I've been back from this hunt for three years, but I never posted any pictures on AR, because I was too dumb (or too lazy to learn how to do it), until now. Now that I have figured out how it's done, a monster has been created, and I will post pictures of everything in sight. Get ready.

This hunt took place on the ARDA government concession in the Save Conservancy in the Southeast Lowveld in May of '04. The hunt was with Jumbo Moore Safaris, however I only saw Jumbo a couple of days out of the fifteen I was there. My PH was a freelancer hired for this hunt named Henry Prinsloo.

Henry was fairly new in the hunting business, having spent most of his adult life as an auto mechanic. Things being what they currently are in Zimbabwe, however, he was forced to find alternative employment, and having been a sport hunter and PAC elephant hunter for many years, becoming a professional hunter was a natural step. He became fully licensed at the ripe old age of 42.

I found Henry to be quite a competent PH. He knew the game very well, and was always cognizent of my, and the trackers, safety. I also found him respectful of my abilities and was never made to feel like a liability when things got a little "sticky" (like when we tracked a wounded buffalo for three days). His only drawback is he is painfully shy and quiet, which sometimes made for an awkward campfire.

Anyway, I was on a 15-day buffalo/leopard hunt. Accomodations were typical safari tent camp style:

My Tent


Inside Tent


Dining Area


When on safari, it never ceases to amaze me how operators can produce such good food under such primitive conditions. The food in Jumbo's camp could not have been better:

The Kitchen


One drawback to the accomodations was that my tent could not be closed up (broken zippers) at night. Now, we had this old lioness that was hanging around camp, not to mention the other critters that passed through every evening, and I found the open invitation for an American-style meal (me) to be a little disconcerting. So I came up with my own security system, by piling up all my luggage and every chair I could find in camp across the open end of the tent. I didn't really think this would stop anything from getting in, but my hope was that any would-be dining patrons seeking a free meal (again, me) would make enough noise negotiating the obstacle course that I could get the light on in time to sling some lead their way (I kept a loaded .404 Jeffery and shotgun beside my bunk). You should have heard the house boy when he came to wake me that first morning and found the homemade barricade. He could hardly get the words "time to get up" out of his mouth, he was laughing so hard.

My Security System


Well the first order of business was to hang leopard baits. Henry and the trackers had pre-baited, but the only thing hitting them were lions and poachers (yeah, a poacher actually stole several baits before he was captured by the game scouts).

Impala Bait on a "Perfect" Leopard Tree






In all, I shot nine impala for bait, and four more for game scout rations. This does not count the three "trophy" impala I shot. I was an impala killing machine. However, after losing several feeding leopards off the baits for unknown reasons, it was decided that I needed to shoot a zebra, as zebra doesn't rot as fast. BTW there is no "bait" price for zebra, only full retail.

My $700 Leopard Bait


24-Inch Trophy Impala


Before it was all over, I shot a second zebra (cha-ching!), as the first one started to turn on us. Anybody who ever says leopard hunting is a bargin is full of caa-caa.

While the baits were doing their thing, we went after buffalo. On the first day of buff hunting, we tracked a heard of about 80 all day, spooking them several times, before getting up on them for a shot just before dark. Henry picked out a good bull and told me to take him. He was standing in very deep grass, broadside at 20 yards, and I aimed slightly behind his shoulder, center of mass. BIG MISTAKE!

At the shot, he took off with the heard. In just a few minutes, we heard the "death bellow" and high fives were exchanged among the trackers and myself. Only Henry remained skeptical, as several minutes later, there was another gurgleing bellow, only this time several hundred yards away. Then a third, even further away. When we went to check blood, there was a piece of lung laying on the ground where he was standing when I shot. We didn't have long before dark and we tracked blood spoor a couple of hundred yards before calling it a day.

After an uneasy night, we picked up the spoor the following morning. During the night, I thought about my shot and came to the realization that when I shot at the center of mass, I was really only shooting at the center of mass that I could SEE. Most of the buffalo was hidden by the long grass, so my shot was actually very high, just cutting across the top of the lungs.

To make a long (and sad) story short, we tracked blood for three days before losing the spoor down in the Mkwazine River bottom. In the mean time, Jumbo Moore and his camp manager Bill had joined us to help protect the trackers. This was definitely the low point of my safari.

Guarding the Trackers at Work on Blood




The Long March Out After Losing the Spoor


(To Be Continued)

I'm glad you're posting about an older hunt. I'm a big fan of hunt reports so keep the installments coming.

GAHUNTER,
Thanks for posting the first installment of your hunt. Look forward to the rest. I remember hunting the Mkwasine and Hammond blocks next to Arda with Buzz Charlton and Pete Barnard after your hunt. Unfortunately the crippled PAC buff we took out that year didn't appear shot. Tough luck on buff... shot placement can be so darn critical on those things! Hope the rest of the hunt has a happier ending.

Very nice story! I can't wait until the next installment.

Bwana91

Story Continues.

Well, losing the buffalo was pretty devestating, but I know the rules well. That WAS my buffalo and would be payed for, and no other one shot. Jumbo did offer to try and buy one off quota from one of the other Save operations, but said the price would be around five grand. I figured I had my chance, and besides, it just gives me some unfinished business to take care of in Africa on my return trip. So I said no thanks.

Done with buffalo, we turned our attention to leopard and whatever plains game suited my fancy. On that subject, we happened to drive up on a pair of huge kudu one day. I don't really need or want to shoot another kudu, as I have two very nice ones in my trophy room. But one of these was beyond big -- it was gigantic! Henry said it was 56 inches. Tracker said "no, it's 60." Henry said shoot. However at that moment I happened to be sitting in the front seat of the safari car and had a fit of conscience. You see, I had my crosshairs right on its shoulder, but could not pull the trigger simply because I felt an animal like that did not deserve to be shot from a vehicle. (results would have probably been different if I had really wanted a kudu)

Much to the disbelief of the trackers and PH, I let him walk off into the long grass. Then I said, "let's go get him," and off we go on foot. I'll bet we kept that kudu's horns in sight for half a mile, but, unfortunately, big ole spiral horns were all that were visible, as this grass was really, really long. Oh well, that's why it's called hunting instead of killing. (Later, when Henry told Jumbo the story and told him I wouldn't shoot from the car, Jumbo called me, half jokingly, a "cheap bastard.")

One of the animals I wanted to shoot really bad (besides buffalo and leopard) was bushbuck. We had an opportunity on the first day as we drove up on two males, one average, and one exceptional, and were able to put a stalk on them. Suddenly one of them stepped into the open and presented a shot, however I was not sure which one it was and didn't shoot. As it turned out, it was the bigger of the two, but it made it to the grass, and safety, before I could take him. This was the last bushbuck we saw -- until the very last hunting day, that is.

On that day we were hunting bushbuck, and only bushbuck. We were driving along the Mkwazine right at first light when the trackers tapped Henry on the head. They said they spotted two bushbuck in the grass well to our right. We drove on, out of sight and stopped. I grabbed my rifle and headed back down the track, and, sure'nuff, there they were, two of them standing in a clearing about a hundred yards to my right. Only one presented a shot, however, and I could not tell how big it was. Never mind, it was a male and I had learned my lesson on hesitation. The trackers were well behind with the shooting sticks so I did the only thing I could do. I took aim off-hand and let her fly. After the recoil, I looked and saw a bushbuck running through the grass. I turned to Henry and said "damn, I missed." Before Henry could say anything, however, one of the trackers said something to Henry in Shona. Henry smiled and said "He says the bushbuck dropped in his tracks."

Well, I had my bushbuck, and it turned out to be a darn nice one. We simpy thew it in the Land Rover and drove back to camp for pictures

Limpopo Bushbuck


Full Body Mount to Come


Well that's about it. In all it was a pretty good hunt, with....... wait a minute! What's that you say? Leopard? You mean you want to hear about the leopard hunt? OK, I guess it won't bore you too much.

As I said, we hung bait after bait at every known leopard tree in ARDA. We had had a nice male feeding on one before I shot the buffalo, but the three days of tracking buff without servicing the baits caused us to lose it. It wasn't until the eighth day that we were checking the baits and had sent the trackers up the donga to look while Henry and I stayed in the Rover. Suddenly we heard yelling in Shona, and Henry looked at me and simply smiled and said "eaten."

We walked up the donga and sure'nuff, the leopard had had a virtual feast. Or should I say leopards, as there were two different sets of tracks. One set was only slightly smaller than the other, but Henry said it had to be a breeding pair, as leopard never, never, never feed together unless they are breeding.

Well, this was where we would make our stand (pun intended) and Henry set about directing the construction of the blind.

The Classic Leopard Hunting Hide Begins


Checking the Shooting Rest Height


Putting on the Cover Vegetation


The Finished Product


Henry said we needed to sit the blind that night, as these were really hot leopards. For shooting light, Henry set up a reostat light, which consisted of a set of wires hooked to a car battery, then to a reostat, and strung all the way to the bait tree. The terminal end of the wire has an automobile tail light that is controlled by the reostat. This little bulb is hung above the bait. When you hear the leopard in the tree, you can slowly turn up the reostat to illuminate the scene with virtually no chance of spooking the cat, unlike spotlights. It was a neat contraption that I seldom hear of anyone else using.

That first night we thought we were going to have an early evening, as before sundown, there came a commotion from the donga unlike any I have ever heard. There was growling, grunting, roaring, more growling, then....nothing! I sat petrified, trying to swallow my heart back down into my chest, all the while keeping my scope trained on the bait. We waited all the way up until ten o'clock with no takers.

Henry said they were more interested in making whoopee than eating, but that that should change soon. Unfortunately, not too terribly soon, as seventh night turned into eighth, then nineth, tenth, eleventh, twelth, thirteenth etc.

I was beginning to lose hope when we made our way to the blind on the fourteenth night. The leopards were still actively feeding, but feeding was taking place after we vacated the blind ever night. Around nine o'clock this evening, Henry decided to try an old trick: he called in the safari car for pickup. When they arrived, he started talking loud, banging stuff around in the back, slamming doors, and generally raising a commotion. Then we slipped back into the blind and had the safari car drive off with the trackers singing and chanting.

I thought Henry was crazy, as surely every leopard (lion, elephant, rhino and buff, for that matter) within a mile had run for deep cover. Then it happened. The dry mopane leaves covering the zebra bait rattled, shimmied and shook! "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, there's a leopard in the tree in front of us," I thought. "Oh God, now what do I do?"

As I sat there in the pitch dark, listening to the dry leaves rattle, I couldn't help but wonder why in hell Henry hadn't done something? Surely he heard what was going on! Suddenly I felt a hand on the back of my head push me forward and downward. I assumed this ment to get ready, and I mounted my rifle.

When the faint light came on, at first, all I could see was a moving blurr. Soon, however, the blurr started taking shape as my eyes adjusted to the scene. The leopard was standing dead broadside to me on a limb, reaching out with its right paw to tear off chunks of zebra. My crosshairs settled on a spot right behind the shoulder and I whispered to Henry, "should I shoot?"

Henry said "I can't see it's rear end to tell if it's the male or female. It's a pretty good leopard but there is no way I can tell. You will have to decide."

Crap! Yeah, leave it up to me, who is looking at his first ever wild leopard. I'm sure the expert here! Oh well... hell.... BANG.

At the shot, the leopard simply disappeared from my view. Henry quickly called in the safari car and started the third degree. "How do you feel about the shot?"

"Good," I said. "I had a very good, steady bead."

"I feel good about it, too," he said. "I think we are going to find him dead under the tree." Still, he proceeded to load his shotgun with buckshot.

When the trackers arrived, Henry went over the routine. "Everyone will have a light. If we get over there and he is not there, we will follow. If he comes for me, don't try and shoot him off me. I will get him with my .357. If he comes for you, I will tackle him off you, then shoot him with the .357. Never try to shoot a leopard off another person."

For a quiet, shy guy, Henry was sure doing a lot of talking, and I'm not too sure I liked the things he was saying! Whatever happened to "I think we are going to find him dead under the tree?"

Well, off we go -- three trackers, Henry and Me. Each tracker carried a machete (panga?), and I noticed that the closer to the tree we got, the closer they podded up. When we got to the tree, the three of them were virtually one person, looking three different directions.

But also when we got to the tree, no leopard!

There was blood, lots of blood, but no leopard. Henry asked in Shona which way he went. No answer, mainly because none of the trackers would look down -- they were too busy looking out 360 degrees! Again, he asked, firmly this time. One of the trackers glanced down at the blood and motioned down the donga, before resuming his watch. We eased down into the dry creek and found blood immediately, we slowly started down the dry creek, and whamo, there the leopard was -- stone-cold dead!

We all breathed a sigh of relief. The 180-grain, hand-loaded Nosler Partition had done its job well. We eased up and, after making sure it was done, checked the carcass. Sure enough, it was a damn female -- a dang big female (100 pounds)-- but a female none the less. I was disappointed, but not too terribly so, as this was day 14 of a 15-day hunt, and I had a leopard in the salt.

On the ride back, one of the trackers started singing in Shona. Then the others joined in. The closer we got to camp, the louder the chanting got. As we approached camp, staff members started coming out of their huts and joined in on the singing. As the leopard was unloaded, the singers broke into a dance, and someone produced a drum. I sat down and watched in awe as the an all out African party commenced right in front of my eyes.

I can truely say it was one of the most awsome moments of my life!

Henry and Me With Hard-Earned Leopard


An African Party Commences


The Leopard At Home In Atlanta


Well, that's it. It wasn't the world's greatest hunt of all time, but it sure as hell wasn't a bad one! It was Africa, and things happen in Africa, good and bad, that you can't predict. Frankly, that's what I love about it. That's why I can't wait to get back, that and a chance to finally get to pose with a buffalo, MY buffalo.

I enjoyed the last installment particularly your refusal to shoot the big kudu from the truck and your recollection of the trackers "podding" up on the leopard blood spoor. You'll get your buff one day and it will be done right.

I also really like the way you have decorated your trophy room and I don't say that very often! Any other photos of it?

Never mind. I just found your other topic.

awe leon leopard hunting ain't that hard, just hang a piece of meat in a tree for lions just put a piece of meat on the ground

Hi Butch,

I wondered if you would see this and chime in, seeing as you know and hunt with Jumbo more than anyone else on this forum.

I understand Jumbo either lost, or let ARDA go. So I guess that means he is strictly concentrating on Mozambique now.

You been there yet?

As far as that piece of meat in a tree, let's see:
Nine bait impala @ $85 each ---- $765
Pre-Bait impala ---- $300
Two Burchell's Zebra @ $750 each - $1500
Dip, pack and ship two zebra skins you
you didn't really want anyway -- $800
Taxidermy two zebra rugs you don't
have a place for ---- $2200

KILLING THAT FIRST-EVER LEOPARD ON THE
FOURTEENTH NIGHT OF A FIFTEEN DAY HUNT ---

PRICELESS!!!!

Thanks for the great report!!! Love the trophy room.

Below are a few more interesting pictures from the hunt.

The fellow holding the snare wire is an ARDA game scout assigned to observe our hunt, and is rumored to be one of the biggest poachers in the whole Save Conservancy. Such is the way these days in Zimbabwe.



Now here's a sight you don't see every day, unless, or course, you happen to live near water in Africa.



Nothing but the most modern conviences in our camp, including hot water from one of those new-fangled, energy efficient water heaters you hear so much about.

leon - i think all jumbo is keeping in zim is the gohnarezinga camp for spring ele. & i don't know how long he'll hold onto that. sara and the girls have moved to south africa & bill & dominique are living in his house in zim. I think mozm is his was out of zim while the getting was good. He was sort of PO'd by the politics in ARDA anyway. they wouldn't give him quotas that he thought he should have. haven't been to mozm. really doesn't have anything for me that i didn't do already. i'd go for repeats but he's sort of high priced guy on the block there. nice eles in the area, but we can't bring them back. just finished a hunt in zambia with john duploy for sitatunga etc. did really well there. 28 3/4" sitatunga, 23" crawfords defausa waterbuck, reedbuck, lichensteins hartebest, yellow babo, 12"wartpig, 24 1/4" black lechwe. have to learn how to post pictures 1st then i'll do a report. what to you have in the hopper??

I have nothing, nada, zippo in the hopper. I own a residential construction company and business would have to get a lot better to be called "bad".

In the last two years, I've seen everything I made over the previous 10 years disappear in an attempt to hold on until this thing breaks. Not sure we are going to make it, but we are sure as hell going to try!

Oh, I almost forgot; I also have three boys in college -- OUT OF STATE -- at Auburn Univesity in Auburn, Alabama. I had to let them go, since this is my alma mater too.

But, damn, JUST DAMN, is it expensive!

know what you mean - we got out of residential stuff a few years ago. glad we did. just finished my 3rd in college this year 14 yrs worth of $$$$$$$$$$$. at first i didn't think i'd know where to go with all the extra cash, but somehow it sure as hell disappeared quick. we are starting to see some light in the tunnel on housing up here, but its coming back slow.

WAR EAGLE GAHUNTER! My wife's an Auburn girl while I'm a orange blooded TN boy. Makes for interesting homelife when we play each other (football). No worries though, I've accepted defeat graciously (she still pesters the hell outta me about it) I enjoyed your story. I find the small details the very best reading. Congrats on a bus of a Bushbuck. What was his length? The Cat made a beauty of a mount and the story was great. Thanks for the report and best of luck on the business end. I see it down everywhere. Good hunting, David

Gahunter, my wife and I hunted with Jumbo at Arda in July 05, stayed in the same tent. And the damn zipper didn't work in 05 either. I blocked the "door" just as you did as we had an old lioness AND a leopard in camp on a regular basis. And I kept my 375 IN the bed with me....

We had the same gamescout you did...and probably found the SAME snares that you did! We found lots of em. We saw maybe six warthog the whole 15 days, not a good male to be seen. And saw poachers tracks along the river everytime we went there.

My PH was Jim Mackie, my buddy was guided by the same PH you had. Jim was a lot of fun to hunt with as we are both retired game wardens. He didn't cut me much slack whn I m..m...missed a coupla shots!

I know Jumbo still had Arda in 06, not too sure bout 07, but I heard he still had it. The game there was taking a beating from all the poaching, but it was/is a beautiful place.
troy

I hunted Arda back in 1994 with HHK. Jumbo worked with them back then, I was able to hunt with him for a couple of days. We had a tracker named Majaru who I really liked. That camp sure looks a lot like the place I hunted, especially the dining area. It was right on the river. A guy I hunted with in Chete a few years back said the river flooded and washed out the camp I hunted in. I wonder if it is the same one?

GAHUNTER

Good report, good pictures, and looks like you had a great hunt.

I have hunted the SAVE on my last 2 Safaris.
i think it is one of the best places to hunt in ALL of Africa.

I like your tent"early warning system".

I had elephants on the porch of my tent [well almost the porch, it was only about 3 feet wide] several times while in the SAVE.

I kept my 450 No2 loaded at night and a loaded FA 475 Linebaugh under my pillow.

NE450, did you have any trouble with bringing in your pistol? I know it's possible but understand that it requires extra permits. Did you hunt with it or just have it handy?

GAHUNTER,

Thank you for sharing your hunt with us.

I have taken the liberty and added your hunt to our Hunting Page.

GAHUNTER's Safari with Jumbo Moore in the Save Conservancy

Yukon,

Thanks for all your kind words. I appreciate the support. "Podded up" is the only way I know how to describe what they did. By the time we got to the tree, they had formed into one big body with three heads.

L. David

We never measured the Bushbuck, but guessed him at over 14-inches, maybe 15. I'm not too terribly hung up on horn measurements in Africa, as I don't get to go enough to be picky. As long as I get a good representative trophy, I'm happy.

And BTW, it's too bad you guys don't play Auburn this year, as I could guarantee a Vol victory.

DTala,

Did you ever see that lioness? She walked into camp one day while we were out hunting and spooked the staff pretty good. Also, how did your hunt go? What were you after? And, are you sure your buddy hunted with Henry? I had heard that he and Jumbo had a falling out soon after I left.

Gahunter, if the Ph in the middle is the same Henry.....


thats PH Jim Mackie on the right, my wife at the left. We had a great plains game hunt. I guess I need to post a report instead of just reading everyone else's reports....

I didn't see the lioness but my Ph saw it several times at night near their tent, furtherest one from the dining area. But that damn leopard came by bout every other night...I think it was calling to my wifes snoring!!! I read way too much Corbett to be liking a leopard in camp...
troy

To get through South Africa it should be scoped.

In Zim there are some areas that you can handgun hunt, and some you cannot. Your Ph will know and he must get you a permit from National Parks. Last time I got one it cost 30 Million dollars [Zim dollars].

According to some info published by Don Heath, the handgun permit for Zim is $100 this year. It takes about a month to get.

That's Henry, alright. I guess they reconciled their differences. Like I said, I found Henry very competent, just a little on the shy side.

quote:

I hunted Arda back in 1994 with HHK. Jumbo worked with them back then, I was able to hunt with him for a couple of days. We had a tracker named Majaru who I really liked. That camp sure looks a lot like the place I hunted, especially the dining area. It was right on the river.

RB, I hunted there in 1995 with Jumbo and Graham Hingeston. Majara was Graham's tracker then and Jumbo was still an appy. We had a great time. One of the best single days of hunting I've ever had was tracking three eland bulls with Graham and Majara. He was really good. Last time I saw him was in 2002. He was a skinner at Chirisa and I was told he had AIDS.

Great report and great pics! By the way, I know what college payments are all about. I have paid for four to graduate from BYU and have one still there to finish. Thanks again, as it's always better late than never.

GO EAGLES! One of the kids my son played football with in high school has committed to play for BC. He's our QB, Justin Tuggle, son of all pro linebacker Jesse Tuggle. Great kid and a talented quarterback. You guys are lucky to get him.

David, thanks for the info.