To start with this hunt report has been delayed due to the loss of my best friend and Father, Don Diven. I will miss him immensely. My apologies.

Hunt Report

Zimbabwe
Save’ Valley Conservancy
Sango Concession, Sango Tented Camp
Zambezi Hunters Safaris
Thierry Labat, PH
Dave Diven, Hunter
Cathy Diven, Observer
September 13 to September 23
Logistics: Annelise at Gracy Travel
Booking Agent : Mark Young at Adam Clements Safari Trackers
Rifles : Model 70 Winchester in 375 H&H and Model 70 Winchester in 458 Lott
Ammunition was all hand loaded with Northfork SS and FPS and CPS bullets
Optics: Zeiss 3 X 9 for the 375 and Leupold 1.5 X 5 on the 458 Lott
Species Hunted: Buffalo, Eland, Impala, Warthog, Kudu
Additional Species taken: Wildebeest and Duiker

Cathy and I left Seattle International Airport on British Airways on September 11 and flew to London where we had a 6 hour layover before our flight to Joberg. We were met at Joberg by Bruce with Gracy Travel and Bruce helped us obtain our SAPS permit and clear firearms then on to our connecting flight. Without Bruce we would have been totally lost. Bruce was a saving grace and got us to our connecting flight gate without the least bit of trouble. Kudos to Gracy Travel and Bruce. Money very well spent!
Our flight to Harare was without incidence even though we passed another South African airliner not more than 1000 yards away at the same elevation going in the opposite direction. Wish I could have gotten a photo to prove this but it was by us in a flash. I thought that they would have been at a different elevation, but what do I know?
Giles who flies clients in his commuter plane to camps for Zambezi Hunters was at the airport to meet us and again the clearing of firearms and permits was made easy and we were off to the Sango without delay with all our bags and rifles.
The flight to the Sango was shared with Mr. Robert Ryan who was on his way back to a concession south of the Sango for another go at elephant. Robert was back at no additional costs due to bad weather the first go round. Zambezi Hunters is certainly customer oriented.
After about a 90 minute flight over which much of the area was on fire we arrived at the Sango airstrip. Giles was a real treat as he gave us the history of Zimbabwe and how he had lost his farm after 30 years. We were met by PH Theirry Labat and his lovely girlfriend Suzie where we introduced ourselves to each other and then off to Tented Camp Sango. We saw several animals on the ride to camp and started to get acquainted with our PH. We got to camp and met the staff and stowed our gear and Theirry was ready to go to the range and check my rifles. After a brief drive we pulled up to an area where about 70 yards away was a large termite mound where Tanga placed a target to shoot at. Since my hunt was directed towards buffalo we checked the Lott first. Terry looked my rifle over and ask me to load a soft and a solid. I told Terry that my first shot would not hit to point of aim and that my first shot was always a fouling shot. He understood and said that to let one go and then load another soft ahead of the solid. I fired my first shot and it hit about 1-1/2 inches high and 1” to the left. I then fired another soft that hit center of bulls eye and then shot a solid which was touching my previous shot. Terry said that the Lott was ready to go! He ask me then to drag out the 375 where I repeated the performance of the Lott. At this point Terry commented on my shooting and the pressure to perform for my PH was off and I was feeling good having put 4 shots in the bulls eye that were all touching.
Since it was not a hunting day we decided to drive a bit and see what we could see. Many Impala and several Giraffe and Warthog. It was getting late so we headed back to camp for our first meal by the chef Dennis. Dennis outdid himself every meal and Cathy and I both gained weight while at Camp Sango even though we hunted hard each day. We retired to the sundowner area for an after dinner drink and conversation on our upcoming hunt. Terry was interested in what I was expecting in a buffalo and whether I was after a herd bull or an old Dugga boy. Of course I wanted to hunt the old Dugga boys and try for a very respectable bull with heavy bosses and drop and good hooks. We talked for about an hour and then off to bed for we planned to get an early start in the morning starting about 4:15.



Day 1 / Buffalo Hunt
Game seen:
Elephant
Kudu
Jackal
Buffalo
Giraffe
Impala
Waterbuck
Duiker
Vulture
Eland
Baboon
Guinea foul
Francolin



Day one started early because we were headed to the West side of the conservancy about an hour from camp. Up by 4:30 for breakfast and on the road by 5:15. We drove hard for about 30 minutes until it started to get light then the pace slowed so the trackers and Terry could look for tracks along the way. We stopped by a couple of water holes looking for tracks and on the second stop the tracks of a couple of Dugga boys were picked up and we were off.
Mudini who is Terry’s main tracker was not on the track this day due to recovering from a bout of Malaria so Tanga was stepping in and working as lead tracker. Tanga is fairly new to tracking so Terry was pulling double duty tracking and trying to educate me to the ways of the bush and buffalo hunting. Tracking was tough as these Dugga boys were feeding along the way and seemed to me very erratic with their movement through the bush. We circled several times and Tanga stumbled onto two with them moving off before we had a chance to get a look. We had been moving in an Easterly direction and now were headed off toward the North when several other buffalo were spotted. This was the reason tracking had been difficult due to the fact that these the two dugga boys had cut these tracks made from the herd and when I now think about it Tanga and Terry had done a superb job of staying on the tracks of these Dugga boys while my inexperience was trying to tell me they had lost them. Seeing the herd now explained that I was with a hunter and his fairly new tracker who would soon be working together as a great team.
This is Tanga-

The temperature was approaching the 100 degree Ferenheight mark and I was feeling the heat. We moved on towards the herd that had about a 500 yard lead on us so the pace was quick but calculated keeping the wind and terrain in mind. With the herd on the move and the cover sparse, we back-tracked several times to take advantage of what cover there was minding the wind as we moved. It seemed like another 45 minutes before we caught up to the herd and we found a rock outcropping that would give us cover so we started our look on this group. These buffalo were on the ridge of a hill slightly above us and the wind was in our favor so we took our time and gave them a fairly good look. I thought that there were several good bulls in the group but after about twenty or so minutes, Terry motioned for me to back away behind the rocks. When out of sight of the herd, Terry said there weren’t any good shootable bulls and that he wanted to circle back and approach the group from a different vantage point because there were many buffalo we couldn’t see. At this point I was at a bit of a loss as I not only thought that there were several good bulls in the group, but I thought I had seen the entire bunch. Boy was I wrong again as after we had circled back and then to the West, we got another look that revealed about 80 to 100 buffalo. I thought we had been looking at a group of about 30 animals when we had stopped to use the rock outcropping for cover.
It was now about 10:30 in the morning and the temperature was now approaching the 100 degree mark and I was feeling hot and dehydrated. It was lucky for me when the wind swirled and the lead buffaloes got our sent and started to stir and moved off. This gave me a chance to ask Terry for a few minutes in the shade and a bottle of water.
The break gave us a chance to chat about the buffalo we had been looking at. I had been under the assumption that there were several good bulls in the group but Terry didn’t feel that there was a single bull that would meet the standards I had outlined to Terry the night before at dinner. Again I was feeling very new to this buffalo hunting..
After our break Terry decided that it was time to break away from this herd and head back to camp for some lunch. He told me that after busting a herd like that for the second time he usually would call it off to take the pressure off them and let them settle.
Back at camp it was easy for Cathy to see the excitement I showed after seeing 80 to 100 buffalo the first morning out. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by the Chef Dennis and talked of our hunt. What a first morning in Africa!
Our routine was to eat lunch in the early afternoon and take an hour or two for a short nap in the heat of the day before we went out again in the mid afternoon.
We woke to a glorious afternoon and loaded up to see what was in store for us. As we were headed West again we ran into a herd of Eland that presented a wonderful mature and dark Eland bull. These animals had me in awe as the shear size of them was astounding. Terry seemed as excited as I felt and after some Shona conversation with his crew we were bailing out to start a stalk on this herd. Rather than taking up the track of the herd we circled around and tried to flank this group. Again we were trying to use the available cover and advance on these beasts keeping the wind in our favor. We stopped a few times so Terry could size things up. Off again we went but again circling taking a wider advance. Cover was sparse and we were all in a half crouch running to flank this group. Pulling up Terry set the sticks up and told me to get set up with a solid in the chamber. The herd cows were leading the way and the bull Terry spotted would be presenting himself soon if the wind held.
This man was amazing with his instructions and came up under my right elbow as I was looking at the Eland through my scope. We had worked on this routine at the shooting range the previous day verifying the zero on my rifles. With his left shoulder supporting my right elbow he started telling me the animal he wanted me to get onto. His instructions were easy to follow and soon the bull we were going to take was coming into view through the jess. As the big bull came into the open, Terry gave me the go ahead to shoot and the 375 spoke out. A shot to the bulls left shoulder hit hard and the Eland gave a jump and started to circle hopping on three legs. I reloaded and let another shot go but Terry said it was not necessary. The bull went about 15 yards and was down. At this point Terry turned to me and shook my hand telling me it was well done. I now had my first African animal down and was reeling with excitement. Our advance on the Eland revealed to me what amazing animals these creatures are. The handshakes began again and I was simply in awe at the shear size of the bull. Terry was going over the bull showing me what he had been looking at while observing through his Swarovski’s.
His coat was an incredible bluish color and his horns were as thick as my forearm at the bases while the length had me a little speechless. His face had an incredible thick black patch of hair that Terry explained was one of the trade marks of a mature bull. He
pulled his beard out from under its neck and laid it out on the sandy soil for a good look stating that this is also something he looks for. This guy was a monster in many ways. His bluish coat began where his huge neck met his massive shoulders and extended well back towards his rear flanks. After a few photos the crew began their work to get this guy into the Toyota and off we headed to the skinning depot. It was time for a celebratory beer and I felt on top of the world. Terry congratulates me on a well placed shot which made me feel even better. On our drive to the skinning depot I ask Terry if this animal was the best one out of the herd to have taken and he broke the ice again saying that this guy was the largest of the herd and so old that when he was born the Dead Sea hadn’t even been wounded yet. Yes, I was going to enjoy this trip and the company of Terry and his crew.




Day 2: Buffalo Hunt
Game seen:
White Rhino
Giraffe
Honey badger
Rock rabbits
Wildebeest
Impala
Bushbuck
Aardvark
Kudu
Guinea Foul
Francolin
Zebra
Buffalo



Day two started like the previous day with us up early and on the road headed West before daylight. We were getting close to our first stop when we rounded a corner and ran into quite a surprise of 7 white Rhino feeding close to the road. Terry stopped the rig and allowed me to take a few photos of these amazing beasts before he began his attempt to get them to move along and out of our path of travel. A few shouts and a couple of blasts from the horn got them moving on their way and we were again on the move.


Today Mudini, Terry’s main tracker, was with us and at the first water hole was out and looking for tracks. This young man is incredible and would prove to me time and time again why he is Terry’s main tracker.

After a brief time around the water hole Terry approached me and said that Mudini had found tracks from 5 Dugga boys and we were going to see if we could catch up to them. This was what it was all about and we were soon headed off in an Easterly direction. With Mudini leading the way we were soon closing in on the 5 dugga boys. As the bush thickened, Mudini slowed and soon Terry spotted horns in the brush to our right flank. We all froze and Terry began to do what he does so well. He peered through his Swarovski’s for what seemed like 10 to 15 minutes with all of us holding our positions. Terry lowered his binoculars and slowly backed his way next to me and leaning close to me whispered that this first bull was the one we were going to take. It felt like life had just began for me and I’m not ashamed to say my heart was now pounding in my chest.
Terry gave me the signal to stay close to him as he slowly moved to his left to avoid some of the brush in our way. Across a small depression in the ground and on the other side of a bush that hadn’t lost it’s leaves yet, a buffalo with huge headgear was feeding. He was feeding on a parallel line to us at about 35 to 40 yards. The green bush between us was acting as our cover and Terry leaned close to my ear and said when this bull feeds into view take the shot. We were set up on the sticks as the bull slowly moved closer to the green bush when the wind swirled and the bull suddenly raised his head and was looking right at us. As we were frozen at this point, the bull wasn’t sure what he was looking at or smelled. The bull would look at us and then look away. This happened a couple of times as we stood motionless. Suddenly the bull took a couple of steps right toward us as if the green bush wasn’t there and raised his nose into the air and toward us. Terry very quietly ask me if I had a shot. Under my breath I said my only shot was to shoot him between the eyes. Terry gave me the OK and the 458 Lott boomed. My shot took the bull right between the nostrils and the bull fell over backwards with his hooves up. For a split second I thought the game was over when but bull then scrambled to his feet and moved off back to our right but parallel to us. Terry had collapsed the sticks and was telling me to shot again but as the bull was in a slight low area of the bush I couldn’t get on him. At this point we were now hot on the trail of a buffalo that had just received a botched brain shot. Terry stopped to exchange the sticks for his rifle that Mudini held and to my surprise Mudini was right next to us as this whole thing was shaking out. Not slowing down Terry was telling me that you have to put holes in these animals even if you can’t get the perfect shot on them. Here we are running through the bush after a wounded buffalo and my PH was sternly disciplining me. We hadn’t moved but about twenty yards when Terry pulled up and we were both looking eye to eye with this beast which now stood abut twenty five yards away. The bull was facing us but was swinging his head back and forth from left to right like he was still dazed from the first shot. I pulled up and let go another 450 grain Northfork Cup Point Solid that took the bull through the face and into the center of it’s chest. This shot again turned the bull and he was off again. I reloaded and Terry was shouting to spine him. The brush was thick and my sight picture presented a hip shot and this is one of my favorite shots and another 450 grain cup point solid was on it’s way. This one put the bull down and we were again on our way advancing on the bull. Terry instructed me to top off my magazine and reload. We came up on the bull quickly and I put another cup point solid into the bulls chest shooting for the off shoulder. The game seemed about over and the bull gave his death bellow. Terry was now smiling broadly and had his hand extended for congratulations. He grabbed my hand and ask that I slip a soft point into the chamber and walk up and kneel down and put it between the bulls shoulder blades. Three death bellows and this bull raised his head a couple of feet off the ground when this 450 grain Northfork soft point hit home. Man these animals are tough. Terry ask me to approach from the rear and we moved in to check the bull. I was in another world when Terry moved close to my side and ask me in a low tone “How’s your adrenalin?”
This guy could break the ice in the artic! Man what a hunt.
Isaac, who is the senior crew man is also an incredible tracker but Isaac now stays with the hunting vehicle and said that he could here the death bellows from where he was which was over a mile away. Isaac was called on the radio and Tanga and Onisimore headed out to assist Isaac on his trek in with the Toyota. Work began to prep the buffalo and once loaded we were off for the skinning depot.
Onisimore -

Isaac -


This buffalo measured 40” spread with 13-1/2” bosses with an unofficial overall SCI measurement of 109”.
We decided that the rest of the day would be spent in the leisure of the camp and maybe a late afternoon drive with the crew and my wife.






I couldn’t be happier with my choice of bullets for the Lott. The Northfork Cup Point Solids are to me the perfect choice for buffalo.
The soft points seem to work wonderfully,also.



Day three: plains game hunt:

Game seen on day three:
Mongoose
Kudu
Warthog
Giraffe
Impala
Elephant
Bushbuck
Crocodile
Wildebeest
Zebra
Eland
Jackal
Baboon
Vervet Monkey
Guinea Foul
Francolin


Day three started on a different note. We were up a bit later and it was as if it was casual dress day at the office. The pressure from the dangerous game hunt was off and it was now time to take things as they came at us and enjoy what the Save’ had to offer. Today my wife could join us and get involved with our adventure this day had in store for us. We headed out of camp to the East and progressed toward the Save’ river hoping for a chance at a Kudu. The Save’ river still had water flowing so it was a prime spot for game to water in the morning prior to heading into the bush to feed and hide from whatever proposed a threat. We had seen several Kudu cows the two previous days and a few Kudu bulls but the bulls were all young and not up to standard for the taking. Our approach to the Save’ gave us many opportunities to see the different game heading away from the river. We had met Dusty, who works on the Conservancy for a private individual doing Leopard studies used for game management. Terry invited Dusty to come to dinner on Thursday and show my wife and me his program on the Leopard he’s been studying. This would prove to be very interesting and Dusty was a joy to be with.. He is a person that is passionate about what he does and it is always a joy to meet someone that truly enjoys what he does for a livelihood. I think he enjoys what he does almost as much as Terry loves being a Professional Hunter.
Dusty on the left, me in the middle and PH Theirry Labat on the right:

It was early in our quest for the Kudu bull that we ran across several Impala. We saw scores of Impala each day but Terry spotted one this morning that really caught his eye. After a brief look he was sure this certain Impala was the one we should pursue. Without hesitation we were out of the Toyota and geared up ready for the hunt. This day Cathy was with was with us so Terry had additional responsibility which he quickly lined out how this should shake out. Cathy was to follow me and I was to stay with Terry at all times. There were lots of elephant in this area and we couldn’t afford to get too spread out. Our stalk on the Impala was only about a 100 yard stock as Terry had figured where this buck would try to head out away from the river. We flanked to the north and came up upon him quickly. The brush was thick where this antelope was hidden and Terry had me take a shot through some heavy brush but the 375 with the Northfork 300 grain soft points was up to the job and the buck dropped at the shot. Some will tell you that shooting through brush is not a good idea and most of the times I would agree, but this time I was glad I took the chance as to date this is the largest Impala that Zambezi Hunters had taken this season.

Impala scream out Africa to me and I now have a beautiful trophy to remind me of the wonderful time I was having. I was also a blessing that it was a DRT shot as my wife was with us and the show ended as quickly as it had gotten started. Soon we were headed off to the skinning depot and it felt that we had become regular customers in a relatively short time. The morning had started off well and we still had the better part of the day to see if we could find that certain Kudu bull.


After the stop and the skinning depot we headed back to camp for lunch and an afternoon nap. We woke about 3:00 pm and headed out to see if we could find a good Kudu. Along the way we caught up to a warthog that we just had to go after. This would turn out to be a very fun hunt as the Warthog was on the run when we spotted him and gave us quite a chase zigzagging and circling for about an hour. There were hundreds of tracks from the many Impala and other Warthogs in that area but Mudini and Terry stayed on the track and many times we were running trying to catch up to this big hog. The temperature was hot probably being in the low 100’s.d I was wondering if and when we caught up to this hog I would be able to make the shot. Well after several set up’s on the sticks and having to take up the chase again and again we finally got the chance at a shot when we found the hog hiding laying down under a scrub bush. Terry and Mudini were locked onto the hog but I was having trouble picking him up as I was use to looking further than this guy was.
Mudini and Terry had put me right on top of this hog and a single shot through the shoulder put this chase to an end. It was a great hunt and we worked for this hog running full circle as we were now about ½ mile from the Toyota. A short conversation on the 2-way had the crew with us in about 10 minutes. After a few photos we were headed back to the skinning depot.


. I was beginning to make some friends there as I had been there 4 times in the last 3 days.

Actually I think they came out to see my lilly white legs and blond hair and blue eyes. They would wisper to each other and giggle when I looked at them.

Day 4/ Plains Game Hunt
Game Seen:
Kudu
Elephant
Impala
Warthog
Wildebeest
Eland
Mongoose
Giraffe
Bush Pig
Baboon
Vervet Monkeys
Waterbuck
Jackal
Bushbuck

Day 4 we are out looking for Kudu. Our trip to the west side of the conservancy near the Makore River had us on several Waterbuck. One really nice male Waterbuck. We watched this one buck for several minutes before he spotted us and moved off. We made a couple of hikes along the west side this morning and the temperature was getting into the hot range. Cathy was with us today and was really enjoying the country side and game seen. We saw a couple of Kudu cows but no good bulls. After the second hike it were close to the lunch hour so we headed back to camp. After lunch we took our afternoon nap to wake up to a damn hot afternoon. We headed out but this time headed East of camp toward the Save’ river. We saw some fine Kudu bulls and made a couple of stalks but couldn’t outsmart them. We ran into elephant and got some good photos.


The day was long and hot but we were having a great time. We headed back to camp around 5:30 as this was the night that Dusty was coming to dinner to show us his work with the Leopards in the area. Dusty was a joy and the work he is doing for the Conservancy on Leopards was fascinating. We had sundowners by the fire and a wonderful dinner of Eland steaks before Dusty brought out his laptop and gave us a great presentation on the Leopards in the Save’.


We said our good byes and retired for the night.

Day 5 – Plains Game Hunt

Game Seen-
Civet Cat
Zebra
Impala
Baboon
Giraffe
Wildebeest
Duiker
Hyrax
Buffalo
Waterbuck
Elephant

We started on the Western side again and made some fairly long walks and spotted some beautiful Waterbucks but no Kudu. The Waterbucks were moving off when we decided that a different area would be worth a try. We ran into a group of 4 female Sable and had a chance to watch them for a while. They are certainly a majestic animal. There was a bull with them but never presented himself so I could get a photo.

We had made a couple of long hunts looking for Kudu and it was hot today.
We later found out that it had made it to 112 degrees Fahrenheit. It was time to head back to camp and get some lunch and try to cool off a little.

. The afternoon would be more stalking but we were going to try the eastern side.
After our afternoon rest we headed out and right away ran into a group of 4 Kudu bulls. Terry looked these guys over and decided that there was one pretty good bull worth going after. We made preparations and set out after these guys. The weather was hot and after the long morning we had, Terry thought that this could all come together very fast so Cathy stayed with Isaac and Tanga in the vehicle and we took off after the bulls. Mudini, Terry, myself and Onisimore.

Cathy wasn’t too happy about this but heeded Terry’s request as things were shaking out fast and Terry knew we would probably have some running involved to catch up to these guys. We made our stalk and got set up on these bulls three different times as they were on the move. We were sometimes sprinting to keep up with these guys and got the flank on them that gave us the shot we needed. This was a great hunt and it was Terry that outsmarted them this time which gave me the shot I needed to put my bull on the ground.

The Kudu had been the most elusive animal on this safari to date but was certainly well worth the effort. They are an awesome animal.



Something I need to show you is a picture of a couple of kids that came into our camp in the dark of night. These kids were lost in the African bush for the day and stumbled into our camp about 7:30 at night. They were headed to a village another 30 miles from where we were and had left a village that Isaac said was 20 miles from where we were. The only thing they had was an old shampoo bottle that they were using as a water bottle. Isaac said their last drink of water was from a river over 11 miles from our camp. The water holes they found were occupied by elephant and they were too afraid to try to drink. We couldn't believe it but This is Africa!

Terry took charge and took them into the cook area and had them fed and made sure that they got water but in small portions until they were hydrated again. It made my wife cry to see these kids and imagine what could have happeded to them. The authorities were called but it took two days for them to show up. TIA.

Day 6- Plains Game Hunt

Game seen:
Giraffe
Warthog
Wildebeest
Impala
Leopard Tortoise
Baboon
Eland
Zebra
Kudu
Nyala
Bush Pig
Brown Snake Eagle

Day 6 started out with a bit of a shock as the weather had changed dramatically. The skies had clouded over and the temperature had dropped about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and it was drizzling. Boy what a change from yesterday. We were out to look for Duiker and a good Wildebeest hoping our luck would hold out. We saw lots of animals this day including a couple of bush pigs.


Terry had left one of his leopard blinds over at the other camp so he ask if it was OK to head over there to pick it up and that it would give us a chance to see the setup over there.
He was such a gentleman always asking if this would be good for us or if that would be to our liking. I have to say at this point that we were very much enjoying Terry and his crew and Cathy and I were both willing to try about anything Terry had to offer or wanted us to see.
We made our way over to the other camp for a change of pace and looked it over. What a wonderful setup this camp also had.

We made our way up to the top of the rocks that looked over the valley and just relaxed for a while. Zimbabwe is beautiful this time of year and we got a view of it few have seen.





We made our way back towards our camp but stopped by one of Terry’s leopard baits to check if there had been any hits and to get rid of the carrion as it had been there just about long enough. Terry has two passions when it comes to hunting and along with buffalo hunting he really enjoys leopard hunting. I didn’t have leopard on my docket but was asking several questions regarding leopards so Terry showed me a few of his setups and how he hunts these cats. He has a great track record hunting these cats and some of the things he explained to me on his methods kind of makes me want to give it a try. Maybe on the next trip.



Although we didn’t take any animals this day it was a wonderful day with Thierry showing us plenty thus making this a great time in the African bush.

Day 7- Wildebeest Hunt

Game Seen on Day 7:
Wildebeest
Giraffe
Impala
Zebra
Warthog
Elephant
Baboon
Python
Sable
Klipspringer
Vervet Monkey
Bushpig
Duiker
Kudu
Eland
Mongoose
Black Rhino


The hunt on day 7 started about 6:30am and we drove East from camp with hopes of finding Duiker. After several looks in some of Terry’s favorite areas we decided that we would try for Wildebeest and I was ready to pull the trigger again. We spotted several Impala, Warthog and Zebra along with Giraffe. I spotted 3 Klipspringer that we watched for several minutes. The male had good horns that were above the ears.


Out travels showed us several Wildebeest and after looking at probably 100 animals, Terry spotted the one that we would go after.. Our Stalk took us to about 100 to 125 yards within the herd with the bull we wanted. With so many eyes watching us we had to be very careful. After deciding and making sure we were looking at the correct animal I got set up on the sticks and Terry came up under my right elbow and I let the first shot go. It felt as if I had pulled the shot as the Wildebeest jumped and turned and ran. We gave the herd a few minutes and then advanced to the spot the bull was when I had taken the shot. Terry didn’t seem too concerned about my shot. We spotted blood but very little and now it seemed everyone but Terry thought it was a blown shot.
Mudini took up the track and tracking was a bit slow as the blood trail was very slight and spotty. Mudini led us to some thick jess. It was Mudini and Terry followed by myself and then Cathy and Onisimore. Suddenly Mudini and Terry froze with Terry giving the all-stop signal. Slowly Terry backstepped to me and quietly ask me to have Cathy go stand behind a tree that was close to us. Cathy seemed a little perturbed but complied and as I turned to Terry he pointed to the jess and whispered Black Rhino.
I backpedaled to where Cathy was and stood watching as Terry and Mudini decided what to do. Terry gave us the hold sigh and then threw about a three pound rock into the jess. The Rhino gave a series of 4 or 5 snorts and then it sounded like a locomotive was barreling down on us. Terry and Mudini stood their ground and the Rhino turned before reaching them and ran back away form our group. I looked back at Cathy and her eyes were about as big as silver dollars. I’m sure mine were as big as we couldn’t see the Rhino when it first started to bust out of the jess. We both turned to Terry and Mudini who both had smiles like they were posing for a tooth paste commercial. Terry broke the ice again as he said with his distinguished accent- “Quite a cheeky fellow, eh?!” Cathy and I both stuttered a couple of meaningless words before we could conjugate a real sentence.
I was stammering that I thought that thing was headed right at us when I noticed that Terry wasn’t even holding his rifle.
This had both Cathy and me a little stunned. Terry was trying his best to calm us as I was now starting to feel the ground again with my feet and muttered something like let’s find this damn wildebeest and get out of this area I was feeling again like I had muffed the first shot when Terry turned to me and said he’s right there in front of you. I pulled up and shot as the wildebeest was beginning to move off.hitting him a little far back. Reloading and shooting again I put a raking shot into him aiming for the off shoulder. We advanced and I put another shot into him breaking his back hips to anchor him. This put the fellow down and I put another into him to finish the hunt. 5 shots and one Wildebeest. These are tough animals but very fun to hunt.
As Terry, Cathy and I were looking him over Terry again gave us a little of his personality saying that I probably won’t want to make a canoe out of this one! Even my wife got a kick out that. I’m not sure if Terry spoke to Isaac as he came up but even Isaac had some humor for me as he walked up to us and ask if we were culling? Man, I tell you we were all having a great time. We loaded the wildebeest up and were off to the skinning depot.



This was my first shot and this guy went on for about a mile! When we got him to the skinning depot we found that half his lungs were gone.


Day 8 = Duiker Hunt

Game Seen: Shona in Parenthesis
Baboon (Gudo)
Eland (Mhofu)
Warthog (Njiri)
Giraffe (Twiza)
Impala (Mara)
Wildebeest (Ngongoni)
Zebra (Mbizi)
Kudu (Nhoro)
Duiker (Membwe)
Batuler Eagle (Chapungo)
Vulture (Gora)
Elephant (Nzou)
Waterbuck (Dhumukwa)

Day 8 started out about 7:00 headed to the West looking for Duiker. We had seen a big male Duiker the first day but were after Buffalo and didn’t want to fool around with him at that time. We were hoping to run into him again.
To start with Duiker are hard to spot in the thick bush and being on the small side that doesn’t help matters. A big Duiker stands about 16” at the shoulder. We had been on the lookout for about 3-1/2 hours and were driving thru some thick jess when that familiar thump on the cab of the Toyota came from Isaac. Isaac was always spotting the unusual game, Python, Leopard Tortoise, Iguana, and now a big Duiker. In Shona he tells Terry that he has spotted a Duiker and he said he didn’t seem too nervous. We drove a little further and then piled out of the truck and Terry tells me to load whatever I have in my magazine. He also instructs me to be quick but not to hurry. We stalk towards the little fellow and Terry suddenly sets up the sticks and points out the Duiker. He was hidden in some thick grass and behind an outcropping of rocks which almost concealed him. I set up and pushed the safety off with a click and just as I shoot the Duiker is off. I thought that I had missed him. I was quick but maybe hurried a little. We talk about the shot for a minute and Terry seems to think I hit him but a little far back as he was on the move when I shot. Isaac and Mudini move up to the spot where he stood when I shot and Mudini raises his hand meaning that he has blood. We take off following the blood trail which is pretty sparse and it seems that the little fellow is circling.
We come up on the Duiker again fairly quickly but he is on the move again and we don’t get a chance to set up for a shot. The blood trail being sparse has me worried as this would be my last animal and I didn’t want to loose him. We stay on the trail for another 20 minutes when Terry spots him in a shallow depression and quickly sets the sticks up and I’m on him for another shot. I sent another bullet his way but he is off again and again I’m thinking I missed. Mudini and Onisimore are out in front this time and soon they are carrying back the Duiker. I had made a good shoulder shoot and he had only moved a short distance but into some heavy brush. My hunting was now over and as I reflect on this hunt of the Duiker, I think I would like to someday try for another as they are very quick and elusive. You have to be quick but can’t hurry, as Terry said. It was a great way to end the hunt and the whole crew was out working for this one. Terry has a great crew and we were all happy at this point.
Upon inspecting this little guy my first shot indeed hit a little far back but made this fellow pretty sick. That was the reason he was circling and gave us the opportunity for another shot. My hunt was over but the safari was to carry on.


Day 9 – observation day

Game seen on day 9:
Bushbuck (
Impala
Eland
Wildebeest
Giraffe
Warthog
Klipspringer
Buffalo / All Dugga Boys
Kudu

We had ask Terry if he could get us into some buffalo even though we weren’t hunting. Since he loves buffalo hunting this was something he had no problem doing. The trackers spotted some tracks and we stalked up to a herd of 14 bulls. One really nice bull with good drop and wide horns but as Terry said lacked the hooks. We watched them for a while but with Cathy with us Terry played it on the safe side and we backed off arter a while and left them to their feeding.
Later on we came up on a water hole that had a herd of 21 bulls. Kind of rare but the Save’ has the buffalo. Even the trackers were saying that this was a little out of the ordinary. These guys like to hunt buffalo almost as much as Terry. It was great fun and Cathy got to see buffalo in their natural habitat.

As we were having fun this day Terry had worked a deal with the camp manager for some shot shells and took us out to see if we could get a couple of Guinea foul. He had a double barrel shotgun in 12 gauge and with a box and ½ of shells we were set. We spotted a large group of Guineas and set me up. Now I’m not a double guy by any means and two triggers are one more than I’m use to. I snuck up on the group and made for them. They took off and I managed to knock one down but didn’t kill it. Man can they run.. I think I had the whole truck full of people laughing at my shotgunning.
I made my way back to the truck and we were off again looking for others. We spotted another large group and I wanted Terry to try his hand and show me how it’s done. Terry had Onisimore flank the group from the left side and Tanga and Mudini circled from the right. They all caught up to them and flushed them right at us. Terry ran forward and very smoothly brought two of the foul down. He is a damn good shotgun shot. We were all in good spirits and Terry had me get in the back of the truck with the shotgun. Isaac was driving and Cathy, Terry and I were riding in the back when we came up on another group of guineas. They flushed and flew right at the truck. Terry said to try one and I let go with a shot. I hit the foul pretty well and he took a dive right at the truck and hit right above the door on Isaac’s side. Isaac came out and said he was charging. We all had a good laugh with Isaac. It was getting late so we headed back to camp for a sundowner and dinner. Another good day.


Day 10

Game Seen:
Eland
Wildebeest
Impala
Warthog
Giraffe
Kudu
Waterbuck
Crocodile
Bushbuck

Day 10 was not a hunting day and Terry wanted us to get some photos of the largest Baobab tree in Zimbabwe.

We traveled over to Camp Mokore where we were lucky enough to meet the Duckworths.. We first met Gary Duckworth and his wife Melenie who showed us around their camp. It is a wonderful camp set along side of the Mokorie river. We had a chance to chat a little with them before Gary was off to tend to a few things in the concession. Melanie took us to the main lodge area so we could meet Bertie Duckworth. What a delightful women this lady is. We talked of life in the area and had hot tea in the shade of the sundowner boma. As we were having tea we were surprised to see Barry Duckworth come out. Barry was just recovering from a bout of Malaria and not feeling 100 percent but came out to have tea with us. Barry is a hunting legend that has shot over 5000 elephant himself. The stories this man can tell are astonishing. He is currently working on a new concession trying to get the poachers out of the area and a wide variety of game animals in for the hunters. The poachers are being driven out and leaving due to Barry’s hard work and diligence and soon Barry will have another area for his hunters. He showed us one of the poacher traps he has been removing and to date he says he has removed over 4000 of these.

It seemed our talk made Barry feel better and before we left Barry was off to take care of some business on the concession. Truly a wonderful and intriguing man. I wonder if it was our talk that brought his spirits up and got him back in the field but I’m sure it was his own desire to keep the African hunters way of life alive and thriving. We said our good byes and were off to see the Baobab for some photos.


As we were done with our hunt Terry took the opportunity to drop off part of his staff. We dropped of Tanga near the school Roger Whittall built and still funds today.

We said our goodbyes to Tanga and gave him our wishes to see him and hunt with him again. Tanga is a special man that works very hard for Terry and has the desire to become one of the best at what he does. We left Tanga near the school to wait for his pre-arranged ride to his home.

As we were leaving we had the chance to also meet Roger Whitall who is another legend in Zimbabwe with his hunting and what he has done for the local people. Terry has worked for Roger and thinks quite highly of him and it was a pleasure meeting him.

We were now off to drop off Isaac and Mudini.
I got along great with Isaac and could cut up with him as he would give it right back to me. Isaac was the eldest of Terry’s crew and showed it in wisdom, tracking, and spotting game. I have a fond spot in my heart for Isaac and wish him the best and hope to hunt with him again soon.
When we dropped off Mudini we were given a special treat of meeting Mudini’s family. Mudini works on an orange and mango spread in the off season trying to keep the Baboons out of the orchards. He has adopted a baby baboon to raise until it is old enough to make it on it’s own. Mudini is truly a gifted and caring individual.

We stopped by the orange processing factory to pick up a couple of bags of oranges before heading back towards camp for our last night. Along the way we dropped off Onisimore who works for and lives on the conservancy. We said our good-byes to Onisimore and headed back to camp Sango for the last night. It was a bitter sweet night as Cathy and I both loved our time there and hated to leave but we had an anniversary to celebrate in Victoria Falls and spend a few days there seeing the sights.

Day 11 – Travel Day

We woke up to another wonderful breakfast by Dennis and after eating began the lonesome task of packing. As we approached the vehicle Terry was hard at work changing a flat tire on the Toyota. TIA.
We loaded up and hit the road for the long drive to Harare. We had elected to drive to Harare with Terry and not take the commuter flight in order to spend more time with Terry and see the sights of Zimbabwe for

WOW Very nice report. Great pictures.

Pegleg, great story and beautiful pics!

Really sorry to hear about the passing of your father. My condolences.

Wanted to add, I'd have shot one of those bush pigs, if I'd of had a chance.

Mad Dog

Thank you for your comments. It seems that the whole report isn't posted and I've tried to edit it but to no avail. (?)

Day 11 – Travel Day

We woke up to another wonderful breakfast by Dennis and after eating began the lonesome task of packing. As we approached the vehicle Terry was hard at work changing a flat tire on the Toyota. TIA.
We loaded up and hit the road for the long drive to Harare. We had elected to drive to Harare with Terry and not take the commuter flight in order to spend more time with Terry and see the sights of Zimbabwe for the next five hours. Zimbabwe is truly a beautiful country and the drive showed us just how depressed the country is. School kids walking mile to school carrying their books and lunches and the locals waiting along side the road for rides to wherever they were intending to go. Some of the local bottle shops had the usual group of locals outside passing the time of day. I ask Terry if we could stop for a brew but he suggested against it and on we traveled.
We arrived in Harare to find a large city pretty much in a state of confusion with street lights not working and traffic a nightmare. We stopped by Terry’s place to drop off his kit before heading over to Zambezi Hunters main office to do some last minute paperwork for trophy shipment and a short debriefing of our safari. We sat down with Alistair Pole and did the necessary paperwork and talked briefly of our hunt. I have to take the time here to let you all know that Alistair Pole is a prince of a gentleman and is truly concerned with the satisfaction of his clients. Alistair is very easy to deal with and I plan on hunting with Zambezi Hunters again simply because of the way Alistair and Terry treated and took care of Cathy and myself. Both of these men are true professionals in every way.
Alistair invited us to a steak dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in Harare and then took us to the Hulmes house to prepare for dinner and spend the night.
I had so looked forward to staying with the Hulmes and was anxious to meet Jonathon but unfortunately Jonathon was on an elephant hunt with a client that had bad luck earlier in the season on a hunt due to bad weather. We shared the commuter flight to the Sango camp with this gentleman who was headed on further south after we were dropped off.
Zambezi Hunters was letting this gentleman come back to give it another try with no extra charges due to the bad weather luck the first time around. This says a lot for the organization of Zambezi Hunters.
While at the Hulmes we met Nina,(Jonathon’s wife and Ivan Carter’s sister) their two sons Daniel, and Nicholas and their daughter Jade. Although we didn’t meet Jonathon I can tell you he must be a hell of a guy as his family is wonderful and very gracious. Out of respect of the Hulmes, the only picture I will post is a scale I tried to convince my wife was the scale Jonathon weighed his elephant ivory on. I’m not sure she bought it but it was fun trying to convince her of this.

Dinner with Alistair, Terry and Terry’s very beautiful lady friend Suzie was wonderful and we talked much of our hunt and if there was any way Zambezi Hunters could have made it better. The only thing I missed on our safari was seeing lions and hearing them roar at night. Other than that, things could not have been better.
Alistair took us back to the Hulmes’ for a very peaceful night before our flight out to Vic Falls the next morning.
This was a trip of a lifetime and Zambezi Hunters made the first 12 days wonderful and very rewarding.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark Young with Adam Clements Safari Trackers in helping me set this hunt up. Mark worked very hard for me and I owe this man alot for putting together a trip of a life time for my wife and I. Thank you Mark!
I would also like to thank Debbie at Gracy Travel for taking over for Annelise after Annelise transfered to South Africa.
A big thank you to Alistair Pole for taking care of Cathy and I while in Harare. Alistair is a true gentleman and will get my business again.
Last but not least I owe Theirry Labat a huge thank you for taking care of Cathy and I while in Tented Camp Sango. Theirry is a very intellegent man that taught Cathy and me many things while hunting. Theirry took our safety into account first and foremost while making our hunt both exciting and rewarding. I predict that Theirry will someday become a legend within the African hunting circle. I consider Theirry a friend and look forward to hunting with him again soon.

Wow!!! Beautiful animals all around!!! Although any outfit that can't keep leaves of the dinner table is second rate in my oppinion. Very nice report.

Brett

Dave,

Great report and excellent pix. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be a small part of your adventure. Let's hope the sable safari will be just as rewarding.

Mark

Great report from a great place.

Thank you for that excellent report and pictures.

After reading it I am right back there, in the hunt. I am pretty sure that I almost shot a leopard out of that bait tree. Did it hang out over a dry stream bed?

Sango is a great place, Thierry is a great guy, ZH is a great organization. The only negative I can see is that Thierry is getting a little bushy and needs a haircut.

Congrats on a great hunt and welcome home.

Great report! Thanks

Great trophies. Excellent report. I hope to be in the Save someday soon. Congratulations.

Great report on a super hunt! I did the opposite,went to Vic Falls for anniversary before the hunt. Sounds like it is a lot warmer in the Save than in Malapiti.Was there at the same time & never saw it above 85f.

Great trophies congrats. Also, I'm sorry for your loss.

Funny, that's the second Sango buff shot in the nose this year. I think there is a lesson to be learned, don't shoot buff in the nose!

Sorry for your loss...sure hat eto hear it.

Congrats on a superb hunt and great trophies. That was a wonderful report and photos. Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on a great hunt.I wish you many more!

Very sorry about your father. What a great hunt.
Congrats!!!

I greatly enjoyed reading your report.

Great report congratulations on a great hunt. I loved the pic of the baby baboon. The two African kids are lucky I guess to stumble into your camp. I was also amazed at the distances people walked in Zim, including kids going to school - a few miles each way was nothing even for the tiniest of tots. That too w/out proper shoes and rags for clothes.

Very enjoyable report, and a very nice buff. My condolences on the loss of your father.

Congratulations on an excellent hunt. This has to be one of the best report that I have seen here, welldone .

I hope my next safari is as good as yours was. If only all safaris were as good.

Very nice! Congratulations..

Thanks! Great hunt and report.

Great report, thanks for sharing it.

Pegleg
Really sorry about the passing of your father.
My condolences.
To be honest, it was on eof the best reports i ever read, not too mention the excellent photos.
I also would not let those bush pigs go away.
Well done once again.
Roberto

Excellent report! Great pics! My condolences on the loss of your father. Thanks for sharing your hunt with all of us.

Fantastic trophies, sorry about the loss of your father.

Fantastic report! Very well done. That buff is a sod and the eland is superb as well! Amazing story on the lost kiddos... always make you remember how lucky we are to have parents that care and can take care of us. And condolences on your Father's passing. I am sure that is a tough event to go through.

Hi Pegleg:

Congratulations on your safari, I like many trophies you've accomplished. One question do you think effective for hunting dangerous Lott 458 caliber?, I'm asking because of your experience with this caliber.

Thank you,

Oscar

Sorry to hear of the passing of your father. My own father passed away October 3rd last year, while I was in Africa.

Great report, thanks. Great trip, congrats.

I know Thierry, he is a very good, very fun guy, and a great PH. His dad is a hoot too.

JPK

Great story and great trophies

Excellent report, I enjoyed all of it. Congrats on a great safari. My condolences on the passing of your Father.
LDK

Thank you for all your kind replies. This is the first night back at camp after a long day hunting. I think this is the point where I determined that I would be back.
With the help of Mark Young I'm planning a trip for 2011.
Thank you all! It's been a tough fall.

Dave,

I can see the bubble over your head. All it says is "WOW"!

Mark

Mark, You have a PM

Super report. Thanks for sharing. I hope I can get my wife to go with me when I return.

Concolences on your loss. It doesn't get easier, but as time passes you come to understand and accept it.

And congrats on a great hunt and report. Love the pictures.

Peg

I don't know how I missed this one! What a superb hunt and great write up to take all of us along with you. I throughly enjoyed reading every word of it. I get the feeling that you REALLY enjoyed this hunt!!
Also, thanks for taking the time to include the Shona translations on the species. It made me think back of my last Zim hunt.

Great post and a great hunt!

Congratulations on a FANTASTIC hunt...Truly an adventure, yes a safari that will bring lasting memories to treasure...