14 August 2011, 16:59
Mad DogI Danced with the Zambezi Ladies.......
My son and I left for our big adventure, Wed. July 27, 2011. Indy to Atlanta, overnite in Joberg, on to Bulawayo.Outfitter: Martin Pieters Safaris
ph: Scott Bailey
asst.: Mike Blignaut
hunters: Mike and Dan Cochran
rifles: both used Ruger No. 1, 375 H&H mag. Leupold scopes
ammo: Hornady DGX and DGS 300gr. Dan used factory loads, I used handloads.
Game seen: elephant,hippo,croc, cape buff, bushbuck, impala, warthog, kudu, baboon, waterbuck, duiker,
grysbok, jackal.
Game taken: read the report
Dan and I left Indianapolis on Wed. July 27, 2011. Our destination was Bulawayo, and Martin Pieters Safaris. We were doing our 1st DG hunt, in the Omay North, for cow cape buffalo, tuskless ele, and hippo. Our trip over went without any issues. No problems with luggage, bag weights, etc. Everything showed showed up. This was our second trip over, and we did the SAPS 520 form ourselves. We were in and out, in no time. For this trip we used Steve Turner, with Travel with Guns. If I ever go again, Steve will be my number one man. Overnited at Afton, had a grat time as usual. It was nice to see Annelize, again. Off to the airport the next morning. Afton House personnel moved us thru with zero hassles from anyone, and no issues with SAA for the connection to Bulawayo. Arrived in Bulawayo, cleared customs, and was met by Tulani, one of Martin's drivers. He whisked us off to our overnite stay, which was Harrison House. There, we were met by our hostess, Maureen. A very charming lady. We set out on her veranda and relaxed and enjoyed a few beers. She asked us if we'd like to join her that evening, and go to a local cultural art exhibit. Dan and I took her up on the offer. Never figured this ole country boy would ever do a cultural thingy, but we had a ball!
Met some very interesting locals. One fellow, in particular was a gentleman by the name of Pierce Taylor. He's a ph up in the Matetsi area. He was great to vist with. Next morning, Tulani picked us up for the road trip transfer to the Omay North. We were to be hunting out of the Mckenzie Camp. 6 hrs. later, we reach the end of the blacktop, and transferred to the land cruiser. It's here we met Mike Blignaut, camp manager, ph, and our intrepid camera man for our safari. More on Mike later, but I must say we had the greatest time, with Mike, and my gut still hurts from the laughs we all got during the entire trip! Right now I want to tell you the goals my son and I had for the trip. FUN and ADVENTURE were our 2 main goals. Also, we wanted to hunt 2x1 together, so that we would be together everyday for the hunts. We both wanted to experience the hunting of cape buff, ele, and hippo. We had zero interest in size or inches, just a great experience. We got it in spades, during the course of our 10 day safari!
Back to Mike and the drive to camp. Camp was about 60 km away, but it took 3 hrs. to get there, over the roughest roads I've ever been on. My butt cheek still hurts from the ride!
The Omay is as beautiful and remote place that I have ever been to, in my life. Here are some pics of the camp, and Lake Kariba, it was awesome.
pay attention to the pool, there is a story, later.
Scott Bailey wasn't in camp, yet. We would find out later, that Scott had a breakdown, coming to camp from Vic Falls, that took him a day and a half to fix. He was in an area with no cell phone reception. No problem. The venerable Mike took us hunting the next day. We started our 1st day by driving the area, and seeing where we would be hunting, the next 10 days. Mountains, jess, flood plains, it was all there. We stopped and climbed the side of a mountain and did some glassing. This was when I saw my first wild african elephants. It's really hard to tell you how I felt at that moment, but it was awe inspiring. We started down the mtn., and I promptly slipped in the loose rock, and busted my azz! Not exactly what you need to do on your 1st day of safari. I might as well tell you now, that I'm 60 yo., and have feet issues. My son, Mike, and Scott, are all in their late 20s, early to mid 30s, so I was basically the elder statesman of the group. We spent the entire day looking at wild life. Saw several pods of hippos, big crocs, and assorted plains game.
Dan and Mike clowning for the camera, with the fruit from a sausage tree. This was kind of the beginning of how the whole week went!
Back to camp, with our first days adventure under our belt. It was dark, and we were having a few beers, prior to dinner. All of a sudden the lights went out. The generator had an upchuck. Remember the pool, from the pic above, well here's the story. It's pitch black, but I know where the fridg is, with the beer. So I start shuffling to fetch one. Welll....I picked the wrong side of the post to walk on, and walked directly off into the pool!
I didn't stumble into it, I just flat walked into it. Put my foot down, and went completely under! I come up for air, and the lights come on at the same time. I looked like a drowned rat! I bruised my knee and scraped my ankle, but none the worse for wear, except my pride. Bust my azz in the am, and do a full tilt gainer into the pool at nite. Helluva way to begin a safari. Up the next morning and Scott had made it to camp. Scott is a great guy, and a fantastic ph. I will say, right from the get go, that he and Mike made our adventure truly the trip of a lifetime. We went looking for buff tracks that day around the lake. This was the only day of the entire safari, that the fun went away for me, and it was 100% my fault. We started out on what was to be a 2-3 mile walk. I had on T shirt, shirt over the top, and safari vest on, as well as carrying my gun. We had walked about 3 1/2 miles, and despite drinking water, I was over heating. Finally, the boys made me stop, hand the gun off, and strip down to just the T shirt. By now I was playing catch up, consuming water, trying to cool off, and with the aid of a walking stick, trying to keep going. The lake was high, and the streams backed up, so that it turned out to be about a 7 mile walk, in 5 hrs., to the truck. I had had it, and leg cramps and bad feet sat in. I took it easy the rest of the day, and re hydrated. I didn't make this mistake again, the rest of the hunt. My ego got me in trouble[nobody carries MY rifle]. At 60, you are never too old to learn the hard way.
We started out the next morning, and Scott was doing his best to be easy on me. We stopped the truck to study some ele tracks that had crossed the road. The trackers took a look, went in the bush and came back and reported that there was a herd of cows about 600 yds. in. Off we go for my first up close and personal look at wild eles. Got in to within 35 yds., and looked them over. All were tusked, except one small tuskless, and Scott and I agreed she was too small. We backed out. My first close in on eles, and I didn't crap my britches. However, it would be an understatement to say that my adreneline was up just a tad...
We spent this day and the next looking at hippos, eles, and looking for buff. It was 3 days into the hunt, and we hadn't fired a shot. Neither Dan nor I cared. We were having a ball on this great adventure, and Mike and Scott were making it over the top!
Wed. am we went past a village and one of the men indicated that buff had been in the field the nite before. We found spoor, and loaded up, and off we went. The wind was terrible, and constantly swirling. We busted the hers, of about 100 buff. We stayed on them for 2 1/2 miles. Scott peeked over a small rise and spotted a big cow. I got up on the sticks. She took 2 steps quartering toward me. Scott whistled, she stopped, I lined up on the near shoulder, at 70 yds, and fired. Whop! I'd hit her. She lunged forward, then dissappeared in the brush. I was reloaded and we started to follow up. In a moment, we heard 4-5 death bawls. We got there and she was down hard. We walked up, and I paid the insurance. I did it! It was a one shot kill on my 1st buff, and I was excited!
It took about 3 hrs., to cut a track in to get the ole girl. We finished up then back to camp.
enjoying a brewski, that nite.
Went back to the same area the next day to look for a buff, for Dan. No more than got there, and the buff were spotted. Dan and Scott took off at a fast clip. I wisely decided to stay at the truck, because Dan and Scott were going to "run with the buffalo". About 1 hr. later I heard 1 lone shot. Followed up in about 2 mins., by one more. I looked at the tracker and said I think my son just paid the insurance. Indeed he had.
We loaded his buff and spent the rest of the day looking for a hippo. Watched a big ole boy most of the day, but he gave us the slip. We were heading to camp, but checked one more place, near a village, close to camp. We got there, and there were 2 bulls in the water. When the villagers lef, one big ole boy comes out and stands on dry land about 35 yds away, looking at us. There was a mad scramble for guns and cameras. Dan is up on the sticks. Scott tells him he will have to back the 1st shot, because of closeness to both the village and the water, plus it was getting dark. Dan fires, but hits him slightly low between the eyes. The bull opens his mouth, swaps ends and is running to the right. Scott fires, Dan fires, Scott fires agin, but has a cartridge malfunctio[click]. The bull stops at the waters edge, and Dan fires one last time, braining the bull. He went down in a huge splash of water. DRT. He had his hippo!
Three in the salt, with one to go....tuskless elephant!
The next morning, we found some cow tracks, crossing the road, not far from camp. We got on them and worked them for 2+ hrs. however we only walked maybe 1 1/4 miles. We got back to the road, and ate a bite of lunch. The trackers were still looking, and came back and said there was a herd within 200 yds. Off we go! We work in to about 30 yds. There was a huge old cow, that we were watching that we thought was tuskless. We get down to within 18-20 yds. She turns slightly, and we notice 1 small broken off tusk. No dice. We look to the right, and there is a tuskless. Scott whispers to me, it's only average size and if I wanted we'd back out and look for another. I thought about it for all of 2 seconds, looked down at my feet, and dammit I came to Africa to kill an elephant! Game on! Sides average size ele in Zim, heep big SOB in Indiana!
Scott said take her in thw shoulder, because a side brain shot might pass through and hit another ele. She takes 2 steps to the left and I line up the cross hairs. Wham! The shot rocked her. What happens next takes longer to tell you than how it happened. The ele lurches forward, and is going down. My son didn't here what Scott and I talked about. He steps to the side and fires a backup shot to the lungs, as she is going down hard. Mean time the big ole bitch cow turns, starts trumpeting, flapping ears, and is coming toward us. Scott is shouting her down and tells all of us to back up. He didn't have to say that twice!
After a few exciting seconds, she turns and the herd leaves. I had my elephant! I did indeed dance with the zambezi ladies! I was really keyed prior to the shot, but Scott got me calmed down. Basically it was a one shot kill, with a complete pass through both shoulders. I'm proud of my son for backing me up! We had discussed this scenario before, and I told him if the ele was moving, follow me up. Scott knew she was going down, but Dan didn't. That's my boy!! 
Dan and me on "our" elephant
Scott and me.
Well, everything is in the salt! It's been a helluva adventure. We move to the Ume camp for the last 3 days. Dan tries for a hyena, and a baboon, but it didn't work out. I'm satisfied. We do a little fishing and Dan caught this 65 lb. Vundoo[sp] african catfish
We go booze cruising ojn the pontoon a couple of evenings and got some awesome pics.
One last pic, of Scott and I
Time to start the long journey home. We get back to Bulawayo, and go out to dinner with Martin and Candy Pieters and their children. We had a great time.
Mike Blignaut, when you read this report, I only have one thing to say..."that'll do donkey, that'll do"
Scott, Mike, and the entire organization made this a dream come true for my son and I. I'll never forget any of you.
Mad Dog
Great report!