ZIMBABWE: My 21 Day Safari With Charlton McCallum Safaris & A Pair Of Double Rifles

[Philip Glass]

Awesome start. Really looking forward to this report!

As we've learned and you already know, Emirates Business Class is the only way worth flying to Zim. Makes what would be a nightmarish travel experience painless and quite enjoyable.

Yes and now Qatar is flying the same route with better connections for some of us.

Just speaking of my own experience, technically yes, we had to wear masks. However, as they're serving you a drink as soon as you're on the plane, you always have food or drink nearby to claim that you're eating/drinking.

Also, I did not wear a mask while sleeping and noone ever said anything.

Business class has its advantages. We didn’t wear one on Qatar business.
Love your report. It is getting me excited for my Omay hunt next year! Man there is just something about Zim.
Qatar now flies that route so we are exploring all our options at this stage.

 

[spike.t]

Those look like the signs for the conservancy on the Zim side just upstream of Buzz’s camp. If they are, it’s a conservancy that was carved out of Dande in some questionable dealings. CMS is not on good terms with them.

Ok thanks...that sign bugged the shit out of me first time I saw it...been close in 2 or 3 times but never seen anyone to piss off ....

 

[Rare Breed]

Outfitter: Charlton - McCallum Safaris aka CMS - http://cmsafaris.com/
PH: Keith Wall
Main Game: Leopard, Buffalo, Tuskless Elephant
Hunt Area: Zambezi Valley and Dante East.
Rifles: Heym 88B 9.3x74R (scoped with Swarovski Z6i 1.7 - 10X BT), Heym 88B .500 NE with 1MOA Trijicon.

Day -4:
Covid PCR test at 9:30AM, not worried as not only vaccinated but I also had minimized personal contact for the previous 10 days or so. I get results around 7PM, negative. I check the rest of the document and my last name is misspelled. I call the lab phone number on the form and they fix it and resend it to me. I print multiple copies and put one in the envelope for Zim and another for the Emirate envelope for their documents.

Day -3:
Head to LAX with my luggage about 4 hours before the flight. I have two Pelican cases for rifles and luggage and a Red Oxx carry-on and a small backpack that will be my daypack for hunts. I am greeted by the supervisor at the Business class line who already had my firearms paperwork in his hands. I sign it, get my boarding passes and a hotel voucher for Dubai layover. Next I am escorted to TSA check area where we wait for about 20 minutes for a TSA employee trained to check firearms. Finally, one is located, does the chemical sniff test and the luggage and rifle cases are loaded up.

Next is to go through TSA Pre-Check line (get Global Entry), and I find the Emirates Business lounge. I enter and make myself comfortable as I have a couple of hours to go before boarding. I avail myself to the food and drinks and start reading a book on my Kindle.

I get approached by an Emirates' employee and is told the CBP wants to talk to me at the gate. It is 30 minutes or so before boarding begins anyway so I head out there. There are 3 CBP guys with both of my bags. They say they were not notified about my firearms details by the airline and ask to inspect the firearms and wish to see my 4457s. I open the case and give them the envelope with the paperwork that was on top of the rifles, they also look at my passport and ask the usual questions (where are you going, what for, how much cash on you etc.)_ After rifle serial numbers verified then I close up and they take my bags to give them to the loaders.

I wait a few minutes until the boarding starts and head to my seat. Emirates does Business Class right. Each seat is a module with its own supplies of soft drinks, multiple charging stations and of course the seat turns into a flat bed.
View attachment 420121

The only way to go for a 16 hour flight.

Day -2:

I arrive at Dubai, disembark with my carry on bags and make my way through the customs as the Hotel is in Dubai proper about a 10 minute drive. I make my way to Emirates limo office and get a voucher for a limo. I get outside and there is a guy there that takes my voucher and flags a limo, 10 minutes later I am at my hotel room.

A quick shower and I head downstairs for a meal. I was given a meal voucher when I checked in. I look at the menu for travel vouchers and decide for the main course I will order something from the main menu. Cost is not much as I had credit from the voucher. Head back to the room and set my alarm for 5AM as the limo will get me at 6AM.

Day -1:

After a quick shower I head to the reception area to wait for the limo. It arrives early and drops me off at the terminal entrance. I enter the airport, go through security and automated customs exit and head for the Business lounge for breakfast. After breakfast I go to the end of Terminal B and grab a golf cart taxi to take me to my gate at Terminal C. At the gate I meet with a couple of other CMS clients (a father and son) and eventually we board.

First stop Lusaka where we drop off passengers and pick up a horde of people that are heading to Harare. Finally we arrive at Harare.

At the gate we meet with the expeditors that will help with paperwork and red tape. First step is Covid check. All the people that had been in economy had already lined up, about 150+ people and only 3 people checking the paperwork. The expeditors whisk us to the front of the line and we hand in the Covid paperwork required by Zim and show our PCR tests. After a temperature check we are released to go to customs which takes almost no time and $30 visa fee.

Next is the luggage and customs. Expeditors collect our luggage and push our carts to the customs office, there we hand in firearms form we had filled in triplicate. They count the ammo and verify the serial numbers, we sign all the forms and leave the airport.

Outside we hand the expeditors the $20 for their well deserved work and met by Miles McCallum. He ferries us to the Amanzi Lodge. We disembark and check in. Miles keeps the gun cases as we will be going back to the airport the next morning.

At the lodge we meet another CMS client that had arrived earlier. We chat and have dinner and off the bed.

Day 0:

Today we are picked up around 6:15 and head to the airport and meet our pilot. We have to go through security and have our guns inspected, ammo counted and verified against the permit. That done the pilot takes our luggage to load while we wait at the terminal.

View attachment 420122

After an hour or so flight we arrive at one of the landing strips at the Safari area. The other client and I disembark and the father and son hunters head to their camp on the plane.

The hunting area manager is there and she takes the other hunter and takes off. I meet Keith Wall and his team. 3 trackers, a parks ranger who is also a learner PH and a game scout.

We head to my camp (Mururu) I unpack and have a lunch. Around 3 PM we head to the gun range to test the guns. I had brought a bunch of targets I use and we used one of those. First test is the 9.3x74R. Nice group but 8 inches low, the next group was about 4 inches low and final two were right on the bull. It took 2 rounds per barrel to clear the oil about the cleaning of the gun before the trip. Then the .500 from the shooting sticks, same thing and final pair is in the bull.

Guns sorted out we relax, a nice fire and some wine in the evening as the hunting starts the next day with a 5AM wake up with breakfast at 5:30.

View attachment 420123


To be continued...

Excellent!!! Always respect and love your posts

 

[Tanks]

Day 5:

Usual routine, 5AM wake up, shower, breakfast and we hit the road. We have more baits to set.

First thing, we set a bait using the warthog, not far from the camp.

As usual the trackers splatter stomach contents on the tree and also we drag the guts for a mile or so.

Now, for the next bait site. As we are going along another bang on the roof of the truck. "Elephant track" says the lead tracker. We get out and take a look, it is a fresh track. Again we gear up, and head out. Tracking through a spring bed, Keith says "this looks like an elephant highway." Tons of tracks and elephant scat.

We keep going and see elephants in the distance.

And we also see another bunch going up hill

Keith tells me we'd have to go down the hill we are at cross the ravine and follow them. Asks me if I am up to it. I answer in the affirmative.

We proceed and make it to the top on the other side here is how it looks from there.

We go on. Keith point where we need to go.

He saw a tuskless. We approach it taking care not to get scented by all the other elephants around.

And, we get within 40 yards, now all we need to do is verify and then get closer and boom.

Keith says "She has a tusk on the other side, a short one but it extends past the lips, we can't shoot it."

It would have been an easy side brain shot.

We make it back down the hills and while crossing the spring bed the trackers notice a big male leopard track. It is in both directions which means it is part of his patrol area. We decide to put a bait up after lunch nearby.

After lunch at the camp we head back to put up the bait. Another bang on the roof "Impala". I get out grab the rifle and follow Keith and the tracker.

Keith sets the sticks up and says 150 yards, I set the turret and aim. I squeeze the trigger and the left barrel fires I see the Impala stagger. We watch it, it is struggling. I ask Keith if I should fire again. He says "No, you hit it hard." The impala drops. We go by and it is dead. Keith says "We never took any Impala pics, so let's do that." And we do.

We pack the Impala up and head to where we were going to set up bait. Again the guys set up the bait. Keith sets up his trail camera.

After that we set up another bait somewhere else and head to camp.

Five baits set up and we will set up one more tomorrow.

18,515 steps, 6.4 miles and 63 floors of incline today.

 

[TTundra]

You are quite the surgeon with that 9.3 sxs. Nicely done and excited to read more!

 

[Red Leg]

You are quite the surgeon with that 9.3 sxs. Nicely done and excited to read more!

A scoped accurate double is a totally different thing. Well done.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

The camps look excellent, the bush looks excellent and you shoot excellently Tanks. I am loving this report.

 

[postoak]

I really like the look of the bush there. Especially that there are more trees there than where I've been in S.A. and Namibia and that it is hilly without being rocky.

Did you choose a tuskless just because of the money factor? I will have to be making the decision of whether to go after cow or bull, tusked, or tuskless, or even a trophy bull and am somewhat confused on which way to go.

 

[Tanks]

...

Did you choose a tuskless just because of the money factor? I will have to be making the decision of whether to go after cow or bull, tusked, or tuskless, or even a trophy bull and am somewhat confused on which way to go.

The tuskless was an afterthought and an add-on to my 14 day buffalo/leopard hunt. I would not have gone for a 7 day bull hunt (even if offered) as in 7 days one can not be choosy. And yes, a tuskless hunt is cheaper and in reality more dangerous than a bull hunt as cow herds are unpredictable (at least that is what experienced Zim PHs tell me). I tend to agree, I have seen cows huff and puff and congregate around a downed elephant where we had to retreat and wait them out where in most cases bulls just take off running.

 

[Tanks]

Day 6:

One more bait to set today and then we will start checking the trail camera footages. We had noticed a left over buffalo rib cage from a lion hunt still being visited. We drag that to where Keith wants to set up the bait and put it at the bottom of the tree. Then, the guys set up the bait. Put lots of branches to prevent buzzards from getting to it.

We proceed to start checking the bait. Go to the site where we had set up bait first. As we come up on it Keith starts laughing, the bait is gone. Just legs left.

Here are a few shots from the trail cam. The female leopard start feeding on day 4 evening and kept at it for a while.

Good thing we had shot that last Impala the previous day as a spare. We string it up.

Hoping that she will comeback for a dinner date with a boyfriend.

We now head to other bait sites to check. On the way another thump on the roof. Elephants. We gear out and head out. We can make out the gray shapes in the distance, but they are too far to make out the tusks or even the gender.

It is very dense there. After a mile or two we get within 30 yards or so, standing on the bank of a spring bed. Here is the foliage, there are elephants in there.

Keith keeps glassing trying to catch a glimpse of tusks. And all have tusks. One is an older calf, the other a dependent calf and a big bodied cow. They decide to take off slowly parading literally within 10 yards of us. Keith tells everyone to be quiet as the wind is in our favor. They go and we make our way back to the truck.

After lunch we check more baits including the one we put up by the "athletic elephants". Keith says it has been hit. He checks the trail cam and gets excited. It is a big male.

Looks like he had a fight with someone as well.

He started feeding at 5:13AM and kept going back and forth until past 9:30AM according to photos. Keith tells the guys to setup the blind as he wants to be in it by 4:30PM.

The guys put branches in front of the little tarp and make a path for about 200 yards toward the road. They get rid of all foliage and dead leaves and stop about 15 yards from the road (Keith said if there was a path to the road the Leopard might take it to the tent.)

There is an adjustable shooting station to rest the gun and even an elbow rest, it will be just like shooting from the bench. I use the rangefinder to the bait, 57 yards and slight quartering. I adjust the magnification until I get the whole branch in the scope and no less. That is at 3X.

We sit and wait. We have water and I have the Kindle with me (it was in my daypack for such an occasion). Start reading a book. As it gets darker I put the scope in night mode and adjust the red dot brightness.

We sit in the blind until I no longer can see the bait through the scope. The Swarovski Z6i gives me about an extra 15 minutes or so of shootable light.

We get out of the blind (Keith, the game ranger and myself) being very quiet, follow the path to the road. The car is parked a mile down the road and we have to walk to it as we don't want to spook the Leopard if it is coming.

We get to the car having turned on our headlights after half a mile or so from the bait site. Back to the camp for shower, wine by fireside and dinner.

We decide to get up at 4:30AM and skip breakfast and head to the bait site at 5AM. Good thing I have fig bars to snack on during the drive. .

To be continued...

 

[Randy F]

Starting to lean forward in my chair. Love it. Keep it coming.

 

[Scandalous Bob]

Loving this report. Can't wait to hear the rest of it.

 

[Shootist43]

Tanks, this is like a good book that I can't stop reading. I feel like I'm there with you.

 

[Tanks]

Day 7:

We are up at 4:30AM, quick shower and get dressed. I load up the rifles and off me go. We stop about a mile from the blind, it is on put now. I grab the 9.3 and load it in case there is an issue on the road (we have been seeing a lot of lion tracks of and on).

We had to the blind there is just enough light to see. About a 100 yards from the path that was nade Keith says "Time to take off shoes". I take off my Russells and am in socks. Keith and the ranger are barefoot!!! We walk gingerly, making very little noise. We see the TP that was tied signaling path entrance and head in the path. 200 yards later we are in the blind. I set the gun up, fire up the Kindle and start reading.

When it gets light I take a break from my book, change the scope setting to daylight and make sure the brightness of the red dot is acceptable to me. We sit in the blind for about 3 hours, no Leopard. Car comes in and I put my shoes on after scraping all the leaves, burrs etc. attached to it. Unfortunately, there is a burr somewhere stuck in the socks.

We head back to camp for breakfast. Tap on the top of the truck, "Kudu". We get out, I get the 9.3 and load up. I am limping though due to the burr. We walk a while, but it is gone. Head back to car and then to camp. I go and change socks prior to breakfast.

Agenda today is check all the other bait sites that we can. Keith looks at the trailcam footage from another bait site that was hit. It was getting hit by a female. A contortionist at that.

As we are going to another bait site another tap on the rooftop. "Impala", I ask Keith if we need more. He says it pays to have a spare, I load up and follow Keith and the tracker for a bit. "100 yards" says Keith. I fire after setting the turret to a 100 yards. The impala takes off. We follow and it is about 50 yards away barely able to move. Another shot and it is down. We head back to camp for lunch and a quick nap, Keith want to be in the blind by 4:30PM.

We get to the blind and Keith sets up a motion detector that will vibrate if there is movement at the bottom of the tree. I am already in the blind gun setup and Kindle fired up.

As it gets darker I move the scope to the night mode. Nothing yet. I keep looking through the scope until I can not see anymore. Time to head back to camp. Suddenly, I hear the vibration from the motion detector. Keith looks through his thermal imaging scope, and the Leopard is there.

Nothing we can do except wait him out. Finally he leaves and we give him another 30 minutes before slowly, and quietly leaving the blind. Another hike mile or so to the car and we make our way to camp for shower, wine with snacks and dinner.

Keith suggests we get up at 4AM so we can have breakfast and not have to come back to camp. Lights out, maybe tomorrow is the day.

11,724 steps, 3.9 miles and 80 floors worth of incline.

Here is the first week's walking.

To be continued...

 

[Medicine]

So many good hunt reports. Keep it coming.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

I am thoroughly enjoying your Safari. Thanks for sharing and please keep up the great work!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Sounds like a great hunting adventure! I’m really enjoying your continuing posts on it. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tanks]

Day 8:

We get up at 4AM, shower and hit breakfast. After breakfast I load up the guns my boots and a spare pair of socks (I learned from yesterday). I am wearing my camp Birkenstocks with socks today (I know, a fashion faux pas, but we are in the bush) to make it easy to take them off.

Same deal as yesterday morning, we walk about a mile and then 100 yards from the path the shoes come off. We get to the path very quietly and make it to the blind. I put the rifle in its cradle and switch the scope to day mode. Keith puts some webbing in front of the scope to prevent possible glare. I open up the Kindle and start reading.

Around 7, Keith says, "He is here" and takes off the webbing. I hand the Kindle to the Parks Ranger and get on the rifle.

Yep, he is there alright. He is leaning over the bait. I have a shot right between the shoulder blades facing me. I don't take the shot, I didn't want him to rear back or move as I am pulling the trigger. I also want a broadside to hit multiple vitals and do the most damage. Here is what it looked like from the trail cam.

He grabs a bone and turns, I am following his movement with the scope.

Instead of enjoying his bone there he starts moving towards the trunk of the tree. Keith is getting impatient saying, "shoot, shoot". I have visualized the shot many times in my mind. In all visualizations I am aiming for the point of the shoulder or the shoulder depending on the angle. With a moving target that is moving away from me I change my mind.

I decide to go for a neck shot. If he moves a bit faster then the shoulder comes into play instead of aiming for the shoulder and hitting him in the gut in a worse case scenario.

All of this thinking happens in the blink of the eye. I squeeze the trigger, and see the Leopard drop from the limb like a sack of potatoes.

Keith grabs his .500 and tells the ranger to follow him with the AK. The game plan was if the leopard took off I'd take my .500 with softs and I'd be on his left (due to me being a lefty) as we tracked him. He took off so if the leopard was stunned etc. tracking would not be necessary if he got there in time while the leopard is incapacitated to finish him off.

He calls me to grab my gun and come over. No tracking is necessary, it is DRT. You can see the entry wound on the neck in the photo.

We call the guys with the truck and they come singing as it seems that is a tradition after a leopard hunt.

We turn the cat over as I want to see the exit wound. I take a picture of it later on when we do the photo staging. The cat was slightly quartering and the bullet went through the neck and took out the back of the skull and the brain with it. I am slightly annoyed with my decision on shot placement but Keith is happy, no tracking required.

Overall very happy with 9.3x74R and Hornady Spire Point factory ammo. It has been devastating on game.

Obligatory pictures:

After the pics we load up the leopard back up and head to the skinning shed. As we arrive Keith fires up the car stereo full blast as the guys dance on the ground per tradition.

Afterwards, lunch time. Leopard down but we have more to do. I change my belt configuration to have 8 softs and 8 solids for the .500 NE in the Els cartridge holders. The cartridge holder for 9.3 is inside the car door to grab if needed.

We get going , start dropping bait (trackers are happy as they got the spare impala meat and they also take any bait not rotten) and find more elephant tracks. Track them, but alas nothing shootable. Head back to camp for a shower, wine by fire with snacks and then dinner. Then sleep, generator off at 9:30. Tomorrow the hunt goes on.

15,243 steps, 5.2 miles and 141 floors of incline.

To be continued.

 

[jasyblood]

Congrats on your leopard!!!

 

[BourbonTrail]

Great shooting Tanks, disappointing about the exit wound, but no crazy follow ups is definitely a positive. The battle scars make for a special trophy. Congrats.