ZIMBABWE: One Of The Greatest Buffalo Hunts: Video Report Of My Hunt In The Omay With Johnny Russell Of Dalton & York Safaris

[Osama Mahdi]

The hunter wanted to help the villagers, and God rewarded him with a beautiful trophy and an even better experience.
Congratulations

 

[towserthemouser]

Nice shooting there bob....

Thank you sir!

 

[towserthemouser]

Great hunt and video. That shot on. The hippo couldn’t have been better and what a buffalo. Huge rounded boss and worn broken horns. Damn, that’s a bull!
It was interesting to see the fervency with which the villagers chopped up the hippo.

They said to my PH before the hunt, "Please come here and shoot a hippo, Mr. Johnny, we would like to remember the taste of meat."

Yes sir, there was a lot of fervency over that meat. A 4-ton carcass, and after about 75 minutes nothing left but a blood smear on the grass......

 

[Sideshow]

Thank you!

I was shooting North Fork bullets in 375 H&H.

I used the 350gr SS bullet for the first shot on the buffalo, and the 350gr CPS for the backing shots on the buffalo and for the hippo shot.

MV was about 2260fps for both.

First of all congratulations on such an amazing hunt and out come. Really interested in your bullet choice as this is what I have chosen for when I get there. Question: did you get any pass through with the CPU’s? Cheers!

ps love the touch of getting the kids to sign your journal very classy touch. Man those kids eh have not a bean but smiles for a change in pace on a life of very hard graft.

 

[towserthemouser]

First of all congratulations on such an amazing hunt and out come. Really interested in your bullet choice as this is what I have chosen for when I get there. Question: did you get any pass through with the CPU’s? Cheers!

ps love the touch of getting the kids to sign your journal very classy touch. Man those kids eh have not a bean but smiles for a change in pace on a life of very hard graft.

Thank you! I appreciate the kind comments.

The North Fork CPS gave a pass-through on everything except the hippo skull.....

 

[Sideshow]

Thank you! I appreciate the kind comments.

The North Fork CPS gave a pass-through on everything except the hippo skull.....

Brilliant thank you for the reply. I’m guessing these are roll your owns ie hole loads. Very impressive on the hippo. Nice to see that your PH still gets tte adrenaline up on a shoot!

 

[DmacD]

Great story, great video, great results!
I really enjoy those Untamed Knife Company videos, and yours is one of the best. Thanks for posting.
Also, thanks for the intel on the North Forks too.

 

[Philip Glass]

I am glad to hear you had a great hunt with Johnny. Vaughan does a great job with these videos. Yall subscribe to Untamed on YouTube.

 

[Stetsonham]

Stunning buff…. Congrats

 

[Frederik]

Great hunt great buffalo outstanding shot on the hippo and a very nice bushbuck too!!!

 

[Flying.Parrott]

Just finished watching the video. Awesome hunt! Congrats on a proper buff!

 

[Troubleshooter]

Congratulations on an outstanding safari. Hippo and buffalo both -- wow! And I enjoyed the very well produced video. I especially appreciated the manner in which the local villagers were woven-in to the story.

It was interesting to see the fervency with which the villagers chopped up the hippo.

Yeah, I think one would be well advised to stay out of the arc of those axes!

I am somewhat perplexed by all the references to "Tide" however. Certainly understand brand-loyalty, but I usually just buy whatever detergent is on sale. Are you perhaps employed by Procter & Gamble?

 

[towserthemouser]

Congratulations on an outstanding safari. Hippo and buffalo both -- wow! And I enjoyed the very well produced video. I especially appreciated the manner in which the local villagers were woven-in to the story.



Yeah, I think one would be well advised to stay out of the arc of those axes!

I am somewhat perplexed by all the references to "Tide" however. Certainly understand brand-loyalty, but I usually just buy whatever detergent is on sale. Are you perhaps employed by Procter & Gamble?

Thank you @Troubleshooter, I appreciate the comments!

Those axes are pretty impressive. As many of you know, they grind them down from the leaf springs of a Toyota Land Cruiser and fit them into the wooden handle. Apparently it's a sort of rite of passage for a young man to make his own axe, and you will rarely see him without it. They are surprisingly ergonomic and feel very solid and functional; I admire them as a tool/weapon. They use them for everything; clearing brush, chopping meat, and potentially for busting skulls......

Now as far as my spreading of the Crimson Gospel goes..... all I can tell you is that we're always recruiting talent. Roll Tide.

 

[Nyati]

A great experience, congrats and thanks for sharing !

 

[DieJager]

Watched it last night. Couldn't sleep so gave it a try. What a hunt! Waidmannsheil! Story of a lifetime and you are a gentleman sir

I've recently read Ron Thomson his third book of his memoirs. I think it is the same area near lake Kariba he was stationed. He mentions the idea of beginning a croc farm and in the end he found someone who starts it. The whole ideas of farming croc in what that time was Rhodesia came from him. Do you know if it's the same area? If you have not read his books you have to read them. I am almost certain a lot of what you've seen is mentioned in his third book. The people, the villages, the scenery. The filling of lake Kariba.

 

[towserthemouser]

Watched it last night. Couldn't sleep so gave it a try. What a hunt! Waidmannsheil! Story of a lifetime and you are a gentleman sir

I've recently read Ron Thomson his third book of his memoirs. I think it is the same area near lake Kariba he was stationed. He mentions the idea of beginning a croc farm and in the end he found someone who starts it. The whole ideas of farming croc in what that time was Rhodesia came from him. Do you know if it's the same area? If you have not read his books you have to read them. I am almost certain a lot of what you've seen is mentioned in his third book. The people, the villages, the scenery. The filling of lake Kariba.

Thanks, @DieJager, I also love Ron Thomsons books and have found great inspiration from them!

And yes, I think it's the same area. The charter flight landed at "Croc Farm Airstrip." Several of the PHs mentioned they had spent stints working for the croc farm, hunting crocodile eggs on the mud riverbanks and digging them up to be incubated at the farm.

I can tell you that the Mighty Lake Kariba is spectacular. At one point we climbed up on a hilltop where we found the stone foundations of an old abandoned safari lodge. Johnny didn't know about it, so it was a new discovery for him too. Fireplace, bar, even an old swimming pool. All made with native stone and surrounded by a grove of mature trees, with 360 degree views of the lake and the countryside that were jaw-dropping. If you could build a cabin up there, you would think you had died and gone to Valhalla itself........ I bet there are very few billionaires on this planet with a better view than that place. I still see it in my dreams. It would take a lot of money and work to put it back into service, but Holy Smokes it was amazing.

 

[DieJager]

Thanks, @DieJager, I also love Ron Thomsons books and have found great inspiration from them!

And yes, I think it's the same area. The charter flight landed at "Croc Farm Airstrip." Several of the PHs mentioned they had spent stints working for the croc farm, hunting crocodile eggs on the mud riverbanks and digging them up to be incubated at the farm.

I can tell you that the Mighty Lake Kariba is spectacular. At one point we climbed up on a hilltop where we found the stone foundations of an old abandoned safari lodge. Johnny didn't know about it, so it was a new discovery for him too. Fireplace, bar, even an old swimming pool. All made with native stone and surrounded by a grove of mature trees, with 360 degree views of the lake and the countryside that were jaw-dropping. If you could build a cabin up there, you would think you had died and gone to Valhalla itself........ I bet there are very few billionaires on this planet with a better view than that place. I still see it in my dreams. It would take a lot of money and work to put it back into service, but Holy Smokes it was amazing.

Awesome. Would love to see it one day. The views must have been spectacular indeed. The video had some great drone footage. All in all a fantastic hunt. Again, thanks for sharing.