I was so excited that I could barely think straight as I prepared for what could only be one of the last old time safari's aimed at taking Africa's fabled "Big Five."

It was my second  trip to the Dark Continent. I am sure that when finally joined up with my crew at JFK Airport in New York city early this summer that I was a bit excited about the trip. Frankly, I was so excited that I could barely think straight as I prepared for what could only be one of the last old time safari's aimed at taking Africa's fabled "Big Five." I was nervous about whether all of my paperwork was in order, but I was absolutely confident in South African Airlines ability to make the long flight to Johannesburg quite pleasurable. Unlike past hunting trips to Africa, this was a firearm hunting trip, which means that all of your paperwork needs to match perfectly. At Petersburg this was done again with ease much to the pleasure of my host and old friend, Ken Moody. Ken knows Africa and hunting there better than any other American. He and I go way back. His camp was located only a short distance away, where we had a late supper. The next morning we rose early to make sure my firearms were still sighted in. My Browning A-Bolt .375 was dead-on shooting off sticks and free hand as is done in the bush. Following a hearty breakfast we left of camp out in search of plains game. The area revealed an abundance of impala, zebra, baboon, giraffe, wildebeest and even rhino, but this was not the first stop on my Big Five quest.  We bagged a few antelope for camp meat, but when reaching camp we got the news that not ever "t" and "I" had been crossed and dotted. An unexpected trip that day to Johannesburg was required to update paperwork regarding my animals and various permits. The paperwork alone took almost two hours to navigate. I was stressed as I really did not know the ropes, but in the end all of the paperwork was completed. I can not overstate how grateful I was for Ken's help that day. Even though only a minor part of my hunting for the Big Five actually involved him, his attention to detail and understanding of local laws was invaluable. This was followed by a trip back to camp where my first PH greeted me. His name is Spike, took me on a 7-hour drive to his camp across the border to north into Zimbabwe where I was to tackle the first leg of my Big Five quest; the Cape buffalo. Probably the member of the Big Five that has the nastiest disposition, one of these big bovines will kill you in a New York minute. In Africa, the water buffalo is represented by the African or cape buffalo that was once common throughout most of the southern half of the continent. This bulky bovine is one of the most dangerous big game animals to be found anywhere. Weighing about 1,500 pounds on average, with much larger individuals often being reported, these bovines are built like an army tank. The horn span of some mature bulls is up to a yard in width. It is said that more big game hunters have been killed by the cape buffalo than by any other African animal.  In Zimbabwe where we were hunting, Cape buffalo prefer areas of open pasture, close to jungle and swampy ground where they can wallow. Other than man, they have few natural predators and are capable of defending themselves against (and sometimes killing) lions, who will attack only old, sick, or immature buffaloes. The leopard is a threat only to newborn calves. All attempts to turn the cape buffalo into a "useful" animal by crossbreeding it with domestic cattle have so far proved futile. These animals typically live to 15 to 25 years old Cape buffalo are well known for their meanest, intelligence, ability to absorb considerably punishment from firearms, and to be extraordinarily tenacious when shot. Legendary calibers like the .416 Rigby, .404, .458 Lott, .375 H&H, and .450 Ackley were developed with the Cape buffalo in mind. Knockdown power is essential as bulls have been known to charge over distances of 100 yards after enduring shots that completely destroyed their hearts and lungs. This is not an animal to trifle with, or for anyone not mature enough to consider to squeeze a trigger on. The first morning of this hunt began well in advance of dawn from Spike's camp. His crewed served breakfast then plied our pockets with Shepard pies made with fresh impala venison. I did not keep track of how many of these scrumptious pies I ate during my stay with Safari Trackers, but it numbered in the dozen Although he is quite a young man to be a licensed PH, Spike is highly experienced, knows the land and them game, and is a ceaseless worker. As light broke across the eastern horizon we drove past native villages that did not appear to have changed for 500 years. I felt like it was a journey back in time as we hurried past mule and oxen pulled carts and huts with thatched roofs. Women had tall bundles perfectly balanced on their heads as they walked the dusty road. A short distance from the last village we passed through we spotted a group of Cape buffalo on the left side of the road. However, before we could travel far enough to a spot along the road that was wide enough to turn around so we could return to those woods to attempt a stalk, we spotted yet another herd of Cape buffalo on the right side of the road. The buffalo were making their morning return trip to the shade of the most dense bush, having grazed during most of the night. Days are hot here, and these animals spend most of the hottest part of the day lounging in the coolest shade they can find. The cover was not impressive, looking to me like scrubby oaks common to southern Texas.  We attempted three unsuccessful stalks before on the fourth try  we worked our way close enough to thoroughly glass the herd. Unfortunately there was not a trophy bull of the caliber I wanted in this group. Spike the PH was unhappy about this, but I was not in the least. During that time we had seen elephants, and lots of kudu, impala and a variety of other game. Even if our morning long approaches were unproductive, I felt as though I was in heaven. Returning up the road in the direction first herd, we spotted where they had crossed the road in the direction that ran at a right angle of us with their destination being a thick grove of trees.  Carefully approaching along a gully that hide us as we approached closer, we stopped to glass and closely observe the herd on the far side of the water hole. To get a better look was made a big circle around this spot, coming up where we could get a shot. The first big bull we spotted had a broken horn. The Lady Luck smiled, as a trophy class bull moved up to push the herd directly past us. Placing my Browning A-Bolt .375 on my Stony Point Shooting Sticks, at 100 yards away I put the animal in the crosshairs of my Swarovski 2x-4x riflescope. Squeezing off the first round, a Winchester Fail Safe my shoulder rocked back from the recoil. The impact of this powerful bullet nearly knocked the animal off of its feet. Jacking in a second round, a solid bullet, I shot the buff again as it wheeled around, then repeated this another time as it again changed direction. Hit three times, the hulking beast seemed less hurt than it should be as it disappeared before our eyes into the tall grass beyond the grove of trees. Had it not been for BOSS porting on my Browning Rifle and my Sims recoil pads, three shots from such a big bore would have resulted in discomfort in my shoulder.. A gut check was in order, as a wounded buffalo in thick grass that is almost as tall as your head is a potentially deadly prescription if things take a nasty turn for the worse. We moved in cautiously.  Spike and I slowly walked side by side with our fingers on the triggers of our rifles. It only took a minute to spot the animal. Our fear was the fear that grips every Cape buffalo hunter in this situation. The question was, is this animal dead or is it lying in wait ready to make a charge its tormentors. This is why my rifle was mounted with a Swarovski 2x-4x scope of modest magnification, rather than a 9x to 10x power riflescope. Should the buff arise to charge, getting the crosshairs on the beast is easy and fast at close range in a 2x to 4x power riflescope. Fortunately for us, the hunt was over. Spike touched the eye of the animal. Its spirit had departed for greener pastures. I was glad of it. The black trackers were quite excited about my buff. The width measurement was impressive enough, being app. 39" with extraordinarily heavy bosses. Loaded, the next stop for the buff was the skinning shop, the buff's first stop before being delivered as a life-size mount at Bass Pro Shops. This was the first step in taking the Big Five. Now lion, leopard, rhino and elephant awaited me and my PH Spike.