Sorry that I don't have time for a full report just yet (getting crazy around here with show prep), but I had to post a few photos from our October trip with Mark & Glen Haldane of Zambeze Delta Safaris.

Some nice trophies, first-class camps and staff... and LOTS of game. I've never seen so many sable.

I'll try to fill in the gaps with details, but here are some photos in the interim.

Awesome, great Pics! Great animals, love the big bossed buff, and the pig!

I've been to the same camp. Great area...and you're right, there's herds of Sable all over. I guess you made it up to "The Swamps"? Hope they kept the ARGOs running this time :-)

What? No Heym Double in the pictures? tsk, tsk.
Nice trophies and judging by the smile you didn't have too terrible of a time. Congratulations.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
I've been to the same camp. Great area...and you're right, there's herds of Sable all over. I guess you made it up to "The Swamps"? Hope they kept the ARGOs running this time :-)

Biebs..it looks like his buff was taken in the forest from the pic.

What a success story..these Zambezi Delta Coutada's...we need more examples like this in Africa!!

Congrats on yet another successful hunt with ZDS.

Chris,

What a great collection of trophys. It looks like a fantastic safari area. But what's up with that single barrel thingy on that bad ol' buff?

Not right... just not right.

Cheers!

The intention for this trip was to get some photo, video, field-testing, etc... of the new HEYM "Martini" bolt action rifle.

We had doubles there too, but the focus was on marketing materials for the bolt gun.

After flying into camp, we unpacked and went straight to the range. On the way back, we saw an Nyala as good or better than the one I shot, but he never gave us a good shot. That was encouraging, as were all of the plains game we saw that afternoon.

Morning 1 is up early and heading for water-holes (which are pretty dry in Oct) to find buff tracks.

We hit a few spots with no luck, and I'm explaining to LJ how in all of my buffalo hunting trips, I've never just stumbled onto a shootable buff. Yes, you see cows and calves now and then from the truck, but not like on TV when the vehicle comes around the corner to find the buffalo a few hundred yards away... undisturbed.

Well, it wasn't half an hour later that we did just that. We rounded a corner and there they are: a small herd just grazing on the edge of the woodline about 600-yards away.

Fortunately, we saw them before they saw us, and the wind was in our favor. It's probably 8:00 now, and although the wind is pretty steady, we know it will change soon as the morning begins to heat up.

The bull I shot stands out in this crowd. There are other mature bulls there, but he's easily 20% physically larger than anything around him.

LJ is commenting on how the wind will change soon and that it would be best to let them bed down and pick them up in the afternoon when the wind becomes more predictable. I agree, but this particular bull has LJ's attention and after a half-hour of watching them, he says let's give it a go.

We make a mile or so stalk on them around the big open area they're skirting, and we come up from behind them down-wind. This bull is at the back of the group, and he's lying down facing our direction.

The last bit of cover large enough to conceal us is one patch of tall thatching grass about 100-yards awy from him. We make it there and the wind is still good but getting swirly. Worst of all he's sitting there like a cow with his legs under his body sort of half-leaning on one side: not a good shot presentation... about 90-seconds later, he lays over on his horn and stretches out his legs.

Perfect. Now he's stretched out his body and is effectively "standing up" on his side. The sticks are up, and I'm on them. I put the crosshairs just inside his leg on the frontal shot presentation, and I give him a 400gr TSX from the 404.

He bounces up with an audible grunt (never heard that before) and his right, front leg dangling as he takes off with the group. We're sure he's hit pretty hard, but blood is hard to find as we get to where he was hit.

Not a minute later, there's the first death bellow, then a second and finally a third (never heard 3 before either.)

The tracker has his tracks, but there's still not much blood. We follow him up and find him dead just in the brush. He's gone about 40-yards with a TSX through the heart.

He's down and it's 9:30am on the first morning!

I love this kind of start to a hunt!



I have to be honest and say that when we first saw the bull it was apparent that he was physically larger than the bulls around him, but I wasn't all that fired-up about shooting him on the first morning. But LJ was, and I followed suit.

In hindsight, I'm obviously glad we did... and when he was down, it became clear that his big body made his horns look proportionally small.

I forget exactly what his width was, but I think it was about 36". His bosses, however, I distintly remember at 16".

Some very nice trophies Chris. Nice looking rifle as well.

Great animals, Chris! Thanks for posting.

Well done Chris, some very nice trophies! I have to agree with you on the amount of quality game in Coutada 11. That place is simply amazing! Glad to see you had a great hunt.

Proper.

The best part of the day in Africa...

Anyone remember the fireflies on the river?

Outstanding Chris!! Take any of the new ammo belts with you on this trip? If so, how did they work out?

quote:

What a success story..these Zambezi Delta Coutada's...we need more examples like this in Africa!!

Sadly they are not immune to the typical problems associated with Game areas and modern day Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:
Anyone remember the fireflies on the river?

Chris,

Great photo and AR's Faisal and I were treated to a similar show in Bangweulu swamps. However that was outdone by hundreds of miniature humming birds swarming around us whilst perched up high in a tree.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

What a success story..these Zambezi Delta Coutada's...we need more examples like this in Africa!!

Sadly they are not immune to the typical problems associated with Game areas and modern day Africa.

Understood, but something must be working right..also when I made the above statement I was refering to all Delta Coutada's (10, 11, 12 & 14) and their associated operators.

Great trophies,
Well done.

New_Guy;

Don't tell me you didn't have to go to the SWAMPS!!!!! If so, you are one very lucky hunter!

Congratulations on your very nice trophies.

Best regards, D. Nelson

The original plan was to hunt for a week in the Chironde camp for buffalo #1, and then hunt a week in the swamp for buffalo #2.

After both buff were down, we would circle back on the Nyala. With the first buff down at 9:30am on day one though, we obviously had some extra time on our hands, and we decided to move camps for the Nyala on day 3.

Getting everything together and driving burned most of day 3, but we did get there in time to see camp in daylight and get the lay of the land, etc...

Nyala Camp:


Next morning, no luck on Nyala. The good news was that it was overcast and the temps were cool. The bad news is that the Nyala really don't come into the pans until it gets hot.

We came back to camp, had lunch, nap, etc... and headed back out that afternoon.

Driving back to camp (just at dark), LJ spots a lone Nyala bull just as he eases into the brush. We stop the truck and trot after him. He's gone about 80-yards into the woods and looking back at us. LJ gives the "go-ahead," and I hit him with the 404. He goes about 20-yards and falls in sight.

He turns out to be a bit better than we guessed him in the low light. The long horn measured 29" and the short horn 28.75".


Day 4 is focused on warthogs.

Ed won the coin toss and shot first.

He got what was undoubtedly the OLDEST warhog in all of Africa... this guy was just a bag of bones. A strong fish eagle could have taken him away. He was a good one to take out.


An hour later, Tony got a shot at his pig.

Congrats on what sounds like an outstanding trip. Great pictures too.

[Gee Tony you sure look upset, did they short-sheet your bed again?]

My oh my.....that Nyala has me salivating.

quote:

[Gee Tony you sure look upset, did they short-sheet your bed again?]

He doesn't look very happy to be there, does he?

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

[Gee Tony you sure look upset, did they short-sheet your bed again?]

They didn't tell Tony that he couldn't kill a gorilla until he arrived..

BTW, Chris - very nice trophies and terrific photos!

Thanks, Tim.

Here's the "pair-o-pigs."

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Outstanding Chris!! Take any of the new ammo belts with you on this trip? If so, how did they work out?

Yes. We did that too!

They worked quite well. Here's one in elephant that I used for the 404 & 450/400.

So that's what you've been doing the past few months!!

TT

One thing (among many) that Mark Haldane is doing very well, is taking care of clients' trophies.

It's hard to distinguish from these photos, but the skulls are NOT boiled... read: overcooked, burned, coming apart, missing bones, teeth, etc...





The skinners remove all of the flesh they can by cutting and scraping, then they salt and allow the skull (and whatever minor flesh is left) to dry.

I was VERY pleased to see this, and hope more operations follow suit.

This is a MUCH better way to go IMO.

If you're into the "little guys," Haldane has them in spades.

We saw every color of duiker, oribi, and little-brown-somethings you can imagine.

Here is what is expected to be the new world record Tsuni that was taken just before we arrived.

It might just be the lighting, but does that rifle not have checkering on it?

Love the double warthog pics. Looks like you had a great safari.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:
It might just be the lighting, but does that rifle not have checkering on it?

You're right... there was not enought time to checker it before the hunt.

Great Buffalo and pictures.

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:
It might just be the lighting, but does that rifle not have checkering on it?

You're right... there was not enought time to checker it before the hunt.

Did you notice any difference not having checkering as far as gripping the stock?

Thanks for the detailed post and great pics New Guy. Poen and I drove out of the swamps one night and I too saw the fire flies. Truly awesome memory.

Great trip and photos! and the nyala photo in the skinning shed is a classic!

Well done Chris,awesome trophies there, congrats to you and your outfitter.

Great safari Chris ,but may I suggest that you let our buddy Tony shoot more than a pig next time,he looks kinda sourish..

Holy Crap, that is one BIG LIVINGSTONE'S SUNI!!!!!! I also like the idea of Mark's trophy care WITHOUT boiling, overcooking, burning and having the skulls come apart! Hopefully that method will catch on!