15 January 2024, 08:37
enyHam Slam Full Report and a few more photos
https://imgur.com/a/QpH29wsWill report when home
For years I had pestered outfitters about a giant forest hog hunt, but could never connect the money and the time. Finally in 2021 I just decided to make it happen before I got too old to go.
I booked a hunt with Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris for 2022. It was originally in an area with just GFH and monkeys. This hunt was postponed due to some "civil unrest" in the area. So I waited until I got the email that they were moving me to a different area and had dates available in april 2023. This was not a good time for me as I had a hunt scheduled with a friend in SA at that time as well as a project at home I would need to return to asap.
But I went anyway, and met my friend after the hunt!
Traveling through two African countries and a long layover on the way home in Addis I decided to use a camp rifle.
Upon arriving in Addis, I checked my air tags and could see that my one piece of checked luggage was still in Chicago. The plan had been that we would leave for the hunt area (Odo Bulu ) as soon as I arrived, but I was informed that it had been raining a lot and they wanted to get an early start the next morning. This gave me some faint hope that my luggage would arrive. Which it didn't. fortunately, I had enough in my carry on backpack or in the pockets of my coat to get me by.
Arriving at camp it was immediately evident that weather was goin to be a problem at least for the next few days as the roads to get out of camp were very wet. And it didn't get any better. we were briefly stuck more than once as well as having to fix the chains. Deep mud and big rock are hard on everything. At one point we all jumped out of the pickup and physically held it on the road from the side as Nassos ground his way up the hill.
On top of all this, we were seeing everything except GFH. Warthog, Bushpig, bushbuck, Nyala, Hyenas ( very briefly a leopard ) and Monkeys as to game.
Finally on the 3rd to last day, while glassing a big canyon we got the call on the radio, GF! So we made our way to where one of the other trackers was and took a seat. It wasn't long before movement and then a very large tusked female with two young cam to a water hole. After she left a small group of female arrived, drank and disappeared. So we waited.
Finally after a half hour or more, we spotted more pigs in some very thick cover. As they started to cross a small opening, I kept my head in the scope until Nassos said there he is. At this moment all I could see was a pig about half the height of a female. I said to Nassos he looked pretty small and he got a little cranky
( don't blame him at this point )so I looked up out of my scope and saw another pig move, a much bigger one but by the time I had eyes on him in the scope I could only see his midsection and not sure where the front leg was so I didn't take the shot . Needless to say, the mood in the air was palpable. It gets worse. Not long after that we get another call on the radio and off back up the hill we go. Once again, maybe an hour before one of the trackers says there he is. I mover over to his position and look over the cliff. Almost straight down Is a large pig. Im looking at the top of its back and beside it are two small piglets. I ask Nassos if he's sure, he says wait a minute, then says yes, 200 yards. As I begin to focus on the shot, one of the piglets sticks it head under the belly of the pig. I ask Nassos again, He says wait, then says yes shoot. At this moment the pig took one step, I got in a hurry, forgot 200 at steep angle was probably 100 and missed.
As you can imagine, the quiet ride back to camp was not enjoyable. Everybody had worked so hard for that week and I felt I let them down. I did say to Nassos at one point " I know your not going to believe this but I usually don't do this bad
After a night to let it all soak in, in the morning I told Nassos that as it was going to take two days to get everything out of camp (They had to take one rig out then bring the chains back on the horses) that I thought we should just get an early start. And, that I would be back asap.
So, this time I'm prepared. My own rifle and licence for all three pigs and a hyena as well as a bigger backpack. this time In January and the weather was perfect as well as my luggage arrived.
On out first morning out, we saw a small group og GFH with just one young male. Went back to camp for lunch and a nap, then headed to another place. As we walked in and came around the edge of the hill we could see a large group of pigs in the water hole. We got ourselves in a nice position about 65 yards away. Just females and a couple young males. then we see the back of a pig coming up the draw towards the rest of the group. Nassos says very old pig. Eventually he breaks cover just long enough to see that he is a very nice old pig with one broken tusk. Nassos ask if I want him and I say for sure!
He slips his way into the group not giving me a shot, but after a short bit he made his last mistake and cleared the crowd. One shot, he went about 10 yards and disappeared behind a bush. I was reloaded and intent on making the next shot if he appeared on his feet. After what seemed like forever the tracker to my left gave me the high 5 and smiled. Nasso said something like " that only took 11 days"
The pressure is off. The next day we went to a place where one of the trackers had seen a bush pig on the first day. It was a big canyon, 200 plus would be closest shot as well as going to be a hike to get to anything recovered the other side . I could tell Nassos didn't like it. We didn't sit there long before he says "lets go". Back up the hill, in the pick up and to the top. No sooner do we get on top and we run into a large group of Warthogs. I have shot a few of them and recognized there was a good one in the group right away. As soon as I got my head in the scope Nassos asked if I could see him. I said yes and shot. the pig took off, but I saw blood fly. He went about 25 yards with a heart shot.
Now for the bushpig. We spent the next day with no shot. Same thing the next morning. At lunch Nasso was talking about all the different areas to go to and the issues with each one. It had been reported that there had been bushpigs seen at the same spot that I shot the GFH. It was a nice area where the longest shot would be a little over 200 yards, plenty of little open spaces and recovery would not be too difficult. I told him my theory was if there are game in the area , We have 7 days, lets just go to the same spot each day. So we headed there.
Arriving at the area we took a seat at exactly where I had shot the GFH. And so we sat for a couple hours seeing absolutely nothing other than birds and some monkeys off in the distance. then across the swale some female with young Nyalas appeared. As I was attempting to get a photo, I saw in the top of my camera viewfinder movement that looked pig to me. Down with the camera and head in the scope. Pretty soon a female with one young pig appeared, then another larger pig. It was head on to us with its head down. Nassos got out the spotting scope and after a bit said Im sure its a male but I cant tell how big the tusks are. I told him I wasn't worried about tusks as long as it was just not a very young one. He assured me it was mature. By this time he had turned a bit so I had a little more than a straight on shot. Nassos said 176, and I squeezed the trigger . The pig was instantly dead.
Now Nassos if fired up and wants to go call hyenas. He tells me theyll bring the pig and lets get a head start for the pickup. We still had to wait a bit for the crew to arrive with the pig. when they did and Nassos saw the pig I think he was more excited than I was as he said both the color and size of tusks were exceptional. Regardless of any of that I was over the top at having killed all three on this one trip.
Hyenas, we heard them calling almost every day up to this point. On the way to the bush pig, we had stopped and drug part of one of the previous pigs around then hung it in a tree. On the way home with the bush pig, we stashed the truck and turned on the call. About dark one gave a warning cry that sounded like he was within 20 yards and made the hair stand up on the back of my neck! Back to camp we went.
The next morning we were back at the sight before daylight. turned on the call and it wasn't long before it was answered from several directions. As it just got light enough to see with the scope, the tracker nudged me in the shoulder. No need I was already on it. Very close, one shot and my safari hunting was done. It was not a large hyena, and it has fur as soft as a bobcat. the tackers were insistent the there are two kinds in the area but Nassos said he wasn't sure about that . Nonetheless, I have a hyena now.
On both trips I saw an abundance of game as well as other animals. the crew was very professional as well as fun to be around. Food was great as well as the rest of the camp. Trophies were handled with great care and have arrived in the USA as of last week. I'm sure in the future I will read my diary of the trip and relive one of my best adventures.
On the road
The daily routine first trip
The big female
More game
Local mode of transportation
Pampered
Bushpig before I put the camera down.
Thanks to those that helped me to figure out how to get the photos up !
Red river and desert warthog, please let me know if Im missing one so I can prepare her for my impending absence 
