Dates: Oct. 6-15, 2011
Area: Luangwa River Valley, Zambia
Operator: Munyamadzi Game Reserve
PHs: Andrew Baldry & Thor Kirchner
Travel Agent: Stever Turner
Hunters: Butch Begnaud (Louisiana)
Brian Miko (Michigan)
David (Toronto/Minneapolis)
Faisal (Kuwait/UK)
Bevan Jones (Australia/Zambia)

Game Taken: BEGNO--Hippo, Bushbuck, Puku, Baboon
Miko: Magnificent Old Lion, Puku
David: Kudu 54"
Faisal: Hyena, Bushbuck
Bevan Jones and family:
Unbelievable Bushbuck 17.5",
several Impala, Warthog

Firearms: BEGNO: Winchester Mod 70, .375 H&H
Ammo: BEGNO: Fed. Premium, 300 grain Barnes TSX


General:

I will start this report off and the others will be adding comments and pictures as they have time.

What a freaking good time we had. Everybody got along really well. Game was plentiful, Andrew and Thor worked their butts off to keep all of us hunting and enjoying the hunt. The camp is beautiful and sits on the bank of the Luangwa River with a view of the mountains, it is a lovely spot. Food was good and we ate most of what we shot, Kudu, Impala, and Puku, all delicious. Mosi, Castle and Windhoek beer and South African Red Wine was plentiful. The BS and story telling was excellent, lots of laughs.

I will let the others tell their own stories.

My results:

On the third day of hunting I shot a huge old Hippo bull at 125 yards out in the water. Dead center brain shot. The recovery was amazing and fun to watch.



On the fourth day I shot a fine old Bushbuck in the morning and connected with a great Puku that afternoon. Did I mention that this place is loaded with very good Bushbuck and Puku.

(camera malfunction, will furnish photos later)

After that, I rode around with others, checking Croc, Lion and Hyena baits, watching other folks shoot Impalas and Warthogs, etc. Lots of fun.

On the last day, several of us were killing time on the river fishing for Vundu (african catfish). We caught several. As we were fishing, a troop of Baboons came down to the waters edge to drink and there was a big old Dog Baboon standing watch. I had been looking for a big one to take, so I went over to the truck, laid my rifle on the hood while Andrew ranged him at 180 yards and shot this big boy.




We elected to share a charter flight to camp. That turned out to be a very good decision. Two magnificent trophies were taken the last evening in camp. We would have been driving home that day if we would not have chartered in.

Looks like a great hunt...gotta get in on one of them.

Congrats on a great hunt in a wonderful area.

Sounds like a lot of fun, Butch. I want to hear more about the "group" hunt. Let's discuss at DSC.

Yes, what's your plan for 2012, Andrew?

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Yes, what's your plan for 2012, Andrew?

I know part of it

Way to go Butch looking forward to the rest of the guys and stories.


Mike

Cool hunt...

Hunter: Brian Miko

Safari Company: Munyamadzi, Zambia Africa
Location: Luangwa Valley
Firearms: Remington 0.458 Win Mag
Weatherby 0.340

General:
When I first seen the post from Andrew for the group hunt I had to call him to verify there was no mistakes in his posting. After confirmation I immediately signed up not knowing what animals I would hunt. In my conversation with Andrew I thought this will be interesting and kept an open mind all along. The format was to pick a priority animal and if any other tags were available they would be offered at the start of the hunt. The plan was to have 1 PH per 3 hunters and when not hunting for your priority animal you could follow along to enjoy the challenge of stalking an animal, so you get the experience of tracking / stalking.

The group consisted of 6 hunters from around the world which gave us much to talk about, as Butch mentioned the BS and stories were the some of the best. I must say that Andrew and Thor are two of the most hardest working PH's I have come across. The camp was very nice with excellent scenery and plenty of game. The camp staff was very good and well organized. The area we hunted had tremendous Bushbok and plenty of them, other animals we seen were Puku, Klipspringer, Duiker, Grysbok, Roan, Hippo, Croc., Kudu, and many more. The place was crawling with game.

My priority animal:
I started out not selecting an animal and thought I would take what was left over. I have later received an email from Andrew asking if I would be intersted in hunting for a Lion which I agreed to immediately. I started thinking this would be a long shot to get a Lion in such a short time and during the hot season so, I told Andrew if the Roan was open at the start of the hunt I would try for that if no Lion's were hitting the baits. This was turning out to be a hunt of a lifetime and I must say I could not believe this was happening.

My results:
On day seven we set out focusing on hunting for Puku, Impala, Warthog for the hunters in this vehicle. Just shortly after leaving camp we crossed by some Baboons and then into some Puku as we approached the Air strip. I noticed a Puku walking the edge of the Air strip and said to Andrew there he is that is a shooter. We stopped the vehicle jumped out and started stalking to get closer so he could size up the animal. It turned out to be a trophy and we had to get about another 100 yards closer to have about a 200 yard shot. Once in position the animal turned quartering towards me, Andrew threw up the shooting sticks and I wasted no time getting the cross hairs on him. I fired a shot and missed, the animal started running and stopped about 160 yards out standing broadside. I quickly chambered a new round, Andrew repositioned the sticks and I fired a second time. The animal rolled over a time or two so looked to Andrew and said "I think I hit'em" as we shared a laugh. Here is a picture of my first Puku;



On day 10, last day, in the morning we noticed one of the Lion baits were hit so the excitement level just got turned up a notch. This bait Andrew had moved a day or two earlier from another location. Once the bait was hit he quickly had a blind constructed as the plan was to sit that night. The next morning the charter plane was coming so it was all or nothing at this point. It was about 3 pm, Thor and myself set out to look for the last minute Roan and only came across a heard of cows so we headed back to camp to meet up with Andrew around 5 pm per the plan. The plan was to have Thor, Andrew, and myself sit for the Lion this evening as Thor had a particular Lion he wanted gone and this bait was in an area he seen the Lion last. We sat for about an hour in the heat and humudity waiting for the Lion to show up when all of a sudden two females show up. I thought to myself the Lion hitting the bait ended up to be females, Andrew and Thor had their bino's up looking them over. At this point my heart started to race, I was sweating in anxiety as I watched these females eating the bait when all of a sudden the Lion shows up. The females moved off the bait site when he shown up leaving him all alone. I sat quitely waiting for the word to shoot. At this time my heart was pounding as I watched Andrew and Thor study this Lion for about 10 minutes. Thor leaned over and said this is the one do you want him, I said yes immediately, he asked agian, and I responded with the same answer. I lined up on the Lion as Thor was asking me if I could see the Lion and the pre discussed aim point. I think he thought I was nervous but at this time I slowed my breathing, as I lined up the cross hairs I felt very steady, rock solid, so I began slowly squeezing the trigger when all of a sudden the gun went off to my surprise. I thought to myself that was perfect, I remember the cross hairs in the place we discussed and it felt good. Thor asked me how it felt as I asked him and Andrew if they seen the shot, they responded you hit'em hard. We discussed the shot and decided we would wait 20 or so minutes. We laughed as Thor said that damn gun is loud, he was raising his arms and got half way when the rifle went off. After the waiting period the Lion was found about 60 yards from the bait with the shot placement in the exact spot we planned. It was a heart / Lung shot and it only took one shot with my 0.458 win mag. The shot was around 30 yards and here are a couple of photos, one with some of the group hunters and the other with Thor and Andrew;







In summary:
I must thank Andrew and Thor for hosting such a great hunt. They are two of the best I have hunted with, in 5 African safaris, I believe there is no harder working PH's in the field. The camp was great, the hunters got along, everyone had collected their trophy animal plus. This was just a great hunt with great successes. I often wondered if Andrew or Thor slept at night as everything worked so smooth. I would reccomend this area, this camp, these Ph's, without any hesitation. Be warned this time of year can be very hot, I mean very hot. We did luck out with the Weather as the first part of the trip was perfect but towrds the end it got hot, very hot.

This is my story and the remaining hunters will post their experiences.

Nice Lion Miko. Good Job.

Wow, great hunt guys, congrats!!

Footnote - Thor had been monitoring this Lion for nearly two years now and whilst not heavy maned he was of age and both Thor and I guessed him at 6. The Lion was much bigger in size than he originally thought and he had turned down this Lion with another client hoping for something with more mane. Thor knows of two other trophy males whose territories overlap the property and one of them will no doubt now dominate Munyamadzi.

A decision was made to offer this specific Lion to Brian as Thor wanted him out of the gene pool.

A good decision by a good PH I thought.

AR's Faisal and I onto buffalo. We had a look at quite a few but nothing could be found in the 40 plus region. At one point we were 20 odd paces away from a herd which was grazing towards us. The tracker Eliam had enough of that and hid in a nearby gulley. Faisal is an accomplished hunter and he guided Dave onto Kudu and took Hyena and Bushbuck by himself. I just pointed him in the right direction.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Yes, what's your plan for 2012, Andrew?

I am looking at the Bangweulu swamps for sitatunga, tsessebe and black lechwe. This hunt will be first offered to members of the previous group hunts and the conditions will be fairly tough. Cold beer will be mandatory and this is outlined in the contract.

All I have hunted from AR have been first class individuals and very much enjoyed their hunting. Butch, AR's BEGNO kept us in stitches with his tales from home and I got a tear in my eye when David took his Kudu, his first African animal. He earlier turned down a 60 plus incher but that is his story.

Proper Lion.

I am so glad I was there to share this experience with Brian and the other guys. Several of us were in camp drinking beer and wishing Brian luck when we heard Brian's shot. We all got excited and could hear the radio chatter. We grabbed a truck and left for the recovery. Very exciting. A pissy Lioness was still hanging around the bait. Great times we had.

Great report guys! What a great oportunity and outcomes. Andrew, you have done a great thing by offering these hunts. I can't wait to read the other reports. I only spent a few days at Munyamadzi but reading these reports puts me right back there hanging out with the AR guys.

George

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Footnote - Thor had been monitoring this Lion for nearly two years now and whilst not heavy maned he was of age and both Thor and I guessed him at 6. The Lion was much bigger in size than he originally thought and he had turned down this Lion with another client hoping for something with more mane. Thor knows of two other trophy males whose territories overlap the property and one of them will no doubt now dominate Munyamadzi.

A decision was made to offer this specific Lion to Brian as Thor wanted him out of the gene pool.

A good decision by a good PH I thought.

Andrew,
Thanks for adding that detail as this is what made Lion hunt even more special. When I was offered this Lion I thought what are the chances we will get specific Lion in such short time, well we did it and I'm glad I could help you and Thor out by removing the exact Lion allowing for proper conservation.
As for the mane I really was not concerned as I remember Thor asking me, while I lined up the cross hairs, do you want to take him?, my response was "is that the Lion you wanted to take", he responded yes, within seconds the blast from the muzzle rang out. I really did not look at the mane nor do I remember even seeing the mane as I focused on the shot placement and let the PH's guide me to a good Lion. I have put the trophy quality decision onto the PH and focused on my part. I must say when we pulled the truck up to the Lion I was really surprised at the size and very happy with the mane quality.
In my view if your willing to hunt Lion with the risks involved the mane does not matter. When the first Lioness walks within feet of the blind your attitude about Lion hunting changes. I suddenly realized I was bait also in her eyes. I'm very please with this cat and proud to have hunted with Andrew and Thor.

Good stuff guys
Congratulations to all!

Congrates to all hunters and to two PROFESSIONAL PHs.

In my view if your willing to hunt Lion with the risks involved the mane does not matter. When the first Lioness walks within feet of the blind your attitude about Lion hunting changes. I suddenly realized I was bait also in her eyes. I'm very please with this cat and proud to have hunted with Andrew and Thor.[/QUOTE]

Good attitude Brian and considering the shit that you have been through in pursuit of Lion then you best deserve this great beast.

congrats to all involved

Guys,

Congrats on a great hunt in one of my favorite places in Africa.

Mark

A very nice lion. Congratulations!

Miko, Outstanding lion. Working hard, given an opportunity, and making the most of it.

The best,

Mike

Congratulations all around!!! Sounds like you guys couldn't have had a better safari!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Congrats! Wow! I thought really hard of joining you guys on this hunt, but discovered I couldn't afford it at the moment. Feel bad about that now

Thanks for sharing stories and photos! Looks great!

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Yes, what's your plan for 2012, Andrew?

I am looking at the Bangweulu swamps for sitatunga, tsessebe and black lechwe. This hunt will be first offered to members of the previous group hunts and the conditions will be fairly tough. Cold beer will be mandatory and this is outlined in the contract.

All I have hunted from AR have been first class individuals and very much enjoyed their hunting. Butch, AR's BEGNO kept us in stitches with his tales from home and I got a tear in my eye when David took his Kudu, his first African animal. He earlier turned down a 60 plus incher but that is his story.

now that's a hunt i could really get excited about. already have the tsessebe but would "kill" for the other 2.

quote:

now that's a hunt i could really get excited about. already have the tsessebe but would "kill" for the other 2.

Jerry, let's go!!

Good stuff guys, who else went?

Outstanding!!

I hope we can hear from all the other participants soon.

Dates: Oct. 6-15, 2011
Area: Luangwa River Valley, Zambia
Operator: Munyamadzi Game Reserve
PHs: Andrew Baldry (Fairgame) & Thor Kirchner

Game Taken: Hyena, Bushbuck, and Impala

Firearm: Winchester Mod 70, .375 H&H Magnum, Swarovski 3-9x36 in Talley QD mount.

Ammo: Remington safari grade 300Grn. Swift A-Frame / Federal Cape Shok 300Grn. Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer solids

When I first read Fairgame’s post offering an AR group hunt to the Luangwa valley I knew it would be a trip I just couldn’t turn down. So after a phone call to Fairgame confirming his post I was in.


6th October
Arrived in Lusaka early in the morning after a 9½-hour flight from London Heathrow on BA. AR’s Fairgame was there to meet me in the baggage hall and quickly clear my rifle through customs. We met up with the other AR members who arrived the previous day, conversation immediately turned to hunting as we awaited our charter flight to Munyamadzi.
Our flight into camp gave us all a bird’s eye view of the spectacular terrain we were soon to be hunting.
Upon arrival we were met by Thor and a number of the camp staff, the short drive to camp confirmed the high concentration of game we had been told about. Impala, Puku, Warthog and a large troop of Baboons were all spotted.
The camp was situated on the bank of the Luangwa River it sported 180’ views up and down stream. On our arrival a group of Puku was coming down to the water to drink and a small Crocodile was sunning itself on a sand bank, with this much game around it looked like we were all in for some good hunting.

After some light refreshments we all headed out from camp to sight in our rifles, two shots confirmed that my rifle had held its zero, the airlines and baggage handlers had been kind to us all.
On the way back to camp we ran into a herd of impala, Fairgame said we needed meat for camp so after much deliberation I took the shot from the sticks at about 160Yds. The impala ram dropped to the shot.

On returning to camp Fairgame distributed the quota between us all, I had chosen Hyena as my priority animal as I had been unsuccessful on two previous safaris and hoped to be third time lucky. I was also allocated Buffalo and Bushbuck.
Miko was hunting lion so securing baits was a priority. As BEGNO was after Hippo we all headed off down stream to a deeper pool in the river that Thor had previously scouted out. Thirty weary bobbing heads was difficult to sort through as they were constantly jostling for position so it was decided to return in the morning for a better look.
Upon returning to camp Fairgame spotted a solitary hippo upstream so he and I headed out by canoe to see if it was a possible taker for the next morning. Alas upon reaching the stretch of river he resided in he turned out to be a young bull that had been pushed out of another group.

That evening we all sat down to a great meal and drunk far too much beer and wine.
7th October
Everyone was up early and eager to get out. Miko, Dave and I set off with Fairgame, in search of lion and buffalo spoor and checking known pools for Hippo. We covered a lot of ground doing so and made a few stalks on Bushbuck and Puku along the way. The concentration of game on Munyamadzi was outstanding; we saw Kudu, Hippo, Giraffe, Impala, Warthog, Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Puku, Waterbuck and Roan all in a day.


8th October
Miko, Dave and I set out early with Fairgame in search of Kudu and bushbuck; after an unsuccessful stalk a call came in on the radio saying BEGNO had got his Hippo; so we head down to the river to help with the recovery. We now had lion bait so spent the rest of the day hanging baits and making drags.


9th October
We had one bait remaining to put in the Luangwa River for Crocodile. On our way we checked the lion baits and spotted three young Kudu bulls.
After placing the croc bait we stalked the riverine forest along the Luangwa for bushbuck. At one point we almost walked into a lone bull elephant that stood motionless and almost invisible in the thick riverine bush.

Back at Camp we learned that BEGNO had taken a nice Bushbuck. Thor informed us that one of the baits he had hung the previous day had been hit by lion. so we went out after lunch to put up a blind.

10th October
Miko, Fairgame and I headed out to the lion blind before it was light. Miko was set up with a steady rest, his rifle sighted in on the bait site.
Not more than five minutes had passed when we herd a low gruff call to the left of the blind followed by the soft padding noise of the lion approaching. Fairgame reached down and took the safety of his .404 I quickly did the same. A huge lioness walked within a foot of the blind with two cubs in tow. They slowly made there way over to the bait. Fairgame quickly called in the vehicle and we all made a hasty retreat.
After lunch Dave and I accompanied Miko to look over some rocky outcrops in search of Klipspringer.
Supper that night was roast impala everyone went back for seconds it was superb. The beer and wine flowed and the encounter with the lioness was retold over and over. Miko decided he had a definite preference for machan’s over ground blinds!!!

Part two to follow.

11th October
Fairgame put new baits for Crocodile and Hyena near a game scout camp along the river and left instructions to those in camp to keep watch. Whilst checking the lion baits we came to a dry dambo Dave, Fairgame and I slowly made our way along its edge, at about 300yds we spotted a group of five kudu bulls; our progress was soon halted by a herd of impala. Fairgame put up the sticks for Dave and had him lined up on a nice kudu bull. As he was getting ready to shoot I spotted another bull off to the left, which was obscured from the others view. This bull was absolutely huge; Fairgame later estimated it to be around 60”. As Dave and Fairgame tried to change position for the shot the group of Kudu moved off. It was decided to come back the next morning and try again.
After lunch the trackers picked up fresh buffalo tracks so we rendezvoused with them and started to follow. We caught up with the herd after about 2km. The wind was favorable so we were able to get a good look at the whole herd, at one point Fairgame and I ran alongside the herd in order to get a better look. There was not a shootable bull in the group.




12th October
The day started by checking lion baits, there was hyena activity at one of the baits so it was decided to put up a blind after lunch.
Back at the dry dambo we picked up the same group of Kudu we had seen the day before they were spread out and beginning to move back into cover. The wind was beginning to swirl so we headed up onto a ridge that ran parallel to the dambo. Two bulls stood in a clearing bellow us. Dave quickly got steady on the sticks and made a perfect shot on the kudu bull 150yds away.

A hasty hyena blind was erected after lunch and a path was cleared to it so that we could enter the blind in silence after dark.
Buffalo tracks were found again after lunch and we soon caught up with the herd, which numbered over 75. Eventually fairgame and I got into position and looked over the herd that was grazing some 40yds from us, we didn’t see a shootable bull. whilst on the buffalo spoor we came upon a lone sable, a very rare sight at Munyamadzi.


After a quick supper we headed to the Hyena blind. Our progress towards the blind was slowed as a group of elephant was browsing in the bush nearby. The bait was clearly visible in the moonlight but no Hyena came in.

Very nice report and by all accounts a great hunt gentlemen.

Top stuff.

Great stuff guys...congrats to all.

13th October
Dave, Iliam the tracker and I headed out from camp after breakfast to stalk the riverine bush along the Luangwa in search of Bushbuck. We saw many female and young. The going was hard as the dry leaf litter underfoot made progress slow and the temperature had risen significantly. Wild jasmine was beginning to flower and the scent was overpowering in places.

I finally got a shot at a nice bushbuck at about 40yds. He was in thick cover and ran after the shot. A short follow up and a second shot secured him.

That evening we camped out at the game scout camp hoping to catch a glimpse of the crocodiles that were now feeding. At around 10pm a 12+ft croc came in on the bait only to slip away before day break.

14th October
After a pot of strong coffee we headed out to see what was left of the crocodile bait. It was all but gone; a few small crocs were still squabbling over the leftovers. On our way back to the main camp we checked a bait by the river which Fairgame had moved the day before. It had been hit there was a large male track and that of two lionesses around it. Back at camp Fairgame and Thor made a plan to move the bait and replenish it and make some fresh drags.

We checked another bait that had been hit by hyenas and made a plan to sit over it that evening.
That afternoon we spent fishing near the game scout camp and caught vundu and catfish.

That evening after supper Fairgame and I sat in a machan over the hyena bait. At around 10pm the hyenas came in, I could see them moving around the bait through my binoculars but was unable to see them clearly enough through my scope for a shot.
15th October
The lion bait had been hit and there was evidence that the male was present so a machan was constructed some 40yds away.
Fairgame moved the Hyena bait to the ground and closer to the machan. He planed to add some fresh bait to it this evening.
Miko, Fairgame and Thor moved to the machan late in the afternoon. The rest of us stayed nearby in camp listening for a shot and a call on the radio. At about 6pm all in camp herd the shot, it quickly followed by excited chatter over the radio. We drove to the machan. The lion had run into the long grass and one of the lionesses was still present. Fairgame and Thor moved in in the vehicle and quickly found the lion he had gone some 60yds Miko had made a great shot with his .458. Congratulations all round and the lion was quickly loaded and taken back to camp no one wanted to hang around with the lionesses still in the vicinity. On our way back to camp all the trackers and staff started to sing and celebrate Miko’s Success.
After taking photos and having a celebratory beer or two fairgame said I should try for the Hyena so Dave and I headed out with a driver to the machan. We attached the fresh bait to the hippo ¼ on the ground and settled in to the machan.
The time was 20:00 the moon was yet to come up. Within five minutes of being in the Machan we could hear the hyena coming in. the sound of it crunching on the fresh bait was magnified by the darkness. As the moon rose I was able to make the shot on the silhouette of the hyena which was still gauging itself on the bait. After calling in the car we found the Hyena dead not 50yds from the bait.

Back at camp no one could quite belive we had pulled it off as we were gone less than an hour. I cant remember when the celebrations stopped but the memory of the success of that last day will stay with me for quite some time.



To sum up the trip had far exceeded my expectations. The company was excellent, BEGNO constantly kept everyone entertained with his stories and everyone participated in and experienced everyone else’s hunts. Through out Fairgame and Thor worked relentlessly to ensure everything went to plan.
It would be a pleasure to hunt with any of these fine people again.

Pictures added.

Got this nice old Bushbuck, slightly over the hill, big rough bases, thinning coat, slightly broomed, lots of character.



Caught this great Puku on a sandbar heading for the river with his herd to get a drink.



Barnes 300 grain TSX, .375 H&H, taken from Hippo. Bullet entered back of head, penetrated skull, through the brain, and was lodged just under the skin on the nose of the Hippo.

Fantastic read and fairgame my hat is off to you for your generosity welcome those guys to your camp. Great hunters and a great opportunity.

Mike

Faisal,
You dog, you shot my Hyena. Did Andrew tell you about the "hyena" I almost shot? Or was it a chupacabra?

Bevan's 17.5 inch bushbuck.