28 September 2024, 06:22
FloweTuskless, Bushbuck and Eland in Nyakasanga, Zimbabwe with CMS
Hunting report: Nyakasanga, Hurungwe Safari Area, Zambezi Valley, ZimbabweOutfitter: Charlton McCallum Safaris (my fourth safari with CMS)
PH: Buzz Charlton. This was my second safari with Buzz as PH.
Trackers: Criton, Nyati and Eddie
Others: Michael, the Parks Game Scout
Dates: September 1-13, 2024
Species hunted (planned): Tuskless, Bushbuck, Eland
Game species seen but not hunted: Elephant, lion, hippo, crocodile, buffalo, grysbok, impala, warthog, baboon, zebra, waterbuck, kudu, guinea fowl
Rifle: Heym double in .450/.400 NE 3“ with Swarovski Z6i 1-6x24 with soft and solids in Hornady factory ammo
Travel arrangements: Flight from Zurich to Harare via Dubai with Emirates. Transporting the rifle with Emirates was absolutely professional and unproblematic.
I stayed one night in the Willow Lodge in Harare. Next day drive to camp with Buzz. On the way to camp, we had a small lunch in a restaurant (“The farmers wife”) beside the road after Karoi. At Marongora Parks office, we picked up our game scout Michael.
Accommodations: Fly camp in Naykasanga about 500 m downstream from the main camp. It’s a small tented camp (one tent für client, one for PH) with a tented dining area. Wonderful view from the tent onto the river.
Hunting situation: The hunting was performed the traditional way: picking up fresh tracks in the morning or after the lunch break and if they were promising, following them on foot. So each day early start at about 6 am leaving camp. So wakeup call each day at 5 am, breakfast at 5:30 am.
Day 0: After arriving in camp in the afternoon, we checked the rifle sights. Unfortunately something must have happened with the sighting. I needed 10 rounds to sight the rifle in. Lesson learned: always, always check your rifle after travelling.
Day 1: Picked up tracks of groups of elephants in the morning and after the midday lunch and break. Got in contact with herds two times, but no tuskless without dependent calves to be found. Had packed lunch in the bush. So no need to drive back to camp and loos time by doing so. Its unbelievable, what the trackers Criton and Nyati are able to see and follow!
Day 2: Same as day 1.
Day 3: Tracking eland in the morning unfortunately they took of with a group of impalas. Then we stalk to different pans. On one we found kudu, impala and bushbuck. Could get my bushbuck on about 100 m with the double from the shooting sticks.
After midday lunch and break we tracked another group of elephants. Again, we got in contact but no tuskless with no dependent calves.
Day 4: Tracking elephants in the morning following the riverbank of the Nykasanga river. Found a first group of female elephants, but all either with dependent calves or with tusks. At about 8 am we were in contact with a second herd. The last was an old (estimated 40 years) tuskless cow. While approaching, she noticed us on about 20 m and first turned frontal on. But then turned away. I thought to myself: my chance is gone. But luckily then she turned again right and I was able to shoot her with a side brain shot on 14 m. After a second shot (again side brain shot) I got my fourth tuskless. The rest of the day was used for recovering the meat and the skin.
Day 5: Criton informed us the day before in the evening that he had seen tracks of an eland herd close to the camp. This morning we left camp and found fresh tracks after less than 30 min. So we started tracking the elands. We got in contact with them after about another 30 min and then we started circling around them so we could get ahead of them. At 9 am Criton pointed out the old eland bull about 120 m in front of us. My first shot from a half bent forward/half kneeing position totally missed the bull. Luckily, the bull was unaware that we were there so I got a second chance and got him.
After recovering the whole eland, we had a relaxing afternoon.
Day 6 - 8: As I got all the trophies I was looking for, we now relaxed and had some game drives in the area and shooting guinea fowl.
I tried myself fishing for tigerfish. Unfortunately, I was not able to catch a fish beside Buzz tried all he could. But it was a wonderful time on the river and in camp with Buzz and the whole team.
The last day, we had a braai dinner on an island in the river in front of our camp.
Day 9: After a “big” breakfast with eggs, bacon, beans, toast, tomatoes etc. we packed up and left camp. We dropped of Michael at Marongora Parks office and continued our way to Harare. Again we had a lunch break at The farmers Wife restaurant at Karoi.
As I wrote, this was my fourth hunt with CMS and I already booked my next one with them in 2026 for tuskless and sable in the Dande East area.