Safari location --- Selous Game Reserve R2 concession the
northern border on the Ruaha River.

Dates traveled and hunted[B/]-- Left the USA thru JFK Aug. 22 Aug 23 Amsterdam and
on to Dar arrived 10pm 23rd. Flew into camp next morning on the @$th and hunt
started on Aug. 25th.

[B]Wish list--- Lion, buf, sable, hippo, large bull ele, and a few animals I have
never shot before.

Animals shot-- leopard, buf, hippo, impala, Nyasa wilbebeast, kongoni, east
African kudu, zebra

Game seen -- 5 lions, hundreds of buf, eland, nyasa wildebeast, kudu, zebra,
5 leopards, eles every day, reedbucks, impala, hippos, crocs,
baboons, bushbucks, kongoni lots, Will probably remember some
more later.

Outfitter info-- Pierre van Tonder web site www.pvt.co.za

Preping for safari[B/] -- I tested some different bullets and made my decisions on
accuracy and bullet strength. Settled on TSX's by Barnes in
450gr .458cal and 300g.375cal.
I purchased athlethic jogging inserts for my Merril hiking ankle
length boots. I walked in the state park trails for up to 6 miles
with my wife and on her off days I walked much faster. I would
step on all roots rocks to twist and turn ankle and foot to
strengthen for the safari. I also carried a 10 lb dumbbell and
did curls and other exercises with it, alternating hands while
walking.
Having a drink and this guy walks out at camp



The Safari
Three years of waitng is over and the Cessna is circling Mseguni airstrip in the Selous game Reserve. Circling the airstrip, I am looking for animals. I can see a couple of bull eles and a herd of dagga boys 5 to be exact.. My heart is pumping and I can feel the landing gear extend and we are on final approach. I am all smiles in the co-pilots seat.


A smooth landing and plane unloaded and hellos to the Texas family heading home as our 21 day safari is set to begin. Camp is 45 minutes away and trucks are loaded and we start for our new home and the adventure begins. Oh, did I say I asked Pierre if his wife and daughter could be in camp with us and he was thrilled to have his wife and daughter in camp. Gives my wife someone to talk to, if she does not come out to ride along with us.
After arrival in camp, all of our luggage was put in our tent and my wife set about of unpaking and organizing. She tells me not to touch anything till she is done.
Oh, did I mention one bag is missing and found in Amsterdam, it was removed from the plane and not put back on. I am missing all of my ammo and most of my clothes. Thank goodness for having a 375H&H, Pierre has a box of ammo for it and at least I have one rifle operational and one expensive double club. After lunch we take a nap and then go and shoot the 375 Kimber and all is ready.
Look out animals tomorrow I am operational and looking for some lion bait.
Got a good nights sleep and up at 5am, to Hello, Hello wake up call. Can't knock on a tent and no phone wake up... Out of bed and go and get my wife a cup of Rooibos red tea and I am at the breakfast table for a fried egg and bacon sandwich two coffees and ready to go.
Like I said my missing suitcase and ammo thank God for 375H&H ammo, it is found in all safari camps.. So out we go looking for lion bait. Simba is a priority on my list.
We head out and after on hour or so we head up barabara mbogo, buffalo road and low and behold guess who is out in front of us but a herd of buf... Truck off grab rifle and the chase is on. Started out like an in the bag hunt and 5 kilometers later we get caught up and right angle, but no big bulls.
There is some talking by the trackers and Pierre and my swahili knowledge is words. I hear korongo, river bed, mbogo, buf. Translates to they are heading for the river bed and if we run we can 'cutem' off at the pass!!! Off we go and we make it and the buf are just back in the riverine greenness and only glimpses are caught a horn an eye, but they are there. There is a bend and we take off after them, looks like they are going to try and beat us. We walk as fast as we can in the deep sand of the river bed and make and I set up on the sticks and Pierre tells me watch the right side and where and when the buf enter the korongo, he will call off each animal as they come out. NO calf, cow, young bull, more cows, more bulls, calves, look out farther and I come out of the scope and there coming out is a big boy, a shooter. The mature buf enters the korongo and stops right in the middle and I aim at him and fire off shot, mayheim takes over buf are running and the big guy heads towards us and I take one shot at his chest before he turns to enter the far side, my left of the river bank. We are looking for blood and do not find any and the trackers are spread out panning for spoor. A whistle is heard, like a bird but louder, and Pierre answers back and we walk toward the sound and we see the tracker hiding and pointing. We sneak up to him and out at maybe 80yds is a buf with his head down. On the sticks, m'bogo quarters towards us and I aim for the neck shoulder jointure and off goes the 375 and lion bait is down.


We approach carefully and I put another shot in, a just to make sure your dead shot and the boys head out for the truck and Pierre says to me Mike, this is not the bull we were looking at. I answered him I agree he is smaller. The hit was in his rear leg and broke the bone and we recovered a Nosler partition slug from the skin. So I missed the big guy and hit the buf behind him. I tell Pierre I never saw this guy only the big buf which I shot at. End result I drew blood, trophy fee and got lion bait.
So off we go and hang the first two baits hand trail cams and the wait and checking baits start.
Baits hung and gps noted and we head back towards camp and on the way we bang a Zebra and more bait two to be exact. Skin him in the bush and gps marked with 2 more sites. I am getting ahead of myself.
We were riding and I spied some vultures and we went over to look and found a dead kongoni, a 350lb. antelope. All that was left was the head and spine. The trackers are saying simba, chui back and forth with excitement. I ask Pierre van Tonder to translate and it goes like this. It is a leopard, but it is huge like a lioness. It has to be big to take down a kongoni. Lets get a bait up and the zebra hind quarters are put up and a trail camera is also set. Again only time will tell and four baits out.
We head out in the morning on the route to hit all baits to see if simba is cooperating.
No lions, but leopard is now on one of the baits.





On the way back to camp on day 4 we see a big kongoni and I hit him right on the point of the near shoulder and send a TSX down thru him diagonally and it stops under the skin at the left rear leg and down and dead.. How I missed that buf I will never know. I shake my head but let it go...


Next day more bait and check baits. We start out checking baits and then run into fresh buf spoor, you got it, lets chase some more buf. We don't go 100yds and there is a herd of buf coming towards us. Pierre and the trackers are looking
for a big bull and pointing and whispering, I know what they have seen. Pierre tells me to look straight ahead as the buf have changed direction and cut us short and now are going left to right out in front of us. As soon I look up I can see this huge bull with giant skull cap. From the side looks like he has a helmet on his head. He looks like the one, Bwana Mic posted from Ngorogoro. A once in a lifetime animal. There he is, no cows are in front now. Wait and we stalk closer and
paralleling them. Finally there he is and I am steadying the rifle over a fallen tree and movement settles and I fire. I cringed at the shot, I pulled, pushed, or slapped the trigger and I saw the dot of the German #4 config on his stomach... I'm sick, all my practice from the spring and thru the summer, what the hell is going on. Pierre asks me how was the shot and I honestly tell him to far back. Writing this I am still sick about it, expecially when you know what a great animl he is or was. and I am hoping he will survive the hit. But he is a trophy fee.
We start the tedious task of following up a buf wounded in the long grass with my double 450#2 in hands protecting the trackers. Pierre tells me, don't watch the ground watch out in front and side. Let the trackers do the ground work. Tension mounts and we keep on him and the buf never stops for 4 hours. How far did we chase him right into a thick forest and now they were running circles around us and no sign of the giant bull. Time to head back to the truck. We do a forced march for 2 hours and the boys continued on to the truck and they come back after another 30 minutes and we head back to camp.
I am questioning my shooting ability in my mind now. But I am also trying to let those misses go. They tend to haunt you.
The next day we head out on lion patrol and head in the opposite direction hitting the zebra baits first. I am still looking for a hippo on dry ground.
Zebra bait #1 driving at about 150yds parallel from it and does not look like anything hit it says Pierre. I say something was there, see the left side and the black spot, that was not there the other day when we drove off. We hve to drive thru a small korongo and the truck stops and there is chui's tracks, the big guy. Out of the korongo we go and towards the bait we stop and excitement is building, did he it the bait? Yes he did but not like a typical leopard, but like a lion with one exception, he did not tear down the branches but stood up and fed inside of the branches. So we head back to camp and I have decided to take a look at this guy. Plans are made and two trucks go out and one cuts grass to assist in building the blind and Pierre, Hamilton, and I will sit in the blind. It is a far shot as far as leopard hunting is. 63 yds lasered from blind to tree where bait is hanging. It is 330pm and all finished and we settle in there is a thick vine over our heads growing and the blind looks like it should be there. The birds are right over our heads chirping and having a good time, very natural.

here is the blind I am on the right inside of the blind.

If you never have sat in a leopard blind movement and silence are a must. First I tried writing in my journal but the pages were too noisy wrote a little and them stopped. Tried to snooze a little and it worked for a short time.
Forgot to mention the rifle is adjusted and tied up with a loop of twine around the rear bell and safety is off and rifle is chambered after all is away.
Sore butt, stiff back, take a drink very slowly time 530pm. Still light but sun is starting to wane. 6pm I take a breath and a gd bug flies into my mouth and down my throat and I have to cough, but that will be a death sentence to this blind and bait. I have both hands over my mouth and my eyes are bulging with the choking spasms in my throat I reach for the water to see if it helps and Pierre is not at all happy with me. What the heck else can go wrong with me on this safari. I settle down eyes watering and I put a hard candy in my mouth and rest my head back. That episode was so hard on me I broke out into a cold sweat from the body racking choking. But I made no loud coughing noises. 630pm light is fading fast and Pierre tells me to look thru scope to check out if I can still see bait, affirmative thumbs up. The vigil is still in place and now something is different all is dead silent no birds and no insect noises. Funny to me and I am wondering and I can see Pierre looking thru my Lecia 10/42's and he takes me by surprise and touches my arm. The first signal, chui has arrived! Adrenelin is now being pumped into my veins and time stands still. Like slow motion Pierre squeezes my arm multiple times in the gloom of the blind. The signal to shoot! I ease up to the rifle and reach up with my left hand and slowly pull the branch blocking the hole and I then take hold of the forend and talking to myself get the cat in the scope, don't touch the trigger safety is off. There is the cat but I can't see the black dot of the scope config turn on the red dot of your illuminated scope and I put it on a low power setting and looking at the leopard he is headless and neckless while feeding he in up and inside of the branches covering the zebra. Bang, the Kimber Caprivi goes off as if by its self. The blast temporarily blinds me. Pierre says, " You got him Mike, he is on the ground.
I leave the rifle there and grab Boomer my 450 which was behind me while we waited and hoped for a killing shot. It was pretty dark outside and flashlights were on and I had the double up and safety off. Till I saw the leopard under the tree. Pierre had told me to put the bullet thru the middle of the cats chest and that is what I did. How fast did he die, one might ask and my answer is "DRT" dead right there. Chui expired directly under the bait.
The pics I am showing in order the first is the leopard in the bait the day before I shot him trail shot him. The second is him on the ground. The next are showing the size of the cat.
The big cat inside of the bait look up the to right center and you can see the neck and spots




The first pic of the leopard you can see the flashlights still on illuminating the scene


blood stains from bait and leaves off bait



Pierre weighs 160lbs. the cat easily out weighs him


The lion hunt regimen continues.. Hunt for bait and check baits daily, it takes hours of traveling before we get to some of the baits. Did I mention the concession is over 500sq. miles. It is almost as bad and the flight over the big pond. At least one gets to see animals and get off and take a whiz.
We have found some hippo tracks in a korongo holding water and it is at least 20kilometers from the river. So we are hunting this hippo bull and hoping we find him. The shooting will be close and fast and Boomer is ready in my hands The grass along the korongo is high and if we encounter kiboko, hippo it will be up close and personal. We come around a bend and the water is shallow and look what we found. Tried to catch him.
Python around 6 feet


We chased those hippo tracks for around 4 kilometers and finally gave up, because there were no recent sign. Hippo eludes me again.
The time was passing and I was having a time of my life the game was unbelievable so much and as the sun got hot they faded away into their retreats.
We decide to try for kiboko by getting between him and the water in the dark before daylight and wait for him to return. Up at 430am say goodbye to my wife and head to the mess area for coffee and toast, finished and ready to go. We drive around 4 K from camp and walk down to the river and walk across a dry korongo and up to a small island on land. Just a raised area looked just like an island in the light but was covered with higher grasses where everywhere else all grass was browsed down like a lawn. We are hiding behind it. Pierre puts me on the end on the left side and he is to my right and the trackers and game scout are after Pierre. The wait begins and the 450#2 is loaded. I am kneeling and crouching down and The sky is getting bright and we are able to make out shapes but not a hippo yet. I am positive when hunting. Then a tracker whispers kiboko and point out in front of me and I can see shape but from its tail it is a cow with a little right behind her. Excitement grows that maybe we are in the right place. The cow and calf enter the water around 30yds from us and we were undetected. Five or 10 minutes later again kiboko and an arm points and this one is closer and Pierre leans to me and whispers, "get your gun up she will pass real close and you are the first line of defense." Close is the word and I very slowly bring up the double and she passes 15 feet from the front of the barrels and I have the safety off and am staring instinctly down the barrels. She hesitates and looks at me and let me tell you if she even leaned towards me, Boomer was going to bark. She turned here head and headed back to the water peacefully. It is now 645am and all is visible and to our right we can see water buck does and a big male. My mind is on a big bull hippo. One of the trackers points and says kiboko big one. Slowly I look up and let me tell you big is not enough. Ginormous sounds better. He is coming for us, not really but coming our way. He looked mean. You know how they say a buf looks at you, like you owe him some money. The look on this big guy looked like he wanted to kick some ass and maybe more then all of us together. The hippo is headed our way and I am now kneeling on one knee and gun is across my leg and I am watching kiboko close the distance. 40yds he looks like an ele with short legs but huge head. He looks towards the water and I can hear Pierre whispering keep walking, keed walking. Like magic closer he comes. At 30 feet the hippo hesitates but starts to come the final distance. at around 25 feet he turns towards the water and I stand up and he see the movement and looks at me and I did not give him the chance to take another step st me or towards the water. My aim was true and the 450gr TSX took him between the eyes and he hit the ground with a slap as his head slammed down. Dead 'DRT'
right there and no movement all electrical impulses turned off.

Game scout posing






Lots of lion bait


A lion bait being set


Well with that hippo shot add four more baits.
That puts us up to 8 baits spread out all over the concession. When I look back on all the distances I can honestly say we probably drove over the 21 days close to 1500 kilometers. That adds up to many sore butt miles.
Up at 5am again after more bait another buf on menu. After a delicious breakfast of papaya, made to order omelet, toast & jelly, hot coffee, time to go. We head off to another point on the compass and Pierre tells me, we will be on barabara simba. Like that name! After aloomst 2 hours we arrive, but on the way saw some sable, more eles and bulls, zebras, knogoni, & impala.
We pick up some fresh buf tracks and do do and off we go. The buf are maybe a half hour in front of us and we are pushing hard to catch up to them. We slow down and the trackers look at us and point to there noses, they can smell the buf. Then the tall Maasai points and I can see some of the buf in front of us and now we are trying to close the distance and pick out a big bull. You know buf they are always moving and they get ahead again as we slowed in the long grass. Over the top of this hill and around the side and there on the other hilltop around 400yds all of us can see the buf there are maybe 40 animals.


My heart takes a shot of adrenalin, the Maasai whispers "simba" and points I am looking and I can see one lioness. I think I stretched up another half a foot to do get a full view in front of us. There's another lioness! Now I can see 2 of them. They disappear into the grass and we can hear some vocalization from the lions. Now the buf hunt turns into a lion hunt. Let me tell you my heart was banging against my chest. My rifle was up and ready as we proceeded looking for the male lion. We did not see one but you never know. The lions were on to the buf and we were after the lions. After maybe a half hour the cats faded away into the grass and we headed after the buf again. We tried to head them off but they changed direction and got to the free zone another concession. We stopped and a few words were said to them and back we headed for the truck. Pierre asks me Mike where's the truck and I pointed and was correct. How far, more then 2 miles. 10 kilometers out and a little less back. Soaked with sweat hunted hard a bonus of lions. What could be better.

After the buf hunt, I'm still smiling

We get back to the truck and head to a lunch tree, big green canopy and cool under it. Lunch, impala fillet cut thin tomatoes, bread, desert, and of course coke or cold water and I put in my G2 gatorade mix for hydration. Lunch over and a snooze for an hour and then back out to check the baits.

Roosevelt Sable


Eland fillet Delicious

Every evening I took pictures of our meals and deserts. With the great meals in camp and lunches out in the bush I lost 12 pounds chasing those wonderful buffalo.
Breakfast finished we head out for the never ending checking baits for simba. On our way out we spy a lone Nyasa wildebeast and Pierre says Mike, " Mike he's a beauty." You know what that means, I have to shoot him and I have never shot this species which is only found in east Africa. He is way out there and I tell Pierre to watch I am going to fire. Boooom... I held high and smack I can hear the audible sound of the bullet hitting him. He takes off running but I can see I broke his front leg. Now I was confident on the shot and after seeing blood up high on the leg, that with some forceful marching we will catch up for a finishing shot. After about 2.5 kilometers we see some kongoni standing up in front of us around 150yds. we are all on glasses to try and find the wounded animal. I am looking at a large tree and at the same time Pierre says Mike," see that big tree out in front of us?" I say yes to the right is the Nyasa wildbeast hid by the tree but his neck and head is sticking out. I get on the sticks and Pierre says, "Mike just put another bullet into him. I am waiting till he moves and gives me a body shot. I settle in and the animal is not moving so at around 140yds. I tighten up on the sticks and squeeze off a shot boom. I lose sight in the recoil and I ask is he down? No answer! Pierre says there was just a big puf of ash like the animal ran away just like the knogoni. I look and the big Massai and like a hawk his eyes are focused and he is jumping like a kid in a candy store. There I can see the head at around 50yds "DRT" as we walk up to him, he just went down in a heap his legs under him. The TSX hit him right next to the right eye and penetrated up and into the skull. What a handsome animal they are goldish color to the hide black barring and long black mane and tail hair.


All the guys Driver Hamilton, Habobby game scout, myself, Maasai, & Eddy


We are into the final half of the hunt and I still am having the patience of Job. The cats are around and we have been finding lioness tracks and the male has to be around also. The regimen of checking baits sure is tedious, but the rewards are very enjoyable. The animals I am seeing is so exciting and seeing tembo everyday justs adds to the pleasure. Driving down the main road we are just out of R2 and heading into it is another quarter mile of so when off to our right is a huge bull ele and I mean bigger them my 65 pounder from 06. The sun is out in front of this ele and he turns his head slightly and wow huge, gigantic, long ivory and black. Just a glimpse we get and I say we have to get a better look at him. After the .25 mile we make a hard right turn and head back where we saw the ele, but this time we are now in our concession and if the big boy came across we should see him. But alas no luck. Next time.
Here's a pic after he turned his head back.


The days kept coming and going and my time is the Selous was coming to close.
On the 20th day of safari, we were again out running the bait line. My hopes were still positive and never did I think well this is hopeless. I was here to hunt and hunt I will till the last day or my choice to quit hunting. We headed up Bara bara m'bogo, buffalo road to check the first lion bait in this direction. This is where we had lion tracks on the road. My wife was with us and all of a sudden the tracker in the back says [B]simba I grabbed my 375H&H all binos were trained to the right side of the road and back around a 100 yds were 3 lions 2 males and a lioness. One male was a shooter and we were clamoring to get set up for a possible shot. When all stood up and looked at us and the big guy trotted off into the long grass, just beyond the burn. I did what I should have and not shot at him. Even though my emotions were saying shoot, but common sense has to bear out.
The final days hunt again, we again started out checking baits and one of the trackers says kudu and we see a cow and calf and all of a sudden the grey ghost appeared and to say the least I knew he was big. Yes I decided to take a shot and down he went DRT. After the pics and loading I told Pierre this is the end of my hunt. I thanked the trackers and game scout and we headed back to camp. Time to start packing for tomorrows morning flight.
Now I am in the planning stages for a return engagement with simba in 2012.
How was this hunt? My answer excellent. We had excitement got a determined charge by a cow ele, had lions cut in front of us tracking buf, got to bang a huge hippo head on and shot two animals unique to East Africa, excellent food, hard working & devoted staff.

Thank you for all of your comments.

Mike

'Comon Mike, this ain't no strip tease!

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:
'Comon Mike, this ain't no strip tease!

Yea, you got more wind than that!!!!


Keith

I had a Third X wife like that , Note the X !, Bring it on Mike.

More more more!

Thats a nice leopard Mike.

Congratulations Mike! That leopard is a toad!!

Awesome cat Mike!

retreever,

Looks like a great trip...congratulations on a beautiful leopard.

Bull1

dang I like that cat.
Congrats!!!

Congrats on your tom Mike, he's a dandy!
David

Beautiful, beautiful cat! More photos?

What a leopard! Nice cat Mike, well done! Look forward to the rest of the stories and pics...

Congrats Mike.
Really great chui.

A huge leopard for sure! That's the way to do it.

What a Cat,,and love the hippo ,,, Congrats!!!

Great work with the double and the open sights on the hippo! That is a nicely placed shot. Those Barnes bullets are really deadly-it would've been great to see them work on lion.I am sure taking the leopard was really something-well done!

Congratulation!
Great stuff Mike, I really like the way you describe the hunt.
I´m kind of with you right there

Great hippo hunt and shooting Mike!!!

Way to go Mike! We all know the real reason you did not shoot a lion was to have an excuse to go back.

Nice leopard. I leave for RSA in about 2 weeks for a leopard hunt, hopefully I will be as lucky as you.

updated with more pics...

Mike

East African kudu

What a safari. That must have been the leopard Pierre was telling us about a month ago!

Mike,

Nicely done! I checked this before you finished and just now returned. Beautiful leopard and great description of what it's like to have one come in the fading daylight. Great stuff!

Simba will be for another day.

Congrats,

Mark

Mike,

Looks like an 11 out of a possible 10. Great hunt and report.

The Selous, ah some day......

Well done.

Mike, congrats on a great safari. What a leopard!!!

Larry

Mike, just read your report.

You sure killed a great, big old tom leopard - especially for the Selous - but he's big and impressive enough to be a great leopard by any standards. Just a super cat.

And that's a good-looking kudu, too!

Mucho congratulations!

Mike, great report. What a hunt, those are some beautiful animals. Congratulations.