Finally after many months and more off color language than I care to admit to, here is my hunt report from Zimbabwe in 2008.

Our oldest son and I went to Zimbabwe in July of 2008 on a Buffalo/Leopard hunt with Chifuti Safaris. Ian Gibson was my PH. We hunted out of their main camp on the Zambezi River the first 2 days of the hunt, them moved to a tent camp for the next 10 days on the Chewore River and then back to main camp for the final 2 days.

We spent the first few days shooting bait and setting 8 baits for the Leopard. On the fourth day we cut some buffalo tracks and set out after them. After tracking them for about an hour we caught up with the herd. It was getting close to noon time and they had started to bed down. There were three nice bulls in the herd, but as luck would have it they were in the middle of the herd with no shot available. We waited for the herd to get up and start to move around. My bull finally moved to where I had an open shot and I took it. It was a good hit and he and the herd took off. I was using a Dakota .375 H & H with 300 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. Little did we know that while we were stalking the herd, so was a younger male lion and a lioness. Ian and I took off after my bull and as soon as he hit the ground the two lions were on him. To my horror, I was finally hunting Buffalo in Zimbabwe, I had made a good shot on my Buffalo and two lions were in the process of stealing my trophy. Ian, with his balls of steel, ran up yelling at the lions trying to get them off my bull. They did run off a bit into the grass where we had several minutes of a tense standoff. They made a couple of mock charges and the game scout fired a round over their head. They finally gave up.


The white scratches just before his hind leg were from the lions.

My son shot this nice Kudu bull the day before my buffalo.


I got my Leopard on the 7th day of the hunt. We had 8 baits set, all were hit by the end of the hunt. We sat in a blind the and watched a young male a couple of days before I got my cat and also watched a female feed on another bait as we walked up to check that bait.



After we had the cat and buffalo in the salt we set out after a hippo. Got a call from another PH that he had spotted a large bull just off a dry river bed. We turned around and found the spot where the bull had headed into the thick bush. We set out after him and found him in the thickest bush I could imagine. We snuck into position and I hit him in the brain at 12 yards with a 300 gr solid.


I also took a nice Bushbuck and a trophy Impala as well as a couple of Baboons.






We had the time of our lives and the chance to share this with my son is a memory I will never forget. I can not speak more highly for the camp, the trackers, Ian, my PH. The DG were plentiful and the PG were a bit thin. But even that could not tarnish my memories. I hope this all comes out as I have been screwing with this whole process for months. Let me know what you think.

vandyboy,

I enjoyed reading your report and enjoyed the beautiful pics!

Wonderful trohies indeed!

Congratulations!

Roland

Looks like a great trip, and what an awesome Boon!

Congratulations on a great hunt!!!

Brett

Great report. Thanks. Well written and I appreciate your taking the time to write it. Please post more pics if you have them.

Rug, yes he was. And considering I am 6'4" and about 275# he was a brute. He looks great in my den. We had a blast hunting Baboons. They are very weary and are a challenge to hunt. One night walking back to the truck after siting in a leopard blind, dozens of baboons dropped out of a tree as we walked by. Ian ran up and tried to grab on of the little ones. Made for an interesting walk back to the truck.

Congratulations on all your great trophies. The incident with the lions I'm sure will stick with you always. Great pictures. When are you headed back?

Yes, it will stick with me forever. I had the hunt filmed, and it was worth every penny for the lion incident. Saving my pennies to go back. We have a handicapped daughter and the 18 days I was gone was an awful lot to ask of my wife. As Miranda get larger, physically, it will be more difficult for my wife to handle her without me being there.

Looks like a wonderful trip. Congrats.

Congratulations on a wonderful trip.

Bill

WOW! Cool deal with the Lion and the Buffalo. something you will always remember.Congratulations,and thaks for the report.

quote:

Originally posted by vandyboy:
Ian ran up and tried to grab on of the little ones. Made for an interesting walk back to the truck.

Might you share a bit more on this...

Thanks!

Congratulations!!! Great hunt and wonderful trophies!

Regards, D. Nelson

What an excellent hunt and trophies!
Would love to see some of the video of the lions and the buff.

Vandyboy- Great report and excellent photos. Congratulations on an wonderful trip.

Jason

Great Report and pic's. I would love to see the video of the Lion and Boon encounters.
Looks like you had the time of your life!

great report and nice pictures.

Nice... I hunted the Chewore North area in 2007 and had a great hunt. Glad to see nothing has changed! Very nice trophies and glad to see a father/son duo! Having your son along had to make the hunt extra special for you.

Congratulations on what must have been a wonderful trip.

Great report and pictures....DAN

Congratulations on a great safari and some great trophies!!

Very nice. Congrats on some great animals...

Can you post video clips on Photobucket as well as pictures? I will try and put a video clip of the buffalo and lion encounter if I can get some direction.

Damn! with the lions thieves. Congratulations on these trophies.

Regards,

Oscar.

Here are some additional photos from our safari in Zimbabwe.
Did anyone say cocktails?

Typical lunch. My son Brandon and Doug King the cameraman listening to their ipods and Ian eating the trail mix my wife sent along for us. Great times!

Here is another photo of my big dog with Ian.

Here I am with my Bushbuck with the Mighty Zambezi in the background. Fought like hell to get this guy. We had probably 5 unsuccessful stalks on Bushbucks before we got this guy. I slipped getting out of the boat on one stalk and ran my Dakota .375 into the mud barrel first. Yes, it made the blooper real.

Here is myself, Ian, Doug, Jonathan the game scout, and Ian's trackers; Bernard and Robert.

3 tons of attitude. Big thanks to Mark Vallaro for giving us the call on the radio about this guy!

Group photo with Chui!

Proudest guy in Zimbabwe at that moment! Word of advice to my fellow hunters, don't book a hunt to Africa and miss your wife's birthday. It is expensive.

My hard fought Buffalo. The buf that almost wasn't. Damn lions.

Brandon's Kudu.

Our tent at our camp on the Chewore River.

Bernard hanging an Impala in hopes of having Chui pay us a visit. Bernard was a tree climbing fool.

Brandon and I with Doug just before we boarded our charter out of the Valley. Sad time.

the teeth on that hippo are impressive.

I enjoyed your hunt! Thanks for sharing!

jpj3

Congrat's on the hunt! Your boy looks like a chip off the old block!

Good pictures too, you even made Ian look...well...not all that bad.

Assuming the trophies are home, have you had them mounted yet?

Yes, the trophies are home and were mounted by The Wildlife Gallery. I will post their pictures shortly. They did a fantastic job.

Wow. I can't think of a single more exciting way to remember your buff hunt experience; that's nature in action, baby! Oh, and am I the only one who is waiting for you to come back with a lion hunt report? You need to get two now, obviously. For what? To get the three of the beasts full-mounted in the positions you witnessed during the attack. To make it even better, get a full-sized body mold of your PH, and put him in position waving off the lions as they are mauling your buff. Cheap? Nope. But absolutely, positively, without the slightest doubt a ONE OF A FREAKING KIND taxidermy display!

Enjoyed your report and pics a great deal. Thanks much for sharing them.

KG

Awesome

Great trophies and great shooting.. They all came together. Love the photos.

Mike

What a terific hunt. Sure you guys had a memorable time.

What a great hunt...thanks for posting the pics !!!

quote:

Originally posted by vandyboy:
Here are some additional photos from our safari in Zimbabwe.

Here is another photo of my big dog with Ian.

Which one is Ian?????