ZIMBABWE: My Excellent Adventure In Dande North With Charlton McCallum Safaris

[PARA45]

Hmmmm, sleeping under a sausage tree is brave! Great hunt and great trophies, especially that kudu, well done.

@Kevin Peacocke, could you please explain why is it brave to sleep under a sausage tree?

 

[IvW]

The sauge tree fruit can weight 20lbs if that comes down you have a problem....

 

[Doug3006]

Fortunately the trees were just starting to shed their flowers. Beautiful flowers too…no fruit yet.

 

[rinehart0050]

Just now getting caught up on this report. Wow! Outstanding trophies. That kudu is a monster! Congrats to both of you.

 

[Houston375HH]

Fantastic write-up on the experience. I'm heading to Dande North to hunt with CMS June 2023....I don't know how I'm going to make it that long!

 

[Doug3006]

Fantastic write-up on the experience. I'm heading to Dande North to hunt with CMS June 2023....I don't know how I'm going to make it that long!

You’ll have the time of your life. What are you planning to hunt?

 

[Houston375HH]

You’ll have the time of your life. What are you planning to hunt?

Buff is the main quarry; second I’m fishing the Zambezi on the front end for a few days, targeting a tigerfish on the fly. After those two it’s all a bonus. 10 days hunting we should see a few good representative plains game. As of now planning to stay up at the Matombo camp on the river. Pretty excited to say the least, it’ll be my first DG safari. Been 10 years in the making!

 

[Doug3006]

Buff is the main quarry; second I’m fishing the Zambezi on the front end for a few days, targeting a tigerfish on the fly. After those two it’s all a bonus. 10 days hunting we should see a few good representative plains game. As of now planning to stay up at the Matombo camp on the river. Pretty excited to say the least, it’ll be my first DG safari. Been 10 years in the making!

You are going to love Dande! Buzz and Myles run a top notch outfit.

 

[Tom Leoni]

You are going to love Dande! Buzz and Myles run a top notch outfit.

Doug, can you tell us more about your rifle? And if you have some pics it would be great!

 

[Doug3006]

Sure. I used a Kimber Caprivi in 458 Lott. More gun than needed…..but he fell where he stood.

 

[Doug3006]

I also took its twin in 375 H&H but didn’t get a crack at the Sable I brought it for.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

@Kevin Peacocke, could you please explain why is it brave to sleep under a sausage tree?

As @IvW says @PARA45 the fruits are huge and bullet shaped, so have a high ballistic coefficient in the parlance of this site! Many years ago in the army i was brewing tea under a sausage tree, in one of those kidney shaped little pots atop a Gaz stove. Well down came a sausage and landed plumb in the pot, the force slammed the whole burner stalk down into the cylinder. Huge escape of gas, but miraculously it didn't ignite. I've had great respect for them ever since.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Buff is the main quarry; second I’m fishing the Zambezi on the front end for a few days, targeting a tigerfish on the fly. After those two it’s all a bonus. 10 days hunting we should see a few good representative plains game. As of now planning to stay up at the Matombo camp on the river. Pretty excited to say the least, it’ll be my first DG safari. Been 10 years in the making!

@Houston375HH you are destined for a magic experience. If they have a 0.22 in camp see if you can get a guineafowl too to complete the quintessential iconic African trilogy of fur, feather and scale. In one day that would earn you a Diamond McNab, but even in a week it is a blast.

 

[Jeff505]

Alan shearing has his sons .22, it’s a guinea killing machine.

 

[Houston375HH]

@Houston375HH you are destined for a magic experience. If they have a 0.22 in camp see if you can get a guineafowl too to complete the quintessential iconic African trilogy of fur, feather and scale. In one day that would earn you a Diamond McNab, but even in a week it is a blast.

Yes, I must certainly go for the highly coveted African trilogy of fur, feather and scale! I am taking the trusty 375H&H, but also just took ownership of my first double, a Chapuis 470NE, so the only thing that could make it even better is that we can get within double range for the buff.

 

[Philip Glass]

I brought Avon bug guard and DEET, I had read that picaridin the active ingredient in bug guard was somewhat effective. The bug guard worked when it was wet which gave protection for a few minutes, not practical. DEET did not work at all. What I brought gave protection against ticks and mosquitos but the two pests that were most prevalent ( mopane bees and tsetse flies) laughed at me. Alan and his crew all wore some type of neck gator that could be pulled up to cover their faces when the insects swarmed. Although Doug was hunting only about 1/2 hour from my location he had no issues with the flies. Good luck on your hunt, I look forward to your report.

There were lots of tsetse flies in Cameroon and everyone was getting hammered daily but me. I had all clothing sprayed with Sawyer pemerithin, I used Avon Skin So Soft lotion which is insect repellant and sunscreen in one, and I had my Kuiu neck gaiter which was also thoroughly sprayed as well. The mop and flies were bad a few times when we were still and glassing so I put up the neck gaiter and I was fine while others swatted. The only trouble I had was a couple bites in the last days or two.This was due to me only hunting in two sets of clothes and letting them wash my clothes daily. By the end of the 13 day hunt the spray was wearing out. Black clothing attracts them so you have to plan for that as well.

 

[Green Chile]

Loved the hunt report. Well done guys. I hunted with Alan also in 2007 for elephant and had a fantastic time. This was before Al was injured by that buffalo. He's definitely one of the best guides I've ever hunted with. A true pro. Funny thing about Al and sable...I said hey man, I would love to get a sable. He says, "When they are dead they just look like a donkey." Geez Al...thanks for throwing cold water on my dream!

 

[edward]

Loved the hunt report. Well done guys. I hunted with Alan also in 2007 for elephant and had a fantastic time. This was before Al was injured by that buffalo. He's definitely one of the best guides I've ever hunted with. A true pro. Funny thing about Al and sable...I said hey man, I would love to get a sable. He says, "When they are dead they just look like a donkey." Geez Al...thanks for throwing cold water on my dream!

dont no what he or you are looking at,but my sable looks like a beautiful SABLE!!!

 

[Green Chile]

100%! Sable are beautiful and yours is excellent. Congrats again on a fine hunt.

 

[edward]

A little humbling, I am sure I will never see another like that. The humbling part is all the work the trackers and PH put in to make it possible. Compared to that my role was a small one. Now for the expensive part, although the kids are grown and out of the house my wife would like some rooms in our home that do not contain “dead animals”. We will be looking after the first of the year to build a larger house that will be better able to contain the exploits of my hunts over the years with room for expansion.

as some of the trophys are my wifes,as she is my favorite hunting pardner,she dosent mind the beautiful dead animals in our home through out.