Operator: Zambezi Hunters
PH: Thierry Labat
Zimbabwe - Save Valley Conservancy - Sango Ranch
Dates: June 1 -21, 2012
Logistics and Rifle Permits: Steve Turner at Travel with Guns (Delta and SAA: HSV-ATL-JNB-HRE)
Rifles: Winchester Model 70s in .338WM and .416RM.
Ammo: 400gr Swift A-Frames and Barnes Solids for the 416 and 210gr Nosler Partitions for the 338
Scopes: Swarovski 1.25-4x24 and Zeiss 2.5-10x50IR in Leupold QR Rings on the 416. Swarovski 3-10x42 on the 338 (shot once at the range)
Binoculars: Swarovski 8X30 SLC

PERSONAL DISCLAIMER: This was my 30th +/- guided/outfitted trip, fourteen of which have been international trips and eight of which have been to Africa. I think I have made enough hunts to know a good one from a bad one, but at the end of the day, these are my subjective feelings about the PH, outfitter, area, hunting, and the overall experience. That said, this was my fifth hunt with Zambezi Hunters and Thierry Labat in three years. I am also booked for Lord Derby Eland with Thierry in CAR in 2013. I hope to arrange elephant and/or buffalo hunts with ZH and Thierry in late 2013 and late 2014.

AREA: The Sango hunting areas comprise some 160,000 acres roughly in the center of the conservancy. It spans the full width of the conservancy from East to West. There are good numbers of buffalo and elephants on the property. Lion are also there as are numerous leopards and black and white rhino. There are limited numbers of crocodile and hippo. There are non-conservancy areas on the East and West of Sango, but it is bordered by hunting properties to the North and South.

In addition to the big game, I observed many species of plains game including: sable, kudu, eland, nyala, bushbuck, hyena, wild dog, bushpig, grysbok, impala, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, duiker, klipspringer, warthog, and others. Birdlife is abundant. Several species of songbirds and raptors inhabit the area as well as game birds to include francolin, doves, and guinea fowl. The most noticeable change in the area since 2009 is the increase in lion, elephant, rhino, eland, and kudu.

ACCOMODATIONS: The Sango Lodge (“Ingwe”), managed by Nevin and Lindsay Leesmay (Brent’s parents) is absolutely spectacular. If you are taking your wife and she appreciates the finer things in life, this is THE place to take her. Ingwe is absolutely over the top and unequaled by any hunting lodge on the whole of the continent. Nevin, Lindsay, and every person on their staff go above and beyond to make sure that your stay is perfect. While I love an African tent camp, Ingwe now feels like our African home away from home. It is hard to imagine going anywhere else.

PREFACE:
“Man can understand a lion, because a lion is life in its simplest form, beautiful, menacing, dangerous, and attractive to his ego. A lion has always been the symbol of challenge, the prototype of personal hazard. You get the lion or the lion gets you.” Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter (1954).

For me, a lion is the ultimate prize in African hunting. However, with lion numbers in decline, the closure of lion hunting in some countries, typically less lions on quota in countries that still allow hunting, the dramatic increase in cost of lion hunting, and the tightening definition of what constitutes a shootable lion, I believe that a proper old lion is the most difficult trophy to obtain on the whole of the African continent.

Our June 2012 lion hunt was the culmination of my personal quest to hunt the big four on Sango in the Save Valley Conservancy. The first plans for the hunt were made in early 2010 after our outstanding 2009 hunt for leopard and buffalo. Based on our satisfaction with all aspects of that hunt, we decided then and there to hunt the big four with Thierry on Sango before moving on to other desirable hunts.

It followed that we returned in 2011 with great success on the elephant as well as additional buffalo, leopard, hippo, crocodile, and plains game. We also hunted with ZH and Thierry in 2010 and late 2011 with equally impressive results for leopard and multi buffalo and multi buffalo and plains game provided, however, that those hunts were on Hammond and ARDA, not on Sango.

During our 2011 hunt, we encountered a lion at a hyena bait that we called “Noah’s Ark” due to the fact that two leopards, two jackals, a civet, a brown hyena, a honey badger and a genet were using the bait in addition to the lion. We checked the lion on the trail camera and confirmed that he was a very nice male. Due to his living in and around a gomo named Garurwe, I named the lion “The Garurwe King” and wondered if I would cross his path again in 2012.

Knowing there is not an overabundance of solitary old lions on the 160,000-ish acres that comprise Sango, I knew The Garurwe King was a potential lion we would bait for during our 2012 hunt. For eleven months, I thought about the lion, how old he was, if he was with a pride, if he still reigned over Garurwe, and whether or not he was still alive.

THE HUNT FOR THE GARURWE KING:
Upon arrival in Zimbabwe, Thierry confirmed that The Garurwe King was still residing in the gomo and that he was patrolling a large area North and South of the Mokore river, to include Sango’s and Mokore’s hunting areas. Thierry was checking the cat’s tracks on a regular basis during two prior hunts and was making a plan as to how he and I would bring The King to bag. He also had located two or three other big lions’ tracks and he had spotted a very large lion in 2011 that he believed was still in the area.

We had friends Chris and Jill Green along for their first safari and Chris was our designated bait and plains game shooter. On day one, Chris and Thierry quickly shot two zebras that we converted into four lion baits. In fact, by sun down on day two, we had a total of 10 baits working in the area (four lion and six leopard) and Chris had shot nice waterbuck and wildebeest in addition to the bait animals.

Our first hits on the baits were by young lions and lionesses. At least two of the lions were promising youngsters, with full, long bibs, but were not shootable lions in my opinion. I will confess that the ongoing conversation on this site about aging lions assisted me as I knew, for myself, that these lions were not shootable lions as soon as I saw them.

The first real lion excitement occurred on the morning of day five when we found a bait that had been smashed by a lion. We did not have a trail camera, but the mane hairs left on the bait were 10-12 inches long as well as dark in color and the tracks indicated a large cat. We sat on that cat on the evening of June 5, but he never came to the bait. We heard roaring in the distance, but it only got farther and farther away as the night went on.

Waiting on the lion was made easier by a female leopard that visited the bait and entertained us in the moonlight as she climbed to the bait, took a bite or two, and fell ten feet back to earth with a pronounced “phloooomp”. We called off the hunt at midnight when the lion had not come and the roaring had disappeared into the distance. We left a trail camera at the bait and the lion did not come back that night or thereafter.

On June 6 (day 6, as well), we also got a second dose of lion excitement when a bait that had been used previously by two females and a young male was all of the sudden was covered with long mane hairs. The bait was +/- 2km from Garurwe, leading us to believe that The Garurwe King might have discovered the bait during his nightly patrolling duties. Fortunately, we had a trail camera on this bait.

As we looked through the pictures, the trackers and game scout chattered more and more excitedly all the while. Mudini whispered, “Chikarra!” (“monster”) and Thierry grunted in agreement. I realized my heart was racing. There was no doubt that this was a shootable lion. There was no doubt that we were sitting for this lion. I swallowed hard and hoped that I would be up to the task if the lion came to the party

The general plan for the lion hunt was to build an elevated blind. The best tree for a tree blind was 82 yards away, but it was the only suitable tree and would have to do. We went into construction mode and had a fantastic blind put together in about two hours. We were in the blind at 4pm. The rifle was in a solid rest and was pointed at the bait.

A few minutes after entering the blind, a pair of jackals walked right in front of the blind, never smelling us and never realizing we were there. At that point, I knew the set up was right and that we had a good chance of getting the lion if he returned to the bait.

As the light faded and the full moon began to rise, we heard lions in three directions. I was sure that a lion would be on the bait at any minute, but it did not happen. Hours slowly passed by. Nine p.m. became eleven p.m. Eleven p.m. became 2 a.m. Roaring seemed to be getting closer, then it would fade away. We were riding a roller coaster of emotions. Excitement would grow as lions approached and then would subside as they walked away. However, there was enough activity in the area to keep us in the blind, always believing that the lion would arrive sooner rather than later.

We stayed in the elevated blind until 4, then 5. By the time 5 a.m. arrived, some 13 hours after we entered the blind, I decided that I would insist that we stay until daybreak since it was only one hour more. What’s one more hour after 13?

Well, I didn’t have to insist on anything. Just after 5 a.m., the typically calm and collected Thierry gave me backhanded shot in the shoulder that all but knocked me from the platform.

“Lion”, he hissed.

I went straight to the riflescope and saw the lion standing upright and feasting on the bait. The sounds of cracking bone and tearing flesh filled the night air. I could see his arms wrapped around the nyama, well above my human reach. With his back toward us, I could easily see the long Mohawk mane that extended well past his shoulders. I’ll never forget how that lion manhandled the half zebra that four of us struggled to hoist into the tree. The bait was a full eight feet off the ground and the lion was swatting it around like a child’s toy. There was no doubt we were looking at The Garurwe King. With my heart in my throat, struggling to control my breathing and with my hands shaking, I thought about Ruark’s description of a man’s first real lion encounter.

“I do not believe there are many more impressive sights than a city man's first glimpse at a live maned lion loose on a plain in a strange country, sinister and far from home. This old boy was a movie lion. He had a luxuriant mane and tufts on his elbows . . .” Ruark, supra.



Thierry quickly checked and re-checked the lion in the binos and gave me a whispered but emphatic “Shoot Him!” command. The moon was bright and I could see the lion very clearly. However, the lion was still back to us with his belly toward the tree, offering no shot that I was willing to take.

For three minutes, I watched the lion tear at the bait, with only his back feet on the ground. The violent tugging eventually moved the lion ¼ of the way around the tree, making him broadside to me. He grew tired of the tug-of-war with the zebra half and released his grip, taking the “sitting dog” position.

As I was taking up the trigger slack, I heard two things. First was the second “Shoot!” command from Thierry. Second was the sound of the lion smacking his lips as he chewed and swallowed his last supper.

With the shot, I saw fire and lost visual contact with the lion, but I heard the sound of the lion, obviously hit and hurt. I cycled the bolt hoping to see the lion in a front flip, snarling and biting at the wound, but he was gone. He did, however, make the sounds of a mortally wounded lion along his short death run, which ended just 30 yards from the bait site.

Thierry and I did the follow up together, as it should be. While we believed the lion was dead, but following up a lion in the pre-dawn darkness is not for the faint of heart. I do not recall treading so slowly or cautiously anytime that a leopard or a buffalo was involved. Lions are a whole different deal. A wounded lion will hurt you badly or kill you if he gets to you.

When we got to the lion, he was clearly dead. Upon examination, he was exactly what I dreamed of. Old, alone, big head, broken and worn teeth, over 500 lbs, big hairdo, and plenty long. To top it all off, it was The Garurwe King that I had encountered almost a year prior and that I had thought about so many times over the past 11 months.

Please excuse the excessive pictures.











For very personal reasons, I am sure that this will be my one and only lion. At 38 years of age, this memories of this hunt, conducted with our good friend Thierry in an safari area that we absolutely love, will satisfy any personal desire to hunt The King for so long as I am able to hunt and shoot.

THE HUNT FOR THE MAFUSHWA CAT:
So as not to detract from the lion report, let me just say that Thierry has guided me to four leopards in four attempts. Ten sits in the blind for four leopards, three of which are exceptional cats and one of which was really nice. Two of the four were shot by moonlight as well.

On this trip, we had a leopard hit a lion bait near to a set of hills called “Mafushwa”. We converted the lion set up to a leopard bait (lowered the meat and added a leaning pole) and built a blind. The leopard came at 9 p.m. and I shot him in the moonlight. The shot was far for a leopard (90 yards; owing to the lion set up), but the shot was true and the cat died after a short death run.



Any report of a leopard taken with Thierry would be incomplete without mentioning his gaudy statistics on these elusive cats. With my fourth leopard, Thierry has now guided client hunters to 29 leopards in 33 attempts. The cats I shot with Thierry are number 19, 22, 25, and 29. The leopard is clearly his favorite animal to hunt and he is scary-good at it. I suspect he works just as hard for current leopard hunting clients as he did his first few leopard clients that he guided in Chewore while working for Roger Whittall. As I type this, he is sitting for number 30 with Chris Peccia (FishN4Eyes) on day three of a 15 day hunt. If you want a leopard, Thierry is The Man, period.



FOURTY-FOUR BUFFALO BULLS:
With the leopard and lion in the salt by day seven, we had 14 days for buffalo. We dedicated day eight and nine to the Greens and did what they wanted to include going to Mokore to see the big baobab and curio shop, a picnic lunch, and a trip to the Save River. We rested and goofed around on day ten and began hunting buffalo on day 11.

Over the course of nine days of buffalo hunting, we tracked and looked at 44 solid bossed and mature bulls. Eight to ten hours each day, beginning at sun up and ending at dark, we followed buffalo. I was looking for an exceptional buffalo, which has eluded me to this point in my hunting.

The hunt was most memorable. We walked and ran, ducked and crawled, fell and got back up, sneaked and slipped, sweated, and bled as we hunted in and around hundreds of buffalo on these fine days. Some days we won and some days we lost, but it was a fine hunt and fine sport covering all of those miles and looking at all of those buffalo.

Finally, on day 19 of a 21 day affair, I shot a real nice buffalo that was the 44th solid bull that we looked at. He was one of the five best that we looked at over the nine days.




KUDU and GRYSBOK:
Also, we managed to pick up a kudu and a grysbok along the way. My plan was not to shoot any plains game while Chris was there (9 days) and to only shoot rare or exceptional plains game trophies after Chris left. Both the kudu and the grysbok were appealing to me.



I shot the kudu right at dark in the late days of the hunt and we elected to leave it overnight when we did not find it immediately. Unfortunately, the lions found him during the night and left me little more than the horns. It was the first time in 25 years of hunting that I’ve left an animal overnight. I was obviously happy to recover the kudu trophy the following morning, but suffice to say that I learned a valuable lesson about taking marginal shots late in the day.



I passed a wildebeest that would have been 31 or 32 inches wide, which I probably should have shot, but we were walking a portion of the Mokore River that was new territory to me and I didn’t want to cut short the exploration of new territory to have to deal with loading the wildebeest and delivering it to the skinning facility.

OTHER SHOOTING: While not trophies, I shot a wildebeest for rations, two zebra baits, an impala to give to the trackers for nyama, and an impala that needed to be put down.

CHRIS’ PLAINS GAME: For nine day’s hunting piggybacked on to a lion, leopard, and buffalo hunt, Chris did very well. On his first African hunt Thierry managed to get him nice specimens of kudu, waterbuck, eland, wildebeest, impala, jackal and three zebras. I will post those trophies in a separate thread.

ZAMBEZI HUNTERS: This was my fifth hunt with ZH since 2009. I would not be returning five times if ZH was not an elite organization. ZH runs a highly efficient and superbly organized safari company. They are not the largest operator in Zim by far, but that lends itself to a high level of personal service and great attention to detail. In 80 days of hunting with ZH, I’ve not had a single concern about the logistical or operational aspects of the safari (fuel, vehicles, food, hidden costs, up-charges, surprises, changes, operational issues, theft, legalities, disputes over area, etc, etc, etc). That leaves me 100% free to concentrate on hunting and enjoying the African experience. That is how a safari should run.

THIERRY LABAT: Most of you know that my friend Thierry was recognized as the Zim Outstanding PH for 2011, validation of his accomplishments and his ability as a professional hunter.



Thierry is 100% hunter. A cunning lion and leopard hunter and maybe even more deadly around buffalo, he is always cool, calm, and collected. I would hunt anything that walks the planet with Thierry. We’ve done 80 hunting days since 2009 and I continue to be impressed by Thierry on a daily basis. He is hilarious and a people person making him very fun in camp. I also notice that he is very fair with his crew as well as the camp staff, earning their respect rather than just demanding it or expecting it. At 33, his future is bright. His potential is tremendous. He is one of the top guys on the continent as many of his regular, multi-safari clients will attest.

MUDINI: Mudini is Thierry’s head tracker and right hand man.



Mudini is one of the finest trackers that I’ve seen. He has a special gift and has saved me from losing animals on more than one occasion. He does not give up until he finds his prize. He and Thierry persist and find animals that other crews would give up on. Mudini is the leader on the back of the truck and he leads by his good example. He is a hard worker, he’s brave, he’s strong, and he has a pleasant demeanor. He is a major asset to our safaris and he has been there for all of the 80-ish days that I’ve hunted with Thierry. Per David Hulme, he’s a good poacher catcher as well.

ISHMAEL: Ishmael (on the left, below) formerly with Rich Tabor, is the driver.



Ishmael has a great demeanor and saves us the trouble of walking back to the vehicle after some long tracking jobs. Remembered by me for his warm smile, good English, and ready to work attitude, Ishmael is the newest member of Thierry’s team.

ZACHEUS: Zacheus (on the right, above) is a Sango game scout. He was also our scout in 2011 for 21 days. He has tracking skills and eyesight that are superior to most of the scouts that have accompanied me on a hunt. He was a valuable addition to the team and was the polar opposite of some “along for the ride” scouts that we all have seen. He always had his head in the game and he was a hard worker every day for 21 days.

EPILOGUE: The hunt was remarkable and perfect in every way. I would not change a single thing. Completing the big four over the course of eleven months in a special hunting area with dear and special friends was the highlight of my hunting career. Many, many thanks to Thierry Labat and ZH for making my hunting dreams come true.

Pretty well perfect Will. Congrats again on a great trip and as beautiful a lion as a guy could ever take. Well done and cheers!

Will,
wow, beautiful lion and congrats on another great safari.
Brad

Congratulations Will. Once again, a fantastic hunting experience and a most enjoyable hunt report.

Well done Will. Congratulations on a wonderful trip. Trophies any hunter would be proud of.

Incredible hunt!beautiful trophies and a well written report.

Wow! Kudos on your exceptional trophies.

Congratulations on a fantastic safari!! Great animals, lasting memories.

Best of Hunting,
Mark Hampton

Simply amazing, Will. Your cat pictures leave me breathless.

That is one heck of a lion. Congrats.

Beautiful cats and a great bull also. Thanks for posting that report.

Fantastic lion! What an exceptional hunt; many congratulations.

Amazing. Great report like always. I cannot imagine a lion more perfect than that one. Very nice. Look forward to chatting at SCI.

perfect

Congrats!

You and Thierry make quite the team there.

That is one beaut of a Lion!

Hey Will

Great Hunt and good to see you posted the report! Your shumba is still being spoken of around here!

Well done (the wild dog guy)

Will

Upon first seeing photos of your Lion, all I could say was Holly Cow! Our good friend in FL, wrote back " No that is a lion " LOL. Again all I could manage was "I know but Holly Cow!".
That is, A LION!

Thanks for sharing! I know you leave some part of you there in the Save and only find it on return. I know the feeling. T -360.

Many Thanks

Brett

Wow Will, I am more excited than ever to go on my trip. What a fantastic hunt you had. Congrats!!!!

Amazing trophies!
Awesome lion.. Thanks!

Will and Thierry

Congrats- amazing cats for sure!!!!!!!

Fantastic lion! Congrats on a great safari.

Torbjorn

Great report Will and a fabulous lion.

It doesn't get much better than this

Well done and thanks you a lot for sharing!

WOW great animals/photos !

Congratulations,Will! Thanks for the report.I enjoyed reading about that lion.It was nice to see Ishmael there with you.I enjoyed his company on my Makuti hunt.Did you use the Swifts on the lion?

Tremendous!

great report thanks for sharing and what a beautiful lion you took congrats

safari-lawer.Thank you for posting all aspects of your hunt, enjoyed it tremendously. Glad you got your Garurwe King. jc

Wow Will,

That is truely a special safari and thank you for sharing. All the trophies are terrific but that Lion is magnificent.

Great report and what an outstanding lion!! Congrats!!

Fantastic report - many thanks for sharing

Will, thank you for sharing your adventure with us.

Tremendous lion!!!

Will,

Not bad, my friend, not too bad.

Welcome home Will.
Well done ! Fantastic Lion !!!

Will....WOW!! Congratualations on your Lion!

As far as excessive pictures,More is always better.

Thanks for the report

Will- Wow! Congratulations to you and Thierry. Another great hunt. My only question is what is next? I'm still up for a double with you and Thierry on buffalo.

Congrats on an outstanding lion! Great report.

PERFECT!

The long anticipated hunt report - WOW! Great job Will. Congratulations on two superior cats. That was the real deal for sure.