I state "most productive" simply because we all have likely had a very memorable stalk or hunt that might not have even produced a kill.

Mine was actually on my most un-pleasant Safari ever. It was a 21 day license in a poached out, heavily inhabited, open area in Tanzania. (Kilwa)

It was a discounted hunt I saw advertised here.

It was day 8-9 I think, we were on our daily 2 hour to commute to the only water for hundreds of miles (it seemed) we actual ran into an ancient old Dugga Boy crossing the track several hundred yards in front of us.

We departed the cruiser, had great wind and a nearly deaf old bull. We closed fast and I was able to put him down with no drama.

Pictures, chop-chop, put in truck and continue on. Just a few moments later, one of the guys sees a Bushbuck off in the bush. We jump out, make a stalk, I shoot. We're now standing looking at the Bushbuck. I had to pee so I turned around.

When I turned, I now see a super nice Sable running through a burn. One of the guys tries a whistle to stop him. He stops, I shoot, dead Sable.

One of the guys goes to get the truck, I throw the bushbuck on my shoulder and carry him to the Sable for pictures.

Load truck with all three animals, 2 more hours back to camp. Unload stuff at skinning shed and eat lunch, take nap.

3:00 back out. We get just past where the first Buffalo was and see dust hanging in a burn, we follow. Holy crap!! Eight Dugga Bulls completely un-aware of our presence.

We make a quick stalk and I shoot the biggest, nicely shaped bull in the group. They just stand there, keep in mind I have three Buffalo on license. The PH and the guys want me to whack another.

It's not even halfway through this Safari. I pass.

Load Buffalo, go home, call it a day.

One day, Two Buffalo, One Bushbuck and a really nice Sable. I could have easily killed all three Buffalo in one day!

4 animals, one day. I only killed 9 total, on that trip. Thats a super productive day even if it were concession hunting in RSA.

Steve

This is an easy one.

In one day we delivered almost 200lbs of excellent game meat to a an orphanage and school somewhere in Namibia, as well as a few needy citizens. By far my best day ever in Africa.

In 2014 we carried a lot of game meat into an elderly home in Keetmanshop...they cheered us an said a lot in afrikaans that I did not understand..

Several years ago I went to Zim with a doc friend. I asked the local Wal Mart to donate items for the hospital in Bulawayo--everything from vitamins to bandages. He brought some medical supplies and we gave them to the hospital. I was pissed as one doc there was taking some of the items and putting in his own car to sell. That was stopped and the folks at the hospital were very appreciative.

Interestingly, my absolute best memeories of my Africa trips are not hunting. They are of the friends I've made and places I'be been. A couple of folks have visited me in Alaska with more to come. (But they don't come in winter. I don't know why).

Cal

Fulvio and I shot an ele around midday and a leopard that night.

Hi Steve,

During my fist Mozambique safari in 2003, I had an exceptional day of hunting on September 10th. It began in the morning when we spotted a Common Oribi running at distance. They don't get big horns in this area but I did not yet have one and so made a long shot when he stopped and took him with my .300wm.

Next up was a Chobe Bushbuck and although I had taken one some years earlier in Zambia, this one was presenting a challenging shot as he was turned away from us, moving his head from side to side as he was feeding. I watched him from the sticks for sometime as he steadily moved further off without turning for a shot presentation. As I watched him feed I realized I could place a shot from my .300wm up alongside his body for a kill shot into his neck. At the shot my PH and trackers thought I had missed as he completely disappeared from view. I knew he went down and we found him DRT with the in/out shot in his neck.

The third animal taken that day was to be my first world record #1 with a handgun. We were hunting the forest and I was armed with my Ruger SRH .480. We spotted a Livingstone Suni grazing through the forest. I took a rest on a log and when he stepped into the open he was in the salt. As we examined him my PH said he was certain he would be a new world record; he was.

Lastly on that wonderful day, we got onto a herd of Buff on dry land. This was a relatively new phenomena at that time as most Buff herds were still located in the swamps, where they went to escape the slaughter during the war. I already had a number of buffalo taken over the years in different countries, but it's sometimes hard to deny yourself. As last light was fast approaching we spotted an old dugga boy out on the edge of the herd in the pan and I dropped him with one shot from my Remington Custom Shop .416rm.

This was undoubtedly my "best" day of hunting in Africa and one I enjoyed tremendously. All were one shot kills from three different firearms and calibers. We met my hunting companion back at camp well after dark and we proceeded to celebrate until the wee hours!

I have also found self-gratification by donating meat to many natives as well as bringing school supplies to village schools and medicines to the local care facility. One should never do safari empty handed.

"Interestingly, my absolute best memeories of my Africa trips are not hunting. They are of the friends I've made and places I'be been"

Great comment Cal! My thoughts exactly!

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Fulvio and I shot an ele around midday and a leopard that night.

You mean "late evening"

All in all you didn't do too badly on that safari even though it began with a grinding uphill start which got you to being a little "fidgety" - it later turned into a "pedal-to-metal" run in overdrive with sweeping corners to take the chequered flag.

It must be the day Walter shot his buffalo!

You have no idea what it takes to get Walter to shoot a buffalo.

It gives a new meaning to that one saying "en exercise in futility"

We were by the Zambezi River, and Roy thought the only way Walter could shoot a buffalo was to find one lying by the river early in the morning.

Roy went to look, and sure enough, found a very old bull that frequents that area lying close to the river.

He came back and took Walter, me, and Walter Junior.

It was a bit nippy, and Walter had a leather jacket on, and a hat.

We found the bull, and Walter Junior and me stayed slightly behind Walter and Roy getting close to shoot.

Roy puts the shooting sticks up, and Walter gets on with his rifle - he was using a custom made rifle we built for the 416 Rigby Improved.

We were waiting for the shot.

It never came.

Just Walter getting off the shooting sticks, laying the rifle down, and taking his jacket off.

He got back on the sticks.

Again, we waited for the shot to come.

It never did.

Walter gets off the sticks, lays the rifle down again, takes his hat off, and was on his way to get the rifle on the sticks, when the buffalo had had enough of waiting to be shot, and took off!

Roy was screaming at Walter "IF YOU WANT TO DO A STRIP TEASE ACT, DO IT IN CAMP! NOT WHILE HUNTING BUFFALO!"

Well, that bull came back again a couple of days later.

We all proceeded as the previous occasion, hoping that Walter will get his buffalo.

We got close to the bull, which was standing perfectly broadside, and Walter nails him in the neck!

The bull drops down.

"SHOOT HIM AGAIN!" Roy was screaming.

"Why should I shoot him again? You want to mess up my average"

"Shoot him again. He might get up and run off any minute now!"

Walter shoots him again.

There was no way of stopping Walter talking about his buffalo hunt.

He only stopped when we threatened to tie him up and put duck tape on his mouth!

That was a very productive day indeed.

One of my favorite memorable days, of many memorable days was the elephant I took in Lunda concession of Tanzania. The ele was a grand old man. What was most memorable were the villagers who showed up after we sent the trucks back to get the rest of the crew. The village was some 40 klicks distant. It was gratifying to provide protein to so many. It was very humbling to watch people working so hard to have food. We take so much for granted here in the states. We forget people that live a hand to mouth subsistence lifestyle.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Fulvio and I shot an ele around midday and a leopard that night.

You mean "late evening"

All in all you didn't do too badly on that safari even though it began with a grinding uphill start which got you to being a little "fidgety" - it later turned into a "pedal-to-metal" run in overdrive with sweeping corners to take the chequered flag.

Fulvio:

The difference between an old PH and a young PH is that the older one realizes he has to manage the mental aspects of the hunt. That one did start out slow, but you always kept the situation positive, and you are right, in the end it turned out to be the hunt of a lifetime. I still think about it all the time.

Another reason we did well is that you took the advice of the trackers, particularly Parakat (not sure of the SP); some guys think they know it all. You were constantly soliciting the opinions of the whole team, then using that to formulate a plan - a good lesson for business as well.

The only bad thing about that hunt: I don't know how I could ever top it.

In 2013 I arrowed a sable at 10am. Watched him run 250 yards at full speed and die in mid stride.
Later that afternoon, arrowed a Nyala, it ran 20 yards, stopped and dropped dead.
Just at sundown, took a long shot at a zebra and watched the arrow hit perfect. It ran hard about 100 yards and I heard it crash.
All three are on my den wall.

Years ago, hunting in Deka with Roy Vincent, we took a 45" sable in the morning, after passing him up a few days earlier while looking for a specific larger bull. We than followed it up that afternoon with a 54" kudu.

All in all, a great day with 2 quality animals and memories to last a lifetime.

It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

quote:

It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

And you think getting Walter a Buff was difficult....you ain't seen nuttin yet!!! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

Mike, you're a man of simple tastes. Bush pigs and Pirahnas

My leopard with Thor at Munyamadzi.

Don

Sorry Beretta682E,

On the first of hopefully many safaris, in 24 hours my brother and I killed two great Bushpig's. Mine on the 10th day late in afternoon and his monster pig the next morning. Both pigs where killed in broad daylight. I also got a Grey Duiker on the last day of hunting, something Gary Duckworth said they had not taken in a long time, even though they have lots of them. My brother also shot a super old Blue Wildebeest on the same afternoon I shot my pig. 4 great animals in less than 24 hours and 3 of them exceptionally hard to take. It was definitely a good way to end a already great trip.

Taking an old savanna buffalo in the mountains of northern Cameroon on my unguided portered foot safari. No PH or Toyota within dozens of miles. Very satisfying....

9th day after about 100 miles of tracking in the heat in CAR with my wife after a Lord Derby. What a day!

It is difficult to remember everything when thinking back over the year especially considering that I first went in 1988.

If I had to recall a single day, it was a day that I could not even tell you if I fired a shot or not. My oldest son was 10. He is now 33. I took him to the RSA. The kid was obsessed with kudu. At this stage of the trip, we were hunting on Rooipoort with Paul Phelan.

We became aware of some kudu in the distance. One was quite large. We spent the next 2.5 hours trying to get into position. Much of this effort was crawling on one's stomach. When we finally into a position to shoot, it was further than I would have liked at something over 200 yards. I was a little concerned. The 30-06 fired and the bull collapsed. The look on the kids face I will never forget. The bull was a giant. Paul measured him. At the time, he would have been number 6 in the book. Of course, he was never submitted.

Rewarding? Hell yes!

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Fulvio and I shot an ele around midday and a leopard that night.

You mean "late evening"

All in all you didn't do too badly on that safari even though it began with a grinding uphill start which got you to being a little "fidgety" - it later turned into a "pedal-to-metal" run in overdrive with sweeping corners to take the chequered flag.

LATE evening hunting is fun. Aussies excel at it, I've found

My most productive day was 16 bobos, in Zim.

Shot 'em off rocks, out of trees....the farmer was absolutely stoked!

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

Mike, you're a man of simple tastes. Bush pigs and Pirahnas

Yes I am

I will fully mount the bush pig in a running pose.

Now I need to learn up on baiting for them - the last time I had 3 lions including a monster male, 2 leopards (who ate 35 gallons of kudu/eland guts), a pack of hyenas, a pack of wild dogs and few elephants who all ate or destroyed my bait.

The day I get the bush will be a great day.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Blair 338RUM:
My most productive day was 16 bobos, in Zim.

Shot 'em off rocks, out of trees....the farmer was absolutely stoked!

Blair

Always good to live out your mass shooting fantasies on bobos and not people

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

Mike, you're a man of simple tastes. Bush pigs and Pirahnas

Yes I am

I will fully mount the bush pig in a running pose.

Now I need to learn up on baiting for them - the last time I had 3 lions including a monster male, 2 leopards (who ate 35 gallons of kudu/eland guts), a pack of hyenas, a pack of wild dogs and few elephants who all ate or destroyed my bait.

The day I get the bush will be a great day.

Mike

We hung a Zebra 1/4 in a tree inside the fence of the Anti-poaching compound to attract some pigs. I thought that was kinda crazy considering all the lions in the area. Neil said they better keep the gate closed, if a Lion comes in he might not find the hole out so easy. Next morning the roads all around had numerous lion tracks. I am guessing they made damn sure the gate was closed.

The guys from the compound must have spent most of the week tracking the pigs away from the compound and found them late one afternoon sleeping under a tree. We bumped into the crew walking up the road, they excitedly led is to the pig's and the rest is history.

Moral of the story, better to be lucky than skilled or good.

September 11, 2003. My PH (Kirk Mason) and I ran down a nice ellie with 60lbs a side.

After bluff charging 3 or 4 times, I dropped him at 30 yards. Doesn't get much better than that IMO.

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by Gale Johnson:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

Mike, you're a man of simple tastes. Bush pigs and Pirahnas

Yes I am

I will fully mount the bush pig in a running pose.

Now I need to learn up on baiting for them - the last time I had 3 lions including a monster male, 2 leopards (who ate 35 gallons of kudu/eland guts), a pack of hyenas, a pack of wild dogs and few elephants who all ate or destroyed my bait.

The day I get the bush will be a great day.

Mike

We hung a Zebra 1/4 in a tree inside the fence of the Anti-poaching compound to attract some pigs. I thought that was kinda crazy considering all the lions in the area. Neil said they better keep the gate closed, if a Lion comes in he might not find the hole out so easy. Next morning the roads all around had numerous lion tracks. I am guessing they made damn sure the gate was closed.

The guys from the compound must have spent most of the week tracking the pigs away from the compound and found them late one afternoon sleeping under a tree. We bumped into the crew walking up the road, they excitedly led is to the pig's and the rest is history.

Moral of the story, better to be lucky than skilled or good.

My pig bait outside anti poaching at Mokore was destroyed by elephants.

Mike

In Coutada 10 a few years ago I shot 2 at different times the same day in broad daylight. They were everywhere. We were retrieving a Cruiser from a korongo, laughing and joking,and I was videoing the process. Looked over my shoulder, and spotted 2 of them walking toward me fifty yards away. Ran and swapped camera for a rifle from the truck, climbed the bank and shot a boar at 30 yards. Later that day, I shot another out on the flood plain. No problem...

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by Blair 338RUM:
My most productive day was 16 bobos, in Zim.

Shot 'em off rocks, out of trees....the farmer was absolutely stoked!

Blair

Always good to live out your mass shooting fantasies on bobos and not people

Mike

Mike,

I don't have any. We shoot big numbers of everything in Oz.

The bobos, thought "death himself was among them"....

The bobos aren't big fans, but to hell with them

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by Gale Johnson:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
It will be a glorious day in the future when I finally shoot my bush pig.

Mike

Mike, you're a man of simple tastes. Bush pigs and Pirahnas

Yes I am

I will fully mount the bush pig in a running pose.

Now I need to learn up on baiting for them - the last time I had 3 lions including a monster male, 2 leopards (who ate 35 gallons of kudu/eland guts), a pack of hyenas, a pack of wild dogs and few elephants who all ate or destroyed my bait.

The day I get the bush will be a great day.

Mike

We hung a Zebra 1/4 in a tree inside the fence of the Anti-poaching compound to attract some pigs. I thought that was kinda crazy considering all the lions in the area. Neil said they better keep the gate closed, if a Lion comes in he might not find the hole out so easy. Next morning the roads all around had numerous lion tracks. I am guessing they made damn sure the gate was closed.

The guys from the compound must have spent most of the week tracking the pigs away from the compound and found them late one afternoon sleeping under a tree. We bumped into the crew walking up the road, they excitedly led is to the pig's and the rest is history.

Moral of the story, better to be lucky than skilled or good.

My pig bait outside anti poaching at Mokore was destroyed by elephants.

Mike

And Mike, no NV and IR or any of that stuff on the bush pig!

Get fair dinkum for a change

.

The day my wife shot her first animal - an impala in RSA in 2006 and the day my second son (aged 7 at the time) shot his first animal, a blesbok, also in RSA.

Both productive and unforgettable days!

As far as I am concerned, it is hopefully still ahead of me!
.

I have had days when I have shot 3 animals and they were all wonderful trophies and the stalks were exciting. My most productive day was when my wife a teacher of the visually impaired and I delivered about $9000 of equipment to the kids at the Namibia School for the Blind. The staff and students could not believe that we came all the way from America and brought all this specialized equipment for their school. This was my my most productive day in my three African safaris

My most productive day was the day my Team And I treated 547 dental patients and 300 optic patients with the project we started duruing the MOST PRODUCTIVE SAFARI in my life( hiena and lion one night nect day 91 pounder, third day 42 inch hard bossed buffalo!

On my first trip to Namibia in 2012, I saw dozens of Mountain Zebras, but they were all 800+ yards away, heading over a mountain. Finally on about the fourth or fifth day I shot a mature mare at about 160 yards and she ran less than 100 yards and dropped dead. After bringing her back to the skinning shed, we decided to donate the meat to the Himba AIDS orphanage in Kamanjab. Made me feel good about the whole hunt, and I have a gorgeous zebra skin rug in my African Trophy Room

Edited - Not Africa

About 14 striped squirrels with air rifle in one day (45 years ago)

About 20 goats in a day in NZ fringe farm / bush.

2 fallow deer in the South island - 324 meters.

4 female Tahr Soth Island.

"Most productive" is relative. I think every hunting day in Africa is productive. Whether we take anything or not, I always learn something. But three days stand out, for totally different reasons.

The first was the last day of an already very successful safari in October, southwestern Tanzania-- hot. We got out of the gari to chase bush pig on what the guys called a hill, but to a flatlander like me, it was a mountain. I messed up and didn't carry water and what looked like a short stalk turned into a major hike. I had symptoms of dehydration and heat stroke and was on rubber legs by the time we got back to the gari. As soon as we did, we got a radio call that the guys had a good elephant on the other side of the concession, fortunately. During the 2 1/2 hours it took to get in the vicinity, I was able to drink a gallon or so of water and some rehydration salts. Then after a long walk up and down numerous korongos, a bit of a confrontation with one of his askaris, we shot that bull at last light the last day. The guys got "lunch" at 9:30 that night.

A different trip in October, we bumped a lion who growled and left with a limp. We tracked him for a few hours through thick grass and brush. I had the scope cranked down to 1X and the illuminated reticle on. At one point, the guys were trying to sort out the track and we were standing next to a big clump of grass and brush. Suddenly, there was movement in that clump and I ended up swinging on a rabbit that broke cover. The guys thought that was hilarious. We caught up with the lion. He growled again, but was borderline whether he was 6, so he walked. A great day, though.

This year in Natron, hunting above the escarpment for Roberts and Thompson's primarily, we happened upon a very good Roberts right off the bat. Too good to pass. Was a herd of Masai cattle behind him and the wind was wrong, so we circled around, donned the red shukas and worked through the cattle for a shot. Had a nice Roberts by about 9 a.m. On leaving, saw a herd of Cokes with a nice bull, but they had seen us as well. On taking the Roberts to a stand of trees where he could be skinned, we then spotted a Western wildebeest in a herd of zebra. So we dropped off the Roberts and the skinners at the trees and made a stalk on the wildebeest. He shouldn't have been there that time of year, but I guess he was just too old and tired to migrate. Took him as well and he was old. Dropped him off with the skinners and turned back to the Cokes. He turned out to be heavy and old as well. After skinning, roasting meat and innards, lunch, etc., we took a nice Thommie that afternoon. In terms of numbers, that was my most productive day.

I guess the day I shot my larges buffalo ever with Pierre van Tonder..It was special in that George Hoffman was supposed to go with us, but the good Lord took him before the hunt..We tosted the big bull to George that day..

Another and on a different note, was a cull hunt many years ago for buffalo and I was given a milsurp Mauser in 7x57 and a brown paper bag of greenish milsurp ammo that shot about every third round..It was an exciting day with lots of blood trails, but we found every one of them.. One of the PHs laughed and said the bloody yank actually lived thru it!! Good shoot'un boy.

June 5th, 2011 in Matetsi Riverside. Got up, had a good breakfast. Went out with an english pointer and shot a bunch of guinea fowl and francolin. Came back in, had a relaxing lunch and a few beers. Wiped the dust off my boots, put on a clean shirt and got married as the sun went down with all of the camp staff providing the soundtrack. This was followed by a fabulous dinner of roast eland with great friends.

In terms of multiple impressive animals, probably in the Maswa block of Tanzania back in 2015, when I shot my personal best buffalo of 48" and then that evening shooting a big 45" dagga boy.

For sheer numbers I have shot 8-9 bait animals in a day, but to me that really isn't the memorable type "productivity" as it wasn't selective hunting.

I do seem to be a streaky hunter though. Looking back at my journaling, shooting 3 good animals a day was not uncommon, along with going a week or so without shooting anything.