ZAMBIA: Zambia With Strang Middleton: From Livingstone To The Luangwa Valley

Day 4 in the Valley, we headed out early for Strang’s “honeypot”. It’s a system of valleys and ridges we had driven through each day going up to the higher valleys but so far had produced no fresh sign. There was a dried up pan with and old dead tree in it that had caught my eye each time we went through. It looked like something that a good artist should have painted with an old elephant bull standing by the tree and some eland or waterbuck in the background.
Well, as we went by it today we all noticed fresh buffalo dung all around the area!

This sign was smoking hot but we followed for 2 1/2 hours without sighting them. The terrain was gently climbing and fairly open, definitely better than the elephant grass valleys. The sign was smoking fresh but we just hadn’t come up to them yet. We were hoping to catch them at some distance on these open hills to glass and study the herd for bulls. We followed the tracks into a slight ravine with a little running water in the bottom and the grass was all smashed and eaten down. The had definitely been spending some time there. The climb out was only 5 or 6 feet up a slight incline to a Jess thicket. Just steps from the top we all heard buffalo and froze. Strang and I eased to the front just as a small buffalo moved across our front at about 15 yards. I thought I saw a horn in the edge of the thicket but after staring at it for several minutes without movement I decided it was a limb. Then it moved and the bull’s face materialized! We were 20 yards from a big bull staring straight down the hill at us. He turned and moved away and we heard the rest of the buffalo slowly move off. No crashing or running, just uneasy and moving away. It was now mid day and getting hot. We all felt they were bedding in the thicket when we bumped them and wouldn’t go far to bed again. So we eased out quietly and worked the wind to withdraw. As we headed to the vehicle we had a plan! We new where buffalo were and they should start getting up and moving in the afternoon. We would be back here at 3. Strang and I discussed the bull we had stared down. He agreed that he was a great bull but said the bosses were very soft- probably 5 or 6 years old, but very nice spread and deep drops.

We got back to the spot that afternoon where we had seen the bull and found that the herd had been bedded in there and there were a lot of them. They estimated the herd to be around 70 to 80 animals. We started on the track hoping to catch them getting up and be able to glass them easily without bumping them. But the wind was not steady and we had to keep backing out of the tracks and circling to keep it in our favor. After several hours of this we accidentally bumped the herd as they were also circling the wind. But they didn’t go far and just at sundown we came to a little clearing in the grass about 30 yards wide and we could hear the buffalo just to our left and started to pick some out in the bush. The wind was in our favor but time was not. Strang got me on the sticks and whispered that they would either go on over the ridge in which case we would not see them, or more likely cross the little clearing going toward water. After 10-15 minutes on the sticks they finally started moving. And they came right across our front in the clearing! My first real good look at them in the open. A few big young bulls and some cows drifted across my view, then another big bull that had me excited but still Strang was just watching. Then a bull stepped out and looked right up the clearing at us. I can tell a big buffalo but have no experience in telling soft boss, mature bull, old bull, etc. But I just knew this bull was different. I could see it and just feel it. Immediately Strang whispered “do you see the bull looking at us?” I said I did and he whispered “Shoot him, now!” I already had the cross hairs right on the crease of his shoulder and neck meeting as he was slightly quartered to. I squeezed and as I recovered from the recoil, he was still humped up and was turning as the herd went back the way they had come out. We all felt the shot was good and just waited. I was really wanting to hear that death bellow I’ve always read about, but all we heard was the buffalo going over the ridge away from us. After another 10 minutes it was getting dark fast. And we headed down the opening to where I had shot. But after just a few steps we heard the bull in the grass to our left. He was coughing and had obviously not followed the herd. Good sign! We sent Steven up a tree and he could see the top of the bull’s back in the grass and bush. But he was up. We slipped past and climbed the ridge a little ways to try and spot him from above for a finisher. But we had lost most of our light and the bull was not visible. We stood there trying to find him in glasses or my scope until it was just too dark. Strang pulled us all back and out. Saying one of two things would happen and neither good. He said he’s going to stay right there and die but if we go in now he will either leave and get his adrenaline going, so who knows how far he travels tonight, or we draw a charge in high grass and no light. Definitely the right decision but on the walk out I am thinking, well, no sleep for me tonight!
Strang and I relived the shot and the aftermath all the way back to camp. Over biltong and a Mosi we retold it all to Michael. He and Strang both agreed it was 90/10 we find him dead within 100 yards in the morning. They must have been convincing because that was probably my best sleep of the trip so far.

Sir, you have mastered the tease! In a good way of course.

We had a later than normal breakfast the next morning and headed out with the sunrise to have good light on our follow up. Michael was excited about the buffalo and as a PH himself, we asked him to grab his double and join us. We got to the area of the shot and found blood easily. 20 yards into the grass we found where he had stood and had lots of lung blood in a big swath, then 30 yards further in more of the same. Good sign. The tracking got a little harder from there as he was back in tall grass but the guys were good at finding the trail and getting us back on track anytime we got hung. We were all still thinking he would be right there close as he was just drifting down the little valley with lots of blood.
Then we found a place he bedded and the manure was still body temperature and the blood was dripping off the grass! Uh Oh, definitely not looking for a dead buffalo anymore. And what was worse was he had turned up the steep, rocky ridge out of the valley from here. Not good. Still up and mobile enough to go uphill. His sign was easy to follow out of the grass but we were moving very slowly, like picking our way through a minefield. He just kept going up. At each little level bench he would stop and bleed, even lay down some, but always he got up and went on. My nerves stayed good but my mind was racing. I did not want to lose this buffalo and I sure did not want to have anybody hurt following up a bull I had wounded. All the stuff I have read over the past 40 years kept running through my mind.
Just shy of the final crest in the ridge, Strang held up his hand to stop everyone. He had seen two ox peckers go down in a Jess thicket at the very top. 50 yards above us. He pointed and mouthed he will be there. He eased the trackers back and whispered to me and Michael, “if he runs, just get lead in him.” The three of us spread out a little and started forward. Strang and I both saw him stand up at about 30 yards in the middle of the thicket. I had to move to my right, towards Strang, to get a clear shot. As I did he saw me and faced up with his head high staring me down. Strang urgently said “now, right between the eyes, he is fixing to come!” I fired at the end of his nose and Strang’s shot was an echo of mine. When I recovered from my shot the bull was not in sight. I moved uphill toward Michael and immediately saw him down. I put the insurance shot between his shoulder blades with no reaction.

As we moved up to him it started to dawn on me, just what kind of buffalo I had taken. I looked at Strang as he checked his eye reflex and said “this is a big bull isn’t it?” He smiled hugely and said “bud this is a HUGE bull!” This bull had everything. Big bosses, huge spread, good drops and carries his mass all the way out to his curls. The right horn was already worn down a lot and the other was broomed and rounded too. Michael told me I could hunt buffalo from now on and not get a better one. The shakes hit pretty good before we took pictures but it couldn’t have been a better experience for my first buffalo. And what a bull!
My shot from the night before looked in perfect position. We found Strang’s shot that followed mine had just hit him high on the back as he was already collapsing from my shot right at his chin with the solid. After we got him back to the skinners we went and watched them do a little post mortem. My 300gr .375 bullet had gone just forward of his heart and got both lungs. Yet he made it 18 hours, 1 1/2 miles uphill and was still ready to fight. Strang thinks we did bump him trying to get uphill of him the night before and his adrenaline is what carried him. He believes if we had just pulled out and left he would have died right there. He also expressed the view that a 416 or 404 would have ended it in 20 minutes the night before. I love the 375 H&H but I don’t usually hunt anything with the minimum caliber and probably won’t do it for buffalo again.

Wheels said:

Been looking forward to hearing about this hunt. Wild Africa is always special. What make and model was Strangs 375 you were using.

I will vouch for M’s wife. She is indeed a sweetheart and the type of girl you want your son to marry.

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Strang’s rifle is a custom ona. Mauser action with Charles Daily barrel. He had just mounted a 1.5 x 10 (I think) Trijicon scope on it. It was a great setup for everything we did. But looking back I will probably get into a 400 something or other if I do Buff again.
And yes, my wife is way more than I deserve. I am a blessed man for sure.

Outstanding

After the excitement of the morning, we took it easy in camp for the afternoon and headed out with a couple of camp chairs for the machan at the hyena bait. We took a slab of buffalo ribs to freshen the bait and keep them interested if they didn’t show tonight. We checked Puku corner heading up but nothing there.
After the ribs were hung, the guys pulled off a mile or two and waited for a shot or dark. Strang and I climbed into the machan with a cold Coke and the rifle. We hadn’t been there an hour and had 10 - 15 minutes of shooting light left when Strang bumped me and pointed out my side of the blind. A hyena was slipping in, going to water near the bait tree. I slipped the rifle forward and had him angling hard away. The 375 barked and he was in the tall grass near the damn. By the time the guys came in with the truck we had lights out as it was very dark. Waiting on the guys to come in we had other hyenas right in behind the machan. We found the big male just in the grass and dead. Hit him at the back of the ribs and angled through his heart and out the off shoulder. He was a big headed mature old male. This was not an animal I had on my list but decided to try on Strang’s advice and it was a great experience. I’ll never be able to hunt lion or probably leopard. But the experience of baiting and checking and sitting in the blind for this neat animal was great.
What a great day!

The next morning was cloudy and cool again. We were looking hard for Puku and Bushbuck. But nothing was moving in the morning weather.
As we got back to camp for lunch, Strang had Stephen take the hyena carcass out to the sand bar below the deck and stake it out. About an hour after lunch we had quite the show. We had been seeing a few smaller crocs cruising the river below us all week and had one sunning one afternoon. But all of sudden there were 8-10 crocs hitting that carcass hard. No monsters but several in the 10’ range. And an African Fish Eagle came to look it over as well. We set on the deck and watched them for an hour and a half!

I don’t know how to attach videos but I have a good one of the crocs feeding and the big eagle hopping around.

We went back into the bar area and were reliving yesterday before the afternoon hunt when we heard some loud shouts from the kitchen area. Strang started listening and suddenly jumped up and ran to the door and yelled a question. I didn’t need to speak the language to know something had every body excited in camp. As I went to the door and Strang was yelling for one of the guys to go to his room quickly and bring him something, I noticed a large snake had everyone’s attention as it came down the road from the kitchen and went right under our vehicle. I’ve only see one other but I knew I was looking at a big mamba! Two of the lawn guys were about to attack it with sticks and Strang was yelling to get back and just keep it in sight. Then Dyson came back from Strang’s room with a Benelli shotgun. Strang nailed the snake then turned to me and smiled. He said, that was your fault. I told you it’s always the guys that are scared of snakes that end up seeing them! I had been worried about them all week after learning they were moving a lot and several Puff Adders and Mambas had been seen out hunting the last few weeks. But Michael said in his 12 years at Mbizi this was only the second one he had in camp. It was a good sized snake we sure did not need in the cook house or in a vehicle with us!

Puku and bushbuck continued to elude us in the evening hunt. The areas they hung out were just too thick. We had never seen the big Puku buck again since day 2 and had only seen two bushbuck all week.
Strang and I had discussed trying the bushbuck at a friend of his’ property on the way back to Lusaka and we discussed it more that evening over an excellent dinner of buffalo steaks. We also had buffalo tripe as a warm up to dinner and of course Strang didn’t tell me what it was until after I had eaten a good amount of it. It was excellent!

Fantastic hunt report, I enjoyed every bit of it. Thank you.
That Buffalo is a helluva Trophy in many ways, Congratulations.

Congratulations on the great buff and hyena.

Hopefully there is still a bit more to go.

Congratulations on an amazing trip so far!

Congrats on a great hunt

Wheels said:

Congratulations on the great buff and hyena.

Hopefully there is still a bit more to go.

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Yes sir. A few more days and a last minute, superb animal.

After dinner we had a long discussion about logistics the next few days. Strang was starting an elephant hunt in a concession further south of us the day after my hunt was over. We still wanted to try for bushbuck on his friend’s property, but I knew this was going to put a huge strain on him to drive me all the way to Lusaka, hunt a day, then all the way back to meet his next clients. It turned out that Michael had to be in Lusaka the next afternoon for business. After a little more discussion and some emails and WhatsApp messages we had a plan. We would get up early and hunt Puku until about 9:30. Then I would ride into Lusaka with Michael where we had arranged me 2 nights at a very nice, small hotel and Strang’s friend Daniel would pick me up the next morning for a day of bushbuck hunting on his ranch just outside of town about 40 minutes. Then back to the hotel for a good dinner and pack for the 7am shuttle to the airport and start the trek for home.
The next morning’s Puku hunt was a bust. We didn’t even find females. They just would not cooperate and would have to join my Livingstone Eland and Defassa Waterbuck for next trip’s list.
Michael and I’s drive was uneventful and Daniel made contact just as we got me checked into the hotel. He would be around about 8am to collect me for the bushbuck. He felt certain we would have some luck on his property.
Strang had told me that we would get along great and I think by the time we drove to his home and shot the rifle I would use, we were already becoming buds. He is a great guy. We saw big groups of impala and some eland right away. Within an hour we had already seen half a dozen bushbuck as well. One was an older ram of moderate size. We decided he would be a shooter at the end of the day, but not an hour in. Daniel’s wife had called to say she would have us a lunch about 12:30 so Daniel decided to park on a brushy ridge and walk down to a big clearing where he often saw bushbuck activity before lunch. We quietly eased down to the little creek and up the bank to glass a 30-40 acre shaded valley surrounded by bush. Unfortunately there were a lot of cattle in the bigger end of it and we didn’t expect to see any bushbuck hanging out with them. As we were turning to leave Daniel froze then set the sticks to our left. There was a ram easing along the edge of the field towards us that at a quick glance looked promising. He had gone directly behind a big tree but as he fed out we both caught our breath. He wasn’t just good, he was REALLY good. Daniel whispered, as soon as you have a shot take him. He took about two more steps and was clear. The suppressed 243 spit and he collapsed on the spot. What we walked up on surprised us both. This ram is special, more than I had ever hoped for and an awesome end to an unbelievable trip.

WOW, what a bushbuck, they are far and away my favorite plainsgame to hunt, to just watch for that matter.
Congratulations on a wonderful safari.

Great hunt Mickey and some very nice trophies, congrats!

Very nice hunt, and a great buff! Congrats

Hunt anything said:

WOW, what a bushbuck, they are far and away my favorite plainsgame to hunt, to just watch for that matter.
Congratulations on a wonderful safari.

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Thank you. This was my first trip to hunt bushbuck. They are beautiful little animals. I will definitely hunt them again whenever I’m in an area that has them.

PHOENIX PHIL said:

Great hunt Mickey and some very nice trophies, congrats!

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Thank you Phil

Yes s

Mtn_Infantry said:

Looking forward to hearing the story to go with the photos. Sitting at DSC this year with you and Strang I could see how excited you were and knew Strang would give you every bit of adventure you were looking for

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Yes sir. It was all I had hoped for.
By the way, the Jim Greens you and Strang suggested were perfect. Most comfortable, quietest boot I’ve ever had.

Very nice and congratulations!
Do you know which Luangwa GMA you were hunting in?