I have not taken as many pictures as normally as we were busy hunting all the time most of the time. From waking up at 4 am and coming back sometimes after 10 pm back in camp, mostly we came back at 8 pm though.

And running around with a video camera and extras in heat over 35 degrees celcius during the day would be too much to carry around my SLR as well. Anyway I wasnt there to take photos but to work and film.

The heat was not much more than in South Africa in the nothern regions but in SA we usually stop hunting at 11 am and only start at 3 pm when it's hot. But being so far from camp and sometimes just the vehicle we were feeling the full force of the heat and sun in midday untill we could get to the vehicle and stop for a break.

I think on average I drank around 5 liters of water per day. Talk about detoxing

So the photos are limited and I tried to capture some photos at night as you will see.

Enjoy.












Full flight formation.






Hippos on their way for dinner.






The hippo is 20 yards from me and the tents 10 yards to my left out of picture. With me trying to capture the hippo at dark obviously it must stand still and this was the best one where the hippo stood still more than 30 seconds. We could hear this one around our tents every night.

Very nice! The first hippo photo is outstanding.

My favorite photo of this bunch is the one of the two tents at camp. It is really different than what we usually see. Thanks for sharing.

Jason

Brilliant Photos, the 2 male Impala are great

Pure magic. Nos. 9,11 & 12 are my top picks, love the riverine panorama & the starlight pics. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.
Steve

Super photos... Very shootable impala..

Mike

Excellent photos - some very unique scenes!! The two impala photo is quite different. How long did you have to wait for the two of them line up like that??

Thanks for posting.


Phil

Great Photos....

Looks like you had a lekker time

Phil,

Being at the right place at the right time with the right equipment helps to capture opportunities like that.

And of course a lot of luck combined with being in the bush for 200 days + this year helps.

Frederik, very nice photos indeed, thanks for sharing them with us.

Thanks for sharing!

beautiful pictures, and that is one buster of a pala

fantastic pictures

the two impalas was my favorite, the tents #2.

I love the tent images, very creative. makes me wish that I was there. Dr.C

I just had to log on and say that these are wonderful pictures. You've captured the essence of being enveloped by the African bush.

Very nice, thanks.

Outstanding!

Thanks all !

That first one with the hippo is stunning. By any chance were you in LA1 in the Selous?

Any way you cut it, I wish I was there.

Dagga Boy,

Yes, LA1 Selous you quessed it.

That looked like the bend in the Ruaha in front of camp.
It looked like home. What a magical place! How about some more hunting stories?

Dagga Boy,

Yes youre right the bend in the Ruaha.

Sorry but this was unfortunately a job for someone so except for the photos posted I cannot say or tell anything about our hunt or the animals taken.

What I can say is that we hunted very hard and that the rain that fell on hunting day number 2 and 3 made matters much worse with water to be found everywhere in the veldt.

And like mrlexma posted in his hunting report with all the "totos" (small babies) running around bait didnt look to appetizing for any of the cats.

I understand, and thanks for sharing what you could. I hope you don't mind if I tell a fishing story about that bend.
I'd heard about this tracker, Vincent, who loved fishing. So I brought a rod and reel with the intention of leaving it with him. He obviously didn't know that, so when we got back to camp early enough for some fishing, I thought I'd see what he could do. He was fishing with a rod end section with some line wrapped around it, a hook and a piece of meat.
This was our first day and we had barely met, so the exchange went something like this as he eyed me rigging up.
"Is that new?(my rod)"
"Yeah, pretty much. You're Vincent, right?"
He nods.
"I hear you can fish." He nods vigorously.
"Well, Vincent, if you show me a big fish, this rod is for you." His eyes get big and he breaks a big smile.
" But not until we leave, OK? Until then it's mine, OK?" Big nodding.
We fished for a half hour or so and as it got dark dinner was served, so my wife and I went up to camp. Vincent and another tracker, Libby stayed at the river. I thought about them a few times, but figured they knew what they were doing. With the crocs and hippos I'd feel a little undergunned with a .375, but apparently they only need a stick to feel secure. I still haven't decided if that's cojones, denial or something else.
Dessert was being served when we heard a lot of whooping and hollering coming up from the river. Sure enough, Vincent and Libby triumphantly haul in a 12 lb. vundu and Vincent knows he's won the rod and reel.
He was going to get it anyway, but this way he'd earned it. I spent some time showing him how to use it including letting him fight me as I stripped drag and ran and jumped down the beach like a tigerfish. He was a natural and the whole thing added tremendously to the overall experience.