Africa 2009

As I begin to write this report in the Hahare airport I am sad as I am now leaving Zimbabwe. This trip was my first to Zimbabwe but will certainly not be my last.

I had no plans to hunt in Africa this year until I started seeing some pretty good deals being offered. Several people I correspond with certainly enjoyed their hunt with Martin Pieters so I decided to book a tuskless cow and a buffalo cow hunt for seven days. A while back there was a thread on Accurate Reloading about what you would do different if you started hunting in Africa again. A common theme was less taxidermy and more hunting. This trip had zero cost for pack and dip, transportation, taxidermy.

The only rifle I brought was my Krieghoff .470 Nitro double rifle. All ammo was handloaded by me with Woodliegh solids and softs. Everything from brass to bullets was weighed and measured with the utmost care. All loaded rounds were checked in each chamber of the double. Muzzle velocity was 2100 FPS.

Travel arrangements were handled by Shawn at Gracy Travel. I used SAA and the trip was uneventful. In the course of my travel to Bulawayo I met two other AR members one whom I sold some 416 ammo and another I had met at the AR dinner at DSC.I overnighted at Africa Sky in Joberg and then continued to Bulawayo where I was met by Martin Pieters. We proceeded to his home. Martin has a wonderful family and they were very kind to me.

The next morning we began the drive to Omay North. It took about eight hours but the time passed very quickly. Martin is very passionate about the efforts he is putting forth to make the Omay even better. We discussed everything from anti poaching activities to management of the lion population, to working with the council in the CAMPFIRE area. I took an instant liking to Martin.

We arrived at the Ume camp where I met Dalton who is an "appy" and Steven our tracker. We organized a hunting vehicle and proceeded to Tiger Bay which is an old fishing resort. The accommodations were very nice and well staffed. The first evening in camp we took a boat ride and viewed the game in the area including elephants, hippos, crocs, and impalas. My chalet faced the water and that night it sounded like the hippo were at my feet.

We began our hunt the next morning at daybreak. We soon found elephant tracks crossing the road and the hunt was on in the jess. This stuff is thick with no leaves and I cannot imagine it early in the season when it is completely green. While tracking the elephants we came across some buffalo. Although there were some shootable cows they offered no good shots and eventually ran off after winding us. We continued tracking the elephant. Steven is an amazing tracker. We caught up with the herd but there were no tuskless. The matriarch put on a mock charge and stopped at about 15 yards. The close interaction with the herd help put me at ease. We located some more tracks and eventually caught up to the herd. We found two tuskless in the herd but they both had calves. After a break for lunch we drove to another area and looked for tracks crossing the road. Unable to locate any we set out on foot to look for elephant near some springs. We were unsuccessful and that walk brought an end to the day.

The next morning we discovered we had visitors in the camp during the night. A hippo relieved itself about 20 ft from my chalet. No wonder they sounded so close. There were also elephant and buffalo tracks in the camp from the previous night. That green grass was hard for them to resist. We re-entered the jess and tracked another herd with no tuskless. I took some pictures at about 50 feet. I can barely make out the elephant in the pictures. Did I say this stuff is thick? We then moved to another area and started tracking another herd. We found a tuskless with no calf in a herd of about twelve elephants. We worked our way within 20 yards and that was as close as we could get. We stood there and watched the elephants and I began to become nervous. Then I thought this is the pinnacle of hunting and I am participating. A big smile appeared on my face as I raised my Krieghoff. If I live to be a hundred I will never forget the sight picture as I squeezed the trigger. The 470 Nitro roared and the elephant was gone. It dropped like someone chopped its legs out from underneath it. I then placed a follow up shot in its head, quickly reloaded fired two in its chest, quickly reloaded and fired one more in the chest. At that point the other elephants decided they wanted us dead. We quickly retreated as I reloaded again. The matriarch charged us and did not stop until Martin fired a warning shot. This occurred at about 10 feet. She looked at us and we at her and both decided to put a little distance between us. It was a little on the exciting side. We were then able to move about a hundred yards away and let things settle down. After the elephant decided to leave we worked our way back to the elephant. Even though she did not take a step SHE WAS STANDING! I worked my way within about five yards and brained her and put one more in her spine while she was down. We cut the tail and she was now mine. After it was over I had a strange feeling, not of remorse or guilt but maybe humbled a little by the experience. I was not ashamed but had no desire to sit on her for hero pictures. Do not misunderstand, I was excited and proud but in a reserved sort of way. We walked to the vehicle and drove to a nearby village. After collecting a group of skinners we headed back to the elephant. The salvaging of the meat was unbelievable. Axes and knives flying everywhere with lots of excitement. Nothing and I mean nothing went to waste. That huge animal was hauled out in five gallon buckets.

The next morning we were on buffalo. We found tracks and after a short stalk we were on the herd. We just could not get close enough for a clear shot. I believe I mentioned the jess is thick. They ended up moving off and we started tracking another group. After crawling around on our butts for quite a while we located this group. These turned out to be dugga boys, and off course I was looking for a cow. We worked our way out and knew there was a herd nearby. All of a sudden we heard a buffalo coming in from the other direction. As it neared we saw it was a cow. It crossed a narrow opening and I fired from a seated position and was only able to shoot once even with the double. I jumped up and immediately reloaded. Martin said it looked to be a good shot. We walked the twenty-five yards to where I shot it and found bright red blood. We started tracking it and found it after a short distance. I put two more in it and it still ran off. These buffalo need to read AR and learn that 5000 ft/lbs should knock them on their butts. We tracked it a little further and found it facing us, slightly quartering. I put one more in the breadbasket and dropped it. Another shot in the head for insurance and it was over. I really appreciated Martin allowing me to shoot it out with the buffalo on the follow up and he fired no backup shots. After it was over Dalton told me that more than likely the buffalo was about to charge when I dropped it. That would have been interesting at 15 yards. We picked up some guys from the village and within two hours it was nothing but a bloody spot on the ground.

Now I had five more days in the camp and hunting was over. That was no problem. We moved to the Ume camp and I had what I felt was the best chalet in camp with the best view. For the next week (Martin actually let me stay two additional days after my five days were over) I ran around with Dalton. It was like being at my camp in Louisiana. We fished, checked hyena baits, made grocery runs to the other camp, went on another elephant recovery, viewed game, visited the local schools, and generally just enjoyed camp life. It was great. The other hunters in camp invited me to go hunting with them but I did not want to take a chance of messing up their hunt even though it was a very kind gesture. The last couple of days were spent at the Mackenzie Camp. The other hunters, PHs, and camp staff were all great.

I flew back to Harare and was able to visit with a classmate of mine from Louisiana. She has lived there since 1985 after marrying a Zim farmer in college.

Other notes:

Hunting with my double was great. Iron sights, no shooting sticks, and firing all the follow up shots really helped make the hunt. I have been a proponent of using single shot rifles, but in those conditions I would not recommend it especially on the elephant. I did have two mistakes with the double. I pulled the front trigger twice on my first volley on the elephant. I never did it while practicing nor again during the hunt. Also I shot the buffalo with the left barrel first (solid), I do not know how I did it other than not practicing enough from the sitting position.

Elephants are tough. I thought the side brain shot was good and I put three in her chest, one of which also broke a leg. (she was on her side with her legs facing towards me) But she was still able to stand or maybe was helped up by the others. I have a picture of the side brain shots. The rear one was the first one. The Woodleigh solids that were recovered looked as though they could be reloaded and shot again.

I will never plan another trip without my wife. There were so many times something happened and I thought about how excited she would be.

Zimbabwe seems to be recovering. Stores are stocked and fuel is available. I even walked several blocks in Harare by myself to eat and have my haircut with no fear.

Martin runs a very good operation. I kept thinking he had me confused with someone else. It seemed everything was above and beyond what I expected. The only downfall was Martin came down with malaria after the buffalo hunt and it cut our time short, but Dalton was there to take care of me.

Africa 2008
My quest for an African adventure began many years ago. It began with reading Peter Hathaway Capstick and Robert Ruark's books about Africa. Harry Selby, the Professional Hunter of Ruark's books, became a legend. Selby began his career hunting in Kenya and Tanganyika (now Tanzania). This was one of the reasons I chose Tanzania for my first safari. We are hunting the "The Selous". It is one of the last true remote areas of Africa. It is my hope we feel like Robert and Virginia Ruark on their safaris.
 

Preparation for Cape Buffalo Hunt

The first leg of the journey was to attend the safari club International convention in Reno, Nevada. there we met our outfitter and Professional Hunter (PH). We then booked the hunt.

Preparation for the hunt was enjoyable. I read as much as I could about Africa. The website Accurate reloading was indispensable. I practiced shooting almost every weekend knowing the success of the hunt and possibly our safety depended on making good shots.

Front and back of target at 25 yards rapid fire with a 416 Remington Magnum

The Hunt

Safari dates: 9/20-9/29 2008

Booking: Adam Clements Safari Trackers

Travel: Shawn at Gracy Travel

PH: Zayne Van de Merwe

Area: Tanzania, Selous LU5 Concession

Rifles: Ruger No. 1 in .416 Remington Magnum with 400 Grain TSX Handloads and 400 Grain Banded Solids, Winchester Model 70 in .338 Winchester Magnum with Factory Federal loads with Barnes TSX

Animals hunted and taken: Cape buffalo (Two), Hartebeest, Zebra, Wildebeest, Warthog,  Impala

Animals hunted and not taken:  None

Animals seen but not hunted: Elephant, Lion, Baboon, Hippo, Kudu, Eland, Waterbuck, mongoose, honey badger, several smaller antelopes (Duiker and bushbuck if my memory is correct)

 

Every aspect of our first safari was perfect. Every plane connection was on time, no lost luggage, we breezed through customs, the Caravan plane was in excellent shape, three hunting vehicles in camp all in excellent shape, good food, excellent camp and staff, plenty of game, and Zayne is one hell of a PH. I probably could have booked a little cheaper and cut some corners but the extra dollars I spent for a quality trip were more than worth the money.

 

We arrived in DAR at 10:30 PM on September 18th. Donald was there to meet us. We went through customs in just a few minutes. He sped us off to the Sea Cliff where we met a couple from South Dakota leaving for a 28 day trip in the Selous. The next morning Donald collected Katherine and me and brought us to the airport for our charter flight. We met Zayne at the airport and left for the Selous. We arrived in camp and settled in. That afternoon I checked zeros on my rifles and we were ready to begin hunting. At this point I was very excited and a little nervous. I practiced shooting nearly every weekend for months and have hunted all my life but was not sure what it would be like facing a cape buffalo.

 

Day one of the hunt.

We drove and scouted, tracked some buffalo on foot and saw plenty of game, but no buffalo.

 

Day two of the hunt

We were hunting dugga boys and Zayne and his tracker Brown found some tracks early in the morning. After a short stalk we saw the bulls but could not get a shot in the long grass. We continued moving and finally found a shooting lane. I only saw one bull and Zayne told me to shoot him. I fired one shot at about 70 yards and quickly reloaded and we were on the run. We cleared the long grass to see the bull fall. We looked for the others but they were gone. I “paid the insurance” and put two more rounds in him. My first shot went through the top of the heart. It was the perfect trophy, exactly what I was looking to kill.

 

   

    

 

We went back to camp and unloaded the bull. After lunch we headed back to start looking for some plainsgame. As luck would have it we saw a herd of buffalo. We crept in close and took a good look and saw none worth shooting. After they passed we repositioned ourselves to take another look. This time we saw a nice one. After closing in to about 60 yards I was finally able to take a clear shot. When I fired pandemonium broke out. Nearly two hundred buffalo were running and I did what I said I would not do. I became a spectator. Zayne yelled at me to reload and I snapped back to reality after muttering a few choice words. Luckily the bull only ran about 30 yards and fell over dead. He was shot right above the heart through some major plumbing. The trophy size was not as big as the first bull, but I love the teardrops and the actual hunt was something to remember.

 

     

 

Day three of the hunt

We went back to hunting plainsgame. Our quarry was hartebeest. We spotted three bulls across on open area at about 350 yards. I missed my first two shots and then braced myself better on a tree. The next shot went through his spine as he was moving away up a hill and he dropped in his tracks. After checking the distance with my GPS we discovered the shot was 360 yards.

 

     

 

Day four of the hunt

I cleanly missed an impala at 100 yards to start the day. I was not upset with myself and knew it could easily happen. Zayne suggested we hunt zebra and a couple of hours later some magically appeared. I took a nice zebra, while not that large he was old and we love the pattern and the distinctive black and white stripes.

After lunch at the camp I was relaxing in my tent. I heard some cracking noises then one of the camp staff began screaming. The dining hut was on fire. It started with the propane refrigerator. We started a bucket brigade and had a pump but the building was a loss. Fortunately the fire did not spread. The staff was really impressed with my wife’s fire fighting capabilities. The fire is one of those things that can happen. What impressed us was the staff’s ability to rebuild quickly and with the amount of supplies in the camp we were short nothing. It is nice dealing with a quality company. We went wading in the river afterwards, glad the crocs did not eat us.

 

   

 

 

Day 5 of the hunt

Zayne suggested wildebeest for the day. We went to a different area and there they were. We tracked a herd for several hours and the wind changed and we lost them. A little while later we saw a small group. We were able to get within 125 yards and I dropped a nice bull with my .416.

 

   

 

Day 6 of the hunt

We saw a small pride of lions near the camp and were able to film them. We tried warthog for the day. We saw plenty but nothing worth shooting. We did see a nice impala. I missed again. The impala is now my nemesis. I was actually a little angry at myself for missing but got over it pretty quick.   

 

Day seven of the hunt

Warthog day. Finally saw a decent warthog. Made a good clean shot from a prone position at about 100 yards with the 416. Dropped him in his tracks.

 

    

 

Day eight of the hunt

My nemesis the impala is all that is left on the menu. We see a very nice ram, but do not get a shot. For some reason Zayne was aggravated at himself about the stalk, I am not sure why, and he decided that impala would die. We chased him on foot for quite a while but could not get close and lost him over a hill. I was so out of breath I probably could not have shot anyway, Zayne did not even break a sweat. The truck picked us up and we made up some ground. We started looking for him again on foot and found him. We got within 60 yards and I nailed him with the 416. Our nemesis was now dead. He turned out to be a very nice impala.

 

  

 

Days nine and ten

We went out in the morning and evening to photograph game. We took pictures of a crocodile on top of a pod of hippos. It was not a happy place for the croc. We also chased a herd of buffalo on foot and got some great photos and video. Zayne really went the extra mile to make those two non hunting days exciting. We also had the staff shooting match. They really enjoyed it and my wife competed with them. Zayne let me shoot his 500 Nitro. That rifle has some horsepower. Zayne and I even had a speed shooting contest. He beat me, double versus single shot but I think I surprised him a little with my trusty No. 1.

 

 

 

As I said before it was a perfect trip. We hunted hard, but did not have to kill ourselves trying to collect our animals. Shooting the two buffalo on the second day really took off the pressure. We were really able to enjoy the hunt. Zayne is a great PH.

One interesting thing happened in Houston on the way home. We had a KLM rep walk us all the way through customs with the rifles and stayed with us until they were checked in on the Continental flight to Lafayette. She was a big help.

It was very special to have Katherine join me for the trip. It would not have been the same without her.

I want to hunt elephant in 2010 but may not be able to wait that long.