OK guys here goes - I think i've got the picture thing figured out (but then again i still think regan should still be president)
This year we had enough delta air miles to fly from minneapolis to atlanta and onto joberg on business class. 1st time for that - what a difference. I don't think I'd ever be willing to pay cash for the ticket, but on air miles YEAH. We overnighted with louis and annalese once again. Louis was in botswanna with his daughter, but annalese says he is getting better. the chemo is taking its toll, but the doctors say its all good. Heres hoping, these are good people and the world would be much worse off without them.
We flew up to lusaka next morning and were met at the airport by Laura Duploy, Johns wife. Laura is quite the girl. John is out hunting and she takes care of everything else. She does a huge jub and does it very well. We stayed at their home that night and met up with our PH - Terry VanRooyen. Terry is a young PH at 22, but whatever he lacks in experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm. Morning found us on the was to Bangleuwe swamps. It was about a 12 hour drive and we arrived with just enough time to check a rifle, catch a supper and hit the hay. 5:30 am the next morning found us out in the flat plain. We were looking for black lewche. I should mention that about the only predators there were the biggest best furred jackals I've ever seen, but we could shoot one - no quota there. As the sun came up, the plains started to shimmer with mirage. The berms accross the plains were cut in by fishermen so they could net the catfish in the wet season. Then one of the berms started to move. The lechwe were coming out of the bush, walking single file accross the plains. Hundred of lewche.Lechwe were everywhere. Now it became a hunt not for an animal, but which one. The herds would contain a hundred or more animals. Finding just the right one, and then being able to get a shot off, without killing the 3 behind it got to be a challenge. We found the male we wanted. He had the widest spread, excellent length and girth, was an older guy, in short just the right one. Now separating him out of the herd is quite an exercise. It really can't be done on foot, the truck had to be used. We would drive into the herd splitting them into smaller and smaller groups. Only thing was the groups would keep reforming. This went on for 3 or 4 hours, until our target finally stopped to scratch himself. In doing so he lagged behind for an instant or two. I was using one of my favorite guns, a Beretta double in 30:06 with 165 gr nosler partitions. The beretta is one of a matched set with the other being a 9.3x74R and having a sete of 20 ga. shotgun barrels to fit both actions. The 06 shots 1" groups at 100 yds with consecutive barrels. In anycase the first shot hit behind the shoulder taking out both lungs. The lechwe fell, but rose again, just to get hit with the second barrel.


This guy was 24 1/4" for what that is worth, but the black lechwe is one beautiful animal. Eventually just to keep my taxidermist happy, it will be done lifesize, as there is so much color and structure in the animal, that it really deserves the mount.
By 11 AM the skinners were done and we were on the way up to Tondwa for the rest of the hunt. It is about another 14 hr drive, 5 1/2 hours on what zambia calls a road. Most people would call it something else, usually punctuated by 4 letter words.
To keep this from getting to long, I'll stop for now and continue on another day. Besides, I'm curious to see if I actually posted a picture.

Congratulations -- the picture worked!

Looking forward to the rest.

And business class on miles -- it is indeed a treat.

That lechwe looks wider than average? Nicely done and congrats on your photo posting experience. Surely, you're not too tuckered out from that to keep us waiting for the next set?

Look forward to the rest of your hunt report. I hunted with Terry in Chanjuzi in 2006 and he is a really nice young man who works hard to please! And Laura is simply the best. Nice Lechwe and want to hear about Tondwa... have thought about going back on that one myself!

Great Lechwe.