Well I added 5 days to the hunt so I would be on a 21 day license and have all the DG available to me...I wanted to tell the truth, I wanted to shoot a 15 foot croc...That is what I told my students this past June before school let out...


So I told Pierre I wanted to hunt a big croc.. Pierre started looking for a large one for me to try for...These really big boys are more then hard to come by, but I was game for it..
So after killing my buf we used the front shoulders for croc bait...Hamilton the driver took the bait to the river to put out while we were in the blind for leopard...The wait begins and we go in silently to the croc area stop half mile from the river, no slamming doors, no loud talking, and slow and low near the river...
The first time we checked the bait nothing but lizards on sand bars and on the bait..The following day in the late afternoon we went to the croc bait after our lunch and ziesta...When we got to the river we saw a couple little ones and as we walked farther down river there was a click coming from behind us...Clinton van Tonder, Pierre son and also a Ph stopped us..He pointed excitedly where we were just looking...
We backed up and looked thru the greenery along the river and there was a monster basking out on the sand bar way out in the river...I looked thru my binos it was surreal its head looked gigantic and at the same time evil...We were whispering what to do and I said I will range it 212 yds...I was shooting a 375 model 70 African express..The ammo was handloaded 300TSX with 71 grs RL15..Very accurate...Now the problem was not to hit the croc, but to try and slip the bullet in the neck, because his head was turned slightly to the left... I felt the angle would make a head shot ricochet and not get full penetration...
I slid down a hippo path to the river and rested the rifle and wiggled my way to as comfortable a position as the ground would allow...I did not chop chop this shot but was slow and methodicial like a sniper doing his job.. I took aim and figured I had the elevation correct and sent a Barnes TSX special delivery to that creature...With the shot he wiggled and slid into the water...Pierre said you missed him... I countered back nope, I heard the bullet slap into him...Are you sure and I said positive..We walked up to where he was and found footprints that looked like a monster in the sand...While looking for that croc, directly in front of me he surfaced and started swimming away..I was raising my rifle and Pierre fired at him and a swirl of blood and under he went...
Pierre said, " You hit him good, there was no reason to come to the surface unless he was hurt.." So the boys Twiga, Hamilton, Dominic with a panga shooting sticks went into water to probe for the flatdog...Now you have to understand there was a pod of hippos there also
and then all hell breaks loose two bulls start to fight directly in front of us and 30 yds from the boys and when its all over there is one pissed off hippo bull still there and we on shore were all holding rifles at ready to protect the boys, if need be... The boys searched for the croc till 530 and Twiga came out of the water 5 feet from me and says blood and bullet..There nearly at my feet is about 5 drops of blood in the sand and a petal from the TSX and 5 or six pieces of bone from the head of the croc..So that's why he came to the surface and I really rang his bell..


Well Pierre says we will come back tomorrow morning and get him.
We hunt our way back to camp and I clean the guns and shower and talk about the hunt for the croc tomorrow...WE will take 3 more trackers to help look in the river..Pierre was positive we will get him...
After the moring hellos and breakfast off we go to the river maybe 10 to 20 kilometers down river and we drive right up to the waters edge...The trackers go into the water and myself and Hamilton walk the river down stream looking for any sign of a dead croc..After an hour, I walk back to Pierre who is watching the trackers in the river..He turns his binos up river and says Mike, " there he is past that stump"...I look I can see the side of his head where the two of us hit him it is all white on a dark green skin...I sit in the sand he is at least 200yds away and I shoot for the second shot and miss...You know I am shooting at a golf ball target sticking out of the water only 1/2 of an inch...An hour later there is is again BAM !!!third shot missed him again at 200yds...I tell Pierre I have to get higher to get a better angle on him...So I stand in front of the truck and have the shooting sticks up and the rifle on it...Suddenly right in front of me Clinton says Uncle Mike, " just saw the croc in the eddy directly in front of you across the river"...I tell Clinton to range it 117 yds to the shore directly over the pod of hippos...
I feel more confident and am ready for the shot... 1.5 hours later Pierre whispers Mike under the tree in front of you...All the way across the river under the low hanging branch in the eddy the water is foamy and white..Thanks for the great Leupold optics and 10X scope I slide of the safe and I have already acquired the croc and I smoothly sent a 4th TSX special delivery and let me tell you it was "right on the money"...Pierre says you got him..On the recoil I did not see what they did..The flatdog did the classic rolls and it was over...
Why is he floating and Pierre says," it is on the bottom and cannot sink...All the trackers were here watching when I made the shot and Pierre sent 5 over to bring that monster to this side of the river..


They crossed down stream away from the hippos and entered the water next to the croc tied him to the rope and pulled it up river 150 yds and then started across well away from the hippos..I videoed the task and as it got near the shore I could not believe my eyes..I was over 15 feet in fact it taped out to 15.6 feet..The head was 24 inches across...


Now how did he die, you ask??? Let me tell you, on a head shot you normally blow the cap which under the horns off...My croc died of a fractured skull...There is a crack of about 14 inches across the skull...
I is hard to believe 4 shots and an reptile over 100 years old...
When I look back of the recovery, I count my blessings the guys were in the water with that live flatdog looking for him and he was alive!!!

Mike

Impressive, impressive, impressive.

He is one evil looking SOB.

Find anything interesting in its stomach?

Jim, they are the most rotten smelling creatures and the stomach would make a maggot puke....Did find some rocks that were round like golf balls...I would not pick up them for the smell probably would get a jetliner full of people sick...

Can you see thew photos??

Mike

Another great story Mike. I haven't made up my mind about a croc yet, but if I can find one the size of yours, I'm sure I'll try for him. Thanks.

Mike,

I can see the photos and they are great!

Jim

i think you are going to have to upgrade at your picture-posting site. I'm getting nothing at this time but a red X in a box.

Guys,

do not know why it may be your security settings on your puters...But if you go to page 6 of the Retreever's AR hunt half down the page my wife has a link to the album, click on public album and look at the test album...shows the pics I put in...

Mike

Another with the dreaded red X on your photos for all your reports.

Excellent stories and very well told!!

Congrats!

great story and pics--thanks..........chris

Great story Mike! I can see the pictures.

Please repost the pix. We cant see them!

Reposting the pics won't help. Cherie and I are so technology challenged, it's pathetic...it took us 3 days to figure out how to post the pics in the first place!!!
Here's a link to the 'Tanz test' album where most of the hunt report photos are.

http://picasaweb.google.com/retreever/TanzTest



Mike & Cherie

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
Guys,

do not know why it may be your security settings on your puters...But if you go to page 6 of the Retreever's AR hunt half down the page my wife has a link to the album, click on public album and look at the test album...shows the pics I put in...

Mike

Mike,
I couldn't see the pictures, but when I clicked on the picture's properties, it appears there is a "?" after the .jpg in the address. When I removed that question mark, the pictures showed up.

Mike,

Thanks for posting the link. What an incredible adventure! Thanks for sharing.
Hugh

Mike,

Congratulations! Great Croc and fantastic story. I'm leaving for the Selous next Tuesday and Croc is on my list. My quandary is what the heck to do with one? What are your plans with yours?

There is a post on AR where a guy's croc hide was putrid when it arrived at the taxidermist. He cautioned to fully flesh and salt it. And then there's head. I don't know how you keep that from rotting before it arrives in the states.

I bet someone here knows.

Anyway, wow! What a great trophy and adventure.

Thank you, I am having the croc tanned with the head on....Damn big conversation piece...As for cleaning It is all up to the skinner in camp...Pierre van Tonder has one of the best skinners I have ever seen....I watched how he cared for the animals and I saw finished skins of mine they looked like finished hides..Totally white...After skinned salted washed and dried and brushed with a steel brush to get every bit of whatever would ruin a hide...
I did see a 14 foot croc at he taxidermists and it just came back from the tannery with a wet tanning..It stunk real bad...he sent it back and they did a dry tanning and came back perfect....
As for the head they cannot cut skin from head...

Mike

Thanks Mike. I think that's a good choice. I plan to follow suit. If, that is, I am lucky enough to get a shot at a really good one.

Russell

Mike,
Is it just my imagination or did Pierre's beard get white while you were there?
Rich Elliott

Rich,

You are correct... I turned it white making all those shots...

Mike

Beautifully narrated and an amazing trophy.Congratulations.

Best-Locksley,R.

Retreever - it looks like the place you're hosting the photos doesn't allow linking to the photos.

I've copied them over to my server. Just right-click the image and paste that path wherever you want to post a photo.