ZIMBABWE: Almost 12 Days In The Omay, The Nyakasanga Special With Dalton &York Safaris

[PARA45]

Someone read:

 

[Dewald]

Congratulations on your successful trip! This was a great hunting report. Absolutely epic first trip to Africa.

Tongue in cheek, couldn’t help but think of this old Farside cartoon when reading about the eland recovery.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

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It still amazes me how they can get such a huge animal in the bed of those trucks. Congrats on the Eland!

HH

 

[Cam300]

The elephant was non exportable, for some I think that is a big deal, for me it is not such a big deal. I would love to be able to bring part of it home, but the pictures and the memories will suffice. The Eland, Kudu, and impala will get shoulder mounts. The Hippo skin is expensive to ship due to weight so I went with only a skull mount for the hippo. You have to cut corners somewhere. The hyena I think will get a full body. I used Safari Specialty Importers for the shipping and I'm having it sent to Woodbury for the taxidermy. I had hoped.to avoid a huge taxidermy bill but, with the stuff I shot I almost couldn't justify not mounting it.

Do you get to keep the tail if non-exportable? I have seen elephant tail bracelets…

 

[Medicine]

Do you get to keep the tail if non-exportable? I have seen elephant tail bracelets…

@Backyardsniper, you have the right to remain silent.

 

[revturbo9967]

Congratulations on a great hunt. I'm starting to get very amped up for when I get into camp, this report added to the excitement.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Congratulations on your successful trip! This was a great hunting report. Absolutely epic first trip to Africa.

Tongue in cheek, couldn’t help but think of this old Farside cartoon when reading about the eland recovery.

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Ha ha. Damn it! You can't catch them all. I kept looking at that thinking something didn't look right!

 

[Backyardsniper]

@Backyardsniper, you have the right to remain silent.

I haven't seen any of those.

 

[Cam300]

@Backyardsniper, you have the right to remain silent.

That was a dumb question, mods feel free to delete!

 

[Philip Glass]

Day 2 Proper Dagga Boy Hunting


The Land Cruiser coasted to a stop at about 0630 and we took a short walk out to a water hole. There were a few tracks, a herd of elephants came out behind us, but they were too far to see. Michael heard them and got Zvito's attention, unfortunately the situation wouldn't work for a stalk due to the wind, so we finished our stroll of about a mile and met up with the truck. The tracks of a lone buffalo bull crossed the road as we drove along at about 07:30. We followed him for a few minutes but the tracking was difficult and it appeared he was heading for a water hole up ahead so we attempted to cut him off. He was a clever one though, we couldn't find the tracks at the water hole so we returned to the original spot and started tracking. By 09:00 we had tracked him back to the water hole that we thought he was headed for originally, and then on past it. It was now around 11:00 and the buffalo had joined with a herd and we were now tracking the whole herd, which even I could follow. The spore of an entire herd of buffalo is impressive! We tracked them to a pan where we took a short break and developed a game plan. We would follow them just a bit farther, then come back in the afternoon and try to cut them off going to water once the wind became more cooperative.

Still tracking, we followed on about another 500 yards when Zvito suddenly stopped with his hand up. We all froze and in just a few seconds we all heard the low BAWWW of a buffalo. The wind was not good so we backed out to the pan where we had taken a break, and waited for Sunnyboy to bring up the truck. Sticking with our plan, we headed to lunch. Enroute to our usual lunch and siesta spot, Zvito spotted a buffalo right off the main road. These guys' ability to spot game in the bush even at high speed from a moving vehicle borders on supernatural! We stopped and made a short stalk, but it didn't work out, that was for the best as you will see later. By the time we dealt with that buff and made it to the lunch spot I was extremely hungry! We had put in several miles that morning and the 05:30 sausage and eggs had definitely worn off!

By 15:30 we were back at the pan as planned and as soon as we pulled in we ran into a tuskless. We got out and took a look but she had a small calf. This little side hustle had delayed us slightly from our original timeline. We tracked back to where the herd had bedded for the day and ran into them as they were moving our way towards the water. So began the chess game of working our way in on the herd, and as luck would have it, we ended up pinned down by the herd at 40-60 yards. Probably 40 buffalo that we could see, but no shooter bulls. A lone tuskless appeared on top of a termite mound in the middle of the herd. Really!? Right now? The elephant that we need decides to show up right in the middle of a herd of buffalo! Then it happened, the wind swirled and hit us on the back of the neck. The buffalo departed swiftly, along with my tuskless elephant.

There was a short attempt to find the tuskless, but it was unsuccessful so we decided the most logical course of action was to go towards where the herd came from to see if we could catch some stragglers still on thier way to the pan. We had not gone 200 yards when we ran directly into a cow crossing the path and another buffalo behind her. York and I slowly stalked up to a small bush approx 20 yards from the bull. I saw the sticks going up slowly and I knew this was about to happen. He was standing facing us with a small tree blocking his vitals. York whispered, "Kill him whenever he gives you a shot." We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Mopane flies swung from my eyelashes and lit in my ears, sweat ran into my eyes, my heart beat a drum solo in my throat, the tsetse flies set up shop and broke out a cooler full of beer. Still, the buffalo and I stared at each other. I decided if this went down there would be no time for hesitation. It would be fast and my actions had better be decisive. The space I had to shoot was narrow and our escape plan, if things went pear shaped, was even more narrow. Finally he swung his head to the left and stepped into the opening to cross it. I slipped the cocking lever of the Kreighoff forward and the bull swung now to face me. He was quartering to us and looking directly at me. In the background I heard York say, "on the point of the shoulder" and as I eased the dot slightly to the right to compensate for the angle of the bull, I touched off the right barrel of the big double. The impact of the bullet was audible and I knew that it had hit true. The recoil rocked the rifle up and out of the shooting sticks just the way I had practiced it. This allowed me to freely swing the rifle to stay on the bull for the follow up shot. The bull was charging across the opening now as I came down out of the recoil and acquired him again. He had managed to get his front half into the bush as York yelled "AGAIN AGAIN!" I sent the second 500 grain A Frame into the bull just behind his ribs. I broke the rifle open, shucked the empties and slammed 2 more shiny nickel plated cases into the barrel and snapped it shut. We all looked at each other for a few seconds in silence. There was much crashing and thrashing. Shortly York smiled and held his hand up. "Do you hear that?" he asked. I didn't hear anything, then a slight noise, but what is that I thought? York still smiling said "the blood pumping, do you hear the blood squirting out of him?" Then there it was "BAAAHHHHHWWW". We all exchanged handshakes and hugs then York and I slowly slipped into the brush, very, very carefully. It was a short trip. Perhaps thirty yards from where the bull was standing we found him, he was making an effort to get up but he was on his way to the promised land. Due to the thickness of the bush, we were not able to circle behind him so from 5 yards I squatted and put a quick right/left into his chest through the brisket. Your first animal in Africa is a special moment. Couple that with your first animal in Africa being a proper Dugga Boy at 20 yards with a double rifle, not to mention the whole scene unfolding like a hunting novel, that is a moment that will be forever cemented in your mind. it will live there rent free for you to replay at your leisure for the rest of your life. You are now officially addicted to the drug that is Africa!



Now the brush clearing and road cutting operation began. It was closing in on dark and old Shumba would be nosing around soon. Sunnyboy started the truck toward us as we cleared some brush and got a few quick pictures. After a quick radio call, the other car left from the skinning shed with the recovery crew. Dana, York, and I started heading back to the truck to meet up with Sunnyboy as he was cutting his way into where we were. The other crew arrived about 45 minutes later and the road cutting began in earnest. I claimed myself a seat on the top of the Land Cruiser and enjoyed a very delicious beer, possibly, the most delicious beer that has ever been had! It was 19:30 before we reached the buffalo with the second truck. We left our truck about 100 yards back to give room to maneuver the recovery crew's truck and load the meat. I watched the crew disassemble the buffalo in awe. The entire operation only took about an hour and a half once the skinning crew got to work on him. This poor buff had at some point had all of his dangly bits bitten off by hyena. The rocky mountain oysters had been gone for a while; that wound was entirely healed over. However, the removal of his other equipment had been more recent. It was PAINFULLY clear that he had been urinating through a small hole in a very pus filled wound where his equipment used to be. It was a reminder that Africa can be quite a cruel place! Once the cutting was complete, we moved back to our truck. There were hyena tracks on top of the tire tracks from the first car. He had cut between our vehicles not 50 yards from us, just a reminder that you never know what is just out of sight in the bush around you.

It was a very enjoyable ride back to camp, and when we arrived I partook in several refreshments. We made plans for a relaxing day of tiger fishing on the Zambezi the next day.

This is an awesome account of an awesome hunt! I can't wait to get back in the cruiser with York, Zvito, & Sonnyboy in August.

 

[Backyardsniper]

The more people I have spoken with since we got back, the more I am realizing how lucky I was. There was a lot of things that went very right on this trip. York and the crew are really something else!

This is an awesome account of an awesome hunt! I can't wait to get back in the cruiser with York, Zvito, & Sonnyboy in Augus

 

[BRICKBURN]

Your good fortune is well deserved and appreciated from this side of the telling as well.
Congratulations.

That must have been one shitty bakkie ride to rank up to events of two tours in Iraq. LOL

 

[Backyardsniper]

Ha ha. There was a couple of rough morning back there

Your good fortune is well deserved and appreciated from this side of the telling as well.
Congratulations.

That must have been one shitty bakkie ride to rank up to events of two tours in Iraq. LOL

 

[Rare Breed]

As I am sure not everyone is interested in spending a great deal of time reading my ramblings about this hunt in order to get the information they are looking for as far as whether or not they should be interested in booking a hunt with Dalton&York, or book their future hunts through Buchanon Hunts, I will do a very brief review of all that up front here. Now, for those who have the patience, or are simply bored and wish to subject themselves to what I am sure is a very sad attempt at writing an entertaining report of a very fantastic first safari, to those individuals I would say, stay tuned, as I will do this in installments of a day or two at a time. Since this was my first safari and I have no other first safaris to compare it to I can only assume that not all first safaris go as this one went. All of the facts I have written herein are in fact facts. While I have tried my best to add a little artistic flare to the writing and also tried to convey the true emotions and feelings of the moments as they felt in those moments, the facts remain the facts. If I say leopard sawed, then a leopard did in fact saw, if a tsetse bit then a tsetse did in fact bite, and so on and so forth, you get how this works.

The short version of the review:

Dalton&York, should you book with them, are they professional, courteous, honest, can they put you on the animals you want to hunt, will they put forth the extra effort to give you the hunt that you want? Yes, the answer to all the above in the experience I had with them is a very confident yes on all accounts.

Buchanon Hunts, should I use them to book a future hunt? Also a very solid yes. Michelle answered more questions than any one person should have to answer. Always available, always happy to help, genuinely cares about you having a great hunt. One of her past clients commented on the Facebook post when we were leaving and said "100%enjoy 0%worry" That is about as accurate as I can describe what Buchanon hunts does. If you need more details on this feel free to PM me and we can chat.

Qatar Airways. They seem to go to great lengths to make sure you and your gun are in the same place at the same time. This is a plus. They don't do this because they care about you, they do this because if you and your gun are separated then they have to deal with a gun and they don't want to do that. Either way it's a win for you. Other than that, if you have to fly cattle class like I do, then it is what it is. The flights were on time and the flight attendants were nice. The seats are small and I am not, the other people on the plane are annoying and you are just gonna have to deal with it for 16-30 hours depending on where you are going. On the upside the Chicken Biryani is pretty damned decent for airline food.
Amanzi lodge in Harare is very nice. If you have to overnight in Harare I highly recommend it. Nice rooms, excellent restaurant.

That pretty much sums up the review portion. There was not really much to complain about on this trip other than the taxi driver who didn't want to turn on his meter when we left DFW for the 2.2 mile drive back to our hotel that lasted about 4 minutes and then told me I owed him $55. He did not get $55 and he left with his feeling hurt very badly. Don't use the taxis at the airport, I knew this and I did it anyway, thinking that there might be some shred of decency left in humanity, there is not, but if there are no cameras and you are bigger than the taxi driver then it works in your favor.

Congratulations. I recommend getting wall pedistal mounts versus shoulder mounts. Better use of space unless you have a very large trophy room

 

[Backyardsniper]

Congratulations. I recommend getting wall pedistal mounts versus shoulder mounts. Better use of space unless you have a very large trophy room

I will definitely look into that. I need all the space saving I can get.

 

[Angelo_orygun]

Congratulations on a fantastic safari, and one of the best reports I have read in a long time.

I’ll agree that Impala are not given the credit that deserve! CertInly a highlight on my last trip, and will be in the plans on my next trip.

 

[Backyardsniper]

Congratulations on a fantastic safari, and one of the best reports I have read in a long time.

I’ll agree that Impala are not given the credit that deserve! CertInly a highlight on my last trip, and will be in the plans on my next trip.

Thanks! I'm with you, I hope to be able to include that on my future trips. Hunting them with the double was a lot of fun. The double is tough, I still have a lot of practice to do in order to get my shooting where I want it. Luckily I have about 500 hornady seconds to practice with!

 

[ACM]

Well done! Hell-ov-a 10day safari!

 

[BourbonTrail]

Congratulations on a great and well earned trip. I know you put more into preparation than many, and I think that coupled with a great outfit and good attitude made all the difference.

I think your eland was my favorite on this report, although Stanley was pretty epic. And yes, lions aren’t like the rest…Good stuff @Backyardsniper

 

[Flewis]

Justin, so glad it turned out the be the hunt of a lifetime. You earned it with all you put forth. The write up was beyond incredible.