ZAMBIA: Ntengu Safaris Hunt Report

[Scott CWO]

Have you measured this guy? He looks like a real monster.

Yes, 18 4/8” with 7 6/8” bases. Thanks.

 

[Safari1]

Y

Yes, some absolutely great lions taken in both areas. Only one per year. The best time is early July before too much burning has occurred. The lions like to hunt the puku and lechwe in the taller grass near the plains but of course can be anywhere. We heard lions and saw tracks but never saw them. Fico showed me where they get most of them with hippo baits. PM me if you are interested and want to see some pictures. The lions they get rank right up there with Tanzania - big-bodied and dark, full manes.

Thanks Scott. I saw a picture of the one taken in Kasonso this year…incredible

 

[Scott CWO]

August 12 continued - After skinning the black lechwe and a sack lunch, we flew back to Lusaka and met up with Ben at the Radisson Blue. My parents and I ate dinner at the hotel after cleaning up. Meanwhile, Fico and Ben got everything ready for the next morning to go to Kafue Flats for the biggest lechwe of them all, the Kafue lechwe.

 

[WyoBull]

Outstanding hunt, Scott! Glad you got to share it with your parents.

 

[Scott CWO]

August 13 - Fico and Ben picked me up in their crewcab Landcruiser at the hotel at 4:15am. We then made a quick stop to pick up the trackers and skinner back at Fico’s headquarters. It’s a 3.5 hour drive to the Kafue Flats and the last two hours of it are on a horrible road so my parents stayed back in Lusaka to shop and rest up. I felt bad for the trackers and skinner in the back of the cruiser on that road in the cold!

About 20 minutes from the flats, we stopped at the local government Game Scout outpost and picked up a Game Scout before continuing.

Once at the flats and swamp, we started seeing herds of Kafue lechwe. These herds were numerous but smaller in size and spread out, which made evaluations of quality much easier. Fico said with some luck, we would hopefully find a bull over 30” so that was our goal. He told me that another PH friend of his had taken a 29” bull with a client the week before so Fico wanted to get one bigger. I was definitely okay with his motivation!

Once we reached the area, we turned left and drove along the track road that parallels the swamp stopping frequently to look at different groups of lechwe. Fico didn’t see anything too exciting so after an hour, we turned and went back the way we had came and then continued on in the opposite direction. After several minutes, we started to see more mature bulls than we had earlier. We would glass and study each group while Fico tutored me on what to look for in a big Kafue lechwe. He said when their heads are down feeding, look for horns that come up above the shoulders. Also look for good width at the same time. A wider bull will be a bit longer. If you find a wider bull with horns that reach above the shoulder when feeding, it could be a shooter. We also looked at body size and horn mass.

Fico is a relentless hunter. Even on our last day, he was focused on a good trophy or nothing. There are so many lechwe and hunters cannot judge them as good so I think a lot of PHs would just have you shoot one and get it over, but not Fico! He’s not out to just fill tags.

After a few hours, we found two smaller groups of mature bulls not too far apart. There was one big bull in one of these two groups and two big bulls in the other group. We went back and forth a few times between the groups while trying to decide which bull to stalk. We ended up getting stuck and had to get the Hi-Lift jack out and pack grass under the tires to free the cruiser.

While cutting grass to put under the tires, we uncovered a small poisonous viper snake of some kind. The trackers killed the snake and I took a picture of it.

After getting the cruiser freed from the mud, we looked at the two groups one more time and decided to stalk the group with the two big bulls in it. Fico, the Game Scout and I stalked up on the group to 217 yards by flanking and trying not to move too fast. The bull we wanted had been bedded but was now up and the group was getting nervous. I laid down with my pack and waited for him to clear the others and then shot him. It was a pretty easy shot with the 6.5 off the ground on a pack. He went straight down - DRT. The bull was out in the water a bit so the trackers removed their shoes/socks and brought him to us for pictures. What a Kafue lechwe! He ended up measuring 31 2/8” and I was very happy.

 

[DieJager]

Great report and writing. But that was expected as I read your other reports Congratulations with the magnificent trophies.

 

[Scott CWO]

Late that afternoon on the drive back to Lusaka, I texted with @spike.t on WhatsApp to see if he and his lovely wife, Louise, would let me buy them dinner and drinks for helping me sort out my first time hunting in Zambia. They picked me up at the hotel and we went to a nearby restaurant/bar. The food and scenery (beautiful Zambian women everywhere) were awesome!

We celebrated the trip and I made the mistake of trying to keep up with Mike on the drink count! He’s not only known for his hunting prowess! We were drinking G&Ts and I finally gave in and surrendered after several! I skipped the next round but then later he had the waitress bring me two more rounds! I gave in again and told the waitress to bring me the damn bill before I forgot where I was! I don’t know how much the bill was but it was all worth it! Thanks Mike!

I also want to thank Fico, Ben and the entire Ntengu Safaris operation for a great safari! If any members want Fico’s contact info, send me a PM. I will be happy to provide it. I learned a lot about both Kasonso and Lunga and the pros and cons of both. They are very similar areas with Lunda having more buffalo and roan than Kasonso and a bit less, but stil plenty, of sable. Both areas have great lion and leopard hunting.

 

[WAB]

Fantastic hunt and write up!

 

[sestoppelman]

What a great hunt! Did more on that hunt than my last 3 combined!

 

[spike.t]

Late that afternoon on the drive back to Lusaka, I texted with @spike.t on WhatsApp to see if he and his lovely wife, Louise, would let me buy them dinner and drinks for helping me sort out my first time hunting in Zambia. They picked me up at the hotel and we went to a nearby restaurant/bar. The food and scenery (beautiful Zambian women everywhere) were awesome!
View attachment 483374

We celebrated the trip and I made the mistake of trying to keep up with Mike on the drink count! He’s not only known for his hunting prowess! We were drinking G&Ts and I finally gave in and surrendered after several! I skipped the next round but then later he had the waitress bring me two more rounds! I gave in again and told the waitress to bring me the damn bill before I forgot where I was! I don’t know how much the bill was but it was all worth it! Thanks Mike!

I also want to thank Fico, Ben and the entire Ntengu Safaris operation for a great safari! If any members want Fico’s contact info, send me a PM. I will be happy to provide it. I learned a lot about both Kasonso and Lunga and the pros and cons of both. They are very similar areas with Lunda having more buffalo and roan than Kasonso and a bit less, but stil plenty, of sable. Both areas have great lion and leopard hunting.

Scott was nice to finally meet face to face, and am happy you had such a great hunt with some seriously great trophies....and thanks for the dinner. Louise and I enjoyed showing you a bit of Lusaka nightlife...just need to practice your G&T consumption a bit more....but you didn't do too badly .....look forward to hopefully seeing you at SCI

 

[spike.t]

Actually, a Kafue lechwe, not a red!

Was wondering about that

 

[Red Leg]

August 13 - Fico and Ben picked me up in their crewcab Landcruiser at the hotel at 4:15am. We then made a quick stop to pick up the trackers and skinner back at Fico’s headquarters. It’s a 3.5 hour drive to the Kafue Flats and the last two hours of it are on a horrible road so my parents stayed back in Lusaka to shop and rest up. I felt bad for the trackers and skinner in the back of the cruiser on that road in the cold!

About 20 minutes from the flats, we stopped at the local government Game Scout outpost and picked up a Game Scout before continuing.

Once at the flats and swamp, we started seeing herds of Kafue lechwe. These herds were numerous but smaller in size and spread out, which made evaluations of quality much easier. Fico said with some luck, we would hopefully find a bull over 30” so that was our goal. He told me that another PH friend of his had taken a 29” bull with a client the week before so Fico wanted to get one bigger. I was definitely okay with his motivation!

Once we reached the area, we turned left and drove along the track road that parallels the swamp stopping frequently to look at different groups of lechwe. Fico didn’t see anything too exciting so after an hour, we turned and went back the way we had came and then continued on in the opposite direction. After several minutes, we started to see more mature bulls than we had earlier. We would glass and study each group while Fico tutored me on what to look for in a big Kafue lechwe. He said when their heads are down feeding, look for horns that come up above the shoulders. Also look for good width at the same time. A wider bull will be a bit longer. If you find a wider bull with horns that reach above the shoulder when feeding, it could be a shooter. We also looked at body size and horn mass.

Fico is a relentless hunter. Even on our last day, he was focused on a good trophy or nothing. There are so many lechwe and hunters cannot judge them as good so I think a lot of PHs would just have you shoot one and get it over, but not Fico! He’s not out to just fill tags.

After a few hours, we found two smaller groups of mature bulls not too far apart. There was one big bull in one of these two groups and two big bulls in the other group. We went back and forth a few times between the groups while trying to decide which bull to stalk. We ended up getting stuck and had to get the Hi-Lift jack out and pack grass under the tires to free the cruiser.
View attachment 483369

While cutting grass to put under the tires, we uncovered a small poisonous viper snake of some kind. The trackers killed the snake and I took a picture of it.
View attachment 483370

After getting the cruiser freed from the mud, we looked at the two groups one more time and decided to stalk the group with the two big bulls in it. Fico, the Game Scout and I stalked up on the group to 217 yards by flanking and trying not to move too fast. The bull we wanted had been bedded but was now up and the group was getting nervous. I laid down with my pack and waited for him to clear the others and then shot him. It was a pretty easy shot with the 6.5 off the ground on a pack. He went straight down - DRT. The bull was out in the water a bit so the trackers removed their shoes/socks and brought him to us for pictures. What a Red lechwe! He ended up measuring 31 2/8” and I was very happy.
View attachment 483372
View attachment 483373

Fabulous bull.

 

[Red Leg]

Actually, a Kafue lechwe, not a red!

We know someone who will fix that.

Great write up. Its a lot of fun to read a report that is extremely well written about a region that interests me so much. Thanks.

 

[Scott CWO]

We know someone who will fix that.

Great write up. Its a lot of fun to read a report that is extremely well written about a region that interests me so much. Thanks.

Thanks, Joe! I’m not much of a creative writer but I can list out what happened in generic terms I guess! Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Red Leg]

Late that afternoon on the drive back to Lusaka, I texted with @spike.t on WhatsApp to see if he and his lovely wife, Louise, would let me buy them dinner and drinks for helping me sort out my first time hunting in Zambia. They picked me up at the hotel and we went to a nearby restaurant/bar. The food and scenery (beautiful Zambian women everywhere) were awesome!
View attachment 483374

We celebrated the trip and I made the mistake of trying to keep up with Mike on the drink count! He’s not only known for his hunting prowess! We were drinking G&Ts and I finally gave in and surrendered after several! I skipped the next round but then later he had the waitress bring me two more rounds! I gave in again and told the waitress to bring me the damn bill before I forgot where I was! I don’t know how much the bill was but it was all worth it! Thanks Mike!

I also want to thank Fico, Ben and the entire Ntengu Safaris operation for a great safari! If any members want Fico’s contact info, send me a PM. I will be happy to provide it. I learned a lot about both Kasonso and Lunga and the pros and cons of both. They are very similar areas with Lunda having more buffalo and roan than Kasonso and a bit less, but stil plenty, of sable. Both areas have great lion and leopard hunting.

That bar is something of a right of passage.

 

[VertigoBE]

Thanks a lot for sharing your hunt @Scott CWO ! I can’t say which trophy i liked the most, but each and every one of them is a trophy of a lifetime, and with the impeccable ethics you demonstrated while hunting them they will be memories for a lifetime. Congratulations and a well deserved waidmannsheil!

 

[CoElkHunter]

What an awesome adventure and hunt report! It was so thoughtful of you to bring your parents along. I'm sure they enjoyed it very much. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Scott CWO]

Scott was nice to finally meet face to face, and am happy you had such a great hunt with some seriously great trophies....and thanks for the dinner. Louise and I enjoyed showing you a bit of Lusaka nightlife...just need to practice your G&T consumption a bit more....but you didn't do too badly .....look forward to hopefully seeing you at SCI

Thanks Mike! I did my best but there’s always room for improvement
Wendy & I will be at SCI so hope to see you and everyone there!

 

[Scott CWO]

That bar is something of a right of passage.

Yeah, passage out! Lol.

 

[cpr0312]

Incredible bushbuck! Congrats!