HUNT SUMMARY

Date of Hunt: July 2005

Locations: Sapi Safari Area and the Save Conservancy, Zimbabwe

Animals Taken in Sapi: Elephant Bull (47x44lbs, Ivory 5.5 & 5 feet long measured around the curve, 16" at the lip, Estimated to be 42 years old); Warthog (13.5"); Grysbok, Buffalo Cow; Impala, Guinea Fowl & Franklin

Animals Taken in the Save Conservancy: Chobe Bushbuck (15.75/15.5"); Non-Trophy (broken horn/mgmt) Blue Wildebeest, Warthog & Impala

Animals Hunted But Not Shot (Sapi): Bushbuck; Hyena

PH/Outfitter: Buzz Charlton of Charlton & McCallum Safaris
Email: admin1@cmsafaris.com
Website: CM Safaris Website

Flights: SAA out of Dulles (Wash DC) to Joburg and connecting flight to Harare.

BACKGROUND
I booked the hunt with Professional Hunter and friend, Buzz Charlton, of Charlton & McCallum Safaris. Buzz coordinated and negotiated the hunt on my behalf with Chifuti Safaris. I hunted with Buzz in April 2004 for two tuskless elephant cows in the neighboring concession (Chewore North), and had a fantastic early-season hunt. Having done my "scouting", I felt very comfortable with the area, Buzz's elephant hunting skills, and his ability to provide my sons, Brett aged 14 and Bill Jr. aged 16, with a real, old-Africa type of experience.

Before selecting the Sapi area, we looked at numerous concessions in Zimbabwe, but finally decided that Sapi offered the type of "adventure" that I was looking for, combined with an excellent opportunity on a quality bull elephant crossing the boarder from Mana Pools National Park.

The Sapi Safari Area is located between Mana Pools & Chewore North, along the Zambezi River separating Zimbabwe from Zambia


As with my previous hunt, Buzz was a tireless and enthusiastic hunter as well as an excellent host and companion for me and the boys. Buzz, his driver Royal, and his trackers Cryton and Tino make you feel part of "the team" and an active participant in the hunt. Buzz took the time to point out spoor, plants, birds, interesting facts, etc. which kept us involved and entertained during the hours of tracking. And there is nobody better to have at your side when in/around a herd of elephant. I have and will continue to highly-recommend Buzz to anyone looking for an energetic, professional and most capable professional hunter. I just cannot imagine anybody having anything but a terrific experience with Buzz.

Professional Hunter Buzz Charlton with Brett (left) & Bill Jr. (right)


TRAVEL
The flight to Harare was pain free and dare I say almost enjoyable. We flew from Dulles (Washington DC) which is about a 3hr drive from my home via South African Airways straight to Johannesburg. Kathi Klimes was able to get us excellent seats on the second floor (bubble), and the boys and I enjoyed the entertainment system and extra space and better seat pitch as compared to the dreaded and soon to be reconfigured Airbus. I had arranged for Optima to meet us there and help insure that the bags and rifle case was transferred. This was likely not necessary, but relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of the trip (at first they wanted to charge us $50 each, but we settled on $50/gun case which is fair for the service provided). After a short ~3hr layover, we flew on SAA to Harare where we got our Visa's and breezed through customs and firearms registration.

The way home was more challenging thanks to the SAA strike. SAA arranged for us to fly the same day as we otherwise would have via Air Kenya to Nairobi Kenya, then on a big, comfortable Boeing 777 to Amsterdam, and finally Business Class to Washington via United Airways. Layovers in Nairobi and Amsterdam were significant, but we arrived home
only" nine hours later then we otherwise would have. Business Class was a real treat for us, and probably spoiled me forever. Hats of to those of you who can afford [justify] first class all the time; it makes a world of difference.

The only potential headache involves my rifles, which I was forced to leave behind in Harare with Buzz. KLM wanted "advance notice" to take them, and given the flight schedules, this would have delayed our departure another 2-3 days the best I can tell. So the decision was made to store them with Buzz and send them later via SAA once they were up and running again. Update: The firearms made it home safe and sound, although it required several hours on the phone until I finally located them sitting in the "Swiss Air" baggage area (they handle the logistics in Dulles for SAA). I personally had to keep it moving, but SAA in Joburg and Harare managed to get them on the plane despite the fact that my Zimbabwe Temporary Import certificate had expired. I made the drive to Dulles to pick them up as they couldn't find the key in the envelope taped to the rifle case. Despite the fact that my name, address and phone number was on the case, they were calling my travel agent who was listed on the folder, and she was away hunting (in ZIM!), so the calls never got through. I think another airport like Atlanta would have handled the situation better. It required about four weeks total to get them, but the case had not been opened and the guns are no worse for the wear.

PHYSICAL PREPARATION
Based on my previous tuskless elephant hunt with Buzz, and anticipating many long days and grueling walks, I worked out hard in preparation for the safari, including weight lifting 5-6 times per week, and up to 10hrs and 150 miles per week on my Fuji road bike. I dropped about 30lbs for this trip in 6 months of hard training, which did not go unnoticed by my wife. My sons also workout and are active in various school sports, and they did great.

RIFLES, LOADS & OTHER EQUIPMENT
I used a Ruger Mark II in .458 Lott for the elephant, with hand-loaded Woodleigh 500 grain solids (83.5grns of IMR 4320, at ~2220fps out of the Ruger's 24" barrel). I also took along some hand-loaded 450gr NorthFork's (a 2350fps load). The Ruger is basically stock except for a mercury recoil reducer in the stock, a 3/32 ivory front bead and a Decelerator pad. I used open sites.

For the plains game my son and I used my no-frills Winchester Model 70 .300 magnum fitted with a Swarovski 2.5-10x40 scope, a combination which has accompanied me on numerous hunts to Africa and 18-days in southern Alaska. I had hand-loaded 180gr NorthFork bullets, but after not spending enough time at the range and having some problems the week before we left (previously, the gun had shot everything I put in it at the same poi, and I got lazy), I reverted back to the factory Federal 200gr TBBC loads that I had used with great success before. I was suspicious of the "new" style TBBC bullets, and took some older ones along too, but I did not see any difference in performance.

To stay in touch with my wife and daughter, and the office, I rented an Iridium 9505 Satellite Phone from Outfitter Satellite. Many folks do not realize that it is easy to send short text messages via email to these phones, which is a great way to stay in touch without having to phone-home all the time. I have to admit that in 21 days, I didn't phone the office once!!!

Given the physical demands of elephant hunting, and the uncertainty surrounding the availability of food in Zimbabwe at the time, we supplemented our diet with a good multivitamin and quality "energy snacks" such as Clif bars (from rei.com), low fat peanut butter, and crushed walnuts and raisins for the morning "porridge" (mealy-meal or oats)…and of course some candy.

At Buzz's house before starting our journey to the Valley


Buzz in the company car on the way to Sapi in the Zambezi Valley. Top left - Royal, Buzz's driver, spotter, chief mechanic, right-hand man & all-around great guy. My boys took a suitcase of goodies for his cool kids, Kumbu (5yrs) & Lucia (7yrs), who stay on Buzz's property with their Mother. I regret forgetting to take pictures of them.


Cryton - elephant tracker extraordinaire...pleasant personality, hard-working, sharp-minded...and quite photogenic.


This sign look familiar to anybody? You know you are getting close when you see it!


CAMP (SAPI)
Per my request, Chifuti setup a tented fly camp for us, located about two miles up river from their main tented camp. This proved ideal, as it gave us the seclusion and "bush feel" that I wanted my sons to experience, while still being close enough to the main camp for skinning, restocking supplies, laundry, petrol, etc. In camp, besides my sons and Buzz, there was a cook (Jimmy), waiter (Two Boys) and two helpers which we did not see until the end of the trip. The camp manager / caterer, Caroline, stopped by from time to time and is very friendly and most capable. The fly camp was well laid out, located along a flood plane adjacent to a small island with the Zambezi River on the other side. I am sure this location was a favorite of the citizen hunters in previous years. Following our stay, the camp was to be dismantled to make way for some local hunters who purchased hunts from Chifuti.

Tented fly camp in Sapi




Overlooking the Zambezi, this proved to be a fine place to ponder the meaning of life!


Your bath is ready sir!


We were not totally uncivilized!


SAPI CONCESSION & TERRAIN
The Sapi Safari area is located along the Zambezi River, bordering Mana Pools to the west and south-west, and Chewore North and Chewore South to the east and south-east. Like Nyakasanga (located on other side of Mana Pools), Sapi is an auction area, meaning that the hunts are put out to auction each March by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. Proceeds from the auction are to be directly used by Parks to support anti-poaching activities and to finance some of the authority's various projects. The area is currently operated by Chifuti Safaris (Andrew Dawson & Paul Smith), who purchased and paid for all "bag hunts" in Sapi for 2005.

The concession is relatively flat and the walking is not difficult in the mostly sandy soil, but the thick blocks of jesse bush along the Zambezi River can be a real challenge. There are areas with Mopane trees and scrub, interlaced with ancient baobab trees where visibility is quite good. There are numerous water pans throughout the concession, however, 2005 has been another very dry year and these pans were empty. In wetter years, and/or earlier in the season, one can expect considerable movement of game across the Mana Pools boarder. There is not a tremendous number of roads (dirt tracks) through the concession, and one should be prepared to walk quite a bit on most hunts, which was part of the attraction for us. There are perimeter roads where tracks can be picked up, including a ~2.5hr stretch along Mana to the west and south, and the Chewore River bed to the east, which was dry when we were there.

A dry river bed (the Sapi River, I believe); note how high the water gets in the rainy season beginning typically in November








Some of Sapi's jesse bush. Can you spot the elephant?


Buffalo hunting anyone??? You will earn your buffalo in Sapi


HUNTING (SAPI)
My oldest son (Bill Jr.) and I both kept detailed journals, and I hope that between the three of us, we can put together an article for publication somewhere. I think this would be a neat way to capture and remember the adventure. So I had better save some of the nitty-gritty, but as I owe AR so much, following is a brief description of the hunt highlights with some pictures (which is what we all want to see anyway!!!).

Elephant:
We followed quite a few mature bulls the first few days of the hunt. I'd like to say that we walked our butts off, but the fact of the matter is that there was little movement from Mana into Sapi due to the lack of water within the concession. We were able to get up on all bulls within a few hours, except for one pair who were apparently headed to Mozambique. We passed on several respectable elephant before deciding to shoot the one pictured below.

We followed this guy and his ~30lb'ish buddy for about two hours before catching them feeding. My bull was about 500 yards ahead and up wind, making it difficult to get a good look at him. Once we did, Buzz judged his tusks to be "at least 40lbs" and fully mature. Given how ideal the lead-up had been including catching him in the open, and considering the relative lack of bull movement, I decided that this was the one.

We approached him from behind, getting within 10-yards, hoping that he would whirl around and give me a frontal brain opportunity and a quick and humane kill. I shot both tuskless with frontal brain shots, and I was mentally prepared for this situation. However, one glance back was all it took, and he decided that he needed to be somewhere else and fast. He bolted to the right, and I recall thinking "Oh no you don't, we've come this far".

I do not remember taking the safety off or looking through the sights, it was instinctive point-and-shoot. I hit him slightly in front of the ear hole cover. He crashed to the ground in mid stride, legs extended and straightening, eyes "vacant", telling of a successful brain shot.

Judging age is difficult, he was not on his last set of molars that we could tell, but his 23-inch feet were heavily cracked and worn smooth in areas, and he had very little hair on his tail. Clearly a mature bull, Buzz guesstimated he we was somewhere between 45-50 years old, or so I would at least like to believe. The taking of such a magnificent creature is not without remorse, but he was killed quickly and in an ethical manner, for whatever this is worth.

This is the actual footprint from the elephant that I shot, which we picked up early morning on the dirt track separating Sapi in the south from Mana Pools. I'm not sure why I took pictures of these footprints and no others, fate perhaps???




A baobab tree where the two bulls had recently fed.


Our good luck fork-tailed drongo, which followed us most of the way as we tracked, swooping down to eat any insect that we kicked up.


Professional Hunter Buzz Charlton (right, wearing his new lucky WDSI company shirt!).


Another view of the tusks, with my Ruger .458 Lott which has proven to be a great dangerous game gun. Although a handful on the bench, there's no such thing as "recoil" in the bush.


The Team - Front left to right: Tino (Tracker); Shakyton (Game Scout); Cryton (Tracker). Rear left to right: Royal; Bill Jr.; Brett; Bill Sr. (me). Please know that no disrespect is intended to the animal in this "traditional" picture, which was taken prior to recovery.


The well-worn pads of a 42 year old elephant bull


Processing of the meat and hide: As there are no people living in Sapi, we did not get to experience the chaos that accompanies a village butchering. However, all meat including innards will be consumed, nothing goes to waste in a protein-starved country.




Elephant hiltong that was used for camp rations and given to the local villages


Buffalo Cow:
It was as "classic" of a buffalo hunt as one could ask for, only that it was for an old cow and not a bull. We followed one herd for the better part of a morning, finally realizing that there was a pride of lion with the same idea, and that the buffalo had no intentions of slowing down. The next morning we spotted a herd of ~75 buffalo and took a few pictures of them before they ran off.

Later that afternoon, we went back and picked up the spoor, following them for about an hour until we caught them slowly walking and feeding in the thick Sapi jesse. After another half hour of crawling, sneaking and trying to get a clear shot, just before sundown, Brett was able to make a perfect ~40-yard heart/lung shot. It was every bit as exciting as any buffalo bull hunt I have done, and then some. I do not know who was more excited or proud, but I suspect it was I.

Brett's old buffalo cow




Warthog:
I'm going to save this story for my son to tell someday, as it is a good one. Suffice to say it started with the tracking and passing on a single-tusked ~50 pound elephant bull, and ended with the instructions "SHOOT THE WARTHOG".

As Valley warthogs go, this old boy was a brute...too bad he ate like shoe leather!


A real "sod" (Zim-slang for big pig)


Grysbok: Brett with his excellent Grysbok, and Tino (Buzz's fun-loving Tracker) who spotted the little guy


Impala: We thought Brett missed this ram, but he was found DRT!


OTHER ACTIVITIES & GAME VIEWING (SAPI)
When Buzz and I put this trip together, with the help and suggestions of a number of forum members (Thanks Again Guys!), we wanted to make sure that there was enough diversity and "adventure" to keep two teenage boys – plus two big kids - engaged and inspired for the 16 days that we had allocated for hunting. This would have been a challenge had the elephant hunting dragged on, which is something we were mentally prepared for. However, with the elephant down - in a perfect world perhaps we would have hunted longer, but I am trying not to second-guess this - we had time to enjoy the other activities that Africa has to offer.

Bird shooting in Africa is something that I have always wanted to do, but never had the chance. Unfortunately, shotgun shells were unattainable in Zim, so we relied on a trusty .22 for entertainment. And it was great fun indeed, as whenever things got dull or after a long fruitless walk, there would sure to be a group of guinea fowl or a francolin to make things interesting. And don't let anybody tell you that shooting at a running guinea fowl with a .22 and a cheap 4x power scope at 50 yards is not sporting!

While I'm proud to say that all the big game animals I hit were one shot kills, most dropping in their tracks (except a warthog in Save at 150 yards which I clean missed but scared the shi*t out of), I didn't do so well with the birds. But who cares – I have two new duck and dove hunting buddies! Look out Argentina, here we come! The trackers enjoyed everything we shot, and nothing went to waste. I guarantee that you never saw a guy run through the jesse as fast as Tino (the tracker) did, chasing a mortally wounded yet still quite speedy guinea fowl. God that was funny.

Buzz and I made a trip to a local tackle shop in Harare before we left for some new fishing equipment, and I brought along a reel and some suitable Mepps lures and other assorted goodies as suggested in a past article in The African Hunter. While July is not the ideal time for tiger fishing, we did have a boat available to us at all times, and a two-tank ration of gas (or should I say "petrol") courtesy of Chifuti. Mostly we just enjoyed being out on the Zambezi, catching Nerf on the sandbars (did I mention we saw some big croc's), and savoring a cold Castle or two.

My oldest son was the official "documenter" of the expedition, and together we took 1150 digital pictures, albeit many were duplicates. Taking quality pictures of game animals in a hunting concession is quite frustrating, as just when you decide that the pretty whatever would make a great picture to demonstrate to your non-hunting wife and dear mother your love and compassion of everything wild, the damm things turns and walks away. Inevitably, I am always a tad disappointed when viewing the pictures at home, as they never quite match my vivid memory. However, we did accumulate a nice collection of animal ass-ends, which became a sport in and of itself. Here are just a few of the many picts...

Guinea fowl, which is said to be very good eating, although I wouldn't know as the trackers never relinquished them once in the back of the truck!


Egyptian goose on a rare July cloudy day in the Zambezi Valley. Brett shot very well on this trip, and took this goose at about 100 yards with the .300. And no, we did not recover the .200gr TBBC!


Billy then Buzz with a few of tiger fish that we managed to land. We used smaller fish (brim) for bait, while floating down the river in the deeper channels




Catfish caught on elephant meat in front of camp, which was eagerly accepted by the camp staff. Note our "speed boat" (NOT!)


Low-pressure morning walk along the flood planes looking for bushbuck


Although Buzz is a hard-core elephant hunter, who each year shoots with clients more elephant then any other PH in Zim and probably Africa, he was terrific with my boys on the day-to-day stuff.


A hollowed-out baobab tree, which was full of bats and smelled something fierce


Lunchtime in the dry Chewore River bed. This was a long ride from camp, and very close to the Chewore South boarder. There was a lot of cow elephant movement, but no big bulls.


An injured baboon that we befriended. With all the leopard in Sapi, this was probably his last meal. The boys got a kick out of this picture when we looked at it on the computer - three guesses why!!!


Catching football in the Zambezi on one of the many sand banks we encountered while trying to navigate the river. We spotted a nice croc off this sandbank a few days later!




A pangolin stumbled upon while tracking a herd of cow elephants. Also called a "scaly anteater", the top of their head, limbs and entire back and tail are completely scaled. A favorite meal of the village chiefs, they are protected in Zim.


A young male lion that was hunting the same herd of buffalo that Brett shot his cow out of




A pack of seven painted dogs (wild dogs). We watched them for about 10 minutes before their ears perked up and they ran off, obviously in hot pursuit of a meal.






A tuskless elephant that I let walk (Sorry Buzz!!!)


A beautiful sunset enjoyed from the Zambezi River. Being close to the Equator, you can watch the sun set behind the Zambian escarpment in a matter of minutes.


CONCESSION & CAMP (HUMANI; SAVE CONSERVANCY)
Buzz had pre-arranged with Roger Whittall of Roger Whittall Safaris for a trip to the southern (lowveld) region of Zimbabwe, dependent upon how the elephant hunt transpired. As the elephant was shot early in the hunt, we made the decision to drive the ~9hrs from Sapi to Harare, overnight at Buzz's house, then drive ~5hrs to Roger's concession in the Save Conservancy.

Although fully booked for the season, fortunately for us the main camp was empty except for the first night when we stayed with a nice couple from the US on their 7th trip with Roger. This was Buzz's first trip to Roger's area, called Humani, and he wanted to scope it out for future clients. Given the relaxed holiday atmosphere, Buzz's girlfriend Nikki accompanied us. Having never been to the Save, I was not sure what to expect exactly, but anticipated and hoped the boys would see a lot of game, while offering us the opportunity to take some management animals.

Roger's camp is beautiful, located high atop and overlooking the scenic Turgwe River. Although there is no hippo to keep one company at night, we did hear troops of baboon being harassed by leopard, waterbuck and bushbuck crossing the river, and lots of bird life come morning. The sad situation is that 40,000 of Humani's 140,000 acres, including the area outside Roger's camp, has been turned over to the so-called "war vets" by the ruling Zanu-PF party. In my opinion, these are really just relocated people living mostly traditional lives, although they have seen more then the typical African villager. For me, having visited other parts of Africa such as the Luangwa Valley where people and hunting coexist, this was not a problem.

As Roger will be the first to say, they are poaching all game within "their" area. Other farms in the Save have been completely taken over. Those farms with foreign investors have been spared, as the party does not know what trade agreements and such are in place. There are efforts being made to relocate the people elsewhere, as there is no good reason for them to be in what was previously "cattle country" and therefore not suited to farming. With organizations like the WWF present, and the Trans-Frontier Park which is to stretch from Kruger to the southeast lowveld (which Save is part of) to Mozambique, hopefully the problems will be resolved. Others are welcome to disagree, but I continue in my belief that the hunting community should support the outfitters still operating in Zimbabwe.

Concerning the hunting, there are LOTS of animals in Humani in the remaining ~100,000 acres, and one should have no problem taking good trophy kudu, wildebeest, zebra, waterbuck, bushbuck, warthog, impala, leopard (said to be very good) and eland (especially later in the year). Buffalo are there and can be hunted, as can cow elephant on a limited basis.

Although the kudu were hit by anthrax in the Conservancy, they seem to have fared okay in Humani, as we saw numerous 50" plus and many young bulls. The gentleman in camp the first day was unable to connect with one that his PH (William, a neat guy with a lot of experience and stories to tell) judged to be "about 60 inches". It is surprising how the different areas can vary within the Conservancy. For example, Buzz said on a recent hunt they saw very few warthog, whereas right next door they were everywhere. There was one field where they were digging where literally we saw over 100 warthogs!

The cow ele's are very aggressive in the Save, having been initially relocated from Gonarezhou National Park where the elephants have quite a reputation. One cow in particular always charges on sight. Our Cruiser was charged once, but we sort of asked for it by lingering too long - I got a good picture though. We saw several bulls, which are considerably larger in body size then those from the Valley. We took pictures of a cheetah on an impala kill, giraffe including some old boys, and a group of sable including an awesome ~44" bull, and a majestic ~30" Nyala. We tracked down and took pictures of a black rhino, and saw tracks of white rhino, but never got on one. Lion are present although we did not hear or see them in our limited stay.

Roger Whittall's main camp in Humani (Save Conservancy)


One of the guest huts. Note how open it is, which is really wonderful at night. Even in July (winter), temperatures were quite comfortable.


View of the now low Turgwe River, from the dining area


Buzz was a fierce competitor...but I think his record was something like 8 & 26. It is easy to see who was "taking stress" on this match.


Crossing the suspension bridge to Billy's hut, which was fun at night!


Broken-horned impala, spotted from the truck and shot off the sticks


Bushbuck, taken in the reeds. There were two in there which we didn't realize, and I shot the larger one trying to sneak out.


This old broken-tusked warthog was dropped on a ~30 yard shot (scope 4x) in the bush along the river after a nice walk


There are a lot of wildebeest in Humani. Many lone bulls just stand and look at you, but we put a nice stalk on this one. He went down with a single heart-shot from the .300 Mag. Note the beautiful Camel Thorn Acacias in the background.


A gruesome site, this female impala had been caught in a cruel wire snare, escaped and survived


Cheetah kill, note the female impala carcass under the bush to the left. The cheetah had eaten well, and our mere presence chased her off. When we returned some 2hrs later, the carcass had been totally devoured by the vultures. Nothing but bones and a small patch of hair, as if the whole thing happened days or weeks ago, quite eerie actually.




We picked up fresh spoor of this black rhino and followed him for about 20 minutes before catching him. He was walking with the wind at his back, and in this picture had obviously picked up our sent. I was armed only with my camera, so I was hoping he wouldn't charge our way to "sort us out". I half-jokingly asked Buzz afterwards if he knew where to shoot a charging rhino...he just grinned.




A charge of the Cruiser from an angry cow elephant. Although Buzz was in the process of executing a hasty retreat, I stayed with the shot!


[b]Scenes from the Save including an orphaned zebra and buffalo calf being raised by Roger's wife Anne










TRAVEL BACK TO HARARE
A typical scene in the lowveld region of Zimbabwe




A very friendly & proud village woman with her sleeping mat. All the men in the village had all died from AIDS. The boys got a big kick out of her and her goatee. I promised to make her famous.


SETBACKS, SECURITY & RELATED SUGGESTIONS
No safari is without some problems and frustrations. Fortunately, thanks to good planning and a bit of luck, these were very, very minimal. On the third night in camp I got a fever, chills and stomach distress, which made hunting the next day challenging. This was unfortunately the day I shot the elephant bull, and I would have preferred to feel at my best. I had taken some doxycycline along just in case, and started taking these on the fifth day which knocked whatever it was out of me. Even though I took the Doxy in the evenings with my meal, I noticed I burned quicker than before.

I suggest anybody who suffers from seasonal allergies to take along some appropriate medication like Claritin or Benadryl plus nasal decongestant tablets, along with the standard supply of OTC (per Terry Carr's Packing List) and any prescription meds.

Being July, there were some tsetse flies present but not many. We were swarmed one day near a dried pan, and harassed a few days along the Chewore River bed, but this just added to the adventure. The Avon Skin So Soft bug repellant/lotion w/SPF15 worked okay, but I don't think anything can thwart a determined tsetse attack. When we were being swarmed, I globed the SSS on all exposed skin and if definitely repelled 80% of the little buggers (which then went after the others, sorry Billy and Brett!).

The only other problem was in regards to the SAA strike and the difficulty getting a flight home, as covered previously. But I think SAA, as well as KLM and UA, handled this as good as they possibly could have. What can you do, sh*t happens, if one is not prepared, stay home.

We had zero problems in regards to "security and safety", and never once felt threatened or at risk when traveling in/around Harare and to the various hunting areas. As of this writing (July 29, 2005), Zimbabwe is experiencing severe shortages of fuel, basic supplies and foods, so anybody heading to Zim in the short-term should be sure to communicate openly with your outfitter/PH in regards to the current situation. Ask if there is anything that you could provide to assist in the safari (such as Cliff or other energy bars or other high-quality snacks, batteries, OTC medicines, etc).

Given the rapidly changing political and economic climate right now in Zimbabwe, the conditions might be a whole lot better or a whole lot worse when you read this report. As of right now and into the foreseeable future, I would go back to Zim in a heartbeat. Just select a reputable, quality outfitter and work closely with them including in regards to the handling of your deposit - noting the same could be said for any destination in Africa or the World for that matter.

NEAT PEOPLE WE MET
Any of you who have read Ian Nyschens book "Months in the Sun" can appreciate what a privilege it was to meet and spend time with Ian. He lives in a very modest home in Harare, growing bananas, working on his next book (I had the opportunity to glance over his penned notes!)...and trying to avoid the cold weather. He is a living legend, and 100% what you would expect after reading his book. Still cannot eat anything made with wheat though!

I also had the pleasure to meet up with "Ganyana" (although we didn't get to go to dinner as I had hoped), Buzz's partner Myles McCallum and his fiance, Paul Smith and Andrew Dawson ("He's In The Tree" & "Tracks Across Africa shows) of Chifuti Safaris, Roger Whittall and his wife Anne, and Craig Boddington and his daughter Brittany who were in Sapi hunting buffalo.

Fantastic report and photos!!! WOW!! great trip!

Regards, D. Nelson

Looks like you had a great hunt Bill. Thanks for the report...very informative.

Excellent report! I really appreciate the detail you put into it and the great pictures. I know it was time consuming but it gives us a great picture of your trip and the hunting areas.

Bill,

What a great report! Thanks a bunch for the effort of writing and posting all of it. I really enjoyed it.

-Steve

Very Nice

Outstanding report. I believe it is the best I've read. Congratulations on a superior safari!

Bill,

Thanks for that excellent report. Sounds like you had the safari experience you had planned. I'll bet the boys had a great time.

Funny you should mention the allergy and decongestant medication, as both Carol and I struggled with allergy symptoms and congestion in Dande this season. Fortunately, we had plenty of OTC pills which really helped. Also, I had a bit of an allergic reaction to the tsetse fly bites and two antihistamines at bed time really saved the day.

Regards,

Terry

Bill,

Tremendous report!!!!

We go to Africa for the hunting but there is so much more to an Africa trip than hunting. Your report captures this very, very well.

Thank you for taking the time to share with us.

Phil

Sounds like a wonderful hunt!

Great report!!!!

Thanks for it. If I go back to Zim I now know I will hunt up North.

Thanks

Bill, fantastic reading...What memories with your boys...Is mom ready to go to Africa with you next time...

Will have to talk...

Mike

Great report - I told my wife that I was going to have to print a copy for future reference.

Bill,
Sounds like a perfect adventure for you and the boys. Glad things worked out so well. Stunner of an elephant and a sod of a warthog! You guys really brought home the ivory.
Russell

As has been previously mentioned, quite the most entertaining and informative hunt report I have ever read.

Many thanks for the effort you put in to produce and post it.

Rgds Ian

Speechless, that is my feeling right now.

Thank you Bill!

Dulcinea

Bill C

Please note that I am available for adoption! I'm a university professor in my 40's, and have a .375 H&H. Can send pictures of the rifle...

Great pictures and story, well told!

Bill was the Avon just SSS or the one with bug repellant in it...

Mike

Congrats on a great hunt! Hope the boys apprciate what a special gift the time spent is. Good for you.

Brad

That was one of the finest hunting reports I have ever read. Great hunt, wonderful elephant and good trophies for you and your boys. Congratulations on a trip with your sons that you will all remember for many years. You sound like a wonderful father and hunting companion who takes the good with the bad and makes the most of every day. The future wife Buzz totes around certainly isn't difficult to look at is she?

Perry

Perry

Perry

Bill C,

Congratulation to you and your sons on and excellent hunt!

Your report & pictures are some of the very best I have ever read! A real treat...!

Regards,
Dave

Bill

That was an excellent report.Congratulation. Excellent photographs.

Regards
Aziz

Fantastic report and great pictures!!
Thanks for posting a lot of them, I don't understand why some members post only a few considering how much we enjoy them.
Thanks again
L

Thanks for the report, good job

Awesome Report!!

Well done and thanks for sharing.

FB

Bill,

That is an excellent hunting report!! Thanks for all the hard work you put into it.

Congratualations on a great hunt!!

Bill, great report and photo's.

Bill-

Once again, well done! I met Buzz last year at the Dallas Safari Convention and he really impressed me with his knowledge.

Keep us posted on what happens with the rifle situation.

I had Guinea Fowl pie at Kansimba this year. Although a dark meat, it was very good!

Thanks for spending so much time making your report and sharing your hunt with us.

John

BillC

It's taken me awhile to get your pics a few bytes at a time, but it's been worth it. It's a very nice accounting of your hunt with your sons. No doubt, when you're really old and decrepit, you'll get that phone call in the middle of night where either one will want to talk with you about "stuff" and maybe recount the hunt. You done good.

Bill,

I wonder if you mind a couple of questions.

What was the average number of miles walked per day? Was the pace of walking the same as on your previous safaris or less due to the boys being along?

How close did the boys get to elephant?

Is there anything you would do differently?

Great just great! Love the photos!
Thanks for posting!

Dang Bill, you should have submitted that report to SCI, Field and Stream, Sporting Classics ... some magazine. That was very well written, better than most of the stories I read in these publications.

"We went here, we shot this, then we went there and I shot this ...." Some of what these magazines publish make me want to fall asleep!

Good job. Thanks for sharing.

Bill: A marvellous post. Thanks for sharing it with the AR gang. Let us know if you settle on a magazine to publish an expanded article, as I for one will most certainly buy a copy. I also want to say that I appreciate your respect for the game. It is clear your sons have a fine example being set for them by their father.

First let me thank everyone for the kind comments, and for the emails/PM's sent. I must say, I am a bit surprised...pleasantly so!

One advantage to an on-line "report" like this is that the pictures can tell the "story". Another is that you can go back and make additions and revisions anytime (although every time I re-read it I find another tpyo!). My field is IT (computers), so the formatting comes somewhat easy to me, whereas an article for a mag requires more thought and creativity/ability. As I said above, I did "save" the nitty-gritty of the stories and want to do something more for one of the mag's.

Dan - There is nothing of any significance that I would do differently. Without being too verbose (not easy for me!!!)... The boys were right there, 10-20 paces from numerous ele, behind the guns at all times, and never slowed us down. Buzz was worried about their ability to keep up - thanks to the image of the "typical American kid" which unfortunately is not so good. But they did great, suffering less aches-and-pains and requiring less time to adjust their body-clocks then I did. The most difficult part of an extended hunt for the elephant would not have been the physical walking, but the riding in the truck. As stated in the report, the abnormally dry conditions meant that there was little bull movement, and what there was, was a 2hr drive from camp. This would have gotten old, and was one of the reasons why I opted to take the bull when I did. Ideally, we would have hunted a few days longer and "suffered" a bit more, but I cannot feel too badly about this.

Awesome report! What a great trip.

Cheers,
Canuck

Great pics and an outstanding report. The most informative I've read here, or anywhere for that matter. Thanks for sharing with us. Very lucky boys by the way.

Dear BillC,
Thank you for the report, and sharing the pictures of your hunt with us. Kudude

This has got to be the most informative report I´ve ever read! Thanks.

Bill, sounds and looks like the lads and you had a wonderful time. What a great experience to share!

How old are your lads, and was Brett the only one of the two to do big game hunting??

- mike

Thank you gentlemen!

quote:

Originally posted by mho: How old are your lads, and was Brett the only one of the two to do big game hunting?? - mike

Mike, the boys are 14 and 16, and yea, Brett was the other shooter (the auctions in Sapi are for two guns). A few yrs ago Bill Jr went with me on a boar hunt and shot one, but afterwards decided it was not for him, which I respect. He enjoys the adventure, physical effort and travel. Brett likes it all. They work weekends as "trap boys" at a local gun club, so I think there is a future in bird shooting too!