Surviving Cape Buffalo attacks in Savanna | theHunter: Call of the Wild

Vurhonga Savana is one of the most popular maps in the game "theHunter: Call of the Wild". It came out as a DLC map back in the day but gained popularity among online players very quickly as it offered a wide range of animals, ranging from a little scrub hare to the feared 'widow maker', the Cape Buffalos.

However, it is not the easiest of maps out there, especially in some parts where it gets tough to catch anything due to densely forested areas but luckily it is mostly arid grasslands which help to locate and hunt them easily. Another factor that makes hunting challenging in the game is the population of a species. Some species like the 'side-stripped jackal' are very sparse while others like the 'Blue Wildebeest' can be found in a large herd.

Today, as I logged in, it was almost 4 pm in the game and it would soon start to get darker. I hate to hunt at night, it makes everything much more challenging. Plus, you need a high-tech weapon pack as well.

I was near the outpost so I rested and changed the time to around 11 a.m. so I had much more time to hunt. I don't like changing time again and again, Maybe if I am hunting a specific species in a specific location then I would do that but not when I am just exploring and hunting anything in sight xD

The next morning was a little hazy and visibility was lower than normal. Pretty soon I spotted a group of Pronghorn resting in the distance.

They can be very jittery and attentive if you get closer but I did it anyway, Of course, I was very careful and approached slowly.

When I was less than 100 meters I used my bow and aimed at the closest one. I got him down quickly.

I thought it was a vital shot as it died quickly but I was surprised to see that I missed both lungs and liver. But it still died relatively quickly, my bow is powerful and Pronghorns are not big either. That one weighed just over 31 kg only.

But I got another one from the same herd, a bigger male this time who was trying to figure out what happened to his mate. He was confused and looking around so I got a good shot at him but I again missed vital organs...lol

I got myself in uncharted territory as I was just trying to explore and find out all the need zones for the animals there. I heard a warning call from a 'side-stripped Jackal' and it was not coming from too far so I stood in the shade of a tree and used the caller.

I waited for several minutes but it didn't come close and I now know what is the reason. The wind was against me and it was getting my scent even though it couldn't see me. Yeah, so I successfully wasted some time there. Well, I ran out to see if I could see it sprinting around but no, I didn't see anyone. They are pretty difficult to hunt.

I moved on and found my next target, it was the Warthog! I have never hunted them before on this map as they can be found close to water bodies only and I have never been to this part of the map.

I didn't take much time as it was already moving. If it was resting or eating I would have gotten closer and waited for a better shot. But it was moving so I took the shot with my 7mm rifle.

It was a decent shot but I failed to hit the lungs yet again!! I took another shot when it didn't go down quickly but it was running at that point and I only managed to get a shot in its leg.

It was a big male, weighing more than 100Kg and look at those huge Tusks!!
They look so cool, it was my first Warthog harvest on this map, and this completed a new achievement for me where I harvested all the species in the Vurhonga Savanna.

While I was just celebrating this new catch, I heard some rustling of leaves nearby and a warning call came too. I knew there was more. So, I picked up my shotgun and sprinted towards them. I spotted one and took the shot with no scope and guess what? It was the best shot of the day. It pierced the right lung and liver.

He was even better than the last one and gave me a gold trophy. Its fur type was dark and looked so cool so I taxidermised it too.

After this successful hunt, I kept looking for some time but saw nothing other than some occasional calls here and there. But I heard my dog barking and getting uncomfortable so I looked around and a big Cape Buffalo was charging towards me.

Buffalos are tough and will come charging at you if they get mad and one push from them will take more than half of your Hp away. So, they can kill you quite easily, especially when there are more than one angry buffalos.

But there was only one and you could kind of dodge their attacks if you sidestepped at the last moment. They will come back and charge at you again until you hit them and they get scared away or someone has to die...lol

It took like 3 arrows to take it down and it was a relatively smaller female xD

I survived the Buffalo attack and was feeling invincible now, so much so that I voluntarily went inside a densely forested area. This was a great place for 'Lesser Kudu' to hide. I heard them a few times, even saw one jumping and running away but there were so many trees between me and him so I decided to not take the shot and risked fleeing other animals in the area.

This was the most challenging part of the map as you will pass through shrubs and trees and you will hear a lot of stuff but seeing them is quite a challenge. The only time you spot an animal they are already running away and almost hidden behind hundreds of trees xD

I found a clearing in the forest where an unfinished structure was lying on the ground.

I spent some bucks and built the hunting tower thinking I would find something from the top but it didn't work either. I saw nothing even from the top of the tower.

I heard some warning calls from Cape Buffalos and found some tracks too. I followed them for some time and saw a few Buffalos. I was so relieved and took the shot but I might have missed the vital organ and they are strong and will take much more time to go down.

So, I tried following the blood trail but as I was following the trail I saw a big buffalo charging towards me. He was aggressive so I didn't have to follow him, rather he was following me now...lol

I was a little bit panicked, ngl. I showered him with arrows until he died. Took me three arrows and one of them hit the skull and destroyed the trophy organ. Also, I had to use 2 or fewer shots for the harvest check so I could win the gold trophy but I was still satisfied with a silver trophy. At least I was alive. It weighed like 750kgs!!

It was a challenging session for me but I love a little challenge now and then. Those Cape buffalos are such a beast and rightly dubbed as 'widow makers' xD

This was a nice end to today's hunting session. I killed my first Warthog, almost got killed on two occasions by Cape Buffalos and found a dense forest on the north-western side of the map. A very productive session. I will see you on another hunting adventure!

Until next hunt...