In Chirisa in August this year I went on an anti poaching detail.

We had stopped at a waterhole to check for buffalo tracks and while the trackers were looking around we heard dogs barking. The Game scout said something to the PH in Shona and we took off. After running about 2 miles we got to some thick stuff where the dogs had something bayed. We could hear the poachers spearing a buffalo. You could actually hear the buffalo grunting and the spears twanging. The PH and the Gamescout went into the thicket as the poachers went out the other side, I never saw them, but NO WAY was I going to shoot anyone. I heard 5 shots in the thicket, then a cur dog came running out and the tracker told me to shoot it, which I did.

When the PH and the tracker came out of the Jess they told me that the poachers had killed a buffalo calf and wounded a cow that they had to put down. The PH fired 2 times with a 460 Weatherby and the Gamescout fired 3 times with his AK. Later the PH told me that the Gamescouts AK was loaded with tracer rounds. Kill and grill at the same time I guess????

I am very glad I didn't see the poachers. There is no way that I would have considered shooting a poacher unless it was in self defense and I am damned glad that didn't happen.

After just a little bit of reflection, I really think I should have waited with the truck. Oh, well, nothing bad happened, and it was an unusual experience for a Texas boy. And there was no trophy fee for the dog.

On a second note, we had a couple of lovely 45/70 packing men from Idaho, Mink farmers of all things, stuck in our camp ( our supposedly exclusive camp ) that when told the story, recounted how they would have loved the chance to get to "shoot a couple of niggers". Sick, racist, bastards can turn up in the damndest places I guess.

Anyway I told these "mink farmers" that the game Dept. was giving me a 25% discount on all my trophy fees after shooting the dog, and sent the whole safari camp into an uproar. I just gotta be me, I guess.