Dates Hunted: August 24 thru Sept 5, 2020

Location: Kasonso, Northern Zambia ( NW corner of Kafue National Park)

Animals Harvested: Zambezi Sitatunga, Sable, Yellow-Backed Duiker, Lichtensteins Hartebeest, Crocodile, Defassa Waterbuck, Common Reedbuck, Blue Duiker, Oribi, Warthog, Kafue Lechwe, Chobe Bushbuck, Puku, Red Lechwe, Cape Buffalo

Dak416 (Hunting companion): Sitatunga, Sable, Roan, Puku, Cape Buffalo, Kafue Lechwe, Impala, Lichtenstein Hartebeest, Blue Duiker, Oribi, Common Reedbuck, Chobe Bushbuck, Defassa Waterbuck

Weapons: Cooper .340 Weatherby
Dak416: Dakota 76 300 Win Mag, Dakota 76 416 Rigby

Outfitter: Muchinga Adventures LTD

PHs: Johnnie du Plooy and Fico


Dictated for my Father:

Our visit to Zambia was 5 years in the planning. My dear friend, Stephan Jacobs of SMJ Safaris in Namibia, and I had discussed the idea of Zambia as a concept to sample a visit to this great area. The Kafue area and National parks and game management areas were discussed as a safari destination with possibilities for species were new. Dak416, a partner on multiple safaris, was ready and open to explore the new area with me.

Stephan arranged the best safari company he could recommend. John du Plooy and his Muchinga Adventures LTD was contracted with the plan. Stephan and MV were to join us but COVID was the wild card and disrupted this plan.

Myself and Dak416 had a great experience in planning, many curveballs and more paperwork than any safari in 22 years. We had to abandon the Delta 200 as it was cancelled and rerouted with Ethiopian Airlines, which was a great service.

The pandemic was not going to stop our safari and refused to let stop us from jumping additional hurdles including COVID testing and health letters. I refused to let the long standing plans be cancelled for a political virus where malaria was a much greater real risk and not a reason to cancel.

We travelled with Ethiopian Airlines out of an eerily empty Washington Dulles from our home base in South Dakota.

Laura and John du Plooy were instrumental in making us know what forms and applications, visa, health letter, COVID testing etc were all ready.

Our arrival in Lusaka via Addis Ababa was very pleasant. In transit in Addis Ababa they require the hunter to go to luggage and open gun cases. The employees were very helpful in the process that seemed redundant on just a transit status. On arrival, Luverne was our expeditor on clearance and delivery to the guest house.

Our first chapter, was a visit to the Kafue flats for Kafue Lechwe. John du Plooy and Billy guided us to the legendary Kafue flats for a day hunt and return to the guest house.

We then travelled Northwest to the NW corner of the Kafue National Park to start our safari. We met Fico who would be my PH for the duration of the safari. Johnny du Plooy guided Dak416. What happens over the next 10 days resulted in some unbelievable trophies.

The ability of our guides to find and judge good quality trophies was much appreciated.

The excitement grew each day and the next day exceeded our expectations over and over. The hunt peaked with a roan for Dak416 and a Yellow-backed Duiker for myself.

Sable were present in herds of 50-60 head in each group, the buffalo were plentiful with big dugga boys and challenging tracking. The variety and intensity of this safari will always be cherished. Laura and John du Plooy were above and beyond to make our safari a huge success. My friend Stephan was unable to join us but set us up with great and honest professional hunters and their operation.

The safari industry in needing all of us to plan and travel. We need to support them to keep our great conservation tradition alive. The anti-poaching efforts and success of their efforts need our willingness and determination to make it happen.

Covid is a viral illness that has muzzled "masked" us and we need to peel it back and go on safari.

"Make Safaris Great Again"









Dak416 Trophies: Where in the world can you get 2 trophy horse antelope in one trip in the wild!



Trump coin was my lucky talisman that brought incredible luck! I left it with Carlo, the area owner, to keep it great!

I can not thank Fico enough for a sensational lifetime safari!

Man! I have to do that!I

Great trophies and report!

Well done on the yellow backed duiker. I think that's the first one taken by a sport hunter in Zambia in more than a decade--and maybe closer to 20 years.

You can't go wrong with Johnnie du Plooy in Zambia.
Awesome Safari
Congrats

edholum,

I was privileged to follow along on your safari through Laura duPlooy and WhatsApp. Kasonso is a fabulous area and you guys did incredibly well. Big sable, bushbuck, puku, sitatunga, Kafue Lechwe, Crawshay's waterbuck and a boomer yellow back duiker plus everything else. Wow! OH! The 15' croc deserves mention also. Well Done!!!!!!!!!

Mark

Wow, that is the most insanely impressive bunch of trophies i have ever seen, thank you for posting and Congrat's to you and all who made it happen!!

Fantastic safari, thanks for the report. Hell I didn't even know they had Yellow Backed duiker in Zambia and I have made two safaris there!

And Fico Vidale is a great guy and PH. I enjoyed hunting with him as well...

Congratulations on a fantastic safari! I’m glad to see that at least a few people are getting out to Africa during these difficult times.

Well Done and some very nice trophies!

Congrats!

Very well done!

Now that is ZAMBIA!! Congrats to all involved and thanks to the Cuturi’s for their significant investment in their areas!

Absolutly fantastic hunt in Zambia there, with proper great trophies, no need to sit way back with those, proper Croc to !

Yellow Backed Duiker, Sitatunga, too many great animals to mention !!

Thank you for posting !

Incredible Safaris with outstanding animals!!!

Thanks for posting. Supposed to fly Ethiopian next Sunday. PM'd you with some questions.

Thanks

Congratulations - so good to see a new safari report!

Wow nice trophies. You guys cleaned up!

Is there any other places, besides rainforests, where you even have a chance at a yellow-backed duiker? Are they found in the blocks in Cameroon where they hunt Lord Derby Elands?
Very cool set of trophies!!!

Incredible number of trophies for a 2 week hunt! Great pics! Thanks for sharing.

Excellent hunt and good to see Kasonso come good. The Yellow Back is a brute and very rare nowadays.

A terrific set of trophies for one hunt.

Great stuff. Huge congrats.

Well done! Thanks for posting.

Can you give more details on the YB duiker? Were you actively hunting them or did you spot it whilst hunting?

Wow. Incredible safari. Congratulations.

Its so nice to see a hunting report, and what a report! incredible safari congrats

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Can you give more details on the YB duiker? Were you actively hunting them or did you spot it whilst hunting?

Yellow-backed duiker was on the original species list with a trophy fee associated with it, so the assumption was it was doable. Had no idea one had not been shot in decades in Zambia so naturally it was on the 'wish list' way before the safari ever started. I remember WhatsApp questioning dad and asking about if he had seen a YB duiker or if they were going to make a special hunt for them. His response was "Rare as hen's teeth, one has not been shot in many years so chances are basically zero."

So when I got a picture of one, my jaw hit the floor. They were not actively hunting a YB duiker at the time, from the sounds of it, it was a complete right place right time situation that was capitalized on.

To answer a question earlier about YB duiker about distribution and where there is a chance for one, I really have no clue. I like the African Game Animals book from safari press. Gives me an idea of distribution and subspecies etc. This one was the "Angolan subspecies". Attached a few pics.

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Can you give more details on the YB duiker? Were you actively hunting them or did you spot it whilst hunting?

Yellow-backed duiker was on the original species list with a trophy fee associated with it, so the assumption was it was doable. Had no idea one had not been shot in decades in Zambia so naturally it was on the 'wish list' way before the safari ever started. I remember WhatsApp questioning dad and asking about if he had seen a YB duiker or if they were going to make a special hunt for them. His response was "Rare as hen's teeth, one has not been shot in many years so chances are basically zero."

So when I got a picture of one, my jaw hit the floor. They were not actively hunting a YB duiker at the time, from the sounds of it, it was a complete right place right time situation that was capitalized on.

To answer a question earlier about YB duiker about distribution and where there is a chance for one, I really have no clue. I like the African Game Animals book from safari press. Gives me an idea of distribution and subspecies etc. This one was the "Angolan subspecies". Attached a few pics.

Cool. Thanks.

Thanks for the fantastic report and photos. Great to read!

The duiker information is interesting - I had no idea they got that big (body-size-wise).

quote:

The duiker information is interesting - I had no idea they got that big (body-size-wise).

________

They are one of the four giant duikers, the other three being bay, Jentink's, and Abbott's. If you are ever in Arusha, Tanzania, there is a funny little natural history museum that has a mount of an Abbott's duiker, which is essentially a yellow backed duiker without a yellow back. There is a trail cam picture out there of one with a frog in its mouth.

Not to diverge too much from the original thread. The taking of the YBD is huge news.

quote:

Originally posted by sandyhunter:
Well done on the yellow backed duiker. I think that's the first one taken by a sport hunter in Zambia in more than a decade--and maybe closer to 20 years.

The outfit green scored the Yellow-Backed Duiker today at exactly 20" 0/16. This puts it at #2 in the Zambian records for what we have, which goes up to 2012. Haven't looked at the online version. It is the first one that would be added since 1991 (29 years!) My dad is feeling super blessed!

Huge Thank You to Fico Vidale!

Very good hunt! Well done to all involved.

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:

quote:

Originally posted by sandyhunter:
Well done on the yellow backed duiker. I think that's the first one taken by a sport hunter in Zambia in more than a decade--and maybe closer to 20 years.

The outfit green scored the Yellow-Backed Duiker today at exactly 20" 0/16. This puts it at #2 in the Zambian records for what we have, which goes up to 2012. Haven't looked at the online version. It is the first one that would be added since 1991 (29 years!) My dad is feeling super blessed!

Huge Thank You to Fico Vidale!

That was a bull of note. Some of the entries are females.

Congratulations ED, super safari. I didn't realize they had YB in Zambia!

My clients shot 3 last year in Cameroon in one of the few concessions that have them there on licence.


Arjun Reddy
Hunters Networks LLC
30 Ivy Hill Road
Brewster, NY 10509
Tel: +1 845 259 3628

Dak416 was going thru the archives and found this great post by Andrew (fairgame) and thought it was a great post that means so much more now that they have been there and lived it. It truly was everything described! Ntengu Safaris investment is truly paying off!


Kasonso Revival

Yes and Yes. Both are doing well. Chased off by elephants often. As far as quota and availability in hunting area, you will have to contact outfitter.

Excellent Safari well done to all.

Well done on all accounts but especially on succeeding in spite of Covid.

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:

quote:

Originally posted by edholum:
Dak416 was going thru the archives and found this great post by Andrew (fairgame) and thought it was a great post that means so much more now that they have been there and lived it. It truly was everything described! Ntengu Safaris investment is truly paying off!

Great conservation success story!!

Did you see much in the way of elephant and lion?


Kasonso Revival

The link you provided for the Kasonso was my safari with Andrew. Ours was quite a memorable hunt, with much excitement! We did well, but you knocked it out of the park. What an amazing bag, and diverse set of trophies.

Congratulations. Extremely well done!!

Outstanding trophies and some real bruisers! Congratulations on a great hunt!