Posting for my friend Cecil Leonard aka Bwana Cecil. Enjoy!

Zimbabwe 2011 Report

1. Outfitter: Zambezi Hunters
2. P.H. Thierry (Legend) Labat
3. 1st. Tracker: Mudini, 2nd Tracker & Driver: Vusa, Game Scout: Tapiwa
4. Country: Zimbabwe
5. Area: Save Conservancy, Sango
6. Time: Sept. 2-11-2011
7. Rifle: Win. 70LH (Tha Beast) in 375 H&H, Leupold VX7 1.5x6
8. Ammo: Fed. Prem. 300gr TSX & Banded Solids
9. Travel: Shawn at Gracy Travel (I will not go to Africa without them)

My wife, Jean & I had been on 2 plainsgame safaris in Namibia & now wanted to experience new places in Africa.

We met the guys from Zambezi Hunters at the DSC Conv. in Jan. 2010 & book our trip with them to the Save Conservancy & the magnificent Sango Lodge for my 1st DG hunt.

We spent 2 nights in Joburg at the African Skye to recover from the 16hr. flight from Atlanta. 1 night would have been enough. The room, hospitality & food were excellent.

Sept. 1st we make the flight to Harare, were greeted by our charter pilot Jiles, he helped get us through the unpleasant dealings in the airport & on to the hunting camp. The employees in the airport are not very helpful except to themselves, but I won’t let that keep me from returning. Get settled in at the lodge & meet the couple who run it, Nevin & Lindsey Lees-May along with their staff.

I realize I have left my C-PAP machine on the plane along with my sat. phone. Cannot believe my carelessness, we all figure they are long gone by now. SOS e-mails sent by Lindsey & 2 days later my C-PAP & sat. phone arrive in camp for me, whoda thunk it? Seems one of the flight attendants found my bag & turned it in. THANKS SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS!

Checked my rifle to make sure it was still on & much to my surprise it was!

Day 1: I am actually on my 1st DG hunt & anxious to not make an idiot of myself.
See lots of RAEs. I make an idiot of myself & miss a nice bushbuck at 50 yds. standing quartering to me. The easiest shot of the trip & I blow it! CHOP! Not long after that I make a good shot on a very good zebra stallion & redeem myself. Sundowners & dinner were excellent.



Day 2: We go back to the same area where we killed the zebra & find a very old bushbuck (much better than the 1 I missed) the shot is good, he makes a few hops & goes down. I am elated! He hardly has any hair on his neck. I think I am as proud of this old man as any animal I have ever taken.



Rare and elusives (RAE) are everywhere. (Thierryism for impalas) The weather is warmer than I had thought it would be. Have developed blisters on both feet, brought the wrong boots, high top leather Russells, feet sweating profusely, thank GOD for moleskin. Start using tennis shoes after lunch. Lesson learned. Bought a pr. of Courtneys in Dallas at the 2012 conv. Yes the Russell boots were well broken in. I had used them in Namibia the prior year & even wear them around home as they are very comfortable.

That afternoon we take a walk along the dried up riverbed to see what we can find. Thierry spots a sable bull feeding in the tall grass & we move slowly into position. We must have watched him for 15 min. or more before Thierry gives me the go ahead. He never knows we are there till the bullet smacks him on the shoulder, he’s down but not out! Have to put a 2nd rnd. into him to finish the job. We take lotsa photos before loading him & heading to the skinning shed.



I know a sable is a BIG DEAL & ya’ll are going to think I’m nuts, but I was more excited about the bushbuck than the sable. Meanwhile back at the lodge. Jean & I are getting to know the staff better & are quickly making friends with Nevin & Lindsey, we try encouraging Nevin to write a book about his years with Parks & his experiences as a P. H., he is a most interesting man & has a lot to share if he should decide to. In 2009, Sango Safari Lodge was selected the 5th most luxurious hunting lodge in the world by Versus TV show “The 10 Best”. It is awesome!

Day 3: I guess I have proven to my P.H. that I can be trusted to hunt buff & not muck it up like I did on the 1st bushbuck, so it’s off to chase big black bovines. Thierry knows the lay of the land & where to find whatever critter the day calls for. We are soon tracking 4 dugga boys, Thierry gets us into position to ambush them. They follow the script & come within 35 yds, I’m on the sticks & waiting for them to clear some brush when they decide to lay down in the shade of said brush. We waited 45 min. for them to get up & make a move, (Mudini went to sleep) when they did, the 1 Thierry picked out as mine was facing us trying to decide if we were friend or foe, there was a small tree between us blocking a clean shot of his vitals. He decided we were foe & turned tail & took his friends with him. Durn that was fun!!!! No shot was fired, but it was a great morning. RAEs everywhere.

Day 4: Can’t find a decent warthog that still has his teeth. The dry season is in full swing & the warthogs looked pitiful, 1 old female turned to run from us and could barely keep her balance, most were just skin & bones. Hard Times. Mudini tracks a herd of 12 dugga boys for us, as we get close Thierry takes the lead & we end up 40 yds. from them, again it’s nap time. We stand there watching them & enjoying the moment when we both feel the wind hit the back of our necks. Buffalo are spring loaded, when they decide to get the heck out of Dodge they come up off the ground at full speed, crashing over everything in their way. We are all smiles as that’s just part of the game & we were happy to be in it.
We decide to give them a few minutes then start tracking them again. Mudini casually points to the left & there’s an elephant feeding a little ways off. That’s the moment I discovered I have phobia of walking with my back turned towards elephants.

A short while later we are glassing movement in what looks like a creek bed to me, they’ve settled down & are just milling about. Thierry moves me to a spot where I could see about 100 yds. down a trail in the mopane, the 1st bull to show is the 1 Thierry says is the best of the group, he stops to study us, Thierry gives me the Ok & I put a round into his chest, he whirls around & takes off, it sounds like every tree in the area is getting mowed down. I ask if I hit him, & everybody is all smiles telling me I did in fact hit him. Not sure how well, but he is indeed hit. Thierry goes over how we are going to do the follow up. When we get to where he was standing, there is good blood, then lotsa blood. He made it about 50 yds. & piled up dead. It got solemn for me as I approached him, he was magnificent & the 1st thing I had ever hunted that might hunt me back.




My 375 with 300 gr TSX got almost 4 ft. of penetration on him taking out the top of his heart & both of his lungs. As I write this I still remember how sad I felt that my buff hunt was over, next time I’m either going to take 2 or do a buff/leopard hunt. 1 just isn’t enough. Maybe I can go with Will Parks & pick up what he passes on.

That night we climb the mountain by the lodge for sundowners, Nevin sits on a rock on the edge that looks like the wind could blow it over the side & Thierrys jumping from rock to rock to take photos for us & of us. My wife was petrified about Nevin & Thierrry falling off the cliff as Nevin had told us about dropping a camera off of it sometime back as well as having some champagne glasses getting blown off. It was a beautiful view & a great ending to a great day.



Day 5: That morning over breakfast Nevin ask if I was willing to shoot a wildebeest for camp meat. Gladly! Not 15 min. after we leave camp we find a small herd of wildebeest & there is a very old bull that’s perfect for filling Nevins order. He’s down at the shot, but needs a finisher to end things quickly.



That evening Thierry leads us into a secret place of his to hunt bushpigs, I can hear them but can’t see them, then I see 2 dark figures moving in the very thick underbrush, I can’t tell 1 from the other & let Thierry know that he will have to tell me which 1 to shoot. The lead 1 gets into a small spot that I can at least make out his shape better & am told to shoot him. After a few squeals & some thrashing around he gave up the ghost. Mudini & Tapiwa enter the stick you & prick you bush that he expired in & retrieved him for me. Then Thierry & Tapiwa lift him onto Mudinis shoulders & he takes off walking at a fast pace with an animal that weighs as much as he does, I tried to catch him to get a photo of this, but Mudini is an athlete & I’m short & fat.



Day 6: With most of my wish list filled, we are now down to just looking for something extraordinary to keep the hunt going. See lots of RAEs. We also see lots of kudu & waterbuck that are quite good, just not superior to what I already have.

Day 7: About the same as day 6. No complaints, I’m having fun & there is no pressure. My feet needed a break anyway.

Day 8: We take Jean with us for a tour of the other camps in the area. We get to meet Bertie Duckworth at their Mokore camp, she was most gracious & entertaining. Go Dutch! We then visit the Hammond camp owned by some Americans & find some of the war-vets there visiting what they hope will soon become theirs, shortly after leaving we met the owners on the road flying low trying to get there & protect what’s theirs as best they can. Good Luck.

Later that day we make a house call on George & Medelon Hulme, Jonathon & David Hulmes parents, that was a real treat as they opened their home to us like we were old friends. Outstanding People!
Thierry’s not only an excellent P.H. but a good tour guide as well. We see several rhinos & a lot of buffalo. Jeans hoping to see elephants in the wild, but they are hiding somewhere else every time she’s along.

Day 9: We set at 1 of the few remaining watering holes left & enjoy a spot of game watching, about the time we were going to roll the tires a small herd of wildebeest arrive & there is 1 geriatric old bull that’s going to make a great European mnt. & rug for our home.



Final Day: We find a young wildebeest calf with a leg broken by a poachers snare & the game scout gives me the OK to do a mercy killing. When we take it to the skinning shed, the resident game scouts have 2 poachers they had caught the night before in the bed of a truck waiting on the police to show up. I photograph them, & wonder just what will be done to them.



Jean & I pass out candy to the locals & 1 little girl did not like the ugly white man & threw her M&M’s at me. It couldn’t be because I’m American as she was wearing a stars & stripes dress!



When I inquire about the fate of the poachers, Thierry said it all depends on whether they are local or from Moz. as to what happens to them. The locals only have to pay a small fine & maybe get the hell beat out of them, but if they are from another country, it’s some serious jail time & they still get the hell beat out of them.

That afternoon new clients arrive to share our last evening in Zim. & bring Thierry a much needed present, his beautiful fiancé Suzie. With a small banquet set up we ate well & laughed a lot & made new friends.

The next morning as the plane takes off from the runway I ask the pilot to circle the lodge so we could see it from the air & that’s when I spotted Jeans elephant for her, it was all alone & moving slowly through the mopane close to camp. Suzie returned to Harare with us & Jean & I enjoyed her company on the flight.

Not everyday was a killing day, but everyday was a great day to be alive in GODS wild Africa.
There were 3 small issues that needed to be resolved afterwards & Alistair Pole, co-owner of Zambezi hunters & I settled them with a few e-mails & 1 of the issues was my fault & I apologized to Alistair in person in Dallas. The only reason I bring this up is I read all of the horror stories from other AR members about unresolved problems with bad operators & I wanted you to know that Zambezi Hunters is an excellent operation & will take care of you before, during & after your safari with them. I give them 2 thumbs up!!!

That’s my story & I’m sticking to it.

Cecil Leonard

Thanks Will.
Cecil

Congrats on a great hunt. So good to read about your positive experiences with all aspects of your safari.

Thanks for the report guys! Well done Cecil, some nice trophies and dang I love that bushpig!

Having hunted Namiba twice before, how do you compare your experiences there with that of the Save Conservancy?

Looks like an outstanding time.

Thanks for posting, Will! I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Leonard and his wife on the Atl-Jnb flight last August.

Great nyati, Bwana Cecil.

And your bushbuck is truly spectacular. Congratulations on all parts of your safari.

Legend Labat does it again!

Love the old animals!

Sounds like you had a great time and caught some good breaks as well. Nice old bushbuck and Sable.

Thanks for the report and photos.

Love the old bushbuck, and fully appreciated the not everyday need be a killing day to be a great day in that area with those folks!

Many Thanks

HBH

Will- Thanks for posting another great hunt with Zmabezi Hunters and the legendary Thierry Labat. Congratulations to Cecil!

Two trophies with the same baobab tree in the background. Most unusual and very well done all round.

Bill C
My safari with Hunters Namibia was for plainsgame only.
It is something like 80 sq. miles of high fence & incredibly beautiful.
I have no problem with a fence as long as the game has a fair chance to escape & on that sized property it certainly does. It took my 2nd trip to get a zebra & they have tons of them.
I love Namibia & plan to return.
Hunting the Save Conservancy in Zimbabwe has got to be as close to WILD Africa as I'll probaly ever get, & man did I love it.
When you can see as many ele., blk. & white rhinos as we did along with a lot of buffalo it makes you want to stay there.
Both places have the very best of lodging & hospitality.
I give both 2 thumbs up!

Opus 72
I remembered you from the plane as well & thought highly of your report.
I was also shaken down by the same guy in Harare about making sure my rifle got onto the plane.
$20 seemed cheap for the piece of mind that he at least didn't keep it from being loaded.( I didn't have any 10's left)

Good for you sir. Sounds/looks like you had a great time - nice job!

Cecil,

Your smiles tell the whole story. You had a great safari with a first class outfit. Big congrats!

Mark

very nice! big congrats...

That place is on my list of places to hunt.
Wow!!!

Bwana Cecil and your better half, Sure looks like you two had a super time in Zim. Congratulations on some fine shooting.
Were in the Aloft with you guys.

Mike

Retreever
I enjoyed meeting you & your lovely wife in Big D.

Congrats. That buffalo is most unusual. I have never seen one like that before.

ZH does indeed run a quality outfit. I was there shortly after you were.

I thought so too Larry
Maybe he's a non-typical?

Fine Safari Cecil, congrats. That will be hard to beat especially for your first trip to Zim.

Congratulations Cecil.
The Save is a wonderfull place!

Nicely Done!!

Very nice, Cecil.

Looks like a great safari, congrats on some great trophies.

Love the sable and buff...

Congratulations Cecil!

Was it just me or did anyone else thing that the poacher on the right had already received some punishment by losing a portion of his right arm? I know he didn't, but the pic makes it look that way.

7MMNut
That was some sort of big lizard he had in his hand that had had it's head cut off.