Masailand
Area of Hunt: Simanjiro Kitangare
Date: Feb 15-28 2021
PH: Blake Wilhelmi
Outfitter: Adam Clements Safari Trackers
Travel: Shawn Kennedy Gracy Travel
Guns: Dakota Arms 416 Rigby with 400 gr Aframes
Christensen Arms 300 WM with 200 gr Aframes
Animals Harvested: 3 Buffalo, 2 Grants Gazelle, 2 East African Impala, Thompson’s Gazelle, Cokes Hartebeest, Eastern White bearded Wildebeest, Lesser Kudu and Dikdik.
Other Animals not hunted: Fringed ear Oryx, zebra, and Eland
Booked this hunt with Blake and Adam at DSC in 2020 for August 2021.With COVID pretty much destroying the 2020 hunting season, Blake contacted me about moving hunt to spring 2021 which is a prime time due to Tanzania extending the season . I moved hunt to spring knowing this could be the only year this is possible.

On February 12th flew United from Sioux Falls to Dulles and overnighted. Next day flew Dulles to Addis then Addis to Arusha, arriving at 4pm. Flights on Ethiopian were really good, new planes and friendly flight attendants. At Addis you have to let them check guns, need to have 45 minutes extra for this. I do think they make firearms priority baggage so better chance they will arrive with flight.
After clearing Tanzania customs we drove straight to camp about 2.5 hrs

Next day got up and hunted area within driving distance of camp.This area contains some very dense thickets which the Buffalo like to hide in, and some river drainages and some more open area that is loaded with plains game. This is the area that we shot all the plains game. There were a lot of both Gazelles, zebra,Dikdik, Wildebeest, Hartebeest feeding on the green grass. Temps were in mid 80s during days with lots of dew every morning. Nights cooled down so pleasant for sleeping. Still took a few days to acclimate due to temps of -10F when I left home. Quite a few Buffalo in this area including a bull that was mid 40 spread that I was too slow to get off shot and the wind busted us.Also found a big Buffalo with huge drops that I shot on the shoulder at about 80 yds which immediately went into the thickets. After waiting for him to stiffen on follow up found that he bedded twice in first 150 yds but moved off before any chance of another shot. Tracking was very difficult with no exit wound and not much blood after first 200 yds. Unfortunately his tracks got mixed up with a herd and spent the next couple days looking but couldn’t find him. Area was extremely thick so not sure how far he went.Blake and the trackers made every effort possible but we couldn’t find him.

We then decided to move to a fly camp about 2 hrs away closer to Tarangire park boundary. This area had more open meadows that Dugga boys would feed in. Was able to put a stalk within 40 yds of a huge old dugga boy and had him down with multiple shots within 50 yds. He had to way over a ton, he was in great body condition from all the green grass. That afternoon we spotted another dugga boy feeding in open, stalked to within about 60 yds and he also only made it about 50 yds.

We returned to main camp and spent several days following Buffalo and hunting plains game. We then decided to hunt Buffalo in the mountains so off we went fly camping again after several hour drive. Climbed up to top of mountain that afternoon and saw plenty of Buffalo sign all the way to the top at about 6000 ft . Next morning we hiked up in the dark with Blake going ahead to glass. Got to the top and he had spotted a good bull feeding. Put on a stalk which put us above the bull with wind blowing up towards us so we set up by a huge rock waiting for a clear shot. He was feeding behind some brush so no shot and then he was hidden behind this huge rock formation we were standing by. Next think I see is his head coming around rock at about 10 yds and then he turns and starts comimg up hill towards us! At this point the only shot I had was his head so I shot him which flipped him backwards down the mountain. Another shot in the chest for insurance and he was down.

We then made it back to main camp to check our hyena bait but couldn’t get them to feed in daylight hrs. Then it was time to head back to Arusha for long flight home. Adam had arraigned for my COVID test so was able to do that when driving back from mountains .

Really enjoyed hunting in this area and Blake gave 110% effort to make it a success. It was a pleasure to hunt with him and hope to hunt western Tanzania with him soon! Being able to hunt Buffalo in 3 different areas was nice.

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Congratulations!! Sounds like you had a great hunt. Thanks for posting.

Looks like a pretty fantastic hunt. Congrats on a fabulous Lesser Kudu, that’s an outstanding one. I take it you were hunting 21-days and had 4 buffalo on license, that’d be outstanding!

Hunted there many times on my Residents licence - spent months there, brilliant place.

I miss it.

Masailand is very special. Extremely well done all around but that Lesser kudu is amazing. No gerenuk there?

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Masailand is very special. Extremely well done all around but that Lesser kudu is amazing. No gerenuk there?

Mark

Absolutely ....this Lesser Kudu is outstanding.

Was the hunting Block Kitiangare ?

DLS, yes I had a premium permit.
Mark, no gerenuk in this block.
Bwana, yes block is Kitanare

Outstanding!

Nice. Have hunted with Blake in the past and think he will be my PH this year, but who knows with all this craziness. Well done!

Awesome! Congratulations.

Thank you for sharing your adventure and pictures

Great report and some superb animals!

Well done!

Very good report with pictures.

nice that it all went well over and back..

Thanks everyone for the positive comments , I know a lot of people were unable to make there trips in 2020 wanted to provide some inspiration so hopefully everyone can make it to Africa in 2021 and 2022

Fantastic collection of trophies and Blake is proving to be one of the best around at the moment.

The Lesser Kudu is spectacular. Well done.

Congratulations on a wonderful safari.

That may be the most beautiful, massive and heavy horned lesser kudu I have ever seen.

Truly fantastic!

Great report and pic's!

What camera did you use to take those pic's?

Jason
It was Iphone12

Great trophies.
I am sure you had a great time with Blake.
He is alot of fun

Great to read this report thanks for posting it. Congrats!

quote:

Originally posted by Dak416:
Jason
It was Iphone12

Wow! I don’t normally notice photo clarity that well but your pics are amazing.

Congratulations on a great trip. Wonderful trophies across the board, but as others have noted, that lesser kudu is truly spectacular!

I hunted from that same camp in 2007 and 2009 for a total of 31 days when Samaras used to have that Kitiangare and Landanai (where we hunted kudu and gerenuk) and recognize a number of the faces in your staff photo, including Limwaneti who was one of my trackers. He was wonderful, but led us into places after buffalo that were thicker than anything I've ever seen before or since!

Regards,

Richard

Remm
Definitely agree with you about the thick stuff!

Wonderful safari.

Is that lesser kudu huge in the body and horn?

He looks huge. Or are you 5'1?

Looks like a fantastic trip. Congrats and thanks for the report.

Congrats and thanks for posting! Brings back great memories.

Some spectacular trophies. Well played sir
  

An exceptionally good Thomson's for Kitiangare or should I say the rolling plains of Emboret.

Was that phenomenal Lesser Kudu taken in the thickets behind the spring or way East of Kitiangare at what is known as korongo wa mjerumani at the foot of Rotian mountain?

Is the borehole near the Red Cross airstrip still operational? There were some very good Grant's in that area at one time.

BWW,
I am 5 11 but maybee I was sitting in a hole!!
fulvio,
I will ask Blake what area we shot the kudu and if the airstrip is still there

quote:

Originally posted by Dak416:
BWW,
I am 5 11 but maybee I was sitting in a hole!!
fulvio,
I will ask Blake what area we shot the kudu and if the airstrip is still there

Not the airstrip .... the borehole we had drilled for the community.

The strip will be there as FlyDoc lands every Thursday to treat patients.

You may also ask where he unearthed the Tommy at Kitiangare

I recognized Maneti but could not put a name to the face of the other tracker, the short one with a gap in his front teeth.

Fulvio
I talked to Blake and he said the borehole wasn’t working last year for sure. We got the kudu down in Seombe Kichaka and the Tommy close to Sukro plains.

quote:

Originally posted by Dak416:
Fulvio
I talked to Blake and he said the borehole wasn’t working last year for sure. We got the kudu down in Seombe Kichaka and the Tommy close to Sukro plains.

That the borehole fell into a state of neglect is not surprising.

Great report, Masailand looks like the place to go. That Lesser Kudu is fantastic!

Excellent report. That’s one of the nicest kudus I’ve seen

Some really fine trophies, congrats! Your first buffalo would qualify for the Wooly Bully award..lol. Well done, LDK