6/9/16 Thursday
0600 we wake up and have fresh hot water in a stand out side the tent. All the comforts of home in the bush. I could defiantly live here. We get up and go out of the tent and get a good look around. A pod of hippo in the river. 12 foot croc swimming by. Big water buck bull and impala ram over there. The bush coming to life. 50 years old and never have seen anything as beautiful. Eat a quick breakfast and go for a game drive. Baboon to numerous to count. Impala every where. Have a bull elephant walk out of the bush and crosses behind the truck so close you can see the hair on his body and smell him, and never even pays us no mind. Craig shows us a elephant skull, different angels of shots that you would take and difference between a bull and cow skull . Leave there and come across 2 cape eland bulls. Drive some more and get out to take a walk to see what we can find for lion spoor as this was the one animal my daughter wants to see. We come across a bull elephant and Craig tells us to stay tight and he is going to check his attitude. He tells us how the bull is going to act with his head high and twisting, ears out and here he comes. He stops about 20 feet from us and kicks dust then turns and walks away looking over his shoulder like okay don't make me come back here because if I do it won't be pretty! I have video on my phone but I can't get it to the computer. This is when you realize that your not in Kansas anymore Toto.
We continue walking and come across some lion spoor and start tracking. Go about a hundred yards and find where the lions ( 2 lioness, a male and cubs) have eaten a baboon. The meat was still on the skull piece with wet blood and no ants so it was very fresh. Tracked some more but lost the trail in the long grass! Heading back to camp for lunch we come across a herd of buffalo which is the first that Craig has seen this year as the water holes are drying up and they are moving to the river. After lunch we take a nap and head back out for the evening drive. Elijah our driver takes us about 2 mils down river from camp and we start walking back to camp. Find monitor lizard tracks and start trailing it when we come across a 5 foot croc up on the bank 10 feet above and 50 feet from the river. (Side note. I had been telling Charles that I wanted to catch a croc while there. I'm a nuisance gator hunter where I live and catch live gators all the time and release them away from people. Biggest to date is 11' 11". The way you catch them is to tap them on the end of the nose and they raise there head up. This allows you to reach under there bottom jaw and close there mouth. You can hold there mouth closed with two fingers as there power is closing not opening. Then you tape there mouths shut with electrical tape. Once you have the sharp end secure you tie the feet together and do what you want.) I walk up and slap this croc on the nose and he spins around and runs off the bank with legs going 90 miles an hour, hits the bottom, runs to the water and skids across until he sinks. Craig can't believe what I just did then I tell him what I do at home, and he starts laughing. Says he will have the best story to tell everyone about the crazy coon A55 that tried to catch a croc. Get back to the camp and have a few drinks, supper, few more drinks and bed. Have seen hippo, elephant, baboon, impala, crocs, eland, maribu stork, ground hornbill, grey hornbill, buffalo, waterbuck and a colony of bee eaters. Hell of a first day. Can't wait for tomorrow.
I will be away from my computer for the next 23 day hunting alligators so I will continue when I get back.
