people ,
i have been doing way way too much flyting recently so i thought instead of reading the inflight magazine for the 20th time , i would write a story about a hunt that i guided in may 2009 - excuse the bad punctuation , typos and poor spelling !!!

PART ONE
The plump little person giggling madly as she chased the puppy who was yelping wildly in indignance …the patter of tiny feet going past - feet hardened by seven years of never wearing a shoe .. the rest of the kids we huddled around Doug King , my cameraman as he flipped the viewscreen of his camera towards them and peals of laughter came as they recognized each other – making faces and posing in the wildest and funniest contortions you have ever seen …

In the background a gaggle of voices amid the steady CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! of Bashops axe, my lead tracker it was his job to chop the ivory. Small fires were scattered around and bits of elephant flesh sizzled on the mopane coals …

The smell of woodsmoke wafted by from time to time amid the odor of freshly opened elephant , human sweat and burning meat - Any one of those smells on its own would mean little, but mixed together below the wheeling column of vultures - black dots in the azure blue Botswana sky - it was the smell of success.

Just six days earlier I had collected mike from the Maun airport : Five years of planning , phonecalls, emails and excitement…. And as we thumped off the last bit of asphalt on our way out of town he turned away to stare out of the window , self conscious of his emotion , he was finally here, his lifelong dream, to hunt elephant in Botswana with a double rifle, was finally here ..

We had just two hours to drive to get to the camp ,but it wasn’t long as we rumbled over the washboarded roads before we started seeing the first signs of elephant , like mashed up leaves and grass in flat brown patches on the white Kalahari sand …we both had our windows wide open and as the truck sped through the mopane woodland , the wind in our faces I realized that as long as I was physically capable I would be doing this as much as I could.

We turned off the main road ,onto a nameless little two track - the name of the camp scrawled on an elephant femur indicated just a mile to go and as we rolled up to the camp, in true safari fashion the camp staff were out to greet us. Singing the tribal bushman song of welcome we got out of the truck , our sweaty backs cold in the gentle breeze …

After meeting the staff and showing mike to his tent , simple, practical and well appointed , under the weathered branches of an ancient camelthorn … its thatched roof with a sprinkling of the pale grey pods … Mababe camp , perched in the dunes of the ancient Kalahari desert , the heart of elephant country , not just elephant country but the best elephant country in the world … indeed right on the paths between the tents the giant worn pads imprinted in the fine Kalahari sand a testament to the regular night visits.

That first afternoon we set off , Bashop, my lead tracker comfortable and happy to be back in his perch high on the truck, at 60 years old, this man , from his simple tribal background was the one person most responsible for my success …. Our bond forged from years of hunting elephant together facing moments that would make most people run in fear – worlds apart in our journey of life, our backgrounds and aspirations, yet for 150 days a year we share the same journey the same passions and play side by side on the same team …. Our goal to share elephant experiences with our visiting hunters , keeping them safe as we pursue the ultimate trophy . weather in Zimbabwe , Botswana , Tanzania or any other country the few hunts where he is not by my side I feel like I am playing on a handicapped team.

Rapula was in his usual spot, a bushman whose eyes and feel for the bush is hard to truly fathom , his pointing stick ready, he is always standing right behind the cab ready to indicate with the stick to us in the front of the cab …far quieter and faster than rapping on the roof …a quiet person yet a guy who smiled easily , was very easy to be around and when coupled with Bashop could work out almost any tangled web of footprints .

Doug king , my cameraman for this hunt , a quiet guy , incredibly artistic and also a guy who over the years past has stood right behind me steady to the utmost regardless of what is unfolding , his lens trained on the action , steady and unwavering …Doug is a passionate hunter himself a worthy member of the team and someone who can take almost any situation create his magic with his camera, his artistic angle and perception of the characters and situation… and a few hours later hunched over his laptop create a clip that will have even the hardest man moist eyed.

Our scout immaculately dressed, professional and self important …it would take a few days for him to warm to the team and for the moment he was wary , making sure we were doing the right thing and adhering to the rules and regulations that govern the country and the sport … these men are often in the difficult position of having to police various situations , it is always my goal to quickly put them at ease in the realization that this hunt would be conducted to the letter of the law – making his job very easy.

As we rolled the tires that first afternoon the thing that so often happens on the first day ,. I see the safari through the eyes of someone whose passion to hunt elephant has driven them to work and save and plan and now at the end of all the dreams and the plans we sit together in the truck , our crew in their designated perches warmly embracing the new addition to the team , in this case mike …

It wasn’t long before the stick came down , indicating that an elephant had been spotted from the back. I stopped the truck , climbed up the ladder to see and sure enough there were the giant grey backs of four bulls 800 yards distant …mike breathlessly got up next to me his binos glued to his eyes , I noticed his white knuckles and the shake of the instrument was clear indication of what this moment meant to this old man.

We couldn’t make out their tusks or even see the lower two thirds of their bodies from where we were so we loaded up and set off , the first approach of the hunt this was a big learning curve and it would take a few till mike knew where to walk and what to expect and how we wanted his rifle and what he should bring , but this time we just took a few moments …gun loaded and on safe ;- check , hat and sunblock ;- check, ammo belt ;-check, binoculars;-check …water? – the trackers have that , first aid?;- The trackers have that , my backpack?;- the trackers have that …where should I walk …Bashop, me , you Mongoose, Doug, Rapula, Gamescout …and so we set off …

The bush was thick and of course as soon as we got off the truck we were below the treeline and had to simply go by direction using a couple of trees ahead as landmarks ..

After ten minutes or so I climbed a small tree , more of a sturdy bush actually – nothing , where were they? we should be close by now – we walked over to a taller tree and with our help to start with, Rapula scaled to the top of the canopy …nothing ….

Three hundred yards or so in what we thought was the right direction , up another tree …as my head broke through the top of the canopy there they were – seven bulls feeding and facing generally in an easterly direction …

I pointed to where they were and indicated the number and the whole attitude of the faces looking up at me from below changed subtly …this is what we were all keyed in to do , its whats we do !

Checking the wind with my ashbag , a child’s sock , actually lifted from my sisters sock drawer many years earlier when Daniel my nephew was just two years old ! The puff of ash as I shook the bag softly indicated that our wind was good , we had a very gentle easterly breeze , the bush was however pretty thick and so we would have to be very careful not to disturb the bulls before we saw them all …

I turned to Doug and whispered into his lens telling him what was going on and we cautiously approached – a flap of giant ears gave us perfect direction and at that moment Bashop stepped to the side and let me pass as I handed him my double and grabbed my binos …from that moment he would , no matter what, be one step behind me until I needed my rifle ..

The first bull was kicking some roots out of the ground , one tusk of just about thirty pounds protruded from his impossibly wrinkled face – I pulled mike up next to me and we just watched for a few moments – I talked him through the situation on the brain , getting him prepared for his perfect shot , if this went how I hoped I would like to over the first few approaches get him used to being around elephant and more importantly get him a proficient knowledge of where I wanted his shot to go ..

We backed off and circled round to see the next elephants , three bulls were closer together each feeding on a different tree , none of them over 40 pounds and all on the young side , one in particular was only middle aged but the promise of a great trophy stuck out 3 and a half feet from his lip , still young and thin in girth this bull would one day be of excellent quality.

The other tree bulls were in a clearing one standing the other two feeding on grass , one , the oldest of the group had a huge gnarled nub of tusk on his right and a jagged remnant of what was once a great piece of ivory on his left …his enormous body towering a full foot higher than the rest of the bulls and his giant head gently tugging as he uprooted clumps of grass , I grabbed mike , turned to make sure Doug was ready and we walked towards the old man …at about 15 yards he saw us and I stopped... whispering to mike all the while about where I would potentially shot if this was the moment , the old guy shook his head and walked three or four steps towards us …raise your rifle mike , don’t shoot , just get a bead on his head , okay now look at his earholes and see how deep into his head you need to aim …the bull raised his head up and stared down his note at us …okay mike at this angle you would want to shoot right between the tusks…the bull then violently shook his head the sound of which stopped all the others eating and then he swung around and walked off , his gnarled and twisted tail held erect as an indication of his fraustration with us ..

Mike beamed up at me …wow that was incredible , I am in Africa , with m,y Heym PH , up close to a Botswana elephant , he shook his head and we turned and walked back to the vehicle ..

That was all we saw in the way of elephants that first afternoon , but it was plenty and as the sunsank below the horizon and we slowly bumped our way back to the camp the truck was engulfed in a very satisfying silence , …this was the first fee hours of the first afternoon on safari and it was that good ….

People ,
Two flights this week and typing on the plane , here is part two …enjoy

PART TWO
The southern cross was still so bright I felt I could reach out and touch it as I made my way to the diningroom structure , there perched next to the fire the orange glow of flames flickering in his face was mike , the Kalahari chill made me shiver as I walked up the steps – “whats up mike , how did you sleep?” “he took a sip of his coffee , looked up at me grinning and asked “cant you hunt at night – I don’t think I can wait till daylight” .

We sat quietly staring at the fire , sipping hot sweet strong coffee each of us mesmerized by the flames and our thoughts of what the day would bring … a diesel motor kicked to life in the compound bringing me back to the present , Bashop would be taking the truck to the kitchen to load up our lunch and drinks box while we had breakfast.


The truck rolled up to the diningroom the crew clambered off , bashop in his carr-hart quilted coveralls , the rest of the team in a myriad of warm clothing , it was 35 degrees right now , frosty to say the least and the prospect of the back of the truck was not a warm one ..

I checked over the gear to make sure everything was there , food , plenty of water both spare tyres inflated diesel refilled , rifles , ammo and binoculars …all present and correct and with the sky turning impossibly red we rolled out of camp for our first morning …

I rolled slowly with my lights on dip looking for fresh morning tracks , right through the night branches had been crackling around us and sure enough the signs were there on the roads , not worth following though as the dew and late night spiders indicated it was hours since their passing …

We drove slowly north towards the Chobe boundary and into the Mababe depression , miles and miles of flat grassy plains , in the wet season completely impassable but now 4 months since the last heavy rains the roads were completely dry.

The stick came down , Rapula looked at me in my wing mirror and help up two fingers indicating two bulls . I switched off and jumped out the truck , onto the seat , there they were huge gray beasts made to look even larger buy the wide open plains they were in …the road was the boundary and they were on the wrong side of it …I could see they had tusks but at a distance of five hundred yards it was 9mpossible to tell just what quality they were …they were in no hurry to move and so we carried on , no further elephants in the plains , just the incredible volume of gamebirds and a few nervous steenbok and one young kudu bull.

It was a relatively dry morning and by about 10.30 we had just seen ten bulls , two of which were the bulls on the wrong side , we stopped for a “conference”, which consisted of a snack , cup of tea from the food box , shedding a couple of layers of warm clothing and a squat around the back of the truck in a huddle discussing where we should go … it was decided after the break we would make our way towards a series of pans in the mopane woodland that mongoose had visited on the last safari and seen a great bull … so with our minds set , we climbed back onto our perches and set off ..

the Kalahari desert is known for many things but anyone who has ever been there will know the great fluctuation in temperature is something that will take you quite unaware …by now it was already in the low 70s and very comfortable , the skies impossibly blue and not a single cloud .

we soon turned onto the chobe boundary , a wide cutline ,the dried up black clay soil pock marked by the passing of elephants during the wet season , the giant well worn paths indicating that we were nearing the popular watering spots ..

as we turned into the mopane a roller took off from next tyo the truck , its harsh squawk a sharp contrast to its breathtaking blue colors …a warthog hurried across the road , tail erect like the antenna on a childs radio controlled toy , we looked at each other and grinned …suddenly the stick came down and there in front of us through the mopane woodland was a large herd of elephant cows walking straight towards us ..

some chatter from the back of the truck in tswana and rapula leaned down “the gamescout says you must drive away ..i winked at mike ..rapula , tell him to sit oj the floor of the truck … no please ivan , he says these elephants are very dangerous , he doesn’t know us rapula , tell him to sit on the floor , a click of his tongue followed by some scrabbling around let me know that we now had a gamescout sitting on the hunting box deep in the hart of the truck !

the cows came peacefully towards us , the matriarch ancient , enourmous , her skin impossibly wrinkled and her gait completely graceful , almost silently they passed in front of us , small babies , their skins tight , trunks floppy hurrying to keep up with the graceful slow steps of their elders ,

the last cow turned and looked at us , her evenly matched ivory almost touching in front of her trunk , her 6 year old calf with its ears held wide , she swung her head , flapped her ears and hustled off the sounds of skin on skin rasping as the giant legs rubbed each other ..

I looked at mike and Doug appeared at his window , camera aimed in our faces , what do you think mike …incredible he said , I never thought they could be so quiet , indeed many people when they see their first herds are amazed at just how quiet these animals can be – if they are not feeding that is ..

Well that was the first of about 18 herds in the next couple of hours bulls of every shape and size standing under the trees , mud drying in dark spots on them , the series of pans running through this valley were most certainly a popular drinking spot right now , it was a numbers game and one wants to see lots of elephants but cows and calves are not what one is after and often the largest and oldest of bulls is alone or with other bulls , but it was , none the less great to see just such a high volume of animals ..

We decided that this would be a good spot for lunch so , keeping the wind in mind we set up our tarp table and a few chairs and over the next hour and a half we saw herd after herd coming to the large pan , churning it to a muddy mess , the babies flopping their trunks ineffectively , the old and the wise aiming the mud at their flanks with surprising accuracy .

We decided after lunch to go back to the southern corner , on the way a large herd of some 50 giraffe added to the day , galloping gracefully across the depression as we passed …

The sun was dropping surprisingly fast , I glanced at the clock on my dash it was already 4 pm , where had the day gone , our elephant count was close to 300 but no monster …yet ..

Then I spotted a grey backside moving away from us through the trees , always a victory to see one before the keen eyed trackers , I looks in my mirror and as Rapula looked down he smiled , knowing that I had something in sight ..

I stepped out of the truck , looked back at the crew and laughed and asked if they were sleeping nicely .. with a grin bashop asked …water? Yes I replied at which he grabbed the waterbag while mongoose passed mike his gun and I slid mine out of its bag , the crew were starting to gel and in less than a minute we were walking with the wind in our faces and the huge rear of the elephant growing larger as we got closer and closer our feet quiet on the elephant path through the Kalahari sand …

In less than ten minutes we found ourselves within 60 yards of the bull none of us had seen the ivory , if there even was any ..

At that point a curve in the path caused him to quarter just a little , Bashop let out a hiss through his teeth ..”uyo ine nyanga baas , ndofunga hombe chaizho” this elephant has got tusks boss I think very large ..my mouth was instantly dry my heart stepped up , could it be ..i turned to mongoose he shook his head and smiled in agreement ..

The bull stopped and started feeding on an acacia the sharp thorns scraping across his hide – we got to one side being very careful to keep the wind in our favour and watching every step , mike sensed our mood and without even seeing it properly he whispered it’s a good one isn’t it …I looked at him and said , I don’t know , Bashop thinks so ..

After a minute or two that seemed like a year or two he casually changed the weight on his feet and we got to see him perfectly broadside …could it be ?! Mongoose ? we need to shoot this bull Ivan – do you think so – yes it’s a good one – how big – a good one …I knew the bull was good , I was worried about his other tusk …the sweat bees kept flying into my eyes the sweat was trickling down my temple and my mouth was dry …I needed to see the other tusk ..he broke a branch and the other tusk came into view it was perfectly matched , I turned to Doug and told his lens …this bull is tempting , we are on day one but hes a very very good bull ..

Mike looked at me expectantly – I can shoot him from right here _ no mike , lets have a close look and see – mongoose I am going close stay her …the crew say down aware exactly of the drill , I put my hearing protection in and as I did so a feeling of great calm came over me …kind of weird , I was in complete control , my mouth no longer dry , it was all business ..I cracked my rifle and double checked my bullets , mike did the same , i had him take his binos off and give them to the guys ..

We walked in towards the old guy , at about ten yards he swung towards us , a magnificent bull –then he came shuffling in to about 5 yards towering impossibly huge over us his elephant odor on the east wind clear in our faces – I was about to tell mike to shoot him , he was ready and glancing expectantly up at me …I shook my head – no mike , not on day one I whispered , if he comes a step closer shoot him , if not we will let him go ..my hands felt comfortable on my grip on my rifle I was completely and utterly focused on the bull the rest of the world ceased to exist , I had a hand on mikes shoulder he was calm and the situation was tense but in full control ..

Finally after an age , he swung around and turned and mike breathed loudly our whew that was cool , cant I shoot him , shhhh i said , the Bull heard us and shuffled off …I slapped mike on the back , his eyes sparkling like a child at Christmas …wow I cant believe you wouldn’t let me shoot … as I walked back to the guys , they stood up and we started walking back – Bashop turned back to me and said you let a monster go – why.

It’s the first day Bashop –no boss our season started one month ago , it’s not the first day .. and anyway that bull is good enough for the first day – Mongoose what do you think – I think we should go back and shoot him , he is a very good bull – over 75? Yes over 75, maybe 80.

As we walked in silence back to the vehicle That got me thinking …and that night I asked Doug to download the footage and I looked and relooked at what had happened –

In elephant hunting when you see a bull you have to make the ultimate decision , if you turn away you will probably not see him again , if you shoot the hunt is over – it’s a heavy decision not to be taken lightly ..

As I tossed and turned in bed I realized I had indeed let a monster go …tomorrow we would go and find his track and if we saw him again Mike would get his wish …..

PART THREE

The heavy dew had soaked through my gaiters and socks the goosebumps on my arms testimony to the chilly morning air – rather be cold for san hour than have to carry my jacket for the whole day – the heavy dew was bad news for elephant tracking , the sand sticks to the wet pads of the giants as they move through the bush making it almost impossible to track , add to that a bunch of other elephant traffic and you have yourself a trackers nightmare !!!

We were soon right where we had sen the old bull the night before , the broken braches where he was feeding indicating we were in fact in the right spot ..

Bashop and Rapula started to track , easy at first , he had moved only 100 yards then had pushed over a tree , three other bulls had joined him at the tree and then they had moved off – the green vegetation never allowing us to see a whole track , it was frustrating to say the least … we were not tracking at this time , just looking for the next likely sign of our bull , several other bulls had come through in the night and add to that the fact that they were all meandering aimlessly feeding ..

We were soon in a grove of acacias , the fine damp sand full of tracks and Bashop was again sure we were on the correct bull – this was good , he moved between the small grove of acacias , the nigh protein pods irresistible to him , you could see where he had hesitated to shake a tree and then backed up to pick the fallen pods …

This was good , what took him half an hour took us just a minute or two to pass which meant we were catching up quickly , we still had a very long way to go though as we were at least 12 hours behind him still …

Our first dropping , dark brown – that was at least three hours ahead , the dung beetles had begun work many hours before when the dropping was still yellow and warm – this was a good sign though now we had a reference , bulls usually leave a dropping every hour or so – as long as we were finding droppings less than half an hour apart we would catch up to him..

As he left the acacias the luck turned the short Kalahari vegetation trampled by innumerable bulls in the night going in every direction- this was hopeless , after an hour of bigger and bigger circles I realized that this was not going to happen , 12 hours was simply too far behind , we had turned away from a monster and we would not see him again , we were just two miles from the car , so we made the decision to stop and go back to the vehicle ..all of us a little disappointed at not finding the bull , but it was only really the second day of the hunt and we had 12 more after this .

I climbed in the back and got the coffee flask and we charged our travelmugs and started to roll , by now the day had warmed up – another truly beautiful day in Botswana the crystal clear air making it feel like you could reach up and touch the endless blue sky above –

We had decided to drive a road that led to a waterhole where we thought our bull may have crossed or even better where he may have drank. Keep9ing our eyes peeled though , this was a great time to see bull s, the day was warming up and they would be moving by now .

Sure enough not ten minutes down the road through the rasinbush flats and the stick came down , 7 bulls ! I got up on the roof to glass them , the bush was about ten feet tall here and all you could see was the tops of their backs – they were about a mile out so we decided to go and see what they had for ivory –

By now the team was working well together mike was in the groove and knew where to walk and what to bring and what to expect . and so we quietly walked in on the group , they were feeding actually on the roots of the terminalia bushes so they were not moving very fast. As we got nearer the damp holes and remnants of the small trees pulled up by their roots , was everywhere , the acrid smell of tannins and damp earth coupled with fresh elephant droppings rich in the air !

A blow from nearby as one of the giants cleared his trunk of loose earth brought us to a sudden stop – there were no trees to climb and see from and the bush was pretty thick , bashop dropped back taking my rifle as he passed and mike bashop mongoose and I slowly walked forward doug at the ready recording every move ..

Then we saw the top of his head about 15 yards out …I tried glassing through the brush and could see his face but not his mouth , we needed to be about 5 yards to the right –
We backed up to about 50 yards then took a wide circle back to the view of the bull and now even though he was still in the thicket I could start to see , I squatted down to glass from below – he had both tusks but would not even make 30 pounds a side ..

I beckoned to Rapula – he knew the drill , and within a couple of seconds the young bushman was standing on my shoulders – I put him down and he whispered that all of them were small but he had seen a very big bodied bull 100 yards to our right ,

We looped round to get the wind correct and started making our way in , Rapula in front I had my rifle back on my shoulder it was thick here and the last thing I wanted was to bump into an elephant while I was without my rifle !

Then we saw him in front of us – his tusk gleaming through the bush , my heart skipped a beat – it always does and I put my riflebutt on the ground and looked through my binos , wow this was truly a bull to look at , his tusk on this side would I thought go into the high 60s but what made him so spectacular was the length of the ivory – I looked at mike and whispered – good length , not thick though – length is good he agreed I am happy with long ivory ! mongoose what do you think – thin – yes but look how long , yes very long –

My head was spinning , if he had both tusks would we take this bull , how could we see two bulls in this class and turn both down , he wasn’t as heavy as yesterdays bull but his length was spectacular – he had ivory sticking out at least 47 inches , he had a large head so you could add 28 - 30 inches for what was in his skull – that’s almost 80 inches of ivory !

The wind swirled and he immediately stopped digging and swung his head up lifting his trunk to taste the air , a single flap of skin hung limp over his left tusk socket – I could feel the cool breeze on my neck , it was just a few moments till he would run or come in , we were at about 40 yards so either could happen – I whispered to mike if he comes in don’t shoot unless I tell you – okay he said his smile splitting his face – mike was having the time of his life.

The bull swung and back arched , head held high and tail curled up towards his left side he left , it was only two or three seconds till he was completely out of sight and the only sign of him was the sounds of the bush against his enormous frame …

Same drill , back to the truck and look for more – its dead time often walking back to the truck so we stepped up the pace and really stretched our legs walking the giant elephant paths scattered with droppings from earlier in the day , yesterday and the day before …

Then just before we reached the vehicle I heard a cluck from behind us – doug was pointing and there sure enough was a large bodied bull a couple of hundred yards out making his was eastwards – we set off to look at him and as we closed the gap we saw that he was one of three bulls , his ivory looked very nice but I didn’t want to get my hopes up so soon ..

As we neared him his tusks looked nicer and nicer till finally at about 60 yards I said to mike , I think we should take this bull ..okay whatever you think he replied but the intensity of his eyes gave away his excitement. I think we are going to shoot this bull mike , he has length and thickness and we cant let another one slip away ..Lets get in close and have a closer look but be ready. We got ready , cracked our rifles to dopuble check the loads and started to make our way in –

The old bull must have sensed we were close , and he flared at about 12 yards and then came walking right towards us , his huge tusks held high as he looked down his ancient nose at us – he was in musth and the bitter odor filled our nostrils ..

Okay mike hit him just below his eyeline – I glanced at the end of mikes barrel – rock steady ,the elephant at just 7 paces - he squeezed the first trigger and dust flew off his head , he turned to leave – again I said as I took aim behind the shoulder , mikes second barrel went off and perfectly found its mark the bull dies before he heard the shot and in a cloud of dust sank below the bushline ..reload mike , come in – we briskly walked behind the bull and mike placed another shot into the brain for security ..

My goodness - my goodness, I cant believe it , tears were running freely down his checks , his lips quivering as Mike realized that he had just conquered a dream .. he hugged me the kind of hug saved for an occasion like this and murmered thank you – a bots tusker with my Double rifle thank you – it was hard to control my emotions at that point -

The crew went crazy , shaking hands , slapping backs and exclaiming at what we had found -

“Twende- siya zvakadaro” come men , leave him alone - we left mike there in awe of the great beast walking around and around his animal tears running down his face shaking his head at the giant evenly matched tusks that stuck out of the bulls mouth , while we walked back to the vehicle – He needed some time with his elephant and the elephant deserved that time.

Thanks, Ivan, for painting these pictures with your words.

Well written, I am looking forward to part 2.Thanks.

Great will be waiting for #2 Thanks Ivan

Keep it up. Keep it up!

well writtten indeed.

Stunningly exciting... Waiting for the rest of the installment. The memories of closing in on an elephant bull...

Mike

IVAN you put me RIGHT THERE !

Didn't finish the whole thing, gotta get back to reading "War and Peace"

No, seriously - good story. Keep it up.

Great writing , looking forward to the rest. Is there the possibility of a book in the near future?

Wow, really exiting Looking forward to part two.

Torbjørn

Nice... the object of any writer is to make the reader see and feel the scenes as they unfold. The dust flying as the bull shakes his head... the circus smell of elephant as you close... the faint trickle of sweat in the coolness of the morning as it gathers between the shoulderblades. Written perfectly Ivan.

People ,
Two flights this week and typing on the plane , here is part two …enjoy

PART TWO
The southern cross was still so bright I felt I could reach out and touch it as I made my way to the diningroom structure , there perched next to the fire the orange glow of flames flickering in his face was mike , the Kalahari chill made me shiver as I walked up the steps – “whats up mike , how did you sleep?” “he took a sip of his coffee , looked up at me grinning and asked “cant you hunt at night – I don’t think I can wait till daylight” .

We sat quietly staring at the fire , sipping hot sweet strong coffee each of us mesmerized by the flames and our thoughts of what the day would bring … a diesel motor kicked to life in the compound bringing me back to the present , Bashop would be taking the truck to the kitchen to load up our lunch and drinks box while we had breakfast.


The truck rolled up to the diningroom the crew clambered off , bashop in his carr-hart quilted coveralls , the rest of the team in a myriad of warm clothing , it was 35 degrees right now , frosty to say the least and the prospect of the back of the truck was not a warm one ..

I checked over the gear to make sure everything was there , food , plenty of water both spare tyres inflated diesel refilled , rifles , ammo and binoculars …all present and correct and with the sky turning impossibly red we rolled out of camp for our first morning …

I rolled slowly with my lights on dip looking for fresh morning tracks , right through the night branches had been crackling around us and sure enough the signs were there on the roads , not worth following though as the dew and late night spiders indicated it was hours since their passing …

We drove slowly north towards the Chobe boundary and into the Mababe depression , miles and miles of flat grassy plains , in the wet season completely impassable but now 4 months since the last heavy rains the roads were completely dry.

The stick came down , Rapula looked at me in my wing mirror and help up two fingers indicating two bulls . I switched off and jumped out the truck , onto the seat , there they were huge gray beasts made to look even larger buy the wide open plains they were in …the road was the boundary and they were on the wrong side of it …I could see they had tusks but at a distance of five hundred yards it was 9mpossible to tell just what quality they were …they were in no hurry to move and so we carried on , no further elephants in the plains , just the incredible volume of gamebirds and a few nervous steenbok and one young kudu bull.

It was a relatively dry morning and by about 10.30 we had just seen ten bulls , two of which were the bulls on the wrong side , we stopped for a “conference”, which consisted of a snack , cup of tea from the food box , shedding a couple of layers of warm clothing and a squat around the back of the truck in a huddle discussing where we should go … it was decided after the break we would make our way towards a series of pans in the mopane woodland that mongoose had visited on the last safari and seen a great bull … so with our minds set , we climbed back onto our perches and set off ..

the Kalahari desert is known for many things but anyone who has ever been there will know the great fluctuation in temperature is something that will take you quite unaware …by now it was already in the low 70s and very comfortable , the skies impossibly blue and not a single cloud .

we soon turned onto the chobe boundary , a wide cutline ,the dried up black clay soil pock marked by the passing of elephants during the wet season , the giant well worn paths indicating that we were nearing the popular watering spots ..

as we turned into the mopane a roller took off from next tyo the truck , its harsh squawk a sharp contrast to its breathtaking blue colors …a warthog hurried across the road , tail erect like the antenna on a childs radio controlled toy , we looked at each other and grinned …suddenly the stick came down and there in front of us through the mopane woodland was a large herd of elephant cows walking straight towards us ..

some chatter from the back of the truck in tswana and rapula leaned down “the gamescout says you must drive away ..i winked at mike ..rapula , tell him to sit oj the floor of the truck … no please ivan , he says these elephants are very dangerous , he doesn’t know us rapula , tell him to sit on the floor , a click of his tongue followed by some scrabbling around let me know that we now had a gamescout sitting on the hunting box deep in the hart of the truck !

the cows came peacefully towards us , the matriarch ancient , enourmous , her skin impossibly wrinkled and her gait completely graceful , almost silently they passed in front of us , small babies , their skins tight , trunks floppy hurrying to keep up with the graceful slow steps of their elders ,

the last cow turned and looked at us , her evenly matched ivory almost touching in front of her trunk , her 6 year old calf with its ears held wide , she swung her head , flapped her ears and hustled off the sounds of skin on skin rasping as the giant legs rubbed each other ..

I looked at mike and Doug appeared at his window , camera aimed in our faces , what do you think mike …incredible he said , I never thought they could be so quiet , indeed many people when they see their first herds are amazed at just how quiet these animals can be – if they are not feeding that is ..

Well that was the first of about 18 herds in the next couple of hours bulls of every shape and size standing under the trees , mud drying in dark spots on them , the series of pans running through this valley were most certainly a popular drinking spot right now , it was a numbers game and one wants to see lots of elephants but cows and calves are not what one is after and often the largest and oldest of bulls is alone or with other bulls , but it was , none the less great to see just such a high volume of animals ..

We decided that this would be a good spot for lunch so , keeping the wind in mind we set up our tarp table and a few chairs and over the next hour and a half we saw herd after herd coming to the large pan , churning it to a muddy mess , the babies flopping their trunks ineffectively , the old and the wise aiming the mud at their flanks with surprising accuracy .

We decided after lunch to go back to the southern corner , on the way a large herd of some 50 giraffe added to the day , galloping gracefully across the depression as we passed …

The sun was dropping surprisingly fast , I glanced at the clock on my dash it was already 4 pm , where had the day gone , our elephant count was close to 300 but no monster …yet ..

Then I spotted a grey backside moving away from us through the trees , always a victory to see one before the keen eyed trackers , I looks in my mirror and as Rapula looked down he smiled , knowing that I had something in sight ..

I stepped out of the truck , looked back at the crew and laughed and asked if they were sleeping nicely .. with a grin bashop asked …water? Yes I replied at which he grabbed the waterbag while mongoose passed mike his gun and I slid mine out of its bag , the crew were starting to gel and in less than a minute we were walking with the wind in our faces and the huge rear of the elephant growing larger as we got closer and closer our feet quiet on the elephant path through the Kalahari sand …

In less than ten minutes we found ourselves within 60 yards of the bull none of us had seen the ivory , if there even was any ..

At that point a curve in the path caused him to quarter just a little , Bashop let out a hiss through his teeth ..”uyo ine nyanga baas , ndofunga hombe chaizho” this elephant has got tusks boss I think very large ..my mouth was instantly dry my heart stepped up , could it be ..i turned to mongoose he shook his head and smiled in agreement ..

The bull stopped and started feeding on an acacia the sharp thorns scraping across his hide – we got to one side being very careful to keep the wind in our favour and watching every step , mike sensed our mood and without even seeing it properly he whispered it’s a good one isn’t it …I looked at him and said , I don’t know , Bashop thinks so ..

After a minute or two that seemed like a year or two he casually changed the weight on his feet and we got to see him perfectly broadside …could it be ?! Mongoose ? we need to shoot this bull Ivan – do you think so – yes it’s a good one – how big – a good one …I knew the bull was good , I was worried about his other tusk …the sweat bees kept flying into my eyes the sweat was trickling down my temple and my mouth was dry …I needed to see the other tusk ..he broke a branch and the other tusk came into view it was perfectly matched , I turned to Doug and told his lens …this bull is tempting , we are on day one but hes a very very good bull ..

Mike looked at me expectantly – I can shoot him from right here _ no mike , lets have a close look and see – mongoose I am going close stay her …the crew say down aware exactly of the drill , I put my hearing protection in and as I did so a feeling of great calm came over me …kind of weird , I was in complete control , my mouth no longer dry , it was all business ..I cracked my rifle and double checked my bullets , mike did the same , i had him take his binos off and give them to the guys ..

We walked in towards the old guy , at about ten yards he swung towards us , a magnificent bull –then he came shuffling in to about 5 yards towering impossibly huge over us his elephant odor on the east wind clear in our faces – I was about to tell mike to shoot him , he was ready and glancing expectantly up at me …I shook my head – no mike , not on day one I whispered , if he comes a step closer shoot him , if not we will let him go ..my hands felt comfortable on my grip on my rifle I was completely and utterly focused on the bull the rest of the world ceased to exist , I had a hand on mikes shoulder he was calm and the situation was tense but in full control ..

Finally after an age , he swung around and turned and mike breathed loudly our whew that was cool , cant I shoot him , shhhh i said , the Bull heard us and shuffled off …I slapped mike on the back , his eyes sparkling like a child at Christmas …wow I cant believe you wouldn’t let me shoot … as I walked back to the guys , they stood up and we started walking back – Bashop turned back to me and said you let a monster go – why.

It’s the first day Bashop –no boss our season started one month ago , it’s not the first day .. and anyway that bull is good enough for the first day – Mongoose what do you think – I think we should go back and shoot him , he is a very good bull – over 75? Yes over 75, maybe 80.

As we walked in silence back to the vehicle That got me thinking …and that night I asked Doug to download the footage and I looked and relooked at what had happened –

In elephant hunting when you see a bull you have to make the ultimate decision , if you turn away you will probably not see him again , if you shoot the hunt is over – it’s a heavy decision not to be taken lightly ..

As I tossed and turned in bed I realized I had indeed let a monster go …tomorrow we would go and find his track and if we saw him again Mike would get his wish …..

Damn, that's good! I've been sitting here reading this with my 450-400 laid across my lap! You're going to finish the story with part three right?

quote:

You're going to finish the story with part three right?

Only a 3-part story? I'm hoping it's going to be more like 40!

Ivan, thank you for the story!

ivan

thank you for a great read, please consider making a book, i would buy it in a heartbeat.

best

peter

Ivan
a great read indeed .
I have sent you a private message.
Thank You

I am enjoying your story-I feel as if I was there also !

Keep it up.

Helluva first day. Can't wait for day two.

quote:

Originally posted by Nitehawk:

quote:

You're going to finish the story with part three right?

Only a 3-part story? I'm hoping it's going to be more like 40!

Ivan, thank you for the story!

I guess (and hope) that the hunter take his ele bull on day 10 of his safari, than we at least have a 11-part story

Thanks Ivan

Torbjørn

Very nice!
Don't talk about me and long text anymore! ha!

Excellent Ivan
You just made me watch Bodington on elephant again for the 8 time.

Ivan, I sure do hope you are collecting your stories. Putting them down for a book.
Type faster...

Mike

I second that!!

part 3 please Ivan

PART THREE

The heavy dew had soaked through my gaiters and socks the goosebumps on my arms testimony to the chilly morning air – rather be cold for san hour than have to carry my jacket for the whole day – the heavy dew was bad news for elephant tracking , the sand sticks to the wet pads of the giants as they move through the bush making it almost impossible to track , add to that a bunch of other elephant traffic and you have yourself a trackers nightmare !!!

We were soon right where we had sen the old bull the night before , the broken braches where he was feeding indicating we were in fact in the right spot ..

Bashop and Rapula started to track , easy at first , he had moved only 100 yards then had pushed over a tree , three other bulls had joined him at the tree and then they had moved off – the green vegetation never allowing us to see a whole track , it was frustrating to say the least … we were not tracking at this time , just looking for the next likely sign of our bull , several other bulls had come through in the night and add to that the fact that they were all meandering aimlessly feeding ..

We were soon in a grove of acacias , the fine damp sand full of tracks and Bashop was again sure we were on the correct bull – this was good , he moved between the small grove of acacias , the nigh protein pods irresistible to him , you could see where he had hesitated to shake a tree and then backed up to pick the fallen pods …

This was good , what took him half an hour took us just a minute or two to pass which meant we were catching up quickly , we still had a very long way to go though as we were at least 12 hours behind him still …

Our first dropping , dark brown – that was at least three hours ahead , the dung beetles had begun work many hours before when the dropping was still yellow and warm – this was a good sign though now we had a reference , bulls usually leave a dropping every hour or so – as long as we were finding droppings less than half an hour apart we would catch up to him..

As he left the acacias the luck turned the short Kalahari vegetation trampled by innumerable bulls in the night going in every direction- this was hopeless , after an hour of bigger and bigger circles I realized that this was not going to happen , 12 hours was simply too far behind , we had turned away from a monster and we would not see him again , we were just two miles from the car , so we made the decision to stop and go back to the vehicle ..all of us a little disappointed at not finding the bull , but it was only really the second day of the hunt and we had 12 more after this .

I climbed in the back and got the coffee flask and we charged our travelmugs and started to roll , by now the day had warmed up – another truly beautiful day in Botswana the crystal clear air making it feel like you could reach up and touch the endless blue sky above –

We had decided to drive a road that led to a waterhole where we thought our bull may have crossed or even better where he may have drank. Keep9ing our eyes peeled though , this was a great time to see bull s, the day was warming up and they would be moving by now .

Sure enough not ten minutes down the road through the rasinbush flats and the stick came down , 7 bulls ! I got up on the roof to glass them , the bush was about ten feet tall here and all you could see was the tops of their backs – they were about a mile out so we decided to go and see what they had for ivory –

By now the team was working well together mike was in the groove and knew where to walk and what to bring and what to expect . and so we quietly walked in on the group , they were feeding actually on the roots of the terminalia bushes so they were not moving very fast. As we got nearer the damp holes and remnants of the small trees pulled up by their roots , was everywhere , the acrid smell of tannins and damp earth coupled with fresh elephant droppings rich in the air !

A blow from nearby as one of the giants cleared his trunk of loose earth brought us to a sudden stop – there were no trees to climb and see from and the bush was pretty thick , bashop dropped back taking my rifle as he passed and mike bashop mongoose and I slowly walked forward doug at the ready recording every move ..

Then we saw the top of his head about 15 yards out …I tried glassing through the brush and could see his face but not his mouth , we needed to be about 5 yards to the right –
We backed up to about 50 yards then took a wide circle back to the view of the bull and now even though he was still in the thicket I could start to see , I squatted down to glass from below – he had both tusks but would not even make 30 pounds a side ..

I beckoned to Rapula – he knew the drill , and within a couple of seconds the young bushman was standing on my shoulders – I put him down and he whispered that all of them were small but he had seen a very big bodied bull 100 yards to our right ,

We looped round to get the wind correct and started making our way in , Rapula in front I had my rifle back on my shoulder it was thick here and the last thing I wanted was to bump into an elephant while I was without my rifle !

Then we saw him in front of us – his tusk gleaming through the bush , my heart skipped a beat – it always does and I put my riflebutt on the ground and looked through my binos , wow this was truly a bull to look at , his tusk on this side would I thought go into the high 60s but what made him so spectacular was the length of the ivory – I looked at mike and whispered – good length , not thick though – length is good he agreed I am happy with long ivory ! mongoose what do you think – thin – yes but look how long , yes very long –

My head was spinning , if he had both tusks would we take this bull , how could we see two bulls in this class and turn both down , he wasn’t as heavy as yesterdays bull but his length was spectacular – he had ivory sticking out at least 47 inches , he had a large head so you could add 28 - 30 inches for what was in his skull – that’s almost 80 inches of ivory !

The wind swirled and he immediately stopped digging and swung his head up lifting his trunk to taste the air , a single flap of skin hung limp over his left tusk socket – I could feel the cool breeze on my neck , it was just a few moments till he would run or come in , we were at about 40 yards so either could happen – I whispered to mike if he comes in don’t shoot unless I tell you – okay he said his smile splitting his face – mike was having the time of his life.

The bull swung and back arched , head held high and tail curled up towards his left side he left , it was only two or three seconds till he was completely out of sight and the only sign of him was the sounds of the bush against his enormous frame …

Same drill , back to the truck and look for more – its dead time often walking back to the truck so we stepped up the pace and really stretched our legs walking the giant elephant paths scattered with droppings from earlier in the day , yesterday and the day before …

Then just before we reached the vehicle I heard a cluck from behind us – doug was pointing and there sure enough was a large bodied bull a couple of hundred yards out making his was eastwards – we set off to look at him and as we closed the gap we saw that he was one of three bulls , his ivory looked very nice but I didn’t want to get my hopes up so soon ..

As we neared him his tusks looked nicer and nicer till finally at about 60 yards I said to mike , I think we should take this bull ..okay whatever you think he replied but the intensity of his eyes gave away his excitement. I think we are going to shoot this bull mike , he has length and thickness and we cant let another one slip away ..Lets get in close and have a closer look but be ready. We got ready , cracked our rifles to dopuble check the loads and started to make our way in –

The old bull must have sensed we were close , and he flared at about 12 yards and then came walking right towards us , his huge tusks held high as he looked down his ancient nose at us – he was in musth and the bitter odor filled our nostrils ..

Okay mike hit him just below his eyeline – I glanced at the end of mikes barrel – rock steady ,the elephant at just 7 paces - he squeezed the first trigger and dust flew off his head , he turned to leave – again I said as I took aim behind the shoulder , mikes second barrel went off and perfectly found its mark the bull dies before he heard the shot and in a cloud of dust sank below the bushline ..reload mike , come in – we briskly walked behind the bull and mike placed another shot into the brain for security ..

My goodness - my goodness, I cant believe it , tears were running freely down his checks , his lips quivering as Mike realized that he had just conquered a dream .. he hugged me the kind of hug saved for an occasion like this and murmered thank you – a bots tusker with my Double rifle thank you – it was hard to control my emotions at that point -

The crew went crazy , shaking hands , slapping backs and exclaiming at what we had found -

“Twende- siya zvakadaro” come men , leave him alone - we left mike there in awe of the great beast walking around and around his animal tears running down his face shaking his head at the giant evenly matched tusks that stuck out of the bulls mouth , while we walked back to the vehicle – He needed some time with his elephant and the elephant deserved that time.

Very nicely done. Congrats to all involved.

Ivan Great writing! How about a picture?

Fantastic stuff, my friend. Thanks for sharing.

Some day you need to get a shot of your man standing on your shoulders. The 'bush ladder'!

I enjoyed the story-well written.

So how big was the ivory on the bull he took ?

Thank you for the great story. Well done!

Ivan,
When are you going to start to get your writing published?

Ivan, I love it outstanding and hats off to Mike great shooting.

Mike (its not me)

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So how big was the ivory on the bull he took ?

69 1/2 pounds - 74 inches around the outside of the curve - call me a liar but i call it 70#

quote:

Ivan Great writing! How about a picture?

will post one soon

Wow !-- nice -- very nice writing by you Ivan
G

heres a photo of the big bull we passed up , i pulled this photo off the footage - look at the thickness and the length of his ivory !!!!

and heres mike with his trophy !

Thank you for changing everything and making me see ho i am.