Dates: June 22, 2010 – July 5, 2010
Areas: Dande Safari Area, Zimbabwe and Zumbo, Mozambique
Outfitter: Charlton McCallum Safaris (Carel Maartens, Southern Safaris)
Professional Hunter: Buzz Charlton
Trophy Focus: Buffalo, Lioness, Hippo and Croc
Rifle Used: Blaser R93 (.416 Rem Mag), CZ550 Safari Classic (.416 Rigby)
Cigars: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic
Whiskey: Jameson Irish Whiskey
Beer: Hansa, Castle


General Background

This safari was going to be my attempt to try and round out the Big Seven (sans rhino). I was hunting with Buzz Charlton and this was my fourth safari with Buzz. For the first time, we did not have elephant on the menu which I am sure was a painful concession for Buzz.

We started the safari in the Dande Safari Area recently acquired by Charlton McCallum Safaris. There are two camps in the Dande Safari Area and we were hunting out of the Mururu Camp. Mururu is located on a seasonal river and is surrounded by large mahogany trees. The camp is very comfortable and the setting is amazing. There were several nights when we were awaken by male lions in camp calling and grunting. In the evenings you could hear hyenas calling while sitting around the camp fire. Elephant tracks were found many mornings in the middle of camp. Of all the camps that I have shared in Africa, this one certainly was the one that gave you the greatest feeling of being in Africa. Some of the little things are frequently what you remember most about camp – for example, the generator in camp is a low noise generator located in an area near camp where you cannot hear it. These sorts of attention to detail are nice.







Dande Safari Area is a beautiful area. The landscape is characterized by rolling hills, mopane woodlands and thick jesse blocks. A number of seasonal rivers flow through the area and there are also springs that hold water year round attracting elephant and buffalo, as well as other game. We saw good numbers of buffalo and elephant. Lion and leopard tracks are abundant. Other game seen included impala, bushbuck, kudu, zebra, grysbok, porcupine, civet, genet, duiker, baboon, hyena and honey badger to name a few.

I left the double rifles at home for this trip and elected to take two bolt action rifles, a Blaser R93 in .416 Rem Mag and a CZ550 Safari Magnum in .416 Rigby that had been reworked by Wayne Jacobson with American Hunting Rifles. As it turned out, I ended up using the Blaser on everything but the zebra. While bolt action purists will cringe, the Blaser is a great rifle. It is lightening fast to use and extremely accurate. I was very impressed with the rifle. For follow up shots, it smokes a traditional bolt action rifle and it feeds and functions flawlessly. I cannot say enough positive about the Blaser, but then I like the Krieghoff doubles too, so what do I know!

Buffalo Bull

After a quick stop at the rifle range to check zero, we were off looking for lion and buffalo tracks. Buzz decided to take a drive into an area near the boundary with Chewore that had not been hunted much this season. Not finding any fresh spore crossing the roads, we elected to just take a walk through the valley. While it has been an exceptionally wet year in the Zambezi Valley, the grass was long and dry. We took the opportunity to set a couple of brush fires to burn out some of the grass along our walk through the valley.

Of course, Buzz ultimately decided to go in his favorite direction, up. After huffing and puffing up about 2/3 of the way to the top of one of the more significant hills in the area, Justin Drainer, the cameraman, spotted a group of buffalo back in the valley. We reversed gears and clamored down the hill back to the valley. As anyone that has hunted in the Zambezi Valley can appreciate, it is astounding how something viewed so clearly from a hill top, can simply disappear in the grass and jesse once you get off of an elevated point. Once we were off the hill, the next step was to cut the buffalo’s tracks and then try to approach them from downwind.

After about a hour long stalk we found the buffalo parked in a relatively open jesse area. The first bull we approached was a scum cap. He was a sod of a buffalo, but it was day one and we had only seen a portion of the herd so we continued to work our way into the group. Ultimately we were able to find a position with good wind where we could watch the herd slowly move past. On the fringe of the herd on the left we saw a mature bull lying in the brush. What impressed us about the bull was his boss – it looked like a football helmet in the binoculars. It was solid and virtually joined in the middle. We both decided that we would endeavor to take this bull, but now we had to wait for him to stand up. Staying positioned on the sticks it became a waiting game. Eventually the bull stood and presented a broadside shot. I fired at the point of the shoulder and the bull began to run. Here is where the speed of the Blaser really paid off. Before the bull had run 10 yards, I was able to get another shot into him. The second shot was so fast that Buzz wondered if I shot the same bull or another buffalo.

We gave the bull a little time but did not hear a death bellow. Expectantly, we approached where the bull had been standing. Under a tree not more than 25 yards away was the black mass of the downed bull. As evening was approaching and we had a long hike out, recovery was not going to be possible until in the morning. We cut some limbs from a thorn bush and covered the bull with the limbs . . . to try and keep the predators like the lions and hyenas off of the carcass.





Hyena

Up the next morning we prepared for the recovery. After driving back into the area, Buzz elected to leave the Cruiser back and walk in first. As we approached the downed bull, Buzz quickly threw up the sticks and said, “There is a hyena in the grass looking at us.” All we could see was the head and back of the hyena. He was standing in a grassy depression near where we had stood when we shot the bull the night before. I dropped the Blaser on the sticks, fired and the hyena dropped.

Despite our efforts to keep the hyenas off the bull, they had obviously had an all night buffet. The bull had been opened up and most of the internal organs had been eaten. The hyena we shot was covered in stomach contents and had certainly had his fill. In looking the hyena over we also noticed a fresh scar on his neck. In examining the wound more closely it became apparent that at some point in the not to distant past he had actually gotten his head stuck in a snare. The snare had gotten – like a bridle – through his mouth and around his neck. For those that doubt the strength of a hyena’s jaws, as best we could tell he eventually had simply chewed through the snare wire. Maybe he was hanging around a little after the other hyenas to try and make up some lost time eating, who knows.



Bushbuck and Zebra

The bushbuck and zebra can only be described as targets of opportunity. Regarding the bushbuck, driving back from checking baits one of the trackers spotted the bushbuck. A short stalk later and the bushbuck was in the salt. Similar story on the zebra. Both were used for baits. The zebra was the dinner bell for the lioness. More on that shortly.






Buffalo Cow

With a lion on quota, we needed to ensure that we had baits to back up our tracking. We decided to hunt a buffalo cow for bait. As I learned, a buffalo cow hunt can be every bit as exciting as buffalo bull hunt. The hunt started as your typical buffalo hunt, picking up spore on the road and taking up the tracks.

We bumped the herd several times and would hear the thunder of their hooves and a glimpse of black disappearing in the bush. We kept after the herd and the tracks led us into a thick patch of bush where visibility was literally limited to under 30 yards and even then all you could make out was patches of black and the occasional flicking of a tail. The buffalo were not moving much so as a consequence we had to set up the sticks and just wait for them to move. The shooting window in the bush was a smallish triangle. As the cow moved through the window, I fired. She stormed off with the rest of the herd. After a few minutes we moved in and found bright red blood, but only a small amount. As we were tracking, we became aware the cow was facing us, staring with a bloody snout – something reminiscent of a Mark Sullivan DVD. Unlike Mark though, we did not allow the cow to choose how she wanted to die, rather I shot her in the head. Off she went again and I fired another round into her quickly vanishing back side. We caught up with her again and after a couple more shots, she was gone. The ability of buffalo to act as a lead sponge – even with a bullet hole in its head – is nothing short of astounding.



Lioness

What started as an anticipated doddle ended up being a real quest. As I noted above, Dande is covered up with lion tracks. It seemed like a relatively simple matter to either track up a pride or get a pride on a bait. The tracking proved tough. With lots of leaves on the ground staying on track was tedious. We tracked prides on a couple of occasions but they always seemed to stay just ahead of us.

After one 7 hour tracking session we thought we had the pride outsmarted. We tracked them towards a spring, then broke off the track and but a bait up at the spring. That night the pride fed on the bait and the next day we built a blind. We sat in the blind that night but the pride had turned the tables on us. They had only fed the first night and moved on.

After the zebra was shot we decided to put a bait not far from camp. Our hope was a pride would find the bait and not the two males that were spending so much time in and around camp in the evenings. The zebra bait was hung by flashlight late on Day 8. The next afternoon, after checking other baits, we decided to do a walk down the river bed leading up to bait.

As we rounded the corner, we could see that the bait had been clobbered. Virtually nothing was left of the zebra half. My fear was that the two males had found the bait and clubbed it. We continued walking up the river and suddenly Buzz told me to drop down. The bait was situated on the bank of the river and the bank had been eroded with about a 4 foot drop from the bank to the river bed. Buzz said there was a lioness sitting near the bait. From where the lioness was sitting, so long as we were squatting in the river bed she could not see us. We crawled along until we were adjacent to the bait. Buzz put up the sticks and we stood up. All we could see was the neck and head of the lioness. Buzz told me to shoot it in the neck. The Blaser fired and the lioness was dead right there. She had died within inches of where they had shot a male lion several weeks earlier.

. . . all I could say was, “I can’t believe that I have shot a lion.”









On to Mozambique

From Dande we moved on to Mozambique. I was really looking forward to seeing the mighty Zambezi. We were hunting out of Carel Maartens camp in Zumbo, Mozambique. Carel and his wife Anita were wonderful hosts and the camp is very nice. The sounds of lions roaring at night were replaced with hippo grunting all night.





Hippo

I had an image of a hippo hunt has being a relatively simple affair. Maybe it is in some instances, but not with Buzz. Instead we found ourselves either paddling banana boats into small lagoons or crawling through papyrus following hippo trails in water up to our waist. In the papyrus, if you lost sight of the person in front of you, you were lost. At times you felt a bit like the Vietnam “tunnel rats”.

We were able to locate a small pod in an area that was only accessible by banana boat. Not sure if the pod contained a bull we slowly paddled in. The hippo were feeding in front of us at less than 25 yards. It was like watching a Pac Man. They feed like vacuum cleaner with a mouth!

Buzz and Carel felt certain that the hippo closest to us was a bull. Carel said, "If it is not a bull, it is damn sure a huge cow." The moment was perfect. We were close, the wind was right, the hippo was unaware of our presence and I told them we should go ahead and take it. At the shot, the hippo just disappeared. Carel and Buzz were both little anxious about the shot, however, there was no rolling or any other indication that the hippo had been wounded. We waited a few minutes and then paddled up to where the hippo had been feeding. Carel said that he could smell hippo fat, a good sign I am told. As we continued to paddle we noticed that we were snagged. We looked down in the water and it turns out that we had actually run a ground on the body of the dead hippo. What a relief. I was not terribly excited about having to chase a wounded hippo down those damn papyrus hippo paths.

In reviewing the video afterwards, the bull had started to submerge at the instant that I fired. The bullet actually struck the bull at water level. Hence Buzz and Carel's concern about the shot being low and the lack of any overt reaction by the hippo. In the category of better lucky than smart, the low shot coupled with the diving hippo meant a perfect brain shot.

After the shot, it was incredible to see the mokoros and bananna boats start to appear seemingly out of no where. On the Zambezi like other parts of Africa, apparently Shooting = Dinner. We had no shortage of help with the recovery and not a tidbit was left even though the recovery had to take place in couple of feet of water.

I highly commend hippo hunting -- particularly when done the Buzz Charlton and Carel Maartens way. They are a huge animal and in the water, you are certainly hunting them in an environment where they hold the advantage.





Croc

The one thing that any one that has had the privilege of hunting with Buzz will understand is that he relishes the spirit of the hunt. For him, a hunt is not a kill, a hunt is the totality of the experience. As a client, while at times that can make for some anxious moments, in the end the experience is rich and rewarding. So it was with our crocodile hunt.

We had set up several blinds in locations where we had seen large crocs sunning themselves but had not seen any action in those locations. The weather was being less than cooperative too, with cloudy and windy days. Days that crocs would prefer to just stay in the water than to be on a sand bank. After spending an hour or so in blind with no success, Buzz suggested that we try a stalk in an area where we had seen a number of crocs earlier. With some trepidation, I said okay.

In the headwaters of Lake Cabora Bassa where we were hunting there are lots of lagoon-like areas with small streams running through them, sand islands and little channels off of the main channel. We took the boat in as far as the boat would go and then set out on foot.

Our stalk took us through several waist deep channels with swiftly flowing current. It was a challenge at times to keep your balance battling the current -- not to mention wondering what in the hell would happen if a croc decided to snatch you. The soft mud bottom also was like quicksand in places and you could quickly find yourself sunk in to mid-calf.

We spotting a sand bank that was literally covered with croc of all sizes. Buzz estimated that there were 20+ croc on the little island. We could see the back of big croc -- extremely wide -- but there was another croc laying in front of him. Buzz decided to set up and wait to see if we could get a clean shot at the big croc. We eased down into a small stream and sat down. We were now sitting in 6-10 inches of water just waiting to see what would happen. After about 10 minutes, something spooked the croc on the bank. Curiously, every one of the croc disappeared into the water with the exception of the croc we were focused on, the only problem was that is was facing head on to us and had decided to open his mouth. Now we had to wait for the big croc to shut his mouth and hope that he did not join the others by sliding off into the water.

Eventually, he slowly closed his mouth. As soon as his jaws shut, I aimed between the eyes and fired. The croc never flinched. The 400 grain Woodleigh soft point simply destroyed to top of his skull. The taxidermist is going to have his work cut out for him on this one.

As an aside, when we skinned the croc we opened up his stomach. Inside, in addition to the rocks that one typically finds in a croc's belly, was the remains of a porcupine. Talk about tough to chew!






Bushcraft

One of the great things about hunting in Africa is experiencing the local lore and customs. One afternoon we drove past a tree with a large buzzard that had died in the top of the tree (how it died I have no clue). The sight of the buzzard immediately evoked a chatter on the back of the Crusier. I asked Buzz what was up.

Buzz explained that in the Shona culture, having a buzzard head is strong muti. The belief is that if you sleep with a buzzard head under your pillow you will have the power of visions. These visions will ensure that you and your family never go hungry. This is because the buzzard always finds a meal in the bush and they never go hungry.

The next day we paused on the road and allowed Criton time to climb the tree and retrieve the buzzard. Criton then cut off its head and took it with him.

Who am I to question the traditions and beliefs of a culture that has survived for centuries in the bush. I hope that the muti keeps Criton and his family well.





Final Impressions

Another exceptional hunt filled with memories. Adding the lioness, hippo and croc to the other dangerous game I have taken, I have now taken six of the Big Seven, something I would have never dreamed possible ten years ago. Hearing lions, hyena and elephant in camp at night is reminiscent of a time in Africa that many just read about. Watching Buzz and his team, Criton, Nyati, Eddy and Justin, work hard from the first hour of the hunt to the last hour of the hunt. Other memories include sitting in a blind for leopard and watching a genet cat try to singlehandedly eat half a buffalo and hooking up a tiger fish floating down the Zambezi River. Experiencing the sights, sounds and traditions of the bush. Just being in Africa . . .



**Here are some video links for the hippo, croc, buffalo and lioness hunts:

Hippo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...07Iw&feature=channel

Lioness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...9kB4&feature=channel

Croc:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...8uN4&feature=channel

Buffalo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ESzI&feature=channel

Great buff. Congrats.

How big was the croc?

I am glad you had a good hunt Mike, well done to you and the team! Sounds like a wonderfully orchestrated hunt with a nice bag of animals. Both areas look awesome...lions then hippos at night, nothing like it. I'm "homesick" already! All the best, Bill

Great safari. Congratulations.

Mike-
I've been waiting for your post!
Congratulations on a great hunt, and thank you for the report and photos.
The boss on your buff is terrific.
Your experience with the cow is reminiscent of the cow my buddy shot with Buzz last year in Makuti. Lead sponge is right!
I'm looking forward to the rest of your report. I think crocodile is the most under rated hunt in Africa.

Mike, congratulations.
That lioness looks quite large--and she must be some kind of throw-back---looks like she has visible spots all over her coat. Don't think I've ever seen even a picture of a lion that spotted. Are you planning on a rug or something else?

Another great report Mike! Looking forward to the rest of it. Will take your place in Dande in less than 2 1/2 weeks--Can't wait! Great bosses--long hippo!!

Major success! Congratulations,Mike.Welcome back.That lioness is a really nice trophy.

Great buff and a nice bushbuck too. Buzz and I saw a hyena with a snare on it in November, but it disappeared before I could get a shot off- I wonder if that was the same one?

Mike, a great report!

I am sure that your '93 sounded like it was "belt fed".

Keith

Proper

Huge lioness and croc

Congratulations on another great hunt and putting up with Justin. Very impressive group of animals and good work with the Blaser. I know you were missing your .500 NE when going for the hippo.

Great job, Mike!

Great story and wonderful trophies Mike. That's a hell of a buff - and the hyena and bushbuck are both often hard to get and nice trophies. Welcome back - looking forward to the rest of the story.

Mike, really nice report, and fabulous pics!

Buzz and company do it again!

Mad Dog

Great trophies Mike and another great trip. Has anyone killed a sable there yet? Did you see any? Two of us have them on license, but I haven't read a report yet that mentions sable from Dande.

Wow, great safari!

Congratulations Mike on an excellent safari, you got some very nice trophies. I enjoyed your report and photos very much.

Awesome.

Mike,

I have been waiting with bated breathe to read your hunting report: Incredible adventure and report! Thank you for sharing Mike, you have a wonderful gift with the pen. I look forward to part 2.

CM, Buzz, et al, continue to over deliver....I look forward to sharing a hunting camp with you next year. Lets do lunch, soon, --bill

Welcome home Mike! Good work too.

That buff is what dreams are made of. Congrats.

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

Well done Mike... another superb adventure! I love that helmet-headed buff and admit to being jealous of your lioness. I must do a lion/lioness one day and experience tracking the king of beasts! Once again you did well and I look forward to catching up with you over a steak and some cold libation to hear your stories...

I really enjoyed your hunt report. Africa offers so many exceptional experiences, as your hunt so aptly describes.

Great hunt Mike, it truly is great to change the venue and locations and have another great African hunt. I will say that the bolt rifle does not look as nice in your hands in the pics as your DR K-gun.

Wonderful Trophies!!! Congrats

Way to go, Mike! Nice trophies and a great report. Congrats!

A pic without the stick.

Great trophies and what sounds like a super time with Buzz and gang.

quote:

Unlike Mark though, we did not allow the cow to choose how she wanted to die, rather I shot her in the head. Of

Giggles!

Great hunt, write-up and pics. Thank you very much for sharing.

Well done on a great hunt Mike.
Lioness at 2pm and Hyena at 9am - now that's what I call true hunting luck !! I suggest you go out and buy a lottery ticket quick while you still have it. I hope Justin got you some good video.
Did you get chance to use the electric bug bat ?
I am told that the same old superstition about prosperity is carried on in the US, the only difference being that the old head kept under the pillow is that of a past American president printed on to a piece of paper.
Regards - Robert

Answers to some of the questions/comments:

larryshore: Croc was a little shy of 14', about 13'7".

SGrave: I asked about the light spots and was told that is typical, sometimes more pronounced and sometimes lighter. Plan is to do a rug.

mrfudd: Could be the same hyena. As I mentioned the snare went through his mouth and around his neck. Where it wore on the side of his face and the corners of his mouth gave him a hideous looking "smile".

Tim Herald: We did not see any sable but admittedly we were not looking really. We drove through one area that they said usually holds sable but we only half heartedly paid any attention.

Russell and Bill: Lunch, steak and adult beverages, sign me up.

R.Jolly: I have always maintained that I would rather be lucky than smart, which since I am not smart means that luck is pretty much all I have to rely on. The electronic teste fly torture device regretfully was in Makuti. There were a number of potential victims that I would have loved to watch fry though. Justin got great video of both the hippo and croc. We joked about the croc video, if it makes the video loop for the shows I am sure that Buzz will receive a visit from the ethics committee. With no disrespect intended but only trying to convey the nature of the footage, it is very Zapruder-filmish. As for the US supersition, not surprisingly with your British background you have it a little twisted. It is, the key to a lack of prosperity is to have a hyena in The White House.

Looks like quite a trip! All the troplies are imprssive, but I'm takenwith that buffalo. Did you and Buzz do a preliminary measurement? Sorry if I missed it in the reading.

Great hunt and report. Mike you do it with style.

Thanks
JD

BTW Mike, nice photo-shop taking the stick out of the picture! As usual, well done!

Great report. I enjoyed it very much, thank you.

Mike;

Way to go again!!!!!!! Awesome!!

D. Nelson

Congratulations on another great hunt, very nice report too. That is an excellent shot on the croc, welldone.

Enjoyed your report Mike, well done. Congrats on some great trophies.