After a wonderful safari in the Save Conservancy with Guy Whittall last year, I was eager to return with my wife and son. My wife is not a huntress but loves natural history and the outdoors. My son hunts, majored in wildlife biology in college, but is at that stage of life where prudence dictates money be dedicated to his family and buying a house. Instead of waiting for a possible inheritance and finding that quality hunting in Africa had vanished, I thought it better to get him to Africa now and realized that Guy would be the perfect PH. After enjoying wonderful weather in late June last year, we returned in early July 2019. Last year’s hunt report at:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4171015342



Guy arranged for us to stay at Turgwe Camp for our ten-day stay and it remains beautiful, comfortable, and blessed with abundant wildlife along the adjacent river. I hunted with Peter Wood. Peter is from Zim, learned his craft at Humani with Roger Whittall, and has been a PH since 1999. He hunts with RWS but also with Northern Operations which offers hunts in multiple locations around Africa:

http://www.rogerwhittallsafari...onal-hunter-profiles
https://www.northernoperations...-hunting-guides.html

Peter is a skillful PH, has a great sense of humor and it was a pleasure to hunt and share camp with him and my wife, son, and Guy Whittall. Peter knew my priorities were another Cape buffalo and a nyala, but a kudu, warthog, and impala were also on the license. I was hunting my Kimber Caprivi .458 Lott and a Browning Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem Mag. Will hunted my Caprivi in .375 H&H and his beloved Tikka .280 Rem.



Last year I arrived in Zimbabwe in good shape, but managed to twist my ankle in a deep elephant track hidden in the tall grass on Day 3, but fortunately had brought along my AirCast splint. I preserved my ankles this year, but tore the lateral meniscus (cartilage) of my left knee two weeks before departure. My ace sports medicine buddy shot it full of steroid and set me up with a nice brace, so it bothered me less than the ankle did last year. This is giving new meaning to the saying “Hunt Africa while you can.” Or while I still have a leg to stand upon.

Zimbabwe continues to struggle. Something unfortunate happened to the $80,000,000 payment to the South African electric supplier, so Zim has not had other than quite intermittent electricity for weeks. Most places have generators but often only run them for a few hours in the evening as fuel difficult to obtain and the queue at fuel stations is blocks long. But none of that matters when you are hunting, especially since the camp had electricity in the evening from a generator, wood-fueled hot water, plenty of food, and the Land Cruisers were always gassed up and ready to go.

Initially my wife wasn’t sure she wanted to join us in the hunting trucks as she didn’t want to see game being shot. Guy and Peter reassured her that we would spend almost no time shooting and many days just driving, hiking, and admiring wildlife. She relented and found this utterly enjoyable—enough so that she took over 2600 photographs. She loved the camp and cabin with a spectacular view of the banks of the Turgwe River, found Guy and Peter to be expert natural historians, and quickly grew used to having a camp cook and laundry done daily. (Photos of camp at: http://www.tinyurl.com/y7w35x4x )



We began by checking zero the morning of the first day. Both rifles had traveled without incident and I shot respectably. We started off hunting buffalo. The PH and trackers typically look for fresh tracks on the sandy
trails that crisscross the concession. It's impressive to see them do this from the truck at 10-15 mph while also looking for wildlife (and staying on the trail without clipping a tree or rock).

Peter loves the .458 Lott and the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw "softs", so he had me simply load the rifle with these rather than "solids." OK by me as it hammered the bull last year.

You have two options. First, hunting buffalo in the herd. The herds will number about 50-150 animals in the Save. By early July the breeding season is about over and the mature bulls may be leaving the herd. But the herds are easier to find and approach. However, the large herds have more animals looking for threats and the ability of Cape buffalo to smell, see or hear a potential threat is extraordinary. Think of a 1700# whitetail deer. But if you get busted the herd usually doesn't run far as the calves could not keep up. It is a challenge to look over the herd for a quality, mature bull and then get a clean shooting lane. You'll rarely find the herd on the open flat
pans but instead in the scrub or very thick cover in the mopane woodlands or riverine areas.

The other option is to hunt dagga boys. The old bulls, including the mature breeding bulls, will often leave the herd to find better grazing and regain strength, size, and condition. The breeding bull usually follows the herd
and gets the leftover, trampled grass. After a few weeks he will leave the herd to recover. These groups of males often number about 3-8 bulls. Trying to track a lone or pair of dagga boys is challenging as the sign is easily
lost, so the trackers and PH prefer to pursue a small group. It is easier to get a good look at the bulls and a possible shot. But if you spook the group, they'll typically run 1/2 mile or more and be quite vigilant for hours. It is discouraging to spend your morning stalking a group of dagga boys only to have the late morning breeze swirl and betray your presence.

Will and Guy also sighted in that first morning but quickly got into impala. Will enthusiastically shot his first African animal offhand.



While hunting they also found the carcass of an eland killed by hyenas. But the carcass was largely intact and Guy realized leopards would be drawn to this natural kill. He constructed a blind and took Will and Kathy back to the site late that afternoon. They were most fortunate to see first a female and then a male leopard feeding in the twilight. In fact, my son got to watch this through the scope of his Tikka .280, with Guy cautioning him “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” I appreciated that!

On the morning of Day 2 we were hunting a herd and got a good look at several bulls. As usual, most were younger with horn tips high above the soft bosses. Many PHs believe that a trophy bull should be at least 9-10 years old with a solid, wide boss and horn tips worn down to the level of the boss. One bull was older and quite impressive and Peter estimated his horn spread at 38-39 inches. But like Guy Whittall, Peter loves to hunt buffalo and thought it too early to take a bull. I find it challenging and exhilarating and hated to stop also. But if I return to hunt buffalo again and see a bull like this early on, I'm shooting him.

As is often the case, the other problem was a good shooting lane. This big bull did finally get to the "front" of the herd nearer us, perhaps 50-65 yards away. But there was brush obscuring the lower part of his body (where one would like to place the shot) and we couldn't judge the distance from the brush to the bull. Peter wasn't concerned about bullet deflection but I was nervous. Even with a 500 grain .458 bullet, a 1/4" twig could send the bullet into the gut if positioned many yards away from the bull. More excitement than I wanted so I reluctantly (and perhaps foolishly) passed up the opportunity.

While looking for buffalo and crossing a wide pan, I was thrilled to see a pair of white rhinos. Although I saw rhino tracks last year I never saw the beasts themselves. All three of us saw rhinos early on this safari and there were more to come! Will saw a young male lion that day and had seen all five of the Big Five by the end of day 3.



That afternoon and all of Day 3 we hunted dagga boys. Good sport but either the group did not have a nice bull or the stalk got blown. Lots of walking but never dull, especially when we were hunting near the Turgwe River across from camp. We came out of some mopane scrub and found ourselves about 20 yards from a bull black rhino, and nearby a calf and cow.

You need to be able to walk quickly but carefully while tracking the buff, stalk quietly when getting near (you'll see your PH getting "birdy"), and to freeze like a statue when one of the buff sees you. If motionless for a few minutes, they'll decide to ignore you and wander off. Usually.

We took a break the morning of Day 4 (July 6) to view a rugby championship match featuring Peter's beloved New Zealand Crusaders, but Pete promised me a nyala that afternoon. Such a deal! Nyala and kudu hunting are quite different as you can't really track them like buffalo. Instead, you look at areas frequented by these antelope and look for encouraging sign such as lots of tracks and scat. Both animals have preferred browse which varies
during the course of the year and your PH will know the pattern and location of these foods. Also, both animals love to browse near a troop of baboons as the baboons provide perimeter security and threat alarms. The trick is to
not alarm the baboons! My kudu last year was a happy incidental find while hunting buff, so I really wanted to hunt nyala and kudu this year to appreciate the techniques.



Peter has a favorite location along the flood plain of the Save River so we headed there after an early lunch. We skirted a troop of baboons early in the stalk but were spotted and they shrieked at us for a solid five minutes. We continued on and approached a small pool of water in the sandy flood channel of the Save, now at the much lower winter level. There was indeed a nearby troop of baboons enjoying the shade and thick riverine cover but we managed to not spook them. The banks were covered with green grasses and shrubs about 3-4' high and thick enough we used elephant trails to make our way.

As we dropped down into the sandy channel near the pool late in the afternoon, Pete thought he heard movement. He set up the shooting sticks and had me bring up the rifle. A male nyala did come out of the brush on our side of the river channel, but only showed himself for perhaps a second. Peter thought he looked quite good but I didn't have a chance to set up the shot before the nyala moved out of view. Peter didn't think we had spooked him so we remained in place and the baboons unalarmed.

After perhaps ten minutes we heard movement in the brush off to our right, on our side of the channel. We cautiously moved back up the trail and riverbank to the flat floodplain. Peter noticed the nyala about 50 yards off and set up the sticks. He had me bring the .458 Lott which wears a Leupold VX-6 1-6x scope. I cranked this up to 4x and found the nyala but only saw big ears and the eyes and though it was a cow. I whispered to Peter to ask if there were two nyala and he assured me there was only one. I carefully looked again and realized that his head was tipped back and the lyre-shaped horns were almost parallel to the top of the brush. I could see his head and the neck but not his body.

However, after stalking through this area I knew the cover was relatively thin and not woody. I mentally imagined the location of the chest and brought the crosshairs down to the low chest. Peter cautioned quietly that the nyala was slightly quartered towards us, so I favored to right, holding in line with the nyala's left eye and broke the shot.

The nyala made a mighty leap, spun 180 degrees, and ran. I called the shot good. We got to where it had been bedded and found plenty of blood and the trackers and Peter quickly followed this trail parallel to the river. It went about 30 yards, hooked to the right, and we found the nyala down and dead. The bullet had entered the low left chest, transited the chest, and exited at the low right anterior abdomen (likely through the liver). The skinner confirmed the bullet perforated the heart. Plenty of gun for a 250-275# antelope but given the intervening cover I was happy to use the Caprivi instead of a 160gr bullet in the 7mm Rem Mag.



A nyala is a beautiful animal and this old bull had impressive bases and 29 1/4" horns. Peter was delighted, and as I learned more about nyala "scoring" that week, I was of course also. More importantly, the nyala was cleanly and quickly taken. By now it was 5 pm and sunset was upon us. There wasn't a vehicle trail nearby so getting the Land Cruiser down there was a challenge slowly solved, but we got some photos and winched the nyala into the back of the truck and headed back to camp to celebrate. Will took a bush pig that day so it was a very happy dinner. I think I owe those baboons a bushel of oranges.



We went back to hunting buffalo on Day 5 and 6. Time well spent but the dagga boys continued to get the best of us and we weren't seeing many of them well enough to judge the quality. However, on Day 6 Guy and Will were working a pair of dagga boys and found a lovely old bull. At about 50 yards, Will set up on the sticks and took the bull cleanly with a single shot from the .375 which literally separated the bull’s heart. There was great rejoicing, the crew appropriately blooded him to celebrate, and we had a very happy camp that evening.



On day 7 Peter and I returned to hunting a buffalo herd. We got into two different herds that morning and managed to get a good look at both herds but did not see a nice mature bull. It was fun to work the herds, get multiple close encounters, and see buff clearly through the rifle scope.

On the way back to camp for lunch Peter noticed the tracks of another herd, so we returned there in the afternoon. This herd of 70+ buffalo was in a relatively open area but moving as it grazed and approaching a river. The cover thickened and we found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the herd, not be seen, and find game trails through the cover. We also started to bump into elephants and since the herds have plenty of calves and very
protective cow elephants, this gets rather exciting.

That afternoon was very stimulating as Peter estimated this herd at about 50 elephants and they kept getting between us and the buffalo. Finally, about 4 PM, the main body of the buffalo herd encountered the main body of the
elephant herd. A Cape buffalo herd pretty much goes anywhere it wants. Except through elephants. There was angry trumpeting, bellowing, and a massive cloud of dust rose as the buffalo beat a hasty retreat. I figured we were well and truly screwed.

But Peter Wood taught me about patience and persistence. He kept us quartering off to the side and pursuing the herd. The herd was vigilant and nervous after the elephant quarrel and we were spotted by a cow which spun, ran, and spooked the rest of the herd. But with the elephants further away, the herd only went about 100 yards towards an open grassy area.

Peter and the tracker again found passage through gaps in the thick cover and we positioned ourselves on a rise with low brush and trees, overlooking the grassy swale in front of the buffalo herd. Peter went to set up the sticks but a horizontal tree branch was in the way. The branch made a lovely field rest and I shouldered the 458 Lott Caprivi, looking at the opening about 60 yards away.

Cows, calves, and young bulls gradually trudged through this opening as they grazed towards our right. Our patience was finally rewarded when a nice, old bull appeared in the group. Peter looked him over and whispered that he was a fine bull, about 35", but I could wait and we might do better. I briefly considered this but recalled the nine days it took to find a good buffalo last year and that we had already spent five solid days hunting to find this bull. It was about 5:30 and already getting dark.

The shooting position was perfect and the buffalo were standing in low grass that offered no impediment to observation or the bullet's path. The bull moved forward and turned, offering a left-sided broadside presentation with no other animals behind him. I came about 1/4 to 1/3 up the body along the front leg and broke the shot.

The bull shuddered, turned, and walked slowly off to our right. I called the shot good and Peter was confident the bull had been hit. He went about 25 yards and collapsed under a tree and quickly gave two separate death bellows and was silent. The herd did not spook and actually crowded around the downed bull, pushing at him with their muzzles. We approached and yelled. Instead of fleeing at our first appearance as they had done all week, NOW they wouldn't leave the bull. The bull never twitched and the herd finally moved about 30-40 yards away. With further encouragement they continued on.



Happily, the bull fell only about 100 yards from a vehicle trail and was easily accessed by the truck. We found the entrance wound on the low left chest, no exit wound, and the skinner confirmed the bullet took the heart and both lungs. We got photos, the team gutted the bull, divided it into halves, and winched it into the truck. To make the sundowners and dinner even better, Will and Guy found a good warthog that morning!



The next morning I mentioned to Peter that I had taken a few impalas in 2018 but would like to take another if we found a very nice head. Impala are incredibly plentiful in the Conservancy and I'm sure I saw well over 500 this visit and likely over a thousand. It's hard for me to separate the "nice" heads from the Really Nice heads, but no challenge for Peter Wood. Peter had been looking all week but that morning it was our sole focus. After several hours, Peter found a male impala that he really liked.

It was about 170 yards away but I had zeroed the 7mm Rem Mag for 165 yards (150 meters) with a handload of Nosler Partition 160gr bullets. Peter's Viper-flex rest is very stable and the impala was standing still, quartered towards us, watching us cautiously. Impala are really twitchy when you're inside 100 yards but they seem more relaxed as the distance approaches 200 yards, especially if you move slowly and smoothly.

I aimed for the point of the onside shoulder in the low chest and fired. The impala jumped, spun, ran, and vanished from sight. I think Peter suspected I had pulled the shot and he asked me how it looked. I called the shot good
and crossed my fingers as we hiked up the gentle slope. Happily, we found strong blood sign and then found the impala piled up about 20 yards away. My shot call was good and the bullet entered the low left chest and exited at the back right chest, much like the nyala. He was a beautiful old buck and cleanly taken. Less complicated than last year when I "doubled" on impala with the .458 Lott!



That afternoon and Days 9-10 were spent looking for a nice kudu or big warthog but without success. But each day was wonderful and I saw new species like grysbok, gray duiker, and again saw the adorable little klipspringers. Kathy was "hunting her camera" and she came with us several times. I was happy to spend time watching the unforgettable scenes like a group of elephants watering at the edge of a marshy pan with a big bull ele luxuriously enjoying a mud bath.





During this time, Guy and Will were hunting hard for kudu. When planning this adventure, I had given a copy of Kevin Robertson’s book “The Perfect Shot” to Will and asked him what he would like to pursue. Just like me, he finds Cape buffalo fascinating and kudu breathtaking. He really wanted a kudu but knew that a hunter’s fortune is at the mercy of Diana. Kathy, Peter, and I returned to camp the evening of Day 10 with an empty truck but wonderful photographs and memories. Nonetheless, we were sad to see the skinning shed empty.

But Guy Whittall knows his craft and Diana smiled. About 8:30 that morning, Guy spotted a nice kudu. They set up a stalk and the kudu turned broadside while about 50 yards away. Will made a perfect heart shot (once again—he was 5 for 5 this hunt) and dropped it cleanly with his .280 Rem.



And what a kudu! It was 53” on one side and 58” on the other horn with the deeper curl, and had 10” bases. This would provisionally score 131 and easily make book, as would the great nyala that Peter found for me. The Conservancy has wonderful populations of wildlife and outstanding professional hunters.

As before, Turgwe Camp was beautiful and comfortable and the cook was even better than last year. Nyala steaks and Malva pudding are my favorites, along with good South African red wine, a beautiful sunset, and a troop of baboons offering entertainment along the banks of the river. I'm certain we didn't have nearly as many gin and tonics as the Robert Ruark hunting party but I doubt that they enjoyed themselves any more than us.



Peter and Guy thoughtfully took us and some of the Whittall clan down to the Save River for sundowners that evening before dinner. An elephant crossed the river, lions roared, and another delicious dinner awaited us in camp. And the following morning as we reluctantly bid farewell to Humani, first a herd of kudu and then a herd a buffalo crossed the Turgwe below us, reminding us of how we would miss the Conservancy and the gracious hospitality of Roger Whittall Safaris. But my wife mentioned that she would like to return…

Great report! Thanks for posting it!

Wonderful adventure. Thank you

Very nice!

The Save is a special place.

Fantastic safari with two great PH's, congratulations. I have hunted with and filmed for both Guy and Peter.

Humani is a truly stunning hunting destination and I can't stop going back.

I now book hunts for RWS.

Mike
Mike Taylor Sporting
+ 44 7930 524 097
mtaylorsporting@gmail.com
Instagram: mikezimbab
Facebook: Mike Taylor Sporting

Excellent report and trophies. Elephants scare the crap out of me, especially after being charged by an elephant bull in Etosha in 2012.

Excellent report and well written.

Congrats on a lot of wonderful trophies!

Save sounds like a magical place.

Excellent write up! I was hunting with Guy in April/May of this year. A great place and great people for sure.

Excellent report!

Can't wait to get there in late November and early December.

Guy and Pete are great guys and happy you, your wife, and your son had a great safari.

Congrats.

Excellent and informative report. I have got to hunt with Guy again. Congratulations on a fine safari!

Cheers, a great read about a special place.

Glad to see you brought the family this time. The Save is a very special place, especially Humani. Great safari.

A great report!

Great hunt! congrats.

Well done! Thanks for posting.

I enjoyed your report. Thank you for posting,

Sam

Boss Bill thank you so much for sharing the report. Great memories and a lot of fun. Looking forward to our trip next year either back on Humani/ Arda or possibly Block C in the Niassa Reserve. Good luck with Wayne on your up coming leopard hunt.

Thank you all. And Guy, thank you so much for such a wonderful adventure. Kathy is delighted to be reviewing her photos and showing them to the grandchildren. Will is happily recalling his excellent hunt and looking forward to showing the trophies to his children. And he just showed me the photos of the marvelous leopard and lions you encountered on your recent safari.

The Save embodies everything that is Africa to me.

great report and thanks for sharing

Great read and fine pictures of great game.

Glad all of you had such a fine trip.

Thanks for sharing,

George

Thanks for posting. Great you took your family, no better memories can be made. I must experience the Save, it sounds like the Garden of Eden.

I am after an nyala and bush pigs. Need to go here!

Wonderful report. Thanks for sharing your experience. Brian