Outfitter Safari Trackers Zimbabwe http://www.safaritrackers-zim.com

Hunters Professional Hunter Firearm

Steven Huettner PH Guav Johnson CZ 416 Rigby
FJ Stetson PH Chris Burton Searcy 450 NE, Sako .375
Phil Gootee Jr PH Ryan Wythoff Sako 30.06
Dr. Rabie Zalzal PH Charlie Campbell Winchester .375
Photographer David Snyder http://www.dsnyderphotography.com
Hounds man Nico Lourens

Dates Hunted July 1-10 (Steve, Rabie, and Phil) July 1-18 (FJ Stetson)

Areas hunted : Tuli, Hippo Valley, and Shangani, Zimbabwe

Monday June 30 Travel Monday June 30 Travel

To avoid having to overnight in South Africa we choose to fly out of JFK on SAA on their morning direct flight. We had a car service pick us up at 5am in Baltimore. They were originally going to send a town car but with three guys, luggage and gun cases the wound up sending a stretch limo. 20 minutes into our ride we were all sound asleep. We woke up 30 minutes outside JFK airport. It was quite comical pulling up to the airport in a white stretch limo and removing our gun cases, it looked like a scene out of the Sopranos.





The entire check in process at JFK took 10 minutes. The Port Authority Police were professional and checked our guns in 5 minutes. The flight over was smooth and uneventful. SAA staff was pleasant and courteous during the entire flight.

Our flight landed on time in Joberg. The new terminals built for the upcoming World Cup are well marked and ultra modern. Within 15 minutes we met up with the rest of our party, Dave who flew British Air, and FJ who flew Air France. A few hours later we were on our flight to Bulawayo International Airport. While the flight was not completely full with passengers, we found out there was a weight issue. Arrival in Zimbabwe was quick and painless. We had all of our paperwork filled out before hand and had $30 for our visa. They checked our firearms, stamped our gun permit and out the door we went. The only issue was Dr. Z was missing one piece of his luggage. Since we all were going to hunting different areas, we all took extra clothes from our bag to give him a change of clothes. While he was filling out lost luggage paperwork, we were told that bags that are near or over 50 pounds are sometimes left off the flight, along with Tuff Packs sometimes because the baggage guys think they are golf clubs.

Bulawayo International Airport


Our merry band of 5 was getting ready to split up. Dave Snyder and I were heading to Hippo Valley in pursuit of Cape buffalo and bushbuck. Dr. Z and Phil were heading to Tuli near the South Africa/Botswana border. Phil was doing a plains game hunt, while Dr. Z was concentrating on leopard with dogs. FJ was heading a mere 1 ½ hour north to Shangani to hunt leopard, elephant, giraffe, and perhaps a cattle killing lion.

During the five hour car ride to Hippo Valley I got to know a bit more about my PH Guav Johnson. At 30 years old, he has had his full game PH license for 10 years. His father has been a PH for 35 years and is still hunting strong at age 64 in Mozambique. Guav is the senior PH in Matetsi Unit 2 and when the season closes in Zimbabwe, he heads north to Cameroon where he is the senior PH for Mayo Ordiri. Guav has hunted with noted outdoor personalities Craig Boddington, Jim Shockey, Mike Rogers of SCI, and Mark Buchannan of Big Bore Productions. Guav averages 250-290 days year hunting, and to make the trip even more interesting, this was a homecoming since Guav spent his childhood in Hippo Valley and he hadn’t been back in 13 years. He got the nickname Guav from his mother who said he could climb the guava trees in the yard before he could walk.

We arrived at Hippo Valley well into the evening. Dinner was waiting for us and our rooms were ready. Over dinner we met Wade and Carrie Keatts from Lynchburg, Va who were also in camp for buffalo. Sitting around the fire at night, looking over the lake, listening to the Hippos grunt, made all the travel worth it.

Home at Hippo Valley





Wed July 1 Hippo Valley

No problem at all sleeping, up at 6am for breakfast.




We have to wait for Gary who is the game manager to come down and assign us a game scout and give Guav updated information about the hunting. While we were waiting, Guav told us stories of him and his brother growing up at Hippo Valley and how they were quite the pair of mischievous bush boys, often giving Gary fits. Gary informs us that poaching this past year has become quite the problem. While they have anti poaching units, they don’t have nearly enough to patrol the property. The small game has taken quite a hit because of the poaching. Gary gives us some info on where some big buffalo have been seen. There is no hunting of herds at Hippo Valley. You are only allowed to hunt small bachelor groups of dugga boys.

We head out to check the zero on the rifle. One shot from the CZ 416 Rigby shows that it’s dead on and ready to hunt.



The plan is drive the roads, look for fresh sign and then follow tracks.



At 10:15 we find our first fresh sign and head out.





The area we’re in is quite rocky, with plenty of chest high grass. Three hours later I lay eyes on my first buffalo. A huge old bull, which we spot about 80 yards away. I look at him in my binoculars and I am amazed at just how massive a cape buffalo is. All we can see is his head and horns above the grass. Guav says we need to get closer, so we do the Guava crawl. You sit on your butt, lay the rifle across your lap and crab walk. Our goal is a tree 25 yds away. 10 yds from the tree the bull senses something and takes off. Guav said he was an old bull, worn down, that would easily go 42”.

While I was crawling across the veldt, I got a tight, almost queasy feeling in my stomach. For someone on their first dangerous game hunt, it’s a totally different feeling then plains game hunting. I guess that’s why people hunt dangerous game, to make you uncomfortable in a comfortable world, and to hunt something that can fight back.

During the afternoon, we find our first example of the handiwork of the local poachers, as we come across snares. Little did we know if would become a common occurrence. We spend the afternoon looking for fresh tracks but they are old or have joined up with a herd.

Rom on Snare Duty



It was a long day afield, and we often did not get back to camp till late.




Thursday July 2 Dog Day Morning

You can't beat the peace and quiet with breakfast by the lake in Africa.



Out on the road at 6:00 and its still dark as we leave camp.


Ten minutes outside of camp we spot a small herd of buffalo with one really nice bull, but no hunting of herds, still nice to see none the less. Along the way we see a few warthogs and a female kudu with part of a snare around her body.



After checking several water holes we finally find some fresh sign about 9:30, load up and hit the trail.




Not more then 200 yds from the truck we hear dogs barking. 20 seconds later 4 cows and 1 young bull buffalo come stampeding past us not more then 20 yds away. The buffalo had total tunnel vision and wanted to get out of dodge as quick as possible. We yelled a bit to make sure they didn’t veer off course into us, as we were out in an opening without a tree anywhere. After about 5 minutes the dogs circled back and between myself and the game scout a few less dogs made it back to the poachers. The game scouts are doing the best they can, but they need more bodies in the bush. They get paid about $80 a month, but no added bonus for catching poachers, getting rid of dogs, or finding weapons. Needless to say, between the dogs, shooting, and stampeding buffalo that area was done for the morning.

Just in case you forget you're in an area that has dangerous game.







Nothing like a fresh snack in the bush.



After lunch Guav suggests we head into an extremely thick area near the entrance to the property where some staff has been seeing a pair of big buffalo.



After stepping into the patches of Mopani and donkey berry trees, I am seriously reconsidering my idea to hunt buffalo.






10 yds of visibility seems like a runway, with 5 yds or less being the norm. 3 hours crouched over, ducking thorns, and we never even catch a glimpse of a buffalo.

July 3 Bushbuck Afternoon

Cruise in the truck for about an hour and a half and come up on some really fresh tracks about 8am.




We load up and head out into the bush. Less then 100 yds from the truck we come up on 4 buffalo in the bush less then 15 yds from us. A pretty nice bull (but a bit young still) stares us down for about 5 minutes, while another bull steps into a clear lane about 25 yds away (another young bull). After what seems like an eternity they take off with two other bulls, one of whom looks really good. We stay on them for about an hour, doing the guava crawl on two occasions to get into shooting position. Two times the buffs are a bit ahead of us when we reach our spot. We stay on them and finally catch sight of them in a patch of trees. Guav and I both belly crawl to a large termite mound. As we peer over the top of the termite mound, not more then 40 yards away is a massive old bull, standing broadside. The only problem is that his front leg and vitals are covered by two trees. We wait 10 minutes for the bull to step 2 feet to the right. The bull decides to turn directly away from us and walk away. As I sit down and begin pulling thorns from my palms, I wonder what I have got myself into.

After some discussion we pick up the tracks of the buffalo again.




Around 12:30 we bump a different group of 3 bulls who take off. Guav decides that since we’re pretty far from the truck, and its midday, the bulls won’t run far, so we decide to wait a while under a tree in the shade. We open up the backpack to find the trackers left the oranges and biltong at the truck, well at least we had water.



This is my favorite photo the trip. Verson showing that he can sleep anywhere. That can't feel good.




After about 45 minutes we get up and go 30 yds and bump into camp staff in the area gathering firewood. Verson the game scout heads over and informs them that they are in a game park/hunting area and that they cannot gather firewood. After a few dirty looks at us, the gentlemen and two women leave. After getting rid of the wood gathers we step into a thick patch of woods, and surprisingly pull out 5 more snares.

After removing the snares, we proceed and Dave spots part of a buffalo. Guav and I crawl about 20 yards and see 3 bulls slowly feeding towards us. The wind is perfect and they have no idea we are there. The first two bulls to walk past us are very wide, but still soft. The third bull is the old boy, he has a nice boss but less then average horns. Guav says while he is good, knowing what we have seen to date we can do better. We back out and leave the bulls.

Its now about 1:30 and our stomachs are rumbling so we decide to march back toward the truck to get some biltong and a coke. About a half hour into our walk Guav and I both spot something moving in the brush away from us to our left. The color of the coat makes us think impala, but it’s by itself. Guav catches a glimpse and says it’s an awesome bushbuck. He grabs the sticks and off to the races we go. We go about 60 yds and he throws up the sticks. I throw the gun down and all I can see is the bushbuck going away. I have Dave behind me with the video camera saying take him, but I don’t have a shot. We pick up the sticks and run another 75 yds. This time we come upon him at about 70 yds. He is feeding behind a tree, showing me his midsection. I figure I have a 416 Rigby which should be more then enough gun. I put the cross hairs on him and pull the trigger. After the shot both Dave and Guav heard the thump of the bullet hit. We head to the spot and immediately find bright read lung blood, along with part of the lung on the bush. 60 yards from the initial spot we find my bushbuck laying there. He is a really old bushbuck, his neck has almost no hair, his bases are worn and rubbed, and he has lost a lot of color out of his coat.





After the handshakes and photos, we realize we’re a few miles away from the truck and the nearest road. Rom the tracker disappears with his axe and ten minutes later appears with a long carrying pole and plenty of vines to tie up the bushbuck.






We head out in a line, with Guav thinking he’s back in the jungles of Cameroon carrying out a bongo.






After about 90 minutes our group reaches the truck for a well earned coke and bag of biltong.



On our way back to camp we came across REALLY fresh buffalo dung. We get out of the truck and go about 300 yds and catch glimpse of a massive bull raking trees. The cover is thick, but the wind is right and the old bull has no idea we are there. We move off about 60 yards to our left and set up behind a termite mound waiting to intercept the bull. The bull comes out of the brush at 25 yards but quartering away, never stopping and giving me a clear shot. We begin to move to the other side of the termite mound and wait for him to cross. Ten yards from the lane, he stops, and begins to walk directly away. No doubt he probably heard my boots on the dry leaves. Guav tries whistling to get him to stop and look back, but he never does. Now the fun begins as we sprint trying to intercept the bull. He stops once, turns around and gives us quick snort and continues to walk away. Another 60 yds of running finds us on top of a huge termite mound. The old bull turns around in a patch on Mopani, looks at us, grunts, and takes a step or two. Guav is telling me, if he steps out, he’s coming our way and to take him. We are on the high ground, 60 yards of open terrain, and this bull is not afraid. He looks and then turns leading us into even thicker cover. We play cat and mouse for another 20 minutes until we lose the track in the cover and fading light. Guav and I both wanted this bull something bad. He was a big, old, ornery bull who did not like us following him. Chasing that bull was pure adrenalin.

Before heading back to camp, we make our nightly visit to the game scout camp and to see what they have cooking up.



Saturday July 4 Day 4 Independence Day

Find some fresh tracks around 8:30, load up and head out.



About 2 hours into the tracking we hear the buffalo take off at quite some distance. As we get closer we spy a poacher running through the brush at full speed. The buffalo we had just spent the last two hours tracking were bumped by the poacher and were making tracks to vacate the area. After the buff take off, we sit for about 45 minutes to let them hopefully settle down. After we get up and head back out the buffalo take off running again, this time we see two poachers setting a 30ft fishing net in the trees to catch birds.





The poachers took off running so fast he left behind his sandals.



Needless to say they take off and none of us are too happy. Hunting old dugga boys is tough enough, without the added pressure of snares, dogs, and poachers. We head back to the truck and drive to the lake to have lunch with the hippos and crocodiles.



Guav wondering what he did to deserve being stuck with myself and Dave for 10 days.


Gotta love the thorns in Africa.



The afternoon we head out on what will be affectionately known at the Cameroon death march. We find a fresh track about 1:30 and head into the bush. The first patch of woods we enter we find 8 snares, one of which the buffalo walked through. We take them all down and then continue on.

Guav doing snare duty



About an hour into our walk we hear a kudu bull barking and thrashing about, apparently caught in a snare.




James, Rom, Verson, and Dave head over to see if they can get the bull out. He’s apparently just recently been caught and is tied up around his midsection. Dave stands a bit in front the kudu taking his picture, and he totally calms down, staring intently at Dave. While the kudu is distracted, Verson sneaks up behind him with a Leatherman tool and cuts the snare, freeing the kudu. One less victim for the damn poachers.

We continue on, and Guav says the bull is heading toward a creek that feeds off the dam. We begin to climb up and down into river valleys that are green and covered with grass reaching 10-14 ft in the air. As we climbing one particularly steep and thick area, Guav looks over to me and jokingly says, “This would be a very bad place to wound a buffalo”. I thank him for his words of wisdom.



After some creek jumping we hit even thicker bush.






Visibility is 2 feet at most, and our nerves are on edge as we know we are getting closer. At one point we crawl through a small path in the bush made by the buffalo, where we then hit a solid wall of grass and trees. Rom takes his body and throws it against the wall of green, crashing through the other side, which in turn wakes up the buffalo that was bedded down about 20 yards away. All we can see is the grass moving as the buffalo pushes it. Guav and I take another step and bull continues plowing through the reeds. Guav and I are ready to shoot in case the buff decides to come our way. Thankfully he doesn’t. It’s quite late in the day and we have a long walk back. I’m starting to wonder if these buffalo can be killed.

Sunday July 5th Day 5 I hate Steenboks

The weather has been weird to say the least since we have been here. It has been cloudy and overcast everyday, and I have yet to see the stars at night. This morning we awaken to fog, mist and rain. Not a light mist, but real rain which delays us by about an hour or so.

We head to an area full of rocks and cliffs as one of the game scouts had seen some buffalo on this part of the property.







We get on the tracks once again and follow them for about 2 hours.




The trackers are starting to get edgy and the sign is fresh so we must be getting close.




We spot a small thick patch of Mopani that backs up against a 70 foot wall of rocks. As we approach we hear movement in the patch of Mopani and set the sticks up. I’m 50 yds away, looking directly at the patch where the buffalo are. If they come out straight or to the right I have plenty of room to shoot. The wind is perfect and we stand and wait. After about 10 minutes the buffalo decide to bust out of the patch at full speed. The three bulls make quite the sight running along the rocks silhouetted against the mountain. Rom the tracker starts laughing while he lights another Marlboro.




We have no idea what spooked the buff and we are all thinking this is going to be a lot harder hunt then we all thought. We sit down for some water and an orange and give the buff sometime to settle down.
After Rom’s makes me a new set of shooting sticks, we pick up the track and our merry band heads out.





We follow the tracks for another 3 ½ hours , and as we’re walking Dave spots horns shining in the sun. We all drop to the ground and Guav raises his binos to assess the situation. About 80 yards, directly away is a hard bossed bull in the mid 40’s. All I can see are his head and horns as the rest of the body is obscured by grass. After 10 minutes the bull beds pack down. We formulate a plan to sneak around and come up behind the bedded bulls and get our shot. We slowly make our way toward them. 50 yds from where the bulls are bedded we kick up a steenbok that gets up and runs directly toward the buffalo. 10 seconds later the buff thunder out from their bed. I throw my hat up in the air and start laughing uncontrollably. 6 hours of tracking, miles of walking, all blown by a small antelope. In 9 days of hunting, walking 8-12 miles a day, this would be the only steenbok we would see. Everyone is exhausted.





Verson with part of his catch for the day.



Monday July 6th The Smartest Buffalo in the World


Guav decides to head back to the area that we hunted the afternoon of day one. One of the staff working the guard both had seen a massive old bull in the area the night before. We spot the tracks of where he entered the thick brush last night and head in hoping to get a jump on him. Shockingly it’s back into the thick stuff where you can never stand up straight and you’re constantly pulling thorns out of your body. We stay on the tracks for about two hours and all of sudden the wind swirls and 30 yds to our left the buffalo gets up out of his bed and takes off. If the damn wind hadn’t changed we would have come up on him in his bed in about 20 yards.

We give him a sometime to settle and then proceed to get schooled by this bull. During the next three hours the bull runs us around in a circle twice, runs through the tracks of a herd, does a figure eight leading us into the rocks, and even goes as far as to throw dirt over his dung to make it hard to figure out how old it is. After we lose the track, no to mention our tracker Rom who got lost when he went to the bathroom, Guav looks at me and asks once again, “ There’s no place else in the world you’d rather be right now then here”. A good sense of humor goes a long way. We try hunting the thick grass near the lake in the afternoon hoping to catch a buffalo coming down from his bed, but no such luck.

You just can't beat the beauty of Africa















Tuesday July 7 One Horned Buffalo


On the ride out in the morning, Guav and I talk about the hunt. He says that hunting these old dugga boys that have been harassed by poachers and dogs in this cover is as challenging a buffalo hunt as he’s had in quite sometime. The senior game scout who was the head tracker for Guav’s dad told us at the skinning shed that you have one shot at the buffalo, and after that they are gone. The old bulls for the most part have gone nocturnal and are bedding down by 8:00 am and not coming out till after dark.

Just another great sunrise in Africa



We find fresh sign at 6:45 am, not more then an hour old. The trackers are excited, and we all think we’re going to catch these bulls feeding back toward their bed in the morning. We are moving at a quick clip hoping to catch them, but the tracks are telling a different story. The bulls never stop to feed or meander, they are on a straight track toward the thick cover along the river. Once I again I get the sinking feeling that were going to descend into the thick river grass, and my nightmare proves true. We descend into a mucky swamp, surrounded by 10ft stalks of grass.

Verson getting early morning exercise


Hope I make it out






The trackers and game scouts spend an hour looking for tracks in the maze of grass and thickets. Verson crawls on his hands in knees into a small tunnel made by the buffalo, and 15 yards away in the tall grass are the buff.



Guav and I both crawl into the tunnel and see where they are laying down. Its way too thick for a shot, and this may the only way out for the buffalo. We back out and decide to come at them from a different angle. Once again, the buffalo hear us, and are gone.

We got another tip of a big buffalo that has been seen near one of the dams. We once again find the track and this time we get to rock jump across several streams near the dam. Quite a feat to jump moss covered rocks in sneakers with an 11 pound rifle.








After crossing four streams we find the tracks and continue on. When we near the fifth stream we find some of the company staff fishing. The game scout asks them if they have seen a buffalo. They answer back and both trackers walk away laughing uncontrollably. According to the fisherman, the buffalo passed by about an hour ago, but he only had one horn.

Curse these damn buffalo.


Wednesday July 8 A Tip from Monkey Lady

I must admit by the morning of day 8, I am having serious doubts that I’ll get a shot at a buffalo. I resign myself to the fact that if we I don’t get one it won’t be for lack of effort. Guav says it’s just as easy to kill a buff on day one as it is on day eight.

We head out in the morning to a swampy area bordering some of the sugar cane fields located at Hippo Valley. Tracking through the tall grass proves challenge. Once again we come across the work of poachers, who are now setting 4 strand wire snares for buffalo, attaching them to large logs. We pull several snares out of the marsh. The trackers do a great job and we pick up sign where they left the marsh and entered a thick patch of Mopani woods. The cover is quite thick and we find more snares in the woods. We bump some buffalo that were bedded and they take off running. Twenty minutes later we hear a commotion as a buffalo we were chasing stepped into a snare and broke it off. It was quite the racket and it put all of us a bit on edge. As we walked through the thick cover, we could see where the buffalo took off breaking trees as he ran through breaking the snare. After about 15 minutes we exited the thickets and decided it was too dicey. Guav looked at me and said, “ I know I shouldn’t say this, but I am amazed we haven’t been charged by a pissed off buff”. I joking say we still have another day and a half of hunting.

We decide to spend the afternoon hunting some of the tracts of woods bordering the sugar cane fields. As we enter one of the game sections we come upon a woman who we affectionately call Monkey Lady.



Hippo Valley is an enormous sugar cane plantation. In order to harvest the sugar cane, they burn the field, then cut the cane by hand. After the cane has been cut, they need to keep the monkeys and baboons out of the field. As you drive along you see the cut fields with women sitting in the middle of the field with a sling and a pile of rocks. Their job is to prevent the monkeys from raiding the fields. As we drove up to her she tells us she had been here since early morning and she had seen two buffalo enter the tract of woods next to her field. We thanked her for the information and sure enough find fresh tracks from the morning entering into the woods. We drove around the tract to make sure they hadn’t come out. After we didn’t see any tracks leaving the block, we pulled over to have lunch before heading in.

Where's the beef



Happy trackers



Words of Wisdom before Heading In





We head into the patch of woods and finally catch a break. We immediately find the tracks.




As we enter there is a small ditch filled with sand and almost no leaves. The wind is right and we’re able to walk rather quietly for a change. 200 yards into our walk, Verson immediately sits down on the ground and we all follow suit. 20 yds to our right, are two buffalo bedded down. Gauv looks at the one laying down in the front and says he’s an old bull and I should take him. I try locating his vitals as he’s laying down with his back to us but I can’t see his vitals in the thicket. A pair of oxpeckers decides to fly in and start making some noise. Immediately the younger guard bull stands up 15 yards to my right. He is a massive bull in the 44-45” inch range according to Guav but he is still young and soft. Guav says when the old bull gets up, take him because they won’t hang around long. The old bull gets up and is quartering away from me at 20 yards. I pick a spot through the brush and fire. The buffalo hunches up and the two of them take off.

We sit down for 20 minutes waiting to hear the death bellow that never comes. I ask Guav how often do they death bellow and he jokingly replies they only bellow 90% of the time. The ramifications of my actions are now upon me as we now have to go in and find the buffalo. Final words of wisdom from Guav before we head in to the bush are “Just don’t shoot anyone”.



At the spot where I shot we find bright red blood, but it’s low on the brush. Probably a low lung shot. We go about 100 yards and Guav stops. After 5 minutes he signals me and points to the buff that is lying down, and the guard bull is about 15 yards away. I put a solid into him and he gets up. As he’s running away I put another one into him right behind the shoulder. He goes about 60 yds and crashes down into tall grass. The guard bull stays with the downed bull, standing broadside, munching grass and giving us the look. We watch the grass for 20 minutes for any sign of movement, while keeping a close eye on the guard bull. James climbs up a nearby tree to get a bird’s eye view. He says the old bull is down and he can only see the guard bull. We step the right and approach from the side, as we do ,the old bull pops up and takes off running. I take a Texas heart shot, and he goes 10 yards and crashes into the grass. Guav and I both run to a fallen tree 25 yds away and climb it to get a better view . The bull still has a little life left. All I can see are his horns and head, after what seems like an eternity I put two shots into him and he finally gives it up. All this time the guard bull was about 10 yards away, but he finally decides it’s time to leave.

He’s a very old bull, with some wild looking horns, and he is mine. 8 ½ days of walking, crawling, sweating and crouching have finally paid off. It took more shots then I would have liked, but the main thing is that he is down and no one got hurt.







After all the pictures and laughs, the trackers cut the buffalo into half and we pick him up and load him into the truck.







The guys were able to find my soft and two solids.






On the way out, monkey lady who heard the shots , is waiting on the side of the road. She sees the buffalo in the back of the truck and she shows a smile. We give her some of the buffalo and she is happy as can be.



A Happy Hunter



It’s a fun ride to the skinning shed. Laughs about what transpired during the hunt dominate the conversation. The guys at the skinning shed are all smiles when we pull in. Knives were sharpened, songs were are sung, and Guav’s brand new Land Cruiser got a thorough washing.



July 9 Day 9 Travel Day

We slept in a bit, got up, filled out all the needed paperwork at Hippo Valley, and thanked the staff.





We gave Gary an update on what we had encountered poaching wise, and he began making phone calls to get some more game scout units in the area. We then headed north to join the rest of our group that were at Shangani. It was a beautiful ride from Hippo heading North, coming up through the midlands area of Zimbabwe and sees the different terrain that Zimbabwe has to offer. We arrived at Shangani which is a 100,000 acre cattle ranch north of Bulawayo. It is a well run operation. It has a population of 200-300 elephant bulls, leopards, cattle killing lion, and plenty of plains game.

We arrive in camp late in the afternoon, so everyone is still out hunting. As everyone arrives from their day afield its great to get caught up on what everyone has been doing over a beer around the fire.










Phil took this great warthog the afternoon of my arrival at Shangani.



While hunting with Dr Z. in Tuli Phil took his first two African animals, an impala and a beautiful zebra stallion.





Looks like they did a little rock climbing while in Tuli.






FJ (Highbrass here on AR) took a great leopard out of the blind on day 2 with PH Chris Burton, not more than 300 yards from camp. FJ will do a full hunt report about his hunt, animals, and bullet performance.




The only one of our group not in camp is Dr.Z.


It seems that the hunting gods have not been kind to him on his leopard hunt with dogs down in Tuli. One day they dogs got onto a hot track and after 2 hours the leopard was able to outsmart the dogs and they lost the track. On another morning they had a hot track and an hour into the hunt it rained. It rained hard, washing away the scent. Another day they let the dogs out on fresh track and there were within 15-20 minutes of coming up on the cat when it crossed over onto a neighboring property they did not have permission to go onto. Grudgingly they had to pull the dogs off and let the cat go. Their plan was to arrive at Shangani early Friday morning of our last day and try for a leopard on one of the baits Chris and Steve had put out.

Day 10 July 10

Today is the last day to hunt for myself, Phil, and Dr. Z, while FJ will be staying on for another 8 days. Unfortunately I came down with a nasty stomach bug during the night that kept me up during most of the evening and taking me out of commission for the morning hunt.

I spent the morning talking with Guav, rehydrating, and waiting for the guys to return from their morning hunt.




Phil was the first into camp, and he had an exceptionally nice wildebeest. The first thing he said was, “Damn they are tough animals and can take some lead”. It was a great animal to take on his final day of his first safari.



Charlie and Dr. Z were next to arrive from Tuli, both looking a bit tired and beat from 9 days of chasing leopard and the long drive. They were hoping their luck would change tonight in the blind at Shangani.

Around 1:30 FJ and Chris arrived into camp and FJ walked right over the cooler and took out a beer. The big grin on his face said it all. He had taken his elephant at 11am with his new Searcy 450 NE. It was an old bull they estimated to be about 60 years old. I don’t want to steal his thunder as he’ll post his own report, but here are a few pics.





After lunch, we all took a ride over to admire FJ’s bull and get a few hour hunt in on the last day. We lingered a bit long in admiring the elephant, but it was worth it.




As the sun set on my last hour of the hunt, we saw some warthogs and listened to the jackals cry as the sun set. It was a perfect way to end my safari.




On day 15 FJ was able to take a giraffe bull that his wife Roberta wanted for a rug. Notice the custom duct tape repair job on the Searcy. Duct tape, never leave home without it.







July 11-12 July Travel Days

Woke up and had a pleasant breakfast and it was a quick one hour ride to Safari Trackers Zimbabwe office in Bulawayo. We took care of paperwork, settled up our bills and then made a stop at a great little curio shop a few blocks away owned by two lovely elderly women who had a great collection of African arts and crafts. We were then off to Bulawayo Airport for our flight to Joberg. They checked all of our bags, counted our ammo, and next thing I knew we were saying goodbye to our friends from the last 11 days. Flight to Joberg was uneventful. We arrived with plenty of time to enjoy the airport, get a burger and beer and prepare for the flight back to Dulles. Flight while the usual grind, but no problem. The crew on both legs were courteous and pleasant. Landed in Dulles and cleared customs without a hitch.

Equipment Performance
I loved hunting with the CZ 416 Rigby and the Leupold advertised as performed. At close to 11 pounds I never really thought it was too heavy to carry all day long. After the second day I left the sling at camp since it was of little help in the thick cover. The Barnes TSX and Solids did not let me down once again.
After 4 days of hunting of hunting and dirty looks from Guav, I was told to leave my Hi Tech boots in camp. While my favorite boots were great on plains game hunts in South Africa, they were a bit too noisy for close quarters hunting for buffalo. Guav said when walking on rocks it sounded like someone bouncing a rugby ball, and Dave said it they sounded like snowshoes on cornflakes. Thankfully I had my all terrain Adidas sneakers to hunt in. In the future I’ll get a boot with a flat vibram sole.

I enjoyed the outfitter belt I had ordered from Texas Hunt Co. It was well made and allowed me to add and remove gear quite easily. I was not impressed with my gaiters from Long Grass. I’m not sure if my ankles are too thin, but the seal around my ankles was not tight enough to prevent seeds and thorns from getting in. I think I’m going to have a pair made from the back skin of my buffalo. I rented a sat phone from Andy Cool at Explorer Communications and it worked fine and without problem.

Conclusion:

Charlie Campbell and the entire outfit at Safari Trackers Zimbabwe worked hard, and were the definition of what a professional hunter should be. As most know Zimbabwe is hard country to operate in, yet the still manage to get the job done. They handled several different hunters, pursuing several different species. The quality of buffalo at Hippo Valley is quite impressive, and in Guav’s opinion rivals that of many areas in Zimbabwe. I am hopeful they will be able to get on top of the poaching issue. If you are looking for a truly challenging hunt for old, wary, dugga boys this is the hunt for you. Charlie Campbell can be reached via email, the SCI show, or here in Baltimore when he stops by for a day or two of beers and some lies.

Guav Johnson is a man who loves the bush. I consider myself quite lucky to have spent time with Guav. He has one speed, forward, and truly relishes the challenge of the hunt. He is quiet, calm, and a mild mannered man who is a pleasure to share the fire with and share stories. I look forward to reading his memoirs someday.

I cannot say enough good things about my buddy Dave Snyder the photographer. While I realize that video is all the rage (he also shot video of my buff hunt and FJ’s elephant), there’s something to be said about the professional eye getting pictures of more than dead animals. Dave is an avid hunter, lived in Africa for eight years, and has taken over 20 African animals, many with bow, so he knows the thrill of the hunt.

I can hardly wait to round up another crew of hunters and head across the pond to hunt Africa.

Hutty, Congrats, great report and excellent pics! I really like your detail!

Mad Dog

Great hunt and a great report...OUTSTANDING PICTURES !

Great report !!!!
Thanks !!

You make me feel as if was just there with you after the buff

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing your hunt.

L

Great report Steve, congratulations on an outstanding hunt.

Hutty,
Great hunt report, and you have a good eye for taking unique pictures....they are awesome!

Congrats on a great hunt!

Excellent report all around as the pics are exceptional and the game taken very nice.

Thanks for taking the time to prepare the report and mostly for sharing with us.

WOW! what a report.
thanks Hutty and congratulations.

Most enjoyable report, pictures, and wonderful trophies. What an experience!

Great report and spectacular pix. Congrats on everything.

Mark

One of the very best reports I have read. Congratulations on a very challenging and satisfying hunt.

Your photos are outstanding!

Great report and fantastic photos!!! How long did it take for the lost luggage arrive?

Regards, D. Nelson

Dr. Z did not get his luggage until the 10th day. It was sitting the whole time in the airport at Bulawayo, but they are not the model of efficiency at the airport. Someone referred to the staff at the airport as "vertical termites" as all they do is consume and produce nothing. Pretty much spot on.

Super report and trophies. One of the best reports I have read, Thanks.

Awesome report! Thank you for sharing! I will have to live Africa by reading all these reports! One day I will be back!

Awesome report!! I love the pics. I really like when guys think outside of the box for photos..

I was very lucky to have my buddy Dave Snyder on safari, as he did all of the photos. Having that eye for more then just dead animals really allowed me to relate what the hunt was like.

Dave is a professional photographer and free lance writer, lived in Kenya and SA for 8 years, has visited more then half the countries in Africa, and is an avid hunter.

Hutty, congrats on a great hunt and outstanding report. Your attention to detail brings your readers along with you. And yes, your pics are super!
Good hunting,
David

Outstanding report and wonderful photos!!! I'm glad you got your buffalo!

Brett

Well done. Your photos are amazing!!

Fantastic report Hutty. You worked for that bull.

Fantastic report and photos. The photo of the bloody hand on the buffalo boss is really beautiful. The photos went well with the story, I wish more magazine articles could be like this report, one of the best I have seen in a while. Very interesting color on that bushbuck and congrats on your buffalo!

Great hunt report and pictures! That old kakuli is one to be proud of... congratulations!

And why does Guav look like a dude I used to surf with back in the 70's... Bolt boards and Buds back in the stone age, lol.

Hutty,

Fantastic adventure and so well told! Dave's eye for the lens and ability to craft "the shot" is amazing. I was transported. Thank you!

Be sure and call me when you and FJ screen the video. I want a front seat. I'll bring the single malt.

Joe

Congratulations on a great hunt. The report was very well written and I enjoyed all you photos.


Greg

quote:

Originally posted by bwanamrm:
Great hunt report and pictures! That old kakuli is one to be proud of...

+ 1, Well done

Spectacular report on what sounds to have been a great hunt. You "tell the story" with your excellent photography, you have "the eye". I especially enjoyed the buffalo boss and hand picture....Africa all the way!

Outstanding report What a hunt! Waidmannsheil

Firstly i have not finished reading the report but wanted to let you know that your photography is really excellent - you have a great eye. okay back to reading the report

What a wonderful report. It is one of the most detailed reports ever posted here and was a total pleasure to read it. Congratulations on a fine buffalo.

Dam* Hutty you laid down the gauntlet! Excellent write up, I guess I will have to get my act in gear... Duct Tape and All... Well done I am feeling 2011 Already.

Wonderful picures and report! I agree the pictures and angles are refreshing! Thank you for sharing with us! This report and your pictures show, in my opine, what safari hunting should be. Well won trophies!

Nice hunt.

I hunted Hippo Valley in 1991 with Guav's father. Guav and his brother came to the camp and made biltong out of hyena as a joke on a school friend.

It was a fantastic place. The best safari I ever went on in my 15 trips to Africa. It is disturbing to hear of all the poaching.

Hutty et al... great report super photos great safari...
Tell highbrass he has to make it to Pintail Point in September...

Mike

Thanks for the compliments. I had a lot of fun
Writing it. Can't wait to start working on our next group for 2011.

Hutty,

Thanks for taking us on the hunt with you! An excellent time!

jpj3

Hutty-
Congratulations an a hard won trophy, and thanks for the excellent report and GREAT photos.

Great report. Its nice to see so many pics of the surroundings and the people you were with. Good trophy pics are alwasy appreciated, but you showed the entire trip, and not just the end result.

Great Story and exceptional photos. Curious what the story is on the Searcy and Duct Tape. Hopefully, a regulation was not required.

Larry