I have been enjoying this great site as a guest for some time, it is now that I have decided to share my latest African Adventure with you all.

Hunter: Ali Hakim
Area: Chanjuzi, North Luangwa
Outfitter: Muchinga Adventures
Date: May, 2011.
Ph: Abie Duplooy
Rifle: 375 H&H Mag, 300 Win Mag

On my Safari with Muchinga Adventures this year, guided by my friend and PH Abie Duplooy, I fulfilled the dream of hunting a big male Lion in the wild. It all began in May 2011, when I flew into my camp, Chanjuzi, Northern Luangwa.

With three African Safaris under my belt, including a Leopard and several Buffalo hunts, the thought of hunting a Lion was not very daunting. Popular belief is that middle of May, which is beginning of the hunting season in most of Southern Africa, is the best time of the year for Cat hunting. Little did I realize that this is just after the rainy season and the elephant grass is absolutely overwhelming.



It was from the drive from the airstrip to the camp that made me realize that this was not going to be a walk in the park. With Lion, Leopard and Buffalo on the menu, this was going to be a very interesting meal.

My friend and hunting partner for the last 20 years, Hussain, accompanied me as an observer on this trip. Besides being an excellent cook, he is very good with a Camera and video equipment.

We got a very warm welcome from the camp staff upon arrival, most of whom I already knew from my last visit for a Leopard hunt. After settling in, we went to a make shift range to zero in the 2 scoped rifles that I bought with me. A 375 H&H mag and a 300 Winmag is what I chose for the mixed bag that I was planning on hunting.

On day one, the main objective was to hunt a Hippo for putting up Lion and Leopard baits. At day break we started our drive along the Luangwa River. The morning was fairly nippy and it was acclimatization time in the open Land rover, which was to be my work horse for next 20 days. We stopped around an area called Chilongoloka, which seemed like a great Hippo area. Carefully scouting for a big bull, we finally came on this really nice shooter. I gingerly crept onto a log by the river, and placed a 300 grain soft point right between the Hippo's eyes. The big guy at 120 yards did not move, and was luckily in fairly shallow water. The accompanying crew hauled the big boy out in a matter of 20 minutes, and subsequent to a photo session 4 lion baits and 2 Leopard baits were quickly prepared. The remainder of the day was spent hanging baits, in consultation with our senior and junior trackers, who I've learnt over the years are the gurus you cannot do without on such a hunt.



On day 2 we were out at 5:30am to start checking up on baits. Although I have been through this grind on a Leopard hunt previously, little did I know that this was just the beginning of an extremely patience intensive exercise. Driving through the tall grass on Chipuka plains early that morning was something I had not anticipated at all. I had hunted in this area in 2010, but the terrain in May looked totally different from what I had experienced in July the previous year. Game was extremely difficult to see because of the tall grass. As a matter of fact encounters with one Elephant cow with calves, named Charlene by the trackers, was an adrenaline rush every day. It was almost like she went out of her way to charge our vehicle; a routine that lasted throughout my hunt. The poor visibility made the close proximity encounters absolutely hair-raising. Besides, in the open vehicle with no doors on the side it almost felt like something was going to jump out of the tall grass at you. As we arrived at the very first bait, a female Leopard jumped out of the tree into the tall grass in the hind side. A truly majestic scene. Besides the Leopard, the bait had been mauled by a bunch of female Lions and cubs, evident from the surrounding tracks.



The days that followed were very monotonous, something that falls within the ambit of cat hunting. I had bagged most of the plains game available in the concession the year before, and as such any new hunting was basically a quest for cat bait. Impala, Puku, Waterbuck and a yellow Baboon were the mainstay for Leopard bait, whereas Hippo and buffalo were taken for Lion Bait.



On the morning of the 5th day one of the Lion baits was hit substantially, and the tracks in a nearby water hole were that of a big male. We discovered this at 6:30am , and our Machan was up and about by 9 that morning. The entire day was literally spent in anticipation of having a face-off with this beast later in the

afternoon. By 4pm, Abie, Hussain and I climbed into the Machan, and desperately tried to settle into our respective positions. We were not really spoilt for space as they boys from camp who built it did not realize that the observer was to sit in as well. As it started getting dark we were all ears for the slightest movement. We were all lying on our tummies looking out through the holes cut out in the grass skirting. It was around 5:45pm, just as the Sun was setting, when my prospective quarry started calling behind the tall and apparently impenetrable wall of never ending grass. By this time we were totally beleaguered by swarms of killer mosquitoes trying to pulverize any uncovered portion of our bodies. Since movement of any sort is totally off the menu, it was a real test of endurance. Just when the permissible shooting time was nearing to its end for the day, this gorgeous black maned lion walked up to the bait. Its skin color resembled that of a mature Kudu bull, blue and gray. Abie looked at it intently to make sure that he was at least 5 years old, and once sure, signaled me to shoot it. The Lion's stance was perfectly broad side ; but just as I was ready to squeeze the trigger, our Machan lit up. The big cat which was apparently oblivious to our presence, leapt into the nearby grass not to be seen again for that evening. Hussain had turned the camcorder on to catch my moment of glory. Little did he realize, in his state of excitement, that it was actually quite dark. The rage of losing out on the opportunity, the anxiety and the depression that followed was going to plague us all for some time.


The very next day a plan was made to sit in the Machan, with a mindset that if need be, we would stay in till the morning after. It was a 14 hour ordeal; from 4 in the afternoon till after 6 the following morning. Going without food, chatting, toilet breaks and in the cold, mosquito infested, and all-embracing dew filled night, it was a real test of endurance. At 11pm , I was startled in my groggy state by a slithering noise in the grass just right of me. A moment later the awaited lion started calling. In the quite of the night it's call literally pierced through me. Hussain was in the same boat, whereas Abie was gesticulating calmly to make sure that we remained absolutely still. Five minutes into this session a female lion joined the big guy, and they both started calling in chorus.



As I tried to reconcile with this symphony of horror, the duo moved right beneath our Machan and started rubbing against its poles. It was as if we were in a storm swaying, waiting for our little boat to scuttle. Hussain and myself didn't know where to run, whereas Abie who was absolutely composed, simply signaled us to shut up. The lions then lay beneath our Machan for some time, which was evident from the exchange of snarls. They left half an hour later for good. We left the Machan in the morning, totally dejected and drained.

Day 6 was when the monotonous routine of checking baits and sitting in Cat blinds and Machan became routine. This is when one seriously starts reconsidering, what was supposed to be a fun filled and exciting Safari. All the narrations of successful cat hunts by my PH, every evening by the cozy bonfire, were hardly a consolation. By the 7th day my hippo baits were literally dripping, and we had to start planning to for replacements. Since the winter had not fully set in, the weather was still fairly humid and warm during the day, which is why the baits were not holding out for very long. I was lucky on the 9th day to bag a Waterbuck bull, which we caught unawares by the river with a bunch of mature and juvenile females. A heart-lung shot, from a 300 winmag using 170 grain tielmantels, promptly anchored the buck at 220 yds. This was a fairly encouraging achievement considering that game was just not very easy to come by, and this was meat that would replenish one Lion and 2 of our Leopard baits. The joy and hope was short lived as Vultures got the better of Lion bait. The evening that we had replenished one of our Lion baits, a female leopard fed on it. During her session she took the grass skirting off the bait, and by the time we got to the bait the next morning (around 6:30 am), there were 30 to 40 satisfied white-backed Vultures lounging around whatever was left of it. The Leopard baits that we put up were also not hit .


On the 11th day we went back to Chilongoloka to bring in another hippo. From a distance there seemed plenty in the water, however as we approached the river, most of them scampered off on dry land on the other side. We quickly got down and started a brisk walk in the tall grass on our side of the river. Just then four big ones got up from a shallow portion of the water across from where we were and started to run diagonally towards our side of the bank, but further down from us. Abie pointed one out which he thought was the biggest bull in the herd. As they got to the embankment they slowed down , which is when I place a 300 grain trophy bonded 375 H&H right below the ear of my target. It dropped like a rock. It took a good three hours to bring the carcass out and make bait of it.



The same day four fresh Lion baits and two Leopard baits from the Hippo's head and neck were put. Abie wanted to put all the Lion baits up such that they were in a straight line across the Chipuka plain. This is where we had put up two lion baits earlier. The idea was to flush out the prides and single male Lion's on their own, from the game reserve, the boundary of which was about 350 yards on an average from where the baits were. The entrails were dragged quite extensively which was hard work in the long grass. The stomach churning aroma of the viscera which was hauled in the back of the vehicle was another battle. The Leopard baits were put up in an area right on the boundary of our concession, in an area called Kapasa.

Morning of the 12th we had a strike at one of the Leopard baits. The bait had not been eaten the way a big male Leopard would eat it, but the scratches on the tree suggested otherwise. Calovia,our tracker, was quick enough to go down into the nearby dry river bed from where he called us all. The Leopard track that we discovered was amazing. It was a big tom parading the river bed, and Abie decided to build a blind here right away. That afternoon we got in around 3:30, and instructed our driver to pick us up around 7:15 pm, which is one hour after the regulation hunting time. The idea was to sit in even if we did not shoot the Leopard during allowable hours, just to try and see what it looked like. It was a no show by the Leopard during regulations hours, however I could distinctly hear something massive moving the tall grass next to where I was sitting. I could actually hear the big feline licking itself like a house cat, but for some reason it never got up in the tree. The next morning we found a male and female Lion track right where I thought the Leopard was.



This is pretty much why the Leopard never showed up. My waiting ended on the morning of the 14th day, when the big Tom climbed up just before day break into the tree. As it stood broad side by the bait, I got the go ahead from Abie. A properly placed 300 grain trophy bonded bought the cat down in a hurry. Our vehicle came in about 10 minutes from when the shot was fired, and we comfortably walked up to the tree to pick up our trophy, which we found 10 meters from the base. It was truly a nice cat, and a well-deserved one if I might add.





When I complained to Abie that evening about how long it took me last year , and even longer this year to bag my Leopard, he told me that I was probably one of the unluckiest cat hunters he has ever hunted. By this time we had collectively spent close to 72 hours in different Leopard blinds and Lion Machans. I however was convinced that my luck had finally taken the turn for the best.


On day 15, we started off as usual at 5:30 in the morning to check up on our Lion baits. Our drive in the Chipuka plain to our first bait was rudely interrupted by the 5 ton Charlene, who trumpeted towards the vehicle out of nowhere. We were all a bit surprised as the long grass just didn’t give her away till she was about 40 meters away. Abie however kept his cool and quickly reversed on the road that we were driving on. We had to go a good 50 meters before she decided to give up her charge. When we came up to the first bait, it was in a mess. The chain that held up the hippo leg was literally snapped down from the tree and fed on. There was some mane hair on the bait, but not very many and not long enough. Calovia went down to a nearby water hole, but the track there were that of a juvenile male. Abie was not convinced that a younger lion could have done this much damage to the solid steel chain which suspended the bait. So a Machan was promptly built about 50 meters away to check the Lion out that evening. We sat in the Machan at about 4 in the afternoon, but it was yet another no show that day. None of the other baits were hit on the 15th day.


Morning of the 16th day was going to be a spectacle I had been waiting for. As we drove early in the morning into the Chipuka plains, Abie picked up buffalo tracks on the road that we were driving. As he stopped to take a better look, I could see buffalo crossing the road ahead. I ranged them around 325 yards away. As we all looked intently at them crossing from one side of the road and disappearing into the tall grass on the other side, they started picking up their pace. At first Abie though that we had spooked them, but when the very last buffalo crossed across literally sprinting, out sprang a gorgeous male Lion. He was following the herd and when he finally decided to bring one down, they ran. It was not long before we were on their heels. This was like a magical moment for me; I felt like I was ready to take both the buffalo and Lion in one stride. This was again not to be as we actually saw the big male disappear into the long grass , away from where the Buffalo turned. We were like in the midst of everything, and now desperately trying to gather ourselves. The Calovia and myself were hell bent upon

following the Lion in the tall grass with the vehicle, whereas Abie had the presence of mind to promptly shut us up. Rightfully so as it would have been a wild goose chase after the cat, and we probably would not have seen this herd of buffalo, which appeared for the first time on the 16th day. The herd stood at about 100 meters from the vehicle in the long grass, absolutely silent. This is when we realized that there was a group of lionesses following them as well, which had caught a calf in the riff raff. The Herd was disoriented at this point. There were a couple of very nice bulls which we could see, but it was impossible to shoot at one. They were all huddled together and Abie did not allow me to take a shot. We decided to drive up closer to disperse them, which did the job. They ran to the left of the vehicle about another 150 meters, and stood there staring at the vehicle. The total strength of the herd was not more than 70 odd. Abie and myself got down quietly from the vehicle and went into the tall grass. The wind was reasonably favorable and the buffalo were staring at the vehicle, oblivious of us. We floundered around in the elephant grass before creeping out into the open. I immediately picked out one of the bulls that we were looking at earlier, standing 80 meters from us. Abie put the sticks up for me, just when a nice bull turned a little, quartering towards us. Without giving the buff much time to reconsider, I lodged a 300 grain 375 H&H into the heat lung area. The Bull bucked and ran away from us into the tall grass. This was frightening at first, but when Abie told me it wasn’t going very far, I was relieved. Sure enough the big guy went down 40 meters from where I shot it, and the welcome symphony of the death bellow was soon heard. I put a finishing shot in him just when the vehicle drove up. Two lion baits were quickly prepared post our photography session, and we rushed off to put them up.



By the 16th day baits from my second Hippo had started to rot. It was just in time that I bagged my buff. One of our Hippo baits had been devoured by Vultures whilst we were hunting buff. Here again a Lioness had managed to ruffle the grass skirting on the bait, which was enough opportunity for the Vultures. This sight again made my hopes sink. Abie however was the beacon of hope. He told me that once the buffalo baits were up, he expected a strike by the 18th or 19th day. He did however mention, looking at our maggot infested Hippo baits that it was a waste of time trying to check up on any of the Hippo baits.


On day 17 it was business as usual. We were out at 5:30am, trying to get to our precious last 2 remaining baits as quickly as possible. Anything that flew in the distance appeared to me like a vulture. None of the fresh baits were hit that day, and we presumed that the Lions followed the Buffalo herd we had shot from, into the nearby game reserve. I spent the remainder of the day moping around the camp, being pessimistic to the hilt. By this time I was convinced that my Lion hunt was not happening this safari, and I was actually contemplating a plan for 2013 in the Kafue area. Abie did not pay any importance to my gibberish and told me to stay focused on the job at hand. I was reasonably drained by this time, both mentally and physically, and could not help thinking about the air charter that would emancipate me from this toil. Since the cold had not hit the valley properly, the bugs and reptiles had not simmered down. Around midafternoon the boys in the kitchen hammered a Puff Adder, whilst later in evening one of the camp's security guys bagged a spitting Cobra around the camp's periphery. This did add a bit to my anxiety. That night I turned in at around 9. As the camp generator stopped humming, I was woken by the call of a Lion right across the river from where our camp was. It kept calling forever, almost teasing me and provoking me.


The morning of the 18th I decided to have a bit of breakfast before leaving camp. In fact I told Abie that we'd might as well take it easy, to which I didn’t get much of a response. Quietly we started towards Chipuka, a drive which was almost 45 minutes to where the plains started. Before we entered into the plain, as a practice, I requested the tracker in the back of the vehicle to hand me my 375. As we drove up to the first bait, there was no sign of activity. On a somber note we pushed off to our next bait. Abie looked at me and said that he could have sworn that the 2nd bait, which was at place called Mofut, had been hit. For me it was like hope against hope. As we finally approached the 2nd bait through all the surrounding tall grass, the mood of all 5 of the people in the vehicle changed. The grass skirting on the bait had been pulled off and it seemed like something had been at the carcass fairly aggressively. Luckily nobody got out of the vehicle as Abie decided to actually drive up to within 3 meters of the bait. The tall grass behind the tree where the bait had been strung up, seemed absolutely unassailable. As we looked intently at the bait for mane hair, Hussain who was sitting on a high seat on the back of the vehicle, put his hand into the window on my side and firmly nudged me. As I looked out to him he was frantically gesticulating, pointing at something behind the bait. It took a moment for me to understand that he wanted me to shoot at whatever was standing there. I looked at Abie, who was just as puzzled as I was, as neither of us could see what was standing behind in the grass. Abie decided to drive a couple of meters ahead to get a better look, and to our dismay, it was big Lion which turned around and glided into the tall grass. We both looked at each other in disbelief. Just then Calovia jumped down and rushed to Abie ; his instruction was very brief and firm, get into the Machan that they had built in a tree across from the bait, a day earlier. I did not even know that a Machan existed there. It was something Abie wanted done, just the strong sense of anticipation that he had for showdown with this feline.


Calovia was certain that if the Lion was feeding at around 7am in the morning, it must be desperate for food and was bound to return shortly. Abie and myself climbed into the Machan, and were all set and in position fairly quickly. The other driver in the vehicle made sure that the vehicle made ample noise before taking off. This was to let the big guy in bush know that the Homo sapiens were gone. We looked intently through the little openings in the bottom of the grass skirting, whilst lying down. In my bedraggled state, it wasn’t long before I dozed off, with Abie following suit. At around 7:30 I felt as if someone deliberately woke me up, which made me immediately look out of the hole through which my rifle was sticking out. Lo and behold, this big male lion was ambling towards the bait. It had walked right beneath our Machan on its way. In a nanosecond I nudged Abie, who promptly picked his binocular to determine if it was a shootable cat or not. He took a couple of seconds before gesturing at me to shoot it. The Lion did not give me a shot as he barely turned a little once and continued to walk toward the bait, which was about 70 meters from where we were. Just as it was about to reach the bait, it turned to give me a perfect broad side view. The staccato sound of the 375 H&Hmag, chambered with 300 grain trophy bonded Federal ammo, was the most beautiful sound I’ve heard in my 24 years of hunting. A perfect heart shot anchored the big guy in its track. It fell like a sack and both Abie and myself let out a primal yell. It took about three minutes before the vehicle rifled to the base of the Machan. Soon enough the gorgeous cat was set up for pictures, before being loaded and hauled off to camp.







On the way we hit a couple of villages, where we stopped for the locals to have a quick peek.

The festivities at camp were something I thought I wouldn’t experience during this safari, but it was to happen. Although an extremely testing hunt, its memories and the sense of achievement will last me for my life time. I have to give supreme credit to my PH and to the arrangements of Muchinga Adventures for this grand harvest of outstanding cats.

View of Luangwa river on the last day of hunt.



We finished the safari with a side trip to the Bangwelu Swamp.

Very nice, and great photos ! Welcome to AR


Anton

Welcome to the forum Ali and thanks for sharing your hunt with us.
Rob

Looks like a great hunt!

Welcome Ali, congrats on the hunt, 3 of the big 5 in one hunt, wow!

Looks like a snare around the leopards waist?

Nice report.

quote:

Looks like a snare around the leopards waist?

noticed that too. Amazing what these critters survive. I mounted a hyena for a client that had a big snare scar all the way around his neck. Looked neet when it was done. Congrats on some great trophies. Hope you are back in the bush soon.

Ben

Thanks for sharing your adventure. I couldn't get enough. Congrats!

Jim

Thanks for posting. Great pictures.

Well Done Ali, nice to see Abie's lost a few pounds......

Congratulations. A spectacular safari. Thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by Nganga:
Well Done Ali, nice to see Abie's lost a few pounds......

You can't beat hunting with Muchinga. Great job and thanks for the report.

Great report. What an exciting safari. Congratulations on your lion.

Great description of the highs and lows of hunting Lion. Gripping stuff.

Awesome hunt & adventure,thanks for sharing with us.

Congratulations, thanks for sharing, welcome to AR.
Once again I have Africa Envy.

Ski+3

Congratulations on your adventure,and your trophies.
The lows of a hunt make the highs that much better!

Very nice!

Congrats on a great safari!

Glad you were able to persevere and get both a lion and Mr. Spots.

Well done!

Great report and pictures as well!

good stuff,nice photos

Awesome trip.

Hakim Sb, welcome to AR. Very nice report. Loved your style of description, it took me from my room right into your hunt. Congratulations on your lion and thanks for sharing.

What a great report,did one like that a couple of years ago,it Johnny instead of Abie, it was Nyaminga instead of Chanjusi so I sort of understand how you feel. It was great.

great safari and pictures. Excellent trophies.

Well done, Ali. A great safari all the way around.

Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations on a fantastic safari...Really enjoyed your writing style and hunt report and photos...Thank you

Welcome Ali, and congrats on a great safari to one of my favorite places on earth. The Luangwa Valley is truely a little slice of heaven on terra firma!

You are a brave man posting lion kill pics on this site..

Congrats on the superb hunt shared with you and your good friend!

quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:
You are a brave man posting lion kill pics on this site..

Congrats on the superb hunt shared with you and your good friend!

Thanks for the fine report, and thank you for not letting recent nonsense put you off posting your beautiful lion photos.

That's a heck of a first post! Great report and pictures there.

Very well written and a great hunt. Welcome to AR.

Congratulations!

quote:

Originally posted by Nganga:
Well Done Ali, nice to see Abie's lost a few pounds......

Funny you mention that, Abie actually had a heart attack shortly after this safari (sometime around June 1). He dislocated his shoulder, then two days later had a heart attack. They flew him to RSA from what I understand and he underwent a successful laser heart surgery.

He's fine and actually about to start hunting again, but hopefully it was a wake up call!

Great lion Ali! Congratulations!

Brett

quote:

Originally posted by Greg Brownlee:

quote:

Originally posted by Nganga:
Well Done Ali, nice to see Abie's lost a few pounds......

Funny you mention that, Abie actually had a heart attack shortly after this safari (sometime around June 1). He dislocated his shoulder, then two days later had a heart attack. They flew him to RSA from what I understand and he underwent a successful laser heart surgery.

He's fine and actually about to start hunting again, but hopefully it was a wake up call!

Yeah, I was actually there when all that shit went down. I think he's about due to resume his PH duties about now. Ali lives next door to Johnny, so we were getting daily updates.

Steve

Congratulations on a very successful safari. My husband and I hunted Buffalo with Abie out of Chanjuzi in 2009. Your report really took me back. We also stopped at Bangwela for Black Lechwe...the Swamps are a spectacle.

Glad to hear Abie is doing well, we thoroughly enjoyed hunting with him and Muchinga runs great camps.

Well done....Best regards, D. Nelson

Dear Hakim

congratulations both for another good safari hunt and for a very interesting write up of the hunt on an international forum.

your love of hunting sport and determination will take you places.........perhaps Marcopolo next ?

Ali,

I didn't know you were an AR member! Thanks for posting this report.

Are you coming back to Texas this year? Your Aoudad is is getting old and weak and his neck hurts from carrying around all that horn.