29 January 2022, 06:46
rglenzBuffalo at Sondelani
Hunt date; 14 days, mid-September in early OctoberPH; Gary Hopkins/Kripkral Travel and Safari
Agent; Mark Young
Travel Agent; Shawn at Gracy Travel
Flights; United from Minneapolis to JNBwiyh a connection at Newark, Airlink from JNB to Bulawayo
Rifles; Francotte 475#2 double and an older custom FN Mauser 300 H&H, barreled by W.A.Sukalle
Game taken; 2 buffalo, Bushbuck, Eland, and a Wildebeest
I've hunted previously with Gary in Gokwe North and Ngamo. For some time now, Gary has been "marketing" me to try a Buffalo hunt at Sondelani. My plan was to do a hunt with him in 2020, Covid put a stop to that. After some starts and stops, I jumped through the Covid hoops and made it happen in 2021.
The farm boy in me would call Sondelani neither grassland nor forest. There are a few tall trees, the exception being along the river where they are more numerous. The area is predominately ten-foot-high thorn scrub and Mopane. Gary says, "everything in Sondelani scratches or bites". Being as thick as it is, it's a great place to use a double rifle. By the time we stalked close enough to judge a bull, we were in iron sight range.
Buffalo were hunted as normal, that is find some tracks in the morning and follow up. Our efforts were usually busted by Impala, Giraffe, or a change in the wind.
I shot the first Buff on about day four. He was in a group of four bulls but was the only one that offered a shot. The others were obscured by the bush. After a broadside shot with the 475, he ran a short way, out of sight and we heard him bellow. AS we approached the downed bull his three companions took off, he got to his feet and tried to run off! I snapped off a shot and he dropped like a Grouse.
We continued to hunt for a second bull but I won't go into the details of our failures. Late in the day, we would still hunt for Bushbuck, after a few evenings one was spotted, feeding across the river,_ so I finally had my first Bushbuck.
I connected on a second Buff after tracking a small group of them in the morning and having our chances blown by some Impala. The trackers picked up the trail after a lunch break. With a favorable wind, we hadn't gone far before they spotted two Buffalo laying in the thick stuff. I couldn't judge the horns or were to place my shot, as I had forgotten my binoculars. That got me some dirty looks! Gary sent one of the trackers to fetch them. I still can't believe they didn't make us. With the bino's back in my hands, I could only see the ass end of one and parts of the other. When he turned his head, his face looked old and the bosses good. I picked an opening in the thorns and put the shot into his back, in order to reach his vitals. He bellowed and was off with three others, two we hadn't seen. Shortly, there was another bellow. Again the others were hanging with the down bull until we were in sight. This one didn't get up but I put a couple more in him to finish it.
I completed my hunt by taking a very old, very broomed Eland, (another story), and a Wildebeest.
In conclusion, James and Jimmy were good trackers and fun to be around.
Sondelani was originally built as a tourist destination, as a hunting camp, it's upscale.
The Buffalo are as unwilling to be participants as elsewhere.
I enjoy hunting Buffalo, so yes, I'd go back.
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[/IMG] Sondelani was originally built as a tourist destination, so as a hunting camp,_it's upscale.
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