Africa Run

[ssc]

I will post up some pics I think are OK, but some not as I do not want to offend people. We shall see how it goes. I post a few.

Regards, Steve

Kudu

Zim 06 125 (Small).jpg (99.56 KiB) Viewed 3120 times

Bushbuck

Zim 06 082 (Small).jpg (68.5 KiB) Viewed 3120 times

Old bull

Zim 06 062 (Small).jpg (56.91 KiB) Viewed 3120 times

Cape Buff

Zim 06 039 (Small).jpg (82.84 KiB) Viewed 3120 times

Da Beast

Namibia 10 476 (Small).jpg (47.52 KiB) Viewed 3120 times

[ssc]

The Croc was film. I will have to scan it. The following Cape Buff charged us. What an incredible hunt. This was a long day. The stalk was 13 miles through the bush. The hyena was a story in itself.

Regards, Steve

Bad Cape Buff

Zim 04 013 (Small).jpg (71.75 KiB) Viewed 3116 times

Hyena

Zimbabwe 2003 011 (Small).jpg (69.66 KiB) Viewed 3116 times

Waterbuck

Zimbabwe 2003 025 (Small).jpg (64.06 KiB) Viewed 3116 times

Cape of Good Hope

Zimbabwe 2003 125 (Small).jpg (45.4 KiB) Viewed 3116 times

[BorregoWrangler]

Great pictures! Did you get to try all the meat?

[ssc]

We got to try most of the meat. No dice on the bushbuck and of course the hyena. The best meat I have ever had was Eland. Kudu and impala were good as was zebra. The PH's pride themselves on their trackers and cooks. The cooks do an amazing job and the food is very good. The tracker (Dumas)in the picture with the bushbuck can track a fish through water--amazing to watch him work. He is known far and wide in the circle of PH's as the best tracker known. Though each animal has a story, the kudu in the first picture was special. He isn't the largest kudu I have taken, but he stands out to me. We were sitting in a lodge overlooking a large valley around noon. We had got to this lodge to rest until the afternoon hunt. The PH and I were looking over the valley and he told me the area had been poached heavy and there was no more kudu. I spotted this fellow and three others together about 900 yards off. The PH couldn't see them-we were using binos. In walked the tracker Dumas and I pointed and said kudu. He looked and with his eye spotted them and directed the PH. I wanted to try a stalk and off we went. It took awhile, but we got around the kudu and up on a granite hill. Just then the kudu came out in a small opening and the rest is history. Dumas just seems to know what the animals are doing and where they are going--amazing.

Regards, Steve

[OLLIE]

That is awesome Steve.

[unwiredadventures]

The tracker (Dumas)in the picture with the bushbuck can track a fish through water--amazing to watch him work. He is known far and wide in the circle of PH's as the best tracker known.

Sounds like a character from a Wilbur Smith book.

[DaveK]

Steve:

What a great hunt and trip report.

Do my eyes deceive me - 2 buffs??? A little story there, please. What brought them down.

[ssc]

Dave,
Yes two buff, but on two different trips. Both were in the communal tribal areas in the Zambezi Valley. Generally, you can hunt DG-dangerous game or PG-plains game, sometimes both. One was in the Dande and one in the Omay. The one was a long stalk--you can see how sweaty my shirt is. Crossed paths with elephants a few times and it got a bit spooky, they will charge. Once we got to the Buff, it was crawl to get into position. Not fun in the thorns. They had winded us a few times, so it was a careful stalk as it was getting late. You shoot off sticks and I had gun on sticks for 40 minutes until I got a good broadside shot with my 375 H&H shooting solids. At the shot, it was like thunder, the bulls had a small herd below them and they all ran-didn't know about herd. Started to track-had lung blood and we were in waist deep grass. Too our right was a rise of about 8 feet that leveled off. PH said not to shoot unless he did as buff will stay with a wounded buff. Also, cape buff are known to "hunt" man and set up charges.( four people were killed by buff that year) All of the sudden Dumas yelled and I looked up and he was pointing to our right. The buff charged out of the rise not more then 15 yards, the ph hammered him with a 458Lott and I hit him simultaneously and then he was gone. Where does a 1700LB beast disappear too? Every nerve in my body was tinkling and adrenaline flowing. We then circled and went up the rise. The buff had retreated and then turned around to charge again. We could see the top of his back and I hit him and he was down for the count. Then approached and put another in his spine. Then I started to shake a bit and had to calm down. This is the bad buff--zim 04. To say it was scary is an under statement. i will post about the other in a moment.

Regards, Steve

[ssc]

Buff number two-Zim 2006. It was late in the year, which means hot-their summer. It was a heat like I have never felt. 112 to 115, but humid and it felt like someone was sitting on your chest. I wanted an old Dugga Boy. A very hard boss and worn horns. Day one, hot and the tetse flys were biting. We check water holes until the trackers find tracks from Dugga boys. Off we went--tracking for six hours. I think we found the tracks around 10:30am and then off the truck and walk. I do not know how many miles we went, but it gave me blisters and chap legs. Up hills, down sand washes etc. We caught up to the dugga boys in the afternoon and they had mingled with a herd. The brush is very thick and tall. We were in the herd and had buff around us-a bit nerve racking. The PH looks around a bush and turns and nods to me. He points and gives my a sign meaning bull five yards. This is how thick it is. I move up and look around the bush and no Buff. Then all hell breaks loose and there are Buff running everywhere. We are seeing bits and pieces of them as they run off and the ground is shaking. They had winded us. The PH sends the trackers to get the cruiser and come get us. How these people find there way around is unknown to me. It is like built in GPS.

Day two-6:30 we are headed out of camp and driving to area where we last saw Buff. We spot the 4 Dugga boys feeding out in the open. Oh happy days!! They are about 600 yards out. We stop and stalk to within 80 yards. Get the gun on the sticks. 3 are in the open and one is behind a tree. I put the crosshairs on one in the open and the PH says to hit the one behind the tree. I tell him no dice due to the tree. He says they are going to run off shoot. I can't hit him in vitals due to tree and tell PH. He says shoot him through tree. It was a small tree, but they do deflect bullets-I say. He says shoot him, tree is small.

OK-Boom and I see the Buff arch and I know I hit him. He runs, but another Buff is next to him and the only shot is in the hip. Boom and it sounds like a bat hitting a side of beef. He keeps running and the chase is on. By noon, i am worn out. I can't stay hydrated, even though I am drinking bottles of water. My partner is getting sick. The PH gets another round into him around 1:00 and around 2:30 he is in a thicket. As he comes out he goes down. game over. Long day.

Regards, Steve

[DaveK]

Thanks, Steve!!