HUNT SUMMARY - PART 2 OF 2

FOR PART 1 PLEASE CLICK HERE ---> CLICK HERE


Date of Hunt: December 2005

Location: Loibor Serrit (Lobo) & Lolkisale Concessions in Masailand (Tanzania)

Animals Taken in Lobo: Cape Buffalo (42.5in); Fringed Ear Oryx (29in); Grants Gazelle (24in)

Animals Taken in Lolkisale: Lesser Kudu (24in); East African Eland (30in); East African Bushbuck (15.5in); Thompson's Gazelle (13.5in); 2-White Bearded Wildebeest (28 & 28.75in); 2-Cokes Hartebeest (17.75 & 19in); East African Impala (24in); Common Waterbuck (24.75in); Warthog (13in); Leopard (not recovered); Zebra; Hyena; Jackal

Animals Hunted But Not Shot: East African Greater Kudu (none seen); Bushpig (too fast); Honey Badger (too smart); MGM Lion (none seen noting short duration of trip)

Animals Seen But Not Hunted: Elephant; Lion (young male); Giraffe; Ostrich; DikDik; Klipspringer; Common Duiker; Baboon; Monkey; Mongoose

PH/Outfitter: Tanzania Bundu Safaris (Adam Clements)

Email: adam@safaritrackers.com

Phone: 210-698-0077

Website: Adam Clements Safari Trackers & Tanzania Bundu Safaris


LOLKISALE - HUNTING & TROPHIES
Although I kept a daily dairy, given the number of animals taken in Lolkisale, I am resisting the urge to provide a day-by-day recap. Instead, I will give an overview of the hunting highlights as best described by the trophy pictures (in no particular order), and try to continue highlighting aspects of the trip that others may find useful when setting up their own safari.

Given the terrain and size of the concession, hunting on foot is not feasible, and drive/spot/stalk is the way it's done. Shots ranged anywhere from 75 yards for the Bushbuck and Thompson's Gazelle to 200-250 yards for the plainsgame such as the Cokes Hartebeest and EA Eland. But unlike anywhere I have previously hunted in Africa, on a whole the game was not at all skittish, especially the animals coming in from the Park. It was quite easy to drive up to some of the game without spooking them, however, once you got out it was a different story which was ideal as it made for some tedious and interesting short stalks.

As it was late in the season, much of the concession had been burned in anticipation of the rains. The areas that experienced even brief showers quickly erupted in a sea of green grass, which would have been the case in the entire concession in more typical years with the Nov/Dec showers. Even given the lack of rain, game was literally everywhere and I had multiple shot opportunities on all plainsgame except Greater Kudu which I was not really after until the end of the trip when I realized how rare they still are in East Africa.

We hunted some dry river beds, including one named the Sand River, which held game due to the thick cover and unburned grass. We also hunted the southern part of the concession, which according to Adam is where most of the game is located earlier in the season, looking for Lesser Kudu. But for the most part we drove the concession checking leopard and lion baits hung by Adam with the previous hunter, and put up a number of baits ourselves. Almost all plainsgame was taken incidental to this.

LION
Lion was not my main focus, having taken a mature bush lion previously in the Luangwa Valley. However, the potential to shoot a terrific lion, plus the fact that Adam had one available and baits in the tree, made it too tempting to pass up. We actively hunted Lolkisale for lion less then two weeks, and I would encourage anybody going on a lion hunt to plan on staying all 21-days. Too many hunters expect quick success, and get disappointed and/or go home early. I've hunted lion three times, and was successful once. In this case, I was after something spectacular, and with the buffalo in the Park, we did not see any in the concession. If I could find the means, I would hunt Lolkisale again for lion, perhaps either in July or Nov/Dec.

Hanging a Zebra quarter for lion bait.


Two younger lions passed up by Adam and his client just prior to my arrival.


These are images of a young male lion taken by a Cuddleback camera placed in a bush close to a lion bait. We had a hit on the bait and what appeared to be nice dark hair. We replenished the bait, hung the Cuddleback, setup a blind and sat that evening and following morning. I saw the flash of camera go off around 5:30am and thought we were in luck, but later learned that it was the female leopard as pictured below. As you can see, the lion was too young, a 3-4 year old male pushed out of the pride by the dominant male(s).

One can debate the topic of using a camera, however, the reality is that time is limited and hunts are very expensive, and sitting on a bait without knowing the quality of the cat, or when it is feeding, is unproductive. I also think it helps the PHs age the lions and avoid making mistakes in the field, which is particularly important in Tanzania these days with the age restriction (6 year old or better). Having sat in ground blinds and machans, I found that using a camera does not change the dynamics of the hunt, or the intrigue and overall experience - and I personally wouldn't hunt cats again without one. And, it is just fun getting pictures like this!!!

Pictures taken by the Cuddleback digital camera; note the times of the day stamped on the picture.






LEOPARD
I have now been on quite a few safaris, and have always thanked my lucky stars that to date I had not wounded and lost an animal. Not every shot was perfect (many were, including my previous leopard shot through the heart with a .416 at 100-yards), and I had my share of clean misses, but all game hit was recovered. Well, that win streak, just like USC's this year, came to an abrupt end.

I do not know what happened, I had a perfect site picture, was not nervous, had a good rest, squeezed the trigger, didn't lift my head (I don't think), and picked out a spot low on the shoulder. Maybe too low, as previously the gun I was using (a camp .375 w/a Leupold 1.5-5 scope) shot low for me on a zebra and at a target set up on a tree at about 75-yards. However, Richard shot it perfectly, so I believe it was sited in.

At the shot, the leopard jumped from the tree and headed for some thick brush. We heard a few growls (which we later learned was likely directed at a porcupine), waited a few minutes, and went in after him. This was very exciting, and I felt comfortable with my .458 Lott in hand (open sites), backed-up by Adam's .470 double and Richard's shotgun loaded with buckshot. Unfortunately, the cat snuck away, and all we found was a bit of blood where he had laid, outside of a borough occupied by a porcupine (which we thought was the leopard until we dug him out!).

Realizing this, we tracked him about a mile down a stream bed, and jumped him again in some brush. I almost mistakenly shoot the female that he was with, and luckily pulled up in time. The tom tore off seemingly unscathed. I wanted to continue the pursuit, but it was pointless, too much time had passed and he was clearly not going to stand and fight. He did not need to.

I always wondered how a kicker feels when he misses the game-winning field goal - something he has done successfully hundreds or thousands of times before in practice and in games - letting himself and his teammates down. I now know...absolutely terrible. I am, however, consoled by the thought that the leopard suffered only a flesh wound.

Picture of the leopard taken by the Cuddleback digital camera.


These are picts of a female leopard on the bait. Note the absence of a "sack" which confirmed that there were two leopard feeding and that one was a female (versus a young male), and when they were coming in.




ELAND (EAST AFRICAN)
We spotted a small herd just before dark, the wind was good, so we followed them for about a mile before they finally stopped at the far edge of a clearing in some brush to look back at us. The glowing yellow sun was to our backs and this likely distorted our outlines as there was just some scrub for cover, otherwise as eland typically do they probably would have kept going. Fortunately I was able to quickly pick out the big bull and took a rather long shot, noting that eland are big targets. The 180gr TSX hit him well mid-body and exited on the far shoulder. He bucked at the shot and trotted off, but quickly laid down. I put a mercy shot in him and just before darkness was able to take a few pictures.



HARTEBEEST (COKES)
We tracked several herds of hartebeest unsuccessfully until this old lone bull appeared while checking lion baits. Having shot Red Hartebeest in South Africa and Lichtensteins in the Selous, I think that the Cokes is the most striking with the neatest horn configuration. This was a big bull, with horns measuring 18.75 and 19 inches with 10.25 inch bases. We shot another one needed in a hurry for leopard bait which was slightly smaller but still very nice. The backstraps of course stayed with us, I like most game meat, but hartebeest is my favorite.



HYENA (SPOTTED)
Although we had seen tracks at the bait sites, and heard their "whoooops" almost nightly, this was the only one seen, and a true target of opportunity. The picture below is of a young warthog he killed and was reluctant to leave, which was his fatal mistake. The trophy fee for hyena was a very reasonable $295.





IMPALA (EAST AFRICAN)
Taken on the last day, this was a nice impala significantly larger then those I had shot in South Africa. We saw quite a few rams, however, being among the last hunter of the season I think most of the larger ones had been taken. I am going to do a European mount and have the skin made into a flat rug.



LESSER KUDU
Along with Bongo, Lord Derby Eland and Sitatunga which I have yet to hunt and likely never will, the Lesser Kudu was one of the animals which I most desired, and being fortunate enough to shoot this grand trophy was the highlight of my trip. This bull was spotted from the truck at a distance, and was stalked totally unaware of our presence. I had to take a 150-175 yard shot through some brush (with the old 7x scope), but thankfully broke his front shoulder, anchoring him until a follow-up could quickly be placed through the spine. Although thought to be slightly bigger when first spotted, he was a mature bull with worn horns, tipped in and fully developed, measuring just under 24 inches, and I'd take him again in a heartbeat. And with great markings, he will make a terrific addition to the trophy room when full-mounted.






MASAI BUSHBUCK (EAST AFRICAN)
Although I knew there were some Bushbuck in the area, I didn't expect us to have an opportunity on one. We hunted this one twice, the first time he managed to sneak away in typical Bushbuck fashion. However, being territorial, we kept looking for him in the same area, and nailed him given a second opportunity. We did not realize what a terrific trophy he was until later. Rowland Ward minimum for an East African Bushbuck is 15in, and this guy was a bit worn down from age but still measured 15.5 and 15.25in with 6.5in bases. Another PH in camp commented that one like this had not been shot in the area for 20-years, which I don't know if is correct but sure puts it in perspective.





THOMPSON'S GAZELLE
Another unexpected surprise, this animal probably represents the most significant trophy shot on the safari, as it was the first Thompson's Gazelle legally hunted in Lolkisale in at least the last 10-years. We had seen a few females and young males, but Adam's jaw literally dropped when he was this ram. I made a good lung shot on him at about 100-yards, but he still ran about half that before dropping. Clearly moved by this, Adam explained to me that of all the animals, the Thompson's Gazelle is most special to him, calling it his "Black Rhino".

A bit of background from my own perspective…The area where these are being seen is in the north of the concession on the dirt track heading to Arusha. Because of the accessibility, it has been hunted over the years by resident hunters, with and without proper licenses to hunt the area. I do not mean ANY disrespect to the hunters of Tanzania, as they have every right to hunt in their own country just as we do in our own countries, but as was pointed out by another AR member who is from Tanzania, the resident hunter (unlike sport hunters) tend to hammer certain areas pretty hard. Eventually the animals just disappear, as was seen in the open areas on the way into the hunting concession which according to Peter used to hold considerable game.

This is NOT the case with Lolkisale - which is full of animals - as evidenced by all the trophies I took on a relatively short hunt. But, at a distance to an untrained eye, a Tommy looks sort of like a Grants which kind of resembles an Impala (which are on many licenses). In an effort to curb this, Bundu has established an aggressive anti-poaching campaign.

Known on the radios as "Chaca-1" and "Chaca-2", the two armed teams patrol the area year-round, and have caught a surprising number of illegal/improper hunters, as well as poachers and locals gathering wood for charcoal to be sold as cooking fuel in Arusha. Chaca-1 is headed-up by Dennis Horsely, Paul's brother. When not hunting and during the off-season, Paul will also be on anti-poaching patrol. Probably because the holidays were approaching, we stopped two separate hunting parties ourselves (one of which took a crack at an "impala" but missed, noting there were just Grants and Thompson females in the area) and quizzed a third group, none of which had the proper paperwork to be hunting in the concession. The net effect of this over time should be more game and better hunting.

Which gets me back to the Thompson's Gazelle, which is perhaps proof that the efforts and investment in people and vehicles is paying off. Although the numbers are low, and one should not anticipate shooting a Tommy in Lolkisale at this point, the future looks bright and who knows in a year or three. I must admit to feeling a bit guilty about shooting this animal, but am most appreciative and consider myself very, very fortunate especially considering the reasonable trophy fee (same as a Grants). He unofficially measured 13.25in (RW is 14in) with 4.75 inch bases, and hopefully had an opportunity to pass on his genes to the future generations. He will be full-mounted and long cherished.



WARTHOG
This old guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Spotting him for the truck, Adam and I chased him for a good mile before he finally slowed and began to feed. With the wind in our faces, we snuck up using a termite mound for cover but he busted us and took off. I shouldered the .300 and hit him on the trot at about 100 yards quartering away. The TSX traveled the length of the body breaking front and rear shoulders, and was found under the skin in the front left shoulder, one of only two TSX's recovered. I'm a better shot in a scenario like this then I ever will be when shooting off of the sticks, with the whole gang looking over my shoulder.



WATERBUCK (COMMON)
Although Masailand is not known for Waterbuck, especially the common variety, there were several good bulls in one particular area. I had not previously taken one, despite having hunted the Zambezi Valley, Luangwa Valleys and the Save Conservancy - all of which are known for nice Waterbuck. Part of the attraction was the very-reasonable trophy fee of just $680 which is far less then any of the other countries. He was shot at about 150 yards through the heart with a 180gr NorthFork, with Paul as the PH.



WILDEBEEST (WHITE BEARDED)
Before the trip, I was not really sure that I wanted to shoot a Wildebeest. After all, I had three on the wall, a Black and Blue that my son shot in South Africa, and a Nyasa that I shot in the Selous. However, the area was full of them allowing us to be rather selective, and of all the different flavors of Wildebeest, the White Bearded with it's long white beard and coal-black mane is one of the nicest looking (for those of us that consider wildebeest and warthogs attractive!). Not a terribly exciting stalk, but I made a good lung shot and he died quickly, piled up under a bush after a short sprint, where he was bravely going to make his final stand.


ZEBRA
The last animal I needed was another zebra, but I found myself shooting this one for lion bait to replenish one that had been hit. A bit of advice regarding lion hunting... If one is hunting lion, one cannot be cheap on the bait animals, at least if one wants a reasonable shot at a nice cat. Like the zebra found in Zambia and down in the Selous, these Zebra have no shadow striping. He will be shoulder-mounted, noting that two I shot previously in Tanzania and Zambia were incorrectly caped. If anyone is planning on doing a shoulder mount of a Zebra, make sure to talk with the PH and skinner about this, as the skinners seem to be accustomed to cutting them up the front of the neck as would be done for a rug. Or, hunt w/Bundu, who caped it correctly without me asking.



Excellent website with all African game species, SCI/RW minimums, distribution maps and more: http://www.wild-about-you.com/AfricaGame.htm


THE MASAI & OTHER LOCAL PEOPLE
A very special part of any trip to Africa for me is the interaction with the local people, especially the children. I had heard and read that the Masai in Masailand were no longer living primitive lives, that it was all a ruse. While this may be so in the touristy areas closer to Kilimanjaro, it is absolutely not the case in Lobo and Lolkisale. The Masai we encountered in the hunting areas are barely scraping by. According to Adam, since taking over Bundu, they have initiated a number of community service programs to help the local Masai, hoping also to strengthen relations and build trust.

Lobo has more Masai (and goats) then Lolkisale due to the availability of water from the spring shared with the buffalo, and because of the relative absence of the tsetse flies which are more numerous in Lolkisale. Incidentally, after one impressive assault, Paul told me that they breed around full moon and that they need blood, which is why they were getting progressively worse as we approached full moon. Yet another reason to avoid this time of the month.

I enjoyed seeing the Masai, and many times we would see Wildebeest, Zebra and other game in close proximity to the cattle. In Lobo, however, the Masai were rather near to camp as without the rains, this was the only place with browse for their huge herds of goats. Again, this did not seem to disturb the game, including leopard which often snag a goat or two. In fact, Brian shot a nice leopard in this area on a bait left behind by Lee Lipscomb, who I had the pleasure of meeting in Lobo and have since stayed in contact with since returning home. The following pictures are from Lolkisale, we did not take any in Lobo figuring we had days to do so.

Bob with two young Masai encountered while I was off tracking something. They allowed him to take their picture in exchange for a bottle of water.


A herd of cattle tended to by the Masai in Lolkisale. Paul told me that the local people do not own these cattle, but that they watch them for the village chiefs, and that when the rains come they will drive them back to reassemble into one big herd.


One of the only watering holes in Lolkisale, it is shared by the Masai and their cattle. The water tables in Lolkisale are very deep, which makes digging holes for water, or camp wells, difficult.


Not all people in the area are Masai. This woman and her husband tend a small plot of land where they raise crops during the wet season.


Paul and his six brothers and one sister were born and raised in this humble village located within the Lolkisale concession. Needless to say, Paul and his brother Dennis, who does anti-poaching for Bundu, know the area well.







SCENERY & ANIMALS

Another beautiful African sunrise. Located only ~250 miles south of the equator, you can literally watch the sun rise and set on the horizon. It’s over in the blink of an eye.


This is a picture of the dam that Adam is having built in the southern portion of Lolkisale, which is where most game is found during the early season (July). The hope is that it will hold water thereby increasing the carrying capacity of the area longer into the season.


April 2006 Update: Here is a picture of what is now known as "Lake Austin" taken early April, 2006. Although late, the rains were very strong and Masailand as well as much of Tanzania received considerable rainfall.


Baobab Tree (Adansonia digitata)


Sausage Tree (Kigelia pinnata)


Two dugga boys that Adam & I passed up in Lolkisale early in the hunt. One was 41-42†with a deep curl - and very tempting - but a bit soft on top. I'm not sure how he would have looked come day 14! As it turned out, holding out for a true monster to come in from the Park, I did not shoot any buffalo in Lolkisale.


Zebra could be found throughout the concession, and literally at times we would need to stop the truck until they finally moved from our path.




An ancient Masailand elephant.


A group of bulls, nothing over 25lbs, but to an "elephant hunter" like myself , neat to see nevertheless.


Elephant stripping bark from a baobab.


Lolkisale camp's resident Marabou Storks.


Are you a sunrise or a sunset person? In the beginning of the hunt, I am all about the sunrises. But towards the end, I appreciate the sunsets the most. This is a great picture which I plan to have framed and hung on the wall.



TRAVEL BACK TO ARUSHA
With the safari over, we headed back to Arusha with Gomi who works for Tanganyika Trekker Safaris, which is owned by Tanzania Bundu Safaris and one of six companies licensed to operate in the Kilimanjaro National Park. Gomi is very energetic an easy to talk to, and is a wealth of knowledge. He conducts tours for couples, families and groups to popular destinations such as the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and even to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (which is some 19,000 feet in elevation, or 3.5 miles!).

In fact, Gomi will be guiding Richard to the top early next year to gather some video footage, which was an entertaining topic as Richard is already stressing over the climb and altitude, asking me for all sorts of training and nutritional advice. I don not think Richard knows what excellent physical shape he is actually in.

We arrived mid-afternoon in Arusha, after stopping at the Cultural Center for some "authentic Masailand souvenirs". Afterwards we met Adam and Chantelle at the Mount Meru Lodge, enjoyed a few cold Kilimanjaro beers, and made our way to the airport for the flight home. The return KLM flight first goes down to Dar for a ~1 hour stop-over, then north to Amsterdam. Another wonderful, productive and eventful safari had come to an end.

These pictures were taken of the outskirts of Arusha, on the main tar road heading to town. Note Mount Meru in the background, which stands in stark contrast to the hustle-and-bustle along the main road.




This is a classic - check out the cattle in the back of this compact Toyota pickup.


Tanzania National Parks Website: http://www.tanzaniaparks.com

Tanganyika Trekker Safaris: http://www.tanzaniabundusafari...static/photo_saf.htm


TROPHY HANDLING & MOUNTING
This is often overlooked, but the way I look at it, the safari is not complete until my animals are home with me, although final payment to the outfitter has long been made. On my last Tanzanian hunt in 2001 with another operator, I waited 13 months for the trophies to ship, which in my opinion is way too long, but seems to be the norm with Tanzania especially with the sub-leased hunts where trophies sit until the end of the season before they are processed. My trophies from Zambia and Zimbabwe (which are in transit and was handled wonderfully by Buzz Charlton and Andy Hunter) took about 5-6 months, which is very reasonable.

With Bundu Safaris, other members of AR have reported exceptionally quick trophy shipment, like as in a few months! As I was one of the last hunters of the season, I did get a chance to check out both skinning sheds, and there were very few trophies still there. According to Peter who oversees the crating and shipping, all but those taken on the very recent hunts had been shipped, and the day I left all remaining trophies including mine from both camps had been transported to Arusha.

Most of my past hunts were specialized and for just a few animals and/or even no trophies at all, such as with a tuskless elephant hunt in Zim. But knowing that the trophies would be handled in an efficient and timely manner, and without fear that they would get caught up in some government red tape, I had the confidence to shoot more game for mounting.

5/18/06 UPDATE - TROPHY SHIPMENT

Last week the trophies arrived to my taxidermist. It took just 12 weeks from the end of the hunt to when they left Tanzania on March 13th via British Airways. The balance of the time was for clearing at the broker (Fauna & Flora in New York) and coordinating with my taxidermist.

The total cost to ship the two crates (of considerable size and weight) via BA was $2238, or average $1119.00 each - which given recent price increases is very reasonable I think. F&F broker fees was another $410, plus shipping to a local approved facility for spraying.

I had wanted to pick these up in NYC to save the shipping to my local taxidermist, but as there was warthog and buffalo, F&F had to ship to a "USDA Veterinary Services' Approved Establishment" for treatment. Note that the folks as the USDA are taking this VERY seriously, as initially F&F had the wrong taxidermist which I quickly got straightened out, but not before paperwork had been submitted. I got a call from a courteous and professional [but interested] agent wanting to know why I was having trophies shipped to an unapproved establishment. He indicated that this would not have been the problem of the shipper or taxidermist, but mine. Cleared up quickly, but if you have unmounted warthog/swine, buffalo or primates, make sure they go to an approved facility. [1/07 UPDATE - Now ALL "ruminants" (any hooved animal) must be shipped to an approved facility.]

Regarding the trophies, everything arrived in excellent shape and my taxidermist was very impressed with the way the skulls and especially the capes were packaged (per the photo below). The capes are on their way to Carolina Fur for tanning and eventually mounting as budget permits, which may take a few years although I will have the Tommy full mounted any a few shoulder mounts completed this year yet. I'll post pictures when they are done.

I would like to express my thanks to the team at Bundu Safaris for an excellent safari from start to finish, and I can recommend them to fellow AR members without reservation. Bill, 5/18/06



PHYSICAL PREPARATION
Given the terrain, overall this was not a terribly physical hunt. However, being in shape adds to the enjoyment of any hunt in my opinion, and minimizes the impact of travel - and the strain on the body related to changes in sleep pattern, diet, climate, and altitude (Lolkisale is at ~5000ft elevation). I had dropped about 30lbs for an elephant hunt with my two sons and friend/PH Buzz Charlton this past July, and my training for Masailand basically consisted of maintaining my new current weight via diet and weight training while continuing to improve my aerobic conditioning through road cycling.


RIFLES, LOADS & OTHER EQUIPMENT
I used a Ruger Mark II in .458 Lott for the buffalo, with hand-loaded Woodleigh 500 grain softs and solids (83-84grns of IMR 4320, at ~2250fps out of the Ruger's 24" barrel). The Ruger is basically stock except for a Burris 1.5-6 Signature Series Posi-Lock scope, mercury recoil reducer in the stock, a 3/32 ivory front bead and a Decelerator pad. For the plains game I used my no-frills Winchester Model 70 .300 magnum fitted with a Swarovski 2.5-10x40 scope, which as described above developed some sort of problem and had to be retired. Bullets for the .300 were handloaded 180gr Barnes TSX and 180gr NorthForks.

In past trips, I have routinely rented Iridium 9505 satellite phones from Outfitter Satellite, to stay in touch with my family and office. However, as Adam has several Thuraya phones in camp, I opted to use these and pay for the airtime. Saeed has said that their performance was superior to the Iridium's, which I found was absolutely the case. Talking through the Thuraya was like talking via a cellular phone, with no background noise, painful delay, and most importantly zero dropped calls. And unlike the Iridium's, I didn't need to stand in the middle of a clearing to get a reasonable signal.

Now don't get me wrong, just being able to phone home and talk to my daughter from the bush is pretty terrific, but if you have the choice, go for the Thuraya providing that there is coverage in your destination, which currently does not include all of Southern Africa. I believe Saeed has reported that he had coverage in the Selous, but I am not sure about areas like the Zambezi Valley where I consider a satellite phone to be essential.

My father-in law and I took along nutritional snacks, which unlike on previous hunts was not really necessary, but I like having something to throw in the truck bag for mid-day energy. I prefer Clif bars (from rei.com), low fat peanut butter for sandwiches, and crushed walnuts and raisins for the morning "porridge". And of course we took some candy including lollipops, which always lightens the mood on the back of the truck.

Anticipating seasonably warm, hot weather (65-70 evenings to 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit daytime temps) and rain showers, other essential equipment included: Boyd Gators; packable rain poncho, Ex Officio Buzz-Off long sleeve shirt and zip-off light hiking pants (highly recommended, available from LL Bean and others in season), Columbia Water Trunks (I really liked these, no tears or pulls and very comfortable); cotton shorts from Columbia; Duofold VariTEC "dryfit" shirts ($4-10/ea from campmor.com); broken-in light-hikers from Merrell; Smartwool socks; Avon Skin-So-Soft w/SPF-15 (I forgot a good 30+ SPF sunblock and lip balm) and a Westley Richards cartridge belt.

Medicines taken along but not necessarily used included Larium (which I stopped taking due to fever/chills following two doses, not sure what I’ll use in the future), Doxycycline, Cipro, Advil, Tylenol, Benadryl, nasal decongestant, Imodium, Ambien, multi-vitamin and prescription medication (Singulair for allergies).

Ex Officio Buzz-Off Zip-Off Lite Pants: http://www.exofficio.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid...55-97f6-3876ac40ede5
Ex Officio Buzz-Off Baja Lite Long Sleeve Shirt: http://www.exofficio.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid...8c-b775-925af58fd368


DIGITAL CAMERA & RELATED
The digital camera used for all pictures was a 2 year old 4-megapixel Olympus C-750 UltraZoom, with four memory cards totaling 1000MB (1GB) of storage and two sets of rechargeable 2500mAh batteries plus a DC charger that could be used in the Cruiser. I took a total of 500 digital pictures. Lacking the knowledge, patience and ability to use the camera to its fullest potential in manual mode, I took multiple pictures using the various automatic settings (auto, landscape, portrait, and the best one landscape plus portrait). My father-in law used a new Canon PowerShot S2-IS 5mp camera, and it was reassuring to know that as most times he was taking the same picture as me, the chances that one of us would get a nice shot was pretty good.

Adam has Dell notebook PCs for the PHs to use, and the ability to burn CDs or DVDs from all memory cards right there in camp. This is highly recommended as the data stored on memory cards is susceptible to loss, and it is critical to make copies as soon as possible. When you get home it is okay to transfer the data to your PCs hard drive, but ALWAYS have additional copies on CD or DVD as a backup.


PARTING THOUGHTS
In my opinion, Tanzania Bundu Safaris is a first class operation with a finger on the pulse of what we as hunters are looking for. They own the exclusive rights to these two concessions, and with any luck will be adding more areas in the future. There is a lot of momentum behind the company, and well financed, they are investing heavily in the area, equipment, people and camps - clearly thinking long-term. According to the PHs their anti-poaching and crack-down on illegal resident hunting is already having a positive effect on the quantity of game. Although this is likely ruffling a few feathers, the company appears to have friends in the right places. This is one of the few organizations and destinations in Africa where I would personally have no problem putting a deposit down for a hunt 2 to 3+ years off in order to get my dates. If I had just one word to describe this hunt, it would be QUALITY. Thank you for reading my report.


FOR PART 1 PLEASE CLICK HERE ---> CLICK HERE

FOR PICTURES OF THE TROPHY MOUNTS COMPLETED TO DATE CLICK HERE ---> CLICK HERE

Mr. Bill, CONGRATULATIONS! to you and Mr. Bob for a spectacular safari!!! Your hunt report is absolutely the best ever and is the model to strive for. Thanks!

Bill,

Terrific report. Thanks for sharing. That seems like a dream safari.

Kyler

Yes let me also say this was a great report and a great hunt. Congrats.

Bill,

Congratulations on an outstanding hunt! Thank you for sharing your exceptional photos and excellent hunt report. Glad to know that the hunt went so well. Hugh

Bill,

As always, your reports simply beat all others!

I've even taken the liberty of downloading part 1 and 2 to my hard drive for future referance!

Thank you for sharing your experiances with us!

Excellent Report Since you were hunting a late special season, what was the cost difference?

Regards,
Ahmed

Bill,

I totally enjoyed reading your report. Magnificent job and thanks for sharing your hunt with us. You have taken some fine trophies and pictures.

BigBullet

This is one of the best hunt reports I have had the pleasure to read. Thanks for going through the effort to present it to us.

Fantastic report and fantastic hunt! I didn`t have to much time today, so I`ve scrolled through looking at alle the great pics. Tomorrow I`ll have a lazy day, and read every word!

Very nice and helpful report Bill. Many thanks for taken the time reporting the details.
Congrats to your game bag

Bill,
Your pictures bring back so many memories of places and people. I was first in and you must be close to last out. I am so pleased that you had a good trip and took so many fine animals. Great pictures. It made me homesick to see Simon and the guys, the lodge hall and mess, and the view from the firepit. (I guess you did not need a fire!) Thanks for the memories. Kudude

Wow! Just Wow!

One of the better reports on here!

Way to go!

Bill,

Thanks for a wonderful post! I'm taking the family on the same trip though only 7 days this summer. Your observations and tips are very helpful.

Thank you so much for the detailed report. I always learn something from every report and this is for sure no exception. Excellent.

Thank you Bill for such a great report on your East African Safari.
I have been fortunate enough to visit Tanzania and Kenya and hope one day to hunt there for Dagga Boys and the Gazelles.
Cheers,
Adam C.

What a report, the best I've seen. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.

Good show, Bill...excellent and honest reporting. Sounds like Adam and Bundu have improved what was already a great hunting destination. Lolkisale and Lobo are very special hunting grounds and with the addition of permanent water in the area they should hold game in what traditionally has been a migratory area with animals, particularly buffalo traveling back to the Tarangire when the water dries up.

Did you ever discover what happened to your .300 to cause the accidental discharges? Older Remingtons had a problem with this that was related to the trigger and safety mechanism...could be it. What would you do differently when using the "camp" rifles?

Excellent trophies , the lesser kudu and tommy were fantastic as well as the bushbuck. The Coke's was a sod. No dik-dik...they were everywhere when I was there in '03?

Again, great report and thanks for adding to the collective intelligence of AR!

Bill,

Thanks for the great report and pictures!! This is the best hunting report I have read.

Most excellent Bill C!! What a report!

John

Wow, what a great report. It makes me want to go even more.

Bill

I repeat myself but You are a real raconteur, a fantastic reporter, a fine photographer and a talented hunter.
Many trophies, many fine and uncommon trophies.
I love your lesser Kudu.
I wish I have half your talents.
Thanks for sharing so much dream, so much action, so many landscapes, when will You go back to African and offer us more fantasmagory?