TANZANIA: Wife’s Perspective & Daily Journal From Tanzania Hunt

rafter3

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Midland, Texas
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Hunted
Tanzania (Kilombero Valley), USA (South Texas, Colorado, Wyoming), Canada, Mexico
I recently posted on my first African hunt with Ernest Dyason of Spear Safaris in Tanzania. My wife came along and enjoyed every minute. She kept an amazing journal and everybody was on their toes wanting to read her next daily entry. It’s a long read, but it’s pretty entertaining.

Day 1:
Had a beautiful breakfast and coffee by the river before the guys sighted in their guns and we headed out. We all jumped in the Land Cruiser, including the professional center, the apprentice, trackers, drivers, government hand scout, and us to see what we find. Came across various animals, including heartebeest, water buck, elephants, a duiker, and others I have no clue what they are lol. Trey was able to harvest a heartebeest and a water buck. The staff celebrated each harvest like it was your birthday!! Jimmy and I coached him or rather gave him a hard time throughout the day. Some parts of the animals are used to feed everyone at camp, including all the wonderful staff and us. Some of the parts of the animals are used for cat bait. These guys hung up parts in the tree and took the guts and spread around in order to hopefully attract a leopard or lion this week. We got back to camp late and had a great dinner. What a first day. This is nothing I could’ve ever imagined.

Day 2:
Started the day with a fabulous breakfast then headed in the boat up the Rahugi river looking for hippo and crocs! Pulled up on the bank to scout, including one guy climbing to the top of the tree.. followed the PH and trackers for a couple miles through tall grass, cracked mud and even had to remove our shoes to cross an area of water about 3 feet deep… stalking hippos, running to find them in order to get a shot all the while wondering if a lion is stalking us! The PH has to determine if it’s a bull first as you’re not allowed to shoot female animals in Tanzania! Crocs everywhere in this river but we’ll need hippo bait! Missed shot due to a broken scope, Trey falling 2 times, breaking his glasses and scope, and other calamities… and it’s only noon! Jimmy fishing between hippo sightings! Back to camp for another round of who knows what this afternoon!
Adventure of the lifetime!

PM: Trey harvested a Reed Buck! I napped!

#comebackin2weeks #nowaywerecrossingthatwater
#werecrossingthatwater
#thisisavacation?

Day 3: (just a girl’s perspective).. started out the day early after a nice breakfast to go hunt Cape Buffalo! Land Cruiser got stuck for a bit so we took off through the high grass until the vehicle could catch us! We drove around I’m pretty sure the whole continent of Africa at least 4 times with no buffalo to be found! We did see wart hogs, baboon, an elephant, among others).. driving.. driving some more as the guys with us are lighting matches and intentional grass fires along the way (to clear brush for new growth) when all of the sudden we come to a screeching halt and the PH (Ernest) sees Roosevelt Sable! Trey gets out to stalk it as the wild fire rapidly is approaching the vehicle and they’re putting it out! Trey gets a great shot and harvests the most ancient beautiful animal! Video of the driver Chambo as he gets soooo excited when you make a great shot! Trey fell again (twice)! Once crossing the stream and once getting in the jeep! Word on the streets is his coworkers back home have a bet going to see who calls the most accurate number of falls this trip ‍♀️
The old wart hog continues to give us the slip.. Dinner is amazing as always! Limited WiFi out here and loving the solitude!

Day 4 (just a girl’s perspective).. starting the day wishing Debby Dyer Gutting and Grace Garmon a very happy birthday and sad we’re away from them this day! Started out on a different path today! Crossed a river in the truck! Everyone messed with me thinking we’d float, but turned out it was like driving on Wadley after a storm in Midland! Quickly saw a herd of Cape buffalo and Trey was out on the stock! got his first bull, he’s so cool!!! The crew rejoiced and are extremely happy to have ox tail soup for dinner …we had lunch at another camp today! This one has water near it with no crocodiles so I kind of feel cheated on my waterfront vacation Trey and Jimmy left me at camp for a nap and ran into an elephant and saw some action on the cat bait, so Trey’s hoping for a leopard hunt tomorrow! Happy to report no falls for Trey today, but everyone quickly reminded me he got smacked in the head with a branch and his hat flew off, so the minor injuries continue #skinningshed,turnleft? #mangofliedmice

Day 5 and 6 morning (Just a girl’s perspective):stayed at camp all day 5 while the guys checked leopard bait.. this staff is beyond amazing with the service and “camping” facilities… Morning on day 6 was mind blowing… headed out to find a Cape buffalo… the trackers see birds and know a herd is in the tall grass somewhere so we take off… now you talk about sketchy, scary adventure— we’re walking though high grass trails, jogging and jumping over logs, crouching down as you hear large herds running over trees and through the river.. we come up to an old Dagga Boy (old man I think).. Trey gets a shot, Jimmy a couple and we take off to track him.. take off our boots and wade across a river (the one without crocs) to the other side! Get close to him and see him down, but not dead as he tried to get up.. apparently it’s these that kill people! The guys got him and we hear the death bellow.. the staff rejoices in prospect of eating fresh meat, ox tail soup, and all parts of the animal (nothing goes to waste here).. crazy day beyond explanation and a rush like none I’ve experienced!

Day 6 pm (just a girl’s perspective):.. had to break this day into parts as the evening experience was the most amazing.. this afternoon Jimmy and I headed out to fish! Jimmy had a couple tiger fish on that he couldn’t land and I had a big cat fish that got away! Trey headed to a leopard blind and Ernest (the PH) said all the sudden he just sees Treys legs in the air as he fell out of the ground blind ‍♀️.. Leopard was harvested, I’ll let Trey fill in those details for those that care! Back at camp word got around that a leopard was killed and a celebration like no other was brewing… the staff were decorating with toilet paper streamers, chanting and honking behind as they come back to camp! They surround Trey and lift him up in a chair and carry him around as they chant, sing, dance and blow fire!!!! It was a sight that was so exciting that it’ll be a top 10 memory of my life! Apparently the culture here celebrates what a leopard or lion is taken due to the havoc they can cause in a village! It was a beautiful day.. video is worth it!!

Day 7 and 8 (Just a girl’s perspective)…We’ve spent the last 2 days driving, boating and tracking different animals! I tell you, these trackers are most amazing.. we’ll be driving about 15-20 mph and you hear snaps, the vehicle comes to a screeching halt and they jump out! They analyze a lion track and I swear they can tell you oh he’s about 6’2”, 190#, blonde mane with green eyes and he walked through here Friday at 3 pm carrying a 6 pack of Coors Light and Marlboro Reds! They’re just amazing! Yesterday, Trey caught not 1 but 2 Tiger fish even though Jimmy has spent his whole vacation giving it his best effort and we all believe he will catch one soon!! Trey’s been hunting this ancient croc all week, named him Homer (resembled Homer Simpson).. got a shot at him today and when you get a chance, if you don’t catch them after you shoot, they roll into the water and sink.. so Homer rolled into the water and we all thought he was lost.. we see him out in the middle of the water so the PH takes a shot and again thought he was lost… we decided to carry on with the day looking for other crocs! Headed home after a long day with no luck at crocs or buffalo for Jimmy.. almost to camp and BOOM, there’s Homer! Trey was able to harvest him… man what a lucky day! The guys at the camp call Trey Lucky boss and it’s absolutely true

Day 9 (Just a girl’s perspective).. Started out the day feeling like a 3rd grader on a field trip. Right outside of camp there’s a skinning shed! This is where magic is made! These guys not only get us and the staff meat to eat, but take the skins and load them with lots of salt to dry them so they’ll be in great shape when we get them back to the U.S…. Left camp with a rotten piece of meat to hang up for lion bait.. the Land Cruiser smells so ripe that Trey stuffs eye lens wipes up his nose so he doesn’t gag … Afternoon is spent with Trey at camp resting as Jimmy heads up river to hunt crocs! The afternoon recount from
Jimmy goes something like this: trackers climbing to the very top of the tree and see a herd of buffalo.. stalking through high grass to harvest a great old bull! Sorry we napped through this achievement!! One of the trackers is part of the Maasai tribe.. they enjoy drinking the blood from a buffalo and eating part of the liver.. still a lot to learn about the tribe and customs! Still no crocs, but Jimmy arrives at camp to celebrate with cranberry vodka and a fabulous dinner.. not , but betting on buffalo tail soup soon!

Day 10 (Just a girl’s perspective)
Today started off crossing the river and getting stuck in the mud! The guys went to work and dug out the truck so we could carry on with the day! Headed into the wilderness on foot to a pond to stalk hippos! The PH and his assistant see the hippos and tread lightly getting Trey into position! I’m holding my breath praying not to sneeze and ruin the whole hunt like I do in a south Texas deer blind ‍♀️.. Trey gets his hippo and everyone cheers.. but how to you get a ginormous hippo out of the pond and back to camp you ask?!?! Well… first off you wait a few hours for the hippo to surface! Next the whole staff (about 20 guys) bring a tractor! They cut a new road with machetes faster than Texas Dept of Transportation has fixed a stop light! The guys then are determining who will get into the umm not so fresh water with a hippo within 10 feet and at least one large croc seen sliding into the water.. the guys get in without reserve, tie up the hippo, slap cane on top of the water to scare the wildlife away as the swim and pull the hippo to the other side of the pond! The tractor then pulls out the hippo for the staff to take to camp (yes, they eat that as well).. Trey returned to the leopard blind, catches a nap in the blind and harvests a heyena! Apparently heyenas have the strongest jaw force and eat bones! Been a crazy day!!!

Day 11 (just a girl’s perspective) Headed up the river today! River days remind me of being a kid, not because I was in a river but at Six Flags…there are part of these treks that look like a Six Flags water ride with the tall grass and reed on the sides of the small path and there are things that can eat you! Crocs suddenly appear in the water looking like they are on a slip and slide with Dawn dish soap! We encounter this hippo each time we go upstream that gets irritated at the sound of the boat and will give a little chase! One chase was caught on video! I’m sure it can be terrifying but I loved it! The morning consisted of a croc that gave Jimmy the slip as a branch accidentally got knocked over and scared him back into the water! We decided to fish while waiting out the croc.. all the sudden a small fish jumps into the boat!!! A few minutes later,Jimmy finally landed a tiger fish!!! Not the trophy size he wants, but now the guys can lay off of him a bit!! Maybe the nickel he threw into the river is changing his luck so we go back and he stalks the croc in hopes he’s back on land… Ernest sees him in a little shallow pond about 8 yards away so Jimmy uses Ernest’s knee was a rest and gets his giant croc!!! Loading him into the boat to get him back to camp was also amazing to watch!!!! What a day, congrats Jimmy!!!!!

Day 12 (Just a girl’s perspective)
This hunting has been hard work and I hear Trey’s been pretty lucky not having to stalk animals very far.. this hunting block goes on as far as the eye can see so we ride around, sometimes alllllll day without seeing a lot of wildlife! Riding on these bumpy roads feels like Pilates and a core workout! But.. sometimes you have days where you see the animals you’re after! Today we harvested a heartebeest and baboon on one side.. then rode this fancy ferry made of empty oil drums and branches and uses a boat as a tug boat to get the vehicle across the river!! On the other side Jimmy got his puku, we see an old Dugga boy stand up and Trey got him then Trey had to walk he says at least 8 miles (probably 1 ) to get a puku!.. crossed back over the river on the ferry and swatted tsetse flies all the way back to camp!! It was an exhausting, exhilarating day!!

Day 14/15 (just a girl’s perspective).. I skipped day 13 and will write about it later.. we got to visit a school village and the emotions of that day deserve some time to be able to explain.. had our last dinner tonight and left camp yesterday .. the chef made a special cake and the staff sang.. this place, this place had taken a piece of my heart… the staff is here working 7 long days a week, away from their families and you always see smiles! I started the trip as madame, and quickly became Mama at camp!!! Hung out with my BFF’s (the waiters) at camp when I was too tired to go out with the guys hunting, and they spoiled me! They’ve taught us some Swahili, tended to every need, and cheered on our experience.. when I was told I was staying in a tent for 14 days, well I’m sure you could feel my reserved apprehension! Get here and it’s a tent with fancy beds, flooring, chandeliers, a toilet with a bidet and shower! Hearing hippos, hyenas, an elephant, birds night and day, looking for tracks to see what walked by the tents were a highlight! This trip has been a complete reset.. very little internet to fret over politics and other things that distract you from God and nature! This wild adventure is indescribable.. I’ve lived an episode from the Discovery Channel.. it’s changed my perspective in what I want in a vacation.. I’m not sure this one will ever be topped.. if you can take a safari to Tanzania, do it.. you will not regret it and Ernest can take care of you!! Thank you Kilombero staff for an amazing experience.. Thank you Ernest and Marita Dyason (Spear Safari) for everything, teaching me about conservation, hunting and habitats and keeping us safe! Jimmy thanks for the laughs, talks and friendship! Thank you Trey for bringing me around the world and letting me live this “vacation” with you️Mama headed home to family, my OT kiddos, and Mexican food, but in Swahili the word baadaye means see you later.. I hope to be back some day (maybe next time in October!!!
 
Pleasure to see someone truly enjoy the experience.
 
I enjoyed your story so much from the “girl’s perspective”. I read much of it to my wife. Maybe I can convince her to go. She has explored Kenya with me but to have her enjoy my hunt as you did would be spectacular. Thank you
 
A pure joy to read, even if just from a girl’s perspective. Congrats to you both on a wonderful safari, vacation, and journey!
 
Great job by your wife! Faster than Txdot fixing a light made me laugh out loud.
 
Thank you for posting, I’m glad you had a memorable trip
 
@rafter3, thanks for sharing your story, really enjoyed it !
 
I don't want to steal away the glory here, I just thought a few relevant photos to the post will help everyone enjoy it so much more.

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Thanks for sharing. I felt the joy of your trip in your words. A lot of us keep hunting journals, and I hope you take these thoughts and put them in your family’s hunting journal. You really captured the fun spirit of the hunt, and proved yet again that the Second Amendment is a family amendment. All best to you.
 

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