bobga
One of the best reads in awhile.Great story,trophies and
well told,I enjoyed it.Thanks for sharing...
Now like someone said go buy a lotto ticket.

If I were you I would stop what I was doing and go buy a Powerball ticket. Just one. With your golden touch, buying more would be a waste of money.

You Sir, have got a pile of awesome trophies. Congratulations.

Now that is one beautiful Kudu! Envy is a terrible thing.

Dreams Can Come True - Hunt Report - June/July, 2004

First, let me thank all members of the Accurate Reloading Forum for all the help you have given me for my first African Safari. Factual advice from picking the right gun, ammunition, how to search for the right Outfitter, to the complete packing list.

This trip started 2-1/2 years ago when I began planning, researching where to go, and who to choose as a PH/Outfitter for my first hunting safari in Africa.

I joined SCI Georgia, which gave me a wealth of information obtained from members who had completed many safaris. Also subscribed to African Hunter magazine. After narrowing down my choice of PH, calling references of other clients, I knew from the overall remarks and all my research that I wanted to book my hunt with John Sharp Safaris, which I did.

My wife and I attended the Reno Convention and met with John Sharp personally and knew immediately that he was the quintessential African Professional Hunter. John gave me his promise that we would have a top quality, unforgettable experience (which he did); that he would be the first person we would see when we got off the plane in Bulawayo (and he was), and that he would be with us during the entire safari (100%).




Everyday was a new adventure: clean fresh air, the bluest blue skies, whitest white clouds, spotting animals, tracking, going from a walk to a stoop to a crawl on my stomach and obtaining the trophies that I got, and appreciating the beauty of Africa.

Our safari started on June 18 for a 15-day hunt with John Sharp Safaris. John was my guide and outfitter and was with me everyday. He was a superb tracker, able to assess trophy quality of each animal, distance of shots taken, and a great conversationalist and host. He worked very hard to get me on a stalk and we stayed with the animal until either we judged to pass on it's trophy quality or taking it. Like many of you have said, a top quality outfitter means you have first-class accommodations, great food, super equipment and vehicles, and a great staff. John's staff was unbelievable: Isaac and Kevin, the two sharp-eyed trackers; Quinn, John's apprentice PH; Aylid, the waiter; and Peter, the cook.

After our 18 hour flight to Johannesburg, a short flight to Bulawayo, and an early, next morning three-hour flight to Dande for the Cape Buffalo hunt, we settled into our camp, had breakfast, and decided that we would drive around and scout out the area. We ended up on a stalk through the bush, which proved to be very successful and lucky. We spotted two buffalo and tracked them for 2-1/2 hours. Everything was right on our stalk; the buffalo were below us and they had no clue that we were there. John said this was a very respectable Cape Buffalo and I could take it if I wanted, which I agreed to do.

Here I am in Africa, my first day hunt, and I have a beautiful Cape Buffalo below me. One shoulder shot hit him right through the ribs, the heart, and ended up lodged on the outside of the second set of ribs. When we climbed down to view the buffalo, we heard it's death rattle and I am surprised that you didn't hear my yell back here in the states. My safari had begun!!!



I used my Winchester Model 70 and a Federal .375 H & H Trophy Bonded bullet and was able to recover the bullet and it retained 98% of its weight. The Buffalo measured out at 39-1/2"; with 14"; hard boss. After getting back to camp, no one could believe that we were back so quick, and to have such a quality trophy. My wife was on this entire stalk and was excited as I was; she stayed way behind us and was accompanied by Quinn, John's Apprentice PH, who was fantastic throughout our entire safari.

John had scheduled us for four days for the buffalo hunt, and since I got my trophy the first day, we flew back to Bulawayo the next morning. From there, we spend the night at John's house while the truck was being packed with all our gear, and then took off bright and early the next morning for the three hour drive to Malagana which is south of Bulawayo.

The camp at Malagana was awesome. Our chalet was a thatched-roof, stone structure with a complete bathroom with plenty of hot water. It overlooked a beautiful lake with a Kopje on the horizon and faced west for beautiful sunsets. Aylid, our waiter, brought us coffee every morning at 5:30 a.m. After we left camp, he would clean our room and make our bed. He would collect our dirty clothes, wash them and iron them with an iron filled with hot coals and have them laid out for us when we returned that evening. Peter, the cook, was wonderful. He made homemade bread and rolls everyday (like John said - there's not a 7-11 right around the corner), and cooked great meals.




The trackers, Isaac and Kevin were absolutely extraordinary, either they saw animals in the distant, or in walking in front of the Safari truck would spot fresh tracks and we would be off on a stalk. We followed for hours, some as short as two hours to as long as 41/2 hours to get close enough for a shot. Many stalks did not pan out. After stalking eland twice, we were close enough until they got our wind and were gone. In one case, we almost got run over by a herd of zebra because we were crawling in the grass, and the eland took off. Two kudu stalks resulted in getting close enough for a shot, although at times it was a hard stalk, following tracks for hours, climbing over kopjes, or crawling through grass, but the country was so beautiful, it was exciting. Each time John would say it was a very respectable trophy, but thought we would see a better one if we waited. Everyday was a new adventure and we saw lots of game - giraffe, wildebeest, tsessebe, waterbuck, bushbuck, eland, warthog and 3 different times spotted sable.

We were out at first light each morning, checking for Leopard tracks, setting up baits, and spotting for other trophy animals. I carried a Weatherby 300 mag with 180 grain trophy bonded bear claw bullets. This went on every day for 6 days. In the afternoon we would go on many stalks. I took a steenbok using a borrowed 22-250, three Impala (one for a trophy and two for bait), a great stallion zebra (skin for a rug, meat for bait).

We continued moving bait in areas not having a hit to setting up a portable blind complete with leafy covering. At one point, we had five baits in place and three different leopards hitting on them. As the days went by, most of them stopped eating and in one case a female Leopard arrived and evidently the male followed her. He must have had other things on his mind than eating. We built a tree blind in another area about 60 yards from the bait, which would be a downward shot. John very careful in choosing his locations of blinds so as not to disturb any plants or trees in the area of the bait. All materials used for the tree blind came from a distant area, no chopping noise, and very quiet in building so as not to alert the leopard if he would happen to be close by to the baited area.

John decided we had one leopard that continued at bait and that we would enter the tree blind that night. Sitting completely quiet we waited. No coughs, farts, or any noise as it got darker. Fortunately we had a full moon, but we had a concern that maybe the leopard would not move around with the full moon. After three hours we were rewarded with the sounds of a leopard on the bait. I could hardly see it until I had my scope on it. My heart was beating so loud I was afraid the leopard would hear me. I put my Leopold scope, which had an illuminated reticule, on the leopard and placed the + on top of his shoulder. John whispered, "Take him" and I carefully squeezed the trigger. Big bang, growl, and then a big thud. I knew I had hit it in the right place. John congratulated me, but also said let's wait to be sure we could not hear anything coming from the bush. After 20 minutes of no sounds, we called in the trackers. They had large searchlights, and John and Quinn had their shotguns loaded with double O buckshot. As they started to advance to the bait tree, John said I should wait in the tree blind if I wanted - he felt sure the leopard was dead, but did not want to take any chances or have to worry about me. I stayed at the blind and watched it like in movie, them taking steps slowly, moving lights all around, shotguns following the lights. After they saw the downed leopard (it had only traveled 20 feet) they announced that it was in fact dead. I climbed down and ran over to see. What a beautiful leopard: 180 lbs, 7'7". I absolutely jumped up and down with joy. I was sooo lucky - my first African hunt, my first leopard hunt, and I had a Monster. Much celebration after we got back to camp.



The following days were fantastic, great weather at this time of year, cool evenings, and cool in the morning until the sun came up. The next most exciting stalk was when we saw a fleeting glance at a herd of kudu; a large bull traveling with a group of cows. The trackers started out on track with John and I right behind them. This turned into a very long, tough stalk. We followed the herd for hours; up and down kopjes and across river beds. John said we were going to try to get ahead of them, and we went over another very tall kopje, then down, and then up another one. John saw the cows and we had to slowly butt-crawl up the side of a kopje. At about half way to the top, he motioned for me to stop. With his binoculars, he could see the bull at a very long distance below. John asked me if I could see the Kudu, but I could not. He described the scene below and told me to put my scope on the tree with no leaves and then move to the dark grassy area to the right and that I would see it laying down. It took me a minute, but I finally saw the top of his horns when he moved his head. This shot would be over 300 yards. He asked me if I thought I could hit it from this distance, and added that if I made this shot, it would be the shot of my life. After what seemed to be an eternity, John said for me to get in a good comfortable shooting position. He placed the shooting sticks, sat next to me and had me prop my elbow on his knee, and I got ready The kudu was still laying down in the shade. John asked if I was ready, then he made a whistle noise. After the 3rd whistle, the kudu finally stood up. John told me to place the horizontal line of my scope at the top of his back and to move the vertical crosshair to just left of his front leg. Then he said, "Take him." I squeezed the trigger and as I made the shot (and even through the recoil), I could see the kudu drop instantly. We then watched with the binoculars for any movement, and after no movement from that spot, we climbed down to see the Kudu. There are no words I can use to describe what I felt we arrived at the downed animal. It was huge! John believed it to be the largest kudu he had ever had a client take. He estimated the range of the shot was at 320 yards. He called for the truck, described our location, and after about an hour, we could see them cutting down trees and brush to get the truck through to us. My wife came out of truck with her cameras and I was so proud to show her, it brought tears to my eyes. I was so happy. Quinn measured the horns at 59�" on one side and 61" on the other. This was an awesome Kudu. John said many hunters come to Africa on many different trips to get a Kudu of this size and I was able to make a very long shot and get one on my first African safari. After the photos, we packed up and headed back to camp for yet another celebration.





On our last few days of hunting, we did try for warthog and eland. We saw some of each and did several stalks, but never did get close enough for a shot.

From our Malagana camp and the drive back to Bulawayo, we then boarded a plane the next day for Victoria Falls. The falls, native market, and our accommodations were great. Africa was more beautiful than I imagined. Being in the Country of Zimbabwe, going through the airport, or travelling on the roads through the country, we never encountered any problems or had any concerns for our safety.

John surpassed his promise of a truly, unforgettable experience and we plan to book another hunt with him in the future. This trip was a dream come true.

GREAT story,GREAT animals, congratulations on the hunt of a lifetime.

Bob,
Congratulations on an incredible trip! Your buff, leopard and kudu are all outstanding. Zimbabwe is a fantastic destination, and even with her political problems is my favorite hunting country in Africa.

Bob,
Congratulations on a great hunt. Excellent report as well. Your description of the overall experience with John and his team sums the memories I have from two years ago. He delivers on his promise of a great safari experience.

By the way, has any mentioned that is one dandy kudu?

Truly fantastic trophies, and a great storyteller to boot!
Thanks,

Bill

What is wrong with you? You shot all the best trophies in Zimbabwe on your first safari!!!
I don't know which is best, but that kudu is much better than a 170B&C whitetail or 30 inch mule deer.
May I ask why most people translocate to hunt plains game after shooting a buff? Is there a reason for the scarcity of plains game in the dangerous game regions?
One again, GREAT hunt and a really nice report too.

bobga,

What an adventure! Congratulations across the board.

Great leopard, and that kudu is mythical.

And a well-deserved "Waidmannsheil!" to you, sir! Now the only question is: will it be disappointing to go back and take second best animals now that you've taken the best on your first hunt?

I'm only kidding, of course, because the experience is the much larger part of the "trophy" than the physicial rememberance. Well done!

Wow! Contrats bobga! That is a great story, with great photos and about the dreamiest kudu I have ever seen! And the dagga boy and leopard ain't half bad either.



Cheers,

Canuck

AKA
I know there were 4 different leopards feeding at one time at different locations, so I feel their are still plenty in the area. Ask John about the Road Warrior Lepoard as he could be even larger then the one as was able to take.
Bob

bobga ..very very nice..Also thank you for the great write -up as i will be hunting with John Sharp next July. You had better left me a good size leopard!!!..

Absolutely awesome, Bobga.
It just doesn't get any better than that...

Fantastic trophies, but the memories, they are priceless!!

Rick.

Bob - thanks for taking the time to post the report and pictures. As with others, I have heard only good things about John Sharp, and my interactions with him have all been positive. We are all looking forward to your next hunt!