www.kambakosafaris.com have updated their Web sight.
Worth a look if you interested in information on wild northern Mozambique.

Nice animals!

Brett

Check out the lion charge video at their website. After it is clear that the lion won't be getting up again, the guy turns to the camera and says "I like Kambako Safaris. Come see Kambako Safaris." Perfect.

It reminds me of the Super Bowl's winning QB saying to the camera "I'm going to disneyland." I like to see one say "I'm going to Mozambique to hunt lion."

Does seem like they're standing in the truck though.

quote:

Originally posted by SteveGl:

Does seem like they're standing in the truck though.

I noticed that too.

yes they are standing on the back of the truck........ not very nice

I hope you guys have proof that they are standing in the back of a truck...
This trial by internet just has to stop! You will be held accountable for all you write here - it can stand as evidence in a court of law!

I thought it was a cool website. Wished they had rates on the site though.

If you have to ask the rates you probably can't afford them.

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
If you have to ask the rates you probably can't afford them.

I think there was a time when that was true. Now with the availability of information etc etc, it's just a pain in the ass. If I had a reason to feel they were worth jumping through more hoops for I would (I think TGTS is a good example) at first inspection though most people that don't make their information completely and readily available to me I simply disregard. I'm paying them, I won't chase them for info.

quote:

Originally posted by David Hulme:
I hope you guys have proof that they are standing in the back of a truck...

Watch the video, you can see the roof rack at the bottom of the screen.

It certainly looks like excellent wilderness area. How you hunt there will ultimately be up to you, the hunter.

(At least you know you won't be bumping into sevenxbjt.)

Not posting fees is an easy way of culling wannabees. You are either generally interested in the product or not.
Edit: If I had the money that is exactly the sort of true wilderness I'd like to hunt in.

quote:

Not posting fees is an easy way of culling wannabees.

Well, posting prices will cull people out too if they see the rates are too high.

I thought this was interesting:

quote:

Kambako was an unknown entity to most hunters and adventurers until recently. In the past 5 years KAMBAKO has hit the limelight as THE ONLY place to hunt in Mozambique.

Kambako is Jumbo Moore, right? Is there a list of other PHs on the site somewhere?

quote:

Originally posted by 7mmMagnum:

quote:

Originally posted by David Hulme:
I hope you guys have proof that they are standing in the back of a truck...

Watch the video, you can see the roof rack at the bottom of the screen.

Well then, if that lion was not already wounded (I don't think it was), and even if I did have what will undoubtedly be their exorbitant fees, I wouldn't consider booking with them.

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
It certainly looks like excellent wilderness area. How you hunt there will ultimately be up to you, the hunter.

That should be the case to a certain extent. Hunting from the vehicle should not be an option.

'The only place to hunt in Mozambique'?

How arrogant.

David

Well David, hunting from a vehicle is an option that many hunters take. I have shot from vehicles and hunted on foot. Often the pressure is there to shoot from the vehicle so the trophy fee is payable. We all know that.

I sometimes takes a real effort to get the PH off the truck. If you clearly define your wishes at the start of the hunt then it should not be a problem. The hunter will be judged accordingly.

The outfitter is providing a service and a product. We all know that. Passing judgement is a personal criticism based on our own ethics of how that individual chooses to spend their dollar in a free market place.

It's like canned hunting of lions. Plenty do it, some on here have done it and as long as there is demand there will be supply.

This operation have a product that I can see from their web site is far beyong my reaches but for those who choose to use it. That is there choice. Good luck to them.

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:

Not posting fees is an easy way of culling wannabees. You are either generally interested in the product or not.

I think the product I am most interested in is information regardless of what the "widgeot" is that we are dealing on.

As far as culling out the "tire kickers" goes, I honestly don't know. I can see your point but I do also think that just printing the price eliminates alot of time with folks that don't even realize they can't swing what you are selling.

To me the price is the determining factor for level of interest in alot of things and I don't see the correlation between price point and level of affluence. Lets say there are two buffalo hunts, one is 10k one is 25k. Lets say you or I could afford both. Now we know that affluenece is not an issue given these two commodities. If hunt #2 were 2.5 times better then hunt #1 then I would take it, but if it were only 50% better I would not regardless of my position in life. Does that mean I'm not interested in hunt #2? Of course not, its a buffalo hunt and I just booked a buffalo hunt.

Obviously, Mr. Moore has a seemingly very good reputation and the area is beautiful. (I don't want my gripe about not showing a price list to be mistaken for not liking the company)

In my line of work we are very proud of the product we produce and feel it is better then the product produced by most of our competitors regionally speaking. We price our inventory accordingly. I'm confident enough in our track record and capabilities to stand behind the premium we expect. I just don't understand why someone who feels they are marketing a superior product or service wouldn't want to do the same.

Again if this operator feels that this tactic serves them well, by all means, just not my brand of whiskey.

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
Well David, hunting from a vehicle is an option that many hunters take. I have shot from vehicles and hunted on foot. Often the pressure is there to shoot from the vehicle so the trophy fee is payable. We all know that.

I sometimes takes a real effort to get the PH off the truck. If you clearly define your wishes at the start of the hunt then it should not be a problem. The hunter will be judged accordingly.

The outfitter is providing a service and a product. We all know that. Passing judgement is a personal criticism based on our own ethics of how that individual chooses to spend their dollar in a free market place.

It's like canned hunting of lions. Plenty do it, some on here have done it and as long as there is demand there will be supply.

This operation have a product that I can see from their web site is far beyong my reaches but for those who choose to use it. That is there choice. Good luck to them.

If it takes effort to get the PH off the truck, then he is not a PH. PH stands for professional hunter. I hear you though, each to his own. I am not a PH or a prospective hunter/client, simply an outdoor writer and staunch supporter of controlled and ethical hunting practices. If I were hunting with guys reluctant to get off the truck, I wouldn't be hunting with them for long, I can assure you, regardless of what I was being paid.

Cheers, Dave

Fair comment sevenxbjt. Good on you.

Edit: David you have no idea how much I support your committment.

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
Fair comment sevenxbjt. Good on you.

You too sir, I say it the rare times it happens around here, kind of refreshing to debate, agree to disagree or whatever and not have this boil down to a cage fight.
Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
Fair comment sevenxbjt. Good on you.

You too sir, I say it the rare times it happens around here, kind of refreshing to debate, agree to disagree or whatever and not have this boil down to a cage fight.
Cheers

The lion charge video had a certain "cringe" value.

Guys,
Please read the recent news section on Kambako's site. You will see that the lion in the video that charged was indeed wounded. Seems to me a prudent way to be more safe in the follow up.
I and another AR member hunted with Kambako Safaris I with Stu Taylor and my friend with Johnnie Johnson in 08 for 21 days. Stu was right there when my buffalo charged after I had made the first shot. It was dead on its feet but its feet were still under it. It was only 10 paces whne the dust settled.
Seems the PH's are damned if they do and damned if they don't when it comes to folow up on dangerous game.
Kambako Safaris delivers a very rpofessional top notch safari. The hunting blocks are tremendous in part from the standpoint of wild wild land. I for one am a very pleased client of theirs. I would return in a heart beat if it worked out for me elephant hunting as a US citizen.

Anyone knows what the rate is for a elephant hunt with kambako ?

quote:

I sometimes takes a real effort to get the PH off the truck.

Seloushunter

The Lion on the video was indeed shot earlier. PH Stuart Taylor thought it would be prudent to use the Toyota on the approach to the dead Lion.
A wise decision as it turned out..
The hunter was from West Texas and was one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure in meeting.

My mistake for assuming the lion was not wounded. Sorry - when it comes to a wounded cat I think ANY plan is okay....

Cheers, Dave

I don't like to shoot from the truck. Having said that, I readily admit to having done when circumstances dictated. Stopping a wounded animal does so dictate, in the interests of safety, ethics and many other considerations. This is only magnified when the game is dangerous. I have also lost a shot at some good animals while exiting a vehicle, but would have it no other way.

LEE GRIGSON: The lucky dog’s hunt-
(this paragraph from Kambako’s newsletter)
In next to hunt was Lee Grigson from Texas (July 21 to August 8, 2009). What can we say, Stu (Stuart Taylor, 32 yr old Zimbabwean with 12 years unlimited license) and Lee got to hunt together and had an absolute ball. Lee bought the donated buffalo/ sable hunt at the SCI convention and upgraded to lion after being on the ground at Kambako and seeing the numerous lion tracks there. Please take the time to look at the recently updated website www.kambakosafaris.com . Lee is featured in the fabulous footage of the lion charge and under the Testimonial Section. The short video clip showing the lion charge is the last couple seconds of what turned out to be quite the lion hunt. Last afternoon after turning down 17 other male lions, Lee shoots this particular male lion and after much congratulations and high fives with the lion lying dead in front of them, the lion comes back to life!!!!!! Oooooops this was not meant to happen. Everybody had to re-gather their wits and follow up the once dead lion. Stu opted to follow up the wounded lion by using the vehicle. This is the footage you get to see.

http://s795.photobucket.com/al...current=P1000810.jpg
This is the twice dead, final answer, lion. The first shot didn’t stun him, it was a good frontal lung shot that missed his heart. He was mostly dead, just didn’t know it when he charged us.


http://s795.photobucket.com/al...gsonlionpawnmoon.jpg
I like this photo- the lion’s paw is bigger than my outstretched hand. The solid black nose identifies him as an old lion . Jumbo, Stuart and Johnny (the men who know about these things) figured him to be around 11-12, probably his last year in this tough world.
I learned later that if you touch a lion’s mouth you really really must wash up carefully to prevent infection.


Day 18, THE REAL LION HUNT-
The lion looked distractedly through us as though he was more concerned with what he was going to do AFTER he killed us. I was fixed in shooting position on the sticks looking through the scope for what felt like an hour but couldn’t have been more than 5 minutes.
http://s795.photobucket.com/al...current=P1000820.jpg
This day had begun as a lion hunt. We drove south past the runway to check bait on the Lumbeze River, the southwesternmost point of the concession. We had seen tracks of two very large males in a pride of nine lion several days here. Early on the trip and very near here we were driving one morning, went through a dip, coming up the other side to a turn we looked up and not 15’ away were two lionesses lying on a huge rock just watching the road and us- not being the antelope they were hoping for they picked up and casually sulked away. Such a sight! Back to last day, we parked a half mile away and climbed over a granite hill to see if anything was at the bait. No joy. A leopard had been in but that wasn’t of interest. We circled west into the big hills to check another bait, again no joy. We had a good lunch at the mountain camp and I called it a finished hunt. I didn’t want to try to hunt late, then settle up and fly at first light in the morning. I wanted to just relax this afternoon. I told Stuart it would be great if we found a nice baboon for Joseph(one of 3 favorite nephews who requested a guard baboon-standing- for his room), but otherwise I was just pleased as punch- not everyone gets to hunt lion- I had hunted them ten days, seen lots of lion and didn’t have to pay for one. Pretty fine the way I was looking at it. We were a two hour drive away from camp and halfway home when Davy Mapolisa (Zimbabwean tracker), Pepe (Lawrence Joostore, South African apprentice PH and camera man) and I spotted a big male baboon on my side of the truck, just a ways off the road. We hopped out, loaded up to follow a ways. The critters took off into some knee high grass, the grass near us was tall enough to block Stuart’s view. I could just make out the big male about 50 yards away and cockily walking off, thinking he was invisible. I had Pepe set up the sticks and shot into the grass with the CZ 375 H&H magnum. I didn’t see anything but thought it a good shot- it was, just behind the shoulder and out the chest- almost too much so. Karl Brosig will have his work closing the chest on this fellow. He is a tall fine baboon. I couldn’t carry him alone. Anyhow, baboon in hand I was really a happy camper- I do hate to disappoint Joseph (or his brothers for that matter). I didn’t bother reloading the rifle, it wasn’t going to do any further work.. I took off my belt and put it in the floor of the truck, not going to need that again! (or so I thought). Back at camp we dropped off the baboon for skinning, then went to see about some lunch. This was about 2:30 and very late for lunch. After a bite Stuart thought we might go shoot some birds, so we invited the pilot, Simon Venter to come along and have a beer with us. So Stuart, Davy, Pepe and Simon piled onto the truck and headed north to work the river. The sky was high overcast, not too hot on this late afternoon, we stopped a couple of times to shoot at the guinea fowl (I never did hit one), then driving a little further spotted several elephant coming cross country to water at the river in the dimmed afternoon light. It was around 4:30 pm, so most of us sat at the truck watching this monster elephant just trundling along for, gosh, half an hour in sight. He wasn’t worried about us, we weren’t worried about him. Pepe grabbed the fancy camera and made an approach to get some good close footage. It was great watching the elephant watch Pepe as the two vectored closer, ending up not 50 yards apart. The sun was at our backs, winds calm, this made for quite a magnificent afternoon. Just magic. After the elephant passed into the riverine, we decided it was time to load up. Stuart mentioned that since we were so close to the #2 bait that it would save him time if we dumped the bait and picked up the chain. He had a client coming in the next afternoon so this worked well. We hadn’t seen lion tracks at this bait in 12 days, only our daily leopard. Not five minutes after seeing the elephant we rounded a corner to the bait when Davy, in his quiet way, hollered STOP! STOP! GET OUT! HERE’S THE LION WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!!! (he didn’t really yell, it was just above a whisper but his decisiveness was clear. We jumped, Pepe tossed me the 375 and we all crouch trotted forward 150 yards to a better spot. The lion was lying at the edge of a clearing, a ¼ mile from the bait, just watching for animals going to the river to water.


Stuart told me to shoot him when he stood up. The lion didn’t so much as twitch during this period, head up just watching us watching him. A lioness was behind him sitting upright, just off to the left. I was in a partial squat, knees slightly bent and not wanting to adjust the sticks for fear of not being present when the lion moved off. Vertigo started to set in. This was something really weird happening at an equally once in a lifetime event. This felt like I was watching this unfold on the television… I kept my shooting hand loose, safety had been off since I laid the rifle on the sticks, my trigger finger was relaxed and just touching the trigger shoe. Stuart decided the cat wasn’t going anywhere soon, so picked the sticks up and moved me fifteen feet to the right, rifle in position all while. This afforded a straight on shot through the chest that would run the length of his body, more chances to really hurt him. I told Stu I wasn’t pulling the trigger without his “shoot” call (after my eland foulup- details another day). Stu confirmed, telling me to shoot just under the right side of his chin which was turned ever so slightly to his right, still contemptibly relaxed. Pepe had been filming all the while, head tucked into his viewfinder just like me with the scope. I heard Pepe whisper that his knees were shaking, Stu chimed in- none of us so much as moving a whisker stubble while whispering. I was mildly having trouble with that vertigo thing… How many thoughts go through your head at a time like this? None. Have you ever watched a tornado up close, but passed just by? How about a front row seat to a car wreck you can see coming and cannot get away from? Yep, time ceased to exist. Every second felt like an eternity. This was as much an out of body experience as you are going to get. My legs were burning from being bent, screamed for just a simple relieving stretch. Stu calmly said that the lion wasn’t moving, so pick my spot and shoot- done- that was simple. All the 5-stand target shooting made it easy to pick a target and shoot. I had been picking my spot for seven or eight minutes by this time. The lion jumped at the shot, hunched his back and simply backed up ten feet, giving me a broadside, two more quick shots as quickly as I could, I thought both hit home. He moved twenty feet to my right and paused, Stu told me to shoot again- empty!, okay I dropped the rifle, said aloud it was at the moment useful only as a paperweight as my belt with ammunition was in the truck behind us (remember the baboon?). I asked Stu for his rifle, he said I didn’t need it as just then the lion stumbled to his left and fell flat over. A perfect collapse. Simple as pie- Hoorays and back slaps- I quickly sat as my legs were so fatigued from the partial crouch. Stuart shortly said it was time to follow up- even with the lion clearly dead we would approach by vehicle because we could. I dusted myself off, picked up the rifle and ran to the truck for ammo- the others followed. Davy drove- the pilot Simon had the shotgun seat. Stuart and I were standing behind the cab with Pepe between us filming. Davy drove slowly towards the grass the lion collapsed in. As we approached he jumped up-Stuart said shoot, I shot where his head had been and instead hit his front left paw- hurt and biting at his injured foot, he looked up and spotted us- never took his eyes off us until he died- charged without hesitation, I took two useless shots at the bounding animal, then Stuart and I shot simultaneously, the cat pitched headlong like a baseball player sliding to a bag. The lion was laid out, chest facing us- I raised and shot him again. No high fives this time. For thirty seconds we held without saying a word- not believing what we not only witnessed, but were in the thick of. We stopped 30 feet away, or rather the lion stopped 30 feet away. Stuart, Davy and I took turns getting off/out of the truck, a rifle ready all the while- we had already seen this lion dead once, not going to trust him this time. We circled around behind the lion, Stu closest, I was six inches beside him. When Stuart’s rifle was a foot from the back of the lion’s head, mine half again that to the front, Davy touched the lion’s ribs with the shooting sticks- tap tap, tap tap, no lights, no twitters, no twitches. Stuart confirmed with the eyes. We still took a minute to settle down. With the sun setting over the river and behind the clouds, we could hear ourselves breathe again.
http://s795.photobucket.com/al...current=P1000819.jpg
Postscript: Reno, January 20, 2010. Jumbo (John) Moore, Managing Partner of Kambako Safaris had picked up his just finished promotional dvds to take to the SCI Convention. One of the many neat things shown was the first shot at the lion, then the charge. Not plainly visible until pointed out is that I pulled my first shot, not hitting the lion squarely in the chest, instead skipping off the dirt just in front and in line with (heart/lung and near (right) shoulder). The shot had buggered him up but wasn’t the shot we thought I had made. Congratulations to Pepe for his great camera work. Congrats to Stuart Taylor for letting me have a safe first lion hunt. Like bicycle riding, soloing in an aircraft or having sex, the first time isn’t always pretty, but boy-oh-boy do we remember… Let's go back to lessons learned- until you are paid out, you are still hunting- keep your rifles topped off and ammo belt on. I really didn't bring them for decoration.

Kambako Safaris is located in northeastern Mozambique, 60 miles south of Tanzania and lies on the eastern part of the Niassa Reserve. The Niassa is larger than the Selous and elephant migrate the 200 some odd miles between. The Tanzanian gov’t. is considering moving all villages between the two to make a safer corridor for the elephant. It would be a magnificent project as many elephant are inadvertently snared, shot as they pillage the small farm plots and generally harassed in their current migrations. Hunters in both the Selous and around the Niassa would benefit greatly. Write your congressman (not really). Also, we Americans need to support John Jackson at Conservation Force in his efforts to get US Fish & Wildlife to recognize CITES approval to import Mozambique elephant. The rest of the world hunts elephant in Mozambique- with a great track record towards conservation and management.

Just trying to get an actual photograph instead of the link. I even read the great "how to" written by Terry Carr back in 2005. Sorry folks, I'll do better! Lee

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:

To me the price is the determining factor for level of interest in alot of things and I don't see the correlation between price point and level of affluence. Lets say there are two buffalo hunts, one is 10k one is 25k. Lets say you or I could afford both. Now we know that affluenece is not an issue given these two commodities. If hunt #2 were 2.5 times better then hunt #1 then I would take it, but if it were only 50% better I would not regardless of my position in life. Does that mean I'm not interested in hunt #2? Of course not, its a buffalo hunt and I just booked a buffalo hunt.

Justin, prior to now I thought you were a rancher from California. Turns out you are an economist. Who knew?

This is all loaded up. Lawrence "Pepe" Joostore the video whiz and apprentice PH is on the left, Davy Mapolisa, tracker, lucky client, PH Stuart Taylor. I would hunt with Stu anytime, anywhere, anything. Lee Grigson


No disrepect intended. We had tracked lions and stalked them in winding creekbeds where you couldn't see 20 feet in any direction.


We chased these youngsters off the bait several days. Stu figured they had recently been kicked out and were just learning how to hunt on their own. Finding a buffalo just hanging in a tree seemed like heaven to these two, so they weren't going to leave. Give them another 3-4 years.

Just raising the bait to get out of the young lion's reach.


Lee's sundown


Irving Hunter, PH Stuart Taylor, Steve Mayfield, OZhunter Adam Cristo, deeber Lee Grigson enjoying a sundowner. Irving and Steve can fix anything, build anything. Adam is the swimming pool builder and designed and built a sand filtration system for the whole camp. Water was flown in every couple of days until Adam built the treatment system. Genius! We will hunt again, my friend!


This was what I went for. Old and representative Roosevelt Sable. I'm awfully pleased.



This hyena was shot between the shoulder blades at 80 yards, trotting away. Clearly a lucky shot, it will appear here first.


Nothing like a buffalo to know you are alive!

My hunt with Kambako (so named for the resident elephant, kambako is a local name for the one who plows the earth- which the elephant do to find water in the dry riverbeds) Safaris had begun over a year previously. Blake Muil, a Zimbabwean professional hunter my two oldest nephews Zack Ready and Isaac Ready had hunted with two years prior, had just moved with his family to Great Britain. A failed experiment this, as this warm Zimbabwean family just didn’t fit in with the cool climate and cold attitudes in England. Blake moved back within a year. However, while out, Blake recommended that we would enjoy a hunt with Jumbo (John) Moore in northeastern Mozambique. Kambako’s 1,200 square mile coutada (the Mozambican term for hunting area or lease), lies less than 100 miles south of the fabled Selous Game Management Area in Tanzania. Kambako is on the east side of the Niassa National Preserve, a 30,000 square mile oasis. FILL IN HERE Part of Kambako’s hunting area lies within a buffer around the Niassa Reserve that serves to both protect the Reserve from poaching, while also allowing highly restricted hunting. All animals shot on this part are inspected by Reserve officials and documented as part of a greater game management plan. Everyone wins except poachers. This concept protects three sides of the Niassa while the Tanzanian government is considering opening a wildlife corridor between the Niassa and their Selous. The government would relocate existing villages to allow game to live unhindered in their historic grounds. It turns out that elephant are not the only animals who appreciate a farmer's fields- warthog and bushpig do considerable damage- much like we Texans are in the middle of a feral hog reign of destruction. Efforts to limit pig damage occasionally snare an elephant or lion looking for fresh meat. Farmers and their families are killed by lion each year in this area. These problems are dealt with in very simple ways- poison. No one wins that way- I don't care what PETA or National Geographic think.

In a multi pronged approach, the democratic Mozambican government began offering long term (50 year) leases to foreign nationals willing to bring investment and hunting back to Mozambique. These long term relationships also provide training to local villages to provide jobs in the hunting and recreation industry that haven’t existed since civil war began in the 1960’s. This area was never subjected to the many land mines that crippled many humans and animals in the far southern parts of the country. A gutsy group of four from Alabama teamed up with Jumbo, having hunted with him many years on his lease in Zimbabwe. These fearless fellows formed Kambako Safaris and put together this great area for hunters beginning in 2004.

Susan Grigson, my wife of 26 years, and I went to the SCI convention in Reno in January 2009, just wanting to meet Jumbo. I was hoping to set up a future trip to hunt sable and buffalo. We found Jumbo Moore and his wife, Sarah, and professional hunters Johnny Johnson and Stuart Taylor, taking to them immediately. We had plans that evening to attend one of the auction dinners with Jack Hood and his son, Nick, finished at the University of Alabama and waiting to attend law school. Sitting eating our salads we noticed one of the hunts to be auctioned that evening was, of all things a sable and cape buffalo hunt sponsored by Kambako Safaris. Well, how could any self-respecting enthusiast not bid on such a thing? Susan encouraged me to bid, I swear on my live mother’s famous banana nut bread that I didn’t set this up. Finding one of the auction assistants to let him know I would be bidding on the next item, he asked my top bid- he suggested I start the bidding pretty high just to scare off the “low ballers” who might then stick around to drive the price beyond retail—after all, this event does raise revenue for SCI’s many hunting related projects, so high bids are valued beyond the item itself. As we’ve all seen, when it’s right, it’s right- we bought the hunt at a slight discount. The next morning I couldn’t wait to tell Jumbo we were hunting that calendar year. So they wouldn’t be completely out the cost of the donated hunt I added five hunting days to a twelve day hunt. I really wanted a nice sable! We scheduled the hunt for late July, opting not to spend several nights in Pemba at their property on their isolated white sand beach on the blue blue Indian Ocean- in hindsight quite an error on my part as this is a beautiful place managed by Cheryl ____ with a wonderful staff. I will be sure to spend time there next trip.


LION HUNTING-
I was six days into a 17 day hunt and had shot my heart’s desires- a fine old buffalo and an eleven year old sable. I was thinking about booking an early flight home but was interrupted when Stuart looked over and asked if I was interested in hunting lion. “Of course, but I can’t afford it I replied, let me back that up, no one in my family ever dreamed we would hunt lion! Well- let’s just say that as it worked out I will be making monthly payments until I’m gray- er, I mean grayer. “Okay, Stuart, but understand I really, really can’t afford to shoot a lion just to shoot one- unless we see one that makes you drool I am simply not interested- I can’t be…” Leave it to Stuart…
We had been tending three baits Stuart had working- it was kind of his pet project just to keep baits working for different cats, recently my zebra had fed two with each hindquarter and the hyena coupled with the zebra ribs/forelegs fed the third which was located north of camp where the Nicondocho River fed into the Lugenda (lu jen da) River. This was Lion Bait #2, big tracks had been seen early, but since we had begun hunting lion the only thing tending it was a leopard (we had great trail camera shots of this leopard). When lion hunting it is easy to tell what is feeding on your bait. You hang bait high enough so that only a big one can feed. Smaller lion might get a bite or three, but get irritated and move on. A leopard feeds from above, so they will climb into the tree and lean/hand/dangle and eat from the top. If vultures see it they will make it disappear completely, so Pepe, Davy and Jum cut branches/shrubs to cover. These are not just laid over the bait, the branches are cut below forks so that these artists can weave a dense cover that isn’t casually tossed off. After hanging the bait, animal entrails pulled from a 42 gallon drum are tied to a wire and dragged as much as half a mile in several directions to attract critters. The lions think they can steal a leopard’s kill. In areas where we worried about vultures, toilet paper was torn in short one foot lengths and tied in the area- the vultures don’t understand these and won’t go anywhere near it. Who would have thought all that adolescent training with tossing toilet paper in neighborhood girl’s trees would pay off?

More later.
Lee




First day hunting, Thursday



My first day hunting- cape buffalo- no sense dallying, let’s get right to it. After a warm three and a half hour hike following tracks of a set of three buffalo that put us within 50 feet of seven different elephant bulls, we cut a single large buffalo track that was headed back in the general direction whence we came. Another 2.5 hours had us in a dry riverbed where 2 klipspringer gave us away (klipspringer are the national animal of Mozambique and thus are off limit). When the second spooked downstream our attention was quickly diverted to see a set of buffalo hooves disappear up the opposite bank. Hooves were all that was visible under the great evergreen (similar to a live oak) shade tree the buffalo had bedded down in. The klipspringer provided security for the buffalo while he protected them from leopard and lion. Interesting relationship… Stuart and Davy didn’t think the buffalo had knew we were there, just that “something” not to stick around for. We exited the way we entered; Stuart said we would give the buffalo several hours to settle down without pushing him- if we backed off he would likely settle down immediately as opposed to getting irritated and then might move for miles. So we walked 45 minutes back to a road we had crossed, still some 5 miles to the truck- Davy saved my bacon by going after the vehicle. We ate lunch about 3, napped till 4, when Stu calmly (all his suggestions are made calmly) thought we might go back and see if the buffalo stayed put rather than moving about in the 95 degree midday heat. .. So, an easy walk this time put us back at the riverbed, where Davy proceeded ever….so….slow…..ly…. into this jesse (African term for thicket) where we couldn’t see 30 feet in any direction but could hear elephant browsing very close from the sounds of branches snapping and tearing- we don’t want to follow that way, or that way, we didn’t- the tracks didn’t go far before Stu and Davy dropped to the ground, which wasn’t much of a drop because we were crab walking in this stuff. I was still 5 or 6’ behind and right of them- Stu looked over/back to me and motioned a deep curl, he had spotted either a fine old buffalo or some shapely woman was very lost! I couldn’t see squat. We were in thick, dead and crunchy leaves so couldn’t move from our positions. I was kneeling a listening for all I was worth. Stu looked back and mouthed “can you see anything?”, pointing at his eyes and then forward and right of his position. He then shrugged his eyes- imploring me to see what wasn’t there, seconds ticked by. I couldn’t move, couldn’t see what must have appeared like the broad side of a barn to Stu, incredulous that this monster was invisible to me. All I could do was wait & watch- Stu turned again- REALLY BIG EYES! Yureka! I saw a flash of the top half of his horns, about 25 feet away, nothing more as the rest of his horns and his body were hidden by brush. I flashed recognition to Stu- he and Davy put their fingers in their ears as they were just to the side of the path of my shot- it was going to be real noisy up there! About a second and a half after seeing his boss I was able to lean over and shoot- there’s his boss again, nothing else visible, moving closer and to my left so drop my sight to about where I imagine his heart would line up, so I am aiming into brush into an unseen chest- I didn’t hear the shot- the buffalo disappeared back the way he came- that is a much better direction, if I hadn’t seen him Stuart was going to have to shoot him just in defense- there wasn’t anywhere to go… My hearing came back pretty quickly, the 416 Rigby only rings a bit; I could hear crashing a short ways in front, and yes I already had the next shell chambered (you have to practice to make this automatic)- but Stu was grinning with his big infectious happy grin! He had stepped forward to where I had jumped into what turned out to be a one foot wide lane at ground level- they had watched the buffalo easily where I was completely blocked- no wonder his eyes were so big! Davy’s eyes never wavered looking in the direction of the crashing through the jesse. Stu whispered “we’ll just wait a cigarette, within 30 seconds we heard a first raspy bellow- more like a stifled grunt, then another, another, then it sounded like the air just ran out- my Dad had died like that five years previously- lung cancer. Fluid had built up with pneumonia until there was room for any more breaths- it reall was as simple as that- a last exhale and no draw. OVER- it was just as tense with the buffalo- it did mean life or death, although it took a matter of half a cigarette for the buffalo rather than several years. Hearing the cape buffalo expire with his death bellow was magic, bitter sweet but with the joy knowing there would be no tracking a “who knows how wounded” buffalo today! Sweat still dripping we followed Davy through the brush- we hadn’t gone 100’ till we found him- tail facing us, belly left/head right, so we approached cautiously- Stu and Davy were alert but very clearly not overly so- approaching from his back Stu tapped the buffalo’s eyes with this rifle barrel. Stuart had me put a round through his spine and through the heart- when we butchered the next morning the top half of the heart was pulp and there was a split top to bottom as well- two heart shots- a mark of good shooting, lucky start!
It was 5p.m. thirty minutes to dark- Stu marked the spot on his GPS unit and said we had best exit the area with light as the elephant weren’t partial to nocturnal trespassers. So we took a couple of quick photos and lit a shuck out of there. This was a nice, very old buffalo- 37” wide, very gray between the eyes and edge of his boss, his horns sagged far below his drooping and battle shredded ears- I sure like hunting cape buffalo! The next morning we couldn’t get a truck within half a mile, so the camp staff butchered the buffalo in place. Everything was carried except the grass in his stomach- some of these strong men were carrying portions as big as they were- what a sight to see! The cape and horns were lashed to a pole and two men carried it out. Okay, a day and a half and we have a buffalo back in camp- Great!
This was originally what I had written for the buffalo photo.
Old and scarred up- same for the cape buffalo. I couldn’t see anything but the top of his head. We had followed this buffalo 6 hours earlier in the day, over hill, dale and through a herd of elephant in palm trees. Midday ended when we spooked two (not springbok, but close) animals who were laid up in a dry wash under a big evergreen- he didn’t know it was us but ran off anyway. Stuart had us back off, let him settle down for several hours while we ate some lunch. Davy walked the 5 miles back to bring the truck, we took a nap, then went back in about 3:30, easy (Texas hill country look-alike) 45 minute walk. Just across the dry riverbed we were in very thick jess (cover, briars, brambles, shrubs, trees galore, visibility poor). We could hear elephant all around, couldn’t see anything. He was walking down a meandering trail towards Stuart and Davy- they were watching him for several minutes before he came into my view- I was frozen 6 feet away crawling through a thicket- ended up shooting from a kneeling position, leaning over about 45 degrees to one side. Awkward, but I had mentally practiced so many times I hit him square middle chest and took the top of his heart. I’ll take lucky. He ran 100’, fell and shortly exhaled the famed “death bellow”, when the weight of his sides forces air out of his lungs across his vocal cords. Unforgettable and very desirable outcome. We took several quick pictures then got out of there while we had daylight (the elephant don’t like surprises walking in the night). Next morning we had to butcher this buffalo in place and carry him out due to its remote location. It was a sight to see men carry their equal weight in animal parts. Nothing wasted but the digesting grass. It took two men to shoulder carry the head and cape, wrapped on a pole.

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Bear with me folks- here's the hyena- maybe



perhaps the sundowner

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Originally posted by safari-lawyer:

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Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:

To me the price is the determining factor for level of interest in alot of things and I don't see the correlation between price point and level of affluence. Lets say there are two buffalo hunts, one is 10k one is 25k. Lets say you or I could afford both. Now we know that affluenece is not an issue given these two commodities. If hunt #2 were 2.5 times better then hunt #1 then I would take it, but if it were only 50% better I would not regardless of my position in life. Does that mean I'm not interested in hunt #2? Of course not, its a buffalo hunt and I just booked a buffalo hunt.

Justin, prior to now I thought you were a rancher from California. Turns out you are an economist. Who knew?

Certainly not me.

I must have typed it during an Ambien blackout.....

The shooter may be a nice guy but, he seems to be taking his rifle down from his shoulder to work the bolt.