My wife, Diann, and I returned from a 14-day leopard and tuskless cow elephant safari on August 2. As with my last report from 2007 (https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6321043/m/244102507?r=244102507#244102507), this report is essentially a diary of our trip and, thus, is quite verbose. Therefore, readers may want to skip what may be uninteresting parts (almost everything after day 5 and before day 14) or just look at the photos. We are only second-time travelers to Africa, so I apologize for any errors in spelling or animal identification and misinterpretations of what exactly went on. I expect that the report will be of more interest to other safari novices like myself, rather than the many experienced individuals who inhabit this forum.

Hunt Dates: July 18-31, 2009
Location: Zimbabwe - Makuti Safari Area
Safari company: Charlton McCallum Safaris
PH, trackers, and cameraman: Richard Tabor, Urayai, Ishmael, Norest, Craig Mangnall
Species sought: Leopard, tuskless cow elephant, bait animals
Rifles and loads: CZ 550, 375 H&H, handloads of Barnes 300-gr. TSX (buffalo cow, zebra) & banded solids (tuskless) @ 2540 fps; Browning FN Mauser, 30-06, handload of Barnes 150-gr. Tipped TSX @ 2930 fps (leopard)

Wednesday, July 15 – Thursday, July 16

Up at 0315, arrive at airport about 0420.

We had a very quick and pleasant (considering the time of day) check-in with Delta at the Sacramento airport. There was no problem getting the luggage, including the rifle case, checked through to Harare (more on this later).

We had a long and boring wait in Atlanta after our flight arrived at about 1350 until our flight to Jo’berg left at 2005. The Delta flight aboard the Boeing 777 was completely full and no more comfortable than I remember the SAA Airbus out of Dulles 2 years ago.

We arrived about 40 minutes late in Jo’berg and mistakenly waited for our bags to arrive on the carousel. Of course, they didn’t, as they were checked all the way to Harare. However, we were informed that the gun case would be at the SAPS office. Bruce, of VIP Meet and Assist, met us as we emerged into the main terminal and took us to the SAPS office, where we quickly cleared the guns with our pre-approved permit.

We waited awhile while Bruce collected everyone and then off to Afton Guest House, where we arrived about 2015. We were offered a steak dinner at Afton and took them up on it for $25/person and $2/beer; a lot more relaxing after the long flight than making a trip to a restaurant.

Other hunters with whom we talked at Afton were from Little Rock, AR; Flagstaff, AZ; Vancouver, BC; SD, and NC. They were headed to Port Elizabeth, RSA; Botswana, Mozambique, and Namibia.

Friday, July 17

We were up at 0700 for a bacon and egg breakfast and then were taken to the airport, where Bruce helped us through check-in.

At the Harare airport, we found ourselves in a long and slow line to obtain a visa. We were met by our PH Richard Tabor and our cameraman Craig Mangnall after having every one of our 80 cartridges counted and inspected by a customs official. In the parking lot we met by our trackers, Norest (Myles McCallum’s tracker, on loan to Rich until Myles’ hunt started on July 28), Ishmael, and Urayai. As we remembered, it was a 4-hour drive to Chemakunguwo Camp in the Makuti safari area, with one stop at a butchery to buy dried sausage and jerky (biltong?).


When you see this sign, you know you're almost there.

At camp we met Ryan Atkins, the camp manager and the camp staff; head cook Crispen, assistant cook Alfred, waiters Didimus and Padenga, skinner Sam, and general helper Alves.

Later, Buzz Charlton and his clients Marty and Sue from South Dakota and Joe from Wisconsin arrived after their day’s hunt. Justin Drainer was their cameraman. They were on an elephant hunt for 3 tuskless. Up to this point, they had no success, but that was to change shortly. Maybe Diann and I brought them good luck!


Our tent under a sausage tree. The thatch roof on this tent collapsed during a heavy rainstorm on 19 May, which also washed away other parts of the camp.

Saturday, July 18 (Day 1)

Overcast, clear by mid-day; wind 10-30 mph.

We drove to the Parks and Wildlife office in Marongora to pick up our game scout Tawina and then took a dirt road off the main tar road between Marongora and Makuti to check the rifles and look for game. The rifles shot fine.

The only game we saw on the drive on the dirt road over to the Kariba Rd. was a grysbuck.

We headed back towards camp, but turned off to reach a spot from which we could glass a large valley (Marongora River valley, maybe) for elephants, looking for a tuskless. Rich, using his spotting scope (courtesy of JPK), found a herd of elephants, but with no tuskless. They were so far away that I couldn’t pick them out with my binoculars.


Diann gives some perspective on how large this baobab tree is. It was near one of the spots from which we glassed for elephants.

We went to another overlook that I found out later was actually “behind” camp. The gusty wind was blowing about 10-30 mph on the ridge top. We saw 3 herds of elephants, about 20 in total, but, again, no tuskless.


Glassing for elephants.


Can you spot the elephants?

One of the trackers spotted a buffalo below us on the same slope and closer than the elephants. As we needed a buffalo cow for leopard bait, Rich decided we should go “play with some buffalo.” We drove closer to their location and worked our way down and across the hillside to within about 30 yards of the closest cow. It was a large herd, actually split into 2 groups, but I don’t know how many in total. The closest cow saw us and they all took off. We ran after them and got an opportunity at a cow stopped broadside in front of a termite mound. I was steady on the sticks and held just behind her shoulder. I apparently MISSED the whole buffalo at well less than 100 yards! Rich and the trackers could find no blood and no evidence that I hit her. The video suggested I may have shot low. I couldn’t believe it! I’m not the world’s greatest rifle shot, but my goodness! I was distraught for a couple days after that incident.

This was a large herd and it had split in two as we harassed it. We followed in the general direction the 2 groups had headed in parallel and, after climbing several small hills to try to spot them, the trackers saw both groups. The ones to our right and below us had relaxed and were feeding in a vlei a few hundred yards distant. Rich decided to try those and we moved in close but could not get a shot at a cow, as the grass obscured everything but their backs, even though some were within 25 or 30 yards. We moved parallel to the herd as it fed and finally reached some high ground from which we could get a clear shot at a cow. There actually was a bull that was quite close and which Rich said was a very good animal, but I was so focused on a cow that I didn’t even notice how big the bull was. All I thought was that he was in the way of us getting closer to the rest of the herd. At my shot, the cow stumbled, spun 180 degrees, and ran behind a bush. She re-emerged below us, coming our way and Rich said to shoot her again. Before I could do that, she turned and took off to our left. I shot as she disappeared and was sure I either missed or shot too far back. (The former turned out to be the case.) At this point, part of the herd ran towards us, trying to escape, and could have potentially been a problem if Rich and others hadn’t yelled to turn them. The next thing we knew, the cow I had shot began bellowing and we moved in, found that she was down, whereupon I gave her an insurance shot to the shoulder. The mandatory picture-taking session followed.


Me and Diann with my buffalo cow for leopard bait.

We got the truck to her, loaded her using a pulley system Rich had rigged on the truck, and returned to camp, where the trackers skinned her. The tenderloin, backstraps, and tail were saved and the rest became 4 leopard baits. We had just enough time to hang 1 bait and returned to camp about 1840 – well after dark.

While hanging the bait, Rich explained how he wanted to place the bait (and all future baits) to try to position a leopard in the tree so that he could determine its sex. Thus, he wanted it facing away from the blind location while feeding so that he could see if it had testicles. If things worked out as planned, I would then shoot it squarely between the shoulder blades, either breaking or shocking the spine and also hitting the lungs.


Rich and Norest hanging a leopard bait. You better perfect your tree climbing skills before trying this.

As Diann and I were sitting by the fire, we were startled by the nearby roar of a lion. Diann then said she heard rustling in the grass not far from us and we immediately retreated to where others were cleaning up the truck and where there were rifles. There was no light in camp at the time because the Zimbabwe electrical supply was, as is typical, interrupted and the camp generator had not been started. The meat in camp and lack of light probably made the lion a little bold. Rich and Craig went looking for him with only flashlights, but didn’t see him. Later that night, his roaring woke me from a sound sleep as he circled the camp.

Marty shot a tuskless this morning and Buzz, Ryan, and crew spent the day recovering it. They were disappointed that they missed the lion entertainment; they returned to camp after he had quieted down.

Sunday, July 19 (Day 2)

Temperature: 48, 70F; clear to partly cloudy; east wind: 10-25.

We checked the leopard bait we put up at last light yesterday – nothing.

We then hung (I say “we,” but it was really Rich, Norest, Urayai, Ishmael, and Tawina.) three more leopard baits: one at the end of the road on the upper Ruyese R., where there was a previous hyena blind; one on the same road on what is probably a tributary of the Ruyese R. and where a leopard had been killed in a previous year; and the last on a river near camp and also near where I killed the buff cow yesterday.

Finally, we went back to the overlook where we saw 3 groups of elephants yesterday. Today, we saw only 1 herd of 5 or 6 and no tuskless.

For the day, we saw ground hornbills (and many other birds), 2 herds of eland (no bulls), 2 duikers, 2 grysbucks, 4 zebra, 1 herd of kudu, and 2 troops of baboons.

Joe killed a tuskless today. After 4 futile days of elephant hunting, he and Marty now had 2 tuskless in 2 days.

Monday, July 20 (Day 3)

Temperature: 41, 70F; clear to partly cloudy, then clear again; wind: 5-20 mph.

We started by checking the 4 leopard baits; none had been hit. That took about 3 hours.

We went to the lookout above the big valley with the main Chirundu road visible on the far side. We saw about 20 elephants in 1 herd, but no tuskless. Rich saw another herd through the spotting scope, also with no tuskless. We changed locations to look at a different part of the valley and Rich saw elephants in the distance, but couldn’t tell of there were any tuskless.

While driving, we encountered a herd of eland and a few zebra. I didn’t see them, but there were at least 3 lions after them. We undoubtedly ruined their hunt.

We headed down the tar road to Kariba and turned off towards the Gotagota Gorge. We found a huge burned area (lots of burning going on all the time we were hunting, many of the fires started by Parks personnel). We saw a herd of kudu near the burn.

After lunch on a ridge top, we headed farther down the Kariba Rd. The trackers spotted an elephant bull and, just below the Moto R., a herd of elephant cows. The cows were in the shade on a far hillside and almost impossible for me to see with the naked eye, but the trackers spotted them from the back of the truck traveling at least 70 km/hr.

The herd contained a tuskless with a large calf and Rich sent the trackers to a location from which they could ascertain the herd’s direction of travel, as he thought they would cross a ridge and go to the river to water. That’s what they apparently were going to do and, after checking from farther up the road that they had crossed the ridge, we drove back to near where we first spotted them and set for the ridge, where the plan was to come at them from above.

After a couple rest stops to give Diann (Urayai assisted Diann on the sidehill climb.) and me a chance to catch our breath, we reached the ridge top and found the elephants. We followed them as they moved down and across the back side of the ridge, keeping the wind in our favor. We couldn’t get in position for a shot at the tuskless, which by this time Rich had determined had two calves, with even the youngest not being dependent. We also discovered that there was another, smaller, but mature, tuskless in the herd. We decided to try for her. All this time, there were always other cows preventing a shot or closer approach to one of the tuskless. Finally, the smaller tuskless and a 2 other cows separated from the others (a total of about 8) and we changed direction to climb a small ridge they were on and tried to approach them from downwind. The 2 tusked cows were in the lead and coming our way pretty quickly. We tried to retreat for another approach, but they heard us (no surprise, as there were 7 of us) and took off. Oops! We’ll try again another day.

We walked down to the river and encountered 4 dugga boys in the river bed, probably headed for water. Rich dropped down a steep embankment into the river bed just as the wind swirled. The buff got his scent and took off – in his direction! That got his attention and he beat a very hasty retreat to the steep river bank. We were all relieved that they ran up the other bank and disappeared. If they hadn’t, Rich would have had to make like Superman and leap the embankment in a single bound to avoid them.

Ishmael brought the truck and we returned to camp about 1830.

Marty killed another tuskless today. That’s 3 tuskless in 3 days for him and Joe. That completes their elephant hunting.

Tuesday, July 21 (Day 4)

Temperature 42, 71F; clear to partly cloudy, then clear again; wind: 5-20 again.

This was a boring (relatively speaking, after all, it’s Africa) and unproductive day.

We checked 3 of our baits and one of the camp staff checked the other. None had been hit.

We drove all over looking for something to shoot for bait, like a zebra (the best bait for leopard in this area) or eland (a disgraceful waste of good meat if used as leopard bait), or a tuskless. We glassed from several high points, including Chemakunguwo, from which you could see “forever.” We traveled all the way from there to Gotagota in our futile search.

We saw elephants, but no tuskless, sable, a slender mongoose, and an antelope with a white tail “flagging” a little like a white-tailed deer. It was not identified as only I saw it!

There were tracks on the road to camp from a lion headed towards camp last night.

Buzz et al. spent the day recovering Marty’s elephant from yesterday.

Wednesday, July 22 (Day 5)

Temperature: 42, 72F; mostly clear; wind: 5-15 mph.

We got 2 elephant trunks and 3 ‘slabs’ of ribs for additional leopard baits from Marty and Joe’s elephants, as we were getting desperate for more bait.

We checked 3 of our baits and, again, none had been hit. Someone from camp is to check the nearby bait and also make sure the area had not been burned by Parks, as there was a fire in the area last night.

We hung new baits at a site near a bridge on the old Chingutu Rd.; on the Nyakasanga R.; and at a location near the Gotagota Gorge where a big male had been on bait, but not killed, in the past.

We then went down the Kariba Rd. to the Ruia R. valley to look for tuskless and zebra. On the way, we saw a big herd of elephants in Charara (across the road from our hunting area in Makuti), and baboons and a male bushbuck (my first) at the Moto R. crossing.

In the Ruia R. valley, we found 3 groups of zebra: 3, 4, and 3 animals, respectively. The first 2 groups gave us the slip, but the 3rd, even though they ran off as we followed, stopped and a stallion gave me an easy shot as it quartered towards me. From the sticks, I put a 300 gr. TSX on the point of the shoulder and, after much searching (there was little or no blood spoor), the trackers found it dead about 60 yards from where I shot it. It was a nice stallion with excellent markings and no scars, but, most importantly, we had some good bait that we desperately needed.


Rich, Ishmael, Tawina, Urayai, Norest, and me with my zebra for leopard bait

After loading the zebra, we headed back to the tar road and, after crossing the Moto R., spotted a herd of elephants between the road and river in thick riparian vegetation.

We drove a little farther down the road, parked, and Rich, I, Craig, and the trackers crossed the river and headed downstream to where we had seen the elephants. Diann stayed in the truck, as she was sure she had jinxed me up to that point and also had difficulty walking quietly.

We spotted the herd on the opposite bank of the river and a tuskless was the closest cow. We approached to about 30 yards and she seemed to see us, as she raised her head and extended her ears. Rich said to take where when I was ready. I followed his advice, aligned the horizontial crosshair with the zygomatic arches, and made a perfect frontal brain shot with the 300 gr. banded solid. Literally, bang – flop! At Rich’s direction, I put 2 more shots in her chest as insurance.

The rest of the herd wouldn’t leave her, so we decided, as the better part of valor, to be discrete and claim and recover her in the morning. I hoped my tail was still there!


My "road-hunted" tuskless hosting the proud hunters: Norest, Urayai, Tawina, Diann, Ishmael, and me.


Entry wound for the frontal brain shot.

Thursday, July 23 (Day 6)

Temperature 40, 78F; mostly clear; wind: 5-10 mph.

We recovered the elephant this morning. It’s quite an operation, and included - besides Diann, me, Rich, and Craig - Ryan, Sam (skinner), Ishmael, Urayai, Norest, Tawina, and 4 helpers from the village of Makuti. The promise of meat was the incentive for assistance from the villagers. Pictures tell the story of the recovery process much better than I can describe it.


Removing a hind leg.


Saving an ovary for a study on ovulation and pregnancy. The lower jaws of tuskless cows are also collected for age determination.

The recovery took until about noon. We ate some elephant meat (I don’t know what part.) salted and cooked over an open, smoky fire. It tasted fine, but was very tough. I quickly learned to cut off smaller pieces.


Urayai cooks elephant meat during the recovery process.

Literally hundreds of vultures of at least 2 species were circling overhead by the time the elephant had been completely butchered.

Male leopard tracks from the night before near the river induced us to hang a bait near the site of the elephant kill. Although the bait was well covered by branches in an attempt to hide it from the vultures, Rich was concerned that there would be so many in the trees that they would find it.

Within 5 minutes of leaving the kill site, it was completely covered with vultures and the nearby trees looked like the limbs would break from the weight of all the vultures that weren’t yet on the ground. I’ve never seen anything like it!

We checked the leopard baits at Gotagota (and replaced the elephant trunk with an elephant leg), Nyakasanga R. (removed, as it was too near the Nyakasanga Camp), the first bait we hung (no leopard), and the bait on the way into the upper Ruyese R. (finally, a leopard feeding, but a female).

Joe shot a buff cow.

Friday July 24 (Day 7)

Temperature: 42, 79; mostly clear; light wind: 5-10 mph.

We checked and hung baits all day. Both baits on the dead-end road to the upper Ruyese R. had been visited by female leopards; one was “nibbled” on and the other just checked out, apparently.

After checking the first bait we put out last Saturday evening (day 1), we went down the Kariba Rd. and checked baits at the Gotagota Gorge, in the pretty valley (named Secret Valley) that Buzz had put out using some of one of Marty’s elephants, and on the Moto R. where I shot the tuskless Wednesday (day 5). As we were concerned about, the latter had been eaten by vultures and the elephant remains were completely consumed. The elephant head had been moved about 15 yards, probably by a hyena.

We hung another bait (zebra) well downstream of there and 2 more zebra baits 6 and 10.7 km up the Moto R. road, one on the river and the other on a tributary. Both of these will require sleeping there (or so Rich threatened) if we want to sit on them in the mornings if we get a leopard feeding. It’s a minimum of 1 hour and 45 minutes from camp to the farthest bait.

We saw a herd of 15-20 elephants near the bait site on the Moto R. tributary, including 1 tuskless. One of the tusked cows was aggressive and caused us to back up the road to avoid her.

We drove 196 km (122 miles) today.

Saturday, July 25 (Day 8)

Temperature: 48, 72; mostly clear, but a front moved through; wind: 5-25 mph.

We checked baits until about 1300 and then returned to camp for lunch. The only bait hit was the first one on the dead-end road to the upper Ruyese. Ryan checked 5 baits that Buzz had hung for us and for Myles’ client who is scheduled to arrive on Monday. These included 2 baits below Chemakunguwo and 3 in the Ruyese R. valley. The latter 3 are a long way from camp. He also checked the bait near camp and found that vultures had found it. Finally, Buzz checked the baits in Gotagota Gorge and Secret Valley and found no activity.

After lunch, we placed a bait near the head of a big valley NE (?) of camp. We were able to drive fairly close to that site on a road created to recover an elephant killed by JPK in an earlier hunt with Rich. It was a steep walk down to the bait site in the bottom of the gorge, but a pretty easy walk out using a different route. We saw a herd of elephants in the valley and kudu near the recovery road on the way in.

Sunday, July 26 (Day 9)

Temperature: 47, 69; cloudy to partly cloudy; wind: 5-25 mph.

Most of the day was spent checking and hanging baits. Buzz took down both baits on the road to the upper Ruyese R., as only female leopards (one with cubs) had visited them. Late in the day, we took down the first bait we placed on the first day of the hunt.

Ryan checked the baits on the Moto R. during a trip to Kariba. The middle bait had tracks of a female leopard near it, but no evidence that it have been fed on.

We put up a bait near one that Buzz put up yesterday near an old camp of Russ Broom’s at Rifa Spring and added another bait to the opposite end (Kariba Rd. side) of the Gotagota Gorge from where we placed the first bait there. We saw fresh lion and male leopard tracks on the road at this site. The bait tree had been used before for lion and leopard and bore the scratches of many big cats.

We needed more guts for scent drags, so we chased some baboons in the early afternoon, but couldn’t get a shot. I challenged them to have the “guts” to show themselves, but they wouldn’t!

The only bait not checked was at the Marongora R. crossing on the old Chirundu road.

Monday, July 27 (Day 10)

Temperature 44, 68F; clear; wind: 5-15 mph.

Buzz and Ryan left with Marty, Sue, and Joe; Buzz to begin another safari with a bowhunter (after elephant, croc, and hippo) in the Omay and Ryan to take the crew from South Dakota and Wisconsin to their flight home from Harare. We all said our goodbyes before heading off in 3 different directions.

We checked the bait Buzz put up at Rifa Spring and a male leopard had fed on it. We added a buff leg to the bait and set up the blind about 60 yards away and uphill. This was all pretty exciting – and a welcome change from the drudgery of checking and hanging baits - as this was the first male we have had on bait.

Building the blind was and elaborate and exacting procedure, as had been the placing of baits and trimming of trees. Rich’s blind is enclosed by canvas on 3 sides and the back can be closed also. The frame is square steel tubing and the gun rest is mounted on an adjustable square tubing cross member. The gun rest is also adjustable horizontally and vertically. After the blind was erected, a hole was cut in the canvas as a gun port. Grass and green vegetation was meticulously placed completely around the blind to conceal it and the all interior vegetation was cleared to bare dirt. A stool was set up for me directly behind the gun port. Rich explained that I will not be able to see anything as he will block the gun port and objective lens of my scope with a rag and will only remove it when it’s time to shoot. This is to prevent me from being seen by the leopard of I squirm around trying to see what’s going on. This didn’t make me too happy, but was probably based on past clients blowing chances at leopards after all the effort that goes into getting one on bait with enough light to shoot.


The blind being set up and Rich checking the positioning of my rifle. Craig is filming it all.

Finally, all vegetation between the bait and blind that might interfere with visibility was removed and the bait in the adjacent gorge that we put up yesterday was removed. It had been fed on also, so it was smart to remove what would only be an attractive nuisance.


The first blind at Rifa Spring, as seen from directly beneath the bait tree.

The trackers will go down to the Moto R. this afternoon and check those 3 baits while we sit on the one at Rifa Spring.

We returned to camp for lunch, then left to get in the blind by about 1600. The approach to the blind (whose location was dictated by the predominant wind direction) was from above, down a fairly steep hillside. This approach (and blind) wouldn’t work in the morning because we could not reach the blind undetected by the leopard if he was at or near the bait. In the afternoon, he might be nearby, but not near enough for us to spook him.

At the blind, I chambered a round and Rich placed the rifle in the rest and took off the safety. As threatened, he blocked my view of the bait tree with a rag. Rich, I, Diann, Craig, and Tawina then sat quietly (Diann and I read books) as we patiently waited for sunset and, potentially, the leopard to arrive.

No such luck! We radioed Ishmael in the truck to pick us up and returned to camp about 2030. Along the way on the Kariba Rd. we encountered 2 elephant bulls that were reluctant to yield the right-of-way. On the main dirt towards camp we saw an aardwolf and a couple nightjars.

We traveled 202 km (125 miles) today!

Myles McCallum and Alan Shearing (my PH in 2007) had not arrive as scheduled because their clients had luggage delays. They will probably get here tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 28 (Day 11)

Temperature 40, 72F; clear, then cloudy; wind: 5-15 mph.

As we couldn’t use the blind in its present location at Rifa Spring in the morning, we got there well after sun up and found that the leopard had returned to feed during the night. The trackers tore down the blind and set it up again about 60 yards on the other side of the bait and cleared a completely vegetation-free path from the road to the blind. This also was a problematic location for the blind because the prevailing wind in the morning would be quartering from behind us – over our right shoulders. Rich thought the bait was poorly placed because no good blind location was possible, but we would have to make due with what we had. Rich had told us earlier that he thought about 70% of his leopards were taken in the morning and only 30% in the evening, so that was some slight encouragement.

We then checked the baits on the Moto R. and found that the middle bait (6 km up the Moto R. road) had been visited and fed upon by a male and a female leopard. We got to see how a more “traditional” blind is built using poles cut from small tree trunks, grass, and green leafy vegetation. The gun rest over 2 poles was not as steady as the one in Rich’s blind and I had no chair. Continuing to be cautious, he still blocked my view as we sat in the blind until it was too dark to shoot.


Building the blind on a tributary to the Moto River.

It was a long drive back to camp and I don’t remember when we arrived. Myles and his clients Gene and Rita, and Alan and his client Larry, had arrived and had eaten dinner already, as we were very late. Gene, Rita, and Larry are from Oklahoma and here to hunt a variety of dangerous and plains game.

Wednesday, July 29 (Day 12)

Temperature 41, 72F; clear to mostly cloudy; wind 5-15 mph.

We got up at 0230 and left camp just before 0300. I slept poorly, if at all, anticipating the early wake-up call. We walked about 600 m into the Rifa Spring blind starting at about 0350 and arrived about 0410. Part of the walk in pitch dark (no moon) was down a steep area of the road covered with loose rock. Diann remained in the truck, as she thought that part of the walk would be too difficult for her.

After some time in the blind, we heard the leopard roar or cough - or however you describe the sound - behind and to the right of the blind. The barking of a bushbuck noted his progress up the adjacent gorge. As we expected, the wind was bad in this location and the leopard had fed too early – well before shooting light. Rich called the truck, the trackers built a fire, and we had coffee. Giving up on this spot, the trackers disassembled the blind and then we drove to the Moto R.

There, the trackers took down the most downstream bait (near the Kariba Rd. bridge) and, on checking the other baits, found that the pair of leopards, or maybe only the female, had returned to the middle bait, probably in the middle of the night.

We returned to Rifa Spring and tried to determine the route the leopard took as he left the bait. Ishmael found the track, so the trackers took down the bait from its prior poor location and hung a new bait (zebra, this time) near the leopard’s route and set up the blind again. We will sit there tomorrow morning.

We went to Gotagota (only a short distance and about 20 minutes away) and found that the bait we had hung Sunday at the entrance to the gorge had been fed on by a large male. We added another buffalo quarter to the bait and will build a blind here tomorrow if he feeds tonight and we don’t get the Rifa Spring male in the morning.

We returned to camp at the very civilized time of 1500 – thank goodness, as tomorrow will start at 0200. I definitely decided that this whole experience had provided me with a lifetime supply of leopard hunting and that, whether I get a leopard or not, I don’t think I will do this again.

Thursday, July 30 (Day 13)

No weather information recorded; I think I’m wearing down.

The wake-up call comes at 0200 and we headed to Rifa Spring at 0230. Again, we (but not Diann) walked to the blind in complete darkness and arrived about 0400. It seemed very cold. We sat until shooting light and, when Rich could see the bait clearly, he saw that the leopard had not fed on the bait. As yesterday, the trackers built a fire and we tried to warm up as they removed the blind. Now we completely gave up on this location.

We drove to Gotagota and found that the male leopard had returned and fed a little.


Big male leopard track at Gotagota, with a 30-06 cartridge for comparison.

We then headed to the Moto R. baits and found that neither the male nor female had returned, so back we went to Gotagota. We removed the bait at the other end of the gorge so that the only bait in the area was the one on which the leopard had fed. Rich decided to place a bait on the ground, in addition to the one in the tree, to try to attract hyenas, which he said would keep the leopard away during the night. When the hyenas leave before dawn (if they show up), maybe the leopard would then feed and stick around long enough for shooting light. Rich and the trackers set up the blind, carefully cleared a shooting lane to the bait, and cleared a long path to the blind. We will sit here this evening and tomorrow morning. It didn’t look like a good chance, but was the only leopard we still had on bait, so it was all we’ve got.


Replenishing the bait at Gotagota.


Old lion and leopard scratch marks on the bait tree at Gotagota.

As we sat in the blind near dark, Rich heard a bushbuck bark up a side canyon and thought the leopard was on its way. I didn’t hear anything but the cacophony of about 47 different bird species calling all around us in the gorge. I started to shiver, either from the cold or excitement, but no leopard showed up. We walked out of the gorge in the dark and met the truck at a road junction, where I finally stopped shivering.

On the dirt road to camp, we saw 2 female lions (Rich said there were actually 4 of them). They didn’t look as big as I thought they would.

Larry shot a tuskless today, the first game taken by anyone in camp since Marty’s klipspringer on Sunday.

Friday, July 31 (Day 14)

Temperature: 38, 74F; clear; wind: 5-15.

For the last day of our safari, we are awakened at 0300 and left camp about 0330. We got to the blind at Gotagota about 0500 after a walk on the road through part of the gorge and on the cleared path. It was very dark again with no moon.

Sometime later, Rich said he heard hyenas leave the bait on the ground. I did’t hear them, but with my hearing, it’s no surprise. Near 0600, Rich thought he heard a leopard walking on the loose river rocks and whispered this information to me. This time, it elicited no excitement or shivering – it couldn’t be true that there was really a leopard approaching. Rich told me later that he could then see it briefly feeding on the ground bait. Of course, I couldn’t see anything but green canvas as the damn rag was in the way! Rich whispered that the leopard was there and that I should get ready. He removed the rag from in front of my scope and I asked him, in barely a whisper, whether it was a male. His response: “Yes, shoot it!” I looked through the scope and, as if by magic, there was the leopard broadside at the base of the bait tree. He looked very small and slim through the 3X scope at 80 yards and the light was so dim that I couldn’t actually see his spots. So much for aiming at a specific rosette! The rifle was very steady in the rest and I could just see the crosshairs well enough to place them behind the shoulder (cognizant that I shouldn’t shoot too far forward) and pressed the trigger. As the gun returned from recoil, I though I saw the leopard fall out of sight behind an exposed root at the base to the bait tree. Rich said the cat jumped high in the air in a backflip and disappeared. He thought he heard it in the leaves on the opposite bank of the creek.

Rich radioed for Ishmael to bring the truck and we hung around the cruiser until full light, passing the time by having coffee. Rich strapped on his .44 Mag. revolver and exchanged the solids in his .470 double rifle (in case we encountered elephants in the dark) for softs. We went to where the leopard was when I shot and found blood, but no cat. Rich sent Diann back to the truck, after she suggested it. In a demonstration of his confidence in my shooting ability (probably wondering whether I had killed the leopard or only wounded it), he told me that if the leopard was on him, not to shoot it; he would take care of it with his revolver. However, he said if it was on one to the trackers, to shoot it, but try to miss the tracker. Great! Maybe that was just a precaution he always takes if the cat is not laying there dead! We followed it across the creek and up the bank, turn to the left, and saw it lying on its side facing away from us about 20 yards ahead. Rich approached it and lifts the tail – a funny way to determine if it was dead, but I find out later that was to make sure it was a male. At this point, everybody got very excited, with lots of hand shaking and hugging in congratulations. I don’t know why I was being congratulated; all I did was pull the trigger, Rich and the trackers did all the planning and work.


Urayai, Ishmael, Diann, me, and Tawina with my leopard.

It’s a big male, over 7 feet long and at least 140 lbs. We moved it to the river bed and took many photos. When asked to lift it in the classic pose, I couldn’t get off the ground; it was too heavy and I’m too weak.


My feeble attempt at lifting my leopard for the mandatory hero picture. He seems almost as big as me.


However, Rich had a little better luck - and more strength.

We met Myles, Gene, and Rita on the Kariba Rd. on our way back to camp with the leopard and stopped to show it to them. Of course, there were congratulations all around. Myles thought this was the biggest “valley” leopard Rich had ever gotten and Rich agreed that it was.

As we approached within about ¼ mile of camp, the trackers in the back of the truck started enthusiastically singing and when we arrived in camp all the staff was waiting for us, singing and dancing also. This is a ritual when a cat – either lion or leopard – is killed, or maybe it has evolved into a show for the foreign hunter. In either case, it’s interesting and very entertaining, and maybe a little embarrassing - for me, not them.

We had a late breakfast – brunch, really – including a celebratory beer, and then relaxed in camp for the rest of the day before taking Tawina back to the Parks and Wildlife office and filling out the necessary end-of-hunt paperwork.

I asked that the cooks make me some “chicken fingers” for appetizers before dinner, but with leopard backstrap. Several of us tried it and found it pretty tasty, but none of the PHs wanted any part of it. Alan reminded me of what leopards eat, as a way of explaining why he would pass on a taste. We did trick Rich into taking a bite by convincing him that it was buffalo. There was also a plate of deep-fried buffalo that we used to confuse him. He wasn’t too upset, just gave us a sly smile after he figured out what he had just eaten.

After dinner, the camp staff presented me with a cake celebrating the taking of the leopard – a very nice surprise!

Saturday, August 1 - Sunday, August 2

It was time to head home.

We left camp at about 0615 and arrived at the Harare airport at about 1030. The SAA flight to Jo’berg was delayed because the plane was late arriving. Then a hailstorm along with a temperature of 3-5C closed the runway in Jo’berg so that we had to circle for awhile until runway was manually cleared and the ice melted – there are no snowplows and hail, snow, and ice are a rare occurrence. We finally landed about 1600.

This was only a precursor to what lie ahead. The plane for the Delta flight to Atlanta was also delayed and we departed about 1-1/4 hours late, so we knew we would miss our non-stop flight from Atlanta to Sacramento in the morning.

The final 2 insults were yet to come. On arrival in Atlanta, one of my bags was missing, luckily (sort of) not the one with the rifles, but one with several irreplaceable mementoes from the hunt as well as items that I have had for up to 40 years that have sentimental value, if nothing else.

Finally, the best way to get home, now that we missed our connection, was a circuitous route from Atlanta to Phoenix to Salt Lake City and, finally, to Sacramento. We arrived in Sacramento 7 hours later than originally scheduled! We put in our claim for my delayed bag at Delta’s baggage services, but even that didn’t go a planned. It took 2 agents to try to enter our information and after ½ hour of trying, they still couldn’t do it – something about too many flight segments for the computer template to accept. Diann and I were dead tired and just wanted to get home, so we left without all the necessary info.

I returned to the airport on Tuesday and found that the information had finally been entered correctly, but that my bag was still missing. In spite of continually checking with Delta, and Debbie Gracy’s kind attempts to have Bruce look for it in Jo’berg, the bag is still missing 2 weeks later and I have filed a lost baggage claim for the value of the contents.

After I posted this report,an amazing thing happened: the lost suitcase showed up, 2 weeks to the day after we returned home! Who says there aren't miracles? Other than being inspected by TSA and, probably, Customs, everything was fine, although a little moldy in spots and with a destroyed lock on the metal ammo box. Where it has been all this time, I'll never know. Now I have to figure out how to rescind my baggage loss claim.

What we saw

To save space (which actually isn’t at a premium, given my long-windedness), I haven’t consistently listed the animal species we saw in each day’s account. So here is a summary:

Mammals: Vervet monkey, baboon, warthog, common duiker, grysbok, Cape buffalo, elephant, sable, southern greater kudu, zebra, impala, bushbuck, eland, scrub hare, lion, leopard, slender mongoose, mongoose (unknown species; dark brown with a very bushy tail), aardwolf, wild dog, striped jackal, elephant shrew.

Birds (seen and heard): grey lourie, purple-crested lourie, grey hornbill, ground hornbill, trumpet hornbill, black-bellied korran, turtle dove, green-spotted dove, mourning dove, helmeted guineafowl, francolin (sp?), hammerkopf, wood hoope, broad-billed roller, racket-tailed roller, Scops owl, vulture (at least 2 species), sandgrouse, pied crow, nightjar.

Final Thoughts

This was a continuation of a long-time dream of hunting Africa, first realized with our initial trip to Zimbabwe in 2007. At that time, we weren’t sure we would do it again, thinking that we weren’t really addicted to Africa. Well, think again! After this trip, we’re already contemplating another hunt in a couple years, which is quite a statement considering the cost of a dangerous game safari and the limited resources of a retired state fishery biologist and his medical-manager wife.

Rich was unbelievably persistent in his pursuit of a leopard, even in the face of continual frustration and the seeming futility of his efforts. At one point, we had 15 baits hanging and by the time it was over, Rich and the trackers had built 5 blinds. The effort exhibited by him and the trackers in making sure everything was just perfect at each bait site and every blind finally led to success. Needless to say, he was an excellent guide and hunting companion. As I was often quiet as we traveled from bait to bait (I’m not very talkative, nor is Diann.), he may have thought differently of me. Also, my hearing, or lack of it, makes conversation difficult when there is background noise.

From what we could see, Craig did a fine job filming the hunt and we look forward to the final edited video. Hopefully, Craig has thawed out from his chilly early morning rides in the back of the cruiser; he looked like the Pillsbury doughboy wrapped up in his parka and blanket. By the way, based on the video from our previous safari, I highly recommend having your hunt filmed. Every time you or your friends watch it, you’ll be glad you spent a little extra for the video; it brings back memories (sights and sounds) even more vividly than photos.

The hospitality in camp and the conversations around the fire and dinner table were great. Diann and I really appreciated the presence of Buzz, Myles, Alan, Justin, Ryan, Marty, Sue, Joe, Gene, Rita, and Larry at various times – and, of course, Rich and Craig. The camp staff was solicitous of our needs and the food was excellent (buffalo loin chops, oxtail soup, fried chicken, leopard fingers (!), tilapia, t-bone steak, to name a few), along with well-made South African wines. Now, if they only had stocked up on Beefeaters!

The bullets (Barnes TSX, tipped TSX, and banded solids) seemed to perform flawlessly – even if I didn’t in one instance.

Dave

Congratz on a great hunt and a super leopard! I didn't know Rich hunted for CMS but you learn something new every day...

Congratulations on a awesome hunt

Awesome hunt!!

Great trip report. Thanks for taking the considerable time to write it. Diann's smile in the picture where you're hoisting your leopard is very nice -- I do believe she was pleased for you.

Dave,

Yours is one of the few reports that I have really enjoyed! Not too much hype and a liberal dose of apparent honesty.

Glad you got a cat. He looks pretty big. And road hunt elephant, they're my favorite.

Bill

Congratulations on a successful hunt -- looks like persistence really paid off.

Great report. I love the detail.

Thanks for sharing your report. Congratulations on a fine hunt. Less than 60 days and I will be in camp in Makuti. Your report just whetted my anticipation.

Leopards are just simply beautiful animals aren't they?

quote:

Originally posted by Badger Matt:
Great trip report. Thanks for taking the considerable time to write it. Diann's smile in the picture where you're hoisting your leopard is very nice -- I do believe she was pleased for you.

Badger Matt,

Unfortunately, she's laughing at my futile attempt to lift the leopard. That's not a smile on my face; it's a grimace!

Dave

Very nice hunt Dave!!! Congratulations!!!

Brett

Well done! Nothing like a beautiful leopard like yours to make it all worthwhile!

Superb leopard - congratulations.

Very nice! Quite pleasing to see your wife enjoy your safari, you're a lucky man! Congrats on a great hunt and cheers to you and your hunting partner!

Congratulations! And thank you for sharing your story with us. I really enjoyed reading it.

five star

Thanks for sharing the great report. Congrats on a great hunt!

Congrats on your great hunt!

Don't fret the long silences in the truck, Rich isn't a really talkative guy either!

JPK

Thanks for a great report and well done on your cat.
You probably dont realise just how special your achievement was !!
There have been several people who have been foxed by that Gorta Gorta cat in the past few years and he was starting to build a reputation for himself. I for one spent a number of morning and evening sessions waiting for him, only to have him out think us on every occasion. It looks like Richard worked out the right strategy for you.
Well done again.
Regards
Robert

As an addendum to my report, an amazing thing happened yesterday evening after I posted the report: the lost suitcase showed up, 2 weeks to the day after we returned home! Who says there aren't miracles? Other than being inspected by TSA and, probably, Customs, everything was fine, although a little moldy in spots and with a destroyed lock on the metal ammo box. Where it has been all this time, I'll never know. I'll revise the end of my report to reflect this happy ending to our trip home.

R.Jolly,

The Gotagota cat was much discussed around the campfire, especially while Buzz was in camp. Rich told me that leopard had been gotten on bait by 6 different PHs, but this time I guess he had used up all of his 9 lives.

Dave

Congratulations on a great cat. A very good report as well.

Dave-
Congratulations and thanks for the report. Reading about your success completes the trip for Sue and I. You guys could easily have lost heart, you didn't, and you got a magnificent trophy. Post a photo of that cake!

I know what your talking about JPK, Richard aka "Snapper" was my ph in 2001 hunting with Roger Whittall. I don't think he said twenty words in 14 days. I'm sure he is a great ph but I wouldn't hunt with him again for that reason.

Great report! They're never to long or to detailed.

quote:

Originally posted by sevenmagltd.:
I know what your talking about JPK, Richard aka "Snapper" was my ph in 2001 hunting with Roger Whittall. I don't think he said twenty words in 14 days. I'm sure he is a great ph but I wouldn't hunt with him again for that reason.

Yes, he has become an excellent PH. He had the hunting skills long ago, before I had the pleasure of hunting with him, Roger and Magara made sure of that. Though not much of a talker, He has always been enthusiastic in answering questions, and he can certainly hold up his end of a conversation, a change that has come with more experience.

Some fellows will always get along better with others with different traits. Some talkative fellows would drive me to distraction, for instance, but hunting with Buzz, who is quite a conversationalist is great fun for me, as is hunting wth Rich.

Maybe Buzz would be a good fit for you. BTW, Rich and Buzz are good friends and have been for some time.

JPK

Marty,

Sorry, but I didn't take a picture of the cake. I'm sure, however, that Craig got it on video.

Sevenmagltd,

I have to differ with you; I would have no problem hunting with Rich again. Maybe I gave the wrong impression - he wasn't noncommunicative, I was. When I did have something to say, or had a question, he always responded intelligently and often at length.

Dave