Your professional will awake you at sometime around 3:30 – 4:00 AM, it doesn’t really matter you’ve slept maybe 90 minutes. You slept in your warm wet cloths preferring them to your cold wet cloths. The night was cold as they tend to be here in July, you shivered beneath your mosquito net praying for the daylight to somehow creep over the horizon of swamp before you really know it will.

There will be no coffee, no breakfast as there’s not time. You must be in the machan from which you saw the sitatunga bull from the prior evening at least 60 minutes before daylight.

You follow, you follow behind your professional in the dark, lights? Forbidden. You follow faint whisps of toilet paper tied to the long grass guiding the way to the machan. You follow trackers who live here with names like Joburg and Patson who somehow can see in the dark and intuitively know where not to put their feet. You don’t and you pay, you pay by going through the floating mat of grass that is the Bangweulu Swamp. You are submerged to your chest, flailing to get out. Andrew will extract you as he has for the previous 7 days. Everything you own is not only wet but ruined by now, Camera? Passport? I’ll never see home again anyway.

You try to put out of your mind that which you know lurks beneath the grass, hippos, crocs, the leaches don’t bother me. You think about Richard Bellcross and his close encounter here.

Somehow by divine guidance you arrive at the machan well before daylight. You ascend and begin to shiver, your wet and the cruel breeze somehow knows it. You try to glass the edges of papyrus but your shivering only gets you a stern glance from Andrew, as your shivering is making the entire structure tremble. You draw something from deep within you to stop your shivering and become a productive member of the safari.

We heard the bull bark last night from this area; we know he’s here close by. Andrew with a simple “Damn” confirms it. He’s at least 800 yards. We watch him return to the abyss of papyrus from which he came and now know we must move the machan, for he’s a nice bull of 26-27.

After the mornings “sitting” Andrew explained just how territorial these bulls are, he will most likely expose himself within 50 yards of where we saw him depart. Five of us disassemble the pole machan, held together with indigenous materials and move it about 600 yards to what we feel will give us a reasonable shot at this bull.

We finished the task around 1:00 PM, now the boredom. We sit in the sparse shade created by the palm islands that are spattered about the swamp, the snakes like them as well.

We sit till 4:00 PM and arrive in dry cloths for only the second or third time in 7 days. This is to be our last sitting, we will need to return to shoebill camp to charter out in the morning, and I fight the internal pessimist and try to remain optimistic.

I ascend the machan for the last time, and wait for the telltale signs of dusk in Bangweulu, the hazy cloud of insects that rise from the swamp and could actually pass for a light aircraft by the roar it creates. The beauty of the setting suns alpenglow upon the endless walls of papyrus. You steal a glance at your professional as he tirelessly glasses for the bull. You see a shoebilled stork but couldn’t really give a shit.

Andrew then excitedly whispers “get ready he’s coming out!!!”
187 yards and 9785 miles from home.
Success.

Nganga

WELL DONE!

nganga

you and andrew should write a book together, you got a talent for story telling as do he.

i would buy it in a second.

best

peter

Nganga,

Great story. I hunted the Bangweulu in '98 in July. It was beautiful but the wading out in the morning in the dark was for the birds. I have crap night vision and I didn't like it at all. I went back in Sept 2000 with some metal scaffleding and it was much easier. I hardly got my feet wet.

The Bangweulu is an incredibly beautiful and very special area. I feel privilage to have hunted it particularly since it may close to hunting in the future.

You took me back there with your story. Thanks!

Mark

did they close bangweulu, last year, when we were there in august we heard that it was to close in sept. to become 100% park

Butch

Recently Laura Du Plooy told me that Bangweulu was still open but the plan was going forward to make it a park. It seemed unclear exactly when the closure would take place.

Mark

Oh, say it isn't so! I so wanted to walk that swamp in the dark!

Thanks for sharing the great story!

we can at least hope not. that will be the end of black lechwe hunting and there are a hellova lot of them there

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Butch

Recently Laura Du Plooy told me that Bangweulu was still open but the plan was going forward to make it a park. It seemed unclear exactly when the closure would take place.

Mark

Mark,

The swamps are some 700 sq km of unexplored wilderness and the so called Park - community conservancy - is but a fraction of this wetland.

Andrew,

I guess the question is whether or not the rest of the wetland is accessible and therefore huntable. My guess was that the land and shoot a black lechwe on the way to another area would be eliminated. True? How would you conduct a safari for tseesbe and black lechwe outside the "park". I'm very interested as I thought these species might just not be offered anymore.

Mark

Mark,
Did you drive from the airstrip to Shoebill camp?

Nganga

Nganga

We actually hunted on the other side. Drove there from the Luangwa.

Mark

Andrew and I chartered in, drove that POS rover to shoebill, what a shithole. The pit toilets behind the torn tents are EXACTLY 17 yards from the well. We then the next morning drove three hours to the west (I think) then portered into the swamp for about 5 hours with all the crap we could carry. Pretty spartan but hell it's hunting eh?

Very nicely written! Congrats on an excellent adventure!

I have to thank Mark Young and Laura DuPlooy for convincing me to make a stop at Bangwelu two years ago for the Black Lechwe and Tsessebe. I seemed to have missed the "true experience" of the swamps, as although we stuck the rover once in the mud and had to push it out, I managed to shoot a good Black Lechwe and a nice Tsessebe without getting my feet wet. Of course this was in very late October, and it was at the very end of the dry season.

They at the time were talking about closing it and then subsequently it sounded like they were trying to change it so that you had to spend at least an overnight at Bangwelu.

I can understand the need to try and improve the lot of the locals by encouraging the hunters to stay there, but I also agree the camp at the time, shall we say, needed some work. All I did was eat lunch there while the staff worked on skinning out the animals before I flew on to the Luangwa.

I hope they don't close it for hunting, and at some time I would like to go back there, maybe to try for a situatunga. I kind of doubt that it would make a very good photosafari area given the bugs and the need to go wandering around in a swamp. Its been my experience that the hunters are a lot more tolerant of bad camps, hot weather and don't expect to see herds of animals (but boy its fun when you do!!!!)

Sitatunga, Black Lechwe, Tsessebe and Oribi; yes, it must be the Bangweulu Swamp, one of God's truely amazing gifts to the African hunter.

The first morning, the dark, the wet, the makoro canoe, the mud, the mist, the shakey machan and then Sitatunga steps out before the sunlight hits the papyrus. You've been in the machan less than 5 minutes when the PH says "Shoot him" and I did.

Some hunt the Sitatunga for days without ever seeing one and many go home without. Diana smiled on me that day in the Bangweulu, and the next day as well. All four species of record book quality.

Ah, Zambia; the flats, the Luangwa and the Bangweulu.

Cane Rat,

There are those who support SCI and others like you and I that do not and mainly for the reasons you have spelt out. However SCI does a tremendous amount of good for the hunting industry in Africa and I applaud them for that.

Mike's comment was more pointing to the quality of the trophies in the area. His other comments would make him a hunter in my book.

Nganga has produced a great piece of writing and it would be a shame to spoil or deviate from this thread.

quote:

Originally posted by Cane Rat:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Cane Rat,

There are those who support SCI and others like you and I that do not and mainly for the reasons you have spelt out. However SCI does a tremendous amount of good for the hunting industry in Africa and I applaud them for that.

Mike's comment was more pointing to the quality of the trophies in the area. His other comments would make him a hunter in my book.

Nganga has produced a great piece of writing and it would be a shame to spoil or deviate from this thread.

Andrew,

I respectfully disagree. I know him from SCI and have dealt with him personally. I stand 100% behind my earlier post. He hunts only for the record book and the satisfaction of his own over-inflated ego.

OUCH, that hurt.

Mate very nice reading but I'm a simple man.....SO SHOW ME THE PICTURES PLEEEEEEAASSSSSSSE

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I have to thank Mark Young and Laura DuPlooy for convincing me to make a stop at Bangwelu two years ago for the Black Lechwe and Tsessebe. I seemed to have missed the "true experience" of the swamps, as although we stuck the rover once in the mud and had to push it out, I managed to shoot a good Black Lechwe and a nice Tsessebe without getting my feet wet. Of course this was in very late October, and it was at the very end of the dry season.

They at the time were talking about closing it and then subsequently it sounded like they were trying to change it so that you had to spend at least an overnight at Bangwelu.

I can understand the need to try and improve the lot of the locals by encouraging the hunters to stay there, but I also agree the camp at the time, shall we say, needed some work. All I did was eat lunch there while the staff worked on skinning out the animals before I flew on to the Luangwa.

I hope they don't close it for hunting, and at some time I would like to go back there, maybe to try for a situatunga. I kind of doubt that it would make a very good photosafari area given the bugs and the need to go wandering around in a swamp. Its been my experience that the hunters are a lot more tolerant of bad camps, hot weather and don't expect to see herds of animals (but boy its fun when you do!!!!)

You will only get wet when hunting Sitatunga. The Lechwe and the Tsessebe are mostly found on the vast floodplains.

I will find more about the Park and size bit I suspect this has been formed to halt encroachment and to protect the flora and fauna. It is also a very important wetland for a huge number of bird species.

The hunting will happen as this is the main income for the community.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I have to thank Mark Young and Laura DuPlooy for convincing me to make a stop at Bangwelu two years ago for the Black Lechwe and Tsessebe. I seemed to have missed the "true experience" of the swamps, as although we stuck the rover once in the mud and had to push it out, I managed to shoot a good Black Lechwe and a nice Tsessebe without getting my feet wet. Of course this was in very late October, and it was at the very end of the dry season.

They at the time were talking about closing it and then subsequently it sounded like they were trying to change it so that you had to spend at least an overnight at Bangwelu.

I can understand the need to try and improve the lot of the locals by encouraging the hunters to stay there, but I also agree the camp at the time, shall we say, needed some work. All I did was eat lunch there while the staff worked on skinning out the animals before I flew on to the Luangwa.

I hope they don't close it for hunting, and at some time I would like to go back there, maybe to try for a situatunga. I kind of doubt that it would make a very good photosafari area given the bugs and the need to go wandering around in a swamp. Its been my experience that the hunters are a lot more tolerant of bad camps, hot weather and don't expect to see herds of animals (but boy its fun when you do!!!!)

You will only get wet when hunting Sitatunga. The Lechwe and the Tsessebe are mostly found on the vast floodplains.

I will find more about the Park and size bit I suspect this has been formed to halt encroachment and to protect the flora and fauna. It is also a very important wetland for a huge number of bird species.

The hunting will happen as this is the main income for the community.

Mr Fairgame, is Sitatunga good eating?

My personal favourites are Springbock, Impala and Eland.

Oh, almost forgot, a nice fat young "Warty" is pretty good too. Apparently it's not too popular with people of certain religious persuasions, can't imagine why.

JF,

One of the best. Black Lechwe is also very good, although I am partial to a fat little porker myself. Basted in orange and honey.

quote:

Originally posted by zhaba:
Mate very nice reading but I'm a simple man.....SO SHOW ME THE PICTURES PLEEEEEEAASSSSSSSE

Zhaba,
As requested, Pics provided by Fairgame, you see my camera died a slow painfull submerged death in a swamp somewhere in Africa!!!






Nganga

Oh man, now THAT'S cool! THAT'S Africa!

Molepole,

That's Fairgame, That's Zambia. And that is why it is my second home. Shiver all night and sweat all day. The emotional lows, the euphoric highs.

That is what "Safari" means to me. Sometimes its extraordinarily difficult to keep your head in the game.

Nganga

Good story Nganga!

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:
Good story Nganga!

Brett

+1

Cane Rat-

You have a PM from me.

I'm not sure you do know me and know you have never hunted with me, but the autonomy of the internet allows those like you to make any statement you wish for whatever motivation you might have. Perhaps you would consider making your location a part of your profile? 6 posts here?

I have always said here that it would be easy to identify me; I am not hiding and am not a coward who uses the autonomy of this media to my own purposes. I have frequently challenged other members of SCI and taken SCI to task when I felt it appropriate; this has not made me popular with some members. Perhaps your "personal" knowledge of me comes from them?

While I unashamedly admit to trying to take the most mature animal possible in fairchase hunting, as I believe that is a responsibility of ethical hunting, I do have a number of representative species who don't qualify for the book, including my Elephant, and that fact is of no consequence to me. I also have a number of record book quality animals that have never been entered into the book, including my New Zealand trophies and a number of African duplicate species.

As hunters, we should make a sincere attempt not to cast aspersions upon one another, as there are plenty of antis out there who don't need any help.

Andrew- Thanks for the heads-up and the support.

PM returned.

Fantastic story! Thanks..

Great story. I will have to try it some time!