My wife and I went to hunt Elephant/ Buffalo with Mashambanzou Safaris in the first part of June.
Grant Taylor the owner and Boet one of his PH's met us at airport, one of there assistants got us through customs in a breeze. Vicki and I hopped in the Landcruiser with Boet and headed for Muanza that is the main camp. Muanza is a really nice camp. Good rooms, nice deck looking over the river, and a good cook staff. The first day Vicki stayed at Muanza with Sarah, Boets wife, and Boet and I headed for a Fly camp 2 hours away to hunt the Ele we pulled into a village and one the villagers and Boet had a conversation, Bad news the Elephant had left the concession. We started going after Buffalo thinking the Ele's would return in a couple of days. Hunting the Buffalo for seven days in 10'-12' tall grass or in thick jungle we had 3 encounters with the Buff but no chance for a shot (by the way no sign of Ele's) on the seventh day we finally caught them feeding, climbed up on a Termite mound, this is where I want to change the subject but I won't I shot a nice Bull twice and we were running short on Daylight he took off into jungle, we thought about leaving,coming back in the next morning, we didn't we bumped him under the dark trees and you probably have guessed the rest of the story we never found him. I thought I had 2 good shots in him but thats hunting. Burned up next day and a half tracking. Time is ticking fast now, I wanted a Nyala this is at Catapu and my wife wanted to shoot a Sable so we drive 4 hours from main camp of course it is opposite direction from where we were going to hunt Ele. Hunt Nyala 10th morning seen a nice Bull but to close to the Catapu Lodge that has other guest besides hunters. Vicki shoots a nice Impala that eve 1st kill of the trip a little relief but I'm feeling the pressure big time now, we were going to hunt one more time in the AM for Nyala if it didn't happen we were headed to Sable camp. About 5 minutes left in my Nyala hunt on the 11th day I killed a nice Bull I'm breathing easier now, we seen a lot of plains game at catapu and also at the Sable camp but we were looking for specific animals, ended up no Sable. The 12th eve I shot a couple of Baboons and a Duiker for a Leopard hunter coming in a couple of days. I like shooting Baboons.
My wife & I had a great time they took care of us well we got along with everybody real well but on my way home I started replaying the hunt and I was disappointed I never got to hunt the Elephant. Grant, me and my booking agent Theo Blignaut emailed back and forth for a couple of weeks talking about the Elephant. Grant emailed me last week and said if I could make it back in November he would take me Elephant hunting no day rates for 7 days. GUESS what I'm doing in November yes I am headed back with better results on Elephant this time. I told Theo it's easy to be a great Safari company when everything goes according to plan but when it doesn't you find out who the good guys are. Grant Taylor and Mashambanzou are an upstanding company.
New hunt report coming in November
Posts: 45 | Location: Oregon | Registered: 22 August 2012
Good to hear that you're going back. Now, where's the pictures of your Nyala?
Frank
"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953
NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite
Posts: 12828 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: 30 December 2002
"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953
NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite
Posts: 12828 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: 30 December 2002
