Dreaming Big

Raising Cape buffalo in Texas

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Thousands of hunters have made the trek to Africa to hunt the Cape buffalo, one of the Big Five of the continent’s dangerous game species.

Now you can have the chance to own a herd right here in Texas.

There aren’t many Cape buffalo herds in the U.S., but for those who would like a ranch with one, the Colorado River Ranch, near Lampasas, is available with a group of the African beasts, along with many other exotics, African and otherwise.

“We have 15-20 head, and there are a few other larger herds in Texas and a few about the same size as ours or smaller,” said ranch owner Devin Nevilles. “There are between 200 and 300 Cape buffalo in the U.S.”

Nevilles said the animals can be dangerous, but he hasn’t had any issues.

“I’ve heard horror stories,” he said. “We have them in a pen over the winter and turn them out into an 1,100-acre pasture. There’s so much brush there, you don’t see them for weeks at a time.”

Nevilles said his animals have settled down nicely.

“My son said they got after him when he was hunting other exotics,” he said. “I think they smelled the leftover alfalfa in the buggy and ran toward it. Mostly they run away from you.”

Nevilles said he is able to enter the pen when the buffalo are wintering.

“We cubed them like cattle and they eventually got used to it,” he said. “Now they like them and run to within 20-30 feet when you shake the bag.”

The ranch owner said you still have to be extra cautious around the animals, however.

“Like any Cape buffalo, the biggest risk is if one is injured or if you mess with a calf,” he said.

“They are herd animals that stick together.”

The Cape buffalo haven’t been more.”

The herd got its start when Nevilles bought two bulls and three females from another Texas herd.

The animals don’t come cheap. A good female now brings $500,000 or more, with a recent cow bringing more than $700,000 exotics, you’re trying to raise females. Most of the time if you buy a female they make you buy a male.”

Cape buffalo weigh more than 1,000 pounds, with some exceeding 1,900 pounds. The adult male horns diverge downward from the bases, and then curve upward and outward. The bases come close together, forming a shield referred to as a “boss.” As grazers, they do require water daily. In the wild, their lifespan is generally 11 years, but they have been known to reach 22.

Nevilles also raises bison on the Colorado River Ranch, including white bison, and said the oftendocile-appearing animals can be just as dangerous, or worse, than the Cape buffalo.

We’ve all pondered what Heaven might look like. But Al Johnson is pretty sure he knows. It’s a place without concrete and traffic and commotion A place that helps you find balance and peace

When Al told us he’d found just such a place for sale, all of us here at Heritage Land Bank moved quickly to find him the perfect loan A loan that worked within his budget, so the Johnson family could make this little bit of heaven their own

So now, when Al wants to meet, we ’ re inclined to talk at his place rather than the office. Because, as Al told us, being out on the land is good for the soul

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