Discuss our Semi-Live Cape Buffalo Hunt
International
Good luck Pat! Be safe. Can't wait for each update!
Have been hoping that you will go back to Africa after Buff. Good hunting, I'll be tuned in! Jake N
I have decided that it is MUCH more enjoyable to be the hunter SENDING the info, than it is to be a BOWSITE participant waiting impatiently to read the next days journal entry. Can't you just post all 13 days and let us read through them all?!!
come on, just a little bit more... this is going to be good!
Oh buddy!! I love these semi live hunts!!! 8*)
With all the owner's negative comments about bowhunting (hopefully not all justified), I am wondering why he allowed this bowhunt to take place on his property at all? I guess, the dollars he can earn do not stink, even if coming from a bowhunter.
Austrian Bowhunter
Glada you made it back Pat. Must be that the mamba's behaved themselves!! :-) Looking forward to the daily posts. Hope you had 1) a GREAT trip and 2) some measure of success, however YOU were to define that.
>>>>>---------------->
I just love these features. I will get nothing accomplished at work until I finish each day's update. I had to ignore two phone calls already while getting the first update.
Thanks Pat for such a great site and exciting features.
Did your wife make sure your life insurance was paid up before you left ?? :0) Good luck, you'll get him this time.....Jeff
Have fun Pat and secondly good luck. May the mystical flight of the arrow be with you.
i think mister rocco will be taught a thing or two by pat about bowhnuting buffalo before this hunt is over
Agreed Bou. I'm betting 3 of the big 5 are now in the books for Pat.
Pat which bow are you using for this hunt?
Great first day read, but where is todays update? Ya got me hooked and I need my fix man...... :)
Pat,
It's after midnight....for those of us that can't sleep, why don't you post the NEXT days journal entry BEFORE you go to bed...after all, it IS the next day now......and there is no update to read yet!!
Seem's it wasn't that long ago we were all sitting here on pins and needles waiting for your report Jake !Now you know how we felt waiting for that big white bear to hit the ground !
These semi live hunts are something else ! Good gravey it's two thirty in the morn and I'm on here. Bearman,
Gordie...If you went back and got a "real" job, you wouldn't be up at 2:30 in the morning!!!!!!!
That hurt Cory ! He,He ! Acually I went to the bath room ! bearman,
This is awesome Pat!!! How about 2 days at a time??? Jake this is definitely Pats payback to you for what you put us through waiting for polar bear updates, lol.
Man I love these live and semi-live hunts. I'm so excited to see what happens. Good luck Pat!
Very fun and exciting!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Pat!! Good Luck!!! Ned
if pat wanted to payback jake he'd make him wait three weeks for photos after the story was posted.
Great to follow another hunt! Day by day now...
Good to finally hear something from you Pat, semi live is much better than semi dead!
Great Stalk, Hope he gets another opp. like that. Intense
Thanks for the excellent reports.
PS:
A spore comes from a fungus.
Spoor is animal sign.
;-)
What is it with Pat and snakes? This is shaping up to be another classic!!!
Heck, you could have caught that one :0) Now back to the Buff.....Good Luck.....Jeff
Pat I wish you all the luck. I just got back from Zimbabwe on a spot and stalk hunt. It was great as yours will be
Nice bull Dave!!! Just whets my appetite a little more for the rest of Pat's excellant adventure!!!
Yes That is Anthony. I booked through Dries but because we went to Zimbabwe Brent Hein was my PH
pat i have following everyday that you have posted so far. i love it. keep it coming man!!!!!!!!!!!!
"And I thought I was old".....that tree is something!...Best of Luck Pat!
Rocky Reimer Peachtree City Georgia
Good luck! Looks like a blast! Didn't realize you brought Matthew McConnhey out to be your guide.....
Pat, thanks for posting you thoughts about Nick. I took that picture of him last July when Nick, Reon and their trackers came to collect my Kudu. He was a tremendous bowhunter and just a great all-round individual. I had acquired a very high opinion of Nick right from the start after meeting him in the states a couple of years ago. Nick was doing what he loved on a Bushbuck hunt down at the edge of the Limpopo River when he passed. He was a class act and will be missed by all who knew him. Sarah his wife and Angus's daughter is also a real gem of an individual and must be hurting beyond belief. I hope anything we can do to make a difference for her is looked into. Rich
I just re-read the black mamba debacle from 2004....boy you are one lucky, lucky, man, that was definitely a brush with death!
Phil...you gotta see the video dude...really puts the story into perspective.
i don't get the sense he is miserable. hanging tough is more like it. something good will happen sometime in the next week. he will not go without a great opportunity somewhere in the remaining time.
there was a big clue in another post from pat on another thread on how this hunt turns out. did anyone else see it?
Hang in there Pat. It just takes one stalk to go right to change a hunt
Hey Bou,
I too caught that big hint. Given Pat's affection for messing with us, that "hint" could also be scent laid down for a false trail.
James
I get the feeling that although Pat has the cooperation and attention of the PHs at this operation, he still senses they are less than optimistic about doing it with a bow on foot. Not anyone's fault, but if they are not doing this themselves, how can they understand everything Pat is going through. They may be believers in the end, but having them continually having doubts is not conducive to buiding the positive atmosphere around the hunt. Pat is probably tired of trying to provide both that positive atmosphere and yet intensely focus on the game at hand. Maybe I am off on this, but I think I've seen Pat more "up" on previous hunts than he is on this one. Good luck and hang tough...
This is an awesome story. Looks as if half his energy will go into motivating others to give their best effort through to the end. Stay positive.
when it happens it will be all the sweeter.....just like jake's polar bear was for him
Like the sands of time these are the days of our safari...
Tune in today as Coleman checks out and takes us on a hunt for the elusive honey bee 8^)
I love this stuff! BTW what's the matter with a straight on 33 yrd. shot at a buff? I'm sure he wouldn't charge.
good point.....it's not like pat's never taken a frontal shot at a chargin animal with intentions to maul him before. and on that instance he said let him get to three yards, not 33, just to make it more exciting.
20 DAYS? I thought we were on Day 8?
Joshua
Joshua - I'm guessing Pat is adding in last years days as well. I thought the same as you when I read it and had to think about it....
Almost sounding like the outfit is giving up on him? Why the change in attitude?
Any spot and stalk in dead calm and dry has got two strikes already and that's with things that won't stomp you into a wet spot. Just need the weather to cooperate a bit, that's all. It'll come around given time. Get the right weather and it changes everything.
What a page turner!
one day closer to ecstacy
Thanks Pat, for this daily dose of excitment. The last time I was this pumped about a bowhunt, I had the bow in my hand.
Gotcha, that makes more sense.
Joshua
I have to admit it..this hunt is freeken killin me!
Pat.. you are as artfull in suspense as you are a bowhunter!
Turning the page
Brian
Jake, this is easy. We waited ONE YEAR for the conclusion of your hunt. Now that was painful!!!
But worth the wait.
Dang at this point the frustration has to be getting pretty bad. I know for me it would.
It's one thing if your getting close or having shot opurtinities every day, but it seems like everything is stacked against this hunt.
I hope it works out for Pat. If it does I'm sure it'll mean that much more to him.
Well, I know that if it were me, by now I'd be going to the alfalfa.
LBB
I know much "pressure" I tend to put on myself as a hunt "winds-down" and I hear the "ticking" of the clock. However, some of my most memorable hunting experiences have occurred in the "11th hour" of a hunt. I'm sure that this won't be any different for Pat.
I've been reading along and all I can say is good luck Pat. I am a firm believer in hunting hard until the last day, the last ray. I and others I hunt with have filled our tags in the last moments of a hunt and I and others have failed to fill our tags. But one never knows what will happen if you keep trying. One does know if you quit!
Good luck Pat and I hope no matter what happens, you had a great bowhunt.
We do know you came home alive, and that is a bonus!
Have a great bowhunt BB
It sure seems longer than 1 day between updates........
It feels like the top of the ninth, one out and the home team wins a tie. 8^) G
You are the Larry Flint of bowhunting Pat...
You have us sneaking out of our bedrooms at night and checking for updates, wives coming into the computer rooms asking what the hell we are looking at on the computer at midnight.
You are a too cruel.
Keep it up!!!
Sharpstick
Yeah, if I can't sleep I'll get up and get on the computer. But it is a challenge to wait until morning to get the next day or else what do I have to hustle over to the computer for:-)
Charlie - SA
Yeah I know whats its like to have a high price hunt go to the end while looking at the clock. I was fortunate to get my buffalo on the fifth day and we had leopards hitting baits almost every night. But the blind I would sit at nothing would come but the others would get hit. I left with no cat, but (I'll be back)
good call....refresh the batteries and give em heck on the last day. enjoy.....you are living a dream
Me thinks someone may have transposed the last day of the hunt (Kruger) to add to the suspense!!!!
Was there no option to setup a remote control bow in the other blind so that you could hunt two stands at once? If not, could someone invent that....whoops wrong thread.
dam this waiting!
I hope it all comes together on the last day but I sure am going to miss tuning in to this every morning. I have really enjoyed being on this hunt !!!
Yelp I agree with bou'bound it was probably a good ideal. A day will give you a chance to chill out and then you can hit it hard on the last day.
Dear Pat,
keep on pushing and I hope it works out.
I have just come home from a 3day hunt for roe deer over here in Europe and I harvested my mature buck in the last 10 minutes of my last evening hunt. That's why I love (bow)hunting so much - you never know what will happen unless you quit. Then you know you are done.
Austrian Bowhunter
Tick....Tick.....Tick....Tick.....Tock :0( .....Jeff
...highlight of the trip - so far."
Is that a hint? 8*)
I think I would have skipped the park and started looking arrangements for some extra days.
I'll have the un-christian like thoughts for you Pat.
Too danged bad the hippo's didn't eat the SOB's!
You gave it everything you had, kept you goals in perspective and stuck to your plan.
I applaud you for your accomplishments.
An addage from my mother, "no matter how badly you want something, if you don't get it, it wasn't meant for you".
My take, you'll kill the mother of all water buffalo when you decide to extend your current 25 day stint.
Thanks for again another great hunt to share with us.
hurry up pat ken mody has a buffalo hunt open on the other thread......there is still time.....no need to wait for 08!
great hunt done the right way. thanks for taking us along. what is up next on the live hunt scene....anything before deer season?
Great hunt Pat! A part of bowhunting is coming home empty handed. You showed a lot of character when the young workers came by that last afternoon. Be thankful for the opportunity to hunt and to have a family that will be glad to see you back at home. I'm glad you did not choose to pick up a rifle. My only bad bowhunts were those that I was not able to go on because of health problems or other conflicts that took higher priorities. Shoot sharp - shoot straight! DD
Good attempt Pat. You tried to do something most would never even dream of attemping. But, as many things in life, shit happens...or in this case...doesn't happen.
A truely Mans man try. kuddos to ya.
dan
Pat, I know your frustation when your deep into a hunt and things are not going right.Been there,done that as they say.You came home empty handed but not without giving it all you could and giving us a great time following along with you. As a side note;I watched your encounter with the mamba and woke the next morning dreaming that I had a small but pissed off rattlesnake in my house and I was trying to kill it with a rolled up newspaper!!!!Thanks Pat!!
Pat,
I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach when I returned from last years unsuccessful polar bear bowhunt. Instead of focusing on the experience, and the memories, I almost got caught-up in the "gotta get one" mentality. This year, the preliminary reports were NOT as encouraging, but I trained as hard as ever, but went up there with a different mindset. The result was different, but even if it hadn't been, it was a great hunt, and a great time.
Based on your Kruger Park photos, the puff adder photos, the bird that warned you about the bees, the first days "stalk" experience, not to mention several other cool stories that you shared with us, it sure sounds like you had a memorable time....and ultimately, THAT is what it is all about...the memories that each of us make on our respective "journey".
I DO know this much...I sure as hell don't want to be a Cape Buffalo the NEXT time that you book an African bowhunt for big game......
Carpe diem....
Jake
"did not resort to shortcuts of shooting a buffalo from a truck, grabbing a rifle, or finding some tame buffalo to kill."
Now that statment sums it all up ! A TRUE bowhunter dosen't need a gun !
Enjoyed reading about the hunt !
Great story and thanks for sharing it with us.
There's always next time. Look at it this way. Didn't it talk you three or four times to get your brown bear? When it does happen you'll appreciate it alot more.
Termite,
Don't worry about what other people say about picking up a gun. It's your hunt and your memories and that's all that should matter.
First class Pat. Many of us will never get to experience something like this first-hand. You've had a great hunt, and managed to take a lot of folks with you. Thank You.
PAT, It was a great treat for us to follow along with you day to day. Thank you for making it possible. There was certainly a sense of hope by all of us that you would somehow pull off a fantastic shot a great buffalo bull at the last minute. No matter, you are just that much more knowledgable about the entire process of Buff hunting than 90% of others who ever tried it by other means. That is something which is worth a great deal more than what it appears on the surface. You will get one the right way some day... it's almost destiny for you now! Somehow I know you will find a way to make it happen down the road. Again, great of you to share all there was to share.
Great job, once again, telling it like it is.
Thanks
Thanks for sharing this great experience with us. What great memories you have from this hunt. Best wishes next time out.
Charlie - SA
Hats off to you Pat, You never compromised on what you wanted to do, no trucks ,no alfalfa, and no gun. You didnt fall into the, I payed this amount of money, I have to come home with something trap. Your the real deal. A dedicated bowhunter. You will eventually kill one your way, and it will be so sweet. Ron
Hats off to you Pat, You never compromised on what you wanted to do, no trucks ,no alfalfa, and no gun. You didnt fall into the, I payed this amount of money, I have to come home with something trap. Your the real deal. A dedicated bowhunter. You will eventually kill one your way, and it will be so sweet. Ron
Sorry about the double post, Ron
Pat, way to go for sticking with your plans. Its not just the kill, its the "HOW" of the kill. After all, thats why we're bowhunters and not hunting all the time with rifles. Like many of the above posts say, when it happens, it will be all the better from the past blood, sweat & tears!
Years back, after about 4 hunts, I got my first elk bow kill on opening day of the Colorado season. I really wrestled with that one mentally because I was psyched & prepared for a 10 day hunt. I got a great 5 point the first evening. A few days later, we cut short the hunt and came home. I was totally disappointed - about not HUNTING for 10 days, while at the same time being happy about getting a bull - finally. I finally rationalized that it was all the blood, sweat 7 tears from the previous years' worth of hunts that pulled this one together.
Great hunt, now I am disappointed again, because I don't have your hunt to look forward to every morning!! :-)
>>>>>---------------->
Pat,
Was anything said or done regarding Coleman's actions (or lack of) on the last day?
A hunt such as this is certainly not a guarantee, however my expectation and yours I believe, is for the people associated with the hunt to work every bit as hard as I do and to conduct themselves professionally. It appears that this expectation was not met, with the exception of Jacques.
James
Thanks for posting your hunt. While reading along I couldn't help but think of my two elk hunts in colorado that went the same way. I still have great memories of them but do remember some of the frustration of everything going the wrong way. I haven't given up either and know when I finally succeed it will be that much sweeter. I'm sure you will feel the same way when you get your bull.
I checked last night and found post 13 this AM. Dissapointed- yet glad you had the opportunity to be there.
Thanks for taking us along- it was quite a ride!!
Greg
A great all-around demonstration of composure, Pat. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks again for sharing Pat, a great story.
I was waiting for "The Kill" as I am sure you were! Sorry it didn't happen! I skipped thru a lot of the hunt (days) waitng for "that moment"! So I was hoping it was a shot at the last hour and a big buff for you!
Nothing worse than 'party'rs' on a hunt you plan and wait and pay for! Some People Just Don't Take It Serious----I Guess!
I Hope you get a return next year and it all works for you! YOU deserve it! They always say: "It's Not Over Till It's Over"!
Thanks Pat For the last two weeks, I’ve been following along day by day. You have really given us some great entertainment.
Hey Bou, Now that the hunt is over, what was that so-called "big clue"?
there was a thread on shipping to africa and pat posted saying he came back with a couple more pieces of excess luggage than he went over with. i thought, incorrectly, that some of that may have been attributable to part of the trophy. pat let me know that nothing could have been brought back that way. i was wrong and the clue was irrelevant.
OK, got it. I didn't think Pat would give any clues, and didn't want to ruin the suspense, for me, at the time, by looking for it. After the final day was posted, I went back and looked around a bit, but couldn't find anything.
Thanks
Pat, I just want to say that I really enjoy these hunts you take "US" on! The only complaint I have is........ "I just wish that you would go on more hunts"!lol
Oustanding format. Fantastic pictures. A well-crafted story. I'm grateful you're willing to give so much of your experience for us to share.
This may sound crazy, but I'd love to spend 2 weeks out there with just a camera and a notebook to scribble in. It'd be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, even without a trophy on the wall.
You're living the dream, Pat. Kudos to you on your trip.
In the end, it's the experiences. That's all there is, the experiences!
iowaPete
Bou,
I thought the clue you were referring to was in a different thread regarding Elk hunting. Pat was looking for a guide, since his fell through, and said something to the effect that ...the guide falling through was par for the course for his hunting this year.
James
Thanks for the clarification Pat. Over the years surely you have determined that we are always looking for tidbits of hidden information. In fact, I beleive you have played off of that in a number of interactive blood trails.
This site and the manor in which you conduct it should be considered a national treasure. I, for one, truly appreciate and applaud your efforts.
James
Hey Pat,
Thanks for sharing another African adventure with us! I was really hoping you'd double lung the Black Death this time, but it wasn't meant to be. Oh well, money grows on trees, right? LOL
Did you ask Jimmy Carter why he gave away the Panama Canal?
Peace, BH1590
Good job on the hunt. Thanks for the pictures and descriptions of the hunt. The FINAL WORDS says alot about your character. I believe the attitude you portray is a role model for anyone who hunts.
Congratulations on a great hunt.
Pat congrats on another great hunt! It didn't end up with a big buff on the ground, but you had me on the edge of my seat every day waiting to check in to see if you had gotten a shot. I can't wait until you are able to go again. I sure hope you get him on the next trip, you know the 3rd time's a charm! Good luck. Thanks for a great site to gathere with some great hunters such as yourself to share stories and info!
LX_Trkyhntr
Thanks for sharing the story. It made for great entertainment. Hold your head high. Like you said, grabbing a rifle would have been productive - but, not fulfilling. Congrats on your grit!
Pat as a stickbow shooter myself I am interested in your equipment. It took me three trips to kill my buffalo and I am saving money for another trip.
