ZIMBABWE: SOUTH AFRICA: NAMIBIA: An Epic Retirement Party!

[WAB]

My wife is a bit skeptical that I will be successful this time.

 

[BeeMaa]

LOL, you got me there. Nov 1 is locked down now. Nice of them to pay me during my retirement party though!

We should all be so luck, most employers can't wait to get the old farts out the door.
Not that you are an old fart...

My wife is a bit skeptical that I will be successful this time.

Wives can be like that, but in the end I'm sure she knows you have her best intensions at heart.

Congratulations on a great safari and upcoming retirement.

 

[gillettehunter]

Great hunt. Thanks for sharing with us. Some beautiful trophies. Congrats to Sue on her Buffalo and getting a Nyala as well as her other trophies. Nicely done.
Bruce

 

[WAB]

Great hunt. Thanks for sharing with us. Some beautiful trophies. Congrats to Sue on her Buffalo and getting a Nyala as well as her other trophies. Nicely done.
Bruce

Thanks Bruce! One for the books for sure! Bill

 

[Philip Glass]

Day four began like the three previous, but somehow it felt different. Perhaps it was just an underlying belief that continuing to do the right things would eventually bear fruit. We were once again on fresh tracks relatively quickly. Roughly five miles of tracking brought us into contact with the herd. An hour of cat an mouse put us ahead of the herd as they filtered through the trees in front of us. The valley is extremely dry and dusty this year. The dust the herd was putting up created an almost surreal movie set effect with buffalo emerging from the mist, filtering by in front of us, and then disappearing into the mist ahead. Sue was on the sticks, Len on the binos and then it happened. An old bull came out of the mist, head down, following the cows in front of him. Len told Sue to take him if she was comfortable. Sue went down on the rifle, I saw her tense for the shot, and the bull was down! As quick as he was down he was back up and gone before a second shot could be fired. The reaction caused us some concern as this is often an indication of spinal shock, however, the shot looked good and Sue felt good about it. Our tracker, Charles, took up the track and we were quickly satisfied that it was indeed a killing shot. The bull was pumping large quantifies of blood that was spraying 3 to 4 feet to the side of his track. Suddenly there he was, laying in a wash, done. Sue paid the insurance and we all just looked at each other, 3 1/2 days of tracking and stalking covering in excess of 40 miles had culminated in a perfectly placed shot and a clean kill. I am very proud of Sue, she hunted properly, worked hard and shot cleanly! The 286 grain bullet from that little 9.3 smashed the on-side shoulder, went through the heart and lower lungs, and lodged in the off-side shoulder. Typical swift A-Frame performance, 96% weight retention and a perfect mushroom! I have to make a plug for Rigby, that little Highland Stalker weighs 7.8 pounds bare, regularly puts 3 shots in 1/2" at 100 yards, and has very manageable recoil. I am a big fan of the rifle and the cartridge!View attachment 305713
Immediately after the shot!

View attachment 305714

View attachment 305715 Recovery, I sure wish we could buy these cruisers in the USA! It's hard to believe that there is 1,500# plus of buffalo in the back of that rig!

Yes the cruisers are indispensable. I wish I had one here at the ranch. What a hunt! Len is great.

 

[Philip Glass]

Wow this was a great report. Congratulations on such a diverse Safari.
Philip

 

[tarbe]

I am very late to this party....awesome hunt and awesome read!

Thanks for sharing all the details and congratulations on the hunt of a lifetime!

Tim

 

[tarbe]

@WAB : I am nearing retirement and you've got me thinking............................

I will volunteer to carry rifles for you!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I will volunteer to carry rifles for you!

@tarbe Tim, you have proven yourself on cape buffalo, but how are you on the elusive mime?

 

[WMU05]

What a great hunt and report. Congratulations and thanks for sharing!

 

[daawg1963]

Lens great eh, I hunted with him in May as well, best hunt of a lifetime . congrats on your hunt. the way it should be !!! Awesome man.

 

[WAB]

As a follow-on to this post, we finally closed the transaction I was leading. As a result, I officially retired on November 15th. I’m now busy tuning rifles and planning for the next hunt. Let the games begin!

 

[TOBY458]

Day four began like the three previous, but somehow it felt different. Perhaps it was just an underlying belief that continuing to do the right things would eventually bear fruit. We were once again on fresh tracks relatively quickly. Roughly five miles of tracking brought us into contact with the herd. An hour of cat an mouse put us ahead of the herd as they filtered through the trees in front of us. The valley is extremely dry and dusty this year. The dust the herd was putting up created an almost surreal movie set effect with buffalo emerging from the mist, filtering by in front of us, and then disappearing into the mist ahead. Sue was on the sticks, Len on the binos and then it happened. An old bull came out of the mist, head down, following the cows in front of him. Len told Sue to take him if she was comfortable. Sue went down on the rifle, I saw her tense for the shot, and the bull was down! As quick as he was down he was back up and gone before a second shot could be fired. The reaction caused us some concern as this is often an indication of spinal shock, however, the shot looked good and Sue felt good about it. Our tracker, Charles, took up the track and we were quickly satisfied that it was indeed a killing shot. The bull was pumping large quantifies of blood that was spraying 3 to 4 feet to the side of his track. Suddenly there he was, laying in a wash, done. Sue paid the insurance and we all just looked at each other, 3 1/2 days of tracking and stalking covering in excess of 40 miles had culminated in a perfectly placed shot and a clean kill. I am very proud of Sue, she hunted properly, worked hard and shot cleanly! The 286 grain bullet from that little 9.3 smashed the on-side shoulder, went through the heart and lower lungs, and lodged in the off-side shoulder. Typical swift A-Frame performance, 96% weight retention and a perfect mushroom! I have to make a plug for Rigby, that little Highland Stalker weighs 7.8 pounds bare, regularly puts 3 shots in 1/2" at 100 yards, and has very manageable recoil. I am a big fan of the rifle and the cartridge!View attachment 305713
Immediately after the shot!

View attachment 305714

View attachment 305715 Recovery, I sure wish we could buy these cruisers in the USA! It's hard to believe that there is 1,500# plus of buffalo in the back of that rig!

I think this settles the matter of who this rifle really belongs to! Nice try though!

 

[WAB]

I think this settles the matter of who this rifle really belongs to! Nice try though!

You’re killing me man. A friend would let a friend enjoy his fantasy!

 

[TOBY458]

You’re killing me man. A friend would let a friend enjoy his fantasy!

Lol! I guess you'll just have to buy a second HS to settle the deal! I, for one, wish I had one myself!

 

[jpomazi]

Great read. Thanks for the write up. Really enjoyed it.

 

[sestoppelman]

Somehow I missed this report, not sure how! Great hunt and telling of it though, congrats on a great time!

 

[WAB]

In follow-up to this report, I thought you might be interested in a picture of my wife's buffalo trophy. It is somewhat unique. I'm not sure that I've seen another like it, but it really works well on the sideboard in our great room.

 

[tarbe]

I like it!!