ZIMBABWE: First Hunt In Africa, First Hunting Report, Dalton & York Safaris

[revturbo9967]

Joe is really good too but like a few of the other big shops around the country what he actually does personally is limited. Does Chris still work for him? Last I knew he had 7 or 8 full time taxidermists working for him but that was back around 2010.

Johnny has kinda made a niche for himself specializing in African stuff. He was on the board for DSC NE and SCI for a bit and did a lot of stuff for folks affiliated with both chapters.

I’m not sure who works for him now, but I think he has more than 8 at the moment. I’m somewhat stuck with him LOL, my in-laws are very close with Joe and Lowrey

 

[revturbo9967]

First hunt report is very good! Keep it coming. Congrats on an old scarred up buff and early in the hunt! Nice croc! They are way more fun and challenging than people realize. That's bruiser of a waterbuck! Hey did you eat any of the zebra? It's really good! It is really hot as you said in Zim. I finished up just as October was getting started.

Actually I didn’t get to try zebra. We gave all 4 quarters away including some to the council.

 

[revturbo9967]

Where’s your sense of adventure, get ya swimsuit on

One time they stole the bait of the cable, and were fighting in the water for it, about 30 of them. We joked who needed to jump in and grab the bait

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[Philip Glass]

Wonder what it is about the Omay? I tore my tendon off my left triceps on my first day there with D&Y then you say York has broken his leg? Someone please tell us the story about York's broken leg. @Philip Glass @TOBY458

He jumped off a small cliff to avoid a cobra and landed badly. His leg was broken yet he kept hunting until the end of the season. Then had a not so good African surgery to fix the broken leg. Sadly he now has to have another surgery in the off season. York may be on crutches during the show season. I guess I'll have to serve him drinks!

 

[Philip Glass]

We left camp around 5am, Dalton, Tongi his tracker, Tremol, his driver, Time the game scout and myself. There was a spot where he had a recent client miss a good buff and needed his revenge. We found tracks at first light crossing the road, fresh tracks, this was around 6:10-6:15 am. Once on the track we heard buffalo moving not far from us. We moved around some brush and I see Dalton throw up the sticks (these were African Sporting Creations I brought and practiced on). This was at around 6:30, we may have been hunting for 20 minutes or so and I was already on sticks watching small pack of dagga boys walking past around 40 yards. I was NOT ready for this, it was faster then I could have ever dreamed. I could get a shot nor could Dalton make out the what we were looking at as the sun was right in our eyes.

We kept on these bulls and had them jump and run, but never see or smell us. Once we came to a small road, the wind swirled and Dalton wanted to pull off. Tongi kept puffing his wind tracker and insisted we push on, which we did. We headed up a small hill and Dalton stopped, watched through his binos, then motioned us to get down. He then moved forward and got the sticks up, I moved forward and he pointed out where the buffalo was. I couldn't make him out, until I saw old torn up bosses shining back at me through my scope. The buffalo stepped forward through some brush, then turned. We re adjusted the sticks as he was broadside at this time and POW. The buffalo turned slowly, acting as he was hit and I shot again, then he started to trot away, clearly injured. Once I was out, Dalton fired off 2 rounds while I reloaded, he was still on his feet and in sight. He went down, and we ran up to him, I was instructed to lay one into his shoulder, which I did. It was 9:20 am

And just like that, my Buffalo hunt was over in 3 hours and 10 minutes. What an old fighter, I couldn't have been happier.


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You may see a hole above his right eye, in his boss. Dalton told me he thought one of my solids exited his neck and through the boss cracking it. Days later at the skinning shed, his skinner showed me a bullet lodged in the BACK of his boss, shot from the front. This bullet was not from me as he never faced us when I shot. It wasn't an old wound, and he seemed unfazed. Pretty wild what these animals can handle.

Dalton gets it done! Wow

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I’m not sure who works for him now, but I think he has more than 8 at the moment. I’m somewhat stuck with him LOL, my in-laws are very close with Joe and Lowrey

Then you might get lucky and have him work on your stuff. If i were to do fish while I lived up there, that’s where I’d take them.

I’ve thought about taking some animals from 1 shipment to a few different guys before. Just to see lead time and what they do different. Everyone has little twists.

 

[revturbo9967]

Then you might get lucky and have him work on your stuff. If i were to do fish while I lived up there, that’s where I’d take them.

I’ve thought about taking some animals from 1 shipment to a few different guys before. Just to see lead time and what they do different. Everyone has little twists.

He did work on one or 2 of my bears. He does a lot of the higher end jobs and leaves the deer and shoulder mounts to his staff. He also does a lot of their shows too.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Yah, much like some other big well known shops. When you bring in a Lion or Leopard they’re going to get involved but some of the shoulder mounts on PG goes to the other staff.

 

[revturbo9967]

He has done a few lion, and lots of sharks in the past 10 years . If I was able to catch one(I’ll never go, I can’t stand fishing) I’d have him do a reproduction.

 

[Philip Glass]

We headed back up to the mountains in search of Kudu and Zebra. We spotted both from the top of this one mountain and decided to make a stalk. Slowly we made our way down and spotted a Grysbok. He looked at it good and hard and i can see his wheels turning, but there was a big kudu out there, so we let him go.

We bumped the Kudu a few times, and i even had to run at max speed up a hill to get on the sticks once they were bumped a 3rd time, but no shot, they were running at that point.

This is were the heat started to take me down. I live in the northeast where it doesn't get above 90 for more then 2 days. Its below 60 for 75% of the year, so hunting in above 95-100 degree heat was hard for me. After lunch I needed to take it a little slower. We moved over a few hills and spotted a Zebra about 400 yards off on the ridgeline. We slowly stalked around to the top and looked. That's when the sticks went up and they pointed to a Zebra about 50 yards in front of us. POW.

Dalton asked how the shot felt and i said fine. We moved about 10 yards from the shooting position and there it was, down.

That was a TOUGH day, but well rewarded.

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We skinned and quartered, leaving the body hole. We then hiked a few miles down to the lake where the truck was waiting. There were about 8 people fishing near the parked truck, and we told them were the rest of the zebra. They took off in a sprint up the mountain.

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Never pass up a Grysbuck.

 

[revturbo9967]

Never pass up a Grysbuck.

I would have taken it, my ph passed

 

[Philip Glass]

You had a fabulous and very hard to beat first safari. If anything went wrong it is very hard to tell from here. D&Y know how to get it done and the most fun group of guys to be around!

 

[375Fox]

A really well written report. Even though some aspects of the safari weren’t perfect you were incredibly successful on some great trophies. You learn something with each hunt.

 

[Rare Breed]

He jumped off a small cliff to avoid a cobra and landed badly. His leg was broken yet he kept hunting until the end of the season. Then had a not so good African surgery to fix the broken leg. Sadly he now has to have another surgery in the off season. York may be on crutches during the show season. I guess I'll have to serve him drinks!

Lol! Sounds like me with my arm. My surgeon was angry at me for not getting operated on asap of the fall. The tendon kept receding up my tricep. Instead of a one inch scar I have a seven inch one given I continued my hunt for three weeks

 

[Philip Glass]

Lol! Sounds like me with my arm. My surgeon was angry at me for not getting operated on asap of the fall. The tendon kept receding up my tricep. Instead of a one inch scar I have a seven inch one given I continued my hunt for three weeks

Craig I am so sorry this was so bad. I had no idea you had to have surgery. You toughed it out in the Omay and lived to tell the tale.

 

[Philip Glass]

I would have taken it, my ph passed

Now that I am after one Ill be on my third try next year!

 

[revturbo9967]

We saw klipspringer and duiker as well, which I would have hunted but we were far from camp and I was told we would have to go back with one of those due to the hide having issues in the heat.

 

[TOBY458]

We saw klipspringer and duiker as well, which I would have hunted but we were far from camp and I was told we would have to go back with one of those due to the hide having issues in the heat.

I would imagine the hair would start slipping pretty quickly at 90+ degrees. And I'm sure you didn't want to end your whole day over that. Right?

 

[revturbo9967]

I would imagine the hair would start slipping pretty quickly at 90+ degrees. And I'm sure you didn't want to end your whole day over that. Right?

Most likely it wouldn’t have ended up well, it was over 100 during my hunt