When hunting bulls in a large herd, be prepared to shoot as far as fifty yards. Zero your rifle, like this Ruger No. 1 single shot chambered to Hornady's new .450/.400-3-inch load, accordingly.

Finding The Bull
Taking a certain bull out of a moving, feeding, shifting, wandering mass of several dozen or several hundred buffalo is a daunting task. First you have to see and identify such a bull. Then you have to close in for a shot, preferably fifty yards or less; realistically, in a herd, you might have to shoot twice that far. Then you have to isolate the bull--catch him in the clear so there is no risk of the bullet passing through into another buffalo.

Sometimes you can go with a herd all day and never be certain you've seen all the bulls. Other times you may only get a glimpse of a good bull. Many times you find him, you get close enough, but there is simply no shot.

Hunting herds can be frustrating, but it's also exciting. You'll smell them and hear them lowing ahead, listen to branches crack as the herd feeds, and as you maneuver to look them over you will invariably spook them, hear the thunder of hundreds of hooves and choke on the dust. Then you'll do it again.

Buffalo herds are not static, so each herd requires close inspection. But with experience comes certain advantages. In June of a wet year some of the older bulls would still be coming and going with the herds. These bulls are often like the satellite bulls you hear about with elk. With elk, though, the dominant bull will be a big boy, while the satellite bulls are younger, smaller bulls traveling the edges of the herd, hoping to cut out a cow while the big boy isn't looking. It's the same with buffalo, except the dominant herd bull will be ten or eleven, in his prime and at his greatest strength. He will allow younger bulls into the herd, but older outcast bulls (with bigger horns) may trail along at the edges.

Donna Grey's buffalo, taken with the Ruger No. 1 in .450/.400 3-inch, was a classic herd bull, 9 1/2 or ten years old, mature and maxed out on horn growth.

There are other important tidbits. It's always best to catch a herd when they're moving and feeding; once they lie down there are too many alert cows, and it can be almost impossible to see bulls in the press. But when a herd is moving, the bulls, especially older ones, are most likely to be in the rear of the herd. Unless badly spooked, they'll tend to maintain their position in the herd as they move along--while you circle and cut, trying to close the distance to get a clear shot. If you've located a bull you want, it's important (sometimes critical) to keep focused on that bull. Sometimes, the horns are so distinctive as to be enough, but usually you need to foucs on other attributes as well.

Surgical Strike
I was along for the ride with Steve Hornady and professional hunter Paul Smith (chifutisafaris.com). Relatively late in the morning we picked up spoor of a good-size herd. It was no more than a couple hours old, and they were feeding into mopane forest that Paul knew wasn't too thick.