SOUTH AFRICA: Hunt With Chumanzi Zulu Safaris

[30winmag]

Well this is better late than never, and I don’t claim to be an outdoor writer. So here goes!

Day 0, July 3 Africa Sky Guesthouse Johannesburg South Africa

After a 3 hour drive to the airport here in Nebraska, a 2 hour flight to Atlanta, a 12 hour layover in Atlanta, where I highly recommend the Jekyl Island Seafood Company and paying for a one time pass to the Delta Sky Club, an hour delay clearing the gate and a 14 hour flight I arrived in Africa! I have to say that Delta comfort plus is worth every penny on this long of a flight. I was met by a representative from Africa Sky as I deplaned. We cleared the enormous crowd at customs in record time and collected my luggage with zero issues. Passing through the reception hall at OR Tambo is quite an experience. Clearing my firearm through SAPS was entirely painless and amazingly swift. I took longer for my rifle to get there than to clear it through. After a short drive I checked in and had a very nice supper. Afterwards had a couple of drinks at the, believe it or not honor bar with a hunting party from Canada and their PH who were coming back from Mozambique. Off to camp tomorrow.

Here are a couple pictures of Africa Sky

 

[thi9elsp]

Ann and I stayed at African Sky in 2011 and will again this October. Glad to hear about the Delta Comfort - I did the upgrade for us on the same flight. Look forward to the hunting part of the journey!

 

[30winmag]

Continued:

Day 1, July 4: Chumanzi lodge

1530 68degrees, 48% humidity, wind SE 5-10

After a good night’s sleep and an amazing breakfast with two gentlemen from Huston who were headed to Limpopo, I departed with Johann my PH at 7 for camp. We had to work through fairly heavy fog and typical big city traffic leaving Johannesburg. As a side note, I as expecting new and exotic vistas since I was in Africa. Once we cleared the suburbs of Johannesburg I saw… cows, in a cornfield. And off to the left, guys picking corn with a John Deere combine. The 4 hour drive was a lot like going through Western Nebraska and Eastern Wyoming. The roads progressed from modern multilane freeway to two-lane highway to two lane dirt to finally two track dirt to get to camp. After heading to camp I had two thoughts: “Dear God, this is steep country!” and “Anything could hide in this brush for 100 years and we would never find it.”

It was late in the day and the range faces west so went out just to look around. We saw lots of impala, a herd of blue wildebeest an immature kudu and several nyala. Hunting starts tomorrow so we will see what develops.

Here are a few pictures of home sweet home for the next few days and a view of the lay of the land.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Nothing like a cold drink and decent bed at the end of that journey.
Sounds good so far...

 

[30winmag]

Ann and I stayed at African Sky in 2011 and will again this October. Glad to hear about the Delta Comfort - I did the upgrade for us on the same flight. Look forward to the hunting part of the journey!

I have to absolutely agree with you! Africa Sky is amazing. Trust me, Delta comfort is worth it if you are over 5'9". I also watched season 3 of Downtown Abbey to help pass the time, for free!

 

[30winmag]

Nothing like a cold drink and decent bed at the end of that journey.
Sounds good so far...

Hang on, I actually shoot something next.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Good start, keep it coming!

 

[30winmag]

Day 2, July 5 Chumanzi lodge:
545, 49 degrees 48% humidity,clear, calm.

1210: Saw an amazing amount of game so far today. I have quit counting kudu cows and impala. We saw 7 bulls including 2 early on that we put an unsuccessful stalk on. Later in the morning we put an unsuccessful stalk on another pair of kudu bulls that lasted nearly an hour. there were just too many kudu eyes on us this time. We say a couple of bushbuck, but nothing shootable. I missed a shot a a decent warthog about 1000(this is going to develop into a theme, hang in there) at around 1100 we saw a decent lone impala ram and put a short stalk on it. I took the shot at about 75 paced off yards. A little high hit because I forgot I was shooting downhill but good enough and DRT. Dropped like it was hit by lightning and never moved. First animal in the salt!

2145: Saw many more impala this afternoon along with a half-dozen more kudu. Put a stalk on a herd of wildebeest and was actually on the sticks waiting for a good bull to clear his fellows when a group we hadn't seen came out of a draw to our left. The stalk was good on the ones we were after, they had no clue we existed, right up until the random group thundered past them. Well, that's hunting. We spent the last hour and a half glassing a fairly severe hillside and spotted a shootable nyala. Put him to bed and will go out after him in the morning. He might not be huge but the hunt is going to be a serious challenge!

Here it is! My first African animal! Biggest impala I've ever shot!

 

[30winmag]

Good start, keep it coming!

I'm working on it. As long as the beer holds out I'll keep going!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Day 2, July 5 Chumanzi lodge:
545, 49 degrees 48% humidity,clear, calm.
.................

You scared the hell out of me. 49 degrees.

Then I remembered you may be from the last bastion of the Imperial system.

 

[30winmag]

Day 3, Chumanzi lodge
1700, 69 degrees 58% humidity partly cloudy, ESE wind 3-5mph gusts to 15

A fairly eventful day today. We were headed to the hillside we put the nyala to bed on by 6 and were glassing at sunrise. I had a discussion with Johann my outfitter/PH the night before and cut a deal to swap the kudu on my package for a nyala. This is great nyala country and I was feeling stupid passing up decent nyala after decent nyala. After about an hour we spotted the same nyala about halfway up the slope. After a short stalk we were as close as practical and set up for the shot. I spent about 15 min on the sticks looking at the rear end of a nyala while his front was obscured behind bush. When he stepped clear I did all the calculations for a long shot with a .375H&H up a 30 degree slope. This really seemed more like a sheep hunt rather than an African plains game hunt. While I was doing this the nyala finally looked our way and started getting nervous. Time to drop the hammer. A quartering towards uphill shot. After the shot and the faint WHOP I was greeted with the sight of my nyala rolling downhill, for long enough for Johann to say; "stop...stop...STOP!" after finally hitting a tree after about 25 yards I kept it covered while Muzie our tracker headed up to take a look. After 20 minutes of heading uphill he got there and declared it dead. Johann and I grabbed the game sled and headed up after him. About 30 min later Johann arrived, about 10 min later I got there and tried not to die. This area is at about 4,000 ft. above sea level, or about 2,000 ft higher than where I live. You don't really notice until you start climbing hills. We field dressed the animal and with me acting as a brake got it down the slope in about 30 min. We then had to go across a gully with brush that Johann described accurately as "thick as hair on a dogs' back and made out of barbed wire". That was an hour of having Muzie cut brush, lift, heave, drag. Repeat. While this may not be a giant nyala it was an awesome trophy because of the hunt. When I looked back from where I hit it, my range estimates are only good to 50 yards if I cant pace it off, but it was between 275 and 325 yards. The bullet went in in front of the near side shoulder, traveled up and back, took out the heart and part of one lung and broke the far side shoulder. Just an amazing experience and lots of fun. More on this day later.

Here is the hero shot of me and the nyala and one that was a little less posed of Johann and the nyala right after we got it back to the truck.

 

[BRICKBURN]

That picture of the countryside makes me want to go back right now.

 

[30winmag]

You scared the hell out of me. 49 degrees.

Then I remembered you may be from the last bastion of the Imperial system.

LOL! Yes the bush wasn't lighting on fire around us while I was hunting.

 

[30winmag]

That picture of the countryside makes me want to go back right now.

You and me both! Oh and you cant even see where I shot it in the picture that shows the hill and that %^&% gully we hauled it through.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Nothing like altitude and slopes to create a little cardio workout.

Good job on the Nyala.

 

[30winmag]

T

Nothing like altitude and slopes to create a little cardio workout.

Good job on the Nyala.

Thank you! It was a fairly long poke with a .375 H&H. And just a good hunt. Quote from me when I got to my animal; "there's no air!" I used to be better at this I swear!

 

[cpr0312]

Thanks for sharing, congrats! Some nice trophies!

 

[rinehart0050]

Thanks for sharing! Congrats on you're success, really enjoying your report.

We stayed at a Africa sky for the first time back in July and loved it.

Congrats on that nyala! I find the ones I really have to work for- whether before or after the shot- are frequently the most rewarding!

Can't wait to hear how the rest of the hunt goes

 

[enysse]

Congrats on the great nyala! Very pretty shape!

 

[30winmag]

Thanks for sharing, congrats! Some nice trophies!

Thank you for the compliments. They are all the biggest ones I've ever taken.