I slept a little better last night and was ready for my 3rd day in the swamp. If I don't shoot a buffalo today we'll leave the tents up but will have to drive out of the swamp to the truck then back to the main camp to restock the food and water.
But as we drove the Argo back to where we saw the herds I got a feeling that today may be the day. The weather was inconsistent, it was windy, then rain showers, then sunny then windy and raining again. But it would make stalking a bit easier.
The buffalo were hard to find this morning. We drove farther than we had ever done so before into an area the blacks call "Danger." Obviously, I wasn't too thrilled with the name. Dominga spotted fresh buffalo tracks and we began to follow them with the Argo. As usual, I had no idea what the hell they were looking at and following but they were right on the money, an hour later we saw the white egrets. The buffalo had been found.
We spotted a few buffalo on their own (for the first time) but none were shooters. Three hours into the morning hunt Dominga spotted the birds. We moved into position and had located a massive herd on the far side of a long strip of razor grass.
We spent an hour trying to sort them out and find the best way to stalk them. Eventually we conceded that it was not feasible. So we tried to nudge them once more. This time it was Willem's idea so I joked that if this back-fired again don't blame me!
Part of the herd had split up and moved ahead of the others. We found their crossing and set up in the razor grass just next to it. I don't think either of us were particularly optimistic but it was worth a shot.
It took a little longer than yesterday so perhaps Dominga got the memo. Meanwhile Willem and I carved out a little ambush spot and prepared for what came next. What did come next, was a scene I will never forget
The first cows appeared and were moving too fast. At first they were 80 yards out, but then they turned and headed toward us. Willem had picked it right - they followed the trail of the other buffalo. Those cows ran past us at just 10 yards. But then the ground started to rumble and we could see a cloud of dust and birds heading in our direction. I wasn't nervous at all, it was unlikely we would be in danger given this setup. But we knew what we were going to experience was a once in a lifetime. At least 800 buffalo were stampeding just a few yards from us. It was quite the spectacle.
As the last of the buffalo ran by it was obvious the tactic, once again, did not work. But it was a memory I'll never forget.
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Stampede!!
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800 Buffalo Stampede within 10 yards of us!.
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Dominga and Willem started talking about what to do next. But I suggested that we take the afternoon off and head back to restock. We had several hours of Argo travel ahead of us and I was looking forward to getting a shower and my batteries recharged. We left the tents and sleeping bags back at the swamp and headed out early. Five hours later were back in camp.
Back in camp, Willem talked with another PH, Andre, whom had been working in this Mozambique camp for 12 years. He was looking for some ideas and they came up with one that was fine with me. Tomorrow, Willem, Andre, Dominga and myself would head to a new swamp called Charundi. According to Andre, two smaller herds had moved into that area and the terrain was much more conducive to bowhunting. We would bring enough supplies to last the remainder of our trip there. We leave at 3AM tomorrow morning.
