ZIMBABWE: 2018 Cast & Blast x2 With Nyamazana Safaris

[Wheels]

Enjoying the report so far. Sounds like you both had a great hunt. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[BenKK]

Kudu, baboon and hyena! Awesome!

 

[Erny]

Very good. Keep posting.

 

[Riksa]

Great hunt and report so far! Looking forward to the rest of the story

 

[Lou Toweill]

Thanks for the night hunting report! I regret that I did not think about scouting at night on my safari to South Africa last year.

 

[Edge]

Thursday 19 July, Day 2 of Safari:

Morning arrives all too quickly and we meet for breakfast at 0600 in the main lodge. By the time we finish breakfast the heavy mist/light rain has begun again, can’t do much about it so we load up the rifles in the Toyota and drive off into the gloomy morning.

For first timers, make sure the shoes you wear on the flight over can also serve as back-up hunting footwear. My boots as well as Wayne’s were still sopping wet from the day before. I wore a pair of low top Merrill hiking shoes and Michelle wore a pair of Columbia hikers until her boots dried out. She became so comfortable walking in the hiking shoes she hardly wore her Vasque GTX hiking boots.

We decided to do a long drive towards the back end of the property this morning to have a look-see. An Eland bull was high on my list of trophies as well as a Buffalo, although Wayne did warn me the buff in this area are few and far between and don’t behave “normally”. The rain and heavy mist continued most of the morning. With it being wet and cold we didn’t see much game although we did get a tail salute from a Zebra during a brief period of sunshine.

We completed a long loop and headed to a different area, I had now climbed into the high seat as the sun was poking through with only a spit of rain every now and again. We headed up a steep narrow track amongst the granite outcroppings and I pulled out the 30-06 in anticipation of seeing a Klipspringer. We round the bend and sure enough, Klipspringer!

Wayne and the scouts all have the binoculars on them and tell me the one on the right is a good one. That’s great, all I can see is a bunch of branches from a tree! Michelle has a great view and snaps a photo from her Olympus EM-5 M2 with the 40-150mm lens (also had a 1.4x multiplier attached).

This pair has been hunted by another client of Wayne’s previously and they didn’t stick around and bounded over the rocks to the right. We move up again and now I have a big limb covering the vitals and the pair heads up into the rocks gaining elevation and disappearing into the boulders. We pull ahead and around the bend a few hundred yards and dismount. Wayne grabs the sticks and we quickly ascend the steep hill from the right side and come out on the rock face where we had last seen the klippies. My heart is pounding from the excitement as well as the vertical sprint up the side of the hill. One of the trackers spots them headed up to the top of the rock pile. We move left and a klipspringer appears, facing away from us and uphill at the top of the highest boulder. I’m on the sticks figuring out a shot angle awaiting word from Wayne if he is the big male.

Yes, that is him I hear. Body facing away, uphill, moves slightly to the left. I squeeze the trigger and a puff of hair blooms and the ram dives to our left, bounces off a rock and disappears. I believe everyone was surprised I shot so quickly and at an odd angle but I was sure the ram was going to jump over the top and be gone down the opposite side. Wayne asks me if I shot him in the xyz (translate into “Texas heart shot”)? He was worried the bullet had gone through and came out the front possibly ruining the cape. I told him no, slightly to the left.

We all scramble up the steep rocks and course hair is everywhere, we find a few signs of a solid hit then one of the trackers has spotted him on a ledge below us to our right. We haul him up to the top of the rock pile and take some pictures. What an awesome specimen and quite unique with curved tips to the horns. The klipspringer is mush smaller in the body than I had envisioned. He would measure out at 4 ¾”, well above the Rowland Ward minimum of 4 1/8”.

My shot placement was good as the bullet entered high in the left hip traversed down through and out just behind the far shoulder, the cape will ok!

View from the rock where we did the photo shoot felt like I was standing on top of the world! Rough and rocky terrain all around.

We slowly pick our way down the steep rocks, why is going down always so much harder? We load everyone up and begin our drive out and to the skinning shed to have ram skinned out as soon as possible due to them being prone for hair slippage. The rain begins again and I climb into the cab with Michelle and Wayne, we are all scratching as we must have come into contact with some hairy thorn bush/plant, you could hardly see the little buggers but sure felt them!

I am on cloud nine and the adrenalin is still flowing, what a great hunt we are having. Kudu, Hyena and an awesome Klipspringer and its not even lunch time on the 2nd day! We are headed out when the trackers tell Wayne they have spotted a bushbuck. I bail out in the spitting rain and climb up into the high seat, we are in a flat area and the grass is very tall and thick. It will be about impossible to see the bushbuck from ground level.

I make sure the rifle has a round in the chamber and illuminate the reticle as we turn around and head back up the road. I asked the guys if he was a good one and they said yes. We get close to the spot and I can see a female about 40 yards off the road and the guys ask me if I can see the ram, there under the tree. The truck is still rolling forward as Wayne hasn’t seen them yet. I spot the ram and he starts moving away from us at a severe angle, I can see horns and put a round into him and he is down. Woohoo! Michelle tells me it’s still standing, I chuckle and tell her it’s the female!

Wayne steps out of the cab and looks up at us, we bail out and quickly find the bushbuck and he’s too young, needed to grow a bit more. My fault for pulling the trigger too quickly without waiting for the PH to give the ok, lesson learned. He does have a beautiful cape and I have a plan for him with a set of bushbuck horns from the Eastern Cape that I was going to euro. @The Artistry of Wildlife , will need to talk with you about this!

With the rain coming down again, we all load up and head to the skinning shed to drop off the trophies and head back to the lodge for lunch and a nap! We were also able to recover the 165 Peregrine that took out the kudu. It had entered just behind the near shoulder and ended up breaking through the offside shoulder and was lodged under the skin. Fabulous performance so far from the Peregrine bullets, retained 87% of its weight.

The weather had lessened and the animals seemed to be moving, giraffe are abundant and there are some good Blue Wildebeest running around.

Michelle had taken a grand old bull in South Africa last year and didn’t want me to shoot a bigger one so this one didn’t even get a solid look from me. I will need to work on her.

We return to camp for some lunch and a bit of relaxation before heading out again in the late afternoon. Wayne takes us to a natural waterhole looking for fresh sign but it didn’t appear that much was coming into this spot. We saddle up and head into the bush looking for buff or eland. It was a grand day hiking through the bush and scaling the granite outcroppings. A great hike and some wonderful views to be had but the intended game didn’t cooperate, such is hunting!

Rough and beautiful country to hunt.

We finally reached a road and Sam brought the truck to meet us as we headed towards a grand viewing point for a beautiful sunset, breathtaking.

 

[Edge]

Thanks for the night hunting report! I regret that I did not think about scouting at night on my safari to South Africa last year.

The night hunting was good fun, I will do it again in future trips!

 

[jacques smith]

My feet hurt just reading this report. Hmmm maybe I’m a whimp. Charge on

 

[cpr0312]

Wow day 1 Hyena!!! Congrats!

 

[cpr0312]

Nice Klippy, congrats!!

 

[harden]

Great Klippy they usually get blown up easily ! Pretty skin. Let me know your ideas on the bushbuck thing ! Congrats !!

 

[buck wild]

I had that klipie longer on my "on the hoof "measurement. Great find. I just returned and killed my first also.

 

[AfricanEclipse]

Jeff and Dana: Day 2, morning.

Is that the alarm arleady? Morning came all too soon! The activities of day 1 and the excitement of seeing the beginnings of what the African bush had to offer took their toll. Soon the eggs, breakfast meats, and COFFEE got our bodies running again. Before we knew it it was time to load up into the truck and make our way out into the bush.

The rain. I almost forgot about the rain! As Ed mentioned, the rain was a bit of an issue making for a chilly and sometimes wet first couple days. Fortunately, Dana and myself had purchased new footwear specifically for this trip. I chose Red Wing, Irish Setter Hunt model hikers which have very light insulation and are waterproof. Dana's shoe/boot choice were made by Keen. Her choices were VERY limited but she never complained about her feet and they too stayed dry. There just isn't much readily available for a gal to choose from . After piling into the truck we began making our way towards the hunting areas in search of more game.

We had been driving along when I realized I hadn't fully loaded my 300WM! I asked Mike if he minded me puting another round in my weapon while we were moving. He slowed a bit and leaving my thin gloves on, I unzipped the cheekrest pouch on the buttstock where my fingers felt a cartridge. (My eyes were busy scanning the bush and open areas for game.) With little effort the bolt came back and the round dropped in. The bolt pushed forward and closed. Safety ON. We drove and hiked a wide variety of areas in search of... THERE THEY ARE! A Kudu bull and a female about 60 yards ahead. I had trouble seeing the bull but the trained eyes of my PH zeroed right in on him. The sticks went up and my rifle cradled in at the top. I still couldn't see his horns and had a small gap in the bushes for a shoulder area shot. Mike said to take the shot if I had it. Safety OFF. I whispered to Mike that I still couldn't see the horns. Shoot him! Was the response. I exhaled and pulled the trigger... At that moment every animal in the woods in a 150 yard radius heard the unmistakable sound of the hammer hitting the firing pin: CLICK! Oh no!! The kudu knew the gig was up and moved away disappearing like the gray ghosts of their namesake before I could drop the crosshairs on him again. My gloved fingers inadvertently grabbed the empty from the Zebra shot the day before and couldn't feel the empty round. Two lessons learned: Never carry spent cartriges! Do what your PH tells you to! This haunted me for the next few days. We hiked and drove a bit more before lunch seeing some female waterbuck and kudu. Nothing to shoot.

We headed back for lunch. As seen below, the skies were still cloudy with moisture and the air a bit chilly.

Not long after we loaded up in the truck and were on our way we happened upon a troop of baboons. Mike knew that the Kudu incident weighed heavily on me so we decided to remove a pest. Having never met before we were still getting used to each other establishing trust and recognizing our respective speech patterns. The baboons crossed the road and made their way up a large group of rocks some 300 ft high. We focussed on a good sized male on top of a rock and I settled in for a shot after making sure we were talking about the same baboon. I sqeezed and the 300 belowed its roar. A miss. Huh?? I must have twitched or pulled the shot... Hmmm...

We resumed the search for another Kudu and other game.

We checked the hyena bait but not a single bit was touched save for the swarm of flies happily laying eggs. Curious. Curious indeed. The hyena had been hunted here before and maybe are still shying away from the area.

There was a mud hole Mike wnted to check out thinking we might see some warthogs or other game near it. Vultures were resting and sunning themselves in a tree nearby. Having a bit of fun, an offer of 100$ was made to Dana to dive into the mud hole. She said with a disgusted look on her face that there needed to be a couple more zeros on that number for her to even consider it! We all laughed and the disappointment of the Kudu and the baboon began to lift. I have to admit the mud hole WAS pretty disgusting. (I would have done it for 200$! Ha!)

We continued on occasionally seeing game, birds, and more of the beautiful African bush.



Jeff and Dana: Day 2, evening.

It took Dana and me 3 nights ,4 days, and 5 flights to get here because of bookings and living location changes. The jet lag left us a bit out of sorts at times. Not having much time to take notes for each days events leaves us in a bit of a struggle at times when trying to accurately describe each day. That being said, I apologize for the lack of information at times.

The one thing I will say over and over is how beautiful and stunning this area of Zimbabwe is!

We started the long journey back to camp as the sunlight began to fade and we were on the outskirts of the property. It was becoming common to see animals on the road in the evening and this evening was no different. Look! A Jackal! A Jackal was standing alongside the road as if it was wondering what kind of giant white baboon this could be with large glowing eyes and a deep puttering pur? See photo below for reference.

Want to shoot him? Mike asked. You bet! By this time the Jackal had moved behind a bush some 40 yards away and I thought I had seen him. As it turned out he went behind another bush when my eyes were diverted to safely bring my weapon to bear on him. So everyone but me was looking at the correct bush! It's funny now but it sure wasn't at the time. I couldn't shoot because I couldn't see the target. Seconds turned into painfully long moments before he stepped out from behind the bush. (He had been moving between the two bushes on the left side of my field of view and I was staring to the right.) There you are! A strait on shot to the chest is all I had as he stood there befuddled by this great white baboon. The 300 once again bellowed out its roar and the Jackal slumped to the ground.

The curse of the gray ghost had been lifted and Africa provided a prize.

 

[harden]

BIG HYENA !!

 

[Edge]

BIG HYENA !!

I was shocked at how heavy the head was to hold up, then I saw the skull a few days later and it made sense.

 

[harden]

THEY GET BIG and thats a BIG ONE !

 

[Shootist43]

You guys have a nice hunt going for you. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the report and seeing what else Africa had to offer.

 

[AfricanEclipse]

You guys have a nice hunt going for you. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the report and seeing what else Africa had to offer.

Thank you! Free range hunting has great rewards but at a risk...
Stay tuned - there is MUCH more to come!

 

[BRICKBURN]

 

[Edge]

Friday 20 July, Day 3 of Safari:

Alarm goes off, we quickly ready ourselves and our kit and head out the door to breakfast and come across this little gem! He/She was also looking for breakfast.

A quick breakfast and both parties head off in search of whatever Africa will provide! We head towards the river looking for signs of buffalo coming to water. We had placed a camera the evening before in a location where it appeared buffalo were watering. This morning we find fresh buffalo pies in the road and it was quickly decided we should follow these up. I grab the Mod 70 375 H&H and have a quick discussion with Wayne. You smoke’em and I’ll immediately follow-up, got it! We head into the thick thorns and there are old and new buffalo tracks intertwined as it appeared the buffalo were enjoying the seed pods on the ground and had crossed back and forth through the area the past few days.

Wayne and the trackers quickly identified one of the bulls as he has a distinctive hoof print. This was the same bull a client had wounded last year but they are tough buggers and he was still alive. Wayne believed he would go 43” and the other bull was also mature but smaller. The trackers did their job sorting out the meandering tracks but after 45 minutes or so they lost the track once the bulls entered an area of deep grass. My first taste of buffalo tracking in the thick thorn kept my head on a swivel!

We get a call from Mike, Jeff and crew, they have a small herd of buffalo below them at lookout point which is just a valley over from us. We hightail it over there to have a look and quickly spot the dark shapes of buffalo feeding a couple of hundred yards below.

Wayne explains this is a small herd he has seen before with 6 or 7 cows and calves with a soft horned bull as well as a better bull, but Wayne thought he needed another year or two. I had discussed with Wayne on the drive down from Bulawayo that I wanted a proper mature hard bossed bull and would be ok with one that even had a broken horn or both! The buffalo were mixed with a herd of giraffe making it about impossible to stalk into even if there was a proper bull in the mix. We decided to head back to where we lost track of the bulls earlier and see if we could sort out the track.

Wayne and I climbed one of the granite outcroppings to try and get some elevation to look down into the vast thorn thicket while the trackers sorted out the tracks from earlier.

Michelle kept herself busy taking pictures of an inchworm that had hitched a ride.

We lost sight of the trackers and decided to circle the outside of the thorn thicket to see if we could find any signs of the bulls. The thicket was tough going, outside the thicket was just as bad with deep grass hiding holes and all kinds of clingy thorn bushes. We got into a particularly thick area and kicked out a large animal, both Wayne and I had our weapons to our shoulders as you couldn’t see 15 yards in front of us, just a large warthog that barely gave us a glimpse. The look on Michelle’s face was priceless knowing it could have been a buffalo at close range.

We ended up finding a poacher’s camp nestled between the large rocks which would shield a campfire from the active armed patrols. You can see the old ashes to the left of our feet.

We hauled ourselves out to the road and found the trackers, they had traced the tracks and the buff had crossed the boundary road into the neighboring property. This was the first time the buffalo had been hunted this year but they didn’t expose themselves, only crossing into our hunting block at night to drink from the river.

Back at camp, Michelle took some photos of wildlife not on our list!

After a good lunch and some time to relax we headed out into the bush once again looking for eland or buff as our primary quarry. Wayne decided we needed to do a little climbing this afternoon as we hadn’t gotten enough exercise in the morning, stopping on the road beside a gigantic seemingly one-piece boulder many stories high. We ended up scaling the huge granite rock that seemed smooth but had enough creases and edges that allowed us to scale the monster. Cowboy and Sunday were patient showing Michelle easier ways to ascend the rock than run straight up the face as Wayne and I did. We get to the top and let our heart rate come back down after the climb and Wayne points out natural chalk that was sitting there in easy to use sizes courtesy of the local hyenas. We couldn’t help it and left some graffiti at the top of the hill to be washed away by the next heavy rain.

We looked out over the vast landscape and Wayne and Sunday discussed the best route to the river and the road beyond. Head to the next gigantic rock (see picture) where we would run into the river and we would walk it to the road to be picked up by Sam who had stayed with the truck.

It took us some time to navigate down the opposite hillside and we found what was left of a hyrax, leopards were in the area and it was THICK! There was plenty of old elephant sign but couldn’t locate any fresh eland or buffalo tracks but did come across a sausage tree.

We pressed on as the shadows were growing long in the winter sun, where is that river? We picked up our pace and finally reached the next gigantic rock and the river’s edge.

We needed to keep moving before we lost what was left of the remaining light and headed downstream, hopping from water smoothed boulder to water smoothed boulder while we zig zagged across the river looking for the easiest route. This was tedious and would be painful with a slip of the boot on the smooth rock face or a rock rolling or moving underfoot. There were also some beautiful natural rock carvings from water erosion.

Can you see the Sphinx in this rock?

We are soon out of light, goodnight sun.

It’s well past sunset and Wayne is using his iPhone flashlight feature to navigate and Michelle pulls out her headlamp, we are all tired of clamoring up and over the rocks. We come to a large smooth rock and take a breather, drink some water and look up at the stars and Wayne points out the Southern Cross to us. Wayne calls Sam on the radio and asks him to blow the hooter (horn for us Americans), Michelle and I can faintly hear it. Wayne hadn’t heard it and asks me how far do I think it is. Probably over a kilometer away is my guess. A kilometer of clambering over more rocks and boulders most likely.

After a 20 minute rest we start off again and after a bit Sunday recognizes something familiar in the dark and we climb out of the river bottom to what looked like an old overgrown road. Wayne also recognizes the area as he has hung leopard baits here in the past. He indicates it won’t be much longer before we reach the road. We are spent and looking forward to a cocktail and some dinner! The iPhone indicates we have traveled 8.5 miles today, the majority of it on the afternoon/evening hike. My wife is a trooper, never complaining although she was worried about the leopards! We slept well that night.