First met Thor when he was a kid. It was at the bar at Richard Bell Crosses camp. I did a lot of hunting for Rich back then. He introduced Thor as our new apprentice. I laughed so loud and for so long I hurt myself. Thor blushed and did that twiddley finger thing. Like he had lost a ring.

A couple of years later he was still knocking around our bar.

It gets to a point as an apprentice big game hunter when their mentors have to let them loose. By now they can strip guns, cars and women blindfolded.

I well remember young Thor Kircher in his first week having experienced two full blown Lion charges and was seriously then considering a different occupation. He had visibly aged and had shed his boyish look and was fast becoming a proper bloke. To be honest Richard Bell Cross and I initially thought he would not make it but over the years proudly watched him mature into one of the best PHs this country has yet to produce. Absolutely Thor would be my first choice in a tight situation. Anyway that's enough blowing of smoke up his arse.

Get back to the story. I remember the day well but not the year when I asked Thor to take over a Lion hunt from me in Lunga Luswishi. Unbeknown to my Texan client I was to become the observer. Thor was by now very familiar with the construction of both ground and tree blinds and all that goes with it.

We had a nervous large cat feeding up the Lunga river and Thor had presented the bait well next to an expansive thicket and a natural corridor where we had first found the big track. Water was close by and the set up looked good.

Well the morning had arrived for Thor to go solo and I told him to take the client and go make a blind as I had some urgent business to attend to and we would all sit later that day. I had to really restrain myself from giving any further instructions but noted he had opted to use an old pop up blind so as to create as little disturbance as possible. The blind had seen better days and noted it needed some stitching. It was going to be a hot squeeze for the three of us so a few holes here and there would allow some breeze.

Having returned for lunch my only enquiry was if he had cleaned a path to the blind? Well his look to me was 'I know what the fuck I am doing' and carried on scoffing his desert.

There is much anticipation when approaching a blind on foot for it is critical not too make noise and some professionals will do this barefoot. Often the cat can be shot on approach and I noted Thor carried shooting sticks. His rifle was loaded, safety on and pointed safe. Young Thor was ticking all the boxes. Also to his advantage this Texan was a tough nut and had proven on previous hunts with me that he was an exceptional off hand shot. This was to be his second Lion and had shot a brute with me a couple of years previous. I remember that well and in the dark of morn we had walked into two hippo and the Lion were were hunting. A cool character of whom I am very good friends with.

So all this was going fine and we parked off a mile or so where a substantial elephant path crossed the road. I thought that was pretty clever and saved him cutting a path of his own to the road I suppose? Also noticed a line of toilet paper in case we had to approach in the dark. Box ticked.

I knew where I would have put the blind considering wind and shooting lanes and just presumed Thor would duplicate my thoughts.

Well he was close but had banged the blind right on the centre of the elephant path. Well we were there now and not much else to do I suppose. Otherwise good job and we adjusted ourselves into the blind which looked for all intents and purposes like an island of grass. Fresh green succulent grass.

It was hot enough to catch this cat knapping and Thor had us quietly wait a minute or so and listen for the Lion before approach. The set up was perfect for him and the client and I squeezed in behind Thor and we all swealtered in silence. My visibility was the back of Thor's sweaty shirt and one annoying tsetse fly. The sun started to dip and as so did the temperature. Just before dusk it went very very quiet and all of us knew the Lion was now in our presence. You could feel it same as the rising hairs on the back of your neck. Then came a small scratching noise coming from the zip door which had been tied together. I dare not move for my gun or indeed turn in the chair we were all like statues. The sound of hearts beating was deafening for me. I noted Thor starting to sweat again. The fucking tsetse was chewing on my friends neck but he was rock solid and at that time was the only one with a gun in his hands.

Note at this point this was prior to trail cams and we concluded that the Lion had left sufficient evidence at the bait to conclude he was a big solitary male. However we still wanted to have a good look at our intended trophy. Texans can be picky sometimes.

More scratching and now my eyes were at the back of my head as the bottom of the canvas door was moving and the shoestring the young Danish knot master had tied came undone.

I don't know who was more surprised me or the Guinea Fowl. I looked hard at the bird the bird fucked off and I showed Thor how to tie a new knot that my granny taught me. We all managed a giggle and knew if the Lion was indeed around the bird would have seen it.

Just then when I was trying to remember what my granny taught me Thor reached back and grabbed my leg like really hard and I did not think that so funny either.

The Lion had arrived.

Thor was now visibly agitated and grabbed his gun which was to quickly unfold as one of the most incredible sights I was to ever to experience.

In a flash he had somehow contorted his body through the small window or hole in the blind and was waving and shouting like a mad man. I quickly concluded he had gone completely off his rocker until I heard the elephants scream back at him. One rushing so close it brushed the grass off the blind. That was better and I could see everything.

There was grass, elephants, growls, screams and Guinea Fowl all over the place. Any elephants that ran near us we pointed guns at. The earth was trembling and the sky was going to fall on Thor's head.

When things having settled down abit the Texan killed the tsetse on back of his neck and politely asked Thor if there was any beer in the truck. Well Thor got a double tick for that box.

The golden rule of not talking is to keep your mouth shut. I kept saying to myself.

The following morning in grey light we approached the bait. The Lion had gone. He had not fed. Which was not really that surprising.

But he did come back and when he did he had not noticed that the island of grass had been moved well away from the elephant trail and was directly behind him. Thor celebrated his first cat having followed it up in the fast descending light. I noted he had a head torch and this was to be the last box I ticked for this young man.

One of the best hunting accounts I've read in some time! When's the book coming out?

Great story. My limited experience in a well-camouflaged blind is that you can go nuts some times trying to figure our what is going on outside.

Andrew,

Yep! Nothing to that baited hunt thing. Great story. I was right in the blind with you. I bet you laughed heartily about that after you checked your underwear.

Mark

Great read! Appreciate you sharing it!

Great account of an exciting hunt Andrew!

Now, our turn.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
Great story. My limited experience in a well-camouflaged blind is that you can go nuts some times trying to figure our what is going on outside.

Sometimes, one is left in no uncertainty of what is going on outside.

We were in a lion blind - one of those popups.

It was set close to some bush, with a path between it and the bush.

Well, as we were sitting in it very early one morning, we could hear the lion walking towards the blind.

He came and lay right next to our blind.

We could hear every breath he made, we were worried he could hear us breathing!

A while later, as light came, we could see a lioness laying right in front of the blind, about 10 yards away.

The lion got up, walked to the lioness, and proceeded to give her a morning shag!

They continued doing this for quite a while, then they walked off.

He was too you to shoot.

Imagine being woken up at some unholy hour in the night, driven in the dark for an hour, then all you get is a lesson on how lions procreate!

Great story Andrew, thanks for sharing
with us.

Now then, what's Thor have to add to
this "exciting" story?

George

Very nice - thank you


Good Hunting
Carl Frederik

Great as always Andrew.

Excellent experience!

Great story! Thanks for sharing...

Great story!!!

That was a great story. Thanks for sharing Andrew.

Great telling indeed...Andrew is a truly multi talented man...

Great story, well told. It races!
Thank you.

Great story, and indeed well told. Thanks!

Great stuff Andrew, please keep them coming.

Fine job of telling the story. We were right there with you. Congrats on the training job.
Bruce

quote:

I don't know who was more surprised me or the Guinea Fowl.

I'd of slung some lion repellent at that dabburn bird!