First Safari with CMS

Outfitter: Charlton McCallum Safaris
Date: September 20-29 2013
PH: Blake Wilhelmi
Trackers: Shumani Sibanda and Bonani Mbedzi
Driver: Agency Chamonyonga
Area Hunted: Dande Safari Area, Zimbabwe
Firearm: Ruger RSM .416 Rigby 400gr. Barnes TSX
Travel: Steve Turner

This was my first safari and first hunt report on AR. It is overdue, but I finally decided to write it up. At the time I booked my hunt I didn't know anybody that had hunted Africa and had not hunted outside of the US. I do a lot of hunting back home, but this was going to be all new to me. I just knew I wanted to hunt Cape Buffalo and do some fishing. I gathered much of my information right here after joining AR. After contacting a few people, I booked with CMS for September 2013. They were very helpful and easy to deal with. I then made travel arrangements with Steve Turner. He really made the process of travelling with a firearm simple and eased a lot of concerns. I flew from Cincinnati>New York>Dubai. After an overnight in Dubai, I flew on to Harare. I had finally arrived in Africa. Blake picked me up at the airport and took me to a B&B for some much needed rest. The following day we drove to camp. I wanted to do the drive so I could see the country. I got settled in at Mururu camp and was ready to hunt the next day.

Day 1
We woke before daylight and had breakfast. After a few shots on the range to confirm zero, we were off to hunt. The trackers spotted some tracks where a group of buffalo had crossed the road. After following them a little ways the wind swirled and we bumped them. They crossed back across the road and we decided to give them a break. We moved to a different area and I shot a nice zebra. I happened so fast I didn't really have time to think about it. As soon as the sticks went up I got on him and touched off the .416 and had my first African game in the bag. I was very excited to say the least.

After taking the zebra back to the skinning shed, we had lunch and went back to where we left the buffalo tracks. We tracked the same group of 6 or so dugga boys for a few hours. We got in close a time or two, but it was thick and we didn't get a good look at them. It was getting late so we decided to back off until the next morning. It was a great first day hunting in Africa.

Day 2
Once again we woke and were headed out before daylight. I was excited to get back on the buffalo. We picked up where they had crossed a road during the night and were back on there tracks. After tracking them for a few hours, we stopped to get a drink of water. While we were standing there, Blake spotted them. We made a short stalk, crawling through tall grass to get into position. After getting closer, Blake set up the shooting sticks and I eased into place. It was a small group of 6 dugga boys. We watched them for a few minutes. There were a couple of younger bulls that were 40"+, just too young. There was One laying down that Blake said was a shooter. After a couple minutes he stood up and a stepped into an opening. At the shot he ran about 30 yards and went down. We approached him and gave him another 400gr. TSX just for insurance, but he was already done. I had my buffalo that I had came for. I couldn't have been happier.

Days 3-4
After my buff was in the salt, we decided to try for some plains game. We passed up a few younger animals, and made a few unsuccessful stalks. Me and my size 15's sound like a herd of buffalo in the dry leaves. I took a few baboons that we used for hyena bait. I actually had a ball hunting the baboons and the big .416 was very effective.

Blake had a blind set up that we baited for a few days with the baboons and scraps leftover from the zebra.

Day 5
We continued hunting plains game and saw a nice waterbuck. I was a little slow getting on the sticks and didn't get a shot off. After dinner we set up in the blind to try for hyena. After a short wait I could hear them in the darkness feeding on the bait. I eased into position and got off what I thought was a good shot. We gathered the trackers and went to recover it. We found some blood and decided to wait for daylight to follow on in to some thick stuff.

Day 6
After following the blood for quite a way, it was evident I had made a bad shot. The blood got less and less until it we couldn't find any more. We then tried for some more plains game. After a short stalk, I missed an impala. I decided that I should check my gun at the range. Sure enough it was off. One stock screw was a little loose, I tightened it re-zeroed and off we went.

Day 7
I wanted to get some fishing in, so we moved to Matombo camp. It is a beautiful tent camp overlooking the Zambezi river. It is a nice location with a great view. I'm a diehard fisherman, so I was really looking forward to this.

Days 8-10
We had a great time on the river. Fishing was a little slow, but we managed a few. We saw an abundance of wildlife along the river. It is a truly beautiful place.

Day 11 I rode back to town with Royal that works for CMS. He was a great guy. Myles then drove me to the airport for my long trip home. It was a great first trip. I really enjoyed it. The camps were nice and well staffed. The cooks did a great job. I enjoyed eating the wildgame, especially the zebra. I had a great time hunting and fishing with Blake. He is a great guy and very knowledgable about the wildlife. I learned a great deal on this first trip. Now I have to save up enough to go back someday.

Posts: 53 | Location: Eastern KY | Registered: 14 February 2010

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