Date:Sept.23-Oct.5 / PH:Richard Tabor/ Camp manager: Blake/ Cameraman:Ryan/ Trackers:Ishmael,Oria,Biondi/Rifle(rented)Ruger MK2 magnum 458lott(open sights)/Amunition:Hornady factory 500gr RN solids,handloaded 500gr TSX and 485gr PMP solids/ After two years of wondering what it would be like to return to Zim and go on another buff hunt,possibly a better one,the day had come.During that time,I tried to stay in shape,improve on my shooting and everything else.Things had been good to me over that time and sun shone brighter on that day to the airport,than ever before.I arrived in Harare,met Myles,Kim and Claudia and we were off to the Harrison's bed and breakfast.[URL= ]Harrison's[/URL] [URL= ]b[/URL] In the morning,after breakfast,Buzz,his trackers and Justin arrived to pick up Kim and Claudia and then Richard and his crew arrived to pick me up.We were off to Makuti.[URL= ]Harare[/URL] [URL= ]road to Makuti[/URL] Camp [URL= ]my tent[/URL] This was a nice camp.Blake is the camp manager.There was a cook and a waiter who I enjoyed talking to.The waiter was a really nice fellow.The birds around camp made all kinds of music and one afternoon,the Weavers put on a quite a show.[URL= ]Weaver's nest[/URL][URL= ]dinner[/URL] Terry and his PH Peter where also in camp.Terry was hunting elephant and ended up getting a nice one.The hunt was on and on the second day we located the big Mana pools herd but could not get close enough to the center where the big Daga boys where.Our final stalk along a dry river gulley,following the herd brought us very close.Just as we where coming up to the center,an elephant blocked our passage.We did get some very good video footage of the herd and one clip that we all thought was very special.A couple of bulls where locked in a fight with one really dominating the other.Buzz later said that he wanted that clip for a video that he is making.It looked like the stuff you see on TV or in National Geographic.Being amongst all those buff,three hundred or so,was something else.We let the herd alone for a couple of days before returning.When we returned,they had left and wher no where to be found.The next few days where uneventful except for an old bull that we spotted and stalked unsuccesfully.It was day 6 and I think some of us where feeling a little discouraged.Suddenly very early morning,we spotted a small herd from the dirt road and decided to stalk.We got to within a couple of hundred yards from them,above and Richard made out a nice bull.Luckily, I brought along my binocs and I was able to find and see what he was looking at.The bull was below us in the shadow of some trees,slightly ahead of the others.I could make out the back side of it with its head away from us.Richard gave me the green light.I was hesitant at first but was able to lean my rifle on a small tree in front of me and had the bead settle on the backside of the buff.With the crack of the shot,the buff dropped to the ground."Hit him again" says Richard,"you spined him" "I can't see him" I replied. As we climbed down the hill and approached,the buff got up,tried to either come at us or join the others by choosing a path directlty at us.At this moment it looked like he tripped or his rear legs gave out and he ended up caught in a tight spot.[URL= ]tight spot[/URL][URL= ]b[/URL][URL= ]c[/URL][URL= ]buff1[/URL][URL= ]buff1[/URL][URL= ]diesel stop[/URL][URL= ]flat tire[/URL][URL= ]fires[/URL][URL= ]fires[/URL][URL= ]Ishmael,wash the plates well[/URL][URL= ]lunch at 38 in the shade[/URL][URL= ]a[/URL] We returned to hunt the same area on the seventh day and got the second buff.This bull had just parted from a small herd to join up with a younger bull.Richard had seen him cut-out and our search for him did not go fruitless.He was out in the open at sixty yards when we spotted him and I got the OK.He took a Hornady solid in the lungs and a follow up in the rear side before it was all over.He was a nice bull.[URL= ]buff2[/URL][URL= ]buff2[/URL][URL= ]Makuti[/URL][URL= ]a[/URL][URL= ]Makuti[/URL][URL= ]glassing for kudu[/URL][URL= ]dagga boy kudu[/URL][URL= ]hotel at lake Kariba[/URL][URL= ]Hotel bar[/URL][URL= ]hotel bar[/URL][URL= ]Kariba dam[/URL][URL= ]Blake[/URL] The trip ended with a dinner at the restaurant with Richard,his lovely wife and Blake and Buzz.Buzz dropped by again for breakfast my last morning.Richard was a good PH.He is a competitive guy who makes a strong effort.The best part of the trip was seeing Buzz again.I remember the first morning in Harare when Kim asked him about hunting.He loves to talk about hunting.I can't wait to be back again.Thanks Saeed and everyone else on AR!

Congrats...looks like a great hunt, and I know you had fun with Rich!

Congratulations... fine buffs !
Andy

Nice report and photos.

Nice report and great photos. Congrats!


Mad Dog

Two really nice buff. Congratulations on a great hunt.


Dutch

Congrats Shootaway!

I remember running into you guys in Makuti. I was finishing my hunt with Kobus when you were there. Happy to see that you got some nice Buffalo.

Zambian registration plate on that car?

Great trophies and the Kudu is a bruiser.

Very nice! Way to go!

quote:

Originally posted by Bryce Dillabough:
Congrats Shootaway!

I remember running into you guys in Makuti. I was finishing my hunt with Kobus when you were there. Happy to see that you got some nice Buffalo.

Hi Bryce.If I remember correctly,we ran into three hunters,two of which I saw.Where you the younger looking guy hunting leopard or where you the guy with the wife or girlfriend?

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Zambian registration plate on that car?

Great trophies and the Kudu is a bruiser.

Thanks,fairgame! Do you mean the yellow plate on the cruiser?

I was just enjoying your post and noticed that a good friend of mine, Terry, was in one of your photos. I jad to give Terry a call and tell him. I saw some of Terry's photos and he did get a very nice bull elephant. He said he enjoyed your company in camp. Small world isn't!!!
John

Congratulations George. The camp at Makuti brings back some special memories.

Congratulations and thanks for the nice report and photos. It was nice to see Makuti again!

quote:

Originally posted by Lucky1:
I was just enjoying your post and noticed that a good friend of mine, Terry, was in one of your photos. I jad to give Terry a call and tell him. I saw some of Terry's photos and he did get a very nice bull elephant. He said he enjoyed your company in camp. Small world isn't!!!
John

Hi John.Terry is a fine person-a gentleman.I remember one evening by the campfire,he told me about a hunt he did in the past and how much he enjoyed it.

Posted 14 October 2010 20:50 Hide Post
Zambian registration plate on that car?

That is a Zim reg plate. Very similar to Zambian

shootaway;

Congratulations on a successful safari. Your trophies are outstanding.

I hunted Makuti in 2007 and...I'll never forget those hills!!!! I consider that terrain a specialty of its own...very beautiful and interesting hunting.

Best regards, D. Nelson

George:

Claudia and I just saw your great photos from Makuti. What a great hunt report! It seems ages since we met at Harare airport late that first night.

Your two buffalo are very different yet both exceptional trophies, and the kudu has tremendous character - well done. Perhaps we'll run across one another on our next foray to Zim; we're hopefully returning next year, only this time it might be Lemco.

Thanks for taking the time to share your safari experience. My report should be up in less than a week - if I can finally catch up on my work.

Very nice report! Thanks for sharing it. The buffalo are fantastic trophies! Congratulations.

Great job! I had the pleasure of hunting w/Rich in July/Aug. He is a hard working and very knowledgable PH. I was back in the bush reading this!

Very nice buffalo, and kudu, too. Congratulations.

Another good hunt George! I like that kudu with some character. So what will it be next time, more buffalo, or something different? Maybe a leopard?

Thanks to everyone who posted.I wish you the best of luck on all your future hunts-and may there be many! It is with great joy that I read your posts.Bill,I've given it alot of thought and still can't make a decision.My next hunt will probably be in 2012.Another double buff hunt in Makuti along with a sable, would be nice.I was thinking of double buff and leopard too.Then I thought about lion or maybe a bull elephant.One night by the campfire terry told me about a Mongolian Ibex hunt he did and how much he liked that.Then when I got back to Harare there was a National Geographic magazine on the shelf at the harrisons and it was on Genghis Khan and the mongol empire.I now purchased the movie,Mongol on DVD and enjoyed that.Who knows? Maybe one day I'll go hunt in Mongolia and sleep in a ger and burn horse crap to stay warm! If someone would win the lottery and I came across a bunch of money quick,I would leave for Mongolia tommorrow and book a lion hunt with Buzz.

That sure is a dagga boy kudu!
Great reading! Congrats on a great bag. Lovely buffs!