 28th trip to Africa. I love the wildlife, the scenery, the food and the wine. I also love the people, the hunting and photographic opportunities.
Next year I will be bringing my whole family.
