quote:

Originally posted by bwanamrm:


I was honored to be a part of this very special group of guys who had the hunt of a lifetime and forged close bonds by sharing a unique adventure together. A couple of things that stuck in my mind and that I will never forget is the sense of selflessness in one of the stories told to me by one of the Dugga Boys, who can reveal himself if he wants to. I choose not to, personal you see.

Seems it had always been his dream to hunt Africa but kids needed to be clothed, fed and given a proper education, so he waited and bided his time, hoping to fulfill a dream someday, always someday. When someday came and he found enough in his savings to go, he didn't want to safari without his son along. So he sold a second vehicle he had to make, not just his dream possible, but his son's as well! Character.

Touching story Russ!
I salute him

Sounds like a great time gentlemen!

Excellent pictures and selections Mike.

I concider it an honor and a privelidge to have been part of this group. No egos were involved. Just 7 guys who love hnting, stalking and getting in close. If it was the other guys turn or there wasn't a shooter it was still a goog hunt. At one point Russell and I looked at each other and said " We are actually hunting elephant with Richard Harland".

Once again Africa has given me memories and frendships that will last a lifetime. I can't imacgine a finer group of gentlemen.

Thanks' Buzz, Miyles, and Mike.

Bob

What an incredible experience it was to take part in this unusual safari. As the concept evolved over the nearly two years of planning, issues fell into place and the concept matured, thanks mostly to the exceptional organizational skills of Mike and the trusting willingness of Buzz and Myles. Most safari companies seek "one size fits all" safaris and require that the hunters conform. Thankfully, CMS tailored this safari for an extremely rare gathering of veteran African hunters who combined for some 77 safaris in at least 8 countries, taking 54 elephant and 73 buffalo as well as untold cats, other dangerous game and plains game.

Then there was the wonderful array of fine, custom bolt guns and current and historical double rifles. I felt like I was in the Champlin booth every day as a new and revolving combination of beautiful firearms were loaded in the cruisers. Bob had his .450 No. 2, Russell and Casey had custom .416 Rigbys which they shot extremely well in my presence on two great old buffalo, Guy carried his .470 double with an RMR, I took my Charles Boswell .450-400 3 1/4 and Mike shamed us all with his Holland & Holland double .500-465 which he used on the tuskless. Rob and Buzz both carried doubles while chasing elephant bull every day.

I have to echo the comments of Russell and Mike by stating that having Richard Harland in camp every evening and then present when I killed my tuskless was a bonus of a lifetime. His rich historical anecdotes, colorful stories and outright knowledge of all things Zimbabwe left all of us with wonderful accounts of the days in the field. A man that is equipped with a .458 Win Mag and a writer's pen, and who can readily discuss Italian opera and reloading powders is an unusual occurrence in most safari camps. Richard is that unique human who was so willing to share his experiences with all of us as we rotated through our hunt days. Richard was a special gift for this trip.

For those skeptical about the virtue of a 2 on 1 hunting experience, just consider that I was present for four buffalo kills including my own and my tuskless. Additionally, every day we were tracking elephant or buffalo or both. How much better can it get? At this point in life, I enjoyed the success of others as much as my own.

There are so many experienced hunters who contribute to this forum and who therefore know the value of the shared hunting experience. I can easily state that while the days in the field were special, I think we all looked forward to the evening gatherings just as much if not more, to share among friends, to build upon relationships, to recount exaggerated stories from the past, but mainly to soak up the fellowship of this incredibly rich collection of like-minded men from various backgrounds who all chose to be at this place at this time. I am blessed and thankful to be a part of this safari and to count these gentlemen as my friends.

If the participants are willing, I'd like to see one of the "lineup" photos with a roster. It is just hard to know the faces of those involved. I've got a few of you from prior reports, but it's always nice to put a face with a name. Granted, I should make more of an effort to get to the AR functions during DSC.

A wonderful hunt, fellas. Congratulations.

I like it.

Hey Mike & Team,

Well done on an awesome trip, by the looks of things you all had a great time.

I will be over there with NickH next month, can't wait.

Nice ! Well done gentlemen. The pictures are great , tells the story , captures the essence of a safari.

quote:

Originally posted by DCS Member:
If the participants are willing, I'd like to see one of the "lineup" photos with a roster. It is just hard to know the faces of those involved. I've got a few of you from prior reports, but it's always nice to put a face with a name.

Another little tidbit not yet mentioned, just prior to our arriving one of our PHs had been mauled by a leopard. We arrived in camp to find Blake with a seriously swollen left arm with fresh bite marks on his forearm and hand. A day or two before our arrival he had been helping another PH on the follow up on a wounded leopard and had been charged. The leopard got a hold of his left arm and did a little gnawing. A pretty nasty set of puncture wounds that left his left forearm and hand pretty beaten up. A quick trip to the local clinic for some antibiotics and antiseptic wound cleaner and he continued right on hunting. Fortunately by the end of our hunt the wound looked largely healed and any tendon or muscle damage seemed minimal. Tough young man. Oh yea, and the leopard, in the salt of course.

Back Row (Left to Right): Russell Marshall, Casey Terry, Bob Schofield, Mike Jines, Kelly Gill, Guy Gorney and Rob Jolly

Front Row (Left to Right): Blake Wilhelmi, Alan Shearing, Myles McCallum and Buzz Charlton

Very nice! - and the single malt supply looked to be adequate.

Mike,
Glad to here Blakey is on the mend, he is a tough guy for sure!!
Wonder if he got the rabi's shot as well?
Just a reminder to us all that these things really are DANGEROUS. We all need to do our bit and
shoot straight to avoid these nasty follow-ups.

Cheers

Nick

Few more pictures. First, is Amanzi Lodge, a beautiful place to stay in Harare with excellent food. Second, is simply hand in glove. Third, a beautiful piece of rifle porn. Forth, . . . no explanation necessary.

quote:

Hunt was out of Pedza

Thanks, Mike. We hunted out of Mururu but flew into Pedza and had lunch there on the way in and out. jorge

Kudos to Mike without whose planning and leadership this never could not have been.
Kudos to Myles and Buzz for taking a chance on a novel idea and for making the camp comfortable and well outfitted.
Kudos to Alan and Blake for bearing up under the rotations and hunting duties.
Thanks to Richard for making this safari unique and for giving me the feeling of living history.
Thanks to my DB friends, old and new, for sharing this hunt, those stories, and perspectives on everything!
When approached by Mike about the idea of a DB hunt I thought to myself - 'this is perfect for me. My eyes are not what they used to be, my hearing isn't so good, I'm often grumpy, I like staying near food and water, and I'm done breeding. Oh my gosh I am a dugga boy....'
The stories are endless, the memories priceless, and the friendships enduring. So glad to have been a part of something special....
See you at the shows.

What a great hunt to be a part of! Would love to partisipate in a hunt like that.

A unique safari executed very well - congrats to all involved.

I've had the privilege of guiding 3 of the gentlemen in this group, namely Russ, Guy & Robert- all true gentlemen.

Well done

Outstanding, gentlemen!

Congratulations to all involved. ....it don't get any better than that!!!!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Guys,

That just looks like you had a ball. Congrats to all.

Mark

Great stuff Mike and all the other guys involved. I bet the CMS guys had fun too.

Great idea Mike.

Fabulous idea, and looks like a great time was had by all. If any company could make it work smoothly, CMS would be the one. I am sure they did it with aplomb and had fun helping everyone have a fantastic safari. I agree with doctori505 that there are really good contenders for the "Oldest and Ugliest" buffalo competition. Wonderful trophies all, and probably more importantly, wonderful memories.
Very well done MJines et al.

quote:

For those skeptical about the virtue of a 2 on 1 hunting experience, just consider that I was present for four buffalo kills including my own and my tuskless.

We considered Kelly our "lucky charm" on this trip. Hell, he was better than any rabbit's foot. Anyone hunting with Kelly got their buff! I shot two with him, one guided by Blake, the other by Alan. I tried to auction him off to the "less fortunate" but he wouldn't take money... funny, since he is a lawyer!

If Jines would have been as lucky he would have pimped himself out so quick... come to think of it, so would I.

Coincidence? I think not!

And in case any of you are wondering what the PH's did after a day in the jess babysitting this group...

Scotch and beer?? BURN THE HERETIC!!!!!

Woops- I have to defend my self here! Hunting with Rob for several years an old tradition from our first safari was a Black Bush with a beer chaser on return from the field. I then had to combine that with a tradition set when hunting with Mike and that was the cigar!

On this note just wanted to say what a pleasure it was to share camp with such a fine group of gentlemen who all came with the same objective- to have fun and hunt hard! Sharing this with Richard Harland was the cheery on the cake! Thanks again "Dugga Boys!" Cheers Buzz

Thanks for sharing, Mike! Looks like a great hunt and fellowship!

Congrats to all! And thanks for sharing. Likely it will be hard to top this event.

Many Thanks

Brett

What a great idea!! Well done to all involved!!

Good video although the shot seemed a little off.Nice pictures too.Good to see Blake is OK.

Mike, it appears you have started a tradition-something us "newbies" can aspire to. Thanks for reminding all of us the true reason we dream of hunting Africa.

Mike.

What a fascinating story this is. A safari shared by a number of "mature", and experienced Africa hunters.

I can easily imagine the camaraderie, the pleasure of sharing someone else's hunt and success. Meeting up in the evening and sharing stories with friends and fellow hunters, exchanging tales and toasting frequently!

Having Richard Harland along most certainly must have added a special something to your hunts. What a privilege!

Congratulations to all of you dugga boys. Pictures and added comments by other participants in this hunt makes for a fine and rare report.


Jytte

Jytte,

That is very kind of you to use "mature" instead of "old". Hope you and your daughter are doing well.

This looks like a real adventure! The people, the hunting, not sure which would be better.

Congrats to all of you guys. Just hanging out with Mr. Harland in camp would be an experience, and to have all the PH's in camp discussing elephant hunting ... I hope someone snuck a video camera in on that!

What a GREAT IDEA...and a SPECTACULAR HUNT!! Well done to all!!

Cheers,

quote:

Originally posted by ggorney:

The stories are endless, the memories priceless, and the friendships enduring. So glad to have been a part of something special....
See you at the shows.

GUY: Sent you a PM

To Buzz, Myles and the Dugga Boys I can only express my heartfelt thanks for being invited to share this memorable safari with you all, including Alan, Blake and the rest of the crew. It was a unique experience to spend time with such gentlemen and learn a myriad things about them, their lives and of course, their huge inventory of hunting experiences in Africa and elsewhere.

Many memories were rekindled, and more so as this turned out to be my fiftieth anniversary of the first hunting I did in the Dande district. In 1964 I spent several weekends and vacations out of college to hunt crop raiding bull elephants and on one occasion, maneating lions. A bull carrying 80 lbs aside was a bonus and his ivory paid for a short wheelbase Series 1 Land Rover I bought from my mentor, Paul 'Kambada' Grobler!

Thanks again guys. See y'all again soon!!!

Richard,

I know that I speak for the entire group, having you share the experience with us was the highlight of the safari. All the best to you and Brita.

Thanks Richard!

Probably the finest collection of buffalo taken on one hunt. Very well done all involved.