trouble with cape buffalo

[Nachta]

So recently I've tried going for buffalo since the american bison got added. And I can't tell if I'm experiencing bugs or if I'm just being outplayed by the game.
I was hunting european bison and found 3 sitting in a group together. I shot 1, the other 2 ran, and the 1 I shot charged me, but I hit a vital so I just dodged and waited for him to drop. Well suddenly I'm surrounded by (not an exaggeration) 20 of them all charging me. I die of course, cause I can't dodge and fight 20 bison. So did they spawn from nowhere or were they just tucked away? You'd think I'd notice a pile of 20 buffalo in an open forest with no bushes though.

Now, I can bring down european bison, american bison. I can't seem to bring down a cape buffalo.
Tracking cape buffalo and I hear the warning calls. I've only recently noticed that they come after you if you get too close, which I love! It makes cape buffalo hunting a real challenge. But I run into the problem that I can't kill them once they're attacking me. I use a rangemaster 338 to hunt anything large, and 338 mag high penetration. It pretty much rips through anything large at close range, but it doesn't even get past the hide on cape buffalo.

I only managed to kill 1 with my 338 because I swiss cheesed it in the fight. So are cape buffalo bugged? Are buffalo bugged in general? Is the aggro bugged? Or should I be using a bigger gun?

I'm only concerned that the game is spawning buffalo in on top of me because of an incident while hunting a grizzly bear.
I was tracking a bear that had been growling at me for 15 minutes. I found the bear. I snuck up to the bear. I took aim at the bear. And as I fired, (no joke) another bear suddenly spawned in, in between me and the bear I was shooting. I hit him in the face and the bullet only wounded the other bear, both of them lost quick kill. I'm like "....Yeah, ok game." :(

I also experience a thing (this happened while I was hunting wolves too) when animals go to attack me, my gun stops auto-reloading. Is that intentional too? Lol

[Hidden Gunman]

Use the .470 on cape buffalo in close, that's what it is for.

Single shot firearms against dangerous game like cape buffalo went out when people stopped using blackpowder.

[GamingB4UWereBorn]

The 338 does get stuck sometimes, you have to fire it and it will reload. As far as Cape, 338 soft point broadside lung shot 100 meters minimum less distance is better. Head on, brain shot. 600 grain with crossbow is my favorite.

[lammas]

Came here just because this ♥♥♥♥ happened. I died three times in two hour hunt because water buffalo suddenly attacking me from the bushes. One time there was three buffalos at the same time. Impossible to get away. That's just stupid. Would not be a problem if they would flee after I hit them once or twice but noo. They're there to kill and I'm just exploring and deer hunting.

[macadamstreet]

i find a group of 47 buffalo (water buffalo)... i stupidly decide to take a shot at long range (300+ m)...
i kill one instantly, they absolutly ALL travel the 300+ m to come kill me... i shot them randomly with the 470, pistol and all , the best i could... i killed 3 more including an albinos water buffalo that was in middle of them (i didnt even noticed it lol)...
its insane, they act like wildebeest, but instead of running away, they charge you all together even at long distance.

now i dont shot them unless i am in a tree stand spot. it seems to work for avoid them for now...

here some pic of my error, death, albinos totally wtf moment lol.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBiulqIXUAAv3n5?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBiuzKXXkAYJUBF?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ECSvKHJWwAMxS9p?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

[Hidden Gunman]

Not having a dig at folk, but there is a very clear lesson to be learnt from all this...

First, safe buffalo hunting is possible, but you have to follow a couple of solid rules...take your time; be cautious; get in close; use the right weapon; stay calm.

The players who follow the 'get in close' practice don't get killed all that often. They may get gored, they may have to time a jump to avoid a trampling, they may be scraping buffalo off themselves after a second shot, but they aren't dead...and that's the point of the 'get in close' tactic.

Buffalo will chase you. They will chase you in real life as well. You just have to be aware of their behaviour, and adapt to it, regardless of whether you are hunting them or simply just in their area.

[saphire jinn]

sounds like you walked into the middle of a sleeping herd, i have done the same a few times and yeah after the first round goes off things do get a bit dicey. but you got a good war story out of it.

[macadamstreet]

Originally posted by Hidden Gunman:

Not having a dig at folk, but there is a very clear lesson to be learnt from all this...

First, safe buffalo hunting is possible, but you have to follow a couple of solid rules...take your time; be cautious; get in close; use the right weapon; stay calm.

The players who follow the 'get in close' practice don't get killed all that often. They may get gored, they may have to time a jump to avoid a trampling, they may be scraping buffalo off themselves after a second shot, but they aren't dead...and that's the point of the 'get in close' tactic.

Buffalo will chase you. They will chase you in real life as well. You just have to be aware of their behaviour, and adapt to it, regardless of whether you are hunting them or simply just in their area.

dude...

a buffalo is an animal... like many animals, they have no idea what is a weapon.

at 300+ meters, they are absolutly no way a buffalo IRL will charge you. because he have no idea what's happening. he will just run away in pain and in opposite direction of the very loud gun shot sound that he hear and be scared off.

for a buffalo, the ennemy is the bullet he took in his body, not the guy with the rifle at 300m away from him.

they aren't that smart. they are like bull in corrida, they dont chase the men, they chase the blanket (whatever the name of it) that they consider as the aggressor.

the Ai is a bit , a lots OFF for them right now. should be redonne more better and make them just flee if the hunter is not at close range.

[Hidden Gunman]

Originally posted by macadamstreet:

Originally posted by Hidden Gunman:

Not having a dig at folk, but there is a very clear lesson to be learnt from all this...

First, safe buffalo hunting is possible, but you have to follow a couple of solid rules...take your time; be cautious; get in close; use the right weapon; stay calm.

The players who follow the 'get in close' practice don't get killed all that often. They may get gored, they may have to time a jump to avoid a trampling, they may be scraping buffalo off themselves after a second shot, but they aren't dead...and that's the point of the 'get in close' tactic.

Buffalo will chase you. They will chase you in real life as well. You just have to be aware of their behaviour, and adapt to it, regardless of whether you are hunting them or simply just in their area.

dude...

a buffalo is an animal... like many animals, they have no idea what is a weapon.

at 300+ meters, they are absolutly no way a buffalo IRL will charge you. because he have no idea what's happening. he will just run away in pain and in opposite direction of the very loud gun shot sound that he hear and be scared off.

for a buffalo, the ennemy is the bullet he took in his body, not the guy with the rifle at 300m away from him.

they aren't that smart. they are like bull in corrida, they dont chase the men, they chase the blanket (whatever the name of it) that they consider as the aggressor.

the Ai is a bit , a lots OFF for them right now. should be redonne more better and make them just flee if the hunter is not at close range.

You need to be a tad wary of who you try to one up.

You have NO idea of what you talk about.

If you want to compare wild water buffalo or cape buffalo with a domestic cow, you are very misinformed.

Now that's out of the way:

No one should be shooting buffalo at 300 metres. IRL many places you find them you won't see them at that range; the ground may not be suitable for a following a blood trail; the chance of only wounding it is too high, and if they bolt you have a wounded animal who knows where, and one that is very likely to turn on you...In my experience and from talking to other people who have hunted water buffalo, they head into the thickest scrub they can find rather than breaking into the open. In game terms, the likelihood is that you will not drop them, which is apparently correct from the number of complaints of people being chased by angry buffalo after shooting them at long range.

My view has always been to get in close, and to use the appropriate weapon. I have no issue with complaints regarding the current AI behaviour, but it is better than it was initially. There has to be some drawback to taking long shots at buffalo, and the two options are either to have bolt to escape, or to have them attack. If they bolted, I suspect there'd be far more complaints of lost animals, blood trails and kill bonuses than we see now about being chased.

[DanthemanBoone]

First of all.. you have to play the game the way it is, until such time as it may be changed in the future.
Its not real life, and many of the real life results will not be experienced in most scenarios.
You are not competing against a buffalo, you are competing against the program written by a human who cant possibly fully understand a buffalo's actions and reactions. To add to the difficulty, the weapon programming does not perform to real life specifications either, being mostly under-performing and in some cases over-performing.

Currently the way to hunt cape buffalo is to get in close and kill them with the first shot. I have the best results with the crossbow and 600g arrow, double lunged from side on out to 60m. Other buffs dont usually charge when I do that and I have killed up to twenty cape buffs in a session without being killed myself.

You can safely kill one and the rest will bolt, then you wait for them to come back and kill the next one. Rinse and repeat. Using a bow does not seem to induce the " heat seeking missile " reaction that those using firearms are experiencing.

[The Unwoken]

Well my advice for all buffalo is to learn to shoot at long range unless you just have to have that diamond or gold. At distance, they are less likely to see you and more likely to die before they get to you if they do. Also, consider cover. If your hidden that can help a lot too.

[macadamstreet]

Originally posted by Ginger Baker:

Well my advice for all buffalo is to learn to shoot at long range unless you just have to have that diamond or gold. At distance, they are less likely to see you and more likely to die before they get to you if they do. Also, consider cover. If your hidden that can help a lot too.

if you know how toshoot them well.
you can one shot them instantly.

i killed buffalo with 1 shot from 44 mag in brain or heart.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D3YD8yhWkAAYnbB?format=jpg&name=4096x4096
thing is just to remember where the heart and the brain is... for the rest, any weapons can do the job in 1 bullet.

and yes, i say ANY WEAPONS ! i tested for fun, and its possible to kill a buffalo even with the .20 bird shot.... as long you have enougth ammo and good enougth to dodge 50 attack from them XD
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5nqX1pWwAA0c3u?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

but that's ONLY against 1 buffalo.

if they are a pack of 3... its almost impossible to hunt them close or long distance. at leaast for me, its impossible as they all charge you at the first shot. and you can take down another buffalo, but the third one would kill you.

the way they can just suddently stop and 360° is insane imho.

[Geronimo]

hunting certain game species is sometimes related to the DLC missions than IRL.

In Vurhonga the missions specifically teach the young warden how to hunt these animals and what to expect from them.

Being charged by groups is always a risk.

the actual dynamics per situation are learned with experience, although there are times when patch adjustments to animal Ai come into play, which are usually specified in the patch notes posted online.

Cape Buffalo, taught us by mission progression, are not something to shoot at from beyond a certain range, which i cant recall exactly but i think was around 160 yards. And even then you had to be wary of the other buffalo in the area. Being within scent or sight of them will induce a charge toward you, whereas if you are prone, and took caution of your scent, there is a greater chance they will just flee. Although sometimes their flight path might just naturally be right through your position. bad Luck!

However since the lion introduction and changes made to AI, there has probably been a couple of glitches.

That said it is still the hunters obligation to know his quarry and environment.

Anyone shooting at a herd of buffalo and trying to single out one with a 338 from 300 yards, or anything beyond 150, deserves to get trampled.

Even the 471 must be within 100 yards for a proper kill shot, and depending on the vitals hit versus penetration factors.

Shooting buffalo is like shooting at the michelin Puff man. a whole o flesh and muscle to get through, especially front on.

being charged aim for the brain shot, dodge, or get trampled.

range should never be more than 150 yards to expect a quick kill.

and always know that there are often animals hidden nearby that will come out charging after that shot. and dont make the mistake of thinking that just because they are big they cant sneak up on you. That has often been a deadly mistake realized when you suddenly find your self fifty feet in the air.

All of these large herd animals are pretty much the same, with the Capey probably being the toughest of them all.

[Hidden Gunman]

Well said.

[CaptainNebulous]

Don't complain about animal aggression or the devs will make them way too easy like they have with a few other predators.

[Darzai]

Originally posted by macadamstreet:

i find a group of 47 buffalo (water buffalo)... i stupidly decide to take a shot at long range (300+ m)...
i kill one instantly, they absolutly ALL travel the 300+ m to come kill me...

This is too funny :) But unfortunately for the wrong reasons. I am convinced that this is unintended behaviour (and very unrealistic for a herd of animals).

Originally posted by Hidden Gunman:

Originally posted by macadamstreet:

dude...

a buffalo is an animal... like many animals, they have no idea what is a weapon.

at 300+ meters, they are absolutly no way a buffalo IRL will charge you. because he have no idea what's happening. he will just run away in pain and in opposite direction of the very loud gun shot sound that he hear and be scared off.

for a buffalo, the ennemy is the bullet he took in his body, not the guy with the rifle at 300m away from him.

they aren't that smart. they are like bull in corrida, they dont chase the men, they chase the blanket (whatever the name of it) that they consider as the aggressor.

the Ai is a bit , a lots OFF for them right now. should be redonne more better and make them just flee if the hunter is not at close range.

You need to be a tad wary of who you try to one up.

You have NO idea of what you talk about.

If you want to compare wild water buffalo or cape buffalo with a domestic cow, you are very misinformed.

Now that's out of the way:

No one should be shooting buffalo at 300 metres. IRL many places you find them you won't see them at that range; the ground may not be suitable for a following a blood trail; the chance of only wounding it is too high, and if they bolt you have a wounded animal who knows where, and one that is very likely to turn on you...In my experience and from talking to other people who have hunted water buffalo, they head into the thickest scrub they can find rather than breaking into the open. In game terms, the likelihood is that you will not drop them, which is apparently correct from the number of complaints of people being chased by angry buffalo after shooting them at long range.

My view has always been to get in close, and to use the appropriate weapon. I have no issue with complaints regarding the current AI behaviour, but it is better than it was initially. There has to be some drawback to taking long shots at buffalo, and the two options are either to have bolt to escape, or to have them attack. If they bolted, I suspect there'd be far more complaints of lost animals, blood trails and kill bonuses than we see now about being chased.

You seem to have trouble reading and find it more important to tell everyone how experienced you are.

The point that @macadamestreet was trying to make : A herd doesn't chase over 300m ! towards a gun shot. Not even a herd of buffalos. They probably can't even see you with their crappy eye sight from that distance. Their main sense is smell and if they didn't smell you before, they are not smelling you after that gunshot.

It is very clearly unintended gameplay.