I hunted with Nixon Dzingai back in September 2008 in his Malapati Safari Area. Since that time I have been booking hunts for him sending several AR members to get Elephant, Buffalo and Leopards.

I had been thinking it was time for me to go back to hunt with my friend. I have been to Africa only in September so I thought it would be nice to see during a different season. I wanted to see green scenery with more water.

I chose the last two weeks in May as this is a good time for leopard activity. I had come close to getting a leopard a couple times but had not been successful yet so I was planning this trip with that as my primary goal.

When I hunted with Nixon in 2008 we had set a leopard bait of an Impala about a mile from the river. When we checked the bait we found that the hind quarters had been pulled down and were gone. This was odd so in looking for spoor we realized that a crocodile had come from the river, stood on his hind legs and grabbed the Impala ripping it in two. We saw the croc's belly imprint in the dusty trail! I had never much considered a croc to shoot but this experience has been in my mind for five years. I wanted a Crocodile.

When I got to camp Nixon and I discussed what animals I'd like to look for. He knew leopard so had put out four baits a few days earlier. I told him I really had no set plans other than the leopard so lets just have a good time hunting together and see what we come up with. When I mentioned the croc he said he knew right where there was a good one.

The next morning at 8:30 we were sitting overlooking a pool in the river. There was a small 10' croc near the far bank that swam over to the sandbar a couple hundred yards away then crawled out to catch the sun. We watched him for thirty minutes before we saw another croc swimming up the river then out into the middle of the pool. This was the big one! He watched the far bank for about 45 minutes before the decided that he was safe to get some warmth from the sun himself. He crawled onto the sand bar in about 4" of water and just laid there enjoying the warmth.

I had never seen crocs before so my only reference to shoot one was my pocket "Perfect Shot" reference book. This croc presented a 150 yard broadside shot but the sun was behind him so his shadow masked my target area since I had decided on taking him with a spine shot. Thoughts of me shooting, then having the croc turn and vanish into the depths were going through my mind. Thirty minutes went by and Nixon was getting impatient since we had no idea how long the croc would be satisfied laying in the sun exposed on the sandbar. I told Nixon I was ready. I had a good rest using a small tree. Pushed my safety forward on my FN Browning Safari .375H&H then squeezed the trigger. At the report the croc never even flinched! I had made a solid shot which anchored the beached crocodile. He turned out to be 13' and I was elated over the experience.





We took photos then I told Nixon I wanted to eat some of the croc. I had eaten alligator and I like to eat most of the animals that I kill so croc would be on the menu in the next couple of days. It turned out to be a favorite food so I actually had two dinners out of this croc. I would highly recommend giving it a try if you shoot a crocodile. Here is my "Croc Tail with a Coctail".



That night Nixon and I were sitting at the fire. He mentioned that I had not talked about going for an elephant this trip. I told him I really had not budgeted this trip for elephant. He replied "How can you come to Malapati and not go for elephant?" I thought for a bit and said "Well I agree, but if I shoot one it will have to be a really good one, like at least 70 pounds." Nixon was happy as we were now elephant hunters again!

Day three found us looking at a mud wallow where a big bull had been in the previous night.



The guys were all jabbering away in Shona so I could not understand what they were discussing but I could see the excitement. Nixon told me it was a good bull and we should follow the spoor. We saw a tree he had rubbed on while covered in mud.



Then he had eaten Nyala berries by reaching up into the big tree. We followed the spoor a ways.



Then decided to go to camp for lunch and pick up the spoor that evening since he was heading towards the river near camp.

We left camp at 4pm driving the Toyota Cruiser along the two track near the river. About two miles from camp the game scout in the back said he saw an elephant crossing the river going away from us. We parked then walked to where we could see the bull. He had heard the vehicle, crossed the sandy river bed and was now standing next to the far bank with his trunk in the water. I could see he was a good one and Nixon confirmed he was a dandy.

We backed off and decided to wait to see where he would go. To my surprise the bull started coming towards us and our side of the river. We backed off more and tested the wind many timed with the puffer. I could hear the elephant crossing the water and knew he was getting closer. The tracker, Samuel, snuck up to the bank then made motions telling us he could hear the bulls ears flapping against his body. Samuel then came back to our group. We then heard branches cracking as the bull was coming up the bank towards us. We backed off more and set up the sticks. He then came into view crossing in front of us at 35 yards and stopped broadside just before the next trees. I placed my cross hairs of my Winchester M70 .416RemMag on him for a heart/lung shot since this is where Nixon had told me to shoot. I fired. The bull turned back to the right and I fired again for a second lung shot and he just kept walking slowly then disappeared into the bush. We waited a few minuted before our pursuit. Samuel got on the tracks. We followed the tracks a few hundred yards then I saw the bull walking through the trees. We moved faster catching up to him and he slightly turned to the left. Up go the sticks at 30 yards, cross hairs on the brain...BANG! He goes right down on his left side. He doesn't need another shot.

Congratulations all the way around. Nixon says he'll go over 70...then he says over 80 with a big grin.




Nixon gets out his tape and measures 49" from lip to tip on the right tusk and 51" on the left tusk. Both tusks measure 19" circumference and I can't get my hands around them touching fingers to thumbs.

We hung the tusks on the spring scale at camp and I read 89-90lbs.




Nixon is so excited that he can't stand it. With a big grin he says they will go over 90 pounds. He tells me that in 30 years of hunting elephants this is the only bull he has got that made the 90's. He took the tusks to town so he could put them on the digital scale at the National Parks office. When he returned he told me 92.4 pounds and 91 pounds.

It hasn't really fully set in yet for me just how big these are. I would have been elated with a set of 70's.

...to be continued.

Fantastic bull! Truly once in a lifetime!

Congratulations!!!

Bobby,

Way to go. A trophy of a life time.

Mike

WOW!!!!Good job

Jeez! What a slug of an Elephant! Congrats!

Bobby,

Well done. Cant help but be a tad envious, but I am glad you had a great hunt.

Cheers!

Unreal! This is THE trophy of a lifetime. Well done!

Oh man!!!!!! Didn't want a elephant.
Way to go!!!!!!!

Great story, and an absolutely fantastic trophy!

Truly the hunt of a lifetime! Congratulations!

Magnificent!

Wow Bobby,

Awesome. Congrats

What a combo - Malapati, Nixon and Bobby. Congratulations on a fantastic elephant!

Outstanding ! Well Done.

One hell of a great ele!! Congrats!

if funds are short for the trophy fee, maybe you can get llamapacker to lend you some travelers checks.
congrats on the trophy of a life time!!

Congrats with THE Trophy of a lifetime......fantastic that there still are bulls like this out there..

...continued.

Day four we started out checking the leopard baits. We had a strike at one site where I had just got a quick flash of a cat five years ago. The area had a sweet, dank smell from all of the past baits that had been set previously. This is a leopard tree! We looked around a bit finding...

and

so we knew it was a nice male cat.

The guys hung a fresh Zebra hind quarter next to the older Waterbuck quarter so Mr. Spot would be enticed to stay awhile. The crew then prepared the blind by lining the interior with fresh leafy branches so as to reduce any noise while we sat for the cat. They put two chairs and a rifle tripod rest which Bengo had given to Nixon on his last hunt. The rifle rest was perfect for this set up since I could put my rifle in the rest having it trained right on the spot where the cat should be in the tree. This is what I was looking at for the evening hunt.


You can see the bait covered by the dark green branches. The cat can't see the blind from the ground. He has to commit to climbing the tree then get on the horizontal branch before he has sight of the blind. It looked perfect to me. We left for camp with plans to return at 4pm.

We got settled into the hide a little before four. I situated my Browning Safari .375 into the rest. This rest is wonderful. Nixon and I settled in for the wait. I kept looking through my scope at the tree 40 yards away and thinking of the cat on the limb. The sun was setting and at 5:30 I looked through my scope just in time so see the leopard streak up the tree...then leap down the tree. Then quickly back up the tree settling with his front feet on the limb and hind feet on a smaller branch behind placing him on a full facing me frontal shot. I didn't hesitate and squeezed the trigger BANG! The cat flipped a summersault then grabbed onto the limb with his front paws hanging for a brief moment then letting go falling with a loud THUMP then a muffled grrrrr.

Nixon radioed the guys to come to the tree with the Cruiser to look for the leopard. While we waited Nixon congratulated me on my shot. I knew it was well placed. The guys came to the hide and took away the door so we could get out telling us the cat was dead. I was so happy to finally get my first leopard! I can't smile any bigger!




The bullet entered the chest just right of center taking out the top of the heart crossing through the lung and lodging on the outside of the left ribs under the skin so there is no exit hole. Here are the floating bones with the 260gr Nosler Accubond bullet.


With success of the big three and only day FIVE the rest of the safari would be relaxing and just having a good time hunting with my friends. We drove to Sengwe 1 and Sengwe 2 camps so Nixon could show me the camps and areas. Sengwe 2 is right on the banks of the Limpopo River with Kruger National Park a few hundred yards away. This is a great area for buffalo and elephant later in the year plus Nixon has fully restored the facilities for this coming fall.



We then resumed the hunting. I killed a Bushbuck the next morning. I love hunting bushbuck. They are just cool.



It was watermelon season so we stopped off several times at the communal areas for some sweet melons.



I love to walk the country hunting so we spent much of the time in some beautiful areas seeing game as we went. You never know what you will cross so that is why I had decided to not have a set plan for taking game.





I killed a Waterbuck towards the end of this walk.



We had seen a very spooky solo Blue wildebeest a few times previously but he would take off running and be gone before any plan could be made. The next to the last evening we decided to check the area again. We came upon him once again. True to form he would grunt and run. We decided to stay on his tracks this time. Samuel and Gift did a great job tracking. We came up on him three more times but he never gave a clear shot. I either only saw legs or the body outline through brush. The fifth time he had stopped quartering towards me at about 200 yards. I had a clear shooting lane so the sticks were set. I popped him in the heart then he ran about 25 yards and went down kicking. This was a very fun animal to hunt. I actually got a bit sweaty trotting after him and the trackers.



I killed a few Impala for camp meat and baits. It was just a really fun hunt since we got the big game early on. I woke up each morning between 3-4am so I would get dressed, go to the fire pit, throw on a couple Mopane logs and listen to the hyenas, doves, lions, elephants, bats, etc. thinking about the past days and time to come. Such a wonderful experience being with my friends again on a great hunting trip.


Overall it was another fantastic adventure. May is a nice time of year as day temps are high 70's with night temps mid 50's. Nixon now operates in three different safari areas plus local communal areas. Each area is great during different months so depending on your desired animals he can set hunters up accordingly.

I have been booking hunters with Nixon since 2009. If you have enjoyed the stories about hunting with SSG Safaris and Nixon I would be happy to set you up with a hunt. He takes quality trophy animals regularly. Some are real monsters. I have been to each of his camps and areas. I know first hand what you will be getting for your adventure. I don't get paid to do this for Nixon. He is a great guy with experienced, friendly staff assuring that you will get quality service.

Thank you for looking at my report and I really do appreciate the nice comments. This was a true hunt of a lifetime!

You really enjoyed the true essence of the Safari and were rewarded with an outstanding Elephant Bull (one that many dream of) amongst some other good trophies. Makorokoto.

Well done Nixon and SSG!

Wow , what a fantastic ele bull! Congrats on other great trophies as well.

Torbjorn

that is a fantastic bull elephant.
well done.

FYI guys,

That is at least the second Leopard taken with that rest I gave Nixon. It is a Caldwell Field Pod and is perfect for the Leopard blind. I knew Nixon needed a better rest than he had since I had spent time in a Leopard blind with Nixon.
I also gave him a new stock for the Ruger Lott that was broken in our rodeo and I see in one of the pics that he has it back in action.

This report really brings back great memories. I will introduce my Son to Nixon and the Buffs of Malapati in July of 2014, can't wait to get back.

Again congrats Bobby.

Great report and even greater trophies. Congratulations on a great hunt. That ele is tremendous.


Dutch

Not often you see that size Congratulations!!

Great trophies Congratulations!

That elephant is a trophy of several lifetimes!

Wow. Thanks for sharing.

Stunning. I am speechless . . . and jealous.

I thought Malapti was only good late season

Well done Bobby!

Just fabulous...but why couldn't ya hold out for the 100 pounder?

Bobby
Glad to see you made it back. Two great trophies you got.
Nixon has a habit of talking people into a elephant hunt once you are there. He is quite a hunter and salesman.

Great hunt. Amazing elephant.

Wow, just wow!!

That is an incredible elephant... congratulations and well done.

My sincere congratulations! seems like you had a wonderful time and enjoyed a great safari and to wrap it all up those are some great trophies and thats a monster bull! again congrats!

quote:

Originally posted by Caracal:
Unreal! This is THE trophy of a lifetime. Well done!

+1

Brilliant

AWESOME trophies, especially the ele and leopard.

Sounds like you had a great trip and a once in a lifetime elephant. congrats

Congrats on a wonderful safari. Outstanding jumbo!!!

Bobby,

Fantastic, a great job by you, and Nixon!

Butch

Congrats again Bobby,
I think im getting a case of leoparditis.