HUNT SUMMARY

Date of Hunt: September 18-30, 2005

Location: Fimbiri and Ngali Camps, Lemco Conservancy, Zimbabwe

Animals Taken: Southern Greater Kudu, Sable, Livingstone Eland, Nyala and Waterbuck

PH/Outfitter: Steve Brewer of HHK Safaris, Tracker - Dix
Website: http://www.hhksafaris.com/


Firearms/Equipment:
Pre 64 Winchester M70 chambered in 300 H&H Mag Bushnell Elite 4200 2.5-10x in Talley Rings and Bases. Serengeti modified Cheetah stock.
200 grain North Fork bullets ~3050 fps

Ruger No.1 S chambered in 338 Win Mag Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5x in Leupold Rings.
250 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullets ~2800 fps.

Swarovski SLC Habicht 8x Binoculars

Cabelas Upland Hunter non-insulated boots

Gene Ingram #4 belt knife


REPORT

Travel:
My travel was handled by Kathi Klimes of Wild Travel (kathi@wildtravel.net 708-425-3552). She did an outstanding job arranging flights and making sure I understood the requirements for U.S. citizens entering RSA and Zimbabwe, especially transport of firearms. She had copies of the Zimbabwe Visa and Zimbabwe Temporary Firearms Import forms. She reminded me of the U.S. Customs Form 4457 on more than one occasion. I will use Kathi’s services for all of my future travel needs. The itinerary took me from Anchorage to Seattle on Alaska Airlines. From Seattle to Atlanta on Delta. Atlanta to Johannesburg, RSA on South African Airways. Then on to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on South African Airways. All flights were pleasant and comfortable even though my behind has never seen the first class portion of any airplane. Unfortunately, due some troubles that Alaska Airlines is going through right now, my checked bags did not arrive in Zimbabwe until 3 days after I did, and did not arrive home with me until the day after I returned. Until Alaska Airlines gets their struggles ironed out, buyer beware. Professional Hunter Steve Brewer met me at the Bulawayo Airport and assisted me in filing claims and making sure the airport personnel understood my firearms and luggage would be arriving and where they should be sent, or who would receive them when they arrived.

It is a long, long flight. 3 ½ hours from Anchorage to Seattle. Nearly 9 hours from Seattle to Atlanta, and 18 hours in the air from Atlanta to Johannesburg. Jo’burg to Bulawayo was about 2 ½ hours.

Camp & Related:
Camps were clean and comfortable. Rustic stone chalets with thatch roofs have replaced wall tents at Fimbiri and wood paneled chalets with thatched have replaced the tents at Ngali. Ants and other assorted bugs were a nuisance, but hey, it’s out in the middle of nowhere Africa! Flush toilets and showers have been installed. Staff included a cook (who was fantastic at Ngali and good at Fimbiri), a head waiter, a grounds keeper/maintenance man, skinner and game scout. The game scout is there to ensure game regulations/laws are followed and report any poaching or suspicious animal deaths in the conservancy. They are not required to help track or any other field activities, but the two we had with us were real go-getters and went well beyond their assigned duties. Since my firearms and luggage did not arrive with me, we spent the first morning begging a firearm and some ammunition at HHK headquarters. Jerry, the Ops Manager was kind enough to loan his giraffe culling rifle to me, a 3-9x Leupold VX-II scoped Ruger M77 MkII chambered in 308 Winchester. Since the rifle is used for culling, he only had FMJ ammo, so we begged HHK Prinicpal’s (Charles Davy) to borrow a box 180 grain Selliot & Bennett ammunition. We folded a softcase over the hood of the PH’s Land Cruiser and fired a couple of shots at 100 meters at a homemade target. Surprisingly, the rifle was dead on perfect, even with the different ammo. The two shots were touching. I carried this rifle for 2 days and felt comfortable going after Sable with it, but felt a little uneasy going after the ton + Eland. As it turned it out, I didn’t get a shot till the fourth day, so it didn’t matter. The staff was incredible and I cannot say enough good things about the way they pitched in to make this hunt a wonderful experience.

Area:
The Lemco Conservancy consists of 5 camps and I would be hunting from 2: Fimbiri in the far northeastern section and Ngali in the southwestern section. Fimbiri consisted of many dry stream beds and a few lakes that still held water. It consisted of low rolling hills, heavily wooded with Mopani and the flatter areas choked with acacia thorn brush. Numerous rock outcroppings, or kopjes, dotted the landscape.

Ngali is sandwiched between the Mazunga River and the Bubye River. It was flat as a pancake and consisted mostly of barren plains between the two rivers. I guess during the rainy season and just after, the plains here are lush and green with grass knee high. Now, during the dry season, it appeared desert-like. The red ochre and black cotton soil were baked hard as a brick. What few Mopani trees are left, the elephants are destroying, either breaking them off or pushing them up by the roots. Zimbabwe has been in drought conditions all year and now, during the dry season, the game at Ngali is suffering, especially since the elephants have come through. Some areas at Ngali looked as if they were nuclear testing grounds. Even with these conditions, giraffe, zebra, kudu, duiker, steenbok, elephant, cape buffalo, eland, black rhinocerous, Nyala, bushbuck, and other types of game were common.


Hunting:
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. On the ride from the airport, the PH and I talked about what type of hunt and animals I was after. I told Steve that I wanted a boot leather on the ground hunt, but did realize the conservancy was 1 million plus acres and there would be a substantial amount of driving. However, I did not want to hunt from the vehicle. Steve and Tracker Dix nearly walked my feet into nubs and I enjoyed every step of the way!

As for the animals, I told him what my priorities were. Honestly, I wanted a nice Sable, a nice Kudu, and a nice Nyala. The other animals were secondary and if I take the primary three in the 12 hunting days I had, I would be tickled to death. As for their size, I told him I didn’t carry around a tape measure, but I wanted the opportunity to take the best animals I possibly could. I have never entered any animal into any book, but then again, I’ve never hunted with a PH or guide before either. If we were fortunate enough to take an animal that would make the “book”, I would enter it. Not for my own ego but:
1. I believe the animal deserves to be recognized.
2. I believe the PH and Tracker deserve the notarity and publicity associated.
3. I believe the area deserves it.
Hunting was not guaranteed in any way, shape or form. The mopani wood was thick and the acacia thorn brush thicker. The animals were wild and wary. Though we saw a lot of animals of several species, even sable, it was another thing entirely to find the bull and get close enough or find one when looking for it. I was overwhelmed by the number and variety of game animals I saw everyday. I had originally intended to keep a daily journal, including the animals saw, and the number of each species. By noon the first day, I knew I could never do that. I had already lost count of impala, warthogs, zebra, and giraffes.

Temperatures were hot. Even the Zimbabweans were complaining. Steve said it felt more like late October than mid September. Temps soared above 100 degrees nearly everyday I was there. Even the wind was hot. When we got a strong breeze, it felt as if someone opened the door on a blast furnace. The nights held little relief and I would wake every few hours and stumble to the shower, turn the cold water on and stand there. Then back to bed, only to wake up a few hours later covered in sweat. I finally began to fill up the trash can with the cold water from the shower and just poured it on the bed. The bed would dry by morning.

Our hunts typically consisted of driving to an area the PH and Tracker suspected whatever specie we were hunting to be. We would then begin still-hunting, either through the mopani wood, acacia thorn, or through the reedbeds and thick riverine brush along the dry riverbeds. We would still-hunt until we cut fresh sign or spotted animals. If fresh sign was cut, Dix would take to the track and we would just stay on it until we tracked the animals down. I’ve always fancied myself a decent tracker, but I’m not even on the same planet as the big Zulu (term of absolute respect and honor). I honestly believe Dix could track a raindrop over a waterfall during a flood. PH Steve Brewer wasn’t a hack at it either. They could see sign that I would totally miss. To say I was impressed is the biggest understatement of the century. It was worth the price of admission just to watch these guys work!

We averaged around 10-12 miles on the ground each day. Our day would start before sunrise and last well after sunset. In the 12 days I hunted, we were back in camp two times to have a proper “sundowner” and watch the sun disappear below the horizon.

Species saw include: impala (thousands?), zebra, giraffes, baboons, warthogs, bushpigs, honeybadger, cheetah, leopard, lions, cape buffalo, elephant, crocodile, sable, kudu, eland, Nyala, bushbuck, waterbuck, duiker, steenbok, grysbok, klipspringer, virvet monkies, wildebeest, tsessebe, black rhinocerous, hares, genet cat, serval cat, and bush babies.

Kudu:
Though we were concentrating on sable until we got one, the kudu was my first African animal. We were still-hunting through some mopani scrub late in the afternoon of Day Four when I spotted the kudu bull on a small hill a few hundred yards away. There’s an old saying, something like, “if it is big, it just looks big”. That was the case with this kudu. We immediately switched gears from hunting sable to putting a stalk on this kudu. There was a lot of crawling, crab walking, and slipping through the shadows. After about an hour, we had closed the gap to around 100 yards. The bull was feeding with its head down and when I viewed the animal in the thick brush through my scope, I saw that he was quartering away from me slightly. I placed the crosshair in the crease of his shoulder and began the trigger squeeze. Just past the point of no return, when there were precious few ounces of sear engagement left, I saw the bull raise his head and realized I was about to make a terrible mistake. Instead of the animal quartering away from me, he was quartering toward me. The crease of his shoulder I was focusing on was really a crease in his neck as he had it bent with his horns in the brush. BOOM! I saw the kudu fall like a stone as the rifle recoiled. I quickly chambered another round, but knew the hunt was over. As I approached him I could see I made a perfect neck shot. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good, I guess. I received a tremendous amount of ribbing from the PH (especially after I made it clear that was okay by ribbing myself) about the shot the rest of the evening. The next day would put that to rest, though. The kudu was an old warrior. His horns were worn down, battered and chipped. His neck and shoulders carried scars from battles of years gone by. I cannot imagine a more perfect first African animal. His horns were roughly 52-53” in length and had massive bases.
http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=500/8445Kudu_BT.JPG

Sable:
Since the hunt was booked as a “Sable and Plainsgame” safari, we focused on sable. The swirling winds, zebra, giraffes, and a host of other animals seemed to continually conspire against us while we tracking or stalking sable. We were able to find sable nearly everyday. Getting close or finding a herd with a mature bull was difficult. We had stalks busted by giraffes, zebra, warthogs, an old blue bull eland, and the ever fickle September winds. Late in the afternoon of Day 5, we drove to a new area and began still-hunting into the mopani woods. Temps hovered around the 100 degree mark and the winds were restless, blowing from one way one minute, then switching 180 degrees the next. After about ½ hour we cut fresh tracks of a lone bull. I could tell by the conversation (even though it was in Shona) between the PH and Tracker, the tracks were smoking hot. The wind was all wrong to track the animal though. The bull was traveling with the wind. We tried to make flanking maneuver and circle around in front of him. We nearly passed him in the thick brush. I spotted the horns as the animal moved. We tried crawling into better position for a shot. The thick mopani scrub completely concealed the bull from us. Whether the sable saw us, heard us, or maybe the wind betrayed us, I don’t know, but he took off. I sprang from the crawling position to standing and let the rifle find the animal. Just as the sable broke into a chin-tucked, horn lowered battering ram sprint, from about 120 yards away, the M70 spoke. I chambered another round as the rifle was coming out of recoil, but the sable was gone. We found him dead in mid-stride about 100 yards away from where he was hit. The 200 grain NF took out both lungs and exited. The PH had mentioned that sable hardly ever leave a decent blood trail to follow, but this one bled hard. He was a grand bull, in his prime with fresh battle wounds on his shoulders and neck. We had seen two large bulls in the preceding days with broken horns, I’d like to think my black knight had something to do with that. Rough measurement put the sable around 40 to 41”.
http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=500/8445Sable_BT.JPG

Eland:
Eland hunting is great fun. Anyone hunting Africa should give this a try. We hunted these animals similarly to the sable. Go to a good area and still-hunt while looking for sign. If we found fresh sign, we began tracking. The difference is the pace and pattern which the eland move. The eland’s walking pace pretty much requires the hunter to jog just to keep up. And, they do not stop. A typical eland tracking job is measured in tens of miles had halves of days. We had made stalks on eland only to get busted by zebra, giraffes, and warthogs, and swirling winds. On Day Four, 3 eland bulls had led us on a walk, run, jog, crawling marathon for 6 hours, approximately 10 miles before the eland got the upper hand and headed for Botswana. On day six while still hunting through an area we had saw a large eland bull on the second day, our Tracker, Dix, spotted the tan hide of an eland slipping through the mopani and we gave chase. The eland was heading toward a large rocky kopje and it became evident it would round the kopje before we could catch up, and then it would have the wind in its favor. We decided to race up the kopje and sort it out from there. On top, we found the bull and found him to be a decent bull, but not what we were after. As we continue to glass the mopani wood, I spotted a very large bull lying in the shade. When I pointed the bull out to the PH and the tracker, I could tell immediately from their reactions this bull was something special. After a lot of whispered conversation, we decided I would try to take the bull when he stood. The shot was fairly long for an animal weighing a ton, but I was confident in the shooting if the PH was confident the cartridge was enough for the job. I got set up and waited what seemed like ten eternities for the big bull to stand. When the smaller bull started moving off, the big fellow stood and slowly turned to give me a quartering shot on his left shoulder. The Ruger recoiled, and through the scope I could see the bullet strike exactly where I had intended. I chambered another round and before he could gain his composure from the first shot, I let drive with the second. Again I saw the splash of the bullet through scope and chambered another round. The bull turned full broadside and I took a shot for the heart. The bull stumbled, but did not go down and began a broken shouldered walk away into the brush. We raced down the kopje into the brush and found the bull had traveled a hundred yards or so in the few seconds it took us to enter the woods. He was standing, staring back at us. Fearing he would take us on a long tracking marathon, I took an offhand shot for the spine and the bull collapsed. I took a fifth shot on the bull for a finisher. These are just big animals and take a lot of killing. Upon examination, we found the 250 grain 338 Win Mag bullets had performed well enough and all shots had done exactly as I had intended. The bull was on the downhill side of his prime. His horns were still long, but well rounded and his neck and shoulders were beginning to exhibit the “blue bull” fading of an old patriarch. Even though the bull’s spirals seem to end abruptly, his horns were still about 38”, a great bull from Zimbabwe’s lowveld.
http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=500/8445Eland_BT.JPG

Nyala:
This animal is a master of the shadows. Probably the slyest animal I’ve ever hunted and one I enjoyed hunting a tremendous amount. The animal inhabits the thick riverine brush and reedbeds along various water sources. Again, we would drive to an area, get the wind in our favor and begin still-hunting while looking for fresh sign to track. Unlike any other game we hunted, though, the Nyala will not run to put distance between the hunter and itself. He will use the brush and shadows to merely slip off unseen and usually slink in behind the hunter. On our first day hunting the Nyala, while slipping through the reeds and long grass on the banks of a dry river, we were intercepted by a herd of cape buffalo. Nearly 100 animals were no more than 40 yards away from us. Later the same day, we ran into a bachelor group of three old dugga boys. The buff were caked in mud and had surly dispositions. What a grand time we were having. For three days hunting the Nyala, we tracked ourselves around in circles, glimpsing a big bull just twice. Both times were merely glimpses, and in the thickest brush imaginable, just as he seemed to disappear. It was the late afternoon on Day 9, were still-hunting toward a dry river when I caught a flash of legs moving through the thick mopani scrub. Five Nyala females were busy feeding. We dropped to our knees and began scanning the brush for the dark colored males. Almost as if by magic, the form of a big bull materialized in front of us about 70 yards away. I eased my way in front of the Tracker and brought the M70 to my shoulder just as the bull whirled around. He fell at the shot and just as he was regaining his feet, I put a round in his neck to anchor him. The kudu has more classic beauty, the sable may be more “royal”, the eland is the largest antelope in the world, but the Nyala is a tremendous animal with a beauty all its own. This bull was in his prime and had horns roughly 28” long with nice ivory tips.
http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=500/8445Nyala_BT.JPG

Waterbuck:
Although I have always had an interest in hunting this animal, I had not originally intended to hunt one on this trip. For a couple of reasons I had chosen to hunt bushbuck instead. For one, the bushbuck carried nearly a $1,000 less trophy fee. Two, I had thought since we would be hunting Nyala, bushbuck would be in the same vicinity and would not require the expense (if any) of relocating. However, upon arrival, I found out the bushbuck quota had been filled. Asked if there was anything I would like to give a try for if time remained, I immediately replied “Waterbuck”. We had moved to the Ngali camp along the Mazunga River to see if we could find a good Waterbuck, an outsized Warthog, Bushpig, call for Hyena and hopefully find a Honey Badger. Early in the morning on day 11, we were slipping through the reeds along the Mazunga when we saw a group of Waterbuck females. When we found their tracks, it was evident a large bull was traveling with them. Began tracking. 20 minutes or so on the trail, I saw a flash of white directly in front of us not 50 yards away. Suddenly the entire forest seemed to move. Elephants! We slowly and quietly began to slip back out of the thick brush along the river. Maybe we made too much noise or maybe the elephants spotted us, but for whatever reason, here they came. We made our way out onto the open plain, and Steve leveled his M70 416 Remington Magnum on the lead bull. The bulls stopped at about 25 yards and made it clear, in no uncertain terms, we were not welcomed. The 300 H&H sure felt puny in my hands at the time. The bulls were young, carrying 20 – 25 lbs of ivory per side, but were still very large animals. After the elephants left us, we continued our tracking the of the waterbuck group, although via a large looping and circuitous route. Whether the waterbuck heard the elephant commotion or were alerted by us, when we picked up their tracks again, they were running. They led us from the thick riverine growth of the sandy Mazunga River into the mopani scrub of the more open plain. Bornface, the skinner from Ngali, was the first to spot them. They had relaxed by this time and were quietly moving through the scrub brush. In the few seconds it took us to locate the bull, the wind began to swirl and was about to give us away. It was a long shot off of shooting sticks, but the setup felt solid. At the shot, I could see the bull buck run off as if it was untouched. I heard the PH mumble something. Up till this point, my shooting had been fairly good, ten for ten with all shots being in the vitals. As we began to walk toward where the waterbuck had been, the PH reached over and grabbed a small tree limb that was freshly cut. He said he saw the branch swing at the shot. Upon arriving to where the bull was standing and following his tracks a short distance, the tracker didn’t like the way the tracks were formed and thought the bull was hit. Therein began a 7 hour tracking job that led us from the mopani scrub through the acacia thorn, crisscrossing the numerous tributaries of the Mazunga River and the thick reed beds and long grass as the bull buck tried to elude us. This turned out to be the most fantastic tracking job I’ve ever witnessed. The bull buck through every trick in the book at us, yet Dix never faltered. Sure we were confused at one time or the other, but either Dix or the Game Scout or Bornface was always able to sort things out and get us back on track. Once when crossing a dry tributary that had one small pool of water left, a crocodile came at us, trying to protect its impala kill. The big bull buck finally made the mistake of trying sneak out the backdoor in a dry streambed behind us when I was finally able to put a shot between his shoulder blades and end the hunt. The Waterbuck was huge, his horns going just slightly better than 30” with massive bases.
http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=500/8445Waterbuck_BT.JPG


Closing:
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this hunt would turn out as grand as it did. I have high praise for everyone involved in booking, travel, and execution of this trip (well, except for Alaska Airlines). PH Steve Brewer and Tracker Dix are a tremendous team and I would book another hunt with them in a heartbeat. All the staff worked extremely hard and were dedicated to making this hunt an incredible experience. Many went well above and beyond what was expected of them and beyond what was required of them.

Lessons Learned:
If I were to do this same hunt over again, there are some things I would do differently.

Since the airlines lost my luggage, I had to hunt the first two days in slacks, Ecco walker dress shoes, and a polo type shirt. The shoes worked okay as did the pants (which were green), but the shirt was too lightly colored. While I don’t think I would wear full safari garb on the airplane, I would pack at least one change of hunting clothes in my carry on. The clothes worn on the airplane would be of such color and fabric that they could be used for hunting as well.

Because of the dangerous game in all the areas I hunted (elephants, lions, leopard, cape buffalo), I would probably take one rifle chambered in 375 H&H with Talley bases and two scopes with quick detach rings. The 300 and 338 performed well, but a 375 could have done the job just as well and been better suited when in close proximity to the elephants and cape buffalo. I would not hunt eland again with anything less than a 375.

For some reason, I never even thought to bring solids for smaller game. I had 3 different opportunities to take nice Honey Badgers, but was certain the 300 and 338 would have made a terrible of mess of them. Solids would have worked splendidly.

If I would have taken a 375, I could have easily packed a shotgun and shotgun shells instead of the second rifle. There is great wingshooting available in the areas I hunted. I could have used the shotgun as well on smaller game. I will do this next time.

I had taken about 5 lbs of hard candy to pass out to the tracker and game scout before each still-hunt or stalk began. I believe I should have taken more as I had to begin rationing it too much toward the end of my time there. The leather gloves I took over were greatly appreciated, but I wished I had taken over some in X-Large.

I should have tried to get in touch with my PH much sooner. I wished I would have contacted him as soon as I found out who my PH would be, but I didn’t. Steve had back to back hunts before mine and was I unable to contact him before I left. Zimbabwe is in dire straits at this time and some supplies are becoming nearly impossible to come by. I saw that both he and the tracker could have used some sharpening stones and other inexpensive supplies. It would have very easy for me to bring those supplies over.

The one mistake I continually made, as far as my shooting goes, was taking too long to make the shot. I probably should have neck shot that first big sable, although it turned out okay. The Nyala almost slipped away from me. Quick shooting is something I will practice on in the future.

Glad your hunt met/exceeded your expectations! I'd like to compliment your write-up here ... very well written. From all the tracking and heat, I'd bet you came back a few pounds lighter. Do you have any pics to post?

I did come back a few pounds lighter. The heat is something I'm not used to.

I do have pics, and am trying to get them down to a manageable size to post here on the forums.

Well done, Alyeska - felt like I was right there sweating with you - even for an Arizonian!

Your mention of the possible firearm battery for the next trip (?) seems a good one. Read continually of gun rag writers extolling the virtues of the smaller calibers for plains game hunting. Think if it was up to me, I'd be packing that .411 Hawk, 416 Rigby AND the M70 375 H&H! The shotgun would be a worthy addition.

The statement of pre-contact with the PH for possible personal needs makes a lot of sense. Those folks will most certainly appreciate such gestures. Good knives and excess common ammo would probably get well used, also.

There were a couple shots, especially the eland and waterbuck, where having a short range rifle would have created a missed opportunity, at least for me. A 375 H&H or one of the various 416's would have been ideal, I think. I don't mean to sound like the 300 or 338 didn't do their job, they did. Though I feel now, that both were pretty light for their intended use. However, when in big bear country, its best to carry a rifle chambered for something that can handle the bear, even if it isn't the hunted game. Same for a lot of places in Africa.

I tried contacting the PH beginning about a month before I left, thinking that would be sufficient. I did realize he would probably be in the bush for a large part of that time, but thought he would make it to HQ at some point, especially to deliver his hunt reports. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the PH) he didn't have any down time between his hunts. I would recommend start trying to contact the PH just as soon as the hunt is booked. I will know better next time.

The Cabelas light Upland Hunter boots were fantastic for this trip. The soles a soft enough to allow the hunter to be very quite while still-hunting or making the final stalk through the dry conditions, yet tough enough to protect you from the spike like acacia thorns and ragged black cotton soil.

Some pics...

Great pix's! :D

Did you get to eat any of the meat, or did the assigned game ranger confiscate it for local consumption?

We ate the meat. Of course we didn't keep all of it. Typically we took the choicest cuts and the rest went to the locals.

Eland is far and away the best food I have ever tasted. Kudu was fantastic as well. Sable and Nyala were very lean and strongly flavored. Not bad, but very strong. I did not get the chance to try the waterbuck. I left the day after and the meat didn't have time to age at all. Before I took my first animal we feasted on impala, wildebeest and warthog. Impala was delicious. Wildebeest was very similar to beef, though much more lean. Kinda tough as well. Warthog was very good.

I've got a great picture that shows what was left behind of the ton + eland. Everything, bones, stomach, kidneys, lungs, etc... was taken out and eaten. Of course the bones were cracked for the marrow. The stomach was considered a bit of a delicacy, apparently after it is washed clean, it is boiled to soften then breaded and fried. PH said it tasted a lot like calamari. Intestines are cleaned and used as sausage casings. Other organs are cut up and used with ground meat in a type of shepherd's pie.

Great report, I'm sure all of us really apreciate the time you took to share your adventure. Question....since so much of the hunting was on foot and covered large areas, what arrangements/process is used to pick the animals up, processed on the spot or ??? I've always read about the need for rather timely processing in Alaska so the bears don't capture the kill, same in Aftica??

Also, what is the process for getting any portions for mounting prepared and mounted. Is it done in Africa or shipped else where for the taxidermist work?


Dan

DOK,
We loaded the animals into the Land Cruiser on the spot and took them back to camp where the skinner would go right to work on the animals. Sometimes that meant the tracker might have to backtrack for many miles to go back and get the Cruiser then drive as close as possible while we cut a trail into where the animal lay. We were able to cut a trail good enough for the cruiser to drive right up to the animal except for the Nyala and Waterbuck.

The Kudu and Sable, we just loaded whole without any "in-field" prep. The Eland, we gutted and cut in half and loaded. The waterbuck, the 5 of us were able to drag it whole to the closest point the cruiser could get too. The Nyala, we gutted and cut in half then strung the halves on poles and hauled out. That was a bit comical as I was several inches taller than the PH and we carried out one half. It was a long pack, but we got it out in no time.

The animals were skinned and hides fleshed there in the skinning shed. The skulls were boiled and later boraxed. After fleshing, the capes and backskins were salted down. After drying, they are dipped and packed, then delivered to HHK headquarters at set times, then on to the shipping companies. Supposedly there are government inspections and a quarantine time. They are then shipped according to the clients instructions.

I suspect I'll get a call from Customs for clearing in the next 8 to 12 months for clearing. Department of Ag and US Fish and Wildlife will do an inspection and if okay, I'll take possession (or more accurately my taxidermist will take possession) after fees are paid.

At least this is my understanding. I've never done this before, so am going on what other African hunters, HHK, the PH, and my taxidermist have told me.

Alyeska, thanks for the information. I'm sure as time goes on you'll bring new meaning to the word "anxious"!

As an old duffer, one of the things that really struck me was the milage on a daily basis. Knowing you're younger and work out of doors a lot in some pretty rough terrain, still, that was a lot of footwork. Did you do any preparation taining? I can remember walking 16 miles on foot, but I also remember not wanting to do it again the next few days.

Also, you referenced preferring the "feet on the ground" hunt rather than vehicle. Reading your report and the tracking involved, can you be as successful riding (although I realize others will be on foot)?

Thanks again,

Dan

Alyeska,
Thanks much for the stories and pics; beautiful pics! I'm going to print your account so when I am lucky enough to go someday, I'll refer back to your tips.

18-hr flight, one leg - yikes!

I'm curious, in that part of Africa, are there any nasty snakes that you have to watch for?

DOK,
I think you might be more successful spotting animals from a vehicle than still-hunting/tracking as we did. You'll certainly cover more country that way. I think a lot of hunts are spent driving and spotting game from the truck, then getting out and stalking. That is probably the most successful way to hunt. I know we saw a tremendous amount of game from the vehicle, impala, warthogs, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, tsessebe, kudu, eland, bushpig, buffalo, etc... There are some areas in Zim that will allow shooting from the vehicle, but where I was wasn't one of them. I requested the still-hunt/stalking/tracking type hunt because I wanted to experience that. Given, no animal is going to stand around and let the hunter get out of a truck and start shooting, there will still be some stalking and tracking involved. Another successful way to hunt that I didn't try was setting up over a waterhole. Since it was the dry season and water was very limited, I don't think that would have been a fair hunt while I was there. During a less dry time, I don't see any problem hunting that way.

Just coming off my sheep hunt, I felt I was in decent shape. I wasn't ready to go out and run a marathon, but felt I could go all day without killing over. The heat really got to me though. I never stopped a track or a stalk, nor did I slow the guys down, but there were days that I was sure glad ended when they did. The heat really sapped the strength right out of me.

Shawn,
Yes, there are Puff Adders, Black Mambas, Green Mambas, and Cobras. I saw quite a few skin sheds while still-hunting for the Nyala, but never did see any snakes. They are there, though.

Alyeska,

I've copied you reports to MS Word to save and distribute (and no, did change the name to mine...nobody would believe me anyway), and I've concluded the spelling checker didn't come from Africa....an awful lot of red text !

Dan

Probably a lot of misspelled words too! I know I missed a lot, but like you said, Word's spell checker wouldn't know the difference anyway.

I'm actually in process of writing detailed stories about each hunt. If you would like, I could email a copy of each when I'm done. The eland story is about 10 pages, singlespaced, I think (without pictures). The rest will be about the same length.

I'm actually in process of writing detailed stories about each hunt. If you would like, I could email a copy of each when I'm done. The eland story is about 10 pages, singlespaced, I think (without pictures). The rest will be about the same length.

Certainly would look forward to receiving the stories as they're available. While I realize we can use the Beartooth email process, I've PM'd with my home email address.

Look forward to reading them and have a number for friends that I distribute them to also.

Dan

Conratulations on a succesful hunt. I've seen quite a few safari pics and it seems like you took animals that are quite a bit better than a lot I've seen. I don't know very much about African game but they all look very impressive.

It sounds like the H&H with the North Fork bullets got the job done. Too bad you didin't bring the shotgun along as I hear the wingshooting is one of the great side activities while in Africa.

I'll be looking forward to your more detailed accounts as they become available!

Too bad you didin't bring the shotgun along as I hear the wingshooting is one of the great side activities while in Africa.
I'm really kicking myself over that one, trust me. There would have been some tremendous wingshooting where I was. Although, I'm not sure how much I would have done. We were still looking for a "Mr. Jaws" Warthog, a nice Bushpig, and calling Hyenas up till the time ran out. I would guess we seen nearly a thousand warties, but only one that I really wanted and the tusk on one side was broken at the jaw line. I saw maybe a dozen bushpigs, but only 3 that were big. All three were seen while tracking/stalking something else. 2 while tracking eland and one while stalking Nyala. I wanted a good bushpig, but I wanted the Eland and Nyala more.

I could have used the shotgun to take a really nice honey badger though. HB's are real similar to our wolverines, except in color. Same size, same bad attitude. Great animals!

I cannot recommend HHK, PH Steve Brewer, Tracker Dix, or the area enough. I'd go back tomorrow if I could.

Alyeska,
I hope all your skins and head get back in good shape.

From what I understand, if a puff adder or mamba gives you a bite, you best have a quick word with the Big Guy, or has that been embellished? Is there effective anti-venom for them?

I was surprised at your account of the eland and the many 250 gr 338's it took. I knew they were big and tough, but that's a lot to soak up.

I think your take on the snakes is pretty much on. At least the PH seemed to think so. There was a snake bite kit carried by the game scout, I have no idea how effective it would be. Thank goodness I didn't find out!

The PH said the eland taking that kind of punishment was pretty typical. He has seen them take 10-12 shots from 375's and 416's and still travel a long ways. That was the reason I wanted to bust the shoulder joint on the first shot. At the angle of elevation, it looked like the lungs would be taken out as well. I put two rounds, not an inch and half apart right on the shoulder joint from about 225-250 yards. The 3rd shot did take the heart. After it was over, the PH commented that taking the shoulder out first was the proper thing to do. After that he said the heart shot was right. Also putting it down for good with the high shoulder/spine shot was the thing to do, but the PH commented it was a risky shot. The spine on African animals isn't located where it is on their American counterparts. Their vital organs are forward as well.

Moose take time to die, but I've never seen one hit by a 338 right in the wheelhouse and act as non-chalantly as this big bull. If it hadn't been for the broken shoulder, I'm sure we would have been in for another tracking marathon.

Great story with all the details and pictures. Really enjoyed reading about your experiences! Truely a trip of a lifetime!

I think your take on the snakes is pretty much on. At least the PH seemed to think so. There was a snake bite kit carried by the game scout, I have no idea how effective it would be.

Maybe the "kit" is just 5 shots of whiskey. :p

Congrads on a great hunt.
Thanks for sharing the stories with us.

Congratulations! Sounds like you had a good time.. nice Nyala & Kudu!
Being used to a cooler environment, I've used a wet rolled up scarf tied around my neck when I'm hunting/walking in hotter areas. The water in the scarf evaporates, cooling the scarf down, which in turn cools the jugular veins and carotid arteries in your neck, which in turn cools the wearer down. It helps a little..
Problem is the local flying insects like the moisture too!

You know, upon reflection, I wonder if you're doing something wrong? I've watched Clark Gable and Georgory Peck do this several times and they don't even sweat??

Your descriptions really gives us a good picture of a hunt in Africa and the conditions to be expected.....not a movie set at all.

Dan

Problem is the local flying insects like the moisture too!
ThomasT,
I was really surprised that we didn't have problems with bugs too much. Guess because it was the dry season? The mopani flies were aggravating, no question about that, but the flies and mosquitoes were non-existant.

Did get a few ticks and am currently suffering from a mild case of tick fever.

I think it was actually hotter in Austin on a couple of the days you were over there, LOL! But we weren't walking around 10 or 12 miles in the heat, either.....

I'm an Alaskan boy and I am not used to the heat... It didn't matter while we were hunting, but the nights were tough.

That's OK, Alyeska - Us Southwestern boys would turn into popcicles up in your country when the thermometer dropped below freezing! :D

Great write up of the hunt. It will definitely help me with my African trips in the future. A lot of magazine writers need to take your approach. Some of them have been on so many safaris and had forgotten who buys their magazines that they don't help us much any more by reading the articles. Great job on a great hunt.

Thanks for sharing the stories...

I'm jealous :)

That's a great write-up; thanks for sharing. :cool:

alyeska338

Sounds like a great hunt and you did a great job on the story. I spent a year in Arizona and know what a killer that heat is. I was sure glad to get back to the Northwest. It must have been much more of a shock coming out of Alaska.

One thing for sure your gonna need some wall space for those nice animals.

It sounds like your rifle selection worked pretty good except for the one big big animal. I'll bet the face off with the elephants was a pucker up moment. They got a stuffed one at Cabela's in Sidney NB and until you stand next to it you can't believe how massive they are.

I sure enjoyed reading about your hunt. You made me feel I was right there with you. Thanks

Here's a few images of those lovely acacia thorns we had to fight our way through. One thing about these thorns, they are part of the bark of the limb and do not break off the way a briar or devil's club will. When you get impaled on these thorns, you are there for awhile. I lost a lot of blood to these spikes.

alyeska338

Sounds like a great hunt and you did a great job on the story.

It sounds like your rifle selection worked pretty good except for the one big big animal. I'll bet the face off with the elephants was a pucker up moment.

Bob,
Thanks for the comments.

Like I wrote in the Hunt Summary, I really think I would have been better served by taking one rifle, a 375 H&H, and a shotgun. There are just too many things that are above man on the food chain there and none of them seem to have a sense of humor! I had a couple of longish shots, which the 375 H&H could have handled as well as the 300 and 338 did. These animals are big, especially the eland, and all have fairly thick hides (evolution due to the acacia thorns in the post above and predators?). A 375 is not out of place for any of the hunting areas I was in. Even if you are interested in taking Klipspringer (hang out in leopard country), Duiker (around Buffalo, Lions and Elephants), or whatever else, the 375 with solids or heavy constructed bullets would have worked fine.

I think a 375 is probably light for elephant, but stoked with solids, would have been a whole lot better than the 300 with no solids.

I've decided if it comes down to going back to hunt in Africa or buy new firearms, I'm going back to hunt! I will have a 375 and my shotgun in the Tuff Pak though.

alyeska338,

Great write up! Once I started reading I couldn't stop.

Ow... those thorns look like trouble. Sorta like mesquite, but longer, and more of them.

Bet they show up inside truck tires on a regular basis!

Matter of fact, we changed more than a few truck tires during my two weeks there.

Shouldn't be too tough to find a Pre 64 M70 in .375 H&H to match the 300. These seem to go for about twice what the .300's go for though, most of them I see are Super Grades.

Shotgun?? Merkel 1620 with the 16 gauge barrels?

I have found a few SG M70's in 375 on the net. They were about 3-5 times what I paid for the 300, though I got a good deal on the 300. For the price, I think I'll continue to look for a custom Mauser actioned rifle. Would be about the same or even less than a mint pre-64 375.

As for the shotgun, I just have too many memories tied up in my double 16 Stevens to not take it. I've been planning on restocking it for years and years. This may provide the fire to do that.

I have found a few SG M70's in 375 on the net. They were about 3-5 times what I paid for the 300, though I got a good deal on the 300. For the price, I think I'll continue to look for a custom Mauser actioned rifle. Would be about the same or even less than a mint pre-64 375.

As for the shotgun, I just have too many memories tied up in my double 16 Stevens to not take it. I've been planning on restocking it for years and years. This may provide the fire to do that.

Just so long as it's a 16 with two horizontally opposed barrels it doesn't really matter. :)

I'm pretty impressed with the CD mauser action I picked up and they are available in the .300/.375 length. I let you know how that rifle turns out in the event you decide to start from scratch on the .375.

Just so long as it's a 16 with two horizontally opposed barrels it doesn't really matter. :)

Are there other kinds of scatterguns being made besides the sxs twict barreled kind? Blasphemy! :D

Yeah - My old Browning Citori superimposed 12 ga. :p

Alyeska338,
Thanks for the report. I enjoyed it more than the hunting magazines. Nice not having editors chop it up.
Goldbelt

Awesome post!

Spent some time in Africa and Zim is the place I pencilled in to come back to hunt. Given the crap Mugabe is pulling, I didn't expect to hear much about hunting there. It sounds as though you did it as close to perfectly as anyone can wish!

It's also great you wrote it all down (and shared it with us), you'll look back fondly on that one. Those are terrific trophies.

Your 12 days was a really good call you didn't mention. Many folks fly-in (30hrs travel over 8 time zones) for a 5 day hunt: jet lagged to a stupor, you shake the hand of the PH, pull the trigger, have a drink and head for home (30hrs).

This ain't no fly-in caribou hunt to Quebec.

Charlie,
Thanks for the comments.

Mugabe is doing is dead level best to destroy the country, there's no question about that. There is no fuel. The houses I saw in Bulawayo not only had a fence or wall around the property, but razor wire as well. I'm not sure the country is going to last much longer as a viable destination. It is still excellent hunting right now and probably will continue to be until a full scale revolt takes place. There are a few areas where poaching is starting to increase, but with that many people starving, who can blame them?

I didn't see any of the seized farms from the air sustaining any agriculture at all. Every farm I saw was lying fallow. Most of the farms' fences have been stolen or taken down and either sold or used for some other purpose, livestock was roaming the countryside freely in most areas and in very poor condition due to the drought. It does sound like the rains have begun now, let's hope they get the rain they need.

I would book another hunt in Zim for 2006 and possibly even 2007, but I would only book with a top safari outfit. HHK, John Sharp, Barrie Duckworth or Andre Dawson. I would be very hesitant to book in advance of a year or more with anyone that doesn't have a holding company or agent holding the money in the U.S.A. until the safari is complete.

Even more than a month after returning, I can still taste the dust, feel the heat and smell the wilds. It's an experience I'll never forget. I had read many reports of guys that book safaris with the same outfit time and again, hunting in some of the same areas and thought that was not for me. Figured I would want to experience a new chase and explore different countries. However, I would do this same hunt again without regret. I can't say I enjoyed it more than sheep hunting, it was just a different but as enjoyable hunt.

On the way back to the airport, Steve (PH) asked me what the one thing was that I would always remember or that I enjoyed most. I had already forgotten the energy sapping heat and the aggravating mopani flies. I told him I couldn't pin down just one thing. The amazing skill of he and Dix (Tracker) tracking and putting the stalk on the animals was likely the most impressive. As I stated earlier, I had always fancied myself a bit of a tracker before, but I wasn't even on the same planet as these guys. Then there were the Bush Pigs. I'll never forget those little guys. Kinda like the football of Africa, everything picks on the bush pig, and they are just the neatest little animals, so entertaining to watch and hard as can be to get a shot on one. Then the elephants, being that close to them in the thick reeds and long grass along the Mazunga then having them to come at us was really something! The Honeybadger that came in to our Hyena calls to kick some hyena butt and take their lunch money only to discover it was us. He never showed any fear of the armed hunters, only disgusted contempt.

The most wonderous sight, though, was on the second day. We had just had a stalk on a group of sable busted by an old blue bull eland. We were out in the noonday sun and the heat was nearly unbearable, especially have chasing those sable through the acacia thorn and mopani scrub for 4 or 5 miles. We were making our way back to the cruiser a little depressed and rejected. Dix and I saw horns in the scrub brush at the same time. I'll never know how I was able to see anything at the same time Dix was, maybe it was because I was looking for animals and he wasn't? It was a really nice sable bull and we put a stalk on him. He was in some real nasty scrub and appeared to be wise to us. I had one shot on him, but could only see his head and part of his neck at a longer distance than I was prepared for. I hesitated a little too long and he slipped away. When we saw him next, he was loping across our front about 100 yards away. Just as I raised my rifle, I saw him tuck his chin down and lower those big sweeping horns to act as a battering ram, then he kicked it into overdrive. The mane on his neck stood out, and his tail went straight back like a thoroughbred. The big black knight shone almost blue with the sun beating down him. Maybe it was because it was the first good look I had a big sable bull, but with chin tucked sprint was the most amazing sight I had ever seen. I'll never forget that. My jaw would have dropped, I'm sure, if the borrowed Ruger's stock hadn't been hard pressed into my shoulder. I really didn't have a shot to take, or maybe I was too slow using the unfamiliar rifle, but for whatever reason, I never squeezed the trigger and we never saw that big fellow again.

The fences are mandatory in most of Africa and have been for various reasons at different times (animals, thieves, guerrillas). In most of the countries, if you have any means, your house has a night watchman. Don't remember too much razor wire, though.

It's good you didn't fly into Harare, where he's strongest - you would have probably found more problems there.

Every once in awhile, you'll catch a whiff of a scent similar to africa and get a quick recall. It's one of those places you always feel you have to visit again - for a few months.

Great question by the PH about your best memory. A salute to him - he's one of the last. He's got a great life, made almost impossible by Mugabe.

Great question by the PH about your best memory. A salute to him - he's one of the last. He's got a great life, made almost impossible by Mugabe.
I don't have anything to compare Steve to. I've never hunted with a guide or a PH before, but he was outstanding. He was young, 28, and really loved what he was doing. He mentioned Botswana, Zambia or Mozambique if Zimbabwe falls apart. He truly loves hunting elephants, and at least at this time, ivory can't be brought into the U.S. from Mozambique, though okay from Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zim. Moz is working on that, but Steve said most of his clients were from the U.S., so he would like to relocate where the U.S. hunters could get their ivory.

Congrats on taking some really quality animals. Your hunt story was just like being there! I'm with you on the Nyala. That was my main goal this summer. Mine is just below 26" and I will continue to pursue a larger one when I return next year. There's something about them that's special and I think you did an excellent job of relating that in your story. I look forward to reading more of the same. Good hunting, grayghost