Outfitter: Ndumo Safaris – Karl Stumpfe
Location: Shalambala Conservancy in the Caprivi Strip area of Namibia
Dates: May 23-30, 2013
Type of hunt: Non-exportable bull elephant – from Karl’s post here on AR
Rifle: Ruger Safari Magnum 416 Rigby, Leupold VXIII 1.5x5X
Ammo: My reloads using 400 Gr. Barnes Flat Nose Solid bullets
Airline: SAA – JFK to Johannesburg. SAA Airlink to Kasane, Botswana

My trip began with a very early morning pick up by a shuttle service from my home in Wayne, PA to JFK airport in New York. I chose to fly out of NY to avoid having to spend a night in Joberg and go through all the crap with RSA gun permits. I was somewhat concerned about flying through NY with guns, but it was very easy. The only thing different from other airports is when you go to check in with SAA they call the NY Port Authority police who send an officer to check your guns to make sure they are not loaded then they walk with you to the TSA desk where you check in your rifles. On the return flight you just go through the normal customs stuff with no involvement whatsoever from the NY police.

Karl had suggested that I fly to Kasane on SAA instead of flying into Katina Mulino on Air Namibia. According to Karl, Air Namibia has become rather unreliable and cancelled flights were quite common. I took his advice and both flights were long but uneventful. Shortly before I left I received an email from Karl informing me that he was going to be in RSA and would be returning to Kasane from Joberg on the same flight I was taking. We met in the gate in Joberg and drove from Kasane to camp. The trip takes you through Chobe Park and I got to see a few Elephants along the road. We arrived at Karl’s camp in the Sobbe conservancy near dark. It had been a long trip and after dinner and a sundowner I settled in for the night.

The next morning found us heading to the Shalambala conservancy area where Karl had permits for the non-exportable bull hunts. We picked up a game scout and a tracker from the conservancy and were on our way. A few hours into the hunt we crossed some tracks. We were ready to start the tracking when the game scout told us he knew where they elephants were heading and we should head in that direction instead of following the tracks. Karl was rather skeptical, but the game scout kept saying how he knew where they were heading (to water) and we could get there ahead of them. We gave this a try and after walking several kilometers Karl got a call on his cell phone from the driver who we had left with the truck. The driver told Karl that the elephants were in some heavy cover only a few hundred yards from the truck and he could hear them breaking branches.

We did a quick about face and headed back to the truck. By the time we got back to the truck and elephants had moved off and when we were ready to follow them the game scout again tried to tell Karl he knew where they were heading. Karl explained to him, in no uncertain terms, that we were going to follow the tracks. We got on the tracks and after about an hour of walking caught up with a single bull. He was in heavy cover and I was on the sticks, but could only see the south end of a north facing bull. We were close but the bull never gave me a shot and seemed to sense our presence and walked off. We followed and eventually caught up with him again only to have the same scenario repeat itself. Again, I was on the sticks looking at the elephants butt. By this time it was getting dark so we called it a day. That was a rather exciting day. Two opportunities to get up close and personal with the elephant but no chance for a decent shot.

The next day Karl had to leave for a business trip, so I hunted with Fred Bezuidenhout. He is a great PH and only 15 minutes after arriving at Shalambala we cut the first set of tracks. Fred quickly recognized that these were tracks made by a bunch of cows and calves. Not long after than we came across another set of cow and calf tracks. Things were certainly looking up. It didn’t take long before we cut our third set of tracks of the morning. These tracks were made by a bachelor group of bulls.




We set out on the track and after walking about 1.5K’s I could tell by the very fresh dung and urine that we were getting close. Soon one of the trackers stopped abruptly and backed up. Fred and I approached slowly and we could see two bulls in heavy cover. One was clearly larger, but again he was facing directly away from us. The range was 21 yds. and Fred set up the sticks. The problem was the grass and small trees were higher than the sticks and I didn’t want to chance shooting through the brush. I moved slowly to my left to a broken tree trunk, which served much like a standing bench rest and was just high enough to allow me to see over the brush. Now it was a waiting game. The bull was beneath trees in deep shadows with branches obscuring large portions of his body. Fortunately, the wind was perfect and the elephants had no idea we were there.

We must have stood there for 5-10 minutes just watching the bull hoping he would turn to give me a shot. Finally he turned slightly. Fred asked if I could see his ear hole for a side brain shot and I told him I couldn’t. The bull was only quartering slightly to his left and Fred whispered to shoot him about a foot behind the shoulder crease. Problem was I couldn’t see the crease, but did have a view of his leg but the shoulder was obscured by brush. There was however, an opening behind the shoulder, so I estimated the foot distance and let loose with one of the 400 Gr. Barnes solids. All hell broke loose at the shot as both bulls crashed off into the brush.

We just stood there listening for a while and as soon as things settled down we could hear my bull making wheezing noises not very far away. We picked up the track and after walking about 100 yds. we saw the bull standing in an open area facing us. Having been on the receiving end of one elephant charge on a previous hunt, I had no desire to repeat that experience. The range was 45 yds. and I took the only shot offered which was a frontal brain shot. The bull dropped, but almost immediately started to get up.

Obviously, I didn’t hit the brain, but the bull had turned broadside in his effort to right himself so I put a second shot directly on his right shoulder and he was down for good. I quickly followed up with a finishing shot in the back of his head and another between his shoulders just to make sure. Upon examination my frontal brain shot was good for elevation, but off slightly to the right.

Here are some photos of the bull. The tusks were 36 and 34 inches long from the lip to the tip. Nice long thin ivory. In my opinion a very nice management bull.











About an hour later the local villagers started showing up for the meat. That’s when the feeding frenzy began.



Even the village dogs took part in the feast.



Since this was only the second day of the hunt I had time for other activities so Karl arranged for a tour of a local park where I saw something I had never heard of before – a tuskless bull elephant. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a good picture of him. Karl then made arrangements for me to spend a few days at a fishing camp on the Zambezi river. The lodge was named Kalizo and I managed to catch several tiger fish and two large Bream. Most of the tigers were small but still a lot of fun to catch.





Finally, no trip report would be complete without a sunset photo.

Well done Tom on your management bull. A hunt to remember.

Nice Nembwe (large mouth bream).

Good to read your report. I would have thought things would be a lot greener this time of year, is this normal? Were there a lot of pans with water or did you check the pans? Sounds like it was a heck of a lot of fun. I will be hunting in the Impalia area in July for a non-trophy ele with my grandson so I hope we have as good of time as you. He LOVES to fish so I'm anxious to see him fish with hippos and crocks around!

Tom,

Very nice! Big congrats. A bull elephant offers a very special hunt regardless of whether your bull is exportable or not.

Mark

Great report and congrads on the excellent trip.

Great hunt report
It was a no brainer hunting with Karl the Jumbo Guru
Larry

Nice report.

Irrespective of whether or not the trophy is being exported - Elephant hunting is a special privilege.

Randy - I'd say about 50/50 on the pans. Some were dry and the larger ones still had water, but not full.

Way to go Tom.

Elephants hunting is by far the best experience besides big cats.
Far out Tom

Very nice, congratulations

Nice one - congratulations!

well done and congratulations. brings back fond memories of the same hunt last year. by any chance did Karl mention how his camp construction is going at Sikunga? i think we will be using it in Oct. and had he repaired that damn washboard road into Sobbe camp??

Congrats!

Congrats!!

Well done. Nothing like being on the track of ele.

Jdollar - You have a PM.

Labman, nice bull and it sounds like a great tracking hunt. I hunted the Salambala a few years ago (not for elephant) and did the Kasane thing as well. Lots of in and out of customs posts, but it did give a us a chance to visit the Chobe Park, which was nice since I saw a few wild species I had never spotted before such as Ostrich.

Fred was the PH for the other guy in camp with me, so I spent a lot of campfire time around him. Quite a character, and from the looks of it he is even more so now. Had some real stories to tell, most of which couldn't be posted here!

We must have the same artistic eye. Here is my version of the Chobe at dusk.

Labman way to go.


Mike

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
Labman way to go.


Mike

+1

Nice elephant! I took my first and only ele with old Freddy, he is quite the fellow.

The picture of Fred....I always wondered what Santa Claus did in the off-season :-)

Nice! Sounds like you had a great hunt. Congratulations

Congrats on your Ele and thanks again for the info!

Looked like great fun! Well done.

Congratulations.
Nice report and b=very nice "management" bull.

you would be amazed what passes for a management in Karl's areas- like my 42/45lb bull....

Yes, Karl has a somewhat distorted perception of size. You should see one of his sandwiches!!! :-)

Congrats on your hunt and whetting the appetite of my clients.

quote:

whetting the appetite of my clients.

We need to discuss my commission.

Of course Biebs is also entitled to a piece of the action since he made the hunt sound so good, when I called him as a reference, that I just had to book the trip. He was right.

Took a nice trophy elephant (Sikunga) with Karl last month, as well as hippo (Sikunga) and zebra (Sobbe). Father in law took elephant (Sobbe) and roan (Sobbe). Very successful hunt.