TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
Well hell! I just spent two hours trying to set up a photobucket account----don't like my cheapazz ol fart phone modum! One of these days I will break down, get totally pizzed and go to DSL or cable! Meanwhile, buddy TLC will post pics after my tale....I just can't insert them when I would like too!
Sept 22---My friend Peter Chipman and native buddies Darius and Sam picked me up in Lusaka at 9:00. Hunt is with Kwalata Safaris of which Peter is half owner. Arranged directly with Peter at Wes Hixon's annual open house ( weshixon@weshixon.com ) Sitatunga, the swamp spiral horn, was driving my hunt as it did two years ago. Eight and a half hours later, we left pavement and 2 1/2 hours later, we arrive on the edge of Bangweuleu. It is a little complex of wetlands, lake and swamp covering 3800 sq miles..
Sept 23--Up at 4am, wade some swamp and climb into a machan (African treestand) made of hand selected trees and limbs for the ladder. Three flights to get to the floor which is limbs lashed together by a secret method known only to witch doctors and passed on from generation to generation. Sitatunga are very elusive and we can only hunt for little over an hour in the mornings and evenings and they disappear back into papyrus. Long days since I already have everything else available.
Sept 25--A monster finally presents himself! We had passed a 24-incher earlier at around 200 yds which would have made the "book". This guy is at least 26" and has beautiful lyre shaped spiral horns. He starts toward thick stuff. With a 15mph cross wind, him quartering toward me, behind 3 or 4 rows of burned over papyrus and at a ranged 375 yds, I take the shot with my 7mmMag. Missed again this year! But he was 125 yds closer than my shot two years ago! Damn!
Off to Peter's concession of 200,000 ac in the Lower Lupande Game Mgmt Area in the Luanga River Valley. Fifty km of the 10 1/2 hour drive were actually on pavement! The 900meter elevation drop off the escarpment into valley was a trip! We had to use 4WD a couple of times going downhill! Hot in the valley---15 or 20F hotter! Highs around 98 and lows around 90F. Sweat and stick to bed in tighty whiteys!
Sept 27--Took yesterday off---7-day license had not arrived in camp yet..We decided to get the Cape Buffalo out of the way first. Found "fresh" tracks about 30 minutes out of camp. Spent yesterday at camp on the banks of the Luangwa where I had been a tourist watching Crocs in the river and 17 Ele's on the far bank in the NP along with Puku and Kudu. We hit the tracks and two hours later catch the Buffalo herd. The boss bull conviently separates himself to look back at us. He is over 40-inches and quartering toward me. At 50 yds , I take careful aim on the shoulder and dead center a tree I looked straight thru! Off they go! An hour later, we catch up, wind shifts and off they go in a run again. An hour and a half later we are back at the truck. I have poured a third of four bottles of water over my head. We did not recover my trophy tree!
Sept 28---Better results! About 20 minutes out of camp we find fresh tracks of five Dugga Boys. We catch up in 45 minutes. They are totally unaware of our presence. From around 45 yds, we look them all over. I settle on one with best bosses and a deep curl even tho there is one with two or three inches wider spread---he's not mid-40's so it doesn't matter to me. Whack him behind shoulder with 400gr from .416Rigby. Off they go! We catch up in about 200 yards. Sort out "mine", whack him again and break shoulder. Peter whacks him far back but raking with a 500gr from .470 since they were headed toward really thick stuff. Catch up within about 100 yds. He is sick. Buddies run but he stands giving me a heart shot from about 30 yds. He staggers and tries to head toward thick stuff. Peter whacks him again far back and raking. Darius and I run to within 15 yds as I reload. As he tries to rise, Peter whacks him again far back as that's all he can see. Just as I start to shoot , he gives the bellow. Finis! Tough critters!
We ride around in afternoon primarily looking for the "Tiny One" I want--a Sharps Grysbok. Got some time invested in them without a shot. A Chobe Bush Buck hears us and hides but leaves his tail out swishing frigging tsetse flies. We set up, wait about 15 minutes and he shows his head. He is better than one I have---damn good as a matter of fact---one shot from the 7mmMag with 160gr Barnes Triple shock and he is mine from no more than 70 yds.
Sept 30--Nothing yesterday. Saw some Grysbok but all eluded us in grass. Looked for Croc but found nothing to shoot and Hippo Pods were not where expected. But today, found a hippo Pod around 8 but bull was too far to try. Found another Pod around 9:45. Sorted out Boss after a while and after another wait for him to present a shot by raising his head high enough, put a Hornady 400gr solid between his eyes from the Rigby. He floated an hour later. Took another two and one half hours to get him to a sand bar, quarter and get to truck for loading.
Built a Croc blind in the afternoon and tied a Hippo hind quarter on a fallen tree as bait.
Oct 1--Croc either bit in two or otherwise broke nylon web bait was tied with. Biggest we see is around 10-feet. See a couple of Grysbok but lose them in tall grass
Oct 2--Drive around early looking for Grysbok. Find one. He eludes us but his Lady Fren does not. Keep up with her. Like many males he loses his head by coming back to check on her. Turns out to have only one horn but a damn fine one. I have applied to SCI to recognize a new species---the Waller Grysbok-icorn!
Go check a place on river we saw an unapproachable big Croc yesterday. He is there but still unapproachable.. The guys had put another Hippo quarter out yesterday and he is up stream from it. We retire to a natural overflow channel and sit in partial 98F shade for an hour or so. Peter eases over to bank and motions me forward.Our Croc has moved downstream. Peter sets the sticks. Mr Croc is around 90 yds facing upstream. He is quartering slightly away. No way to get downstream for a smile shot or side brain shot. Peter describes where to shoot him perfectly below the right eye. I anchor him with a 160gr Barnes Triple Shock from the 7Mag. We run down river about 50 yds and opposite him. I put one a couple of inches behind the smile and break his neck to make sure. He is just shy of 14-feet. Good day in Zambia!! Ride around looking for a better Wart Hog than I have in the afternoon and next day. See a bunch including a couple of 10-inchers but none I want. Get chased by Ele's a couple of times. They are damn belligerent here! See three Bull Ele's, one over 60 lbs! Damn! Wish I had the money for one!
Oct 4---Reach pavemnt in around 3 1/2 hours. It is still 425km to Lusaka.
Oct 5---Took day off. Tried to get in trubble last night and today.....didn't catch anything to bring home with me
Oct 6---decide to go try a bigazz Kudu on a little 100,000 hectare working farm just over an hour from Lusaka. PH Sarge and I have a ball. He works for Kwalata and a Croc took his Dad when he was seven. See one hellva lot of animals excluding the 2000 head of cattle on the farm. Must have seen 200 Kudu with at least 20 Bulls over 50-inches but none topped 54" and I had set 55 as my min. A great day in the Zambia bush!
Oct 7---get on plane for 34 hour trip to Chattanooga.
FUN TRIP !!
Sept 22---My friend Peter Chipman and native buddies Darius and Sam picked me up in Lusaka at 9:00. Hunt is with Kwalata Safaris of which Peter is half owner. Arranged directly with Peter at Wes Hixon's annual open house ( weshixon@weshixon.com ) Sitatunga, the swamp spiral horn, was driving my hunt as it did two years ago. Eight and a half hours later, we left pavement and 2 1/2 hours later, we arrive on the edge of Bangweuleu. It is a little complex of wetlands, lake and swamp covering 3800 sq miles..
Sept 23--Up at 4am, wade some swamp and climb into a machan (African treestand) made of hand selected trees and limbs for the ladder. Three flights to get to the floor which is limbs lashed together by a secret method known only to witch doctors and passed on from generation to generation. Sitatunga are very elusive and we can only hunt for little over an hour in the mornings and evenings and they disappear back into papyrus. Long days since I already have everything else available.
Sept 25--A monster finally presents himself! We had passed a 24-incher earlier at around 200 yds which would have made the "book". This guy is at least 26" and has beautiful lyre shaped spiral horns. He starts toward thick stuff. With a 15mph cross wind, him quartering toward me, behind 3 or 4 rows of burned over papyrus and at a ranged 375 yds, I take the shot with my 7mmMag. Missed again this year! But he was 125 yds closer than my shot two years ago! Damn!
Off to Peter's concession of 200,000 ac in the Lower Lupande Game Mgmt Area in the Luanga River Valley. Fifty km of the 10 1/2 hour drive were actually on pavement! The 900meter elevation drop off the escarpment into valley was a trip! We had to use 4WD a couple of times going downhill! Hot in the valley---15 or 20F hotter! Highs around 98 and lows around 90F. Sweat and stick to bed in tighty whiteys!
Sept 27--Took yesterday off---7-day license had not arrived in camp yet..We decided to get the Cape Buffalo out of the way first. Found "fresh" tracks about 30 minutes out of camp. Spent yesterday at camp on the banks of the Luangwa where I had been a tourist watching Crocs in the river and 17 Ele's on the far bank in the NP along with Puku and Kudu. We hit the tracks and two hours later catch the Buffalo herd. The boss bull conviently separates himself to look back at us. He is over 40-inches and quartering toward me. At 50 yds , I take careful aim on the shoulder and dead center a tree I looked straight thru! Off they go! An hour later, we catch up, wind shifts and off they go in a run again. An hour and a half later we are back at the truck. I have poured a third of four bottles of water over my head. We did not recover my trophy tree!
Sept 28---Better results! About 20 minutes out of camp we find fresh tracks of five Dugga Boys. We catch up in 45 minutes. They are totally unaware of our presence. From around 45 yds, we look them all over. I settle on one with best bosses and a deep curl even tho there is one with two or three inches wider spread---he's not mid-40's so it doesn't matter to me. Whack him behind shoulder with 400gr from .416Rigby. Off they go! We catch up in about 200 yards. Sort out "mine", whack him again and break shoulder. Peter whacks him far back but raking with a 500gr from .470 since they were headed toward really thick stuff. Catch up within about 100 yds. He is sick. Buddies run but he stands giving me a heart shot from about 30 yds. He staggers and tries to head toward thick stuff. Peter whacks him again far back and raking. Darius and I run to within 15 yds as I reload. As he tries to rise, Peter whacks him again far back as that's all he can see. Just as I start to shoot , he gives the bellow. Finis! Tough critters!
We ride around in afternoon primarily looking for the "Tiny One" I want--a Sharps Grysbok. Got some time invested in them without a shot. A Chobe Bush Buck hears us and hides but leaves his tail out swishing frigging tsetse flies. We set up, wait about 15 minutes and he shows his head. He is better than one I have---damn good as a matter of fact---one shot from the 7mmMag with 160gr Barnes Triple shock and he is mine from no more than 70 yds.
Sept 30--Nothing yesterday. Saw some Grysbok but all eluded us in grass. Looked for Croc but found nothing to shoot and Hippo Pods were not where expected. But today, found a hippo Pod around 8 but bull was too far to try. Found another Pod around 9:45. Sorted out Boss after a while and after another wait for him to present a shot by raising his head high enough, put a Hornady 400gr solid between his eyes from the Rigby. He floated an hour later. Took another two and one half hours to get him to a sand bar, quarter and get to truck for loading.
Built a Croc blind in the afternoon and tied a Hippo hind quarter on a fallen tree as bait.
Oct 1--Croc either bit in two or otherwise broke nylon web bait was tied with. Biggest we see is around 10-feet. See a couple of Grysbok but lose them in tall grass
Oct 2--Drive around early looking for Grysbok. Find one. He eludes us but his Lady Fren does not. Keep up with her. Like many males he loses his head by coming back to check on her. Turns out to have only one horn but a damn fine one. I have applied to SCI to recognize a new species---the Waller Grysbok-icorn!
Go check a place on river we saw an unapproachable big Croc yesterday. He is there but still unapproachable.. The guys had put another Hippo quarter out yesterday and he is up stream from it. We retire to a natural overflow channel and sit in partial 98F shade for an hour or so. Peter eases over to bank and motions me forward.Our Croc has moved downstream. Peter sets the sticks. Mr Croc is around 90 yds facing upstream. He is quartering slightly away. No way to get downstream for a smile shot or side brain shot. Peter describes where to shoot him perfectly below the right eye. I anchor him with a 160gr Barnes Triple Shock from the 7Mag. We run down river about 50 yds and opposite him. I put one a couple of inches behind the smile and break his neck to make sure. He is just shy of 14-feet. Good day in Zambia!! Ride around looking for a better Wart Hog than I have in the afternoon and next day. See a bunch including a couple of 10-inchers but none I want. Get chased by Ele's a couple of times. They are damn belligerent here! See three Bull Ele's, one over 60 lbs! Damn! Wish I had the money for one!
Oct 4---Reach pavemnt in around 3 1/2 hours. It is still 425km to Lusaka.
Oct 5---Took day off. Tried to get in trubble last night and today.....didn't catch anything to bring home with me
Oct 6---decide to go try a bigazz Kudu on a little 100,000 hectare working farm just over an hour from Lusaka. PH Sarge and I have a ball. He works for Kwalata and a Croc took his Dad when he was seven. See one hellva lot of animals excluding the 2000 head of cattle on the farm. Must have seen 200 Kudu with at least 20 Bulls over 50-inches but none topped 54" and I had set 55 as my min. A great day in the Zambia bush!
Oct 7---get on plane for 34 hour trip to Chattanooga.
FUN TRIP !!
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