See if you can identify the species that were killed. As you can see, the lions were busy here. For those of you who don't know it, lions can be extremely dangerous even when not wounded, especially at night when they are out hunting and feeding. A wounded lion is the animal most likely to kill you if you get near it. An elephant is the most likely to kill you when it is not wounded, assuming you are not hanging around next to rivers where crocs and hippos might be lurking. We did see crocs and hippos in the area where we were, but we stayed away from the green water that is indicative of their presence. If I am going to be killed by a wild animal, I want it to be on dry land!
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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We saw one very rare and special sight. A cheetah had just taken an impala and was dragging it off to be eaten and probably had some youngsters it was planning to feed with the kill. We drove up on the cheetah and surprised it. The cheetah dropped the impala and went off a little ways and partially hid behind some small trees and brush. Suddenly, the impala started moving and tried to get to its feet. We called some of the other hunters and told them to quickly come and see this spectacle. Then we drove away. The other hunters later reported to us that they came quickly and saw the impala trying to get away. The cheetah chased it down, killed it and dragged it away into the bush. Here is a picture of the cheetah in the background behind the trees and bushes and the impala lying in the foreground where you can barely see it. Look closely under the branch at the middle bottom of the picture.
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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Another ball of elephant dung is about to be killed as I have been instructed by my PH to get out of the truck and take a practice shot. He kept me prepared at all times even though I never got a shot at a buff.
I was constantly practicing when we would walk to find game, which was about 6 to 12 miles every day. We loved the long walks. They would keep us alert and in shape and also gave us the opportunity to see areas that were unavailable by any other mode of travel.
I got to help other people in camp who were hunting leopards by working on hanging baits. I saw Fred Eichler miss a shot at a leopard in a tree on some show when shooting with his recurve. Better a miss than a wounded leopard. I don't know if a leopard ever hit this bait, but I also hung a trial cam in the tree, which is why I was up on the limb trying to position the angle of the camera to get good pictures.
The vultures will strip a bait in short order if they find it with their eagle-like eyes. Branches are hung around the bait to hide it from these scavengers of the skies.
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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On one of our walks in the late afternoon, Barrie was looking up in the rocks on a nearby hill for leopards that will hide in the rocks and wait for their prey to pass by. He saw what he thought was a leopard and told me to look in the same spot with my binoculars. We soon realized that it was not a leopard but rather a lion cub sitting up on the rocks like a true to life Lion King. If you look carefully, you will see a speck in the sky that is actually a distant vulture circling. Just below and to the right of the vulture you can see the head and shoulders of the lion cub in a swale in the rocks.
We moved to position ourselves for a better view and saw a second head appear, and then a third. I got this picture of the three lion siblings together on the rocks. Soon they decided that we were too aware of their position and slipped away to the right and out of sight. Look carefully where the one cub was in the prior picture and you should see all three.
It is sightings like this and the cheetah that make a hunt special even when you don't get a shot at an animal. At least that is my story, and I am sticking to it!
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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Almost before we knew it, the days of hunting had passed and we were packing to leave the next morning. We woke early, finished our final packing, ate breakfast and went over to a famous baobab tree that is located at the edge of camp. This tree is almost 150 feet in circumference and is estimated to be about 4000 years old, meaning it was alive at the time of the pharaohs in Egypt. This tree has been filmed and shown in numerous outdoor TV shows and has been painted by many wildlife artists, including John Banovich. The Landcruiser in front of the tree gives scale to the size of the tree.
A few minutes later the Cessna 206 buzzed the camp to let us know our ride had arrived. We drove to the airstrip and loaded up for the long journey home, knowing we would be returning to Africa as soon as possible. I still want to put an arrow in that buff!
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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I see wildebeast, eland, zebra (that's zeb-ra, not zeeb-ra), and impala...boy those lions racked up a heck of a bill in short order. Great story and pics have me longing to see Africa again. Once was simply not enough...someday.
I see the tuffpak worked out for you? I think that one is longer than mine...did you have to pay extra baggage fees for over the volumetric limit? I'd love to have one a bit larger but I got the size I did simply to conform to SA airways 62" and 50# limit.
-------------------- "Being there was good enough..." Charlie Lamb reflecting on a hunt TGMM Brotherhood of the Bow Posts: 9537 | From: Ranger, GA | Registered: Mar 2003
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What an awesome adventure. I only hope someday to make it over there if nothing else just to see that part of the world!! Thanks again buddy for taking us along and very glad to see you and your wife made it home safe!!
-------------------- Dreams can not be bought; they are free to those who have lived. -Mike Mitten
We must go beyond the textbooks, go out into the untrodden depths of the wilderness & travel & explore & tell the world the glories of our journey
TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 4740 | From: Holland Michigan | Registered: Oct 2006
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JC -- you got all those right, including their pronunciation of zebra! We also so a kudu kill that may not have been in the pictures. They are hungry lions there. I hope you get back. I am not sure how many more years I have left in me, but I know I will be back several more times, God willing. Let me know if you ever want to plan a trip with someone (like me). The Tuffpak was outstanding. I'm not sure which one you have, but the one I got is the original gun case size. I kept the weight at 47 pounds with two rifles, the takedown Shrew, and a dozen arrows, along with the soft cases. It did not cost any extra. I have used that case the last three times I went and think it is the best option out there. The nice part about having one a little bigger is that you can always use the space for clothing or other items.
Tim -- I appreciate the comments. Annette and I had a great time. I have been going to Zimbabwe now for 13 years on five trips, and I have visited and hunted many parts of the country. It is a beautiful, resource rich country that hopefully some day will rebuild its internal structure to be able to regain its former glory days. I have taken my son everytime but this year, and he has doubled his age from 13 to 26. My daughter and wife went with us three years ago, and my wife went again this year, but without our son. There is definitely danger there, but so is there danger anywhere in the US from one source or another. I hope someday you can go to Africa. I fear that the African safari opportunity is fading and may be virtually lost within our lifetimes, so don't wait if you have the opportunity to go. Better sooner than later. As with JC, let me know if you ever want to put something together with some TradGang buddies. I am up for almost anything and can help with arrangements if asked.
It is interesting that in the Save Valley Conservancy there is a camp that caters to high end (read expensive) game viewing clients. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones had just been there. They pay $2000/person/day and donate additional money. I think that is a very worthy cause, but those photo safari dollars are only a fraction of the amount spent by hunters. Without the hunting dollars poaching would be a far bigger problem than what it is anyway, and it is a huge problem now. We found wire snares all the time in the bush, and there are a million acres in the Conservancy, most of them very remote where there are not adequate patrols. Africa desperately needs hunters. The world economy has affected the African hunting interests as much as any other sector in the world. Most of the PHs in our camp had only hunted a fraction of their available dates. I can guarantee you that if you wanted to book a hunt this year almost anywhere, there are plenty of PHs, quotas, and accommodations available to meet your needs, all at drastically reduced rates. If I had not already been and have a full schedule the rest of the summer, I would book a late season hunt for August or September. The biggest disadvantage of a late season hunt is the heat, as the African winter loses its cooler days. In the Zambezi Valley the tsetse flies come out in force starting about now and the daytime temperatures go into the 80s and then well above that. I personally like the cooler temperatures, but I have hunted in the Zambezi Valley several times before in August, and it is not bad. In fact, it is great, and I would love to do it next month. I hunted there last August for a week before heading to the lowvelt.
I have talked to a lot of people who have hunted in other African countries, and the experience was very similar in places like Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique -- the various sub-Saharan countries other than South Africa and Namibia where ranch hunts predominate. I think there is very good hunting in SA and Namibia, but it is not always the wilder variety one finds in other countries. I plan to go to Mozambique to hunt in 2011 and am already booked for the Zambezi Valley in 2010. The trouble with some places like Tanzania and Botswana is that you pay double the price to go on some of the hunts there. While I would like to see those places and hunt there, I would rather have twice as many hunts elsewhere. Besides, I still need to get to New Zealand and Australia to hunt and fish there. So little time and so much to see and do!!!
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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Well Allan... that sure is a write up...many, many thanks my far off friend. It sure makes one want to rush off and hunt Zim or anywhere in Africa just to got it off the "Bucket List" as such.
I was planning on being there this year but a hunt in CO just had to be done for some high country Elk... but next year looks the deal I think...
Also good to see you get the pics up as well. I'm glad it worked out for you.
Again mate, many thanks,
ak.
-------------------- "No citizen has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever Seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable." Socrates. Posts: 1889 | From: Mackay,QLD, Australia. | Registered: May 2004
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Great story and pictures Allan. Another Zim lover here, I've hunted Chewore North, Matetsi, Chiredzi and south of Bulawayo as well. Looking forward to chasing a cape buff with the stick sometime soon. Shot my last one at 30ft with .458 Lott. Would have been an easy bow shot but my youknowwhats were not big enough then! They've swelled some since and I think I'm ready! The fellow Al is planning on hunting with is a good PH that I hunted with back in 92 and we have kept in touch. That backpacking into Chewore north sounds like my kind of adventure. Headed off to Oz this year but Africa is calling. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
-------------------- hunt it Posts: 3590 | From: london,ontario,canada | Registered: Nov 2003
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Thanks Allan, that was awesome. One day, God willing, I will call you to help me set up a hunt in Africa.
Thanks again.
Gilbert
-------------------- The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and He addeth no sorrow with it. Prov 10;22 Posts: 886 | From: Texas | Registered: Apr 2007
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Allan, thanks for taking us on your Safari. I'm sure glad you mastered the photo posting thing. You and Annette are truly blessed to experience such a majical place together. In my lifetime I'll never make it to the "Dark Continent" but through you I feel like I've been there. Thanks!
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow 2011,2012 MK, LLC Shareholder Compton's Traditional Bowhunters Professional Bowhunters Society Posts: 2028 | From: Michigan | Registered: Nov 2007
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Al -- If your wife is willing to go along, you probably ought to make it a little more pleasant and easy for her than a backpacking trip through Chewore North. I fished there on the Zambezi and drove through it, but my hunting on was on Chewore South on the four safaris prior to this one. The North has the Zambezi River and the South has the Escarpment. Next year I will be hunting in Nyakasanga on an auction hunt which will be on the Zambezi River. It is a great area and will make for a superb hunt. Annette has declined going with me, so I will be going with my best friend (outside my family) again.
David -- That Lott is a very nice cartridge. It is the new favorite of bolt gun toting PHs. And for good reason. It is what Gary Duckworth carries. I want something like that or a .470 NE or a .505 Gibbs backing me up when I stick an arrow into a big buffalo bull. I spent some time at Matetsi. It is a beautiful place where it is a lot easier to walk and the areas are more open woodlands. I like that and want to go back sometime. I also like the area around Kariba. Chiredzi is, of course, right down the road from the Save Valley Conservancy and is very similar hunting. So you and I have had similar experiences in our Zimbabwean hunting. I have never been to Bulawayo, but that is where the Duckworth family farm was before it was taken away and given to the "War Veterans". Oz sounds like a really fun place to hunt. I want to go there soon. Let me know all about your experiences there.
Ed -- Good to hear from you again. Glad you liked the narrative.
Gilbert -- Give me a shout any time and we can talk about your African hunt. Don't put it off any longer than you have to.
Mike -- Glad you could come along. I got some help from fellow TradGangers on the picture posting process, which I greatly appreciate it. I need to go through everything again so I remember how it is done from start to finish. Annette, my two kids and I are definitely blessed to have had such special and wonderful experiences on the Dark Continent. I wish you could go someday because it is something you would remember fondly forever. I told my PH that if he had that kind of hunting area with all those animals anywhere in the US he would be booked for decades in advance and would be an extremely popular and wealthy man. The biggest concern of guys like him is that next week, month or year everything he spent his lifetime putting together is going to be taken away from him. Most of what he has had in the past has already been confiscated, and the future does not look any better than those past experiences. Although we had a great time, we are glad to be home in our great country where we enjoy tremendous opportunities and freedom. Also, I can now get back to shooting lower poundage bows like that sweet "Black Gold" Lil Favorite I bought from you! My shoulder will appreciate it. I did dearly love carrying and shooting that superb Super Shrew Samurai. It is undoubtedly the bow I will take on future trips after big game around the world.
Thanks to all of you for your kind words and encouragement.
Allan
-------------------- TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 3187 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Mar 2008
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Oh Allan, you see the rifle your wife shot is probably as close as this Kimber is going to get to hunting.. LOL but I will go along to shop!
quote:Originally posted by amar911: Thanks Donald. Keep the faith brother. You may be on your way to Africa sometime in the next few years. I would love to plan a trip there with you sometime, so keep it in mind. I appreciate the offer to help with the pictures. I am trying to educate myself on how to do that so I don't have to inconvenience others. Also so it will be easier for me to include explanatory text with the pics. You and Danny would love it there, and I'm sure Kimber would too. Coincidentally, the rifle my wife shot all her animals with is a Kimber!
Allan
-------------------- "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." 1 Corinthians 11:3 Posts: 282 | From: Boswell, Oklahoma | Registered: May 2008
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