ZIMBABWE: Dalton & York Safaris - No Bull, Double Bull

[buck wild]

I had just joked with Zvito, the lead tracker, that I’d make him famous if he fell in the river, as I videoed him carefully stepping across the hurriedly constructed rock step bridge. Shortly thereafter, I am pulling myself out of the water, up the bank with afore mentioned video camera soaking wet in my pocket.

Alas, I should start at the beginning of the story perhaps. Shortly after wrapping up my fourth South African safari in 2018, I had decided it was finally time. Time to get wild- go big, a real adventure and move on to hunting dangerous game. During my four previous safaris I had clicked off most of the plains game available, at least those reasonably priced. I had intentionally been holding off on hunting cape buffalo. I wanted it to be special, to be memorable, to be “proper” as they say. I’d been watching quietly, observing/studying other buffalo hunts being recapped. Taking notes, making inquiries, doing the research. This degree of research agonizes me every time. Others will tell you how enjoying they find it. Adds to the hunt they say blah blah. Nothing of the sort for me. It drives me nuts! You may have guessed by now I tend to over analysis. I need to mull over decisions, especially as big as these. What about this, what about that. This might literally be my one shot at this. The spread sheet gets started, dusted off past mental notes of things I’d been storing and a cattle call of sorts on both AH and FB for “wanted-a wild 2021 buffalo hunt”. Now the gates were open. Too much info was now flooding in. I began adding adjectives to interactions with my suitors. No fenced properties no matter how big, no stocking of game/ear tags, and most importantly no walking around for 2 hrs to only end up by the feed/water station where the hay had been put out one hour earlier. Not surprisingly the list narrowed quickly. Of course, we all know what Covid had done to 2020. Lots of those hunts were being kicked in 2021 or just flat being canceled. I along, with others thought this might be a hunter’s market in a sense, but “deals” were few and far between. Just more info to compound my process.

It's now February 2021 and I need to make THE decision. I had hoped to chat with more folks at the 2021 DSC. Cancelled! The list is down to 5 with 2 or 3 main contenders. Out of nowhere, one of the outfitters I had been communicating with mentions that if I’m serious about what I’ve stated I want AND want to stay in Zim vs his outfit in Zambia, then HE would personally have gone with …….. York Mare’ of the newly formed safari company Dalton and York Safaris. Interesting. In all my research this outfit has never surfaced. Interesting, that another outfit would recommend someone other than themselves. Interesting, interesting. I do have to say that multiple outfits were very helpful and several even vouched for other names I had thrown out there in our conversations, but this was the first unsolicited recommendation. I make Whatapp contact. I get an immediate response. A little cursory back and forth info. It gets added to the spreadsheet. I’m not much into fate. I’m too analytical for that but I’m flipping through Youtube when an episode of This is Africa pops up. It’s a new release from the 2020 season. Wouldn’t you know it- Dalton and York Safaris featuring York as PH. I yelled at my wife to come down and see this. Certainly, this is a sign, right? Episode looks good-lots of very up-close buffalo hunting with gorgeous scenery. Looks like a fabulous, wild setting. An internet search of the outfit nets every little. I do remember an AH member that hunted the area previously under a different outfit. I reach out and his initial report isn’t too comforting. He’s not sure he’d go back and didn’t see much game back then although he was successful in getting his lion (see the movie Trophy ) So I ponder, ponder more, go back to the spread sheet. UURGG I hate this stuff! The next day I have an AH message in my in-box. It’s an update from the member. Good news, he talked to Dalton who had guided him those years earlier and things are looking brighter in the area. So much so, he has now booked dates for 2022 and 2023 in just the 24 hrs since I contacted him. Things are popping off. Second episode of This is Africa with Dalton and York drops on Youtube. Again, it looks intriguing. It’s time. I finally drop the hammer and make the deal. We’ll hunt buff, Chobe bushbuck, spotted hyena and big kudu/big waterbuck if we see one.

Shortly after finalizing, I learn other AH members are also booking hunts simultaneously to me. I cross paths with Rhinehart0050 and find out he will be there several weeks before my trip. Of course, he just finished up his epic hunting report, which I highly recommend you go read if you haven’t already. That’s a hard act to follow and my trip was not nearly as exciting as his, but I’ll do my best. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel so I will cite my source and borrow from his report for a few intro comments about the area.

https://www.africahunting.com/threa...-dalton-york-safaris.64187/page-4#post-804183

“We hunted in Omay North, part of the Omay CAMPFIRE area. The Omay consists of 2 million acres of wild country, directly adjacent to the Matusadona National Park, along the banks of Lake Kariba. It is bordered by the Ume River to the east and Sengwa River to the west. This is wild country, ranging from mountains to flood plains, and from thick jesse to the fields of local villages. The area is rich with big game- Lake Kariba and the Ume River are home to giant crocodile and hippo; while even a stalk on plains game must be approached with caution as elephant, buffalo, and lion are plentiful in the bush. And leopard. There are leopard everywhere!” Rhinehart0050 July 18,2021

 

[buck wild]

Let me get a few of the perfunctory report items out of the way:

Food- Amazing !! The stuff that Chef Stan was able to prepare on a very basic kitchen set up was nothing short of a miracle. We had meticulously prepared game. Even my cape buffalo (spoiler alert), which most describe as chewy, was tender and quite delicious. He also did buffalo liver and onions as an appetizer one night. Additionally, we had bushbuck, impala and guinea fowl stew. On a few evenings we had chicken and one night very nice T-bone steaks. The presentation was stunning and the desserts, oh the Malva pudding and peach tart, were outstanding.

I must make a special note about breakfast. Since we were often leaving before daylight, we packed breakfast to go. The chef would use a round sandwich press to toast two pieces of bread with an over easy egg and bacon inside. He’d trim the edges leaving a toasted, round, yummy, dripping morsel of goodness !! They were called Jaffels (spelling?). I somehow missed getting a picture of this wonderful breakfast delight.

Accommodations- Again outstanding especially given the remoteness of the area. My wife was very apprehensive but was won over in the end. The north camp has several thatched roof chalets with an open-air concept. I was concerned about it being too chilly at night, but it was perfect. There is running water, plenty of hot water in the evenings and solar power through the camp. The mattress was high quality and, in this day, and age, even satellite Wi-Fi is available at camp.

Staff- Again top of the line. Lead tracker Zvito was nothing short of magical. His tracking and game spotting was stuff of legend. Our driver and co-tracker Sunny Boy was always smiling and he made sure my wife was “protected” as she lounged by the truck as we went on stalks in the bush. Wildlife ranger Tinashe was a seamless part of the team and never sat back while others worked. All the camp staff were attentive and happy to help. They truly seemed appreciative of our presence. Marious, the skinner, did an outstanding job with my skins and skulls. They all looked good upon my departure.

The game plan. Cape buffalo hunt-yes, old school, proper like, track, stalk, and I’d prefer to shoot at the end of at least one of them. But other things were up for discussion and a plan also. I didn’t want to leave without giving a chobe bushbuck and spotted hyena a ticket to the States either. I’m a bit of a spiral horn freak and the coloration of a chobe really lit my fire. The reasonable fee for kudu also put a mature bull in jeopardy and although I do have a nice representative waterbuck from previous adventures, I was told there were lots of waterbuck also and if a giant happened to cross paths with us, we would take advantage.

Star of the show one morning as they mock charged us a couple times

 

[buck wild]

Stunning sunset on our Arrival!

The Honeymoon Suite awaited us.

My wife was REALLY afraid of the accommodations before we arrived. She spent 30 minutes on the phone with York asking questions. She was overly concerned with animals getting into the room since it didn't have glass in the windows or a front wall for that matter . The room opened up onto a small patio with it open to the Ume River Delta. The camp crew actually installed small screen gate up the walkway to our chalet just before we arrived so calm her concerns. I could never get the nerve to tell her a leopard would have had no problem getting to her anyway had it been so inclined.

 

[buck wild]

Just a few food pics to get that out of the way also. Again, it was AMAZING what Chef Stan was able to pull off with a bush kitchen.

 

[buck wild]

One morning my wife stayed in bed as we hunted close to camp. She thought the mosquito netting would save her from anything .

Sunrise over the Ume River Delta

 

[PARA45]

Keep it coming, don't stop now. Yay, another safari report

 

[buck wild]

Shall I do a Emirates/travel section report now, or wait to the end?

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Now get it out of the way and then back to Maverick

 

[375Fox]

Shall I do a Emirates/travel section report now, or wait to the end?

Wait until the end, break the current report trend and go straight to the hunting. Really looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

 

[Shootist43]

Buck Wild, you are doing just fine, write up your hunt any way you want to. You've teased us enough to peak our interests!!

 

[buck wild]

Shall We Hunt Buffalo Please?

All part of hunting wild, open range here is that it is also shared with the local villagers. I must say although I was aware that people inhabited the area, I was not prepared for the amount of people that randomly appear on foot during various phases of our hunt carrying water or other necessities, mostly on their heads. The local people are truly amazing. It was worth the price of admission to be engulfed in such a cultural experience. They survive because of their own hard work. The basics of shelter and food consume the majority of their energy each day. Life is not complicated by first world “problems”. Raiding elephant, buffalo, leopard, and lion are their biggest concerns. The concession is doted with areas of small grass/mud huts, crude stick bomas protected valuable vegetable gardens and one-to-five-acre corn fields cultivated by hand and the sweat of one’s brow. This year’s corn had already been harvested by our arrival, but elephant and buffalo continued to forage in the local fields and harass the local children. I’ll try to circle back to village life later in the report. Let’s move on to some hunting shall we.

Local village hut with outdoor cooking area

I had travelled halfway around the world to hunt cape buffalo. It was time to do so. As mentioned, Rhinehart0050 had recently been hunting as had the party he noted in his report that had managed to kill two very large 44” bulls. This group had also pursued a village dagga boy but he appeared to possess a certain voodoo making him immune to lead. York suggested with start our first morning hunt in pursuit of this magic bull. The area was a 2-hour drive thus a very early rise the first morning which was a moot point as I was awaken at 1 am by two hippos fighting outside our chalet and sleep escaped me the rest of the night. A rendezvous at the hunting vehicle resulted in a roll call of Hunter-check, PH York, lead tracker Zvito (more on him later), driver/tracker Sunny Boy, game ranger Tinashe and apprentice PH Heath. We had all met yesterday during various stages on the trip into camp and this would be our entourage for the remainder of the trip.

The bull from the hill taken during the previous trip.

 

[buck wild]

Perhaps this is a good time to discuss weapons. I do not own a double, for that matter anything stronger than a .300 mag. I have several friends that were eager for me to borrow their .375’s and one even more eager for me to purchase his . I really hate travelling with guns in this era. We also have a built-in two-day layover in Dubai for additional sightseeing. I opt to use the “ranch guns”. Turns out to be a very nice .416 Rigby with a bull barrel, heavy stock with mercury tube. A surprisingly crisp trigger I’d guess around 3 pounds of break. Shoots great but I’ve carried lighter bowling bowls around. It is topped with a 1.5x5 scope. Norma 450 gr Woodleigh soft nose gets added to the ammo belt. For other matters, a Brno .30-06 with 3-9x variable. Trigger has a little slack but once firm, she breaks nicely.

About 6 weeks out from my trip, an AH member had a very nice leather ammo belt listed for sale. Turned out we only lived 1 mile apart. I met up with Manny and we struck a deal. I figured camp might not have an American sized waist fitting. I better bring my own. Teaser- there had been 3 additional rounds in the belt right before these pictures were snapped.

 

[Randy F]

Ready to ride...let's go!

 

[buck wild]

And back to the hunt. Last night’s briefing for the hunt was accurate, a two hour drive it was indeed. Across multiple dry river crossings, two track dirt/rock roads, through a few villages and as daylight crescents the sky, it revealed a mother and several small children picking fruit from local trees for breakfast. Through one of the last villages, a local man chased down the vehicle and hopped on with merely a nod in acknowledgement from our party. We drove through an overgrown field, through places no previous road existed and ended parked under a large tree. The hunting parking disembarked and before I knew it, they were off with the local man leading the way. York, myself, and my wife stayed behind. York explained we were in area the buffalo bull frequented and the local was there to show the trackers where it had last been seen. The bull would come into the fields at night and retreat up the hillside of a small koppe in the early morning. This was where I began to experience my first of many cultural enlightenments. Seemingly people began showing up from virtually nowhere. A few were interested in us being parked beneath the tree, but most were just walking through conducting the business of the day. Ladies were walking to bore holes to retrieve water, men headed to the fields with homemade axes in tow and children just milling around as schools were closed due to Covid. Two young boys began throwing rocks in a tree approximately 200 yards from our location. I asked York why, and he noted they were knocking down the fruit to eat. One boy finally walked over to us but never said a word. He just stood there for minutes inquisitive into our doings. My wife produced a couple peanut butter crackers from her bag. He nodded in appreciation and slowly walked off to conduct his remaining business of the day I suppose. I noticed a duiker weaving between several patches of the remaining bush that had not been turned under for more maize fields. He seemed content to also pick his way through his breakfast offerings also. I felt odd, very odd. We were hunting yes? Yet people were everywhere. It was a concept I never fully adjusted to during the trip.

The trackers returned of news that the most recent sign was two days ago. The magic bull continued in his elusive ways. We left instructions with the locals to notify us if he returned. Another crazy twist for me, in the middle of BFE, everyone had a cell phone . To end this chapter, we never returned to this area, but I hear York is still in search of him as new hunters arrive.

York mentioned another problem bull in a village back toward camp and off we went but not before stopping at a particular tree. One with the reputation of bearing the sweetest fruit in the area. Everyone disembarked the truck and began filling their pockets with the tiny, apple like fruit. I tried one and agreed they were tasty.

Shake the Tree !!

 

[buck wild]

Does anyone know what fruit this may have been?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Does anyone know what fruit this may have been?

Marula by chance?

From Marula to Amarula - Demand Africa

The Amarula liqueur is indeed a delicate sweet treat that has been likened to Irish cream, and it comes fromt the versatile Marula tree!

www.demandafrica.com

 

[buck wild]

I envisioned us as the Lake Karibe Omay caped crusaders, here to save the day for the villagers. In reality we fell way below hero status, but it was evident the villagers did appreciate our efforts. Upon arrival at the next stop, contact was made with the “lady of the household”. A brief exchange in Shona with our crew and she shouted across the valley to another hut. They in turn shouted to another and so on until I could hear the call across the entire valley. The “bush telegraph” I was informed and on que a man came walking up from the fields somewhere below. He had seen the second troublesome bull this morning and knew exactly where he was bedded. A plan ensued, as it always does. The local walked us right into a patch of bush and grass that was 6’ tall. Things got dicey, really quick. After 5 minutes of tense walking at a snail’s pace, York came to attention. A dark shadow under a tree right where the local said it would be. Before I could even get my feet settled under me, two bulls burst from their beds. To be honest, I never saw more than the black shadow but both York and Zvito said the better of the two still looked a little young. There was never a chance to make the decision anyway.

We spent the remainder of the day driving through other likely areas, with a few places of interest that contained fresh sign we would revisit at another time.

I skipped an interesting part of my story earlier. Due to an unforeseen factor or two, we had to drive into camp from Harare. A 9 hour drive that wasn’t too bad for the first 6 hours . As we were within 20 minutes of camp, we ran into a small herd of buffalo standing beside the road. We were able to actually stop and look them over, but the herd was split on both sides with limited visibility. At least one good bull was partially visible. York looked my way and commented, “I promise we don’t feed them hay” and “this will likely not happen again during our trip”. It actually did the last evening with 15 minutes of light but neither sighting was during our hunting window so he wasn’t lying .

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to cut fresh tracks. A couple times Zvito, Sunny Boy and Tinashe would get off the truck, look up and down, make a little small talk in Shona then advise “last night” or “yesterday”. Despite my lack of understanding Shona, the term “dagga boy” during their conversation always perked my ears.

 

[buck wild]

The morning of hunting day two had a chill in the air. I bundled up more than anticipated for the ride out to the hunting grounds. 30 minutes into the drive, and before making our intended location, we cut fresh tracks. Zvito comments, 5 dagga boys. We’ll try this group. We gear up and off into the Zim bush for my first real excursion. I’m shoulder carrying the bowling ball .416 and trying all my best to at least look like I belong. We traverse up and down, through dry washes, tangles of bush and head high grass. Once we lost the track in a spongy type of moss grass. Zvito sorts it out shortly and we are off again. After several hours, we emerge from the bush onto a flood plain of the river. Open but very sandy. Walking doesn’t get any easier. There’s a large herd of impala with one very good ram for the area. They sidestep it back into the bush as we progress forward. We sneak right on top of two hippo sleeping in a nook of the river. We are literally standing right above them with only an 8’ cliff to separate us. Spear might have been a better choice of weapon at the time although I could have hurled this bowling down on them also and been effective at this range I suppose.

This bull's tusk were about to bust through his top lip. He also had a BAD attitude!

 

[buck wild]

The track continues. The bulls have never once stopped, never bedded, never to graze upon the thick grass. Only moving forward as if they intend to be somewhere. Somewhere other than here. We stop as we enter the very thick jess again. York suggests we stop this pursuit. I nod in silent agreement. What I really wanted to say was, “Shit yeah man, I’m dead tired”. I had trained best I could before my arrival. You just can’t account for the terrain, the grass grabbing at your boots each step or the small rocks that buckle your ankles. We call for Sunny Boy to meet us as at the closest pick-up location. As we turn back, Zvito motions to take the gun. I begrudgingly agree . An Iphone app tracker estimates we put in 10K on these tracks. Not even a glimpse of the bulls for our effort.

We check out a few flood plains after lunch. We see impala, baboons, bushbuck ewes and smaller rams, and waterbuck, lots of waterbuck. Nothing in the herds appeal to us for the time being.

 

[Medicine]

Keep. It. Coming.