TANZANIA: Splitting a Full Bag In Tanzania

[MontanaPat]

Sounds like a great hunt and really looking forward to reading the rest

 

[Scott CWO]

After dropping the gazelle off at the skinning shed, we checked a leopard bait that was close to camp. The baits were hung during the safari right before ours by Mike and his Russian client, a friend of Putin. The Russian hunted elephant, leopard, buffalo and plains game and got everything he came to hunt. It was interesting to hear the views the Russian had expressed to Mike about the world topics of the day.

The fresher of the two baits in the tree was almost totally consumed by a female leopard but Mike said she had been accompanied by a large male leopard earlier so we would continue to feed her in hopes that the big male would show up on the camera as well.

We continued south to look for more game. The migration seemed to be in full force. Wildebeest, Grant’s zebra and topi were everywhere. The herds were very large and the ground was covered with tracks - like superhighways of tracks. It was incredible to see and the gals were enjoying it as well.

This would be a good time to talk about Jim and his firearms. Jim is a dedicated handgun hunter. He took his 10’ brown bear with me with a handgun. He’s also taken moose and deer with me with a handgun. He will use a rifle when conditions require it but prefers to use a handgun. He can shoot a handgun more accurately than most people can shoot a rifle. Mike was quite impressed. The owner of Bushman, Talal Abood, owns several businesses in Tanzania and is connected quite well. He and his office staff were able to get special handgun firearms permits for Jim so he could bring and hunt with two handguns. The handguns were a Thompson Contender in 375 JDJ and a Smith & Wesson 500 revolver. Jim also brought a 7mm PRC rifle. By the way, I do have Jim’s permission to post his pictures.

Shortly before lunch, Mike and Jim were able to get within handgun range of a nice Grant’s zebra stallion. The migrating herds rarely stop and he made a great walking shot. Grant’s zebra are beautiful albeit a bit smaller than some of the other species of zebra. We also now had some great leopard bait to hang.

 

[Scott CWO]

After lunch in the bush, we hung and freshened some leopard baits in between getting stuck in the mud a few times. Luckily, the Cruiser had a winch and traction mats.

About 3pm, we put our rain gear on because it looked like rain. Wendy, Jim and I were riding in the back of the Cruiser with the trackers. It started to pour down rain. Someone spotted a lone dagga boy in some bushes. Mike stopped the Cruiser, got out and quietly motioned for Jim to get down and go with him. Matteo, Mike and Jim walked down the trail and suddenly the sticks went up. Jim got set on the sticks with his S&W 500. It was raining so hard that I hadn’t even seen the buffalo yet. Turns out the bull was standing facing them at 50 yards. Mike later said the bull stood his ground, probably due to the pouring rain. Jim shot the bull perfectly. It turned away and ran and only got about 30 yards before piling up. While we quartered the bull for lion baits, we found a bullet hole in the heart! We took pictures and then placed a couple lion baits near a spot that Mike said was a crossing point for lions. Sure enough we found a lion track there.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Now those are some old worn down bosses, love it!

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Love the adventure so far Scott. Keep up the great story!

HH

 

[Red Leg]

Write faster.

 

[Scott CWO]

After placing half the lion baits in areas off the roads, we returned to the road. Unfortunately, we promptly got really stuck in an extended low spot on the road. The Cruiser was buried to the axles and frame. Even the winch wouldn’t budge it. The trackers jacked up all four wheels and placed the traction mats underneath but as soon as the Cruiser drove off the mats, it was stuck again. This repeated itself several times. Meanwhile, we four tourists were sitting in a dry spot in the folding chairs we carried in the Cruiser for use at lunch. Then during all this tedious effort, the fan belt snapped and we were then still stuck with a disabled vehicle. It was well after dark. Mike came to me and said that he and a couple of the trackers were going to hike about a mile to a nearby ridge to get cell service and call the camp and have another Cruiser sent our way. Lion were already roaring in the distance so I told him to take his Rigby .416 just in case. He agreed with my thinking and I retrieved my .458 Lott and went back to sit with Wendy, Cindy and Jim. It lightly rained on us as we sat in our rain gear in the dark, serenaded by lions and hyenas.

Mike and the trackers returned. They had successfully reached the camp by phone and radio and said help was on the way. With all the new mud from the earlier downpour, I knew the rescue Cruiser would also get stuck a few times on the way to us. I figured we were in for a long night in the bush. Meanwhile, the trackers moved us about 100 yards to a sit around a tree stump, which they were able to ignite for a fire. Other damp logs were added and we eventually had a decent fire. The trackers then cut up some buffalo meat and brought a folding grate to cook some buffalo meat for everyone. The old bull was tasty but tough. We also ate what little food was left in the lunch box. Many a story was told and then we dozed off and got a bit of sleep now and again. I must say, the gals were real troopers and nobody really complained as there was nothing more anyone could do and everyone had worked very hard trying to get the Cruiser out.

The picture above is of another time we got stuck and doesn’t compare to how badly we were stuck on this first night of the safari.

Finally, about 4am, the other Cruiser arrived. We packed back up and headed towards camp. We got back to camp at 5:30am, after getting temporarily stuck a couple more times on the way back. We showered and went bed. Quite an adventurous first day, don’t you think?

 

[Scott CWO]

We all slept until noon, had lunch and then Jim and I went out hunting for the evening. The gals stayed in camp to dry out and rest up.

About 2pm, we spotted a small herd of Coke’s hartebeest with a good bull in the herd. I already have a Coke’s hartebeest from my 2017 trip to Massailand so Jim dismounted the Cruiser and off they went after the bull. There were zebra and wildebeest herds in the vacinity as well so the stalk took some time. Eventually, we saw and heard Jim shoot. Jim had taken his rifle on this stalk since the area was quite open and full of other game. The shot was a bit too far back but a second stalk and shot put the bull down. After pictures, we hung some leopard and lion baits and returned to camp.

 

[Scott CWO]

The next morning after breakfast, we left camp and it wasn’t long before came upon a bunch of waterbuck and baboons, both of which are very common in Maswa. Jim has an extensive skull collection and he wanted a mature baboon skull. Matteo, Mike and Jim hiked after the troop of baboons and Jim got a shot with his S & W .500. Unfortunately, he shot too high and partially decapitated the baboon, ruining the skull. Later in the trip, he would shoot another baboon and added a skull to his collection.

About an hour later, we got stuck where the road crossed between two ponds. As the crew worked to get the Cruiser unstuck, I found some catfish in a small creek between the ponds. I called Jim over and we caught some catfish and fresh water crabs by hand. Africa never disappoints with so many species packed into one spot. Megafauna and it’s so interesting!

Once back on the road, we came upon a large group of migrating wildebeest. This subspecies of wildebeest is called the Eastern white-bearded wildebeest. They are a migratory subspecies and due to their almost year-around migration, are a bit smaller than their cousins found in Massailand that do not migrate, the Western white-bearded wildebeest. I decided to take a wildebeest so Matteo, Mike and I stalked after the herd. After a while, a nice bull was located standing off to the side of the herd. I got on the sticks with my 375 H&H and dropped him cleanly at 150 yards. Mike mentioned he was an old bull with big boss. He will make a nice addition to my wildebeest collection. You can see the white beard in the second picture.

After pictures and caping the wildebeest, we got stuck again but got out. About 3:30pm, we saw a nice impala ram with a bunch of females. Matteo, Mike and Jim gave chase. About 15 minutes later, Jim made a good shot with his rifle and after pictures and caping, we later saw a black-necked spitting cobra crossing the road in front of the Cruiser. We then hung the impala and part of the wildebeest in a couple different locations for leopard baits. Later, we hung half of Jim’s buffalo for a lion bait in a parasitic sycamore fig tree.

Then for the last hour of the day, we drove off the road parallel to a riverbottom too look for lions. Mike said they sleep in the thick vegetation along the rivers during the heat of the day or on big rock outcrops.

While looking for lions, the female government Game Scout, Veronica, spotted a big warthog. It took off running but didn’t seem too spooked. Mike and Jim gave chase and found the warthog stopped and looking back at them. Jim shot it and dropped it. After pictures, we worked our way back to camp. Definitely an action-packed day!

 

[DLSJR]

Scott, those stuck pictures bring back memories, but it was way wetter when I was there in December of 2019.

All, Gracy Travel really is the best option for Safari travel. When I was at Maswa North in December of 2019 it was so incredibly wet (made Scott’s recent hunt look dry) the charter plane couldn’t land at all, so we had to drive 2 days to Mwanza to catch a commercial flight back to Kilimanjaro Airport. We were booked on Emirates and we’re not going to make our flight. I called Shawn Kennedy of Gracy on her cell phone at 5:00 AM, Texas time. She answered, I explained our problem and she said to sit tight and she’d have a solution in a few hours. She called a few hours later to advise she had cancelled our Emirates flights and re-booked us on Ethiopian Airlines, which was the only airline that’d take us without firearms approval. It took 3 1/2 days to get home from camp, with 2 of those days driving to Mwanza, but we got home with all our baggage thanks to Gracy Travel. They’re the only travel agency I use for hunting travel. When things don’t go as originally planned, a top notch travel agent can save your butt. Shawn has made a major difference on a couple of my African hunts. She’s worth every penny of the fee Gracy Travel charges.

 

[Red Leg]

Scott, those stuck pictures bring back memories, but it was way wetter when I was there in December of 2019. Way wetter.

All, Gracy Travel really is the best option for Safari travel. When I was at Maswa North in December of 2019 it was so incredibly wet (made Scott’s recent hunt look dry) the charter plane couldn’t land at all, so we had to drive 2 days to Mwanza to catch a commercial flight back to Kilimanjaro Airport. We were booked on Emirates and we’re not going to make our flight. I called Shawn Kennedy of Gracy on her cell phone at 5:00 AM, Texas time. She answered, I explained our problem and she said to sit tight and she’d have a solution in a few hours. She called a few hours later to advise she had cancelled our Emirates flights (which we were going to miss) and re-booked us on Ethiopian Airlines, which was the only airline that’d take us without firearms approval. It took 3 1/2 days to get home from camp, with 2 of those days driving to Mwanza, but we got home with all our baggage thanks to Gracy Travel. They’re the only travel agency I use for hunting travel.

Shawn is a guardian angel.

 

[Scott CWO]

Scott, those stuck pictures bring back memories, but it was way wetter when I was there in December of 2019.

All, Gracy Travel really is the best option for Safari travel. When I was at Maswa North in December of 2019 it was so incredibly wet (made Scott’s recent hunt look dry) the charter plane couldn’t land at all, so we had to drive 2 days to Mwanza to catch a commercial flight back to Kilimanjaro Airport. We were booked on Emirates and we’re not going to make our flight. I called Shawn Kennedy of Gracy on her cell phone at 5:00 AM, Texas time. She answered, I explained our problem and she said to sit tight and she’d have a solution in a few hours. She called a few hours later to advise she had cancelled our Emirates flights and re-booked us on Ethiopian Airlines, which was the only airline that’d take us without firearms approval. It took 3 1/2 days to get home from camp, with 2 of those days driving to Mwanza, but we got home with all our baggage thanks to Gracy Travel. They’re the only travel agency I use for hunting travel. When things don’t go as originally planned, a top notch travel agent can save your butt. Shawn has made a major difference on a couple of my African hunts. She’s worth every penny of the fee Gracy Travel charges.

Hi Dan. Yes, not as wet as your trip. I remember talking to you about that on the phone. I think the Russian hunter who hunted October hit it about right. It only rained towards the end of his safari and the migration was at its peak. Rain, and thus the migration, came early this year. Glad we caught the end of the migration but I would go back in October next time. My issue is that in September and October, it’s impossible for me to go then until I retire.

 

[Altitude sickness]

It’s that night stuck in the mud and by the fire that will be remembered and stories told the most often.

It’s not fun while happening. But those (bad things) make it more of an adventure and better story.

It’s like reading about the Ivory hunter Walley Johnson. When he broke a drive shaft 80 miles from anywhere and used a Mopane stick to get the truck to a road.

 

[Fatback]

Great safari so far. Can’t wait to read about the rest. I agree Shawn with Gracy is a rock star for sure. I’ve used her for all of my previous trips to Africa and will continue to do so for all of my future African safaris.

 

[PARA45]

Oh my, what a dream adventure. Come on get on it, you know how impatient we are. Anxiously waiting for the rest.

 

[cpr0312]

Great so far and congrats! Look forward to more!

 

[Scott CWO]

On the next day, November 10th, we had a slower morning but did find that the big male leopard had hit the bait near camp with the female. We went back to camp for lunch. The migration was slowing down and ending earlier than normal due to all the early rain. Once Serengeti NP starts to green up from rain, the big herds of wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle head that direction, as do the smaller herds of eland. There are always some scattered groups of these species in Maswa North throughout the year but the numbers dwindle after the main migration. Buffalo and elephant are always present but every day is different for herds that live along the park border. Topi, waterbuck, bushbuck, giraffe, Bohor reedbuck, impala, duiker, baboons, etc… are always present.

After lunch, Jim went with Mike and the trackers to freshen the bait and build a leopard blind for the big male near camp. They picked me up later and we went and shot Jim’s 375 JDJ at 50 yards to see exactly where it was sighted for leopard hunting. The trackers then dropped us off at the blind and I sat with Mike and Jim but the leopard did not show.

The next morning, Mike and Jim sat for the leopard while the rest of us took the morning off. The leopard did not show again and Mike figured the big male had moved off but would be back through later in the hunt. After a late breakfast, we all headed out to check more bias and see what developed. The migration is definitely over. When checking a leopard bait, we spotted a female leopard in an adjacent tree. This caused a bit of excitement until we determined it wasn’t a male. It jumped out of the tree and disappeared. Upon inspection of the bait, we found that the bait was completely consumed and with no sign of a male, Mike chose to not freshen the bait.

We then moved one of the lion baits to a new spot where we found another track. Due to the large amounts of game here, Mike said the lions don’t come to bait very well in Maswa North and they are normally hunted spot and stalk but he still always tries baiting.

After lunch, we checked another leopard bait near a big rock outcrop or kopje. It was hit so we hung a camera and drove to an area where we had seen a decent impala. Jim shot the impala and we returned to the bait and added the impala.

In the late afternoon, we drove some likely lion areas looking for lion and tracks. We found some topi herds so we decided to make a play. Mike and I stalked the topi a few times. They were spooky and I missed a shot just as they took off running. We got back on them a couple more times and I got another shot and connected. The bull was hard quartered away but the shot was true. The bull ran off but tumbled head over heels and didn’t move. I really wanted a nice topi and I was elated. The bull had good mass on his horns. After pictures, we continued looking for lions and ended up back at camp.

 

[Altitude sickness]

gorgeous animal. Great mass

 

[Sideshow]

After lunch in the bush, we hung and freshened some leopard baits in between getting stuck in the mud a few times. Luckily, the Cruiser had a winch and traction mats.

About 3pm, we put our rain gear on because it looked like rain. Wendy, Jim and I were riding in the back of the Cruiser with the trackers. It started to pour down rain. Someone spotted a lone dagga boy in some bushes. Mike stopped the Cruiser, got out and quietly motioned for Jim to get down and go with him. Matteo, Mike and Jim walked down the trail and suddenly the sticks went up. Jim got set on the sticks with his S&W 500. It was raining so hard that I hadn’t even seen the buffalo yet. Turns out the bull was standing facing them at 50 yards. Mike later said the bull stood his ground, probably due to the pouring rain. Jim shot the bull perfectly. It turned away and ran and only got about 30 yards before piling up. While we quartered the bull for lion baits, we found a bullet hole in the heart! We took pictures and then placed a couple lion baits near a spot that Mike said was a crossing point for lions. Sure enough we found a lion track there.

View attachment 575132

Was just about to ask if you had the pleasure of getting stuck in the black cotton…….after seeing the mud all over Mikes disco donkey. Tell your wife’s that they should have brought some back as it’s the same stuff used in the salons that they stick on there faces. Enjoying the repot.

 

[Sideshow]

Spoke too soon have just caught up to the where you got your topi. Yeah a night out roughing it is enjoyable to remember.
Nothing like getting a little stuck.