Uganda – exploratory hunt

Area di caccia Kafu River ( 190 km from Kampala)

Game: Oribi, Harvey Duiker, Bushbuck

Gun: Blaser k95, cal 7x65 R.

Ammo: RWS DK 154 gr.

Period: Dec 29 th – Jan 2 th. 2010.

Dear Friends

I’m just returned from an exploratory hunt in Uganda booked trough the Uganda wildlife safaris of Christian Weth.

I was the first italian hunter in Uganda after 30 years and one of the first hunters of the safari company. Unfortunately I did not have much time so I’ve only booked for 4 days of hunt after reduced to three. Initially the hunt was booked in the nile concessione for Uganda Kob and Buffalo but due to heavy rains the area on the Nile was not feasible so the safari was moved into the Kafu river concession.
Is a very interesting area with hundreds of Oribi and Duikers and many Bushbuck. Ther are also sitatunga but because of very high papyrus they are very difficult to see. I’ve only seen one (or better the horns of one…) but I have not been able to shoot. And he quickly disappeard in the jungle of papyrus. I'm sure that if I had more time I could take him or another as we have seen lot of tracks. Also the sitatunga hunt there is at the beginning and still not well organized with only one high point where is possible to spotting. I’m sure in the future this will be a very good place for this antelope.
The camp was very rustic, little more that a fly camp but Christian is planning to make a nice permanent camp. Emirates have lost our bags so I and my wife we stayed with the same clothes for 4 days and we decided to move to Kampala one day in advance for relax in a nice and confortable hotel and tourism. But the hunting opportunities there are very interesting and I think I will be back early in the future.
See few pictures of the trophies I’ve taken and of the area and camp ( taken with a small camera as my olympus was in the lost bag:

the camp

oribi

oribi

kafu river

the river


savannah

duiker and oribi




a wonderful bushbuck

Very interesting! Sorry to hear about the lost bags and the rains. Four (or three) days is pretty short to get in much hunting.

Uganda is very intriguing.

Edot: Country looks very green. What is in the one picture with the Oribi -- are there cattle in the concession?

yes was a cow.

Well done Mario, great that you got to hunt Uganda, if only for a short time. Hopefully the country will start managing their wildlife properly and open up to hunting in a big way.

Dave

Interesting report... thanks for posting. Hoping to see more on this country soon!

Thanks Mario you're a true pioneer re-opening Uganda! I'll keep an eye on the hunting opportunities. Maybe, Kenya one day! Jim

Very interesting! Congratulations!

Brett

Thanks Mario for posting, i love the markings on that bushbuck.

Thanks Guys.
yes the safari was too short but I wanted to bring my wife. Unfortunately, with two twin sisters very small she can not be away from home for long time. For this reason the trip took a few days. But I think of returning for a longer safari because the hunting chances and charm of this country are immense

I just saw at the show that Ken WIlson was booking hunts in Uganda and Angola. The Angola Hunts are with Roger Whittal.

Angola? Also interesting.

That is a big bushbuck. How long are the horns?

I have not measured but it seems a good trophy. But what impressed me is the color of the mantle. It 'much more stained, brighter and darker of the bushbuck that I took in Zimbabwe.

It is a beauty!!!!

Very nice photos!
Thanks! Mario!

Found this regarding Mr. Weth on the Net

GERMAN READER CHALLENGES UWA IN NEW
VISION OVER HUNTING
New Vision Letter of the day, 14th November
2008, http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/21/
659420 EDITOR—As an interested observer
of Uganda, and regular tourist to your beautiful
country, I was interested to learn about the
landmark agreement between the Uganda
Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Uganda
Wildlife Safaris concerning management of
wildlife in central Uganda. This management
would involve tourism, sport hunting and
game farming. The Director of Uganda
Wildlife Safaris is Mr Christian Weth,
who has pledged to invest $3m in wildlife
management projects. A quick search of theInternet—isn’t the internet amazing! — revealed that Weth
had been in Uganda previously around 2001, where he
conducted a hunting safari within Murchison Falls National
Park in the name of a company called Uganda Savannah
Hunting. he and his clients each shot two buffalo, a Uganda
kob, a waterbuck and a hartebeest—inside the protected
area! Weth himself reported the results of this hunting trip
to Murchison Falls in the November 2001 edition of the
sporting journal, The Hunting Report, which is available
online. Clearly, the legality of this hunting expedition was
questionable, as the matter was later raised with UWA. In an
article in the German newspaper Der Spiegel, on December
27, 2004, the then Director of UWA, Dr Arthur Mugisha,
reported that “we do not have a hunting licence awarded
to the Uganda Savannah Hunting”. And according to Der
Spiegel, the UWA website in 2004 stated that “UWA wants
to warn the people and the international community about
doing business with Uganda Savannah Hunting, which claims
to organise hunting safaris in Uganda The Uganda Wildlife
Authority wishes to categorically clarify that at no time has a
hunting licence been granted to Uganda Savannah Hunting…
The Uganda Government stresses that game hunting in
protected areas is generally prohibited”. The Uganda
Wildlife Safaris indicates on its website that it is involved
in Hunting Safaris Worldwide, that its Director is Mr Weth,
and its parent company is CW Jagdkontor GmbH. This is
the same parent company as the original Uganda Savannah
Hunting! So it is curious and disappointing that UWA should
provide a hunting arrangement to Uganda Wildlife Safaris,
without detailed investigation of the investor. Karoline
Weichert Frankfurt, Germany

Seloushunter

Thanks Igor.
Selous,
I dont know what happened in the past. I know that before the hunt I went to the office of UWA in Kampala and an officer there gave me the hunting licence.
And Mr Weth seems me a reputable person.

Thanks for posting your report Mario. We need more reports like this about the more adventurous countries like Uganda. You did great for having two little ones at home; congratulations, and yes, it is very important to keep "mama" relaxed and comfortable before you both head back home, so you made the right decision - very wise. Let us know when you're headed back.

yes but next time I will go for myself...