Yesterday I took delivery of the cape buffalo that I collected in Mozambique, the summer of 2012. Richard Mann, Il Ling New, and I were hunting with Zambeze Delta Safaris.

That morning, our PH, Julian Moller, led Richard and I across the open delta country, using tall stands of saw grass and the various water courses for cover. We stalked within 40 yards of a herd of some 250 head of cape buffalo. I popped this bull on the point of the right shoulder and watched him stagger like a drunk and then disappear into the tall saw grass. When we got to him, he was still moving just a bit but could not get up. Another shot from my rifle, the insurance shot, fixed that and my trophy was in the bag.

For this hunt I used a favorite personal rifle, a Ruger #1 in .375 H&H. My ammunition was Barnes Vor-TX ammo with a 300 gr TSX bullet (my all-time favorite bullet for big game). The Ruger was topped with a Leupold 1.5×5 scope with duplex crosshairs. This is the same outfit that I used for two trips after Australian buffalo and it is definitely a winning combination.

As I write this, at my desk in Texas, Richard Mann is back in Africa. And, the red gods willing, I’ll be going back, too, one of these days. The long flights and government red tape… believe me, it is worth it.