Hi All, I have added a few more pics but am strill awaiting some finla ones which will hopefully complete the set by the end of the week.

I know this is not a traditional AR hunt , but it was great fun for us and hopefully you will enjoy the report.

Hunt Report. 14 August to 22 August 2010
Area Hunted : Savuli Ranch, Masapas Ranch,Save Valley Conservancy
Camp: Savuli Camp
Trackers: Mukachana,UYayi, Willie, Bongai
Weapons: 458 Win.500gr Nosler partitions.
30-06 TSX triple shock 180gr
223 Samsung 55gr spitzers.
Animals Hunted: Cape Buffalo, Eland Bulls and Cows, Zebra, Wildebeest,Impala.
Animals seen: Elephant,Buffalo,Black Rhino,Leopard, Eland, Zebra, Hyena, Blue Wildebeast, Jackal, Impala,Sable, Honey Badger, Bushbuck, Nyala, Waterbuck.
Pre Hunt: I live and work in Zimbabwe and have hunted here all my life. Savuli is a favourite playground of mine, not least because of its appealing Camp and friendly staff. Terry Anders and his wife Sheona are wonderful people who are committed to Savuli and its diverse array of flora and fauna. As a Zimbabwean who is involved in hunting and dealing with clients etc, I consider Savuli to be one of the best hunting , and definitely bowhunting destinations in Zim. I have been lucky enough to hunt Savuli several times over the last few years and can never thank Terry and Sheona enough for the chance to experience it over and over again.


13th Aug
Left Harare at Midday.Bitterly cold day asa cold front had blown in from the South. . The drive down took us about 5 hours and we stopped in at Senuko Ranch(home of Shangaan Hunters) to collect my weapons and Bow from my son. He is an appie under Glen Stockil and has claimed access to my guns until he can afford to buy his own. I don’t mind so much , as long as he keeps them clean and remembers his Dad one day when he has his own hunting area.
My Wife daughter and I overnighted at Senuko with Judy Addison(Glenns girlfriend)


Day 1
Drove to Savuli from Senuko, arriving at about 9:00am. The second group in our party arrived whilst we were still unpacking. (Steven Mumford, girlfriend Sonja and John Evans, a mutual friend.)
Once the cruisers were unloaded, we decided to take a drive with our trackers to familiarize ourselves with the area . I have hunted here many times, but most importantly I wanted to check out a bow blind I had built here a few months previously.
The blind was in good nick and the waterhole showed lots of sign. Most interestingly a large MR SPOTS had drunk the night before , as well as some Lion spoor which seemed a bit older.
I took a walk for about an hour around the area with Tracker Willie. Spotted one group of Buff Bulls but all soft. Also saw Sable and plenty of Impala.
We met up with the vehicle and about half way back to camp a Black Rhino and her calf stood and posed for photos for several minutes before charging off into the undergrowth. On arrival at camp we found the remaining members of our party had arrived. Steve Voss and His son Julian and Hannes Scholtz and wife Justine .
Mr Mumford is an thug when he pours drinks so the first night around the camp fire resulted in much merriment and a slightly wobbly walk back to my chalet..

Day 2
Pain, Pain, PAIN….. I hated Steven Mumford and swore revenge on his head.We rose early and set off in the dark for Masapas which is about an hours drive from the Camp. Steve Mumf and John in one cruiser and the other Steve, Julian and myself in the other.Hannes and the girls could not be coaxed from their beds.
I got young Julian set up a couple of times on the sticks within 40 odd metres of impala a couple of times during the morning, but he was extremely nervous with this being his first animal, so I didn’t push the issue. When he felt comfortable he would take the shot. John walked with Tracker Bongai and managed to get a Wildbeast.
We met up with Hannes and the ladies for a quick Bush breakfast .I would be unfair if I didn’t give the Bush breakfast more than just a passing mention. It consisted of bacon, eggs and boerewors, cooked on a plough disk or Skottel over a hot Mopane fire. Most of us had walked quite a bit that morning so the meal went down a treat. The fried bread in bacon fat to clean the skottel off would have given any cardiologist heart failure, but a couple of hours walking would have walked it off I reckoned.

I persuaded John to gut his wildebeest so we could have some fun with the vultures. Our trackers quickly had the animal gutted and we took the pile out onto an open sandy area whilst we hid under some mopane. In five minutes we had 38 vultures feeding, when not a single bird had been seen in the sky above before we put the “bait” out. These peculiar birds always amaze me with their incredible eyesight and how quickly they can clean a carcass up.


The ladies went back to Savuli with the intention of swimming in the Turgwe. This is an area of inch deep water which flows below the pump station at Savuli where we often take the kids on hot days. Being shallow and crystal clear it is safe from crocs and the kids have great fun in the sand.

The guys continued looking for Eland until about mid afternoon, but no fresh spoor was seen. Julian had a couple more goes at getting up on Impala, but I could tell he was getting tired from all the walking, so I called in the vehicles and we headed off back to Savuli.
On the way back in, we spotted a good herd of batchelor Impala Rams who moved off into some thick Grewia . Julian had perked up a bit after a coke and a banana, so we got him off the vehicle . Tracker Uyayi got us close and set Julian up on the sticks. A ram at the back of the group was selected and went straight down when Julian put a 180gr spitzer 308 bullet through his shoulders.


I could see Steve was very proud of his son and Julian himself was extremely excited. Julian stutters when he gets excited and I don’t think he managed a single word all the way back to camp, but it was all good as he had a good Impala ram as his first animal.
A good old Zimbo braai with steak, Borewors, sadza and some cold beers finished the day off in fine style.

Day 3
We left camp in two vehicles . I had managed a minor coup in “borrowing” a tracker from my cousin Gordon Duncan of Doma Safaris. Kachana is an absolute master of his craft and he soon had Hannes on some Eland . Willie, the second tracker walked an area near the Eastern boundary with Steve and John whilst I drove some of the thicker areas looking for Buff spoor. Sadly for Hannes the Eland crossed into Mokore after he had followed for about 2 hours. Mumf followed a couple of spoors but after a few hours walking they bumped the herd a few times and decided to give it a rest. Steve eventually settled for a Wildebeest which crossed their path when they were walking back to meet the vehicle. I sadly did not see any Buff spoor.
Lunch consisted of some ham sandwiches and water and some hilarity at Kachana’s version of Hannes dejection when he saw his Eland cross into Mokore without being able to get a shot.
Just after Lunch, we managed to find some fresh Eland track coming back into Savuli from the North. Hannes and the two Steves went off after different groups. At about 4 o clock, Kachana found some new Buff spoor which he thought was worthwhile. We walked on these until about 6 PM. It was clear that the group of 4 bulls was heading for a pan not far from the camp. We called the vehicle in and got back into camp at about 7ish rather tired and weary.
The girls had some great news , as they had seen a group of 60 to 70 Eland, on their way back from a visit to the big tree at Mokore. They had also witnessed two massive Eland Bulls fighting and Hannes wife Justine had some awesome pictures.Everyone perked up a bit at this news . Suddenly a cold castle a couple of scotches seemed just the order of the day.Sadly ,Steven Mumfs had to leave today. His was a bit of a flying visit .He had a dairy farm to get back to, but he will be back on a lengthier trip I am sure.



Day 4

I spent the morning walking with Kachana after the 4 bulls we had left the previous evening, but despite a brief stop at Maramba pan they had kept on trekking resulting in a 5 hour walk with no sighting at all. An energy bar and some water made up lunch, but that niggling doubt in my mind just wouldn’t go away. Another hours walk after lunch , and we were not getting any closer. I called in the cruiser. My GPS showed we had covered 25kms through all sorts of bush without spotting them once. I would love to say I could have carried on , but anyone who knows Savuli will back me up that not only is it extremely hilly, it is extremely thick. I was knackered to be honest. During the walk we saw Impala, Wildebeest, Zebra, Bushbuck, a really nice waterbuck Bull, and a second black Rhino. I was bothered by the fact that the bulls didn’t rest up over the hotter period at midday. I am still not sure of the answer to this. Those Bulls kept on trucking and didn’t hang around for anything.
I decided to give the Buff a break and have a go at an Eland Bull with my bow from the Blind at Salt pan. I got into the blind at about 330 and settled in. by 6pm .It was starting to get dark and I had resigned myself to the fact that nothing more would come in when I saw 4 Eland bulls approaching slowly and cautiously. The moved across the wind and to my right and then I saw another 4 and another 4. 12 Huge Eland bulls were now walking in to the blind. I shoot an 80lb Elite Archery Bow, with 450gr arrows and 125gr Tekan G5 mechanical broadheads and suddenly I felt undergunned. These animals were huge and muscular. They looked like Tanks rolling in . My other worry was the light, which was fading fast. Shooting a peep sight with pins means you have to have a decent light behind or Around your target. I watched the bulls walk in and stop to the right of the blind. I could see the light getting dimmer and dimmer by the minute. Those Bulls must have sat off, just out of bow range for a good five minutes before two moved forward. The first walked in across face of the blind whilst the second , a slightly bigger animal moved to a patch of mud and started to rub his forehead . I drew and looked at the sky for a second through the peep and was relieved when I could still clearly see the pin. I lowered it onto the bulls shoulder and could still see it clearly. I steadied myself and touched my trigger. My point of aim was just behind and below the shoulder. In the dimmer light i didn’t see the arrow but a meaty slap and the bull leapt high and to his right, signaled a hit. The bulls thundered off out of sight. The blind only has a view of about 30 yards. I purposely built it this way as far too many people are tempted to take long fanciful shots, but the consequence is that you lose sight of the animal quickly. We could still hear the animals , so I climbed out of the blind. In the dull gloom, I could make out the group of animals through the trees but they moved off slowly. By the time I saw the last of them disappear, it was completely dark. I decided to call in the vehicle . As the vehicle drove in, I followed the Bulls spoor from the point at the Mud Patch. It was clear that he was well hit as his track was splayed and uneven, but there was not a drop of blood anywhere. The other bulls had run behind him and then crossed his path so within about 20metres his spoor had been covered by the others. The vehicle headlights and our torches showed the area a little better. The Bull had fallen within 50 metres of where he had been shot. When we skinned him and opened him up, the arrow had gone through both lungs and severed the aorta just under the heart. I was ecstatic at this Bull .
Loading the Bull was fun as neither cruiser had a winch so 8 of us inched it on with poles etc.
The scotches that night tasted particularly good.

He isnt the biggest Eland Bull around, but my first taken with a bow . We also hunt on Savuli and try to avoid taking the Biggest trophies, which are kept for you guys from overseas.


Day 5
Steve Voss and Hannes decided to walk after Eland again today. No Luck. Trackers reported numerous Lion spoor all over the area. The felt the Eland herds had been pushed East onto Mokore.
Hannes and Steve decided to drive to Masapas in the hope of picking up something there . Hannes managed a Wildebeest that afternoon. My son Jason had two free days between hunts so I shot down and collected him from Senuko. I was just in time to see their Clients(Matt U and LHR270 from AR) take off. Glenn insisted on a few beers , so it was late afternoon before we got back to Savuli. A rest day really for me and the family.
Day 6
Hannes and Steve and left today. Business is a bitch but has to be handled . Was a bit strange to be in a quiet camp. Hannes had tried gamely with his son Dan to bag an impala, but they couldn’t get into a shootable position . Dans time will come on a future hunt I am sure.
I took a drive at about 9 to look for spoor.I had my son, daughter and my wife on my cruiser with me, so it was decided that I would take a walk through an area of Mopane forest with my daughter and tracker Willie. We walked for about an hour . I must admit that the 223 on my daughters 11 year old shoulder looked very inviting when compared to the 458 on my own. We saw a couple of herds of Impala and a young kudu bull , all of whom darted away with speed when the detected us.
We then came across a small open , bare area where a group of Impala, with two good rams were feeding . We were screened by some thick Grewia bush and the wind was right so they had not detected us at all. The Impala were about 50 metres from us. I was tempted to take Shaye a little closer but there was not much cover , so we set up the sticks for her to shoot . Now I believe that the time has come for a kid to shoot their first animal when they have properly mastered a weapon. Rightly or wrongly I believe that the child should be able to set the gun up, find the correct sight picture, fire the shot and reload the weapon, make it safe and call the shot. I was therefore really pleased when Shaye announced that the Ram furthest from her was better than the closer animal. She pushed the safety off , without looking up from the scope and her finger curled round the trigger.
At the sound of the shot, The ram leapt almost straight up , landed and tore off into a wall of vegetation about 10 metres away. I hadn’t seen the strike and neither had Willy. Shaye however was confident and said it was a good shot just behind the shoulder. I have to admit that I was a little nervous. It was her first animal. Had she flinched, or pulled the shot, or had she even missed completely??
We quickly found the place where the Impala had dove into the undergrowth. I was still looking for blood when Willie let out a shout. The Ram had died as it leapt through the screen of undergrowth. Shayes shot was perfectly placed in the heart and the animal was dead within 20 metres of the hit. I cannot describe that feeling of immense pride and emotion that swept over me as I watched my little girl walk up to her first kill. I was even prouder when I saw her remove her cap as she stood next to the Ram. This is a silly little quirk of mine and is meant purely as a mark of respect for the downed animal. It made that moment a little more special.
We radioed the Cruiser and carried the Impala about 300 metres to a narrow track where we met up with my wife . She too was thrilled, and we took special care with the Pictures of our daughters first Impala. I have shot a number of Buff, Elephant and plenty of Plains game over the years, but I doubt that any of them gave me the thrill that my kids first animal gave me. My son, an Appie PH, gave my daughter the full treatment , shaking her hand then singing with the two trackers in Shona , much to Shayes embarrassment.
We took the Impala back to the Camp and had a quick snack and some coffee. I intended on walking again if I could find some fresh Buff spoor but to be perfectly honest, The excitement of my daughters first animal took precedence so I broke out the shotgun and we trekked off down to maramba dam and shot some doves . This was great fun as the whole family participated. The trackers layed bets amongst themselves on who would win and eventually I slapped my upstart Son into submission by a very narrow margin. It was really great watching my wife and kids shoot together.
I wasn’t going to get my Buff on this trip but this was so much better. Family ,friends and good times. This hunt will be fondly remembered.
Our last night at Savuli was spent a little differently. I sent Willie and Kachana off to a small Village just outside the Conservancy where they bought a couple of crates of Local beer. We went off into the bush and had a small party for the staff , and I mean the whole staff. A few beers, some sadza and nyama. Its good to get to know these guys a little better. I have spent quite a bit of time at Savuli and I think they appreciated the gesture.
Day 7
We left Savuli fairly early and drove to Senuko. Had a lazy day followed by a braai with Glenn and his Dad Clive. Clive is a legend in this part of the world and listening to his stories and advice could not have been a better ending to a really enjoyable hunt.

It may seem like we battled to find Buff, or Eland etc at Savuli, but in truth there was always plenty of sign and only time and circumstance prevented the guys from getting a couple of Eland and me from getting my Buff. Savuli is a really great area to hunt. I have been fortunate enough to bowhunt all over Southern Africa and I consider Savuli to be one of the best environments that a bow hunter could wish for. There is an abundance of plains game,including Nyala, Bushbuck, Sable and Waterbuck and some superb Kudu.I doubt there are very many non fenced properties where a hunter could Bag Nyala, Bushbuck,Kudu, waterbuck, Eland, Sable and a leopard with a bow in one trip. This might sound a bit over the top , but given the right planning I think Savuli has the ability to offer that and more.They have good Leopard and next year I think they have Lion on quota, and possibly Elephant. Buff are definitely present in numbers and on past trips I have seen some really good trophy bulls. Savuli has really good walk and stalk cover and also some good quality blinds and tree stands.A huge effort and expense has been put into piping water all over the property so in the dry months this is a big drawcard for all species. Add to that a comfortable camp and friendly staff and I doubt you could want more.

Hey Frosty
Looks like you guys had a great time as usual.....hope to see the rest of the pics soon...missed you guys this last weekend...was in Harare.....catch up soon.......

Those Eland photos are truly amazing. Thanks for posting them!

the eleand photos are really unique

Frosty --

We were at Senuko when you came thru but missed you. I think you drove up to the airstrip just as we were flying out. Jason is a fine young man. Good job.

Frosty: I hunted with Terry at Bishopstone last month and shot a nice buff and eland. He is trying to get me to come to Savuli on the next go around. You mentioned hyena. Are they there in sufficient numbers and are they on quota? Terry has also promised me another bigger eland bull. He's a great guy to hunt with, and his old .458 Winchester backup rifle with the brass wrist plate that his grandfather made is quite interesting!

Terry is certainly a great guy and an excellent PH to boot.
Re Hyena, I am not sure about quota, but they are certainly present in numbers. I will let you know what they have quota wise.

I have no doubt that if you hunt Savuli , that you will have a great chance at a really big eland. There really are some monsters there. Am just waiting to get my pics uploaded to post the pics of the one I shot with the bow.

quote:

Originally posted by LRH270:
Frosty --

We were at Senuko when you came thru but missed you. I think you drove up to the airstrip just as we were flying out. Jason is a fine young man. Good job.

It was us indeed. Hear you got a great leopard. Hope we will see a report on it soon. Thanks for the compliment on Jason....regular beatings keep him in line ........

Duncan,
I hate that we missed you at the airstrip,maybe we can catch up next time.
I enjoyed hunting with jason.He is a fine young man just as LRH270 has said!

Hey Matt, yeah sadly we missed you by a few minutes. Did you get your map by the way.

I did not get the one we spoke of,but did get to look at the maps that Glenn had at the office

PM me an address and I will send you another....The original must still be with the pilot.

Duncan,
I didn't know that was you. Thanks for the ride in Harare the other day. Glad you guys had a good hunt. Looking forward to some more pics.

Frosty --

The leopard's over at http://forums.accuratereloadin...9421043/m/1361020931

Frosty,

My nephew and I did a 12-day Buffalo, Leopard and plainsgame hunt at Savuli in July with Georgia Safaris (John Hunt). It was an awesome hunt with a great outfitter. I understand why you like going there so much. It is a great camp and hunting area. The Eland are big and plentiful. My nephew shot a great one. I would have loved to witness that Eland fight...great photos.

Very nicely told! That's a great eland to take with a bow.

Any African hunt is an AR hunt especially with family...

Mike

Terry was the PH on my first safari. It was conducted at Bishopstone. This is the second or third report I have seen recently where Terry was the Ph.

He was alot of fun to hunt with. I wish him much success.

quote:

Originally posted by h kittle:
Terry was the PH on my first safari. It was conducted at Bishopstone. This is the second or third report I have seen recently where Terry was the Ph.

He was alot of fun to hunt with. I wish him much success.

Terry was not our PH, however he runs Savuli and I have no hesitation in agreeing that he runs a fine operation and is a great guy all round.

Thanks for sharing you fabulous hunt with friends and family.
Congratulations on you Eland bow kill and your daughters Impala... fantastic !
Andy

Nice one, thanks.

Those eland fighting is one of the coolest things that I have ever seen.