Andrew Baldry and I set out from Lusaka 29 August to hunt Kafue lechwe on the Flats, and then to move north to his comfortable camp at Royal Kafue on that river for puku. We picked up a game guard at the ZAWA gate east of the Flats. Plenty of water, more than calf deep surprised us, with seven fishermen and wildlife scouts uniting to push us out of the mud onto slightly higher group where we camped. Andrew and I did a mile trudge thorugh the water and back, earning a beer as his camp manager set our accommodations up. We only saw females and a few young male lechwe.

Clearly we needed another plan, and the next morning we set out in two unusual safari vehciles, mokoros, poled by the Chairman of the fishing Village Council, Joseph Wemwa, and his brother, Friday who got us to stalking distance of a herd that included three good male lechwe. The stalk, partly on dry ground, included taking advantage of a herd of cows before I used a borrowed right-handed Mannlicher in .270 Win to take the lechwe cleanly. At the last minute, I had substituted my .303 double when Butch Searcy said he needed a few more weeks to complete the .375 flanged double he is making. But, I failed to research Zambian regulations that forbid use of such a (formerly) military caliber, so it stayed in the Zambian police safe at the airport, requiring Andrew to borrow the .270 which did have a left-handed cheekpiece.

Back to camp for breakfast, skinning the lechwe, and a long drive August 30, mostly on dirt, to Andrew's Royal Kafue camp to hunt through 1 September, returning to Lusaka the next day.


Kafue Flats are very, very flat and mosquitoes come out at dusk


Safari vehicle ready to load the Kafue lechwe


Eggs and bacon after the early morning lechwe hunt

We settled into sundowners on arrival at Royal Kaufe, with very good sable steaks, raising expectation for the meal of lechwe backstrap a day or so later. The superb setting includes a chalet for the hunter, but the all-important lapa shelters the dining table. A fire burns in front of the lapa, giving a good view of the Kafue River, or of the veld fire Andrew uses to keep high grass down and nice green shoots growing for hungry puku and impala. This is the old Africa, with no fences, and both elephant and hippo wandering through the camp, usually after bedtime.

A nice puku eventually fell to the .270, but I had first creased a puku facing me at about 130 yards that required much time to track, find blood spoor and learn that it was a wound at shoulder level. Hours of very fine tracking on the hard dambos showed the puku was walking normally and circling to return to its territory.

The next morning we made another unsuccessful foray into the wounded animal's territory. After we made the decision to end follow-up on the wounded puku, a very nice Chobe bushbuck presented itself. It ran a short distance ahead, and was out of sight in the bush. A short stalk with a 35-yard shot off the sticks saw it frantically run from the termite mound that carried the browse it was feeding on, toward another termite mound. We heard it fall, waited a few minutes and found it dead.

Later that afternoon, another long, frontal shot at a puku cleanly missed. The next opportunity came when trackers on the back of the vehicle idenitfied a good male, lying in the grass as Andrew and I glassed his ladies. Out of the vehicle, moving diagonally, and then parallel with the puku brought us within range and enabled us to set up the sticks without a female behind him. Words like "nemesis" occurred to me, but the need was for relaxed, straight shooting. A heart shot at just over a hundred yards sent him frantically running only to fall after about 75 yards.

The last afternoon was spent with my 12-gauge Dickson round action gun looking for guinea fowl and francolin. A flock of guinea fowl gave us no chance to organize a shot. We met a half dozen fishermen on the edge of the property, colleagues of some who had trespassed into Royal Kafue and set up fly camps to dry their illegal catch. These men will also cache firearms at satellite camps and poach game as well.

Back to Lusaka the next day with applause for Andrew, his camp manager Iran Chiminsa, skinner Steven Mapulanga, trackers Redson Sosala and Michael Ndalama and cook, Silas Comrade.


The lapa at Royal Kafue


Veld fire and full moon from the lapa at Royal Kafue


Andre and the trackers with the game scout and the Chobe bushbuck



Puku near the banks of the Kafue River


Fish poachers fly camp in the Royal Kafue concession

Congrats on some nice trophies! It looks like Andrew has a unbelievable successful season!

Dedicated hunters there on a different kind of safari. The Lechwe looks big in the water, do you have a full head shot?

Thanks for posting this.

Another great hunt, with a guy I call a good friend - congrats to you both!!!!!

Frank, Here's a complete photo of the Kafue Lechwe with Andrew and the sticks.

Best, Tim

Congratulations on a fine hunt and report.

Tim- Congrats buddy...that's a hung I'm planning on taking in the next few years! Looks like you had an amazing trip! Awesome trophies. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the report Tim. I get a strange feeling looking at a place so familiar to me.

The batch of Bream must be why I never caught one. Ben (Andrew's son) did catch one while Joyce, Andrew, and I were out hunting. Man, they are good.

Cheers
Jim

Many thanks Tim. It was a pleasure.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Thanks for the report Tim. I get a strange feeling looking at a place so familiar to me.

The batch of Bream must be why I never caught one. Ben (Andrew's son) did catch one while Joyce, Andrew, and I were out hunting. Man, they are good.

Cheers
Jim

Believe the sable steaks might have been from yours, Jim. Seem to recall looking at some 45-inch sable horns in the trophy shed. Comrade did a fine job cooking the steaks up.

On the bream, that wasn't the only fly camp we busted. Andrew seized a net with mesh so fine as to trap very small fish. Burned that and a few other camps, as well. Found two guys just wandering along the river in the Royal Kafue area. They had two decent sized fresh fish and said they were heading for town!

Need those game scouts and regular patrolling to keep the poaching down.

Regards, Tim

Tim way to go sand some very nice photos.

Mike

Fantastic!, Butch

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Carney:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:
Thanks for the report Tim. I get a strange feeling looking at a place so familiar to me.

The batch of Bream must be why I never caught one. Ben (Andrew's son) did catch one while Joyce, Andrew, and I were out hunting. Man, they are good.

Cheers
Jim

Believe the sable steaks might have been from yours, Jim. Seem to recall looking at some 45-inch sable horns in the trophy shed. Comrade did a fine job cooking the steaks up.

On the bream, that wasn't the only fly camp we busted. Andrew seized a net with mesh so fine as to trap very small fish. Burned that and a few other camps, as well. Found two guys just wandering along the river in the Royal Kafue area. They had two decent sized fresh fish and said they were heading for town!

Need those game scouts and regular patrolling to keep the poaching down.

Regards, Tim

It was probably Allgone's Sable you were munching on. I think we ate the entire Sable I killed since we still had two weeks in camp after that day.

My skull and horns left camp in the back of the truck we were in the front of. They should be stateside any day now.

Joyce thought that was a very nice Bushbuck. She stalked one while we were there but couldn't connect. Fast little buggers.

Lovely report; thanks.

Outstanding!! fairgame gets it done. Funny, those sticks look familiar????

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
Outstanding!! fairgame gets it done. Funny, those sticks look familiar????

Jeff

They have done me well mate.

Tim...Congratulations on your Safari and tropies.

Andrew..Well done at Royal Kafue.

Very nice Tim, the Kafue Flats look interesting and certainly something different from the norm. The Lechwe is a striking animal, have you decided how you are going to mount him?

Sorry for the delay, Bill, am in Haiti at work.

Plan to do European skull mounts of all three and rugs that include the faces on velvet. Full mounts are not possible due to space and $$$ limitations!

Regards, Tim

Tim;

Looks like Andrew hosted another great safari. Congrats on the Kafue Lechwe, bushbuck and puku!!! Loved the pics & report.

Best regards, D. Nelson

Congratulations on an exciting hunt Zambia is on short bucket list your photos just ramped it up a bit

Tim,

Looks like you had a great hunt in a short time. Congrats on some very fine animals.

Andrew is the real deal eh! He and his area is great and will only get better. Still lots of work for him to do for sure with the "fishermen" and other trespassers.

Thanks for sharing.

looks like a super trip!

Outstanding! Congratulations on a successful safari and some fine animals!

Cool stuff!