I am going to take time to do this post. We have so much to show and tell!!!

October 18, 2010

If you told me six months ago that I would be hunting elephant in Zimbabwe this year I would have told you “ you are nuts”. I might have gone along with buffalo/leopard but, elephant no way!



This morning finds us leaving for JFK at 3am for an 11am flight to JNB. What I thought would be a five hour job was only three hours!
At least we are first in line for check-in, the young lady getting ready for check-in had everything ready for my firearm when she opened her line. The Port Authority officer was already waiting to check the rifle. Our second time through JFK, smooth as silk.



We have a daughter, Kate, she is nineteen, in her second year of college. Kate has been to Africa twice before. Taking some wonderful trophies, including a fifty four inch Kudu.

Kates' 2007 Kudu

Poor Kate has to go to school and will not be with us this year.

We all know things change as life goes on. I was expecting some changes at work for 2011 and beyond. In 2009 anticipating the worse, I contacted Wendell Reich. Wendell helped me pick some dates for time off to be ready for a late season bargain or cancellation. If worse came to worse I could always stay home and archery hunt or fish for stripers.
Guess what, I am going elephant hunting in Zimbabwe. I will be hunting in Gokwe South, Thsabezi Sarais, with Dudley Rogers as PH.
Off to Zimbabwe to hunt elephant. I am going to hunt a trophy bull elephant and hopefully a management elephant.


Ernies' first Zim sunset!!

Hellam, Pa to JFK, on to JNB, then Bulawayo Zim. Charter to the Manyoni River camp. Thirty one and a quarter hours, nonstop and we are ready!
We are in camp on the banks of the Manyoni River. It is the area known as Gokwe South in
the Gokwe Tribal Lands Trust.

Rena and I each kept a journal of each days activities. What follows is my account of each day. I tried to keep it as accurate and timely as possible. Sometimes I ramble, sometimes it does not make a complete thought.

I hope you enjoy


The Surprise!!!

Apparently we will do most of our hunting at night! I did not know this when I booked this trip. A little concerned about this but the reasons make sense. The boss(wife) keeps me cool and allows things to settle down before I blow my stack. I will go with the flow for now.

I remember a conversation with Wendell about hunting at night. I know I told him I was not interested. I am wondering what happened!

Our hunting area is directly adjacent to the east of Chirisa Safari Area and the Sengwa Wildlife Research Area. People live here and the elephants come out of the park each night to raid the crops and gardens. It is not crop time but we do see several large vegetable gardens. People actually have to sleep in the fields and spend all night chasing the elephants away. Last night you could hear the elephants screaming as they were being chased.

Wednesday Oct 19

This is supposed to be a rest day but tonight we will do some hunting. Sixty four degrees this morning, maybe this place is not as hot as I thought.

Breakfast is at seven this morning, as soon as we are finished we pile on the truck and head out to do some scouting. Dudley and I spend this time getting to know each other. I am told several herds with about seventy bulls total have moved in over the last few weeks.

As with all our other hunts in Africa, it is the trackers and such that make or break your hunt. No different this time as we drive along and the guys look for tracks. Elephant tracks are everywhere, you look at the track, decide whether it is a bull or cow and keep going. After several hours we reach the Lutope River Valley. Big tracks, lots of bulls, the guys are excited!

Back to camp at noon. 103 degrees, oh yea, it is hot now!!

Lunch and a nap. How do you sleep with the thermometer at 103. The generator humming and a twelve inch fan for each of you, oh and you still sweat.

This morning we used a tree to drag the roads of tracks. When we leave at 6pm all the tracks we see will be fresh.
When we spotted tracks everybody out of the truck to check size and listen for the ele’s. The first stop we heard them and they were out of the park. Followed the track and found the ele’s, saw several cows and calfs and a small bull. By the way the moon is full and the PH and Neimiah(learner PH) have night vision devices. That is how you maneuver through the bush and keep away from the ele’s that might wind you. It is full moon and we had no trouble seeing them, could not tell bull from cow but we could see them plainly.
Several times we would stop the truck and the guys would go out on foot so the ele’s were not spooked by us tramping through the bush in the dark.

Keep it coming Keith, I'm all ears.

This sounds interesting

Pay attention now!

Neimiah went ahead to look and listen, we followed slowly. He met us and had located a herd in the one sand river. It was about 2 or 3 k’s until we could hear them. They were feeding and groaning and making other ele sounds. I had no idea how far they were from us.

Keep going, move this way, stop, back up, move again.

Like a chess game.

We dropped into the river bed and used a higher bank for cover. We rounded a bend, you did not need night vision to see them. There they were about fifteen elephants, all bulls. Small, small, a little bigger, small, not too bad. Dudley is whispering to anyone can hear. Ah, that is one nice elephant.

Shit, I have no idea what is going to happen. Not now, not on my first night. I don’t think I am ready.

Buck fever?

It happened so fast, the two smaller bulls turned and started right at us. Damn here comes the big one too! Dudley says,” We are in trouble, Gonna have to take him now”.

Full moon, white sand, can see the ele clearly. I can see the large tusks on the big. I know they are close but because it is dark I don’t realize how close. “You ready”, “Yea, third one from the right”, “That’s right.”
I don’t know what the hell is going to happen or just exactly what to do. “Take him now.” Light comes on, his head is in the scope. “Man they are close”.
Small bulls are fifteen yards away, big one about twenty.
Gonna be a frontal brain shot, gotta remember the angles.
Videos, Boddington, Charlton, I watched them over and over. The brain does not move, the head does but the brain stays in the same place.
The ele’s don’t just stand there. I freeze, totally freeze. Shocked at how close, right there in my lap is a fourty pounder and I have buck fever!!!

That’s it, all over, ele’s gone. I am just numb, scared, sorry and yet somehow happy it did not happen on my first day.

Zimbabwe is beautiful at night in the full moon. We are hunting in the peoples’ backyards. You can hear them talking, singing, kids playing, dogs barking. We walk right past their homes. The ele’s are coming to raid their gardens and they are trying to chase them away.

quote:

Originally posted by Dulcinea:
I remember a conversation with Wendell about hunting at night. I know I told him I was not interested. I am wondering what happened!

Wendell was wondering the same thing when he got the report from Dudley that you were night hunting!

But Keith does not want to hunt at night?

Awesome story. Keep it coming.

Thursday Oct 20

It is only 104 this afternoon as we leave for the evening hunt. We go right back to the scene from last night. The elephant was 20 paces from us when he turned.

Ha, I knew he was close!

We dropped several guys off at different places to listen for the elephants coming over from the park, moving up the valley several k’s before setting up our base for the evening.

While we were waiting for dark several children showed up with packages on their heads. It seemed apparent to me that the locals appreciated our help with the ele’s that they sent food for the guys.

The children sat and waited for the guys to eat. Rena sat with them and tried to learn their names.

After an hour or so a report came in of a group of bulls heading for a garden. Off we went in the moonlit night, about 2 k’s later we found them in a harvested maize field.

So cool, full moon, in a field, less than 100 yards from ten bull elephants. They have no idea we are there.

On the other side of the herd stood one massive bull with short but thick ivory, one smaller bull with thin but very long ivory. Much different than last night. It was decided to make an approach and get a better look at both bulls.
Five people in the group, you stay together to look like a bush. Test the wind, move a few feet. Test the wind, back up ten feet. Move left, move right. Watch them move and close the gap. It took more than an hour to close the gap to fifty yards. The two bulls were still on the other side of the herd.

Remebering the Boddington video where he was looking at that Zim bull with the long thin tusks, I decided I wanted to try for the longer thinner ivory.

Several times we had to move back as they fed around the edge of the field. The big ones always stayed near the edge of the field. I think they knew they were exposed!!

Snort, grunt, wheeze, crash. It is all over, they are gone!!! Winded us, adios they say. We are out of here.

Back to the truck, only to find a report of a group of big bulls just coming over. Five k’s as quick as we can. The scout was a little confused about where they were but, the huge tracks do not lie.
Big bulls are around. After about an hour of searching we are sure the bull screaming in the park is the one we are chasing. Done for the night. Home at one am for dinner, shower and, bed!!

I was intrigued by your story but it's fading - really I just need a quick fix.

If you are keeping track it is day three.

This is the only journal entry on this day.

Went to bed at two am, up at seven for more scouting.

Now it is day four!
I am writing this on the morning of October 23.

Early this morning we hit the Crown Royal and cigars!!!

Yesterday late afternoon we headed down to the Lutope River again. Just past the road to the Sengwa Research Station we bumped into some elephants, it was still daylight. Everyone baled out of the truck, a quick check of the guns and the wind and we were off. A short stalk and it was found to be a small group of cows and calves.
Moving on we check some more tracks, dropped some guys off here and there. Set up shop a few k’s further up the valley than before.
It was quiet for a long time. After about two hours someone came running up to tell us the ele’s were in the gardens. We moved down the valley listening for them. As we moved along we located three different groups of elephants.

It is still October 23, it will be hard to describe what is happening this morning. We went to recover my elephant this morning. It takes about an hour to get to the site.

We pass people walking carrying buckets and bags to get a share of meat. They had to start walking before daylight and they know where to go even though they have miles to go! There are about two hundred and fifty people here, men, women, children, babies, patiently waiting for the butchering.
The game scout is the boss and about twenty guys start the butchering. The women are waiting at the top of the river bank. It is like a big town meeting. People talking, knives flying, laughing, working.

I remember a comment on AR,”don’t get near them when they are cutting up the elephant”. So true.

They are looking at me laughing, I am sitting under a bush smoking a cigar. Niemiah bring one of the guys over to me. He wants a match but does not know how to ask. Everyone has a good laugh when I tell him to say”may I please have a light”.

I go to the truck and get supplies I am hiding for just this moment. Store bought cigarettes, now everone is happy as we share a smoke break!!

It is one hundred degrees and everyone waits in the sun!! Dogs trying to get a piece, people kicking the dogs. Children playing or just sitting staring at us.
Take the skin off one side, trim the meat. Take off the legs, put a strap around the ele. Everyone pushes or pulls until it rolls over, then start over again. We got here around eight am, it is now half past twelve and one hundred five in the shade.
I remember when I thought it was not going to be too hot!!!

Most of the hard work is done and we will soon leave. It will take them the rest of the day to finish. We stay a while longer so Rena and I can see them give out the meat. One man had been in charge of putting the meat into piles. The men who did the work got their meat first. Next came old, ancient women, they had to walk like everyone else. Then they had to walk home carrying the meat. The look in their eyes was amazing, you could see the thanks.
When we left the only thing that was there was the partially digested food!!

Back to Friday.

We walked about two to three miles trying to locate the elephants. You stop and listen for them! Always paying attention to the wind.
Go this way, then that way. Out across a cotton field and on to a high spot to listen. They were on the move, off we go to the left to get the wind in our favor.
They were still five hundred plus yards away. We are really hustling because they are on a mission, food.
They come out of the park because due to burning there is no food left. No water either.

Coming to the river bed made it a little easier going, a hundred yards or so and we knew they were in the river too!.Coming carefully around a bend we saw them about one hundred yards ahead.
Stop, look, listen. There is a decent bull in this group of four.

You can close the distance qiuckly, they are making a lot of noise and their eyesight is poor. However if they smell you they are gone. It seems that scent on the ground does not bother them, people are always walking around.
WE are moving quickly to get close to check them out, finding the path they used to get in the river.

Thinking back we first saw the four bulls on the high riverbank, skylighted. What a sight, four huge elephants against the sky.
They came down the bank into the river bed about seventy yards ahead of us. Onto the pure white sand.

As we came next to the path the trackers started hissing.

Oh shit

That is what i heard from Dudley. More elephants appear on the skyline behind us, they are quiclky approaching the path.
We make it back, barely. I know they will be able to see us on this white sand, two of them start down the bank. The first one is absolutly huge, the second smaller.
The big one spots us, not knowing what we are.Three feet higher than we are, ears spread wide, head high, looking down his trunk.

Not in the journal, it is full moon, directly over head not a cloud in the sky. You can see like it is daylight.

I have been calculating the angle since we saw them on the bank. If you are going to take a brain shot you have to think about the angle, all the time. This is truly a big deal.

This elephant is no more than fifteen yards away from us and Dudley says we are going to take him.
This guy is fifteen yards away, on the bank, four feet higher than we are. Big ,huge, monster, intimidating.

No time to be scared, just can't happen!!!
The second elephant runs into the first one and all hell breaks loose. Elephants going everywhere. We're screwed!!!
Think about it fifteen yards and lower than he was, man that was cool.

As I am writing this the camp staff is cooking some elephant guts. It smells horrible, Dudley is pissed, screeaming at them. Rena and I are sitting laughing at him!!!

Up on the high bank, we catch one coming back. No chance to get him. We hear another one but can not find him. Moving fast not worrying about wind or noise.

WE know there is a least one left. We are skylighted on the high bank and do not have an advantage.

Then we see the big one, going back through the brush on the far side of the river. Dudley tells me we can make an eighty yard heart shot, but he will have to follow it up immediatley.

No, too far. Not doing it!


Sorry got to do some work, be back in an hour

We work along the bank, getting back to the original crossing. I can see him coming up the river. He stops on the other side directly across from us, as if to decide what to do.

Here he comes, no indecision now. It is showtime.

He gets to the bank and for second it seems as thought he is going to turn sideways. Back again, up the bank to the first flat. Fifteen yards away, we are skylined and that suddenly turns into an advantage. He stops, looks up.

I am already on him, the light comes on and I am right where I need to be!

When you make the brain shot the back end goes down, head and trunk up. If the back end does not go down you did not get the brain and you will have to shoot again and again. The back end has to go down!

The light comes on and instantly I pull the trigger.

I enjoy shooting my elephant gun. 416 Rem Mag, 400 gr Barnes solid. I shot about 200 rounds offhand in the last two months.

I am ready, never lost the sight picture. The back end crumples, head and trunk up. This magnificant animal never even knew he died. No follow up shot, nothing. He is dead!!!

I am not bragging, but I was in the zone. Totally, completely in control of myself. You have to be to do this the right way.

I do not think this is the way it usually ends. The guys erupted, calling me Bwana, professional hunter.
Dudley later told me they were extremly impressed and talked about it among themselves while we were taking pictures.

Just a few pics before I start the rest of the story.





She will be pissed when she sees this!!!






Well the Penn State game is coming on. I have to go watch Joe Pa get his butt kicked!!

Be back later.

Sunday October 24

Gathered up the crew and headed out around seven am. No hunting last night so we have to start all over looking for sign. Worked our way down to the Lutope Valley. Stopped at a gentlemans compound to buy maize for the crew. This guy had a maize grinding business. He was having problems with his Lister Diesel engine and wanted Dudley to look at it. This guy was very industrious but had no business accumen. We tried to explain to him that he had to know how much it cost to grind a bucket of corn so he knew if he was charging enough. Took awhile to get the point across.

Down to the valley to the kill sight.

Nothing left but the wet spot, Period!

Then elephants need to use this crossing, we piled grass and wood on the spot and lit the fire to burn. Went an hour further down the valley looking for tracks. As we got back to the site there was a lot of smoke in the sky. Damn, our fire jumped a fifty yrad wide sand strip and now about ten acres are burning. We all jumped out and started ebating the flames with anything we could find. Dudley left and soon returned with another truck load of people. We soon had the fire out or as Neimiah put it "the fire is now dead"

I thought I left work at home.

Back to camp at two pm for a shower and short nap. Five pm and we are off again. Headed in a different direction tonight. Up along the eastern side of the Chirisa safari area. It is different terrain here, higher elevation, no rain yet. Nothing is starting to green up. No tracks, no sign, nothing.

Even though the plan ws not to go to Lutope we ended up there. The elephant were around but the wind was all wrong for hunting there tonight. After a two mile walk we found them scattered and very jumpy. Did not outright scare them but could not make any approaches. After three hours of this it became clear that nothing was going to happen here.
As we got near camp we crossed the tracks of two bulls. They were not far into the area and because we were flying low they ran right back into the park. Back at one am, dinner, shower and bed!

Monday October 25 75 degress this morning, 108 in the afternoon

Good lord what a long hot day. Eat breakfast, sweat, lay in front of fan. eat lunch, sweat, lay in front of fan. Drink, sweat, lay in front of fan.
No scouting today, wanted to let everything calm down. Tonights hunt was from the camp. The guys scattered out around the area listening and watching.

It is Tuesday morning around six am as I am writing this. Max has just brought me my orange juice and the little table to write on. Poor guy moves that table a dozen times a day as rena and I move our chairs to seek shade.

Figdore(our deer camp cook) is in trouble this year. Goerge get me a beer. George draw my shower. George wash my underwear. Ha, ha, just the thought of that last one!!!

Sat in camp quietly last night, listening. You could hear the elephants in the distance but nothing left the park. Called it a night sometime after midninght. Went to bed, sweat some more.

I heard an elephant scream during the night. I am surprised we did not get dressed and go after him.


I hope you are enjoying my story, it gets the blood flowing reliving it!!


More tomorrow!!!

Keith

Love it... "In the Zone" priceless.

Rena last cigar I smoked, I turned a lovely shade of green.

Mike

Nice bull Keith, congratulations.

Tomorrow was two days ago, please finish the story!

Great story! Keep it coming.

More coming today!!!

Tuesday Oct 26

70 degrees this mornning and cloudy.

Stormed last night, very windy, a bit if rain. Neimiahs' house blew away last night, I asked him what he did. "Pulled the blankets up over my head".

Left at eight to scout. On the way down we ran into a flock of guineas. Off the truck with the shotgun, slow careful stalk. Got within ten yards and got two with a brain shot. Don't believe this B.S. Drove up to them in the truck, blasted at them while they were flying away. Got lucky killed two, one when in the park. The guys would not go in the park after them. I was not about to let a trophy get away, I went the fifty yards in and did the retrieve.

Back from scouting at noon, holy shit it is hot!!!!

"I am glad a white man is in front of me".

Dark does not descibe it. No moon, thunder, lightning, wind, rain.

The posse left camp just after four pm. Needed to get further down the valley. This mornings scouting trip yielded a big patch of bull ele tracks in the river bed. The river forms the boundary of the area and the tracks do not leave the river. We are going to sit quietly to see what comes in!

This track got them excited!!!

The sun goes down, the stars come out. This is short lived as thunderstorms start surround us.

About seven pm reports of elephants moving in other ares start to filter in. We start moving across fields looking for them. It is dark, very dark, you just follow the form in front of you!! A few times we think we have found them but no luck, no elephants. I gather we are heading back to the truck to regroup. Moving quietly along the thunder and lightning are constant and now it is raining hard!!

Pay attention, good part ahead.

We stop for a moment and I am pushed forward by the head tracker. Can't see shit!! Dudley tells me we are surrounded by elephants. Nothing, can't see anything.

I am told there is a big elephant right in front of us. going to move forward a bit to check it out. I follow him by holding on to his shirttail(really). Now I can make out a black shape when the lightning flashes. "Move up beside me" he says. "Get ready, it will be a side brain shot". I am ready, light comes on. It is further than I expected. Cannot see the cross hairs but, the head is centered in the scope. Gun goes off and he stumbles but does not crumple. Shit, missed the brain. Hear a boom from Dudleys 500 A Square, we had previously agreed he would shoot if we were very close to the boundary and it did not drop at my shot.

Rack another one in and I can feel it jam. Screwed, I cannot clear it. Dudley said relax, you have time. It is pitch black I cannot see what is wrong and I cannot clear it. I told Dudley to finish it. One nice bull of about thirty pounds. Short but very thick ivory.

Not sure, nor do I care what day it is!!

Like Rena said, "you sure know how to draw a crowd" It is elephant recovery day, they are coming from near and far with their bags and buckets. They wait patiently while the skinning crew does the work. When time for distrbution the women go crazy. I amde friends with one old women, she had never touched an elephant before. Neimiah had his phone on the elephants head playing music, this drove her to hysterics. It took awhile but I got her to touch the elephant.

Dudley set up a medical clinic. The main medicine being ibuprofin, some got eye drops and some got antibiotics I am sure we will contrubute to the medicine chest before we leave.

I am tired, happy, sad, mentally drained. I am ready to go home. I miss my dog, my daughter, my house, my trees.

Late Wednesday afternoon, I feel a little better now.

The meat distribution has been a problem in the past, Dudley has tried to have it done more fairly. The game scouts are now in charge of the distribution, they are crooked so more meat goes to their cronies. The local council has written orders on how it to be done. I do not think they are followings those orders. The first recovery left some people without meat and others had a windfall.

Doubt if this one will be any different. I am right, the game scout starts dividing up the meat and a food fight ensues. Sticks flying, branches swinging, people screaming. A big dust cloud covers the sight. Expecting this the guys had loaded all our stuff on the truck. In the truck and off we go. I doubt if I will ever see that spot again!

We think the summer rains are starting. It is thundering and dark clouds are forming. Don't know what tonight will bring.

In talking to Neimiah, I think we have been very lucky in that we have been among elephants every night we were hunting. Even seeing elephants in the day twice. Most ten day hunts, in four or five days you see no elephants. You do not have the opportunity to pass on as many as we have.

Just got word(by radio) of a croc that killed two people up north. Dudley wants to know if we want to hunt it? It will be a logistical nightmare to get it to work, we will see if it shakes out.

Decided not to hunt the croc. It would take two flights up to set up a fly camp. There are no sandbars so the croc will have to be baited a few days. We only have three dyas left, we will stick with hyenas.


It is half past five in the evening, we are going hyena hunting. Gonna call them in, the truck came from the other camp but forgot the tapes. We will have to use the CD's. Between the black people being retarded, and the white people bitching at them it gets old at times.

About nine pm we set up on the banks of the Manyoni River, right at camp. It sounds like a night of horrors at the haunted house. What a racket, howling, laughing, growling as loud as the machine will play.
It was blowing thirty plus, not good for hyena hunting.

Thursday Oct 28Thursday Oct 28

Seventy five this morning, one hundred eight in the afternoon.

Long day in camp today. I finally figured out how to cross the river to go for a walk. Left camp at daybreak, wnet north towards the airstrip. Sightings included birds, a mongoose, duiker tracks, impala tracks> Not much else going on.

A long drawn out loud, half moan, half growl is what you hear when the hyena comes. The most hair raising sound I ahve ever heard.

The posse has traveled to the Lutope Valley again. Stopping along the way to ask about hyenas. I can not figure out how they know, we are six or seven miles from Lutope. People tell us of hyenas killing a donkey near Mr. Sabandas home last night. We had hunted elephants at the Sabandas a few nights ago.

Our first stop is field before the Sabandas. We use the grass tent that the people sleep in during crop season, it is elevated and you can see in all directions. The guys set up the caller and huge speaker. We place the chairs and get ready. I ahve my rifle in my hands and the shotgun at ready. This is crazy. The god awful moaning and crying that comes out of the speaker is at rock concert level.
Clinton and Neimiah are on night vision and high alert. This is insane!!

You start off with a few groaning and moaning calls, wait and listen. The hyenas will come if they hear the call. They will come from several miles if they hear it!

Next you play the distress call. It is a coyote hunting call, the sound of a whitetail fawn in distress. It sounds like you have inpaled the fawn on a stake and have left it in the field to die.

Oh yea, I forgot the bucket of elephant guts that have been sitting in the sun for a few days. Do not put the bucket in the truck until it is moving!

Now the call is the feeding laughs and growls of the hyena, throw in a few fawn squeals for effect. It is pitch dark, just what the hell are we doing?

Thirty minutes and no hyena, pack up and head for the Sabandas. We are hunting in this guys back yard. The cattle pen is right in front of us. Neimiah told us last year he had to shoot a PAC elephant right here. Bullet went through the ele and hit the bull in the pen. Had to pay twenty bucks for the dead cow and did not get to keep it.

The calling starts and immediatly a hyena answers off in the distance. Dudleys son Clinton is with us, he tells me to get ready. Shit he is still a long way off. Then I realize this nasty noise is coming at a dead run.

I can not begin to explain how frightening this is for me. Truly scared of this noise coming right at me. Clinton tells me to get ready and watch him so I know where to aim. No sneaking, no skulking, no looking for danger. This devil is running right at us to get a piece of the action.

"Now", the light comes on adn this odd looking creature is running right at us, growling. He turns to the left at about fourty yards and I shoot behind him. Miss, dam no time for a second shot.

Everybody else is laughing and joking. WTF this is not for the faint hearted. Called some more, he answered but has been educated and will not come back. The whole time the Sabandas have been hiding in their hut one hundred yards away.

Back to camp, we set up on the river bank again. All that comes is two jackels. Another miss at a fifteen pound rocket ship. Dinner at midnight(early night).

Friday Oct 29

Today is our last day in camp. We are going to fly out a day early, so we have time to shop and start to get off bush time.

Last evening of hhunting, we head towards the Lutope Valley. Stopping to talk to several people on the way. We turn down a different road today. Dudley says a mombi(cow) was killed by hyenas last night. We travel for miles down this high speed road. Still going to the Lutope River but miles upstream from where we were before.
Pulling up to the local beer joint and find out where the hyenas are hanging out.

As usual hands and fingers point in all directions. You have to decide who to rely on. One of the least drunk guys climbs on and off we go. It is still light and there are goats, cows and children everywhere. Excellent hyena food.

We find a rise and a tree in a burnt over field. Fires are burning everywhere. This part of the valley is a canyon with steep rock walls on either side. A blind is built facing upstream, three chairs in a row.
Important note!!

Rena is sitting in a chair right behind us.

The devils songs start again. Dudley and Neimiah laugh, few people know we are here. They have to think Satan is upon them. Goats are crying, cows bawling, people yelling to each other up and down the valley. I tell Dudley they are going organizing a war party to spear us.

Then the moaning starts, way up the valley. It is coming from a long way off. Call some more and he is coming.

I have the shotgun in my lap. Dudley is going to let come closer tonight, gee thanks.

UNNGHH!! Right behind Rena. The night vision swings around, he is about fourty yards away and right behind her. She has her head down between her legs, maybe kissing her ass goodby. "Watch to your left, he is crossing".

The light comes on and I let him have it with a load of oo buckshot. Hit him, he turns back. Hit him again, keeps going to the left. I step back to be behind Rena and let him have it again. Seven shots and everyone says I hit each time. It was about fourty to fifty yards, when we last see him he is barely moving. Gather up the lights and head out.

So ya think you are having fun. Not a chance scared shitless. They will pry this gun out of my cold dead hands!

Nothing, can not find him. Search for fourty five minutes. No blood, no tracks. Maybe it was the devil.

Well we know there were two of them. Set up again and start calling. It does not take five minutes and UUNNGGH! Right behind Rena again. Dudley sees him and tells me to get the rifle and move to the tree. This guy is really pissed, growling like hell.

Light comes on and bang. The devil is dead!!!!


What a hideous yet beautiful creature. One hundred pounds of killing machine. He will make a good rug.

This was our last night of hunting. We are on our way back to camp, thunder,lightning, torrential rain. Dudley wants rena to ride in the cab. I tell him to keep going she will let us know if she wants in.

Thunder, lightning, rain. The guys are singing now, it goes on and on and it sounds wonderful. Even with the noise of the truck.

She is soaking wet when we get back, I think she had tears in her eyes!

How do I know this, I had tears in mine!!!!

Nice elephant.


Hamdeni

Keith,

I'm drinking in every part of this adventure, thanks for posting. A few questions come to mind.

Just interested in what your handload was with the 416? I know you used a Barnes Banded solid but what was your powder and charge and any idea of velocity.

Did you recover any bullets?

Regarding the feeding issue...do you think it was due to the configuration of the Barnes bullet...they have a flat tip. Did you try anything with a more rounded profile? Might want to play with the Hornady DGS as they seem to have good comments on the Forum.

Did you eat any of the elephant? I didn't with mine...was told it has to dry for a few days and it is an "acquired" taste.

I'm interested in the temperature...it was as hot in Botswana when we were there a month earlier but very dry so it was bearable as long as you stayed covered up from the sun. sounds like it was very humid..which can make the temperature worse of course.

The hyena hunting sounds like a hoot...got to give that a try on the next trip....and I'm sure it is something you will never forget!

That trophy bull is a great elephant...thick and with lots of character....can't wait to see how you display the tusks.

As you and I talked sometimes the greatest and most memorable adventures come with the least amount of planning. Good for you and Rena, great story and I liked your presentation, thanks for sharing.

Paul

Well done Keith, Congrats!

Glad you found a great hunt!

Greg

Keith, just wondering if you had a talk with Wendall about the night versus day thing? PM me if you want.

Keith just finished your last installment and loved it. The Pennsylvania AR guys did good.

Mike