Returned last Wednsday morning from the hunt of a lifetime. I started a new job Friday and time is short so this report will be brief, hopefully I will insert photos tomorrow, though I'm still waiting for some to be emailed from Zimbabwe.

Outfitters for this hunt were Roger Whittall Safaris, Charlton McCollum Safaris and then Roger Whittall Safaris again. Areas hunted included Chewore South, Chete, Omay, Kwe Kwe, and Humani in the Save.

PH's were Rich Tabor of Roger Whittall Safaris in Chewore then Buzz Charlton in Chete, Omay and Kwe Kwe and then Rich again at Humani in the Save.

I hunted from Sept 14 through 29 in Chewore South with Rich Tabor. We were primarily looking for a trophy bull elephant. This wasn't the ideal time of the year for a trophy, but we had a plan and worked it hard. We didn't find our trophy bull but we had a great time and managed to shoot three tuskless, a buff, a klipspringer (with my double rifle at 75yds no less) and a zebra. We hung lion and leopard baits when it didn't interfere with our elephant hunt.

We probably could have shot a leopard which was regularly feeding but the choice came down to following bull tracks or shooting more bait and we lost the leopard opportunity to the bait going off. Trophy bull hunting and cat hunting don't mix well and we gave the cat hunting the short end of the stick. If it had worked all well and good but we were after a tophy bull.

We were so far into the back country, far beyond the last "road" in the south of Chewore, looking for good bull tracks and sign that we were walking past Kudu, klipspringers, baboons and other critters at bow hunting range - they just didn't recognize humans as a possible threat. We walked up to a 52" Kudu and his 50" pal and they just stared at us til we walked past at 30yds range.

We shot a zebra and a tuskless on Day 5. The zebra was a target of opportunity as we were headed out of camp at first light. I shot him from prone at about 160yds, and then again at about 210 or so off sticks. Photo will be inserted below.

On our way back to camp we saw a herd of 20 or so elephants a quarter mile off the road and took off after them. This began an all day hunt that was really really fun and interesting with some twist.

The herd spooked at the truck's stopping and we tracked them, catching them quickly and then parralleling their course on the down wind side looking for a tuskless. We saw one, maybe two but had difficulty makeing the approach and the elephants spooked again. We tracked them again for maybe a half hour before the headed into some very thick riverrine bush. The wind was getting ficle and we made several approaches looking for the tuskless. We found the tuskless but there was no good shot opportunity and we had to back out as a whole lot of other elephants entered the thick riverine bush.

Eventually the differnet herds spread out under shade trees and we were able to find and approach our herd. Try as we did we couldn't find a good shot opportunity that didn't put us in danger from some of the other herds resting under trees in the shade near "our" elephants. Richard suggested leaving them and returning to take up tracks at 3:00 or so after they started to move again.

We had lunch in our camp with James Rosenvelt or Western Safaris and his clients. We swapped a buff for a tuskless, since his client wan't to shoot another buff.

We were back where we left the elephants by 3:30 and they had moved, we took up the tracks and caught them in a little less than an hour. As we moved parrallel to the herd the tuskless appeared at the rear of the herd and we moved in for a twenty yard frontal brain shot. What a great day! Photo will be inserted below.

The next day, Day 6, we recovered the tuskless and then we followed bull tracks in thick riverine brush and found the bull, but he wasn't the one we were looking for. We looked at a lot of elephants, including another bull, by walking slowly and quietly through the riverine bush. We found a tuskless, but to get a shot without getting squished by the other elephants we needed her to charge. Richard tried to provoke her but she wouldn't come. Jeez, they come when you don't want them to but you can't make them when you need them to.

That afternoon we took a long scouting walk looking for bull sign in along a stretch of a river between roads. We came across a tuskless toward the end of the walk and after a discussion about the recovery options we made our approach and took a frontal brain shot at about twenty five yards. Photo will be inserted below.

We hung baits where we had seen some promising lion or leopard sign while looking for a bull and continued with our bull hunt, having the camp driver check our baits while we looked for our bull. During the hunt I saw two lions associated with our baits, but neither was mature and we didn't sit for them. Saw another six or eight lionesses and cubs and one lion in the river relaxing too. Also got a quick look at a leopard, which was a first for me. We did build a blind and sit for a leopard but he didn't feed that PM or the next AM, and we either needed to rebait or abaondon the effort. As mentioned we abandoned in favor of the elephant hunt.

We had nine more hard hunting days before deciding to spend the last day looking for another tuskless on the last day.

On Day 16 we were on cow tracks just after first light and we came across a heard of 200 or so buff. All spooked but one nice bull which held his ground forty yards from the trackers, while we were fanned out trying to decipher the cow tracks. He wasn't going to budge and clearly had an attitude problem. Since we had a bull quota we approached to 25yds or so and I killed him. Good thing too, since when we came up to him we could see that he had apparently been gored inside the left rear leg by another bull and the wound was infected and maggoty.

We recovered the buff and took the long way home, hoping to find the the elephants had crossed a road that nearly parralleled the road where we had first found there tracks. Sure enough we found fresh cow trackes and followed. We caught the elephants in about a half hour and worked parrallel to them looking for a tuskless. We found one at the front of the herd and were able to approach to 12 paces for a frontal brain shot. Photos will be inserted here.

On Sept 30 I flew from Chewore to join up with Buzz Charlton in Chete. We were hunting three tuskless elephants for ten days, at least in theory.

On Day 1 we were on tracks a bit late since we had to pick up our game scout. We tracked for three and a half hours, really long for cows, and found no tuskless. Hour and a half walk to the nearest road and our morning was finished. We took the camp boat for a scouting trip up a river drainage to the south. Lots of crocs and other game but only old elephant sign.

Day 2 had us on tracks early but again no tuskless. We took a mid day walk - and it was very hot in Chete - from shade tree to shade tree and after a couple of hours we found a herd with a tuskless. A dirct approach to fifteen yards resulted in a frontal brain shot.

We went for another boat ride to a river system to the north of camp in the evening. Saw a really pretty bushbuck and continued past, landing around a bend. We stalked back and I made the shot at about 90yds, using a lonely tree as a rest. Photos will be inserted here.

Day 3 and we were on tracks early. After two and a half hours we caught the elephants but there was no tuskless. On the way we had seen some elephants on a distant ridge and after a talk about the distances and terrain involved we went to take a look. We found no tuskless on the hill and started on a return sweep back to the truck with the sweep taking us into new territory parrallel to the track in. After about four and a half hours total time from the truck Creighton, Buzz's lead tracker saw a tuskless under a shade tree on the side of a ridge. Even with bino's Buzz had trouble seeing it, Jeez, Creighton's got some eyes.

We made our walk and then our approach and I took the frontal brain shot at about 20 yds.

On our way back to the truck, about six hours total time from the truck and about an hour more to go to get back, we heard some elephants off to our right. Buzz looked over and I knew we needed to take a look. We found the elephants in a half hour and there was a tuskless. We approached for what was going to be a difficult shot from above. The elephants spooked before we were in position, and that was probably a good thing, given the shot angles. It was about 1:30 and we were out of water so Buzz sent the guys back for water and lunch while we rested under a shade tree, After the guys got back we had a bite to eat and an hour and fifteen minutes after we spooked the elephants we took up their tracks. After thirty minutes of fantastic tracking by Creighton in difficult condition we caught the elephants and amde an approach to about fifteen yards for a frontal brain shot. WOW, WHAT A DAY! Photos will be inserted here.

We celebrated well that evening!

I need to take a break so the story will be continued later.

Continued:

Forgot to mention that we ran into a huge snare line on the return trip to the truck on Day 3. Buzz, the Game Scout and I picked up 38 snares, while the other guys went to the scout best routes for recovery for Day 4. If I have a photo I will insert it here.

{My camera went of commission just as I was arriving at Chete. We used Buzz's til it went tits up too and then used the video camera for stills. A bad memory chip didn't help the situation but I've got most of the photos I need except for the series of photos of the charge Richard and I face on my last day. I stopped the elephant at 7yds. These need to be emailed from Zim and I haven't got them yet}

Now we had a problem, and a nice one to have. It was day three with Buzz at Chete and we were finished with our main quarry. There was a leopard and some plains game left on quota and we had the go ahead to hunt them. In fact we'd hung the carcass of the bushbuck for leopard.

Buzz had a hell of a Plan B that I just couldn't refuse. He was 80% sure that there were two PAC bulls available in Omay but said he wouldn't be 100% sure til the papaer work was in hand. It was a no brainer, we packed up and headed out after recovery on Day 4. On our way out, we gave a lift to a patrol of half a dozen Game Scouts who were going to stake out the snare line.

We arrived in Omay late Day 4.

In the morning, Day 5 we went to the council and found that all was in order and picked up our game scout. We were restricted to hunting Ward 10. Buzz was worried that this would be a serious handicap, it wasn't!

By 10:00 we are in Ward 10 and we have found a local who tells us he has seen and was chased by a bull at 8:00am this morning. Buzz is doubtful but we go take a look. Clearly the fellow was off on the time, but there is bull sign and cow sing where he takes us. We try tracking for a couple of hours but the going is slow and difficult and cows have obscurred many of the bull's tracks. We suspend the effort for the day with plans to start early the next day.

We have lunch and then take a drive looking for locals with some intel on any other bulls. A fellow volunteers to show us where he saw a bull the prior day. Its about an hours walk. Within a half hour, I know that the intel is good. There is elepahnt sign and plenty of it.

After an hour the fellow tells Buzz that we are where he saw the bull the afternoon prior and we comence a sweep through some riverine bush and grass, looking for some sign fresh enough to warrant tracking. We come upon a huge dump, steaming hot, and we are just about to take up the tracks when we here a branch crack a couple of hundred yards off. We go directly to the sound and find a perfect PAC bull: pumpkin seeds in his dung, old, small ivory.

We approach and he vears around some brush to investigate the noise and stands at ten or twelve yards bobbing his head. I take the frontal brain shot and I'm low. As he whirls, Buzz puts a 416 Woodleigh into his heart and just about simultaneously I put my second barrel in the same place. He is down inside thirty yards. Its 4:30 or 5:00 so we cut the tale and head back.

{You all will be able to see this footage in the future I bet since I gotta beleive that Buzz's planning another video}

We get a gift from above in the form of just enough rain to wipe out old tracks this evening and our prospects for tommorow are looking better.

Day 6 has on the tracks of bull we'd abandoned Day 5. We are on his tracks by 6:00. The tracking is difficult in long knocked over grass and mixed vegatation. We bump this bull four times, we have had three very fleeting "nearly" shot opportunities. He is very, very skittish.

At times his tracks pass through a herd of cows and we are close enough to the cows, in thick enough cover that we need to look under the brush to see feet, trunks and the tips of tusk. If a cow were to come, the shot would be way under ten yards, at time under five. Fortunately, no cow comes, but they don't give ground either and we need to go around.

We continue on, though were thinking he's got to be headed for Kenya by now. Remarkably we find him after another forty minutes. He has joined a herd of cows, and this is probably what keeps him from getting out of Dodge. We make our approach and can get no closer than 25yds when the cows take notice. I take the frontal brain shot, but again, I'm off, this time just high. As he whirls, Buzz gives him a 416 in the heart and I give him my right barrel in the smae place. He goes less than fifty yards and is down. WHAT A HUNT, WHAT A DAY! I'm not sure I have a photo of this bull and might have to pull a photo off the DVD, I'm sure the footage, which is fantastic, will be in a future Charlton McCollum production too.

THIS IS DAY 6, WE RECOVERED AND MOVED ALL OF DAY 4. THIS MEANS THAT WE HAVE HUNTED FOR FIVE DAYS AND TAKEN FIVE ELEPHANTS. PHENOMINAL!

We spend the morning of Day 7 recovering the ivory and hides and whatching the recovery mayhem, then head on to Kwe Kwe to drink beer, shoot some zebra and impala and give a try for a leopard. What a phenominal time!

We relax at Kwe Kwe and I speak with Roger Whittall. Rich and I had discussed the possibility of hunting a couple of the nasty tuskless at Humani in the Save after my hunt with Buzz. All is a go, but Roger warns that many elephants have moved off Humani and we may struggle. I decide to give it a try, at Buzz's urging, since, with my new job, time will be very limited for a year or two.

I fly on Oct 11 from Kwe Kwe to Humani to join Richard for four or five days.

To be continued.

Oct 12 Rich Tabor and I begin looking for a tuskless or two. The elephants at Humani are very tall, large, and nasty and the brush is typically thick to very thick. You need to be careful here, and same as last year, Richard is much more cautious with the Humani elephants than with Chewore elephants.

We see many elephants on Day 1 and 2, but only a young and a younger tuskless. Typically we track in the morning and then patrol. The elephants are feeding on Lala (sp?) palm nuts and will grab a palm tree and shake it, knocking down the nuts. We listen while patroling for this and when we hear it we go take a look. We are seeing plenty of bulls, plenty of cows but no suitable tuskless. We need to do some quick but orderly withdrawals.

On day three we have more of the same, but are charged by a bull from thirty yards. We make an orderly run of thirty more yards but the bull still comes on. Richard pulls up and fires a warning over his head. I'm on the other side of a large bush and can't see either the elephant or Richard. At his shot I pulled up and stand by. When I hear a second shot, and don't hear the elephant fall i expect Richard to come around the bush at pace, reloading since he carries a 470 double. I move to see both Richard and the bull and finally the bull moves off. As I discover, Richard's first warning shot checks the bull and Rich reloaded, so he could fire a secnd shot over the bull's head. There was a ten yard standoff til the bull went his way. These elephants are nasty!

We continue with our efforts Day 4 and are on our afternoon patrol when we hear palms shaking. We bypass a bull and find some cows feeding. The wind isn't steady but its not too bad. We are in the corner of a rectangular clearing looking over some brush at the cows when the decide to head our way. We retreat twenty yards to give way. The first cow goes to cross a corner of the clearing and senses us. She pauses and looks, and is clearly thinking of giving us a rush. We back another five yards, til our backs are against some really thick bush that has pretty cornered. Richard wispers that if she comes we will need to stand our ground. Finally she turns and ambles on, with two youngsters behind. Its a relief, but brief.

The next cow in line is bigger, and alone. She takes one look at us and she comes from twenty five yards. Try to imagine a rectangular clearing twenty five yards by ten yards. The long sides of the rectangle run from either side of our party toward the elephant. She came into the rectangle on the far right hand corner, angling tightly across the corner, as had the other cow and her calves. But she had turned to come. There was a downed palm that stood directly between the elephant and Richard on the left, me next to Richard, Dave Hulme, along for the fun and for some photos is two steps behind me and two stepps to my right, Oria, one of Richard's trackers, is just to the right of Dave.

The cow comes barreling down the right side of the rectangle, and at twelve yards or so, Richard fires a warning over her head. She slowed a bit but then accelerated, put her head down and came on. When she cleared a tree at about nine or ten yards she swung toward us and Richard told me to shoot her. She seemed to have picked out Dave to squash, again, he is two, maybe three paces to my right and about the same behind. (Note: Dave was the only one of the four of us wearing a khaki colored shirt. Richard and I wore olive green shirts and Oria was in green coveralls. Coincidence?) From the emphatic words, "Shoot her!", til I mounted my rifle and pulled the trigger she covered two yards, and I wasn't slow! My first shot stopped her in her tracks, but didn't drop her, it was too low. My second was also too low but had her wheeling to get out of Dodge. Richard fired his remaining shot as she was turning and he too was low. I reloaded, just my right barrel and gave her a heart shot before she reached the far end of the rectangle, Richard did likewise. I managed to reload my right barrel again and got off a hard raking shot.

PWEW! THAT WAS CLOSE!

None of our party bolted. Dave got an amazing series of photos by using the five shot burst feature on his camera. Hope he emails them soon!

We all just stood there for a moment, and Dave got that on film too, til he cracked a joke which got us smiling and turning to him. I recall standing there with the butt of my rifle on the ground holding the end of the barrels. I took my hand away and it was shaking. I looked at Richard and he did the same and his hand too was shaking.

The whole episode seemed to be no particular rush to me, but when we looked at the five photos from the burst of the camera it amazing how fast it all happened.

We went over our final shots and both Richard and I were confident that our heart shots were good, but...

My final shot was a prayer more than anything, taken at a grey shape disapearing in the thick.

After a short break, we began following the cow.At first there was no blood so it was a matter of winding our way through some really thick bush, then going back and trying a different route. Very, very tense. Dave got good photos of this too. Finally we found blood and alot of it. Another five yards and she was there, dead. She wasn't thirty yards from the far end of the clearing but the bush was so thick it took near a half hour of slow careful, rifles ready looking. Wow, what a relief.

With that we cut the tail and went for a beer and to report the self defense kill. Next morning we recovered the elephant and headed back to Harare. Hopefully, I will receive Dave's photos and post them here.

This was a trip of a lifetime. I would highly recomend both Richard Tabor and Buzz Charlton. They both love to hunt for elephants and will give you a fantastic experience. Not mentioned but great company and a great cameraman is Ryan who films for Buzz.

JPK

What an outstanding trip! You will make us all jealous.

I am looking forward to your pictures.

Wow!! What an amazing experience. I can't wait to see the photos.

Congrats!

-Steve

Congratulations on an outstanding Safari! I checked out your pictures on the CMS web-site and it looks like you had a fantastic time. Now the big question. How are you going to top this Hunt?

JPK
Thanks..What Rifle..Caliber..Rate of Twist..If I was a "Lucky Man" I would have wished to tell the same story..
AK

JPK: I'm breathless. Puh-leeese post photos soon, and thanks for sharing a wonderful hunt.

Good job. Congrats.

Wow, I can't wait to see the pictures. Although you painted a pretty good set in the write up.

JPK,

Sounds like you had a blast and like me enjoy the hard hunting... Very rewarding...


Mike

What a hunt. Just awesome. Takes a lot of willpower to pass on a 52" kudu and stay on your primary objective.

Congratulations... what a fantastic adventure! I have seen some of the "bitches" of the Save and they mean business! Had some close calls there myself. Look forward to your pictures.

What a great hunt! All those different areas and apparently, lots of elephant too.

Makes me wish I was back, all except for the Octrober temperatures.

Nice job!

Dak

JPK,

What I'd like to know is did you have any fun???? Wow! Sounds like a great hunt with plenty of adventure thrown it. I'll be on the Save next year in early October myself. I'll be extra careful about the elephants there as they scare the crap out of me anyway.

Mark

Great report & pics, JPK. Good show on the snare line removal as well! We ran into a similar scenario down in the Lowveldt when my wife stepped into one and it actually snared her foot. What calibers were you using? jorge

I've been really busy with my new job and a bunch of photos need to be loaded. Hopefully tommorow.

The double rifle is a Marcel Thys sidelock in 458wm. Loads were either 500gr Woodleigh solids at an avg of 2135fps or 450gr North Fork Flatnose solids at 2190fps. Both loads worked very well, but the North Forks were fantasic. Penetration was out of this world and there was no noticeable loss of impact effect - as evidenced by stopping the chargeing cow with a too low frontal brain shot. Accuracy with this load is excellent as well.

North Fork penetration examples:
1) 52" and out between the shoulder blades on a frontal brain shot.
2) In the chest and lost near the pelvis, possibly into a rear leg on an insurance shot into the heart from the front.
3) 63" and out on an insurance shot - through a foreleg and into the chest and out the back between the shoulder blades.
4) End to end on a buff, in the rear and out the top of the neck and back into the rear of the head and out the boss.
5) 60" and recovered in the rear of the shoulder on a frontal brain shot - but this one curved a bit toward the end of its journey.

Penetration of my North Fork load surpassed the penetration of Richard Tabor's 500gr Woodleighs at 2250 from his 470. We got 52" for his load where I got 52" and out. My Woodleighs were running about 32" of penetration on brainshots.

The bolt rifle is a Dakota 375H&H.

I will try to post more photos tommorow.

JPK

I've taken the opportunity to insert some photos of North Fork penetration and of the guys trying to find bullets. Note in the photo where the guys are pointing and where the guts show that the tail of the elephant is just to the right in the photo - LOTS of penetration.

JPK

JPK
Special Thanks for the Rifles,Loads and all the Details..
AK

JPK,

Wow! What an experience and report

John

1.52" of penetration does seem like much.

Will,

.....I'm laughing my butt off.....it took me a minute to get but I'm almost rolling on the floor!!!

I will edit the post to increase penetration!

JPK

JPK

Congrats a second time. The picture quality is really excellent.

Mark

Wow, what a cool trip! Thanks for the stories and pics.

John

JPK
What a great hunt.

Great hunt.
However, several people think you "photo shoped" it all.

Why??

Because "everybody" knows that the standard 458 bounces off the heads of elephants....
Ane rimless doubles do not work.... So you must have been killed.



Again Well Done.

PS. I have handled his 458 Win Mag Thys double and it is very nice.

Great hunt and fantastic pictures!

Fantastic hunt John! You sure made the most of your time once there. And nice documentation too of bullet performance, pictures, etc.

I like the ammo belt, who makes that one? And I just have to ask...were they tights under your shorts?

Again, nice job and thanks for the report! Bill

Well done, John! Congratulations and thanks for the reports!

Thanks all,

Trying to come up for a breath at the new job.

Yes, its clear that the 458 has inadequate penetration to kill elephants. The North Forks really add to penetration, but the Woodleighs work too. Either bullet knocks cows down even if your shot isn't perfect, but is close.

My ammo belt is a Murry Leather custom belt made with twelve round capacity and made "backward" for this lefty.

No those are NOT "tights" under my shorts!!!

They are "running shorts", which wick moisture and eliminate friction. Makes you feel faster when running from angry cows.

JPK

quote:

They are "running shorts", which wick moisture and eliminate friction. Makes you feel faster when running from angry cows.

Just pulling your leg of course...I wear the same but for cycling and also thought about getting a pair of runners for warm weather trips, but figured the jess would shred them and offer zero protection. Wearing them under shorts is an idea.

The tights, errr-ahhh, RUNNING SHORTS really work well.

When I was younger and tougher and fitter I used to wear them under my rugby shorts since the rugby shorts always chaffed me. An additional couple of benefits are that they keep you dry by wicking moisture away and they really are easier to walk - or run - in because of the reduced friction.

JPK

Thanks for the great report John. It's clear that you've really been bitten by the ele bug!

quote:

This was a trip of a lifetime.

I think the above is an understatement! It was the trip of several lifetimes!

I hope your new job permits you to continue with ele hunting when you've settled down in a couple of years.

Ps. I'm sure the trackers enjoyed watching you run around in those cut off black pantyhose!

Excellent report ,excellent SAFARI congratulatios for a great report and and great hunt.Juan

Very nice John, congrads! Somehow I missed your report until now. From this day forward you will be thought of by me with the distinctive title of, John the elephant slayer!

I'll be in Chewore South this August so I surly enjoyed your report that much more, I may even be hunting with Rich Tabor but I'm not sure yet.

Did you get the 5 shot burst photos you mentioned from Dave???

Thought I would add photos of the charge sequence that I recieved a bit ago from Dave Hulme who was the photgrapher for this great series.

She is coming!





PH Richard Tabor fires a warning shot over her head using one barrel of 470 when she is about here.



I fire first one barrel, which stops her cold but is low, and then the second barrel which is also low but gets her turning to leave.



I am reloading my double rifle in this photo. Rich Tabor fires his second barrel but he is also low.



I reload one barrel and get in a good heart/lung shot.



Rich has gotten in a heart/lung shot and I reloaded one again and get in a raking shot that runs the length of her left lung. I'm just lowering my rifle after the shot.




The quiet calm after the action.



Conitinues.



Until Dave Hulme, who has an awesome sense of humor, breaks the tension.



Tense follow up.



We find blood and put a tracker between us to guide us as we keep our heads up and eyes open for trouble. But we round a corner and she is dead.





Good fun, after the fact. A cold beer never tasted better. Richard and I were pretty quiet but Dave was really wound up and didn't stop talking for two days!

JPK

JPK
Thanks for sharing you're hunting story and the great pictures. Only one word to descibe this post "AWESOME" actually there are more however, I'm speechless....

Steve

Thanks Steve.

I am chomping at the bit to go elephant hunting again. Hunting in the thick stuff, as shown in the photos, is the most intense experience.

The elephant came from 25yds. We retreated as far as we could, safely, in the thick stuff. There were to many other elephants around to beat feet, as we had done a couple of times a day in the green tangle.

JPK

Great photo's and story

Great sequence of photos!

JPK,what make is that bolt action rifle pictured,I believe your PH's 416?

The bolt action that Buzz Charlton was using is a 416 Rigby Ruger RSM. He is switching to a double 470 NE this year I believe.

Looks like stainless steel but it ain't!

JPK