Jeff H and I went to Zambia in August of 2009. As soon as I got home I got very busy with something else and neglected to post a report. Jeff is a computer retard so he was unable as well. So here it is!

I believe it is safe to say this was not your typical safari. Jeff and I have done this a few times, so the pressure was off to take multiple species. I need a Lion and Hyena, Jeff needs a Leopard. If either of us come home empty handed, it is not a problem. We are hunting 2x1, and it wasn't a very long hunt, so we knew our odds going in.

I called Alister Norton who happened to be between safaris at the moment and asked if he could hunt with us, he gave me some dates he was free and we coordinated those with Damien. With about a month to go, we had it scheduled.

We arrived on the strip at the ranch, met Damien and Yannick, head to camp.



We set out to get baits for Lion and Leopard. Shot some Warthog, Impala, Kudu cows (legal on private property in Zambia).

Time has eroded my memory a bit, but I think it was on the first or second day, we were hunting. Came over a rise and Alister hits the brakes shuts off the truck and says, "Jeff, shoot that Roan."

Jeff says, he doesn't want a Roan, Alister again insists that Jeff shoot it.

After some discussion, Alister says, "Will someone please SHOOT THAT #*&%#! ROAN!"

I believe he got his point across. Jeff bailed out and the Roan ran. We tracked it/chased it on foot for a few hundred yards, setting up, moving, setting up again.

Jeff finally got the opportunity and took the Roan.





Break out the beers. This Roan is huge. Pushing 30" with abnormally big bases. It is dark by the time we get done loading the Roan so we head back to camp.

As we got within a couple miles of camp, a huge Lion runs across the road in front of us. Ok, new plan, cut the Roan in half, and hang a bait here.

We set out a few baits for Leopard and Lion. One bait on a creek bed was hit so we put up game cameras.

I am not a fan of anything that says Bushnell on it, but I have to say that the Bushnell cameras were pretty good. I have some complaints, but I would buy more. I left these 4 cameras with Alister.

Young Cat Feeding



Big Female Feeding



We changed the game camera to picture mode and got some photos of what appeared to be a big Leopard. There were a few cats feeding on one bait, but one looked pretty good.

So Jeff went to sit in the Leopard blind. I went to the Hyena blind with Damien.

Now anyone who knows Damien should see this coming, at 5:00, he leans over to me and whispers "It's 5:00, time for cocktails."

"Damien, we just got here and the time is perfect for the Hyena to come in."

"I know, but it is 5:00 ... time for cocktails."

So we leave. If this were any kind of a real serious hunt, we would have stayed, but we were not too serious about it.

Next day, same thing, check baits, see that the Leopard fed again, so Jeff makes a plan to go sit. I make a plan to sit with Damien and try to stay a little beyond 5:00.

Didn't happen. The radio sitting beside up blares out a bunch of guys singing. Apparently, Jeff has killed a cat.



To make a long hunting report short, we checked Lion baits all week. Saw Lion tracks on the Road, while we were in the field hunting and never got to sit for a Lion. I think we were there 12 days, so this is no big shock to me.

Of course Damien went out the next week and drives up on a pride laying around.

Perfect.

I did put in some effort to take a Hyena, but they won in the end. Got some great pictures and video of Hyena.

Here is a video of Hyena feeding. I have a lot of these videos!




I will add some more pictures later, but that is pretty much it. We had a very good time, Alister was a lot of fun to be around. Damien was an incredible host and I look forward to going back soon.

I will post some additional pics later.

TEASE!!!

Great start to the report but I must say that I was just settling into reading a long report before I realized that it is one of those strip tease.

Sorry guys! I am experimenting with embedding video now.

Crap, how do you put video from youtube in here?

Come on Wendell, we need MORE!!!

Captions under Pic's
1st one
"I swear I just had my ticket in my hand"

Second Pic
"Shit this is a pretty big roan"

3rd Pic
" Yea I shot this roan hunted hard for him, would not have shot a smaller one"


4th pic

"Hurry up with that camera Wendell, Alister just farted and I want a drink"

On any hunt, there is the "other stuff" that happens. The incidents that you remember as much as the animals.

I wish I could write about them here ... some of them I can, some I can't. So here goes.

I had to shoot a Kudu Cow to replenish Jeff's baits. I think he was soaking in the tub with a Jack and Coke (typical morning for Jeff) so I went out to find some bait for us. I got an opportunity to shoot a Kudu Cow in the neck at 200 yards, I tried it. Knocked her down but she got back up and ran off.

So for the rest of the hunt, they gave me crap about "missing".

Damien would say, "Don't "Wendell" (miss) when you shoot at an animal." or the worn out phrase, "Don't Wendell it." then they would all hug and hold hands and laugh. Cute.

Now it is my turn.

We actually were pretty serious about hunting on this trip, we had 12 days to get a Lion and a Leopard and a Hyena. Some how we hunted hard and managed to goof off at the same time. I will say we definitely had fun. Jeff was good company for us and he even said that he would consider hunting with me again, maybe.

We were driving around one morning and Alister looks at me and says, "I'm hungry. I didn't eat enough at breakfast. Let's shoot an Impala and eat it."

"Sure." we needed some more bait anyway.

So we did. Not 20 minutes later we came on some Impala, I shot one and we made a fire right there where he fell.



Chef Alister hard at work in the "Cruiser Kitchen" preparing fresh (still twitching) Impala fillets. He had some seasoning salt in his "box" in the back. The seasoning salt mixed with the soot and dust from the hood complimented each other nicely.

Cooking the Impala on the fire.



Here Alister and Jeff are sharing a tender moment looking for Lion tracks on the road. Sometimes it is hard for Jeff to find his words. For a loudmouth, sometimes he can be quite shy.



And here a romantic moment by the river. They really had a great time on this hunt together. I hated to see them have to say goodbye.



If anyone knows Jeff, he is a real man. Never complains about anything.

Tsetse flies are a fact in Zambia. Most of us (me, Alister the two French guys and every other member of camp) just deal with it. Jeff had a lot of trouble dealing with the flies. So, in addition to complaining constantly, we had a tin of Elephant dung burning in the bed from about 9:00 in the morning till 9:00 the next morning. I think Jeff may have slept with a burning tin of Elephant dung by his bed.



We were constantly covered in Elephant dung smoke. I think the smoke stained our skin. Here is a picture of the thee of us on the last day. That is Jeff in the middle. Not sure which one I am.



I wish I would have had a video camera because you just can't explain some of the things that went on in camp. Damien is a great guy. But for some reason Alister, Jeff and I took pride in trying to offend him. It was like a contest, and we pulled out all the stops.

Alister is a very low key, silent respectful type who would never do anything to offend anyone. He is such a nice guy that he was offering some "background" to my Impala photo when we turned the camera on him.

I wish I could say this was the first time I saw this on this hunt, but I would be lying ... a lot.



The crew. I knew their names at the time, but didn't write them down, so I have forgotten them. I do remember "Iwa" (right) he was a very funny guy although I am not sure he meant to be.



Peitra. What a great dog.



All good safaris must come to an end. Here is Jeff and Alister on the last day, in a very tender moment by the water hole named after Alister. Jeff is struggling for the words to say ... they never came.

Wendell now that is funny. Glad you did not Wendell the post

I have never seen Wendell miss a shot. I doubt it happened on this hunt.

Wendell, how much time were you going to give him before you shot that roan? You still looking for one?

Thanks for backing me up AZ.

A Kudu cow's neck is small and I should not have attempted it, but I wanted Jeff to be successful, he needed bait and he was busy bathing, napping or grooming or doing something having to do with Jack Daniels.

I am sure I hit the "fin" and knocked her out for a second. She ran a long way and stopped bleeding. So I think she survived.

What is funny is that when Jeff missed, nobody batted an eye ... amazing double standard.

Maybe they are just used to it.

The truth is that we both shot well on this hunt. We took a lot of bait and not all of it was standing still when we killed it. Jeff shot his Roan and Leopard perfectly.

We really did have a lot of fun on this hunt. I was sorry that I had to turn down the invitation for Zambia Part Two. Brian was lucky enough to take my spot.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I have never seen Wendell miss a shot. I doubt it happened on this hunt.

Wendell, how much time were you going to give him before you shot that roan? You still looking for one?

AZ, he did not miss, you don't Wendell'ed shot is not a miss. To properly Wendell a shot you have to wound the animal and then lose it.
THAT IS A WENDELL.

Funny part of this story is neither Wendell or I wanted to shot a roan. I shot a nice one as te story is told with a little pushing. Wendell had a oppertunity on a bigger one a few days later and hesitated just a bit too long.
that one was a toad.

Oh right, I forgot about the Roan.

I made the mistake of telling Alister that I did not want a Roan. I thought I had also told him that given a chance to better Jeff's huge Roan, I would take it.

We saw a Roan one day later in the hunt and Alister just looked at it and said, "That is a big Roan."

Since he didn't tell me to shoot it, I just assumed it was big, not huge.

After the Roan ran away I asked him, "How big was that Roan."

"Bigger than Jeff's by a good amount."

He estimated it at 32". That is huge.

We chased it on foot for a while but never caught up with it. We went back to the area quite a few times looking for this Roan, with no luck.

This place has Roan! Good Roan!

That was a funny post. Sounds like the hunt was a blast. Congratulations. Sorry about the roan.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
Sorry guys! I am experimenting with embedding video now.

Crap, how do you put video from youtube in here?

Wendell,

It is just as easy as linking a photo.

Right next to the photyo link icon you will see another link with a film strip. Click on that and add your youtube video.

Saeed,

Thanks. I tried it but accidentally deleted the "[" got it now!

Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:

We were constantly covered in Elephant dung smoke. I think the smoke stained our skin. Here is a picture of the thee of us on the last day. That is Jeff in the middle. Not sure which one I am.

This is pretty damn funny! Alistair is a great guy, I was on a hunt with him about 2 weeks before this one took place last year and had an excellent time. Pretty funny dude, his uncle Abie is a riot as well.

LMAO, Wendell, your crazy! But a hell of a lot of fun to hunt and hang out with. Best laugh I've had in a long time..and with this flood, it's been a long time.
Thanks pal,
D.

Boy are you a handsome devil...

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by retreever:
Boy are you a handsome devil...

You must be talking about Jeff, because there is not a single photo of me in the entire report!

I shot a few Warthog and Impala and Kudu but no trophy animals, all for bait.

I just went on this hunt to shoot bait for Jeff.

Great job. Great hunt. Great report.

Full of fine tales, and fine trophies taken, and other fine trophies not taken.

A tale of fun, but hard times, had by fun, but hard men.

Yet still terribly truthful, and even tender, in the telling.

Wendell, I don't mind saying that I shed a few manly tears while reading this report.

You scare me sometimes.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
You scare me sometimes.

I am sure that is just the Lagavulin talkin'

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
You scare me sometimes.

I am sure that is just the Lagavulin talkin'

Hah! In vino veritas!