This was our second hunt with Zambezi Hunters and Thierry Labat. Our first hunt, in September 2009, was out of Zambezi Hunters’ Tented Camp located in the same Sango region of the Savé as the Ingwe Lodge that we stayed in on this trip. We had the time of our lives on that first trip and soon became friends with PH Thierry Labat. We were then and continue to be impressed with Thierry’s knowledge of the African bush, and his hunting desire and ability. We learned much from Thierry on that first trip and both Cathy, my wife, and I were anxious to get back with Thierry and begin another adventure. This trip was Business Class air travel, the unbelievably beautiful Ingwe Lodge, and a short stop in Europe after the safari (at Cathy’s request). With 18 days of hunting for me, I felt this request was reasonable. The strategy worked well as we are already working on another hunt which will definitely involve Thierry and Zambezi Hunters.
Upon landing in Harare, we were met by Giles, who was not only our bush pilot but also our guide through the Harare airport, the gun permit process, and Zimbabwe’s visa and Customs process. Giles was our pilot on our first trip and it was good to see him again. Giles is thoroughly familiar with the customs and entry process in Zimbabwe and a true gentleman, and we were soon on our way to the Sango. After a one and half hour flight we were preparing to touch down when we saw Thierry and crew driving Giraffe off the runway for our safe landing. It was great to see Thierry and rekindle our friendship. After a short drive to the Ingwe lodge we met the temporary managers, Alan and Karen who were filling in for Nevin and Lindsay who were gone for a few days. Alan and Karen were gracious hosts and made us feel right at home immediately. Cathy unpacked while Thierry and I went out to check the rifles which made the trip just fine and then we were off to start our bait collecting for Leopard.
Alan and Karen




Thierry and I have had conversations over the last two years concerning the hunt for ‘mister spots’ and Thierry convinced me early on that hunting Leopard was a challenge and took planning and much work to get the cat where you needed him to make a clean kill. A challenging and rewarding experience. The taking of the bait animals, picking the right spot for the blind and the preparation of the bait tree, the drag, the clearing of the shooting lane and judging the direction of the prevailing winds is a huge part of the Leopard hunt. I spoke to Will Parks a few times before he and his wife, Betsy, set off on their hunt which was the 21 days prior to my hunt. We discussed the possibility of Will doing a little pre-baiting for me. Not knowing much about Leopard and the whole set-up and preparation I didn’t think it a bad idea. I thought any extra preparation to help bag an African Leopard would be to my advantage. But as Will and I discussed the idea further, he explained to me that the preparation was a huge part of the whole hunt. After considering this I had reservations and decided that pre-baiting would not be necessary as I really wanted the full experience. Will agreed but said he would talk to Thierry and get his input. We both have a mutual respect for Thierry and his ability to hunt Leopard.
I had reservations concerning hunting Leopard as it isn’t in my demeanor to sit and wait for the quarry to come to me. Thierry and I had conversations right after I arrived in camp about this and Thierry very diplomatically reviewed his method of hunting Leopard with me. Knowing his success rate I resigned myself to the fact that this man knew what he was doing! My friend Will had just finished his finest safari with Thierry, a 21 day hunt, and now it was my turn for an 18 day hunt. I was wondering if Thierry would give it his all as Will and Thierry are great friends and I knew how hard Thierry would work for Will. It is obvious after reading Will’s hunt report just how hard Thierry worked. In the back of my mind I was the concern if Thierry would be up for 39 straight days of hard hunting? Let me assure you that Thierry and his team were up to the task and then some!
So on day 1, we set out to start collecting bait for the Leopard. Thierry likes Zebra for his Leopard baits as it yields 4 large baits from a single animal and Leopards love Zebra. Before long we ran into a Zebra herd that presented us with a Stallion staring at us from about 90 yards. We were soon loading a Zebra into the Cruiser and headed to the skinning depot.


As our day progressed, Thierry mentioned that he and Will had been baiting for Hyena in an area that had Leopard movement. He asked me if I would like to sit in the blind that night to see if a Tom would show. I had reservations but decided why not. If that’s the way it would shake out, then I’d go with the flow. We went to the bait area to prepare for a night in the blind. Will and Thierry had been baiting for Hyena with bait wired to a log on the ground and Thierry wanted to move the bait to a tree with a leaning pole for the Leopard to climb. We made the bait adjustments and erected one of Thierry’s pop up blinds. Mudini, Vusa and Tau then camouflaged the exterior while Thierry and I prepared the inside and got things setup for the night. Thierry and I went over the routine several times and the setup seemed fine by me. After a few adjustments to the blind and bait area we were back to the lodge for a few things, a nap and then out to the blind for the night. We were in the blind and waiting by 4:30pm. After getting set up and going over the routine again we settled in for the night. I had several thoughts going through my mind while we waited. Thierry is very thorough with his Leopard hunting and had set up a listening devise near the bait for an early detection system. This seemed like a good idea and proved to be just that later that night. Around 9:00 pm there was sound from the device! Leaves rustling and definite movement at the bait tree. We were just getting ready for action when the sound stopped and things went silent again. Thierry figured that it was a Civet or Serval that couldn’t reach the bait so had moved on. We sat until about midnight when Thierry decided there would be no Leopard activity that night. One thing about Leopard hunting is that you can never predict what they will do on a routine basis.
After an anxious night’s sleep we were up by 5:15am for day 2. We set out for the day and had spotted a nice Bushbuck which was on my wish list but after a short stalk he busted and rather than going after him we made our way to the skinning depot to pick up our Zebra for our Leopard bait. Thierry is one man that I would call a Leopard hunting machine. If Leopard is on the ticket, then Thierry will concentrate on that like no one else. He loves the challenge and seems to relish the hunt.
We made our way back to the area of the Hyena bait and upon checking the game cam found out that it was in fact a Leopard we had heard the night before but for some reason he hadn’t climbed the leaning pole. The game cam proved he had been at the bait for only 3 minutes and then had moved on. Mudini and Thierry were in heavy conversation and Thierry figured that this smart cat didn’t like the fact that the bait had been moved. This must have been the case as the cat never did show again at that particular spot. We continued to set up more baits in the area and Cathy and I learned a lot about setting up the bait and preparing the site for the blind. Very interesting process to try an outwit one of these cats.



Thierry looking over the situation from the spot where the blind would be:


We were setting up another Leopard bait sight when Gary Duckworth and his hunter known as HBH on AR came across the bridge where we were stopped. Cathy and I introduced ourselves and chatted about our safaris. Brett (HBH) had nothing but rave reviews for the Duckworths and his safari experience. He had taken several head of game and was having the time of his life. I could definitely relate to his experience. Brett strikes me as a man who will hunt Africa again.

Day 3 started out with a walk along the Mokore River looking for Waterbuck and Buffalo. We ran across Klipspringer, Waterbuck, and jumped a female Leopard lying near some rocks which got us all very excited. Leopard in the daytime is a rare occurrence and this would happen to us more than once during this trip. We returned to the Cruiser and set out to check the Leopard baits we had set out the day before. Thierry took us to the area where Will had shot his monster Leopard so I could see the setup and what Will had been up against. Arriving at the site we spotted a very good Bushbuck across the river and Thierry had me stock this guy on my own as it was open ground to a tree that I could use for a rest for about 40 yards away. I made a shot of about 100 yards across the Mokore river.


At that shot a lone Dugga Boy busted out of the reeds and headed for Bulawayo. I never saw the Buff but Vusa convinced Thierry that it was a good bull and we should go after him. After loading the Bushbuck we checked the Leopard bait we had set in the area and then turned Mudini loose on the track of the Dugga Boy. This man is amazing and I have never seen Mudini give up on a track or fail to find what he is after. Truly an amazing front man for Thierry. We followed this Buffalo for about two hours and caught up to him a couple of times but he would wind us and keep moving. Thierry didn’t get a good look at him until we had forced him along a ridge with some light cover where Thierry saw that this was not going to be the Buffalo we were after. Thierry knew what I wanted in a Buffalo so we let this one go. We change our course and came across a herd of about 20 Buffalo shortly after that and followed them for a while to have a look. Here Thierry and I both looked them over and I got a refresher course in what to look for in a good buffalo. Hell, they all looked good to me but Thierry said the biggest one of the bunch looked to be about 38” so we backed away and let them be. This was a great stalk and reminded me of why I love Buffalo hunting. We saw Kudu and Sable, Impala and Zebra on this stalk and it was great to be in Africa and on the Savé.

On our way back from the skinning depot where we dropped off the Bushbuck we ran across an old Warthog. I really like to hunt Warthog so we went after him. It was a brief stalk and shortly we were headed back to the skinning depot with a warthog in the back of the Cruiser. It had turned out to be a great day.


On day 4 we set out to check Leopard baits again and Thierry was ribbing me about not taking the notes like had taken on my first trip. I was always making notes on the first trip and one of the things I enjoyed doing was making a list of the game we saw each day so today I decided to do it again. Today I didn’t fire a shot but it was a great day as we saw White Rhino, Kudu, Nyala, Impala, Buffalo, Eland, Wildebeest, Bushbuck, Klipspringer, Duiker, Waterbuck, Bush pig, and Elephant. Not a bad day in the bush by any standards.
The game cams on the Leopard baits showed us we had four Leopards hitting baits but all were females (one with a cub). It was quite cool to see the female with a cub.
By now we had 12 baits set around the area but three had been stolen by lions. My mention of us feeding the area lions didn’t make Mudini or Thierry very happy and if looks could kill I’d have been dead myself. These two are serious Leopard hunters and lions just get in the way.


We returned to the lodge a little early. The owner of the Ingwe lodge and whole Sango region would be visiting for a few days with some business associates and cocktails and dinner would be promptly at 7:30pm.
Dinner for the next few nights included Willy, the owner of Sango and his guests from Germany, Damon (Willy’s pilot), Dave Goosen (manager for the Sango), Dusty (Sango’s regional ecologist), Cathy, Thierry and I. Fourteen of us sat down to a very tasty dinner of Bushbuck steaks with all the trimmings. I wish Will and Betsy could have joined us as we were eating Will’s Bushbuck. Thank you Will - it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had!


Day 5 had us back out checking Leopard baits. We found no evidence of males so we took another Impala for setting up a new bait spot mainly because of the lions stealing the three other sites. Later that day we took another Zebra for bait and delivered it to the skinning depot for quartering. I always have a good time going to the skinning depot because of the interaction of the workers in and around the workshop. We had taken a lunch with us and made our way to the Tented Camp to have lunch and have that Fat Doze to get ready for the afternoon. Cathy and I both love the Tented Camp and this brought back some great memories of our first trip. There was a crew of workers building a new kitchen that day which will only make this wonderful camp better.
Our afternoon brought us another day of abundant wildlife and much pleasure in seeing the Sango area and the beautiful landscape. I am always amazed at the rock formations in that area and seem to take as many photos of rocks as I do the wildlife and landscape. If you have been to the Savé then you know what I’m talking about. My question always seemed to be…”Who put that one up there?”


Day 6: We decided that a Buffalo hunt was in order to break up the Leopard hunt a little and set out looking for that special bull. We set out on some tracks we’d picked up near a water pan. Mudini leading the way soon had us on a herd that we followed for miles before catching up to them. We had spotted a good bull in the herd and wanted a better look. We walked, crawled, and sprinted after these buffalo, catching up to them near night fall. We just didn’t have enough light after catching up to them to get a shot at the one we were after. It was a great day chasing these Buffalo, catching up to them several times and being busted on different occasions by Zebra, Rhino, Giraffe, and even Warthog let alone the shifting winds. On the way back to the lodge Cathy, Thierry and I were talking about the day when Mudini leaned around the cab of the cruiser saying Leopard, Leopard, Leopard! Evidently we were busy talking and a Leopard had run across the road in front of us. None of us had seen it but if Mudini said he saw a Leopard then there was one there. Thierry stopped the cruiser, grabbed his torch and sure enough spotted the Leopard in the woods to our left. He handed me the torch and said to keep it on the Leopard. I was thinking how cool this was and we would soon have this guy on bait as we were close to one of our bait sites. What happened next still has me in a bit of a fog. I was admiring this cat from the safety of the cruiser when I was startled to see Thierry standing next to me with my rifle and a very serious look on his face. His command of “let’s go” caught me by surprise. Later Cathy said my response was a stunned “Really?”
Thierry said, “Sure! You wanted something out of the ordinary and this is your chance.” So I got out of the cruiser and made sure my rifle was ready. We stalked slowly through the woods to a fairly large tree to get a rest for my gun. The cat was about 40 yards away setting above us in a rock outcropping. Thierry whispered to me that this cat looked like a big male but not to shoot unless he gave the OK. We kept our eye on this cat as he moved a couple of times. I was having reservations about stalking this cat through the darkness of the African night. Every time I looked through my rifle scope I saw his piercing eyes looking back at me. I wondered if this cat would sit, run, or charge. Finally the cat presented Thierry with the opportunity to identify it as a male and he ask me if I thought I could make the shot. “Sure” I said, thinking to myself I hope I’m not shaking too much to make a clean trigger pull. The Leopard was facing us from a higher vantage point. Thierry replied, “Then go ahead and shoot him in the chest.” I took aim and thanks to my illuminated reticule, made the shot. I immediately reloaded but could not see anything in the scope. I’m sure the look on my face was one of bewilderment but Thierry was busy talking to Mudini who was with us handing Thierry his Lott and another torch. Tau and Vusa also had joined us. Thierry led the way as we advanced to the spot the cat was shot, wondering if he was he dead or alive? Hidden behind some rocks made this a very hairy approach at least to me. With Thierry leading the way and his Lott at the ready we reached the spot and found the cat dead and the stalk through the darkness over. The crew was slapping me on the back, whooping and hollering and Thierry was pumping my hand up and down. I was still in a daze as to what had just happened. I had made an out of the blind stalk and a offhand one shot kill on a Leopard in the African bush at night. Wow! As Thierry said later, “This wasn’t a your normal Leopard hunt.” No it wasn’t but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I had my Leopard and it wasn’t done sitting in a blind waiting for him to come to me. Sure we had done all the baiting and blind set up routine but for it to end this way was just fine with me. It only added to the adventure and I shall remember it forever.
We did the picture routine and loaded the cat in the cruiser for a quick trip to the lodge so the guests from Germany could see the cat. Dusty was also there and Thierry wanted to know if Dusty knew this cat. For more than two years now, Dusty has been studying these wonderful cats and knows most of them in the area. He baits and sets up game cams and photos these cats all from the right side so he can compare them and their markings, track their travels and the areas they live and hunt in. His presentations are very interesting. Dusty did not know my cat though.






Day 7 still had me in a daze concerning the Leopard. I ask Thierry if we could go back to the spot of the kill so I could look things over again. “Sure” was his response, but we would hit the spot later in the day after a little Buffalo hunting.
Buffalo hunting had been tough this trip with the August shifting winds and the damn Zebra continually busting our stalks. We saw lots of Zebra most every day and every time we saw Zebra we started saying that there must be Buffalo around. Today we followed two different herds and spent about 6 hours trying to find the bull we had spotted a couple of days ago only to discover that he was not about and there was nothing worth going for. We had lunch and a “Fat Doze” and then went back out. Dusty had asked us if we would take a Zebra for him and his newly started lion studies, and an Impala for ration meat for the workers on the conservancy. We took the opportunity for the Impala then headed to the skinning depot. It was a long day tracking buffalo and we headed back to the lodge. On our way back we stopped by the spot where the Leopard kill took place for another look and walked through the whole process again. I still had trouble taking in the whole sequence.


There was a large group for drinks and dinner which made for a very pleasant evening.

Day 8 had us back out after Buffalo. Right away Mudini found tracks of several buffalo and off we went. Early on the track we ran into a Brown Hyena but he didn’t hang around very long. Brown Hyena are protected in this area and quite rare so it was a treat just to see one. We caught up to the herd after a couple of hours on the tracks and found them in a fairly small clearing where we could get above them on a rock kopje. After looking them over for some time Thierry decided that there just wasn’t the one we wanted with the biggest one about 38”. I practiced my sight picture on them for a bit and then we backed off and let them be on their way.

Thierry said he wanted to take me to the top of a hill so we could do some glassing in the valley below. Little did I know that a hill to Thierry was a mountain to me. After the climb I needed the time to ‘sit and glass’ just to get my wind back and let the sweat dry. The view was spectacular and the rest for me much needed. We spotted a couple of different herds of Zebra and since Dusty had asked us to take him another one for his lion baits we set up for a shot. It took some time for a Stallion to come into position for a shot but eventually one did and at about 300 yard it was a one shot, tip over kill.

We spent the rest of the day cleaning up the Leopard baits and a trip to the skinning depot. We had another great day in the Sango and headed back to the Lodge for a wonderful dinner of Eland steaks with all the trimmings.

Day 9 had us back to the Mokore River for a walk to look for sign of Buffalo. It was a long walk and no new or fresh sign was found. We hit the road for a different location and close to the Leopard kill sight spotted a herd of buffalo. We set out after them and ended up following and tracking them for 5 full hours catching up to them several times but getting busted by Zebra again and again. It just didn’t seem to be our day.
We caught up to them again about dark and spotted two good bulls in the herd but we had a tough time getting into position for a shot. It had been a long day and as Thierry and I were looking things over he suggested that I sit on my butt and try to scoot into a position for a shot. With the terrain the way it was I just couldn’t get a clear shot so we decided that I should just stand up and hopefully they would stand still long enough for me to get a shot. It was a no go and off they went. We would try to pick up their tracks tomorrow and try again.


Day 10: We picked up the tracks from the night before and headed out after the Buffalo. We were busted early by a group of Rhino and had to detour until they passed.

The trail again took us up and over a few rock kopjes that I would never have thought Buffalo could travel. About half the way up the rocks we ran onto another female Leopard. We were tracking quietly and when the usual animal and bird sounds suddenly stopped (which I hadn’t picked up on). Thierry and Mudini suddenly stopped. Low and behold a female Leopard ran out from the rocks and slipped away. This is what had quieted things down and it was a great African experience not witnessed by many hunters. Thierry and Mudini knew something was up but until the Leopard broke cover I had no clue.
We kept on the tracks and saw the Buffalo several times but would get busted by Zebra a couple of times and then ran into the Rhino again on the trail. We had been running to keep up with the Buffalo and had gotten ahead of the Rhino when we were busted by Giraffe. What next!
Again we were hot on the trail and again, after running for what seemed like a couple of miles, caught up to the herd only to get busted by Warthog. Damn, this was getting old and after 6 hours of chasing these buffalo we decided it would be a good time to head back for lunch and a ‘Fat Doze.’
After lunch and a nap, we went back to pick up the tracks. We soon ran into a group of 4 cow elephants with young. We took a wide detour around them and Mudini found the Dugga Boy tracks which took us through the Mopani forest where we were surprised by a bull elephant. We took refuge behind a large tree until the big guy passed us by. We hit the tracks for another 3 hours trying to catch up to the buff but darkness caught up with us so we broke off the chase and would try to pick up the tracks in the morning.
This day we had tracked Buffalo for a full 9 hours - it was one long day! We did see 4 of the big 5 today which made it all worthwhile. We headed back to the lodge and after a refreshing shower we had sundowners and a delicious dinner of Wildebeest stew.


Day 11: We tried to pick up the tracks of the herd from the day before but they were headed to the boundary line and with the wind at our backs we decided that it would be a lost cause. We drove around and checked a couple of water holes but with no fresh tracks in sight we headed back for lunch a little early. It was a hot day so that was fine with me, I could use the rest. On our way back we were traveling along the boundary line and Thierry and I were discussing how it seemed like all the Buffalo were headed towards the neighbor’s property when a small group of about 6 Buffalo crossed the road in front of us headed onto Sango property. We had a good laugh and piled out of the cruiser to follow up. Both of us thought that a decent bull was part of the group so we set out after them. They were very skittish and would bust at the slightest sound. We decided to leave them be for a while hoping they would settle down and we would be back after them after lunch.
After lunch and a ‘Fat Doze’ we were back after the Buffalo. Thierry sent Mudini into the Mopani forest to see if he could pick up the buffalo tracks and to determine if they had gone West towards the boundary or East back into Sango territory. Mudini found the tracks and determined that they had in fact turned west and headed deeper into Sango territory. We followed for a couple of hours until we ran onto a small group of three dugga boys. We followed then for some time catching up to them three times but were not able to get into position for a shot. With light fading fast we left them for the morning.
We headed back to the lodge for a shower and sundowners. Dinner on this night was another specialty thanks to Will Parks. Elephant Lasagna. Umm….delicious. Thanks again, Will.

Day 12 had us back checking water holes for fresh tracks. As there was nothing to follow we decided to head back to the river to see if we could spot some fresh sign there or maybe run into a Waterbuck. We were taking a nice stroll along the river bank when in fact a big Waterbuck broke out of the reeds and stopped on the opposite bank. Thierry took a quick look and turned around with wide eyes. He said this wasn’t the tallest Waterbuck but it was the widest one he had ever seen and thought I should try and take him. We got into position for a shot and after getting on the sticks took a shot, dropping him. This Waterbuck will be one of my favorite trophies.


Waterbuck average between 450-650 pounds so we needed to get the cruiser closer to load him. This proved easier said than done. Sure enough we got the cruiser stuck in the river bed. But it wasn’t as much of a challenge to get out as I had expected. I had never seen this trick before and was amazed how easy the crew made this look. As Mudini and Thierry were preparing the wench cable for the pull, Vusa buried one of the spare tires in the sand up river about 30 yards from the stuck cruiser. Hooking the cable onto the buried tire the wench pulled the cruiser out with ease. Neat trick for a Northwestern guy to see as there were no big Fir tree stumps around like I’m use to cabling off to in Washington state. Soon we had the Waterbuck loaded up and were on the way to the skinning depot. We decided to take the afternoon off and see if our Buffalo luck would change. The rest did us all good and a dinner of Wildebeest steaks revitalized us all.

Day 13 had us back after Buffalo. We found fresh Dugga Boy tracks near a water hole and struck out after them. After about a 3 hour track we caught up to them only to find out that none of them measured up. We backed off and went to look for others. We moved to a different area to try our luck there. We had no luck and headed back for lunch and a nap.
The afternoon hunt had us on a fairly large herd but as we got closer we ran into a lioness stalking the same herd. This was quite cool to me but with Cathy along, I did have a little concern that there might be others around. Thierry and I stalked closer to look the Buffalo over. Lots of cows and young ones so we backed off and let the lions have at it.


We picked up the tracks of 5 Dugga boys and followed them for a couple of hours but upon catching up to them we found nothing worth shooting. This was growing old but still a great day as we again had seen 4 of the big 5. After a quick check of my notes, I figured up to this point we had walked about 100 miles in the past 13 days looking for Buffalo. Slightly dejected we headed back to the Ingwe Lodge for a shower and dinner.

Day 14: After a hearty breakfast we started out after buffalo again. We were all trying to keep our spirits up as we approached one of the few water pans in the area. After a quick check, Mudini determined that there had been a couple of Dugga Boys drinking there recently. We struck out on the trail of these two and almost immediately came across fresh droppings. The look on both Mudini’s and Thierry’s face told me that the droppings were very fresh. I tried to get Cathy to stick her finger in the dung but that didn’t get me very far. Heck, Thierry and Mudini did and it didn’t seem to bother them. Oh well. The brush was very thick and visibility was minimal so we followed at a slow but determined pace. We soon came on to the bulls but the wind had us. They’d gotten our sent and moved off. We were determined at this point and kept with the track. We wanted a look at these two. Careful follow up had us on them in short order but the jess was very thick and getting a good look was nearly impossible. With Thierry in the lead now he stopped and gave us the signal to hold while he tried to get a closer look. After several minutes and Thierry moving at a snail’s pace to maneuver in for a look, one of the bulls laid down and gave Thierry a slightly better view of him. After a careful and long look, Thierry turned to me and said from what he could see this looked to be a very good bull. I was stoked and ready for action but wondered how this would shake out in this thick brush. Thierry had me move into the position he had been in and I began the look through the bush to try to determine if I could make a shot. I looked hard and long and I was having a difficult time finding a shooting lane to the buff. Finally I saw the bull twitch his ear and started to pick up what Thierry had been looking at. I looked for several minutes now and thought I had a lane to shoot through.
Thierry and I talked it over and I set up in a kneeling position picking my shooting lane. I looked through my rifle scope and turned back to Thierry handing him my rifle to him so I could take another look with my binos. Yep, I was ready. I took the Lott back and took careful aim. Thierry came up under my right elbow to steady my aim and fired a Northfork Cup Point solid. At the shot we both rose, as did the Buffalo. I reloaded and let go with another shot. We heard a definite whack as the bullet found its mark. The buff moved off but after about 20 yards or so we heard a sound like he had lain down. I was hoping to hear that death bellow but it never came. We had waited about 10 minutes when Thierry ask me if I was ready to sort this out, and we began our advance. I stopped to top off my magazine and we stalked forward as if to flank this bull. We moved about 20 yards when Thierry stopped to have a look with his binos. He spotted what he thought was the Buffalo and showed me what he was looking at. He asked me to put one into what we thought was the buff so another Northfork Cup Point solid was on the way. Another whack with no response had me wondering if I had shot the bull, a dead tree or rock. Have I mentioned that the brush was thick? We moved ahead thru the brush and another 20 yards had us on the bull, dead and done. Wow, what a hunt and looking him over what a Buffalo!



At this point we all had lifted spirits and it seemed the pressure was now off. We had hunted for a buff like this hard and long and it had paid off. Pictures had us all goofing off and having a great time.


After delivering the Buffalo to the skinning depot we decided to take a drive over to the Savé River for a look around. We took a short walk. This is truly a beautiful area and will soon be closed to hunting as they want it to be an area for the photo safaris. We had permission to shoot in the area if we found something we wanted and it just so happens that this is a great area for Bush Pig. We got lucky and saw one. Another trip to the skinning depot and then on to the lodge for showers, drinks and dinner.


Day 15 was to be an easy day. The pressure was off and we needed a break. The weather had taken a turn and it was cool, overcast and drizzly. The early morning drive showed us two different Buffalo herds close to the lodge. That just figures! We took a few photos but to our relief we saw no bulls worth the taking, although we did see some that would be good in a couple of years.

We had been ask to take another Zebra bait for Dusty’s work and were presented with a young stallion that was soon headed for the skinning depot. That was pretty much it for the day. The weather had most of the animal movement at a minimum. We dropped off the Zebra at the skinning depot which give Thierry a chance to get his cruiser serviced and a couple of flat tires fixed. I think we had 6 flat tires on the 18 day hunt. That’s really pretty good considering Thierry said he and Will got hammered with 14 flats in a 21 day period.

While there Cathy and I were invited to go over to Dave Goosen’s place for coffee and treats. Dave and his wife Cheryl have a lovely home in a traditional African theme. Dave and I have a lot in common and we talked about reloading and ballistics. Dave is a very interesting man who manages the Sango workshop and participates in anti-poaching activities in the region.
One of Dave’s past times is shooting elephants that have come into his yard and garden area with his bow and ‘blunted’ arrows. He said he always has a rather large tree to hide behind after releasing the arrow so the elephant doesn’t see him and make a fuss about things. This guy really is a hoot! Can you imagine shooting an elephant with a blunted arrow and then hiding behind a tree? I think I will leave that to Dave.
As we were talking and having coffee, Dave received a call on his radio that another poached Rhino had been found so he put his kit together, grabbed his rifle and had to make an exit. This was the second Rhino poached on Sango while we were there. The first was a young White Rhino and the poachers only took the front horn. It had been shot seven times so the feeling was this was done by armatures. What a shame as these are truly majestic animals.

It was time for Cathy and I to make our way back to the workshop and see how Thierry was getting along so we headed back and milled around for a while until things were finished up. We headed back towards the Ingwe Lodge for lunch and what Thierry calls a “Fat Doze”.
The afternoon was dreary with the drizzle holding so we just took a drive to see what we could see. We came upon a beautiful Sable Bull that will really be a wonderful trophy in another couple of years. We headed back to the lodge for sundowners and dinner ending our 15th day.


Day 16 was just like the day before, weather wise, so we took another drive this time over to the Savé River area to see if we could find a nice Impala. We had received a call on the radio asking us to take another ration Impala so this was working out to our advantage. There are thousands of Impala on the Sango so we had no problem finding one that met our need.

We spent a leisurely day looking the region over and headed back to the lodge for a dinner of Warthog steaks and all the trimmings. Since the safari was winding down we made the decision to leave a day early so Cathy and I could spend a day in Harare with Thierry and his fiancé Suzie. That would allow us to ride with Thierry to Harare and see the country side. We did this on our first trip and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Zimbabwe has beautiful and unique landscape!

Day 17 was much the same as the day before. I have wanted a Grysbok since I took a Duiker in 2009. Nevin knew that I would like to take a Grysbok and had mentioned to Thierry a couple of time a place he has seen one on several occasions. Thierry thought this would be a good day to try our luck. He knew the area and thought we could walk one up so off we went. Thierry has a method of hunting Grysbok that I would have never thought of. He walks with the wind to our backs so the Grysbok can wind us and flush on our approach. Thierry says that this is the way he hunts them because they are so small and hard to see - that they can sit still and you can pass them right by. Made perfect sense to me and although we didn’t scare one up, I had learned another hunting trick from Thierry. We did see Klipspringer but they were not on quota so I will have to wait for one of them.
I had wanted to shoot a Baboon and we tried a couple of times to get a shot on one. As some of you know, they are very leery and to me seem to have eyesight as good as the American Antelope. We did come across a group that were a little more brave than most and one presented me with a shot, the last shot of my safari. An old male that didn’t have the best teeth but the picture and hunt will remain with me forever.

After a lazy day we made our way back to the lodge for dinner with Nevin and Lindsay, Alan and Karen, Dave and Cheryl and our hunting party. The Ox Tail Stew from my buffalo really hit the spot and is one Cathy’s favorite dishes. It was a fun evening and lasted well into the night.



Day 18: This was to be our last hunting day but as I mentioned earlier, we wanted to drive not fly back to Harare so we could have dinner with Thierry and Suzie, and not be rushed to get to the Harare Airport. We Left the lodge around 8am and Suzie had lunch waiting for us when we arrived in Harare around 2pm. After lunch we decided to go into town and check out the Courtney Boot store to see if Cathy and I could purchase some footwear. Thierry had some things to do so Suzie acted as tour guide. We hit a couple of shops and tried on the Courtneys but we both were disappointed with the fit so we passed. Next stopped was one of the open markets for a look around.
We had leisurely drinks and dinner that night with Thierry and Suzie at Leonardi’s Restaurant. We walked to a club after dinner thinking it was a Wine and Cigar bar but upon arrival discovered it was a Wine and Sushi bar so we had a drink and then left. There was quite a crowd there though and we had the opportunity to meet one of Thierry’s friends and fellow Professional Hunter, Mark Vallaro.

The next morning we had a breakfast with Alistair Pole to go over our safari. Alistair is the front man for Zambezi Hunters and runs the administrative side, doing most of the upfront negotiations with the land owners, the government associates and fellow conservancy operators and keeps Zambezi Hunters on top of the safari business. He has a genuine concern that his clients get what they are looking for in a safari and is a real asset to Zambezi Hunters. Alistair is a true gentleman and is always a pleasure to see.
After breakfast Thierry took us to Fereday’s, a sporting shop near the restaurant where we had breakfast. It wasn’t like Cabelas but it was fun to see what sporting shops in Harare had to offer. On our way out we ran into another friend of Thierry’s, Buzz Charlton. Buzz doesn’t really need an introduction here and it sure was fun meeting him.
We collected our luggage and headed to the Harare airport to start the second leg of our trip. First Johannesburg, then London where we check my rifles with a gun courier. Then to Munich, Germany and Hallstatt, Austria. We had a wonderful time and this allowed us to wind down from our safari and see the beautiful German and Austrian countryside and Alps.



Looking back on it all:

The Ingwe Lodge is a luxurious lodge above and beyond most hunting lodges around the world. It is such a wonderful and beautiful place that it almost takes away from the African experience that most of us know or expect. The surroundings are all African and the staff and managers of the lodge really make you feel like you are staying at a 5 Star Hotel. Each day we woke to African sounds of nature and wonderful weather and would make our way to the lapa (main lodge) for morning tea and breakfast. We were greeted by Cleaver, one of the head waiters. Cleaver always, always had a gracious smile on his face and a pleasant greeting of “Good morning, sir or Madame” to whomever it was that entered the lodge. His pleasant demeanor and warm greetings made a pleasant start to each day. After our tea was served he would ask what we desired for breakfast and soon it would appear. Such great hospitality. As I had mentioned earlier, our first stay was at the Tented Camp and loved it but we were amazed at the African décor and ambiance of the Ingwe lodge. We will return.
The first several days Alan and Karen were acting managers. They would join us at breakfast and always wanted to know if we had a good night’s sleep and what we had planned for our day. Alan showed great interest in our hunting and, at our invitation, accompanied us on an afternoon Buffalo hunt one day. A portion of the stalk got kind of hairy as we closed in on the buffalo and circled them to keep the wind in our favor. Great fun but Alan mentioned that we did walk quite a long distance and at a pretty fast pace. Another trait of Mr. Labat’s!
When Lindsay and Nevin returned from their trip to South Africa, we were treated to the same wonderful hospitality and thoughtfulness. Lindsay is a wonderful lady who makes your stay at the Ingwe lodge as pleasant as can be. She knows you are there to hunt and caters to you as she inquires what you are after that day and if there is something she can do to make that day special. A few times she would make sure that we had lunch packed so we didn’t need to return to the lodge and that lunch would be as nice as if we were eating at the lodge. On one occasion we had the pleasure of going to Nevin and Lindsay’s Lodge to watch a rugby game on the television with beer and popcorn. Too bad the Springboks lost - Thierry and Nevin are big fans!


The Sango Region:
The Sango region of the Savé Conservancy is truly a spectacular area teaming with not only the Big 5 but a multitude of plains game. There was never a day that we didn’t see herds of Impala, Wildebeest, and Zebra, with groups of Warthog, Jackals, Nyala and Giraffe. On many occasions we would see Buffalo, Elephant, Sable, and Rhino, with the occasional lion and even Leopard. The Sango scenery is what I envision when thinking of the African bush. I took as many photos of the surrounding landscape as I did of the many animals we saw each and every day. When I think of Africa I see the Sango.

Zambezi Hunters:
Zambezi Hunters is the epitome of the African Safari company. It’s owners and Professional Hunters always make me feel as if I’m part of their group, whether at the conventions or in country. Their professional attitude toward their clients is second to none.

Mark Young and Adam Clements:
Mark Young and Adam Clements Safari Trackers are the team that put me in contact with Zambezi Hunters originally. Cathy and I wanted our first safari to be a traditional tented camp hunt. Mark worked hard to find the perfect outfit for me to deal with and advised me on several occasions about what to expect and what I would need in the way of equipment and firearms. He had given me several options on Safari companies to look into but it was Zambezi Hunters that he advised me to look most closely at. I’m glad I took his candid advice. A special thank you goes to Mark Young.

Gracy Travel;
When booking a hunt to the Dark Continent knowing who you will be hunting with is the easy part. Getting to Africa safely, in comfort and with all of your kit was to me the real challenge. This is where Gracy Travel comes in. Once again we were well taken care of. Meliza Solis with Gracy Travel handled our travel arrangements, gun permits, and our side trip after our safari. It was Cathy’s turn to enjoy the little things on this trip and Meliza helped us by booking us with British Air out of Seattle with Business Class tickets and arrangements to be in the British Air lounges in between connecting flights which is really a treat for the long waits between the international flights. She arranged for Bruce to meet us at Johannesburg where he walked us through the SAPS permits without glitch. This is really a treat at Johannesburg airport is huge and overwhelming to a new comer. Even though this was our second trip it was nice to have Bruce’s friendly assistance and we got through this airport without any delays. Bruce is a friend and it is always a pleasure to see him. I will be looking for him at the convention this year to thank him again for all his help.

British Air;
British

Congratulations on a wonderful hunt! Great animals!

Fantastic report! Great pictures and a wonderful story.

Heck of a bull and that waterbuck is unique.

Excellent report Pegleg, Zambezi Hunters should give you a bit of a discount next time round for this report! What can I say but

This is a continuation of the report. For some reason I can't seem to get the edit portion of this website program to work.

British air:
British Airways is a wonderful airline to travel on. Its services are heads and tails above any of the American airlines I have flown. The only glitch with British Air was the handling and transportation of firearms on our return flight. We were advised by Gracy Travel to check our guns from Harare to London, but British Airways would not allow us to do that. Fortunately Bruce from Gracy Travel was at the airport SAPS office and assisted us through this situation in Johannesburg. If we hadn’t seen Bruce there we’d probably still be sitting in the SAPS office! We were glad he was there to help!! We had paid 50 British Pounds on the way in to Zimbabwe but ended up paying 200 British Pounds in London for handling fees on the return flight to Seattle. We will look into alternate airlines that next time over the pond.

Professional Hunter Thierry Labat:
This trip was about Leopard for me and I wasn’t disappointed. To get a nice male Leopard out of the blind is rare and I will remember the experience forever. Thierry made me feel special this time as he said I’m the only client he has ever let shoot a Leopard offhand and only his second “out of the blind” Leopard kill. We had worked hard in preparation for a Leopard in the traditional way, but this one just shook out in a different format. I’m glad it happened to me. This made Thierry 26 for 30 concerning Leopard and that’s not a bad record the way I see it. He is certainly gaining a reputation for being one of the top PH’s for Leopard.
Buffalo hunting with Thierry is still my favorite type of hunting and Thierry is the type of Professional Hunter that, if you are willing to put the work in, then he will get you what you want. Thierry is dedicated to client satisfaction and still amazes me with his ability to hunt, judge trophy size, and get the shooter into position for a close and precise shot. His demeanor throughout the hunt is always positive and his attitude is always upbeat which makes each day in the bush with him a day to remember.
As the days I’ve hunted with Thierry grow, I realize how much I enjoy his companionship and PH interaction. He is a serious hunter and takes his PH role with a determination to achieve the expectations the client desires. I’ve found that when a trophy is taken it is Thierry who seems to show the most enthusiasm. I believe that to see the joy and reaction from the client upon accomplishment of a hunt is one of Thierry’s favorite times. We had some great hunts on this trip across the pond and to have a PH like Thierry only adds to the pleasure and lasting memories.
I am proud to call Thierry my friend and only wish that I could spend more time with him and share the environment that makes this man a true hunter and sportsman. I’m working on a couple of new hunts and Thierry will be my PH. Thank you, Thierry for another great African safari. You really are a great man, PH, and friend.

Wow, fantastic trophy's!

Looks like you had a very good trip and took some fantastic trophies,Congrats! that buff is a beauty

Thank you for the great report. Congratulations on all your trophies and memories. You certainly earned your buffalo.

David,

Beautiful report and some excellent trophies. A great adventure all around. Thanks much for the kind words and once again it was a pleasure to help make your dreams come true.

Mark

Awesome report!

Congrats on the "out of the box kitty", a great buffalo and some other great trophies.

You and Will are KILLING me!

Can't wait til next June!

I've been looking forward to this report after your quick update a few weeks ago and the report was well worth waiting for.

Simply outstanding!

Congratulations Pegleg on all your trohies

Always love your trophy photos. Thanks

Dave,

Fantastic in every way, and I just LOVE that buffalo.

Sango, ZH, and Labat are a special combo and your report coneys just that.

Outstanding hunt and report.

That Waterbuck is beyond cool.


.

Wow David !

CONGRATS !!

What a fantastic trip! Huge congrats on some wonderful trophies...

What a Great Safari...

Thanks for sharing

Congratulations Dave.Nice cat and buff.What rifle/caliber did you use?

Congrats, great animals, great Waterbuck!!

Dave,

I really got a kick out of our meeting at the river! What be the chances? When when we saw the young fella gathering branches, Gary said that is the "Frenchman's" #1 and he is awfully good. I told him well then that has to be Peg Leg. As we visited Gary and Thierry were looking at the photos from Will' hunt. As we drove away from you guys Gary said your buddy there is going to kill a good cat," Thierry is a cat man proper."
Congrats on a great hunt!
And yes I am going back.

Many Thanks

Brett

Fantastic report & a great hunt. What an awesome way to hunt ans shoot a leopard. I just loved your tropies.

Thanks for sharing.

Very nice all around. That is a most unusual waterbuck. Not many have taken a leopard the way you did. I leave the 28th. This has got me all excited.

Thank you all for the kind words. It was a hard but very rewarding experience.
David Hulme- Thierry has fond memories of you and tells great stories with you as a front runner. Cathy and I are reading your book now as we picked it up at Sango and it is a very fun read. Good job.
Mark Young- I will be getting back to you soon. It's tough to get caught up at work after a month off.
Will- Thierry sure had a great time with you and Betsy. Talked a lot about that possible buffalo hunt.
George- I used a Winchester 338 WinMag on the cat and plainsgame with Northfork 225 grain softpoints and my Model 70 458 Lott with 450 grain Northfork Cup Point Solids for the Buffalo. I must say the CPS is a true buffalo killer.
Brett- It was great to meet you and Thierry said you were lucky to be hunting with the Duckworth gang.
Larry- Best of luck to you! Wish I was going with you.

David,

No hurry but I think we need to talk about that big black antelope at some point.

Mark

Great report. Me and a buddy will be hunting the Save with the Duckworth's next August. Reading your report has me all fired up and its still 340 days away.

Wow!

Congrats on a superb safari! A great leopard, buffalo and the widest waterbuck I have ever seen! Well done, Peg!

Thanks for posting. I really like the picture of Ernest. Hope to be posting my own picute of Ernest sitting in my bull elephant in 6 weeks or so.

Congrats on a truly great hunt.

Pegleg, That is a Great buff and that Impala is beyond belief, and the Leopard! same for the Waterbuck, damn there all really fine! Congratulations on a fine hunt!

Great report and trophies. You put a lot of work into the report and it is much appreciated.

Great report. That is one nice bushbuck.

Outstanding report, Pegleg, and your pictures are amazing.

It's hard to put a finger on my favorite part; Where to begin? Bushbuck? Leopard? Buff? All the rest?

Your "if looks could kill" pictures really capture the moment.

Thank you for this post.

Having been there and done that I have to add that Sango is great for cats that's for sure. I think Ingwe lodge is without a doubt one of the best lodges in Zimbabwe if not Africa.

The "T" man is on a roll this year. Congratulations on an awesome hunt. That waterbuck is crazy!

Dr. Tim

Pegleg - fantastic report and nice photos - thank you.

Labat - not bad for a Peterhouse boy!!

Well done Gents - fine Safari and another example of how it is done properly!!

One of the best reports for the season. Excellent way to end the hunt as well in Europe.


Dutch

Absolutely top notch.

What a great report! Thanks for the photos. We must have been in the Save at the same time. I hunted on Mokore from Aug 12-22 with Doug Duckworth. I, too, shot bushpig during that cloudy cool weather. (As soon as I can find the time to put a good report down on paper I will share my trip with everyone.) Congratulations on a great hunt!

Wow, what a hunt. Thanks for sharing with us all.

Truly a great hunt and report. Thanks for sharing. Glad to see you take your wife. Makes it easier for me to sell another trip to mine by taking her. Fantasic trophies.

When looking back on it all, I'm wondering if I've seen enough of the Save'. Maybe next time the Zambezi Valley for another Buffalo and a big Sable. Thanks for all the kind words. I still think about Africa every day.