Karamoja Exploratory Hunt

Arrive in Uganda on 4/14/10 weapons check at airport was a breeze permit was emailed to me well before leaving for hunt. In and out in mins with Phillip who meet me at baggage claim. YES inside the security area!! Uganda is working hard to make these hunts easy and hassle free. Police and other officials are not standing around looking for a bribe.
4/15/10
Got on the rd to Karamoja it’s a two day trip by rd. through some of the most beautiful country you will ever see. I really enjoyed the trip some light rain first day did not bother us. Steve and Phillip are great guys to travel with we have been jerking each others chains since the first moments we meet. In the discussions before the hunt it was made clear that this was not going to be a shopping list hunt the main idea for this hunt was to have fun explore the area and if luck and the hunting gods smile maybe shoot something nice
1/16/10
Got to kidepot first camp that we would be hunting out of meet Lane and Nigel if you read Lane’s report you have seen the pictures.
4/17/10
First thing this morning before we could get rifles sighted in saw a very nice waterbuck. Picked up Joseph our games scout district Ranger/scout and all officials again were very friendly and helpful all wanting hunts to be successful. Sighted guns in scouted some area including one of the old army post areas where Idi Amin was at when he was in the army. Spotted two nice old Bulls laying under a tree at 50 yards. Being from the south I stepped out of the hunting car supported my rifle on window frame and had sights on frontal chest of Bull. As Steve was behind me whispering sticks. My thought was f&%^$k sticks I got this B^&*h if you tell me shoot!!!!!! Steve being totally professional and ethical whispered a little louder STICK my nerves are getting to me a little first hunt in Africa first day it’s just passed one pm. And there is a 38 or 39 inch bull now standing in front of me begging to die. Steve again reminds me the Freaking Stick are set up next to me. I’m still from the south and car doors are sticks to me!!!! We are now whispering about size and being first day. I’m not hunting horns size is just a number in a book. The hunt and friendships made are more important to me. We decide to let him walk because I would really like to get a scrum cap bull and we know there are some around Nigel and Lane have seen one in the area and our game scout insures use there are some close but. We spotted around 25 waterbuck’s 50 hartebeest and over 100 oribi along with the 2 buff today
1/18/10
Never NEVER talk about not having buck fever in years in camp the night before your hunt or any night for that matter. MY first waterbuck kicked my ass hard my nerves where on super nova over load. I miss a very easy shot on a dam nice waterbuck at close range not only did I miss I missed three time in rapid suggestion. I felt like a dam fool after shooting but Steve and Phillip being pros took it in stride and did refrained from laughing there collective ass’s off at me or making red neck jokes. They kindness did allow me to get my head in the right place I was now ready to murder anything with four legs and hair that Steve said to shoot. It was still a great day in the bush and back in camp we where having fun meeting new people influencing people with our disreverance in general.
4/19/10
Hunted buff this am with no luck. After a short stop to replenish Philips tape worms nutrientinal needs we where ready to look for the WATERBUCK. I have a score to settle with this old boy. Steve said since it was midday and buff where under trees not moving we should look for him. We knew the area he would be in so off we go. My nerves are not a problem now he had made a fool of me once now I was going to murder this bitch!!!!!! When we saw him he was at 180 yrds. Standing in semi open grass just chest high on him. One of two problems he was behind a small dead bush with one large branch right in m line of sight. No problem I would wait all day if I had to for this one. He started the feud I was going to finish it. THEN problem # 2 he layed down. OK I can wait then he stood up then he layed down and then he did it again!!!!! By now my arms are getting tired of holding sights on him from sticks. Finally he stood up and we had moved the sticks again ohh ya we moved the sticks three or four times tying to get a clear shoot at him. I hit him in the chest with 180grain 30-06 I came out just below his spine midway down his back dropped like a fat lady diving for a donut. As we walked up t him from about 40 or 50 feet he tried to stand and with a clear line of sight I got a good neck shot on him. I did the UGLY dance he was dead and I was smiling as big as I know how. I think I bet Steve and Phillip half to death slapping them on the back and thanking them. Again I don’t hunt #’s for the books but from what Steve and Philip said this old boy scored very well OK OK OK he was in the very high 20’s in length and over 8.5 in circumference. Yeep I was smiling.
4/20/10
Hartebeest made the mistake of not running. Very nice one at that. May 300 dollar Marling 30-06 did what it does best with lots of help from the guys. Beautiful color I never thought I would say one of these was pretty but dam he was pretty. We did notice when gutting hi that there was a very foul smell and his liver was discolored. But Lane was in camp so we had the great opportunity to ask him for some free Vet advice to see what he thought could cause the problems. We learn a few things from him like the black stool was from blood in the gut from an ulcer and that it also had liver disease. If you ever get a chance to hunt a camp where Lane is there TAKE it not only is he a true gentleman but a wealth of great information.
4/21/10
Steve has come down with malaria but will not stay in camp. Hunted no buff found Steve agreed to stay in camp this after noon. So Phillip and I went out we did see a small troop of Baboons but could not get shot at them another great day in the bush.
4/22/10
Steve is very sick finally convinced him to rest in camp this am. Hunted till around 1 or 2 fallowed so fresh spores till it went in to Kidepot Park. Our game scout has been very professional and really knows where to look for animals. This pm Steve refused stay in camp and as it turned out I was very glad he did not stay. Steve messaged his wife Susan and told her how bad he felt her reply was wonderful and very loving as only a PH’s wife could be QUOTE ( pull yourself together and get a buffalo) one hour later he sent her a message ( assignment accepted and assignment accomplished) Steve had told me about the fuck factor on any hunt. When you PH see an animal and the first word out of his mouth is fuck you know you have something great in front of you. Phillip saw them first and first words out where fuck me!! Steve then said at about four decibels higher FUCK ME!!!!!!!!!!!! As he was saying this I saw two bulls’ nice bulls and one was a scrumcap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now remember Steve has Malaria we have been walking in the rain for a couple of hours. He is wearing frogg toggs I got for him here in the USA. He looks like shit OK he looks like shit all the time he has a face only a mother could love. I think Susan as a nurse took sympathy on him and keeps him as a pet!! Just my opinion. Ok now we have seen the buff and they have seen use we are about 80 yrds apart and Steve whispers sticks. I know what my 500 dollar Remington 798 will do so I tell him I’m good without them. This guy is standing like a monument about 80yrds in front of use about 300 meters from the park boundary. So we decide that if need be Steve will fire on report to stop him from getting into park. I hit him on front shoulder with first shot. Fallowed by a Texas brain shot as he turned to run. Then he turned to fallow the two other bulls yeep they collected a third one we had not seen behind some bush. To make a long story shot after seven hits from three rifles and a shit load of adrenaline from use and the bull I had my first buffalo and he was a very big scum cap bull. By now Steve looks like death with a smile on it’s face due to malaria. We get pictures and get him loaded just after dark and head to camp but not before the Ugly dance and a lot of great emotions from everyone.
4/23/10
It was my honor to be able to distribute the meet from my kills to the villages in the area of the kills. I got to meet the Karamojang people as see the face’s of the kids and the elders and they got the meet. Did some hunting for oribi this am while giving out the meat. It was raining a little oribi are very turned on and we could not get a shot. We saw over 30 with some very nice males but with high grass and rain. In the afternoon we hunt baboons without any luck. Decide to head south in am. To Bells old camp area.
4/24/10 arrived at Greek river area. It was a great drive down and some really beautiful areas to get pictures of. Meet Ediow district ranger for the entire area very helpful and egger to help use. New game scouts are as good a our guy was up north butt loads of oribi in the area nd there not as turned on as up north. Reports from Ediow and the scouts are that there are lesser kudu wart hog and bush pig in the area along with a bazillion dik dik. And we discover lots of baboons. The first night was like a scene out of a movie. The tribe down the hill was singing and playing drums in the evening as we where sitting as talking in front of the fire. I can’t describe the feeling it gave me.
4/25/10
Hunted oribi in long grass most of am have seen over 40 by noon but grass is a problem since our hunting car had flat this am we are in land cruiser and it’s a little low to se go out of. So we go for baboon on the Greek river a few hundred meters from where Bell’s camp was located. I got one nice dog and throw some lead at a couple others Baboons are vermin in this area and there 20 trophy fee’s no bag limit at this time. Some of the oribi where well over 1.5 inches above ears with a few even taller. As we head for camp with one dog on board we see the two dumbest oribi on the planet!!!!! At 50 yrds a buck and a doe stood looking at use. So I did as all gentlemen would do I shot the dumb little guy right out of his sock no mercy just clod blooded murder. And the dumb doe just stood there after I shot and looked at use. Go figure I did the ugly dance again.
2/26/10
Hunted this am in area to try to get lesser kudu but could not get there due to black cotton soil and wet conditions. Spotted a troop of baboon on the way back to camp and did a short stalk in some thick bush Steve held the trackers back and just let me to the southern thing I love to do. Walk slowly and as quietly as I can listing to them bark at each other and use. It was total primordial for me. Being where I was without anyone close and watching from close to the ground to spot them. And I did spot one at about 60 yrds stopped. I was able to thread a shoot through all the branches and got a good heart and lung shot on him. UGLY DANCE again. As we got him back to the rd. the first people came but and wnted the meeat so after juma skinned him we gave them the meat. OH I almost forgot Juma is Steve’s skinner and he is a great a one two it was a pleasure watching him work.
4/27/10
Dik Dik we hunted these little bastards all day and discovered that a rover with a turbo will scare the shit out of them and you will be in and out of the truck over a gazillion times in one day just to get to see them run before you can aim at them. Changed over to land cruiser and a nice buck stood and watched me at I blasted him. Did you know if you shoot a Dik dik facing you in the throat that you can gut him at the same time. 06 works wonders
4/28/10
Got another BIG dog baboon today
4/29/10
Saddly headed for Kampala to put Steve on plan. In conclusion if you ever get a chance to hunt this are jump on it and if you have a since of humor all Steve and Phillip
Phillip has Karomoja Safari’s I don’t have all his contact details but message me or Steve and we will be glad to connect you with Phillip or contact him here on AR

When I can get the freaking photo bucket to work I will post pictures sorry for the wait guys

Mate,

Photobucket seems to have had problems for a few days but the bulk uploader works.

In the meantime, here's the famous UGLY DANCE!



And a very happy hunter!

Pictures please !!!

L

I'm looking forward to more pictures. And yes Steve has a face only a mother could love!!!

Brett

I've gotta say Hook was a real pleasure to hunt with and has become a firm friend. - He's also one of the few with as silly a sense of humour as I have!

A few to keep you going:

















I'll leave Hook the pleasure of posting the pics of his trophies.

Hook said Steve looked worse than normal in the buffalo pic because he was suffering a spell of malaria.

Those are some nice pix, particuliarly the clouds coming down off the mountains.

Understand that big bull elephant was wandering right thru the village!

Hook, you did real good for a one-legged man. Congratulations!

quote:

Understand that big bull elephant was wandering right thru the village!

One night it rained early in the night but was clear by morning. In the early hours of the morning I thought I could hear ele rumblings. When I got up, about 50 yds from my tent, a bull was standing by a kopje drinking water from a natural cistern in a rock. Could have been that bull or a twin.

Lane,

That one was down south in Pian Upe rather than in Kidepo in the north so must have been a different animal.

I'd love to spend some time looking for some big tuskers though..... I'd bet there are some about there somewhere!

Judging by the ones we saw, they seem to be very big bodied up there.

Hook just asked me to post these for him.

Oribi



Defassa Waterbuck



Jackson's Hartebeest



Scrumcap buff. We brightened this one because it was a bit dark due to it pissing with rain and nearly dark.



Guenter's Dik Dik



I'm having trouble with the olive baboon pics but am working on them.

This is the one we turned down

thanks Steve my photo program is still not wotking. OHHH by the way guys here is some contact info. Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd Karamojo Safari
P. O. Box 23557 Kampala - Uganda
email: info@karamojosafari.com
and also look at kuduland web site Susan has added a Uganda thread to the site thats really nice. if you block out the faces in the pictures it would be even better. thats just to much ugly for one place
The details for this type of hunt on the web site is right on the money. When and if you get to hunt this area don't pass up the chance to deliever the meat to the area people especialy the kids face will stay with you for life.
www.kuduland.com
www.shakariconnection.com

PS the last picture above is the bull we let walk the first day of the hunt between the thre of use we took over 1200 pictures

Don't you know that old guy has seen some battles. Not ddrhook but the buff.

Elton

Good for you Hook - looks like a great adventure.

I gotta say it...you and Steve look like long lost brothers!

Ya meeting Steve and Phillip what like we had known each other for yrs DAM we had fun every day every min

Karamojo Safari
P. O. Box 23557 Kampala - Uganda
email: info@karamojosafari.com

I don't know if he has a web site or a company logo. Thats probbly the only thing we never got round to talking about while I was there But he is a member here so he's easy to contact.
this was everything I had expected and so much more.

. I’m still from the south and car doors are sticks to me!!
this is not just a southern tradition

ya I think Steve was a little worried that my southern style of hunting might ruin his reputation I still can't get photo bucket to work so I ya'll ask steve or Phillip nicely they might be kind enough to post a few more!! if that don't work threaten them with life and limb see if that works

I've gotta say I nearly had kittens when I saw Hook standing there with the rifle like that and the tracker looking confused....... damn, I'd never have lived that one down!

One of the most impressive things about hunting the Karamoja is the sheer size of the hunting area which is 27000 km2 or 10000 ml2. That's about 4 times the size of a big Selous block and/or 20% larger than the entire country of Wales.


Here's a few more for you.

Here's a couple Hook e-mailed:
Wonderful Scrumcap, should score high in "SAEED's Outer Circle"


Nice baboon

another great think about this area is there are so few roads. one or two main rds. and a few tracks leading to some of the villages. other than that yiou just point the hunting car out across the bush and see when it leads you.

quote:

ya I think Steve was a little worried that my southern style of hunting might ruin his reputation

Yep...I told Steve that night at the dinner table...no worries by me...I have shot many a whitetail, wild-hog, and esp. coyote with my rifle resting on my rear-view mirror.

As I posted in my thread...one of my old mentors favorite questions was: "ya know when the best time to shoot a really big.....(put any good trophy here) is?" People's answer is invaribly..."NO...when???" "Whenever the hell you see it and be damn quick about it as it is likely to be your only chance!"

It'd certainly make a change from all those ultra long tabs you so often get in the Selous and I've gotta say it's never a good idea to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Gotta say I enjoy the humour of it as well!

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:



I'll leave Hook the pleasure of posting the pics of his trophies.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned this pic. Where the hell did you see that thing???

It's HUGE!

I was waiting for someone to comment on that.

He was in Kidepo National Park in the north of the country..... the buff in the park cross into the hunting area on a regulsr basis.

Hell of an animal huh?

They also seem to be generally very big in body size as well.

That is a young buff in that pic don't you think as long and sharp as the tips are??? Pic too fuzzy for me to judge bosses or anything else. Buff like that are actually EASY to find in IN the park.

Nigel has pics from inside the park on his telephoto (that I will get a disk from on Tyler's return trip) of several buff in the high 40's. A couple of which were old mature bulls. We spent 2 whole days just glassing the bulls in the park to get a feel for them.

I have to disagree as does Nigel about them being real big bodied. Nigel's opinion (and so far he has seen the most on the hoof and on the ground from the region) is that they are actually a smaller body sized animal as compared to say Zambezi Valley bull of Zim. That does give a larger spread apperance.

However...one still has a very good chance to shoot a world class bull in the area. Hence the reason that I did not shoot mine until the morning of the day I left and I turned down many.

Mine looked like a tank to me Lane but what do I know I was just the guy Steve was whispering fuckme to at very high decimals OK OK OK he had Malaria and was shouting FUCK ME when he saw that old boy with no horns

Lane,

I wouldn't classify it as a young bull by a long chalk but would agree it has sharp points and has yet to reach it's full potential. I'd also suspect some kind of anomaly such as testicular damage or similar to cause such an unusual horn shape. However, you would be a lot better qualified to comment on that than I am.

Regarding the body size, I was comparing them to Selous bulls and to be honest, it's such a long time since I was in the Zambezi Valley I don't really remember how they compared in body size..... but I do reckon the Uganda buffalo tend to be noticeably bigger in body size than the Selous buffalo..... and I think that particular animal looks like he has a huge body.

The other thing that suprised me was the configuration of the elephant tusks. I expected them to be similar to the Tanzanian (etc) elephants with long thin tusks but the ones I saw were all more like southern African elephants with short thick tusks..... I seem to remember that Bell commented on that somewhere. They also seemed to be big in body size as well.

I do most certainly agree with your comment about one still has a very good chance to shoot a world class bull in the area.

The Oribi is great

MARIO: actualy he was one of the smaller ones we had seen. But could not get shot at others. There are some fine animals there

PS but I'm very pleased with everthing I got

quote:

I wouldn't classify it as a young bull by a long chalk but would agree it has sharp points and has yet to reach it's full potential. I'd also suspect some kind of anomaly such as testicular damage or similar to cause such an unusual horn shape. However, you would be a lot better qualified to comment on that than I am.

We saw another wide bull in a herd that looked similar. Funny thing is that Nigel wondered about the testicles on that bull too. However...he turned and gave us a good ball shot and he had testicles that appeared unscathed. But that bull was borderlining on soft...the reason he is still alive. Castrated bulls may not get hard bosses though. His horns were very interesting though like yours...very wide with shallow curls.

Excess width and length with lighter configuration would be what you expect from a "steer" buff.

Nigel reckons the buff in Kidepo are slightly smaller in body size than the blocks he ususally hunts in Selous and Massailand.

The bull I shot (as judged by an old "packer beef buyer") was 200-300 lbs. lighter than the last bull I shot in Zim. From the top of his boss to the tip of his nose...he was 2-3 inches shorter. Based on ear width and body size...I thought he was going to break 40" by a hair but turned out to be a hair shy of 39".

Just observations we made after looking over thousands for 10 days. Nigel believes due to body size you must be conservative on spread estimation in the region. Who knows...he may change his mind too.

I'll have another liquid chicken please

Lane:
what would you estimate the average weight of the bulls in Karamoja to be. I was wondering how much meat the local people got from our bulls.

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
Lane:
what would you estimate the average weight of the bulls in Karamoja to be. I was wondering how much meat the local people got from our bulls.

Hook, That is a damn good question. There is not a lot of objective data out there on live weights of truly wild Cape Buffalo.

When I was last in Chewore South...I took my Dad as an observer. My Dad's oldest brother is notorious for being able to estimate a hooved animal's weight on the hoof within 50 lbs for big animals. Hence, he has been a packer beef buyer/cow trader/rancher his whole life. Packer buyers make there living being accurate on weights. Although Dad is not his brother...he spends a lot of time in the sale-barn as well and is pretty darn good hisself.

We thought that there were herd bulls (4-7 year olds in there prime) in Chewore that weighed around 1800 lbs. But we figured a good weight average for the old Dagga Boys in Chewore was ~1500 lbs. Again in Chewore South in 2006...I can show you pics of herds with 1200 buff in them. We looked at 1000's while there.

The old Dugga Bull I shot in Karamoja I think was on the smaller end of the old bull scale in body size for that region but fairly representative. I think he would have knocked 1200-1300 lbs dead-on.

But...don't get me wrong...I think it is "the Place" to kill a very wide bull!!!

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
I'll have another liquid chicken please

Hey Hook,

Forgive my irnorance...but what in the hell is a liquid chicken???

Thank you,
no matter what anyone might say(tree huggers) thats a lot of meat going to people who need it and appricate it. I will never forget the smiles from the villagers when we came in with meat for them. especaily the kids and old people. and to hear the village singing down the rd. the night we got to the Greek river areas was fantastic. Steve could not hear it due to his hearing lose.

Patrick, never ate anything remember?? he called his beer liquid chicken when I was teasing him about not eating

Yep...you are absolutely right!!! Forgot about ole Patrick's quote! He really did just about totally live on Club beer!!!

One day soon maybe we can get together do some fishing and share a fe chickens

Absolutely!!! Come for striper on my home lake...Texoma. We are just fixing to get cranked up for the season.

lane.easter@pea-tx.com

It will be very interesting to see how hunting in Uganda develops over the next few years. Any opinion on cat hunting possibilites?