Hunt Report on 2005 Tanzanian Hunt

Background

This hunt was originally contracted in December of 2003 through Charlie Goldenberg’s Premier Safaris with Licky Abdulla as representative of Bundu Safaris of Tanzania. The original contract envisioned that the hunters would be my brother and me. Mine was a 21-day dangerous game hunt, cats and plains game, and my brother’s a shorter buffalo hunt. Because my brother has less flexibility in vacation time than I, there was a possibility that he might not stay the entire 21 days.

As things developed, my brother decided that he could no go on the hunt, and I arranged for my stepson, Kevin, to take his place, but to stay the entire time. Eventually, my brother regretted not going, and asked if a photo safari could be arranged, which I did with Serena Hotels, for four days and five nights. This meant that Kevin and I would be gone for just over a month.

The same month I contracted for this hunt, my wife and I went to Vienna, Austria for a week of concerts and operas for which I tried on my tux for the first time in a year. I had to go get a new one because of my weight gain. I returned from the trip realizing that I must lose my extra weight and get back in shape. I bought the Weight Watchers guide and started their program. Before the hunt, I lost 30 pounds and started a fitness program that proved invaluable.

Rifles and Ammo

One of the things I was looking forward to on this trip was using my 416/404 that I had had built for me in 1999 after my first buffalo hunt to Zimbabwe. I had thought originally that I would carry it, a 425 Express for my brother, my 9.3x62 and a light rifle. In the months between contracting for the hunt and “wheels-up†time, the 416/404 proved to be difficult and the airlines changed their policy regarding three guns in a case without extra charge. I also did an extensive test of the reasonable pressure limits in my 9.3x62 rifle, reported on AR earlier, and concluded that with the 250 Nosler Ballistic Tip; it was an effective 300 yards rifle. As a result, the battery was limited to two rifles in one case: Custom 9.3x63 and Custom 375HH. In addition to the 250BT, I loaded 286 Partitions for a general-purpose load and 286 Woodleigh soft-points and solids for buffalo in the 9.3. For the 375HH, I took Woodleigh solids and soft-points for buffalo and 260-grain Partitions in case it had to use to for lighter animals although this would have necessitated changing the zero; however, given the nature of the hunt this would have worked.

Confusion

Because we entered out contract just before the SCI conventions, which Charlie was attending, he did not send me the normal client advisory and information package. He forgot, and I did not know to ask for one, I just kept asking really dumb questions, which Licky Abdulla generally was able to answer. Finally, at the first of this year, I arranged to go to Apoka and visit with Charlie. He asked if I’d gotten this information package, and I said, “No.†Thereafter, we got the train on the track. Unfortunately, by that time our dates had been set, July 1 to July 23, and I had made arrangements based on 2003 information to fly from Atlanta to Amsterdam to Mt. Kilimanjaro Airport rather that to Dar as is the current routing. This subsequently created a minor misunderstanding when arranging for our flight from Lokisale to Kigosi via Mwanza; however, once Licky was aware I was going in and out through Arusha/Mt. Kilimanjaro, everything was smooth.

Photo Safari

Although this is about hunting, let me say at this point regarding our photo safari with Serena Hotels that Mr. Vincent Kapeen in Nairobi handle all of our arrangements by e-mail, was able to put together a wonderful program, and I would recommend booking with them to hunters and non-hunters. My brother, the businessman, was astounded at their quality control and the level and consistency of their service. It is a model that other African companies should attempt to emulate. Our driver was always on time and prepared.

This tour gave us an opportunity to see more of Tanzania that our hunt would have permitted, see some trophy class animals, and to acclimate ourselves to the time change, water and diet. We toured Lake Manyara National Park, Ngoro-ngoro Crater, Oldevai Gorge, and the Serengeti National Park staying at Serena’s lovely hotels all the way and staying at their Mt. Village Hotel in Arusha on the way in and out. All of our meals, the car and driver, and air charter back from Serengeti were included in the charges which ran about $4200 for the three of us.

Packing

Poor advice added some difficulties to the planning and execution of the trip that were unnecessary. We were told to pack light for this tour because of the charter flights. The “charter†from Serengeti was a 28-seat turbo prop, and the charter to Kigosi a twin Piper and from Kigosi a Stationair. We could have carried everything we brought, and we brought plenty because we had no information on the camps until we got there, we were prepared for most any eventuality in terms of flashlights, lanterns, re-chargers, and similar gear. Because of the weather conditions, we took clothing we could layer, and because we were taking doxycycline and the tsetse flies, wore long sleeves.

Arrival in Arusha

Representatives of Serena and of Bundu met us at the plane on arrival. Peter Lawrence of Bundu facilitated the permitting of our guns and ammo, and took charge of them until our return. Please be advised that the kids have an effective scam running at the airport, and none of your “handlers†will interfere with them. One group brings you a baggage cart and helps you load your bags then request a tip; another group shows up to help you push it and expects a tip; finally another group wants to help you load and they expect a tip. Get ready and get use to it because everyone you see in Tanz will have his or her hand out. You will find that when you get change, you cannot get one or two thousand shilling notes or dollar bills, which are negotiable currency in Tanz. I seriously suggest that you take at least two hundred, one-dollar bills with you purely for this kind of tipping. The services rendered are always rendered with a smile and with street vendors, Hapana or No, is reluctantly accepted with grace.

Transition to Hunting

Transition to the hunting part of the trip was marked by an emotional farewell to my brother, who left in the morning to travel to Mt. Kilimanjaro for a day trip prior to leaving for home. Then we waited for our ph. I had called Licky Abdulla by mistake, thinking I was calling Peter Lawrence, Bundu’s representative, and Licky told me that AJ van Heerden, our ph, was on his way from Dar to Arusha and should be at our hotel at 11:00am. He was delayed by rain and then had to go to the site and return to pick us up because of the gear that they were carrying. Consequently, we were not picked up until 1:00pm. When we got to camp, the game scout was not there yet, and we could not zero our rifles until he was on the scene. So much for an early start. Africa wins again (AWA).

Lokisale Camp

The Lokisale Camp is located approximately three hours drive from Arusha off the main paved road leading to the sites we’d just visited. One turns left off the paved road and drives for just over an hour through the bush to the camp. It is located in an area adjoining the Tarangire National Park, which is the secret of its success. The animals come into the concession for the grass that is plentiful and leave only when forced to because of the lack of water. There is little permanent water on the concession, therefore, the primary hunting times are July and after the short rains in November. One should be aware that many traditional weather patterns in Africa are changing, and avoid having one’s trip-of-a-life-time ruined by the weather.

It was AJ’s first trip to the camp since a group represented by Adam Clement purchased a controlling interest in Bundu. The Lokisale Camp was not ready when we arrived. It had been expanded with the addition of three very nice, large tents; three ph and staff tents; grass houses for staff; covered parking; expanded mess hall; and lighting. The most off-putting of these changes is the lighting, which is too much of good thing. Ironically, although the camp had light and too much of it, it had no hot water. In fact the day we arrived, we had no water at all in our tents and water had to be brought in buckets so we could use the flush toilets. Hot water was brought later so we could bath. This was an on going problem about which I will comment later. It is also ironic that we were prepared to do without lights having brought battery-powered lanterns.


Hunting

July 1: Although we were unable to zero our rifles on June 29th because the game scout showed up late that night, we zeroed our rifles first thing on the 1st of July and started hunting. AJ determined, as do all ph’s, that we knew where to put the bullets in, which end they came out of, and that we could hit the broadside of a barn, or at least a box top at 100 yards. We passed the test and immediately started hunting buffalo because we needed lion baits and because the buffalo were there. By special arrangement, my stepson, Kevin, was going to shoot the first buffalo. We (AJ, Kevin, two trackers, the game scout and I) closed with and began to stalk a very decent bull. It was exciting to be back in close proximity to a herd of buffalo, but our parade put them up and we finally had to brake off our pursuit. We had established that there were at least two very good bulls, and at least one “character†head in the herd. Kevin got a chance to take his first African animal, a Zebra, later in the afternoon. Very nice example of the Burchell’s without any shadows. He used the 375HH and a Woodleigh Protected Point.




July 2: Kevin shot a 45†buffalo in the morning with the 375HH using a Woodleigh 300gr Protected Point. It was a head on shot, and he ran 40 yards before succumbing to a heart shot. While the morning’s work was easy, we’d paid our dues the day before. There was no excitement, just a clean shot and trophy photos.



In the afternoon, I shot an impala as we left camp for the afternoon’s adventures with the 250BT in the 9.3 at 160 yards. Bullet entered right behind the right shoulder and was recovered under the skin of the left hip.




Later, just as we turned for home, we jumped up a warthog. In seven trips to Africa, I had not shot a warthog, and this one was a beauty running almost 400 pounds by crew estimates. I stopped him with a Texas heart shot as he sped away, and he still had some life in him when we got to him. He was dispatched with a second shot, and we loaded another “bait†into the truck. Because of the darkness, photos were not taken. Had a warm shower. Kevin passed the opportunity to wait ‘til morning. Poor choice. There was no water at all in the morning.

July 3: Went to get a photo of the warthog this morning, and he was already in hot water! Hung baits and dropped guts all day long. Stinky business. Lions were on two of our baits, and we saw three walking away from one in the morning. We drove up that afternoon and caught them on the same bait, half a buffalo, which they were reluctant to abandon. We started counting lions in the grass through the gathering gloom, and ultimately found ten. However, there were no mature males and under the current restrictions, lions in prides are not favored targets. On a second bait, half a zebra was devoured. It received the other half of buffalo. If it is hit again, we'd set a trap!



Got a shower, but Kevin opted ‘til after dinner. He got no hot water after dinner.

July 4: We rose at 5:00am to leave at 5:30; however, the game scout chose to sleep in. Kevin had no hot water this morning. Nothing was on any of the baits, but we found a dead baby wildebeest. Africa CSI eventually concluded that it had died of natural causes and was being nibbled on by hyenas when we interrupted. It went into the back of the truck for bait where it stayed for the next few days. Cat hunting is hard, stinky business (particularly when Kevin hasn’t bathed in three days!). The buffalo have returned to the park and water. Had a go at Coke’s Hartebeest, but got too close too fast and put them up. Saw a Wildebeest, but before I could get the crew on him to assess his trophy quality, he heard his mamma calling him and departed the area.

In the afternoon, we went to Sugarloaf Mountain (my name, it looks like a wooden shoe or fallen bread loaf in a huge plain), and glassed said plain. There were impala, Coke’s Hartebeest, and zebra. The plan was to slip around the mountain, get in amongst the impala and let Kevin collect one. He took it with one shot, and it went right down.



Unfortunately, it scared the Coke’s and they disappeared right there on a plain where it looks like you couldn’t hide a golf ball. Still in dire need of baits, we visited the Zebras, where I used two 286gr Partitions to drop a beautiful stallion. The shots were a bit low and the exit wounds showed no expansions. This was troubling.

Had no water in camp this evening, hot or cold.

July 6: Left early to check baits. On the third bait, there were signs that the lions had been at it. As the crew were checking out the signs, I considered what I would do with so much meat still there if I were a lion. I concluded that I would get up slope sunward, and observe my larder. I shaded my eyes, looked up the hill to the east, and there looking back at me was a basket ball with ears. I got my binoculars up, and there was what looked to me to be a very nice lion looking back at me. I mentioned this to AJ, and after a cursory glance, we packed up the truck and headed up slope. The lions, closer examination revealed three of them, did not move off, but stayed were they were. When about 125 yards from them, they stood and we stopped. There was one old male, a young male and a young female, but no young. AJ studied them carefully and pronounced the one I had seen as shootable, although not heavily maned.

The rules on lions are tight and I had personal concerns about taking a lion that would interfere with lion propagation. I said let’s take him, but no way from the vehicle. AJ was less than happy about the resulting set up with the lions above us, but we dis-assed the truck and set up. That was all the big male needed, and he came down the hill in a mock charge roaring the whole way. At the conclusion of the charge, he was about 75 yards away. AJ set the shooting sticks and told me that turned the way he was, I had to shoot him on the point of the left shoulder.

I had decided following the performance of the 286 Partitions on the Zebra that I had shot the proceeding afternoon, that they were entirely too tough for lion. I had loaded two 250BT’s for this lion, and underneath those, three Woodleigh soft-points, should I be lucky enough to get a third shot at that distance with the lion up slope.

As AJ finished his instructions, the lion walked forward a step behind a fallen tree limb that obscured his shoulder. I waited until he cleared the tree, and fired. At the shot, the lion spun up slope and bucked like a bronco. After the second buck, he started up slope at an angle, and I hit him with a second shot just to the right of his tail. He went right down. The first bullet had taken out the top of his heart, lost its core, and the jacket, base first, penetrated the skin on the off side, but failed to exit because it was retained by the “mushroomed†jacket. The second broke his spine and lodged just under the skin in his left groin. He died quickly and cleanly.

There were congratulations and sighs of relief; however, before we could do very much celebrating we had to deal with the young male, who did not intend to leave his comrade. AJ shepherded us all back on the truck, from which the game scout had never departed. Even after I fired a shot beside him, the young male was reluctant to give up his friend. We did not see what happened to the female, but heard from some campers we subsequently met that observed the whole event, that she and young male fed on the bait that evening.

The lion’s mane was sparse, but black and tan flecked with silver. He weighed about 400 pounds as they were light because of feeding conditions. Contrary to the comment that someone made that in death lions look “moth-eaten,†this lion looked as though he were sleeping quietly on his side. He still looked virile and healthy without many scars or vermin on him. As we moved him around, I appreciated the description of lions as being hard rubber balls covered with skin. Grabbing his foreleg, I could feel the muscles and incredible strength in his leg and shoulder, and appreciate that he had gone up slope and died and not down slope in our direction. Bucket baths again.



July 7: Checked baits and were bait for tsetse flies. Bucket baths.

July 8: Checked our second bait this morning and found a large male leopard had visited it. Sex was concluded from the amount eaten and the bones that were broken. The crew built a blind. We sat in the blind from 5:30pm until well after dark. I suffered from hay fever and congestion from the grasses particularly badly until it cooled off.

You can’t see anything. Only the ph gets to do that. You can hear things, but what are they? We heard a jackal barking in alarm at the approach of a lion. We heard the birds coming into the water hole up slope about three hundred yards. The most interesting sound was a soft sound like clapping your cupped hands together from about 2-3â€.
I asked AJ what it was later. He immediately identified it as the sound of elephant’s slapping their ears against their bodies as they moved to the water hole. The sound that was like a kid blowing on a trumpet was a baby elephant.

“The lion kept the leopard away,†said AJ; however, it was probably all the noise that I had made. I vowed to take meds and try to deal with my allergies the next time. Bucket baths.

July 9: On the way to check baits, I shot a dik dik this morning, 70yds, offhand, 286 Woodleigh. A real trophy, over 3â€.



Later in the day, Kevin shot a Grant’s after a terrific stalk. Used my 9.3 and had to shoot it five times. In the evening, we sat in the blind again. We watched the moon rise and the sun set. Seeing the Milky Way reveal itself always renews my faith in God and inspires in me an awe that He should care for me individually. Bucket baths.



July 10: In the afternoon, went hunting for Lesser Kudu. Saw only young bulls, nothing of trophy quality. On the way home, we literally ran into five fringe eared Oryx. It was so dark that they could not really see us and the wind favored us. They were suspicious, and formed a defensive circle. The primary bull was in the center. I took him with a 286 Partition in the left rear haunch. It went forward and lodged in his chest. He ran maybe 50 yards and collapsed. First time I have used the illuminated reticle in my scope. AJ estimated trophy at 32 or 33, and he generally is quite close. Bucket baths.



July 11: This morning we were back in Kudu Valley searching for kudu. We saw some small Lesser Kudu bulls and one two or three-year old Greater Kudu bull. Suddenly, AJ spotted a lone Eland about 400 yards away. We dismounted, crept to a wadi where we moved about 200 yards closer. We again crept to a bush about thirty yards closer, and when the Eland walked behind another large bush, we set up the sticks. When he cleared, he fell to a perfectly placed 286 Partition. He ran some 25-30 yards before he fell. The bullet was straight in and out with no appreciable expansion, but it took out the heart. Beautiful trophy, estimated 35â€, which is nice for the Paterson’s Eland.



Going home, we saw a leopard jump out of the tree we baited that morning. AJ dropped us off for planned lunch with Adam Clement, and, because AJ was going to build a blind for that evening there, Kevin and I got a break until 5:00; however, at 4:00 Albert showed up and reported that we wouldn’t be building the blind as planned. You’d have thought they would have arranged showers for Adam Clement’s appearance, but buckets again.

Adam arrived that afternoon, and brought with him Bill Pritchert, who was hunting at Lobo. Bill and I had a long visit. He is a delightful gentleman and I only regret that we could not have spent more time together. He is older than I am, has a workout schedule that dwarfs mine, and has hunted Africa ten times since turning 70! An inspiration.

July 13: Left going to Sugarloaf and checking baits. Found a male and female leopard on a bait that we hung yesterday. Got into a herd of Coke’s, but AJ was unable to assess them before they got antsy and departed for Tarangire. They are difficult because they are hard to sex and if they look at you, as they undoubtedly will, you can’t see the extent of the horns. Checked the rest of the baits, picked up the blind materials from the abortive attempt to build a blind last night. (The leopard was observed again and was a young female.) Used the materials to build a blind after lunch, then stooged around for 2 and ½ hours to get in it.

Preparation was like a Toreador’s! I took Alavert. I peed. I scratched. I coughed. I blew. I put on Avon’s SSS. I peed. For reasons I cannot fathom, I became incredibly flatulent. My problem was noted by all and I was the “Incredible Stinking Man.†After wishes for good luck, we were dropped at the blind at 5:30pm. We closed and tied the door, tied the rifle in the gun port, and settled in. First, I had a coughing fit, muffled. Then I remembered I hadn’t put a round in the chamber. Then I sat reasonably still. AJ went back through his three positions: lean back and look; lean forward and look; pray that client gets quiet. At deep dusk the leopard came in and AJ checked him out. He was a shootable Tom.

I got the call, stepped to the port, and received the OK to fire. At the shot, I was blinded by the muzzle blast. AJ said he thought that he saw him hang briefly and then drop, rear feet first to the ground. I asked what we did next. “We wait for the truck,†replied AJ. As the truck arrived, we left the blind and began to walk to the tree. I was as ready and tight as any point man on patrol. As we approached the tree, there was no leopard lying under it. Everyone spread out looking for sign. I checked the location of the blind, the place the leopard had been on the limb, and looked on the ground behind that location. There it was: blood and tissue on the ground. I pointed this out to AJ, and suddenly everything changed. AJ immediately had Kevin and I moved to the rear and had all the crew move to the foreground.

The truck was immediately brought up, and we mounted it for a ride into the grass that became steadily taller and thicker as we moved into the draw that ran around the tree and field we were in. Someone sensed a movement, and all our lights were on the spot. I had my SureFire in my left hand, which was holding the forearm of my 9.3. Every now and again, I moved left and right of the focus of everyone’s interest afraid of an oblique attack from that quarter. My fears proved warranted. After driving down into the draw and throwing various objects into the grassy head that had drawn our attention, we backed off and went back down into the draw from a different angle maneuvering toward the grassy head.

Like others, I thought I had seen red eyes in that area. We probably had. Those of the female that was running with the male or who had also been coming to the bait. As we came down into the draw again, AJ was standing atop the over-cab carrier, looking down and forward using the Q-Beam. Again, I was on the left, SureFire and rifle at the ready, ready to use the “look down the barrel†technique of close fire. Suddenly, AJ said, "There it is," and directed his light to my side of the truck. About fifteen feet from my seat, lay my leopard. All I could see initially was its tail, but you could tell that it was on its side and dead. The tension broke with some heart felt “halelujahs.â€



There was an abbreviated picture taking session, and then we headed to camp. The leopard was a very nice, mature Tom. We arrived at camp to eat the dinner we had ordered that mornning: Oryx steaks grilled outdoors with all the fixings. Pazi, the cook, and his tean, Simon and Ya-Ya, our waiters, were really special people. We enjoyed those steaks, which were some of the best I’ve ever eaten. Tender does not describe them. They could be cut with a fork.

Following a bucket bath, we piled up, but with diary entries, I did not lay my head down until midnight. It would have done no good. From sleeping before the shot to totally wired was merely a matter of realizing that we potentially had a wounded leopard close at hand. It was not just Kevin and me, but AJ and the entire crew. I had never seen so many intent, focused people. I was glad that my shot had been true, and that the leopard had expired, shot through the lungs with a 250BT at 75 yards. It had moved no further than 40 yards after being shot.

I made AJ a promise under that tree as we took photos. “AJ,†I said, “I may hunt again with you, but I promise that I will never book another leopard hunt with you.†AJ knew exactly to what I was referring, i.e., not putting him through dealing with my itching and twitching again. He was visibly relieved.

July 14: Woke at 7:00am. Slept well. We left camp after breakfast for the area where Kevin had shot his Grant’s. There were some Coke’s Hartebeest there and we were going to have a go at them. We parked where we parked with Kevin, but this time I took the 9.3 and followed AJ and Riziki down the draw and across the sea of grass. The stalk was roughly a kilometer from the truck to the area where things got serious. As pointed out earlier, judging Coke’s is difficult because both sexes have horns and the horns turn back. There was one fine bull in the group, and he was the one we were after. They were nervous, and moving about. We got into position, set up the sticks, and I got ready to shoot. I was shooting 250BT’s. My first shot took the Coke’s in the left flank. It was not enough to stop it, but a second shot in the neck did. When we caught up to the animal, it was still alive and a female. At sometime during our set up, the male and female had switched positions without any of us noticing it. As our game scout observed, “Shit happens.†I did not know that was an African expression, and maybe it isn’t. He was quite conversant in US slang.



As we prepared to leave, we could not complain about our hunting success. We could grouse about no water, no hot water showers, and too much buffalo to eat, but we could not complain about the trophies we had taken or their quality. AJ and the crew had worked their butts off. We had worked our butts off. But luck favors the prepared, and we had come as prepared as we could be physically, mentally, and equipment wise.

Flight to Mwanza



After all of our preparations, this was a non-event. The flight to Mwanza, Tanzania’s second largest city, was a commercial one and the equipment a French ATR 42 or 48. The charter to camp was a Piper twin. It hauled about 400 pounds of groceries and 450 pounds of Kudude and Kevin plus our two carryon bags. The flight was like swimming through pea soup because of the smoke from all of the burning going on at this time of year in Africa. They talk about the US producing greenhouse gases. Burning is burning, and each fall, Africa burns.

We were met at the airport by Eugene(a ph with Game Trackers), the game scout and various folks from camp.

It was 52 kilometers from the airport to the camp. It was a trip we were to make many times in the coming days while hunting. Driving time over the dirt roads was about 1.5 hours. We got in at dusk, having flown in about 5:00pm. The camp was a new one, and still under construction, but Kevin and I each had a tent that was set up well and properly secured on all sides and the bottom. The site was well laid out on the side of vast marsh which hides a water filled lagoon from which our water was pumped into a water tank hidden in a tree close to Kevin’s tent and the pumping station. The tents were on raised platforms supported by posts. The spoil from the postholes and septic sumps had been watered and tamped down to make walkways between the tents. The foot-print of the camp was perhaps half that of Lokisale. Each tent had a light in the bath area, a light in the main area and a light on the porch. The porch lights and those in the mess area were the only “exterior†camp lighting. At night, when the generator was cut off, kerosene lanterns were placed by the tent boys on the porches. It was the picture of an African bush camp.

THERE WAS HOT, RUNNING WATER. The water ran under gravity feed to a 55-gallon tank, equipped with a pressure relief tube that was as high as the storage tank, up hill where it was heated with wood and then fed under pressure to our tents. Simple and effective. The heater was located between the two clients’ tents, so they got water quickly. The camp was built with two tents to the right of and two tents to the left of the mess facility. This was where we are hung out particularly when it was hot in the tents in the afternoons. There was always a terrific breeze through the mess area. I suggested that they get some hammocks, to keep us from having to rack out on the floor.

We were greeted by Daleel Abdulla, Licky’s brother, who was the “camp commandant,†and cold drinks were provided. I had gotten really angry during the drive to the camp thinking about the failure by Bundu to provide for our transport to Arusha. After all, I had paid for the transportation and I had paid to hunt also. I voiced my displeasure to Daleel, who indicated that Licky had provided Eugene to fill in for AJ in case he did not arrive by the start of business the next day. I elected to pass and to sleep in, catching up on the sleep that I had missed cat hunting. My stepson elected to take off the next morning with Eugene and have a go at ‘em. After an opportunity to clean up, we had a very nice dinner of buffalo sauce over pasta, very nice, and then I retired.

The next morning, AJ showed up about 9:30 or 10:00am. He had driven straight through with stops only to stretch his legs and walk around to keep from falling asleep. He looked like an escapee from “Night of the Living Dead.†He suggested that he lie down awhile and sleep, and I agreed. It was clear he was shot, and Eugene had left with our only game scout so we could not do any real hunting.

While AJ slept, Daleel showed me the camp. I asked if it was professionally laid out or the result of prior experience and practice. He assured me it was the latter and that he had been doing this for twenty years. I was impressed by the details. The ablution block at the rear of the tent was framed up in wood and the interior covered with dry wall that was painted a pleasant cream. The floor was covered with a blue vinyl or asphalt tile. It was simple, but neat and nice looking.

One of the clever arrangements was the water storage tank that had been concealed in a tree. I don’t know if the concealment was intentional, but it worked. I don’t know if the intent was to bury the water pipes; however, during construction they were being left on top of the ground where there was ready access to them and leaking could be checked. Maximum use was made of rolled vinyl pipe, and PVC was used only to plumb the bathroom fixtures. Similarly, the electrical service was laid out on the ground. While this wasn’t done to “code,†there isn’t a code in Tanzania.

Kigosi Hunting

July 16: Today, I stayed in bed and Kevin hunted with Eugene. They went hunting for Topi and Kevin was using Eugene’s extra 375 (CZ602). About 4:00pm, AJ and I went out and checked the zero on my rifle and stretched our legs. When we returned about 5:00, Kevin and Eugene had returned and Kevin had taken his Topi. It was a very nice one taken after a long stern chase followed by a circular stalk to get close enough to shoot. All this took place in a recent burn. Kevin said he almost died, and if it hadn’t been for Eugene’s urging, he did not think he’d have made it that last 200 yards. He was gray when we saw him. His trophy pictures make him look like he was hunting in black-face.



July 17: My first day hunting in the west, and is it different. Like the east, every 15 minutes you enter a new biosphere. It is really a unique place. It looks like the Everglades in Florida. But you leave by the back road through the African version of scrub oaks, then skirt a large grassy plane that was marsh recently. We were 30 minutes from camp, when the guys spotted a Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest. I took him with one shot from the 9.3 using the 250BT at 150 yards. He ran maybe 75 yards and collapsed. He was hit high in the lungs. He had worn tips, very heavy bases, and unique bends in his horns.



Loaded him in the truck and continued our drive. We drove a 100 km circle that eventually took us to the airport from where we followed the main road back to camp. We saw a 38†sable, Topi, Hartebeest, and Roan. Followed the Topi, closed and I took my shot at 220 yards. The shot felt good, but was low taking off his left leg. He was able to run with the herd. What made things difficult, is Topi, like Hartebeest, run funny when they are perfectly well. Again, the importance of the trackers was demonstrated. They tracked him across a burn looking for blood drops, and determined which way he had gone. We spotted him, and made a stalk to get close enough to finish him. He was 160 yards away and facing dead away. I hit him right at the base of his tail on the right side, and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. By the time we walked to him, he had expired. He was also very old, and had great bases




July 18: We got up just a little later because here you start right at the camp’s gate. We left at 6:30am and slightly past were we had seen sable the night before, one of the guys says something to AJ in Swahili and points out these animals to our right. AJ throws up his glasses, checks them out, and says shoot the one on the right. I hit the position, fired, and it bucked like the lion and takes off with the remainder of the herd. Yet again, I am indebted to the trackers, who start following his blood trail across the burnt landscape. Their performance was awesome. I hit it a bit far back, but got lungs and liver. He bled out from the 250BT.

As we stood there, Kevin commented that he looked light for a male. AJ said, “No, he is about right for a Roan.†This was the first time I realized that the animal that I had shot was not a Sable. Both Kevin and I had associated the animals we saw that morning with the Sables we had seen the night before which led us both to the conclusion that I was shooting Sable when my target was a Roan, and a good one at that, 26+â€. We returned him to camp to be skinned because of heat and heat slip.



In the afternoon, we cruised the grasslands. In the heart of every African, white or black, I believe there lurks a firebug waiting to get out. Everywhere we went we left a trail of destruction behind us. The third world can fuss about our production of greenhouse gases, but what about the wholesale burning we see in Africa? It is done for several reasons: to see the game better, to reestablish the grasses, and to nourish the grasses. It works, but it is really messy and produces soot and smoke that can bother your breathing.

July 19: We cruised the area again today. At noon, we picked out a nice shade tree next to a large ant hill, ate lunch and sacked out for about an hour. AJ returned excited. He had gone to the shady side of the ant hill to take his nap. When he woke up, he circumnavigated the hill to get back to the truck. About ten feet from where he took his nap, he found a 7-foot long snake skin outside a hole, obviously worn from the entry and exiting of a mamba. No wonder he was excited!

Shortly after lunch, as we were starting for home, we saw a lone sable standing way out in a field dotted with ant hills. He was ranged at 805 yards. He appeared to be a nice one, but in the mirage, it was hard for AJ to really assess him. We took up a stalk under cover of the ant hills. When we got to 100 yards, AJ assessed him at 38, maybe 39, but a fully mature buck. I decided that this was my Sable. I eased around the corner of our ant hill and they set up the sticks. He was quartering towards us, turned to our left. I aimed just inside his left shoulder and let fly. He fell at the shot, and was unable to rise. The bullet was slightly high, and had struck the spinal plexus. We walked to him, and I gave him a grace shot. He was a wonderful trophy, that measure just over 38â€.



July 20: Left camp at 6:30am obstensibly to hunt Lich. Hartebeest for Kevin. We saw Sable, Sable and more Sable, but only one noticeably better than mine (41†estimated). We drove over to an area beyond the airport, to an area near where we took the Sable, and took a right. We went across this area that had been flooded last year, to a group of what looked like palm hammocks. We drove around one, over one, and then straight out into a sea of grass.

AJ said that last year there was water separating these hammocks. You could these areas had been recently wet even thought they had been burned before we got there. We drove through this sea of grass that was above our heads on the truck. I really wondered how we could navigate back. We finally turned around and followed our own track back to one of the hammocks, where we stopped for lunch.

Following lunch, we started back. Dowdi or Charlie saw a Defassa Waterbuck out in the middle of one of the pans, which had been recently burned. AJ glassed him and “pinged†him with his Leica rangefinder, and announced that he was a really nice one, and he was 400 yards away.

We decided to undertake a stalk, and Charlie, AJ and I dismounted and began our way towards the edge of the “pan†or slough. When we got to this tree, AJ “pinged†him again, and we had closed to 300 yards. This wasn’t close enough, so we duck-walked 25 yards and then stoop-walked another 25 yards to an ant hill on the edge of the slough. I did not like to duck-walk at football practice or during pledge week, and my opinions haven’t changed in 45 years.

When we got to the ant hill, AJ “pinged†him again, announced that he was one fine waterbuck, and told me to edge around the ant hill and use it as a rest for my shot. He pointedly suggested that I refrain from shooting any of the branches or reeds that grew in, around, and over the ant hill. I edged forward, assumed a good supported position, and centered the target dot on the waterbuck. I was using 250BT’s, therefore, I used the bottom of the dot as my aiming device, and put that on the waterbuck’s center line on a line above his leg.

At the shot, the waterbuck collapsed like he’d been pole axed. There were congratulations all around, and then we began the trek to him. It was at that point that the game came apart.

The slough was composed of the type of vegetation that sitatunga live on. It was a tight mass of reeds which had been burned. It grabbed; it tripped; it threw up soot and dust, and it made one wonder if at any second you’d step into a still hot pit of ashes. The waterbuck was some 225 yards across this stuff. About two-thirds there, I decided to make for the “far side†of the slough, and then walk down to the area where AJ, who was ahead of me, had ended up. Charlie had walked directly across the slough testing along the way with the shooting sticks.

I thought nothing could get me back on to those reeds, but AJ said that the waterbuck was still alive. I put down my fears and my loathing and walked to where Charlie was, and finished my job. We gathered there for picture taking and congratulations for real this time because there was no removing the entire animal from this place. We all looked like we had been shot at and missed, and shit at and hit. We straightened ourselves up as much as we could and took an abbreviated set of trophy pics and departed the area as quickly as they could skin him in place.

He was a terrific trophy for a Defassa, and ran over 31â€.



July 21: Started at 5:30am. Slept well. Got up once at about 12:30am and closed the windows of the tent, drank water and went back to bed. I was delayed by the lack of a breakfast, but they caught up quickly with my standard breakfast of mbeli eggs, bacon, and toasti. Left at 6:10am and went the other way around through the hunting area. We drove back to the airport and down the old airport runway to the Kigosi River Camp. An American, we did not meet, was hunting from there. This camp is the one from which a high Indian religious figure had hunted several years ago, and the house from which he hunted is still there. This is a full 4BR 3bath house with all the luxuries. It sits along side the Kigosi River, which was a swampy water hole.

We checked out the other hunter’s trophies. He had a really nice reedbuck and duiker, a 41+†Sable, and a nice buffalo. All of the crews greeted one another and exchanged information in Swahili. After a short visit we left, continuing our way through the camp and around the area. Leaving the camp area, Charlie reported an animal to AJ, and I asked AJ what it was. It had been on the top of a large ant hill, and, as we passed, it left through the back door. AJ said it was a bushbuck. We had continued on, and this opened up a shot at the animal that was now behind the ant hill. I asked whether it was a trophy animal, and AJ said that it was average. I said that average was good enough, aimed, and fired. The 9.3 Woodleigh RNSP hit the animal high in the shoulder at about 50 yards, and it dropped. It was an off hand shot, and it was so quick that the crew were genuinely shocked. I understand that they later asked AJ whether he’s OK’d the shot.



When we got to the animal, it was better than average, although not huge. It was a fully mature, E.A. bushbuck, running about 11†with nice bases. This was my final animal, and with it I had taken every animal that was on my permit which was reasonably available on the concessions that we had hunted. We had seen lesser kudu and greater kudu that were not trophy quality. We had not attempted sitatunga because of the logistics and time involved. Gerenuk, Grants (other than one Kevin killed) and Thompsons were not available.

I learned at this point a disturbing fact: My permit expired at the end of the day. I was disturbed because I had contracted for a 21-day hunt with two non-hunting days. Because of the way my permit was pulled by Bundu, I only had 19 days, and because of the mess up with AJ and his delay taking me to Arusha and then driving west, we had lost yet another day. I had taken a total of 16 animals in 19 days. However, my stepson still had another day of hunting, his permit having been drawn for seven days, and he was still at bat the following day when he would be looking for Lichtenstein Hartebeest.

July 22: We left camp the following day with one objective: Kevin’s Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest. We cruised down to the area where he had previously gotten a shot at them in the area where AJ napped near the mamba den. In the afternoon, we were cruising through this area yet again. Everyone was sapped by the sun and the heat, but I was determined to get Kevin another shot at a Lichtenstein. As we eased down through this area, I caught a movement out of my eye and brought everyone’s attention to my discovery. By this time, I had “discovered†my share of tree stumps and other “wooden†animals; however, I had also spotted my own lion, and several other animals during the hunt. Charlie confirmed my report, and AJ got a glass on the animals, which fortunately for us, decided to move obliquely away from us, but in our same general direction.

AJ directed the truck in their direction, and when we got closer, glassed them. He, Kevin, Charlie and I dis-assed the truck, Kevin with his 375HH and me with a video camera. We did not go very far, and they began to set up. Kevin had complained to me about being uncomfortable off the sticks. We were right in the middle of a tree, so AJ suggested he use it instead. Kevin got set and fired. It was one shot, and the animal died on the spot. The range was about 100yds; the bullet was a Woodleigh 300gr Protected Point; the rifle was 375HH Custom Model 1909 Arg.

Robinson talks about animals being shot in the heart while it is in the process of the upper chamber beginning to push blood into the aorta. This is apparently what happened with Kevin’s Hartebeest. It did not twitch, just fell and died in place. It was a very nice bull.



With his hartebeeste, we had taken 23 animals in 20 days including a 45†buffalo, a lion, a leopard, a 26+†roan, 38†sable, a 35†eland, 31†oryx, a 3†dik dik and two 25†impala. (Measurements are estimates, but AJ tended to have a well-calibrated eyeball.) As mentioned above, we had taken everything that was available and on quota and license. We had, indeed, run the table.



Lessons Learned

Take a cell or satellite phone that will work from where you will hunt. DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

There is no substitute for being prepared. We were lucky, but luck favors those who are prepared, and I had worked very, very hard to make sure we were ready for whatever might come our way.

Physical conditioning is a must for us older guys (and gals), and cat hunting is the toughest hunting that I have ever done, although I haven't hunted elephant yet, which they tell me is harder. (I need to book now before I get any older!)

We took rifles and ammo that were suitable to the game and the terrain that we were hunting, and with which we were comfortable and confident. We had 15, one-shot kills and six, two-shot kills. We had no animals shot and not recovered.

We practiced shooting rimfire steel silhouettes to hone our skills, which really made me confident of my ability to hit within 300 yards. Kevin shot much better than I thought that he would.

Our clothing was simple, but effective and designed to be layered. It was the color of the vegetation we hunted in and was simple, cotton for the most part, and rugged.

Our shoes were comfortable and provided good support; however, the emphasis on soft soles and quiet shoes is over drawn. Our ph and my son wore athletic shoes and I will next time.

Gaiters are a must to keep tsetse out of your pants.

Alavert, Claritin or a similar antihistamine is necessary if hunting or sightseeing in dust.

Bug-suit is a must for tsetse.

Avon SSS with sunblock really works for tsetse.

A good digital camer

Very good report. Congrats on great trophies.

P.S Impala photo claims that it is a Zebra :-)

Dear Harris,
They'd have put me in jail for posting the picture of the 25" zebra! Kudude

Kudude,
Nice, very nice!

Congrats on your hunt! Looks like you had a great time. Glad you were able to remain upbeat, even with the water problems and the 19 day license.

Is my puter screwed up, or does everyone else have to scroll to the right to read the text and see the pics?

TJ, I got the same thing. I guess it was too much info to put in regular format.
Kudude that was a great post. Thanks for sharing your great safari. It doesn't get any better than that. Well maybe with real, hot showers. Quite an adventure. Congratulations and wiedmanshiel! D

Dear Guys and Gals,
I will try to adjust the margins of the post and make it fit sometime today. I was as put off by the same scroll, read, scroll that you all were. k-d

well I tried to adjust margins and that did not work. anybody got any suggestions? k-d

You need to resize the photos, I have sent you a PM telling you how to do it.

Regards,

Terry

Terry,
As always, thanks. k-d

Great report!! Congrats on a great hunt!!

....and thanks for resizing the photos. It sure makes it easier to read.

Good Hunting,

Bob

Nicely done!!

Also, that hunt report rocks, and has set the standard.

And thanks for fixing the photos!

Cheers,
Canuck

I will be there soon (Kigosi). Your report makes me even more excited.

Thanks for posting it, well written and great pictures.

Wow , Love the cat tales, awesome hunt! Thanks for posting. Ben(rug)

Great report!
Do you have other pictures of your lion to post?

Kudude: Thanks for letting me come along on your hunt. Fine shooting. Makes me think a 9.3 makes a whole lot of sense.

Great report.

Congratulations on a successful hunt. I enjoyed your writeup and pictures.

Thank you for sharing your adventure. This was obviously a high end hunt, and due to this , one usually has high expectations. In reading your post, and please correct me if I am wrong, it seems that Tanzania Bundu Safaris/Adam Clements let you down on many fronts. Endless days without a shower, transportation difficulties and you lost a few days of hunting due to improper paperwork. Were you compensated in any way for these abnormalaties? The reason I am asking is there appears to be another poster on AR that has had a recent problem with Adam Clements, and as a possible future client, I would like to know if your situation was dealt with to your satisfaction. Again, thank you for the great report and photographs.

kudude,

Great report and you put alot of time and effort into it....
I will be heading into the Selous next July 24 for a 21 day safari..It is 50 weeks till...

My wife read your report...She thoroughly enjoyed it and heightened the anticipation of our upcoming trip...

regards,

Mike and Cherie

MauMau,
I was disappointed in the failure of management to handle what were basic considerations. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to fix responsibility for who screwed up the paper work for the license, and who really messed up the transportation.

Personally, I found the failure to resolve the shower issue instructive because as most of us realize, this should have been dealt with. Any boy scout could have rigged a shower in 14 days.

This was a failure of leadership and guidance and it occurred because it was not perceived to be a major problem. The person on the ground representing Bundu was Adam, and he is the one who was ultimately responsible. I have asked my agent to look into the matter, but don't think much will come of it. Kudude

quote:

I have asked my agent to look into the matter, but don't think much will come of it. Kudude

Kudude,
With the situation as it now stands (at this moment), would you book again and through Adam?

Best hunting report I've yet to read. Many thanks for the effort you put into it.

DB,
I didn't book through Adam the first time, so I could not book "again" through Adam. I feel certain, as I expressed to Citori in a pm, that Adam will honor his contractual agreements with anyone who books with him. Further, I believe that he will do all within his power to insure they have the most successful hunt possible. Please check out Bill Pritchard's hunt on Adam's website.

If I go back to Tanzania, and I probably will, I will make very private arrangements because there are only about five animals I'd be hunting, but one is sititunga. I know where they are, who has them, and who I want to guide me.

I would like my next African hunt to be a "starter" hunt in RSA or Namibia for one or both of my sons who are currently on AD in the Army.

Then I want to go for elephant in Namibia or Zimbabwe, but please don't tell my wife. She is not over this hunt!

Thank you, Kudude. Again, an excellent report. It seems clear that Adam has as many or more supporters than detractors. Hopefully, all will be satisfied in the end.

Thank your Sons for all of us.
DB

kudude,

I don't mean to irritate an open wound, but could you tell us how many hunting days were lost due to transportation and other foul-ups? And what was the daily rate? Thank you.

Thanks for the excellent report!

Steve, I want to thank you again, for putting up with the water problem during your safari. I also at the same time apologize for the inconvenience. Although it does not help you, but thought you would like to know that the water situation has been fixed and works perfect now in the Lolkisale camp.

With regards to your other problems that you listed with permits and transportation, I had no part in those. When we took over the operations for Bundu, we did ask Licky if he wanted us to handle the paper work and transportation for the clients that we were going to honor, and we were told, no. Licky advised us that he would handle the paper work and transportation for the past clients. So, we (new management) did not handle any of the paper work or transportation arrangements prior to your arrival. It did end up though however, that Peter did end up trying to put things together for you at the last minute, as Licky had called him and asked him to help out. So, to your answer some questions, I did not have anything to do with your permits or travel arrangements, as I was told that Licky would handle all of this for all of the clients that he had booked and who were to be honored for this year. I did even ask Licky if he wanted us to take you into camp, and we were told no, that AJ would be taking you into camp! After your hunt though, as we could see that there would probably be other problems, that we ended up handling all other transportation and paper work, which worked out well.

As most of you know or can imagine, there is always problems and kinks to sort out when taking over another company. Nothing ever rolls over perfect and there are always open ended problems that need to be figured out and handled with time.

As of now though, everything seems to be working great and most of the initial problems have all been fixed and worked out. Water in Lolkisale is fixed. Transportation is 100% handled by us now in our brnad new VX Landcruiser. All paper work is also handled by us now. Even though everything is working out, I am still sure that we will have some things pop up here and there, as it takes awhile sometimes to figure out all the loose ends. We are also in the process of taking over the entire 100% of Bundu, which will solve most of the problems as well as we will be 100% responsible and do not have to worry about others.

We knew that there would be some problems to start off with, and we can only apologize to those that experienced them, and can assurre you that we have fixed the problem or looking into even better ways of making sure our clients are satisfied. For those (like Steve) who do not like a permanent tented luxury camp, then we will also have an option for nice fly camp for those that just want the basic simple things as well. We are always looking at ways to try and please everyone, which is almost impossible, but we will go out of way trying if possible.

Dear Adam,
Thank you so much for your apology and for looking into things. I knew that you and your staff would get a handle on things and sort them out. I know that those hunters and their families headed to Lokisale will have a wonderful camp site and I know that the cook will not disappoint.

We already miss the days we spent there, notwithstanding how hard we hunted, and the wonderful staff that took care of us: Pazi, Simon, Ya-Ya, Rashidi, Cheni and all the rest. I again regret that we did not have more time to spend with one another and with Bill Pritchard. I am so pleased he had a good hunt. Thank you again, and I look forward to seeing you down the trail. Kudude

kudude,

Another thank you for the outstanding report. Do you have any more pictures or comments on Kigosi? Looks like I will be going there next August. Regards.....

Bwanahile,
Here are a couple of the pictures from our camp and the area in Kigosi. Please note that here are three camps in Kigosi, and regretably, I don't even know what they are named. We were at the one by the big marsh/lagoon.

The format of several of these pictures is big becauses the subject is in the background. Sorry for slow loads.



Please note the tent over AJ van Heerden's shoulder, which was typical of the tents at this camp.



This is the scene from the camp and the mess area. The following are pictures of three different areas within the concession:





You can see the smoke from the fires we'd started in one and the remains of a poachers' camp in another.

Very interesting geography. Kudude

kudude,

Thanks for the additional pictures!

Kudude,

Excellent report. Congratulations on an outstanding safari, done in the classic style. Best Regards, Hugh