It looks like I will be joining the people here at AR that have hunted with Charlton-McCallum Safaris. The deposit is in and the dates are set for a September 2011 hunt in the Dande area. It will be a 14 day buffalo/tuskless hunt.

I had been checking around and they were one of the top outfits that I was looking at. After meeting Myles and Buzz at SCI, I just knew it was going to be a great time.

I will be taking a .416 Rigby and .375 H&H, both in Ruger RSM's. Both will be using Swift A Frames and Barnes Solids. The guns are off to the gunsmith for some work before the shooting practice begins.

I would appreciate any imput from people that have hunted this area. I would like to hear about do's and dont's(gear, terrain, weather, etc.). I have read some hunt reports but would like to pm or talk to some people.

Thanks,

Greg

You will have a fantastic hunt with Charlton/McCullum Safaris, no doubt.

David

Congrats! I am doing the same hunt (and hopefully a sable) in July/August this year.

I plan to take a 416 and 375 as well...

The palnning and prep will be fun and a big part of the whole experience...enjoy!

Congrats Greg... you are going to have an absolutely grand safari adventure. And remember, the prep and planning are all part of the fun. I've hunted with Buzz twice. Get ready for fair chase hunting and tracking. Maybe a lot of it... on my hunt in the Dande I covered 120 kilometers in 10 days and shot my bull elephant on 1:30 on the last day. He remains one of my favorite trophies I have taken because of all the effort we put in that culminated in the shot.

My cow ele was taken the first day and a full out charge... there is a reason they call it "dangerous" game.

Comfortable clothes, well-broken in boots, Avon Skin-so-Soft, and plenty of practice off of sticks are my suggestions.

I am sure you will have a fine hunt.I am booked for a 12 day double buff hunt in Makuti,with CMS around the same time.Good luck with your preparations!

Dande is quite hilly. I wore Teva Dozer sandals and they performed very well. I also took Russel PH boots, but only wore the Teva's. I highly recommend taking skin-so-soft expedition- it seems to repel the tse-tse flies. I don't know about the weather in Sept, but Nov. was miserably hot. A small battery powered fan would have helped me sleep much better.

This is one of the best times around a safari, the time between when the hunt is booked and when you go. I really enjoy the planning and getting organized, experimenting with different rifles and loads, reading about the area and the animals to be hunted, etc. You will have a great time with Buzz and Myles and team.

I will give you a first hand report on Dande in July when I get back . . . but first it is off to the range tomorrow to experiment with rifles and loads, read my Aging Lions in Southern Africa book, . . . .

Hey there,

I hunted September 2008 with Chifuti in Dande for buffalo and tuskless. PM for phone or any questions.

I can say the area was pretty well populated by elephants and buffalo; saw them every day and heard lions every night. Plenty of lion spoor and leopard spoor.

I hunted from the Angwa River in the south to the Zambezi in the north and I think over the 14 days saw quite a bit of the Dande Safari Area and the CAMPFIRE area.

Saw lots of buffalo in herds and lots of tracks of dagga boys. Never saw any bulls carrying big ivory but saw several bulls ele. Saw many, many cow eles and shot my tuskless on the first morning.

Dande is pretty hilly but not so much as Chewore to the west.

Plains game was pretty thin on the ground.

I'd hunt Dande anytime. It's a great place for dangerous game.

You might also ask Dave Fulson about the area. I'm sure he knows the place very well.

I would like to thank everyone for the responses here and by PM's. It is all good information and it is starting to steer me in the right direction.

I was wondering about scopes verse iron sights. I will be the first to admit I am not very good with irons sights. I haven't shot very much with them at all. Anyone have any pointers or online articles I can read before hitting the range. I have seen mention of the "6 o'clock hold" and then guys holding the bead on target. I don't have the manuals for the RSM's but the rear sites have different blades to flip up. Different yardages?

Both rifles have low power variable scopes on them but I want to be proficient using irons if need. I am leaning towards trying to shoot the elephant without a scope.

Any help or more information would be welcomed. Thanks again for the great info.

Greg

quote:

Originally posted by BigChev4x4:
I was wondering about scopes verse iron sights. I will be the first to admit I am not very good with irons sights.
Greg

There's your answer. If you shoot well with a scope, use a scope. No need to change what you're good at doing just b/c you're going to Africa.

Low power scope is fine for buff and ele.

One thing I did was pick up an inexpensive bolt-action .22 and get the rear sight filed to a shallow V like my rifle sights. Cheap practice.

I will be in Dande in May for my fourth trip in as many years with CM. You will have a great time. If you want my two cents worth - I think your bullet choice is perfect, but why take two rifles that are so similar? It could leave you with some indecision when you get there. I would cut down on the luggage and just take the 416, or take the 375 as well, but treat it as a spare. Have variable scope (1.5-6 ) fitted on quick release mounts and practice with open sights. If you get in that thick stuff amongst a cow elephant herd you will be glad that you have chosen your 416 and that you can use open sights. If you have your scope on whilst tracking have it turned down to its lowest just in case something happens quick and close. If you see that buff at a distance you will have plenty of time to chose a magnification, but you dont want things the other way around.
Take plent Avon skin so soft and top it up regularly during the day even if you dont see any flies (thats when they sneak up and get you ). If at all possible have the hunt filmed by Justin Drainer you wont regret it, its worth the fee just for his company. Dont forget that it's obligatory to post your report when you get back. If I can be of any help dont hesitate to PM me. You are going to have a fantastic time.

Congratulations, you have chosen wisely. What Rob said is absolutely spot on. The only thing I would add is to study. If you don't have Buzz's elephant video, buy it. Read everything you can find about elephant hunting, Richard Harland's books are great. WDM Bell's books are classics. It's not just for instruction, but to emotionally prepare, as well. It will add a lot of pleasure, before and during your trip.

Another option is something like a Trijicon TriPower or Eotech holosight that projects a red triangle or circle on the target. They are 1X, no magnification. You shoot with both eyes open and this sort of sight is great for close range. There are also quick detach mounts available for them. A Trijicon TriPower is what I used on my buffalo and elephant and it really helped my 'old guy' eyes.

BigChev4 x 4:
You have a pm.

Greg,

Congratulations on your booking. I hunted with Myles in 2005, in November so it was hot, hot hot.

He worked his butt of for me and was incredibly professional.

You can look at my safari report below.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...=779104273#779104273

Since you are taking 2 rifles I would deffinately not use a scope with the 416. Put a good peep sight, like the NEGC, on it instead.

You will be surprised how close he can get you to your elephant, and a scope, even a low powered one, greatly reduces your situaitonal awareness as the elephant moves.

they will probably work on your elephant first and you can always put a scope on it for your buffalo after you get her in the salt.

A plaid shirt is good legal camoflague and cotton shirts w a collar are more cool than a T shirt.

I found low gaiters to be useful.

Good quality 8 x 30 or 8 x 32 binoculars are all you need.

regarding the 6 oclock hold, it is more accurate on a bulles eye than a center hold, as it goves you very precise elevation and windage location, so you will be using this for sight it only.

You will have the time of your life and chose a very solid outfit to do business with!

Andy

A compact lens-cleaning kit is a good idea for maintaining your scope and camera lenses. The Lenspen is perfect. Africa seems to be the dustiest place on earth.

Thank you to everyone that has responded. There is so much great information. So far planning is pretty exciting. I can't wait for the actual hunt.

Thanks,

Greg

BigChev4x4,
I will be there in September also, doing a buffalo/tuskless hunt with Charlton-McCallum Safaris , starting on the 1st of the month.
Warren

Bigchev4x4
I almost forgot the most important bits !
Study your shot placement on both types of animal until you can find your mark at any angle and practice shooting off sticks with your scoped rifle ( a lot !!) If you are practicing shooting with your open sights dont get carried away with trying to shoot at a distance. Practice hitting a ten inch circle at twenty yards and an eight inch circle at ten yards - all off hand. Also try to reproduce the angles invovled i.e. a cow elephany head will probably be six or seven feet off the ground so shooting at a piece of paper two feet off the ground wont help. As I have said here before, if you can make yourself a life sized picture of the animals concerned it will make things a lot easier. It may be a lot of hassle to arrange, but well worth the effort.

Good for you BigChev and wmunro! You guys are in for great hunts I am sure.

It would seem that AR has bought the entire Dande tuskless quota! Geez, I remember when the operators could not give them away. Right Will?

quote:

Originally posted by Bill C:

It would seem that AR has bought the entire Dande tuskless quota! Geez, I remember when the operators could not give them away. Right Will?

Really ??!!?? Dave Fulson made me buy him a year's supply of beer to get a tuskless on my license...he said it was the only way. Damn.

(just kidding, but in 2008 I think I got one of the very last two or so left in September.)

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
One thing I did was pick up an inexpensive bolt-action .22 and get the rear sight filed to a shallow V like my rifle sights. Cheap practice.

Like others have said, skip the scope for the tuskless. That is the last anumal I would want to hunt with a scope, bull elephant would be No 2.

Charles gives excellent advice. You have seven months to learn how to shoot open sights well, and a 22lr is the best way to do it, mixed in with some 416 shooting as well. You can shoot 50 or 100 22lr rounds a session and not break the bank.

I don't know what the weather is like in Somona Ca, but it will be warm to hot in September in Dande. Comfortable to me, and I'm from the Washington DC area, and see summer temps in the 90's pretty frequently, and occasionally higher.

No one ever complains about being too fit for a safari, so start early and walk often.

JPK

quote:
Originally posted by Bill C:

It would seem that AR has bought the entire Dande tuskless quota! Geez, I remember when the operators could not give them away. Right Will?



Well, I'll be in Dande East in March 2011 for the trophy bull hunt I always swore I'd never spend the money on. I was kind of hoping there might be a tuskless somehow available, but it seems you guys have bought them all!

My trigger finger itches for spring. With another winter storm outside, shooting practice in South Dakota seems a way off. I think next year will involve some cold weather practice. Does goose down make a good recoil pad?

In my earlier posting I forgot to suggest "Months of the Sun" by Ian Nyschens. It is an amazing book.