This is a massive DVD—two disks—and we advise against watching it all in one sitting, for it clearly was not made with that in mind. The work is divided in the following sections: "Why Hunt Buffalo," "Safari Preparation," "Art of Tracking," "Trophy Buffalo," "Shot Placement," and "Follow up."
We did not count the total number of buffalo hunted in the DVD, but it must be two dozen or more. The majority of the hunts are by average hunters, but some industry personalities such as Wayne Holt from Hornady also make an appearance. All of the hunting takes place in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and the scenes are chosen to make a point particular to a section.
Part of the DVD is devoted to making hunters understand what a trophy buffalo is so as to prevent young bulls from being shot. Good clear footage of young and old bulls is shown. In "Safari Preparations," a comparison of scoped rifles vs. iron sights is given, demonstrating why a scoped rifle will lead to more opportunities. Shooting sticks and double rifles are brought into focus as well.
In the "Art of Tracking," three great Zimbabwe trackers (Innocent Makasa, Lumuc Nyadombo, and Robert Mubimba) are asked what makes a good tracker, what they look for, and how they judge whether they can catch up with the game. This section has subtitles because the interviews are in Shona. These unsung heroes of the African continent go time and time again after wounded buffalo . . . as well as to spoor a regular track. Whatever it may be, they have no gun, work for wages that none of us would consider for such a job, and, most importantly, display great courage and dedication at what they do.
In "Trophy Buffalo," well established PHs engage in a panel discussion as to their thoughts and philosophies on buffalo hunting and trophy buffalo in particular. The PHs are Brent Leesmay, Ian Gibson, Barrie Duckworth, Andrew Dawson, and Bill Bedford, all of whom have great experience. In addition, there are individual interviews with Kevin Robertson and Harry Selby who discuss their thoughts on trophy buffalo and hunting them.
The subject of "Shot Placement & Follow Up" is where to shoot and what bullets to use. The two charges seen on screen clearly indicate what awaits the hunter if a buffalo becomes determined and seeks revenge. A well-hit buffalo normally should succumb within 100 yards after receiving a shot. Should a buffalo be poorly hit, it often means a wounded animal . . . and a total commitment to see the business through till the end. One such hunt actually took an entire day.
Like its predecessor, this DVD is clearly created with the idea of giving a thorough impression of what buffalo hunting is like and what hunters can expect and will experience once they set foot on Africa’s soil. It should be mentioned that each section is preceded with a brief commercial. They’re not obtrusive, but we mention all commercials we see in the DVDs that we sell. This film is an excellent product if you want in-depth information on how you will hunt Cape buffalo and what to expect when doing it.
Note: all DVDs sold by Safari Press are for the worldwide standard and will play on any DVD player in the world.
