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Omay Safari 2024
I had been planning for some time to take my youngest son, Jasper, on a buffalo hunt. He had hunted Namibia and South Africa with me and was ready for the next level of adventure. This would be a graduation present and just after his 18th birthday. We were set to hunt the Omay North with Dalton & York Safaris. It would be my fourth trip to this wonderful place. We would have Davin (deewayne2003) on his first safari, Todd (Kudu52), and Dan (abnhog) along for this adventure.
Not everything goes exactly to plan on these trips. I was hoping to hunt with York but he informed me far in advance he had to be on another hunt. I got to eat my words I had spoken about Zimbabwean PH’s. I have always said these guys are all so good that I could arrive in camp and literally roll the dice on who I was hunting with and be very happy. Jasper and I were paired with Johnny Russell and you know the rest of that story. Yes, we matched up well together and became fast friends. What an unexpected pleasure from an unforeseen circumstance!
Everyone in our group traveled well and arrived in camp on time on our charter plane. It is a little over an hour from Harare International Airport (HRE) to the Croc Farm (Kiplings) airstrip in the Omay North. Johnny and PH Bruce Cronje were there at the airstrip to meet us along with Vaughan Vosloo who would be filing us for his YouTube channel Untamed. Vaughan and I had met on my Tanzania safari two years ago and he is always fun to be around. He has upgraded his camera equipment and will be producing the absolute best film quality hunting videos anywhere.
Day one came and at first light PH Pierre Hundermark and Todd put a buffalo immediately in the salt!
We found a group of 5 dagga boys mid-morning but they headed for the hills. What a sight to bust these big mature bulls in our first morning! We walked slowly back to the truck feeling like we might bump some of them since they went in all directions. Just up a little rise one bull was standing broadside. What a gift day one! Johnny gets Jasper on the sticks and explains where to shoot since the bull was partly obscured by trees, brush, and tall grass. The shot went off and the buffalo reacted just as we hoped by pulling one leg up and turning to try to run. No chance for a second shot in this thick Mopane woodland. We waited a while and then took the track. A little blood was found then more and then even some tissue of some kind was found. A long story and days of tracking ensued. The blood dried up after a day but the bull made a twisted track since he was injured. This gave us the chance to follow tracks long after the sign of blood was long gone. Day after day from Mopane woodland to the grassy lake shore of Lake Kariba to the terribly thick Jesse this area is known for. We were doing a grueling 6-10 miles a day and some of the shorter distances were due to the near impenetrable jesse. It is truly terrible to try to walk through. Something is always poking you or tripping you like it’s trying to say “this place is not open for visitors”! We were tracking two bulls which made a quick shot opportunity a no go because we had to know our target. A younger bull was keeping our old boy going and acting as the sentinel ready to run at any noise or wind from us. On day 6 we were on the track and I diverted just right of our group on a parallel trail and as I came up a small embankment there the two bulls were! Unfortunately no one else could see them because I had a better angle where there were fewer trees. I could have taken both of them but I could not determine which one our bull was. Off they ran and we were back on the tracks. We had another sighting of the younger bull standing at about 200 yards but as always the injured bull would be laying down.
All this time Jasper took everything in stride and was having a blast! Johnny, Vaughan, and the trackers were fun to be around every single day and kept the spirits up.
Day 7 comes and the clock is ticking on one of the longest buffalo tracking hunts anyone has ever heard of. Remember we were tracking one particular bull this whole time. This could not be done without a highly competent team. Sadly the bulls left the Mopane area and headed for the Jesse once again. We tracked very slowly and quietly knowing they had not been traveling terribly far once finished grazing for the night. After a little over 100 yards into the brush someone spotted something black. We froze and got down. Johnny was in front and was kneeling and searching through his binoculars hoping what was seen was indeed a buffalo. He determined it was in fact our bull but he was the only one with a vantage point that a shot could be taken from. No one could move for fear of alerting the two bulls. Since we were all exhausted and it was day 7 we gave him the thumbs up to take the shot. Jasper followed up and the bull was finally down. This bull was over 12 years old and a good one to take. It was nice for me to share not only the buffalo hunt with Jasper but also the meat distribution to the locals which was a treat for him to see. Once Jasper's bull was down I was hoping to go after another one my self but the quota was not available. So on to plains game hunting we went.
Sharpe’s Grysbuck
I have hunted or wished to hunt a grysbuck on each of my four safaris here to the Omay. I had never even had a shot although there are many here. We found a huge midden, which is the dung pile that they make, right in the area where we had seen one several days earlier while tracking buffalo. We were planning to sit there early and late until a big male came by. As we walked out on to the grassy floodplain we saw a grysbuck take off toward the hill. I might mention that the tiny horns these antelope have are very hard to see so identifying males from females can be difficult. I clearly saw a horn and got on the sticks with the .375 loaded with solids. Due to the extremely thick bunches of grass I could not get stable to take a shot. I repositioned as he walked a bit and still nothing working for me to get a shot. What a frustrating experience. I know how to shoot of sticks! About this time the female erupted under Vaughan’s feet and we had a good laugh from his reaction. Johnny said we should go sit in the shade and wait as they usually will return if not terribly disturbed. I was really dejected thinking I had missed my only chance. Johnny knows these animals well and sure enough 20 minutes later here he came. He was returning in our direction to where his favorite bedding spot was. I had to take a shot while he was making his way to the thick grass. Finally I have bagged number 9 of the Tiny Ten!
View attachment 1720894295757.jpeg
Todd (Kudu52) could have taken his hippo bull on land on day one after his daylight buffalo but decided to wait a day. Literally on day 2 they were finished with their key species. Davin was successful on his FIRST African animal, a tuskless elephant cow, on day 2 hunting with Bruce.
Dan (abnhog) took an excellent bull elephant on the second to last day to complete his Big 5. It was an incredible feeling in camp! He and Dalton had put in scores of miles and tracked many bulls. As with all the big animals here the meat distribution to the village is quite a sight to see.
On our last day we were hunting plains game and decided to go for a walk through a riverine area where bushbuck lived. The Chobe bushbuck here are incredible and the quality is going up. Really good 17" bucks are regularly being taken and 19" have been spotted. We found a group of baboons and watched them for a while to see if there was a big male in there. We did locate one but he eluded us for a bit. We were patient and later he came out to join the troupe. Jasper got on the sticks and then the baboon climbed a tree. No shot possible. Just as he got out of the tree and stopped before disappearing into thick brush Jasper’s .375 rang out. As the congratulations were going around we noticed the age of this baboon. He had hardly any teeth left! What an old trophy to take on the last day.
View attachment 1720894364908.jpeg
This was a tough safari yet will be of the most memorable for me. To not only take my son on another safari but to have a 7 day tracking job on a buffalo and see the skill of our team in action for that long was very special.
Dalton & York Safaris are running good camps with excellent PH's and the game management plans they have employed are paying big dividends. The amount of game you now see in the Omay is remarkable. My next hunt with them will be in the Safari area Chewore South. The dream of the next Safari is ever present in my mind!
View attachment 1720894450776.jpeg
Pictured L to R: Pierre Hundermark, Bruce Cronje, Dalton Tink, Jasper, Philip, and Johnny Russell.
It was nice once again to share a camp in a wild area with a nice group of guys!
I had been planning for some time to take my youngest son, Jasper, on a buffalo hunt. He had hunted Namibia and South Africa with me and was ready for the next level of adventure. This would be a graduation present and just after his 18th birthday. We were set to hunt the Omay North with Dalton & York Safaris. It would be my fourth trip to this wonderful place. We would have Davin (deewayne2003) on his first safari, Todd (Kudu52), and Dan (abnhog) along for this adventure.
Not everything goes exactly to plan on these trips. I was hoping to hunt with York but he informed me far in advance he had to be on another hunt. I got to eat my words I had spoken about Zimbabwean PH’s. I have always said these guys are all so good that I could arrive in camp and literally roll the dice on who I was hunting with and be very happy. Jasper and I were paired with Johnny Russell and you know the rest of that story. Yes, we matched up well together and became fast friends. What an unexpected pleasure from an unforeseen circumstance!
Everyone in our group traveled well and arrived in camp on time on our charter plane. It is a little over an hour from Harare International Airport (HRE) to the Croc Farm (Kiplings) airstrip in the Omay North. Johnny and PH Bruce Cronje were there at the airstrip to meet us along with Vaughan Vosloo who would be filing us for his YouTube channel Untamed. Vaughan and I had met on my Tanzania safari two years ago and he is always fun to be around. He has upgraded his camera equipment and will be producing the absolute best film quality hunting videos anywhere.
Day one came and at first light PH Pierre Hundermark and Todd put a buffalo immediately in the salt!
We found a group of 5 dagga boys mid-morning but they headed for the hills. What a sight to bust these big mature bulls in our first morning! We walked slowly back to the truck feeling like we might bump some of them since they went in all directions. Just up a little rise one bull was standing broadside. What a gift day one! Johnny gets Jasper on the sticks and explains where to shoot since the bull was partly obscured by trees, brush, and tall grass. The shot went off and the buffalo reacted just as we hoped by pulling one leg up and turning to try to run. No chance for a second shot in this thick Mopane woodland. We waited a while and then took the track. A little blood was found then more and then even some tissue of some kind was found. A long story and days of tracking ensued. The blood dried up after a day but the bull made a twisted track since he was injured. This gave us the chance to follow tracks long after the sign of blood was long gone. Day after day from Mopane woodland to the grassy lake shore of Lake Kariba to the terribly thick Jesse this area is known for. We were doing a grueling 6-10 miles a day and some of the shorter distances were due to the near impenetrable jesse. It is truly terrible to try to walk through. Something is always poking you or tripping you like it’s trying to say “this place is not open for visitors”! We were tracking two bulls which made a quick shot opportunity a no go because we had to know our target. A younger bull was keeping our old boy going and acting as the sentinel ready to run at any noise or wind from us. On day 6 we were on the track and I diverted just right of our group on a parallel trail and as I came up a small embankment there the two bulls were! Unfortunately no one else could see them because I had a better angle where there were fewer trees. I could have taken both of them but I could not determine which one our bull was. Off they ran and we were back on the tracks. We had another sighting of the younger bull standing at about 200 yards but as always the injured bull would be laying down.
All this time Jasper took everything in stride and was having a blast! Johnny, Vaughan, and the trackers were fun to be around every single day and kept the spirits up.
Day 7 comes and the clock is ticking on one of the longest buffalo tracking hunts anyone has ever heard of. Remember we were tracking one particular bull this whole time. This could not be done without a highly competent team. Sadly the bulls left the Mopane area and headed for the Jesse once again. We tracked very slowly and quietly knowing they had not been traveling terribly far once finished grazing for the night. After a little over 100 yards into the brush someone spotted something black. We froze and got down. Johnny was in front and was kneeling and searching through his binoculars hoping what was seen was indeed a buffalo. He determined it was in fact our bull but he was the only one with a vantage point that a shot could be taken from. No one could move for fear of alerting the two bulls. Since we were all exhausted and it was day 7 we gave him the thumbs up to take the shot. Jasper followed up and the bull was finally down. This bull was over 12 years old and a good one to take. It was nice for me to share not only the buffalo hunt with Jasper but also the meat distribution to the locals which was a treat for him to see. Once Jasper's bull was down I was hoping to go after another one my self but the quota was not available. So on to plains game hunting we went.
Sharpe’s Grysbuck
I have hunted or wished to hunt a grysbuck on each of my four safaris here to the Omay. I had never even had a shot although there are many here. We found a huge midden, which is the dung pile that they make, right in the area where we had seen one several days earlier while tracking buffalo. We were planning to sit there early and late until a big male came by. As we walked out on to the grassy floodplain we saw a grysbuck take off toward the hill. I might mention that the tiny horns these antelope have are very hard to see so identifying males from females can be difficult. I clearly saw a horn and got on the sticks with the .375 loaded with solids. Due to the extremely thick bunches of grass I could not get stable to take a shot. I repositioned as he walked a bit and still nothing working for me to get a shot. What a frustrating experience. I know how to shoot of sticks! About this time the female erupted under Vaughan’s feet and we had a good laugh from his reaction. Johnny said we should go sit in the shade and wait as they usually will return if not terribly disturbed. I was really dejected thinking I had missed my only chance. Johnny knows these animals well and sure enough 20 minutes later here he came. He was returning in our direction to where his favorite bedding spot was. I had to take a shot while he was making his way to the thick grass. Finally I have bagged number 9 of the Tiny Ten!
View attachment 1720894295757.jpeg
Todd (Kudu52) could have taken his hippo bull on land on day one after his daylight buffalo but decided to wait a day. Literally on day 2 they were finished with their key species. Davin was successful on his FIRST African animal, a tuskless elephant cow, on day 2 hunting with Bruce.
Dan (abnhog) took an excellent bull elephant on the second to last day to complete his Big 5. It was an incredible feeling in camp! He and Dalton had put in scores of miles and tracked many bulls. As with all the big animals here the meat distribution to the village is quite a sight to see.
On our last day we were hunting plains game and decided to go for a walk through a riverine area where bushbuck lived. The Chobe bushbuck here are incredible and the quality is going up. Really good 17" bucks are regularly being taken and 19" have been spotted. We found a group of baboons and watched them for a while to see if there was a big male in there. We did locate one but he eluded us for a bit. We were patient and later he came out to join the troupe. Jasper got on the sticks and then the baboon climbed a tree. No shot possible. Just as he got out of the tree and stopped before disappearing into thick brush Jasper’s .375 rang out. As the congratulations were going around we noticed the age of this baboon. He had hardly any teeth left! What an old trophy to take on the last day.
View attachment 1720894364908.jpeg
This was a tough safari yet will be of the most memorable for me. To not only take my son on another safari but to have a 7 day tracking job on a buffalo and see the skill of our team in action for that long was very special.
Dalton & York Safaris are running good camps with excellent PH's and the game management plans they have employed are paying big dividends. The amount of game you now see in the Omay is remarkable. My next hunt with them will be in the Safari area Chewore South. The dream of the next Safari is ever present in my mind!
View attachment 1720894450776.jpeg
Pictured L to R: Pierre Hundermark, Bruce Cronje, Dalton Tink, Jasper, Philip, and Johnny Russell.
It was nice once again to share a camp in a wild area with a nice group of guys!
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