TANZANIA: November 2010

November 3 - Day 1

I am shooting a Ruger 338 Win Mag – Remington Core Lock 225 gr. bullets for plains game. I let my PH know right up front that I am hard of hearing and have a serious sinus infection and my right ear is plugged. I was put on medication the day before we flew out on this trip.

Area is very dry with little water, sand is fine and at times we are up to our ankles in sand and find dust.

We are up at 215AM well before our 315 wake up call. I did some house chores in the tent. 315 wakeup call was prompt and breakfast was served. We left at 415 and headed into the bush the drive was about 1 and a half hours. We had about 10 minute’s before we started hiking into the large open field. Looking for Cape Buffalo, We spotted Zebra & Elephant and no buffalo, we walked about three quarter of a mile when a lone wildebeest was spotted, we changed direction and went after the wildebeest and he was on the move as soon as we changed direction toward him. He was moving away and the sticks were set and I was given my gun and told to load a shell into the chamber and get ready, the call to shoot came and the wildebeest was walking away at about 300 to 350 yards and I took my time and squeezed one off. A hit and the Wildebeest moved of and we followed up and continued hitting the animal at about 300 yard for another 4 out of 5 shots, we were able to close and a final shot was delivered at about 200 yards on the run and he went down. There were 5 solid hits on this animal and I was starting to guess if I brought enough gun for this trip. This will make a nice pedestal mount. One down 6 to go.





Missed a warthog that was on a dead run at about 150 yds…a good miss…

Went out at 415 PM for Buffalo and put a stock on a herd and got with in 30 to 40 yds of a young bull about 38” would have been a good shot.

November 4 – Day 2

Up at 430 AM worked in tent and watched the sun come up. There was a 715 wake up call to leave at 815. A leopard was in camp the night before and the trackers saw it at about 6AM.

We spotted Zebra and a lone stallion was spotted and we put the move on this boy and I was able to make a 1 shot kill at about 125 to 150 yds. He went about 10 feet and was down for he count. This will make a great rug. Two down 5 to go.







Missed a warthog that was on a dead run at about 150 yds…a good miss…

Went over my priority trophy list with the PH.
1. Cape Buffalo
2. Zebra
3. Wildebeest
4. Hartebeest
5. Impala
6. Warthog
7. 2nd Cape Buffalo

November 5 – Day 3

Wake up call at 315 AM and on the trail at 415 looking for Cape Buffalo we have about an 1 an hour drive and we want to be in location before sunrise. We walk about three quarter to 1 mile to get into the wash, we are making a move and spot a hyena and we freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes until he leaves we continue along the wash and we spot a Cape buffalo and stalk with in shooting range and we continue to move closer and closer until we are about 40 to 50 yards away and are running out of cover. We are spotted and the shoot signal is given and I shoot and the buffalo humps up and another round is sent his way and he goes down, we walk up and a final shot is delivered and we have a nice Cape Buffalo in the wash. Pictures are taken and we load up and head back to camp…Three down 4 to go…Pedestal mount…





4 PM out we go looking for game and we spot a warthog at about 200 yds. on a dead run, churning up the dust making it difficult to see if he is worth shooting. The tusk look good in the sun and the PH tells me to get ready to shoot. Dust is everywhere and the warthog is in a cloud and I am not able to see him, I locate him and he changes direction and is now running right to left at about 150 yds and I squeeze one off and the hog drops at the sound, gets up and goes about 10 feet and hits a small tree and is down for the count… four down 3 to go. Shoulder mount…



November 6 – Day 4

Spotted game all day and put a stock on a small herd of cape buffalo and got with in 30 to 40 yards of a young small bull about 36”. We continued our walk and elephants walked in our path and we quickly changed our directions to get away from the mother elephant and her calf, there were 5 elephants in all. No other buffalo were spotted and we headed back to camp.

November 7 - Day 5

Other hunter was flying out today and we went out at about 430 to look for buffalo and we made an approach to with in 50 yards and we only saw a young bull, again we ran into elephants…

November 8 – Day 6

Leopard is still in camp back by the camp staff…

Up at 330 AM to leave camp at 415 to hunt cape buffalo and we walked about 2 miles, did not find any new tracks and we worked our way back to camp. We spotted small groups of impala and made a move on a large group with 2 nice bucks. They ran off and then returned and one nice buck made the mistake of stopping at about 350 yards and I was given the green light to shoot. The Impala selected was on the move and I placed the cross hairs on his shoulders and squeezed the trigger and the impala went down, the trackers went ahead to locate the impala and informed me that I hit a tree as I followed up; a great laugh was had by all. Five down 2 to go, Rug & European mount



We went our at 330 to look for cape buffalo, about 1 hour out we spotted hartebeest coming out of the brush and working their way in to the low lands. We made a great stock through the lowlands and into the side hills brush to intercept the hartebeest when they returned to the side hills. We got lucky and spotted the lead animal working it way up the side hill and we made an approach to find a shooting lane in the brush, a 4 foot window was found and the shooting stick were placed and I was put in the ready mode and it was shoot no don’t-shoot, shoot, no don’t shoot and then shoot. I shot high on the hartebeest and clipped the spine the animal dropped like he was hit with a sledge hammer, I followed up and put in the coup de graw shot and a nice one we had… Six down and 1 to go… Rug & European mount.



November 9 – Day 7

Leopard is in camp by the camp staff…

Went out about 7 to 8 AM to look for buffalo and did not find any…

About 315 PM we went out for buffalo again and spotted a herd, we make a stalk on the herd and run out of cover we have to retreat and make another move on the herd and find 2 good bulls and 1 real good bull, however we again become forged by lack of cover and are about 100 yds. from the herd when we run out of day light and head for camp.

Thanks James for sharing your hunt in Tanzania with us!

James Great Read and some fine trophies I didn't get who you went out with.

game frontiers ---- talk to heather

James,

Those are fine looking animals and your buff is a whopper! TZ was my first safari way back in 1985 in Masailand out of Arusha. Fantastic place to hunt, looks like you did well there. Is your Ruger a tang safety model or Mk II?

James.Grage said:

game frontiers ---- talk to heather

Click to expand...

THANKS James I'll check them out.

Fantastic hunting report! Really great trophies!

Game Frontiers of Tanzania

Plot #23, Kasanga Street, Off Nyerere Road
P. O. Box 19476, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: +255 754697720
E-mail: heather@gftsafari.com

Bobpuckett said:

THANKS James I'll check them out.

Click to expand...

My Ruger was produced in 1973...

It has been to Alaska 7 times...

sestoppelman said:

James,

Those are fine looking animals and your buff is a whopper! TZ was my first safari way back in 1985 in Masailand out of Arusha. Fantastic place to hunt, looks like you did well there. Is your Ruger a tang safety model or Mk II?

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing, all are very nice, especially the Buff. Looking forward to reading about your next hunt.

bring this to the top for someone who was asking...

I read this one a couple of weeks ago , when checking some of the back shelves in our library , sounds like fun jimmy, bet you still relive it reghularly.

James.Grage said:

I let my PH know right up front that I am hard of hearing

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JAMES,

SINCE YOU ARE HARD OF HEARING I WILL TYPE IN CAPS


I have not seen this report before. Certainly my loss.

Sounds like you had a fantastic hunt with a lot of great trophies.

Now I know the story behind your old avatar. Beautiful bull......tough too!

Nice spread on the buff.

I absolutely love your Zebra. All the black and no shadow stripes.......they don't come any prettier.


Thanks for resurrecting the report!

All the best.

Wheels thank you very much.

The hunt was a great time. The plan now, is to put the daily stories together and build a book of this hunt. That what my wife wants me to do this next year, for all my safaris.

The thing about how this hunt came together, is that, i had visited with many African outfitters/PH's at Seattle sportsman show, and i was looking to book a Cape Buffalo hunting package. Now the funny think is is that no one that i visited with would book a Cape Buffalo safari with me. The outfitters all wanted me to book a plains game hunt, prior to booking a cape buffalo hunt. Let me tell you i had a bag full of Africa information that i did pick up and a few outfitters where i did not take any literature from. So the internet and phone is where i went, and in searching, i found out that going to Tanzania allowed me to take 2 cape buffalo on a 10 day license. And i found a location where a hunt was canceled, it happens all the time. You just have to be available and have the funds in hand, which i did.

My 2010 booking was prior to my finding AH and the fine PH's & outfitters an what they offer on the site. Now that i am retired, Tanzania currently has moved out of my disposal income bracket. Now, The only way i could afford a package to Tanzania is if i saved for a few years......And i have been looking ... Maybe i will rob the piggy bank and go, you just never know.

Since then i have had conversations with a few PH's from Africa and they will not book a first time hunter for any dangerous game hunt, until the hunter has a plains game safari under their belt. If a potential client has the money they will just keep looking until they find the country and outfitter that will offer what they want. The internet and Phone make great tools for looking at packages around the world.

I kind of likened the African outfitter, approach to an Alaskan guide trying to tell a potential hunter wanting to book a brown bear hunt and the guide telling the client that you have to have black bear hunting experience before they will consider you for brown bear hunt.

I too, somehow missed this report. Good job. That looks like a monster buff. What is the spread on him? I'd say you had a great trip. Bruce

James,

Recording those memories will be a neat endeavor to share with your family. If you get it together you should repost the hunt in detail here. I would certainly want to read it.

Glad you were able to get a Tanzania hunt at a more reasonable price. Unfortunately Tanzania is pricing itself out of the market for most of us.

All the best.

gillettehunter said:

I too, somehow missed this report. Good job. That looks like a monster buff. What is the spread on him? I'd say you had a great trip. Bruce

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Hi Bruce,

The Cape Buffalo had a 42 1/2" spread.

Re reading the post i forgot to put the last 3 day in the report , that would have included the second cape buffalo that was taken on the trip.

Wheels said:

James,

Recording those memories will be a neat endeavor to share with your family. If you get it together you should repost the hunt in detail here. I would certainly want to read it.

Glad you were able to get a Tanzania hunt at a more reasonable price. Unfortunately Tanzania is pricing itself out of the market for most of us.

All the best.

Click to expand...

Hi Wheels,

Last year when i was checking on what a 21 day Tanzanian safari hunt would run, it was right at $100K + trophy fees and air charter (11K). I figured it would be about $150K if you took many of the animals on the license. Not counting elephant.

I built my self a spread sheet to see what it would cost and compared 3 different outfitters. I was looking at Lion and/or Leopard, 3 cape buffalo, hippo, croc, lessor kudu and some plains game i do not have.

James.Grage said:

Re reading the post i forgot to put the last 3 day in the report , that would have included the second cape buffalo that was taken on the trip.

Click to expand...

James,

Brickburn has kept us waiting a year on his Kanana report. Now he is keeping us waiting a day or a few days between chapters. I thought that was bad.

You have been keeping us waiting FOUR YEARS!

We at least need another buff photo! A story would help too.

All the best.

James.Grage said:

Hi Wheels,

Last year when i was checking on what a 21 day Tanzanian safari hunt would run, it was right at $100K + trophy fees and air charter (11K). I figured it would be about $150K if you took many of the animals on the license. Not counting elephant.

I built my self a spread sheet to see what it would cost and compared 3 different outfitters. I was looking at Lion and/or Leopard, 3 cape buffalo, hippo, croc, lessor kudu and some plains game i do not have.

Click to expand...

There is a reason most of us hunt southern Africa.