Dates: Oct 17-Nov 1
Area: Omay North- Zimbabwe
Crew: PH -Bruce Cronje, trackers-Allson, Elias
Rifle- Whitworth .375 H&H, Federal 300gr. capeshocks and solids
Animal taken: cape buffalo- nothing else was hunted.
Because I am such a slow typist, this report will be somewhat brief and travel details minimal.
Oct 17-depart Fresno, overnight in LA.
Oct 18-19- depart LA to Atlanta and on to Joburg( Delta first/ business class- freq flier miles sure are nice). overnight at Afton House- great as always.
Oct 20- overnight at Maureen Harrison's B&B in Bulawayo.
Oct 21- 9 hour drive to camp, arrived about 14:30. countryside was a lot more hilly than I expected the last 50k. Met my PH, stowed my gear and went to the rifle range to "check out" the camp rifle I would be using(I happened to have the identical Whitworth at home). My first clue as to how thick the brush would be went I got a shot should have been when the target was only 50 meters away! No problems, so back to camp for sundowners and bullshitting. Mike, the camp manager had found a dead hippo while out fishing that day and had towed him up on a small island just offshore from camp. as the sun set, 6-7 large crocs were already moving in. After dark, you could hear the splashing as a feeding frenzy began. I figured I would get some nice pictures and video the next day. WRONG. The entire carcass was gone by morning.


Oct 22- first hunting day- Up at 04:30, out of camp at 05:15. Plan is to drive the hunting roads looking for dugga boy tracks and dismount and begin follow up. the first morning we initially drove up the Ume river bed( mostly sand now with a few pools) looking for tracks crossing from Matusadonna National Park into the hunting concession. Nothing fresh seen. Did see some elephants, including a large tuskless cow headed back into the Park. Headed into the concession to check other areas. Found 1 set of tracks but looked to be a day old. Back to camp for lunch and a dip in the pool. Every day it was 105-115 with high humidity- pool was great!! After lunch break back out looking again. left the truck to take a hike down a spring fed creek to check for fresh tracks. According to the GPS, 13 miles later we were back at the truck with no luck. bear in mind, the GPS only gives mileage on level ground- and there was no level ground anywhere in the area!. everything was either uphill or down.. back at camp at dark- this old man was totally exhausted. nothing another dip in the pool and a couple of drinks didn't cure however. turned in early but sleep was difficult between the jet lag and night time temps of 88-92.
Oct 23- same plan as before. Mike the camp manager came along to take videos for me. found a large herd of buff about 10:30 and there appeared to be a few dugga boys walking with them. unfortunately, they were headed quickly into the jess and although we got a good look at the bulls broadside, they never turned their heads allowing an appraisal of their bosses. once they entered the jess, game was over. went to Tiger Bay fishing resort for lunch and a swim. back to same area in the afternoon, bumped the herd again without being able to pick out a good bull. had the camp staff move my bed outside tonite and attach the mosquito net to the porch roof. even with the small battery operated fan i took, sleeping inside the cabin was damn near impossible. i figured i would rather take my chances with the hippos who wandered through camp at night than get no sleep at all. as an aside, the fan was probably the best ebay purchase i have ever made!! gave it to Bruce when i left.
Oct 24. same plan. found tracks fairly quickly and began following. same result as previous day. lunch break and head to different area. found fresh tracks and march begins. dugga boys(2) joined a small herd while we were tracking them and we caught up with the group after several hours. they had bedded down and we sat there 12-15 minutes trying to pick out the bulls - impossible in the jess. all you could see were bits and pieces of buffalo 25 yards away. because there were so many cow/calf elephant herds around, Bruce gave his rifle to his tracker( who apparently is a good shot) for protection and sent him and the game scout to circle around to try and get a better look and report back. about 10 minutes later, all of a sudden the whole herd jumps up and proceeds to run directly at us!!. they had winded the tracker and were running( not charging) in our direction en masse. we stood up and i shouldered my rifle as they bore down on us. Bruce cool as can be simply shouted and waved his arms- at which point the buffs eyes got huge and they swung around us at less than 5 yards. never did get a good look at the dugga boys but it was certainly a Kodak moment. oh well, tomorrow is a new day.
Oct 25. off again at sun up. again found fresh tracks but follow up produced the same result. bumped the dugga boys twice without getting a good look at them. Bruce noticed a funny noise in the truck rear end after we started driving so we headed to the Ume Croc farm to take our lunch break to he could put the cruiser over their work pit and get underneath to check the transmission. while there, the assistant manager gave me a tour of the operation. quite an interesting setup. so far this year, they have butchered 36,000 crocs for the hide market. eggs are gathered from Lake Kariba, incubated, raised up to about 5 feet, then skinned. the croc carcasses are run through a meat grinder and the meat is made into pellets- which are then fed to the young crocs! a truly self-sustaining cycle. lunch was spent by( and in) the pool of the adjoining fishing resort. off again in the afternoon to a different area. found fresh tracks and began the followup. 3 hours later we located the 4 bulls bedded down, although 1 was up looking around while his 3 buddies slept. couldn't see the horns well on any of them and the awake bull definitely knew something was up. after about 15 minutes, a vagrant breeze gave him our scent and off they thundered for the nearby boundary with the Bumi Hills photo concession. long walk back to the truck. at this point we had been hunting really hard for 4 days and walked 40 plus miles in 105-115 heat with no positive results. i could tell that Bruce was getting a little upset, in spite of my first day assurances that all I wanted was a good hunt and the end result was secondary to the overall experience- and in all honesty, I was enjoying the hell out of myself.
Oct 26- pretty much an instant replay of the previous days. went back to check and be sure that the bulls we jumped the previous afternoon had indeed moved into the photo area( they had). after a lunch break in the bush, we pressed own. found some bull tracks and took off again. these bulls again joined a small cow herd while we tracked them. as we moved through the jess, i suddenly spotted the herd bedded down to my right and had a clear line of sight to the herd. Bruce and the lead tracker were in front of me and when i whistled they immediately sat down. from their position, they couldn't see what i could. after watching the herd for 4-5 minutes with a cow looking directly at me, the wind shifted and the herd stood up and thundered off- all except 1 lone bull who walked into the only clear shooting i had ever seen, standing broadside at 30 meters with his head turned to look at me. i was pretty damn sure he was a shooter but without the OK from Bruce i wasn't about to hammer him. after 15-20 seconds he ambled on off to join his friends. such is life.
Oct 27 different day - same result. found dugga boy tracks, followed them but trying to seal the deal in the jess was proving to be a real bitch.
Oct 28. day started with a bang. found a single dugga boy track 30 minutes from camp, crossing a small sand river bed. sent the trackers into the bush to get an idea which way he was headed. they came back 10 minutes later and said they had seen him not 100 meters from the truck, climbing out of a small side creek. the bull hadn't seen them and appeared to be a shooter. off we went on his trail about 1 1/2 hours later we bumped him- he saw us at the exact time we saw him. he took off but we got a good look at him and knew he was a shooter. we backed off his trail and decided to head back to camp. the idea was that since it was mid morning by now he would soon bed down in the jess( hottest part of the day was just ahead). we could come back AT 11:00 and VERY CAREFULLY track him to his bedding spot and KILL THE SOB! seemed like a good plan but somebody forgot to read him the script. we were back on his trail at 11:15 and 3 hours later he was still meandering through the jess. we knew however that he would soon bed down( we found were he had just drink some water). as his tracks led into the next patch of jess, Bruce and i quickly circled to the right around it and sent the trackers in behind him. as we came up to the end of the brush, i glanced to my left and there was a big gray boulder- WITH A TAIL. Bruce had already given the go ahead to shoot so i threw up my rifle about the time he saw him. the bull's chest and neck were covered with brush but luckily i had a raking shot behind as he quartered away from me. the solid entered just in front of his femur, traveled forward through his rumen and took out the offside lung. as he ran off, i hit him again at s similar angle but a little more broadside and Bruce stuck a .458 Lott in him somewhere. trackers ran up and we immediately took up the trail.we found lung blood quickly but not a lot( later realized the solid hadn't exited and the blood was coming out his nose). the area was actually fairly open as we tracked him. after about 250 meters, we topped a low rise and spotted him bedded down behind a 8-10 tree with a small bush growing at its base, watching his back trail. be saw us at the same time and stumbled to his feet to begin his charge. Bruce was in front of me and fired but as he fired, the buff dipped his head to get his horns past the tree, so the shot hit him in th horn where it joined the bosses and had no visible effect. meanwhile i had taken 2 steps to the right to clear my line of fire and shot him in the neck( his head was lowered). the result was spectacular. he looked like someone had pulled the rug out from under him- flipped upside down, landing on his horns with his nose and 2 legs in the air. It was obvious that his neck was broken but I paid the insurance anyway with a shot through the brisket that exited out his back. Finally a plan comes together!! i don't know who was happier, me or Bruce. since i only had 1 more hunting day, i know he was worried about the outcome.




with the deed done, there was some serious imbibing that night in camp.i vaguely remember stumbling to bed. thank God i could sleep in the next day and spend the day recovering and fishing!
Oct 29. slept in and went fishing for a hour before lunch. caught a nice tiger about 5 minutes after we started trolling.

had lunch and the whole crew( 6 of us) went out on a booze cruise/ bream fishing expedition on the last evening.

Oct 30- drive back to Bulawayo with Bruce. that evening he took me to a sports bar to watch a rugby match, then on to Martin Pieters' house for a braii. met a couple of AR members there who were headed to Omay South the next day with Martin. met John Greef there who is recovering from his mauling.
Oct 31- homeward bound- uneventful flights.
Final thoughts: this was far and away the most physically demanding hunt i have ever had. lest you think i am exaggerating the temperatures, rest assured they came from the digital thermometer in my travel alarm clock. as to the distance walked, the numbers came from Bruce's GPS. we covered a total of about 65 miles, measured horizontally( and the only horizontal land i saw was the air strips at the croc farm and Tiger Bay) in 7 days in temps averaging 110 and over hilly terrain. and it wasn't a "dry" heat. that said and for those same reasons, it was also the most rewarding hunt i have ever had.we all truly earned this buffalo and paid our share of "sweat equity". if you want a proper tracking hunt were any trophy will be well earned, then this is the place and these are the people! the entire staff is first rate and i could not be more pleased. i am already trying to figure out how to swing a tuskless elephant hunt for next year- but i may just try to go in Sept instead of October!!!!!!!!!!!

I enjoyed that. A factual and no nonsense account of classic Buffalo hunting. Well done on your trophy.

Well done! I'm sure that seeing a "boulder...WITH A TAIL!" must have been quite a sight.

But only 110F? Come on now, an old Fresno boy can handle well over 120 in the shade! At least thats what I thought when I did my undergrad at FSU back in the early 80's. I guess you will just have to go back to Zim again and again to "keep acclimated"!

Thanks for the good write up. I really enjoyed the vicarious hunt with you

Congrats on a great buff that was properly earned! The Omay is a diverse place with many natural riches, and it's cool that you got to experience them. Cheers....johne

Nice job Jerry.

Rena and I enjoyed our time with you. We spent 3 hours together in the beautiful, air conditioned(not) Bulawayo International Quonset Hut.

Keith

I've been thinking to myself, "Doggone, he mentioned he bought that hunt and should have gone by now, where's the report?"

I intended to pm you this weekend and inquire. Well done! I'm glad you had a good time and thanks for the report.

quote:

Originally posted by Dulcinea:


Nice job Jerry.

Rena and I enjoyed our time with you. We spent 3 hours together in the beautiful, air conditioned(not) Bulawayo International Quonset Hut.

Keith

i enjoyed the time as well. don't forget to post the picture Rena took of you, me and Ernest II in the Bulawayo "International" Airport! as far as the temperatures encountered, we had 2 days of 115. and unlike Fresno( where temps are similar), it is NOT a dry heat like here. I was drinking 3-4 liters of water a day( ran out of electrolyte powder by day 3), and still wasn't pissing very often. a couple of days we ran out of water miles from the truck and filled empty water bottles from springs where they came up out of the rocks.

Jerry,
Congrats on your buff! Nice hard-won trophy. It was a pleasure to meet you at Martin's house your last evening in Zim and our first day in. I can vouch for the heat and the miles tallied in search of old kakuli bulls! We walked from 5 to 12 miles a day in 40 degree Celsius heat as well and any buff taken in those environs is a well earned trophy. I'll post a report soon. The wife bought a new Mac and I am having a hard time catching on to it... the old dog, new tricks thing I guess. Again well done Jerry!

thanks a lot Russ. Martin emailed that you and Jay got your buffalo and a couple of grysbok plus had an opportunity at a nice lion. glad to hear of your success and enjoyed meeting both of you at Martin's. maybe next year we will share a camp.

congrats Jerry, that buff was hard earned, a true trophy.

Jerry,

How sweet it is when one works hard for their trophy. Good hunting and it reads a good time.

Mike

Trying to sneak up on buff in the jess is a tough thing. Usually unsuccessful if there's more than 1 buffalo. Congratulations on your mature bull. Sounds like a tough hunt.

Congrats and welcome home.

Jerry. Well done! Congrats on your bull!

+1!

Ernie II and his pals. jdollar and dulcinea

i.e. Jerry and Keith

notice the picture of the democratically elected president of Zim in the background- the HONORABLE ROBERT MUGABE!!

Jdollar,

Very nice and hard won trophy.
I too hope to hunt a tuskless one day.

Hamdeni

quote:

Originally posted by Dulcinea:


Ernie II and his pals. jdollar and dulcinea

i.e. Jerry and Keith

Watch out for that African gentleman behind you. Me thinks he is trouble and means business.

Great Hunt well done
Dave

Great report and pics. Can't wait for next summer, when my son and I hunt with Mart and the boys.


Mad Dog

Great story! Thank you for sharing it with us.

spent a lot of time around the pool with all of Martin's PH's in the evening and they were all absolutely great guys to be around- YOU WILL HAVE FUN, Mad dog

Great story & that tell me I should be there next Sept - about 3 weeks before you went.

Thanks for your thumbs up!

3 weeks before i went should be a lot cooler. i would still recommend a battery operated fan( with 4-6 extra D batteries). it will make a HUGE comfort difference and when you leave it for the PH- WELL HE WILL REALLY APRRECIATE IT!!!! once i moved my bed outside on the porch, it was much better( but the chilly pad/fan was the major difference)>

Thanks for the report and bringing this post back up. Martin has us penciled in for Aug 11 next year. Getting my Africa Jones back...

Well done. Sounds like you had a good time. Congratulations.

Proves the trophy is the experience.

Looks like it turned out to be a pretty exciting hunt

Congratulations Mr Dollar