ZIMBABWE: 2024 - My First Trip To Africa, Dalton & York

[deewayne2003]

The following morning all that is left is to pack up and get our invoices from Dalton

With enough time to take a quick pic beside this massive Baobab Tree

Then catch our ride back to Harare

Then just like that my first trip to Africa/Zimbabwe comes to an end and we start the return journey home.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Great story, and what an ending. I met Pierre, pronounced peer. And Johnny on my Chewore hunt.

On my return to D&Y , I think I will request Johnny as my PH. Everyone wants Dalton or York as their pH.

So with that in mind, we had a great hunt with Dalton so may as well let somebody else have their turn. and so I’ll ask for Johnny next time. We can’t all hunt with Dalton or York every Hunt.

 

[abnhog]

All I can say is what an awesome and humbling experience it was for me to hunt and take a Bull elephant. Also, to see all the villagers show up for a couple pounds of meat - truly a very emotional moment for me. I can’t say enough good about Dalton and York and their operation. I also want to thank my roommate, Davin, Todd, Philip and Jasper Glass. For a great trip and the memories.

 

[Sideshow]

Top story. You guys sounded like you had a ball. 9 Days for your Bull elephant. Did you have any idea how many klicks you put in?
@abnhog

 

[abnhog]

Top story. You guys sounded like you had a ball. 9 Days for your Bull elephant. Did you have any idea how many klicks you put in?
@abnhog

I think Dalton said we were over 130 Klicks. I think our longest day was 32 klicks.

 

[Sideshow]

I think Dalton said we were over 130 Klicks. I think our longest day was 32 klicks.

Well they do say you hunt them with your feet.
Do you know how much weight you lost. ps thanks for the reply

 

[Altitude sickness]

Congrats Dan !

 

[Dinsdale]

LOL.... No worries, I had been told Lake Kariba was the largest by volume by so many in Zimbabwe that I believed it.

So I alter my statement to - Lake Kariba is one BIG DAMN LAKE, regardless of world ranking.

Terrific hunt.

Kariba is the largest RESERVOIR in the world by volume as its technically not a lake as it was created by a dam.

 

[abnhog]

Well they do say you hunt them with your feet.
Do you know how much weight you lost. ps thanks for the reply

I think whatever I lost I put back on after we finished the hunt. Dalton and crew feed you very well.

 

[revturbo9967]

Ah…someone has been doing their homework on the Omay North. Yes there is a heavy piece of Jess they call both Jurassic Park and Vietnam. From what I read though I don’t think he got his tuskless in that particular patch of jess but I could be wrong. He would know

It looked like where I took my croc, or close by at least

 

[Rich s]

Excellent write up. Sounds like an epic time. Congratulations to all.

 

[TOBY458]

Is that left bullet in your palm a CEB solid from Scott’s rifle? If so, I gave him that ammo last year. I hope it is, and if so, I’m glad to see it went to good use!

 

[Scott CWO]

The following morning all that is left is to pack up and get our invoices from Dalton

With enough time to take a quick pic beside this massive Baobab Tree
View attachment 619958

Then catch our ride back to Harare
View attachment 619957

Then just like that my first trip to Africa/Zimbabwe comes to an end and we start the return journey home.

It’s always bittersweet when you leave. Keeps you coming back!

 

[spotnspook]

Man, that is a hell of a first trip. Congratulations and thank you for writing your report, enjoyed the read.

 

[deewayne2003]

Is that left bullet in your palm a CEB solid from Scott’s rifle? If so, I gave him that ammo last year. I hope it is, and if so, I’m glad to see it went to good use!

Yes it is!... and that's actually Scott's palm in the picture.

As you well know Scott is working towards his PH license and has to log a certain number of hunts in order to meet the requirements to be examined; so he was spending as much time in the bush as he could while also taking care of his duties as camp manager.

 

[TOBY458]

Yes it is!... and that's actually Scott's palm in the picture.

As you well know Scott is working towards his PH license and has to log a certain number of hunts in order to meet the requirements to be examined; so he was spending as much time in the bush as he could while also taking care of his duties as camp manager.

I’ll tell him he owes me a beer! Scott is a very good guy. I enjoyed having him in camp on my two hunts with D&Y. I left him some ammo last year that I hand loaded myself. As you know, they have a tough time getting ammo over there.

 

[deewayne2003]

I’ll tell him he owes me a beer! Scott is a very good guy. I enjoyed having him in camp on my two hunts with D&Y. I left him some ammo last year that I hand loaded myself. As you know, they have a tough time getting ammo over there.

Yes and you bring up a very good point!

Gentlemen, imagine making your living as a PH and having to pay $200usd for a box of 20 .308win and upwards of $900usd for .458Lott or .416Rigby.

So I would suggest bringing the maximum amount of ammo for your rifles that you can legally haul and leaving the rest with your PH as a sign of good faith/cherry on top of a cash tip.

 

[AZDAVE]

Congratulations on a great hunt! thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us. D&Y our on my short list for s future hunt.

 

[Philip Glass]

Day 7 - To hell with that!

Day 7 starts with sleeping in and feeling much better; Bruce and I have breakfast and discuss the plan for the day, we are going to do a drag for Hyena and set up a blind in an area where we saw lots of tracks the day before while hunting Impala.

Bruce calls out to his head tracker to gather what we need to build a Hyena blind and the tracker replies in Shona "To hell with that!, Hyenas came in last night and ate all of my meat that I laid out to dry and took a shit and left!"

I felt sorry for the man and determined to get vengeance for his lost meat supply.....

Before the Hyena raid
View attachment 619950I'll spare you the image of what was left in trade......

I did learn a couple of valuable lessons that day, the first being how to effectively build a ground blind quickly out of natural materials, the other lesson was of patience and persistence.

Philip, Jasper, Johnny and the tracking/filming crew had been on the track of the buff that Jasper shot 7 days earlier and we arrive at camp to see an extra buff head at the skinning shed and smiles all around as they had completed their mission of tracking down this wounded buff and finishing it.

There was a little bit of tension in camp as the days progressed in their endeavor, other PHs in camp giving them 5% or less chance of success in completing their task; but with the patience of Job himself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_(biblical_figure)

Philip, Jasper & Johnny continued on and triumphed to everyone's elation - it was time for a well deserved rest from this daily routine of up before dawn and returning well after dark with kudos to their whole crew for sticking it out and finishing the job; I know lots of "hunters" that would have thrown in the towel days earlier.

Thanks for the kind words Davin!

 

[Philip Glass]

Great story, and what an ending. I met Pierre, pronounced peer. And Johnny on my Chewore hunt.

On my return to D&Y , I think I will request Johnny as my PH. Everyone wants Dalton or York as their pH.

So with that in mind, we had a great hunt with Dalton so may as well let somebody else have their turn. and so I’ll ask for Johnny next time. We can’t all hunt with Dalton or York every Hunt.

You are so right. The great thing is that all of their PH's are pros and great guys to be around. I have gotten to know so many of them over the years and would happily be paired with any of them!