ZIMBABWE: High Adventure With Mbalabala Safaris In Makuti - Buffalo & Leopard

[thriller]

Day 3

Well due to partying for the leopard we slept in this morning with my father and the choir boy waking up early with the reverend and myself taking it easy for a bit in the morning.

My Father and Lindon got on the Buffalo while we slept and trailed them for 3 miles until they bedded down for the midday heat. They returned to camp to find us back in the fighting spirit at lunch. I elected to go on the stalk with my father that afternoon to see if we could find him a Buffalo.

Well, we thought we parked about 500 meters from where they were bedded and started walking down the river. 150 yards from the truck a duggaboy crosses our path from right to left at about 50 yards. It is clear at first sight it’s a good bull but it takes a few seconds for Lindon to confirm he is fully mature. At this point, my father gets on the sticks and shoots before the bull can exit the riverbed hitting the bull through the shoulder with a 300-grain swift a-frame from his model 70 375H&H breaking his shoulder and into the lungs. We see the bull run into a thick patch of riverine ahead of us and all goes quiet. Then we hear it start to bellow! We ease up to check on the bull after a few minutes and find the bull looking back at us at a distance of 10-15 yards! We do the runner and put some distance between us and the more alive than expected bull and form a plan. At this point, my father shoots him again dropping him and anchors him with 2 more follow-up shots the Buffalo was dead! His major goal on this trip was a nice Buffalo and I can say with confidence he did well!! It was a special experience to share with him to get to be there for his buffalo, I will remember this for the rest of my life!

The hole you can see the buffalo in did not exist before we trimmed it out

 

[thriller]

The elephant in there are pretty scary, we nearly always got chased in the vehicle.

yea those jokers were pretty alert saw a herd put trunks up and smell us at what had to have been 1 mile. We saw a lot of elephants and lion over the course of the safari.

 

[jasyblood]

Congrats to you on your leopard and to your dad on his buff!

 

[thriller]

At this point I was hunting Buffalo/ possibly no trophy bull elephant( if we ran across one that fit the definition for the concession). My father is hunting sable/ plains game. The reverend is hunting plains game. But I am compiling the rest of the story so stay tuned.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Day 3

Well due to partying for the leopard we slept in this morning with my father and the choir boy waking up early with the reverend and myself taking it easy for a bit in the morning.

My Father and Lindon got on the Buffalo while we slept and trailed them for 3 miles until they bedded down for the midday heat. They returned to camp to find us back in the fighting spirit at lunch. I elected to go on the stalk with my father that afternoon to see if we could find him a Buffalo.

Well, we thought we parked about 500 meters from where they were bedded and started walking down the river. 150 yards from the truck a duggaboy crosses our path from right to left at about 50 yards. It is clear at first sight it’s a good bull but it takes a few seconds for Lindon to confirm he is fully mature. At this point, my father gets on the sticks and shoots before the bull can exit the riverbed hitting the bull through the shoulder with a 300-grain swift a-frame from his model 70 375H&H breaking his shoulder and into the lungs. We see the bull run into a thick patch of riverine ahead of us and all goes quiet. Then we hear it start to bellow! We ease up to check on the bull after a few minutes and find the bull looking back at us at a distance of 10-15 yards! We do the runner and put some distance between us and the more alive than expected bull and form a plan. At this point, my father shoots him again dropping him and anchors him with 2 more follow-up shots the Buffalo was dead! His major goal on this trip was a nice Buffalo and I can say with confidence he did well!! It was a special experience to share with him to get to be there for his buffalo, I will remember this for the rest of my life!

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The hole you can see the buffalo in did not exist before we trimmed it out
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That is an excellent buff, well done to your dad.

 

[cpr0312]

Fantastic buff, congrats to your dad!

 

[AZDAVE]

You and your group have had a fantastic start to your safari. I am looking forward to the rest of the adventure.

 

[PARA45]

What a fantastic way to start this safari. Congrats to all for some fine animals taken.

 

[thriller]

Camp and travel

Backing up to take a look at travel and the camp. I can say the travel was easier than expected Qatar airways was incredibly helpful with baggage and managed to check our bag through Harare so we did not even have to leave the airport in Johannesburg. Also, the food was way better than anything I have ever had on delta and the economy class seats are larger. If you are on the fence for travel due to covid I would say get your shot and go for it it was no hassle except getting the covid test which really wasn't that bad. You just need to get it as soon as possible to departure time. Qatar Airways had COVID seating so no passengers in the middle seats. This meant we conveniently had a row to just my father and myself. Finally, my wife bought me a 4 ocean mask frame to use on the plane I was skeptical of it, but it turned out to be great keeping the mask off of my nose and mouth and allowed me to breathe easy throughout the flight.

Upon arriving in camp we found that the accommodations were tents with an attached bathroom, a nice firepit, and an adjacent bar/ dining room area with a spacious nice yard. The camp was very comfortable and I would not hesitate to return. The camp is run off solar power and a Donkey water heater and we had no issues with either throughout the course of the trip. With the number of guys that were in camp, I was impressed by how well everything was working. The food throughout the safari was superb and despite all the walking in the hills around the concession I have some pounds to shed now that we are back in the US

At this point, I would like to add the Reverend's buffalo from day 2. What happened on this hunt was they checked a water hole on the high side of the concession and followed a herd that had just been there for about a mile before they bumped into them in the river bed. After picking through the herd they found a couple of mature bulls after about 15 minutes of working for the herd they shot the Buffalo and it went down into the riverbed. Then they saw a bull come out the other side and the Reverend thought it was the same buffalo and shot it. As it turns out it was a different buff of similar proportions that then dove into the brush on the other side of the river. Approaching the riverbed they find the first bull dead and now have to follow up with the second one. After following the second buffalo up at about 50 yards it stands and charges. At this point, the Reverend fires followed closely by his PH, and the buffalo drops to a brain shot. They have two wonderful bulls! What a way to start your African hunting career! While loading up the truck with the buffalo which is no small feat, a hyena approached and they loaded it into the truck as well. you will see both Buffalo below one has a broken tip (the one that charged, buffalo 2) and the first one they shot.

 

[Ridgewalker]

You are having outstanding success so quickly! Amazing!

 

[thriller]

Day 4-7

On day 4 bad weather moved in on the escarpment with it came clouds, cold weather, and misty mornings. This suppressed the amount of game movement around the concession. While animals were still seen they were not as plentiful as the days before. Hunting is hunting so we get out and start beating the bushes and walking.

Most of this time was spent taking down cameras and baits. As well as checking water holes for Buffalo and glassing for no trophy elephant and whatever we can see. from hilltops. With bad weather setting in this pattern continued with some success in spotting animals but nothing worth chasing seen. (this whole time however we saw about 8 kudu bulls in the 50-55 inch range but since I had shot a 53 inch kudu on a previous safari we did not pursue them.) we continued to relay Buffalo intelligence to the choir boy and his team.

On Day 6 we decide to take a walk of about 6 miles down the Nyakasanga river. This walk shows us that there is plenty of buffalo sign but there is also plenty of lion sign. Moving down the river it seems that there are hardly a few yards that have not been patrolled by the lion in the last 24- 48 hours. As a result, the fresh buffalo sign is hard to come by but we push on. At one bend of the river we slip into the brush on a flat hoping to catch the buffalo out in the open but a lioness had chosen the same overlook and we startled her at about 10-15 yards. She took off up the river with a growl and the shaking of bushes and we were glad to see her leave in peace. After walking past the place my father shot his buffalo we continued on with more lion sign marking the river bed.

After a long day of walking, we saw a herd of elephant but there was just cows with calf’s so we continued on our way leaving them in peace. After a beautiful sunset and a couple of cocktails by the fire, we roasted some buffalo filet in the fire and enjoyed just hanging out with good friends in Africa. On day 7 the reverend showed up with a zebra.

 

[thriller]

Day 8

We see plenty of elephants today but no non-trophy that fit the definition for the concession. However, we do see a bull that went 40-45lbs per side. This was exciting and cool to see at about 150 yards but not in the cards for this trip so after a few minutes we move on. We see an additional 3 herds of elephants and check them out but end up moving on. We head back towards camp for lunch and on the way back we bump into a troop of baboons. I end up shooting a baboon out of a giant red mahogany tree in the gorto gorto canyon, and we hang the baboon as bait for a hyena. After lunch, we continue to check/remove cameras and drop baits cameras since the next leopard hunter in camp canceled.

Moving around the concession after lunch I spot a small herd of buffalo out at 400 meters or so across the valley. We see one bull we want a closer look at so it's game on. We start heading around the valley at about the same time they bed down on the other side of the valley after a 3 hill and 45-minute stalk we are above them and downwind. So we start butt crawling in close. We end up coming over the hill at about 30 yards and start picking through the herd but there is no sign of the bull we saw from the other side of the valley. So we sit tight and literally watch the buffalo sleep for about an hour and a half. Eventually, the wind never changes but the buffalo spook for no known reason we get a glimpse of the bull as he moves from left to right but not enough to be sure if he is a shooter or not. So after they leave we make a move to cut them off, but they have done a 180 and beat it away from us. As soon as we figure this out we head down the river bed to try to catch up before last light. We think we are getting close and slow down and start looking but as it turns out the buffalo ended up on a shelf above us and wind us. The hunt is over for the day and the buffalo are gone, but we will be back at it in the morning.

When we get back to camp we get to hear a wild story from Choir boy. They have been in close contact with buffalo all day and had an opportunity to shoot one but it was a head shot and they thought they would get a better shot but never did on that bull. After that, they continue to follow the herd. After a while, they have the herd of buffalo spook and run from what they believe to be lions directly over their position and they had to hide behind a 5-inch tree. As they tell the story about 50 buffalo run past them with cows and calf passing by at 2-3 yards. As he puts it in sheer panic he attempts to climb the tree he is behind and only manages to climb about 1.5 ft off the ground. They have no idea where the trackers and game scouts are and in all the dust can’t see them. When the dust clears, they look around trying to make sure that no one has been injured or worse. After several minutes, they find the trackers, and the game scout managed to beat feet to a better location to weather the storm. After, taking an assessment and finding that everyone is well his ph turns to him and asks “did you try to climb a tree at one point?’ The situation was very intense and serious but funny in a way that only such things can be when everyone escapes unharmed to fight another day.

 

[Ravensview]

Awesome story thanks for sharing it, the hunting gods were certainly looking down upon you guys, sounds like you had a great trip

 

[thriller]

Awesome story thanks for sharing it, the hunting gods were certainly looking down upon you guys, sounds like you had a great trip

Thanks this was the trip of a lifetime! It will be very hard to top!!!

 

[thriller]

Day 9

This morning we got up early and we head down to the Ruia river to hang another hyena bait and to check the water holes down there for buffalo sign. The first water hole has buffalo sign from two days ago but nothing else. After hanging the hyena bait we keep going down the river to check where the next water is.

We don’t see a lot of signs at the second water hole either but on the way out we find a large old solitary dugga boy track. This track is screaming fresh and you can smell him so it game on we are close. We are so close behind him in fact that the buffalo dung we pass is still steaming in the morning air. He heads up and away from the river onto the side of a mountain where there is a high shelf, and it looks like the bull is going to bed up there for mid-day. We are so close you can almost taste the scent of buffalo in the air. The wind is right and the only issue is the grass. This grass is about 5 to 7 ft tall in places and you can only see about 20-30yards in most places. We continue to track this buffalo at the most agonizingly slow pace I have ever tracked anything in Africa at and Nixon did an outstanding job just staying on this track in this cover. Every grass stem and rock movement sounds like a gunshot as we move through this area but you can tell that we are slowly cutting the distance and if the wind will just hold we should be able to see him at any moment. Eventually, we follow Buffalo to 30-40 yards in head-high grass can hear him breathing but we never can see him. While on the trail we found a small speck of blood on a leaf but could never catch up to the bull or determine the cause. This made us a little nervous because the visible distance was 20 yards and we were not sure what we were walking into. As I am sure all of you know a wounded buffalo in thick cover is a lot more hair raising than an uninjured buffalo in that same thicket. We press on however feeling that the shot is near. The hunting gods had other plans, however. At the last minute, the wind shifted and I could feel it hit the back of my neck. I will never understand how it is possible given the terrain and thickness, but the bull smelled us and disappeared without a sound or trace. We arrive at his bed maybe 1 minute after he left and the bed is still warm but he is gone out of our lives forever, but this is hunting and we will try again in the morning. It is a blessing to be in Africa and to have another great stalk for my memories.

 

[VertigoBE]

Amazing adventure @thriller ! Keep the story coming, I’m loving it!

 

[Wheels]

Fantastic job getting the leopard early. Neat that you are able to be there with your father.

Looking forward to the rest of the hunt.

 

[thriller]

Day 10


We go back to the Ruia river at dawn to look for hyena at dawn. Saw about 20 to 30 but did not get a shot due to lionesses running them off.

Move towards a spring with a natural salt lick nearby before we get there we run across fresh Buffalo sign in the road about 1/4 mile away. At this point, we start tracking the buffalo. After about a mile we start feeling like we are getting close. While chasing the buffalo we look on the next ridge over and see a herd of elephant, that makes us pause to examine the situation to make sure it's safe to pass. We decide that it is and none are in our path so keep chasing the buffalo. As we crest the ridge we look up and see Buffalo running on the next mountain. It appears that they are being chased by lionesses. We still want to get a look into the herd so we kick it into high gear and get up the next mountain as fast as we can. When we get to the top which took 15-20 minutes at a light jog/walk. When we reached the top we looked around even though we were on the trail of the herd we could not see them or hear them at first. Then we see they have already made it to the top of the next mountain but appear to be feeding this time. Also when we looked up to the left of the herd by about 100 yards was a very large dugga boy Satelliteing the herd. We put him at over 40 inches with great drops and worn smooth bosses. At this point, we get excited and start Forest Gumping it (we were running) up the next mountain. When we feel like we are close Nixon and Tinie tell me to slow down and within another 50 yards we were within sight. We start picking through the herd and eventually we start crawling in on our butts. We see the bull at about 50 yards on an ant mound. The shot is clear in all directions with the exception that a single cow Buffalo was in the way. So naturally, the Buffalo turns and walks away behind the cow and hill. We can see the Buffalo are starting to move down a draw about 40 yards to our right so saw butt crawl over to the edge and have cows and calf’s moving around in front of us from about 25-100 yards we sit still and wait then we see big boy coming on a trail that will lead him behind some bushes at about 40 yards. So we patiently wait and I pick a hole and when he steps into it I let him have a 500-grain trophy bonded bear claw from the 458 win mag. You can see the bull hunch up from the shot and take off. We sit quietly and listen. After what felt like 10 minutes but was probably one we hear him bellow and we hold tight and all goes quiet. We give it to the 15-minute mark and since it has all been quiet for 10 after the last bellowing we go in. After about 100 yards we find the bull dead and he is a stud. Measured out at just over 43 inches wide with excellent drops and worn smooth bases. We had a few Zambezi beers to celebrate this big boy. Pictures below!

After the shot, we start looking at the map to try to figure out just how close we could get the truck to this buffalo, and the answer is not close at all. About 3.5km to be exact. So we head back to the road to assemble the guys and the appy in order to cut this buffalo out and carry it out. After we got the buffalo out we head back to camp where we have a sheep spit-roasting over the fire. It was Altogether a wonderful day with the buffalo measuring out at a hair under 44 inches it is a trophy of a lifetime.
This afternoon is where the Reverend gets his name. While sitting around the fire with Drillbit (the guy roasting the sheep. I was informed this was his nickname because he is a “small boring tool”) Doug tells him and his sheep roasting crew that they cannot be cussing or drinking as we have a Mormon priest in camp, and furthermore they will need to hold hands as we say a 10-15 minute prayer over the sheep when he returns to camp. You can see that drillbit and the crew who are very fond of colorful language and beer are disturbed by this fact. To the point it they look like they are considering packing up and leaving camp altogether. So this goes on for about 2-3 hours before the Reverend makes an appearance. To be clear the Reverend is about 6’2 and 260lb and is a cattle farmer by trade, but speaks like a sailor. So when he arrives all the ears around camp perk up beers vanish and the cussing stops. He comes over and asks how we did and I show him the pictures of the buffalo above and he responds with F@#%!! Out of the corner of my eye I see Drillbit and crew perk up wondering if they herd him correctly but not daring to ask this Reverend what he said. When I ask him what he shot and he responded with “not Sh%$ today” the cat is out of the bag and you can actually hear a sigh of relief from drillbit and crew. It was another wonderful day in the bush enjoyed by all with good friends and good food.

 

[thriller]

Day 11

Head to Makuti ranger station to close out hunting permits for the choir boy and the Reverend. Then pack to head to lake Kariba to look for a Hippo and a warthog. On the Drive over we cross through another hunting area charara. While driving through to and at gache gache we see Elephant, Buffalo, and Lion.

After arriving at gache gache We stalk the floodplain of lake kariba looking for hippo. After spending the morning looking through many groups of hippo. We received word of a hippo bull that was coming after boats in the area and we found the bull, we started a stalk on the large hippo bull that was on land. After a 500 yard stalk using a sheet as a shield we closed in on the bull. This technique was interesting because as it was explained to me the hippo can see movement fairly well but once we were behind the sheet (some sort of net-like a wall tent net window) they seemed to not be able to see us at all. We moved slowly using terrain to hide us much as we could and since the tallest vegetation was about 6 inches to 1 foot on the floodplain. When we could not use terrain or vegetation it was the sheet. This got us all the way in to 50 yards without the herd of hippo knowing we were there. While trying to confirm the identity of the bull we can hear them loudly grunting and see a whole bunch of crocs swimming by on all sides of us just in the water. We learned later that this was an area where crocs were baited earlier in the year by the concession owner. After identifying the bull and allowing a calf that was walking in front of him to clear, my father took a head shot at 50 yards and dropped the bull in his tracks. I had the pleasure of videoing this entire hunt for him. It was another great day of high adventure, but with a change of scenery to lake Kariba.

On this afternoon we stalked the floodplain for guinea fowl and came up with a nice dozen for dinner coupled with hippo tail. We also got to see some lionesses at close range where we watched them for a couple of minutes. Also, we went over near the town where a herd of buffalo 200 strong was hanging out on the floodplain and were able to drive up and observe them from about 100 yards. This many buffalo in one herd was an amazing sight and with lake Kariba in the background, it's one I am unlikely to forget.

 

[cpr0312]

Another nice day! Congrats to your dad on the hippo!