Hunt-Story Zim & Bots
| Firearms - Rifles/Guns |
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Hunt Dates: August 10-Sept 3, 2007 Outfitter: The African Safari Company PH: Ian Gloss Concession: Makuti, Nyakasanga Camp Species taken (self): Elephant, Leopard, Cape Buffalo bull, Cape Buffalo cow (for bait) Species taken (by husband): Zebra Botswana: Hunt Dates: Sept 3-19, 2007 Outfitter: Johan Calitz Safaris PH: Terry Palmer Concession: NG34, Sankuyo Camp Species taken (by husband): Elephant, zebra Just returned from two great safaris! We achieved some dreams, not surprisingly, which contained some adrenaline highs and fantastic memories. We traveled British Airlines LAX via London to Johannesburg. Since BA won’t allow firearms checked through to Zimbabwe, we used the services of Air 2000 in Jo’burg. We claimed our guns at the SAPS office rechecked them on to SAA to Harare. According to the charter pilot who transported us from Harare to Lake Kariba, we were his first clients in 3 months who arrived from Jo’burg with all their guns and gear. So we started on a very positive note. My husband and I breezed through customs and immigrations. However, our traveling companion was selected for a very thorough search of both person and luggage…took about 45 minutes. As I have mentioned on this forum before, my husband is losing his vision to a macular degeneration type disease. We own a small “Mom & Pop” Ag business, but we are “fast forwarding” our hunting while he can still participate as a hunter himself. Our first 24 days, spent in Zimbabwe, was my safari and the next 14 days in Botswana was his safari. We were both primarily hunting elephant, but my list also consisted of buffalo, leopard and lion…never connected with a good lion though. I had already taken a big elephant in Botswana in 2004, so my expectations for elephant weren’t going to be greedy. This was our first safari to Zimbabwe. We hunted in the Makuti concession, which is located on the escarpment above the Zambezi River Valley. Makuti is very different than the flood plains of the Okavango, gentle rolling Tanzania, or coastal Mozambique were we have hunted before. This “old lady” was very nervous when it came to the reality of long stalks in mountainous terrain, but I had been doing my share of training to prepare. The weather was cool in the mornings, but hot by mid-day. Ian Gloss, my PH, told me he wasn’t going to kill his client, so our pace was slow enough for me to survive our longer stalks. I used my pre 64 .375 H&H, I call Thelma, with 300 gr. Federal Premium Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and Sledgehammers as appropriate. Our camp was permanent vs. tent. It was about 3 years old and could accommodate 6 hunters. It was located next to a dry river bed, with a huge sausage tree for a canopy. Baboons and vervets frequented camp and just about every night we could hear hyena. Ian proved to be an outstanding PH. He was always positive and informative. I should also add, he is the oldest 36-year-old I have ever met. Meaning his hunting and social skills showed much more patience and experience than his years.
The first order of business was to take a buffalo cow and get bait hung. We saw numerous buffalo every day so selecting and shooting a mature cow without a calf was accomplished the second day. On day five, my husband took a zebra. By day seven I had also taken the 8th Cape Buffalo of my hunting career. The stalk of 400-yards took 4 hours and was just as exciting as my first buffalo. I took him at 25-yards from a kneeling position and it was my first 1 shot kill on a Cape Buffalo.
I celebrated my 61st birthday the next night. At mid-day traveling the main tar road along the concessions border, vultures alerted us to a fresh buffalo kill. We immediately built a blind and as soon as the trackers headed back to the truck a young lion and lioness appeared. He was probably about 4-years-old. One day he would be a dandy, but not this year. We returned to the regimen of checking lion baits. We had been feeding two big lionesses and four cubs on one of our baits, hoping that their lion might also appear. Each day the lionesses really gave us a show. They growled, roared and stood their ground around the bait. We had missed one day of baiting. Of course, the day I planned to video tape them, they were gone. We continued to bait the same tree with elephant legs and finally, the long mane hairs and big tracks we had been waiting for were there. This was my last hunting afternoon. We built a blind and sat until dark, but the lion never showed up. Our air charter pilot was based out of Lake Victoria and spent the night in our camp to facilitate an early departure from Kariba about 7:00 A.M. It took us about four hours in his Cessna 206 to get to Maun, Botswana. Ian had accompanied us. He was enroute to Lake Victoria, his home and base of operation, to rendezvous with his next clients. We were handed off to our Botswana outfitter during lunch at the Bon Arrivee in Maun. Actually, Terry Palmer, with Johan Calitz Safaris, met us at the airport and we all walked across the street to the restaurant. The difference between Zimbabwe’s regulated economy and Botswana’s plenty was striking. Not to mention from the mountains to the sandy flats. The next 14 days were my husband’s elephant safari. We were the last safari of the Botswana big game hunting season. We had hunted with Terry a few times before, so it was a happy, familiar and very comfortable reunion. We departed Maun for concession NG 34, Sankuyu camp about 1-1/2 hours, mostly on dusty roads inside the Okavango Delta buffalo fence. We had never hunted this particular concession. Upon first arrival, the staff greeted us with a song before introductions. Sankuyu is a cozy, immaculately, beautiful tent camp over-looking a small, water bore hole. (Small herds of zebras regularly watered here, so we were visited almost nightly but hyenas, lions and leopards.) We celebrated my husband’s 68th birthday in camp that first night. Walking on flat ground seemed easy in comparison to Makuti, but it was hotter and dustier in Botswana now than it had been in Zim. Even the mornings were hot, but generally had a good dry breeze. By 3:00 P.M. each afternoon it was scorching. There was the large “S Pan” about 5 kilometers from camp. It was the only substantial water within an hour of camp. On one particular evening we encountered over 500 zebra watering at this pan. We followed elephant tracks from here on two mornings before heading to the river. On the third afternoon we found a bull with long, thin tusks, Terry estimated at about 45 pounds. He was alone and would be less dangerous and difficult to stalk. However, it was day 3 and we decided to hold out.
We still had ten hunting days, so Terry sent out for the concession’s final zebra tag. Four days later with an audience of 2- PH’s, 1- apprentice PH, 1- game scout, 2- trackers, and me, my husband made a fantastic, 175-yard shot and dropped a zebra. This was the perfect way to end the hunting portion of our safari. With nearly a full week remaining, we visited Moremi Game Reserve, the Kwai River and relished evenings at the “S pan” water hole with sundowners. Our final night was spent at Terry’s home in Maun. We departed for Jo’burg before the onslaught of post-safari depression hit us. Fortunately, we were able to check our luggage and guns all the way through from Maun to LAX. Although, I can’t say I wasn’t concerned that everything would show up in LA, it did. After 5-1/2 weeks in Africa it’s hard to believe everything we actually did. Each day was so full. I know I have over-looked a lot of important details. But the bottom line is, our PH’s, their staff, the accommodations in both camps were wonderful and we were very fortunate to have had such a great experience. And, by the way, that nonsense I said about quitting hunting!!! Forget it!!!
© November 2007 |
