I hope this is the right place to post a report on my recent trip to Zambia. If it's not feel free to move it to the correct area on the website if needed.
Basics:
Location: Upper Lupande, Zambia
Outfitter: Stone Hunting Safaris www.stonehuntingsafaris.com
Dates: November 8, 2021 - November 18, 2021
PH: Clinton Stone
Primary Species: Cape Buffalo
Also taken: Crocodile
Travel: American and Qatar airlines - Cincinnati to Philadelphia to Doha to Lusaka to Mfuwe
Type hunt: archery buffalo and rifle crocodile
I'll start by saying any trip is measured by the people one travels with and the memories created. This for me was one of the highlights of my life. I traveled with one of the best friends I've ever had and we laughed, ate, drank, sweated, walked, talked and celebrated. Like the expression goes, "it doesn't get any better than this." The purpose of this review is to help any new hunters / travelers know what to expect and plan accordingly. So, I've included lots of pictures as Brickburn suggested
Summary:
The trip over was brutal. Coach, back of the plane. Almost exactly 24 hours of actual being in the air with almost exactly 24 hours of layovers. But we made it.
Those are just a few of many incredible pictures. We saw giraffe, elephant, warthog, baboon, monkeys, zebra, kudu, hippos, and many more species. But we were there for buffalo. This was a great hunt for me. I killed the buffalo on the second day early in the day. Although, I made a terrible shot on a walking buffalo at 38 yards with my bow, he went about 20-30 yards and laid down. I got very lucky and hit something way too far back that did the job. I finished him off with a rifle just so he didn't suffer. He was a mature bull (hard) and 38- 39 inches. (My measurement was a little bigger than the others. I think they stretched the tape. haha) The croc was a bonus I was was able to shoot on the last day of the hunt. Used a rifle at about 40 yards perfect brain shot. He never moved. 13.75 feet and we estimate close to 1000 lbs.
Overall great trip. Would highly recommend it.
Pros: 1) Clayton Stone is an incredible PH and co-owner of Stone Hunting Safaris. Worked hard to get us what we wanted and didn't try to get either of us to settle for less than what we wanted. He was also fun to be with and easy to get along with. I will definitely hunt with him in the future.
2) Plenty of animals despite being the driest of conditions imaginable.
3) The trackers were great and knew their stuff.
4) No mosquitos, no one got sick, plenty of bottled water, soft drinks, adult beverages
5) No safety issues or concerns
6) Rooms, beds, showers were very comfortable
Cons: 1)The flights over were brutal due to all the airlines issues with CoVid. Once all the regular flights return this should be more manageable.
2) Lusaka airport was an extremely stressful situation for me as a new traveler with a bow. I was basically "shaken down" by the airport police both entering and leaving the Lusaka airport. I should have been prepared for this but was taken off guard. Basically I had to give them $20 USD for them to "help" me get my bow through security / customs. So if I were to do it again I would have my "tip" money ready and just play the game right away instead of not catching on at first.
3) It was hot! 105-107 F. The camp and fans in our rooms ran on solar and would last until about 1:00 AM then the sweating started. The last 4 days the staff at the camp made some adjustments and the fans stayed on until we got up at 3:30 AM.
I hope this helps the next traveler. Good luck and I hope your next hunt will be your best hunt.
David
Basics:
Location: Upper Lupande, Zambia
Outfitter: Stone Hunting Safaris www.stonehuntingsafaris.com
Dates: November 8, 2021 - November 18, 2021
PH: Clinton Stone
Primary Species: Cape Buffalo
Also taken: Crocodile
Travel: American and Qatar airlines - Cincinnati to Philadelphia to Doha to Lusaka to Mfuwe
Type hunt: archery buffalo and rifle crocodile
I'll start by saying any trip is measured by the people one travels with and the memories created. This for me was one of the highlights of my life. I traveled with one of the best friends I've ever had and we laughed, ate, drank, sweated, walked, talked and celebrated. Like the expression goes, "it doesn't get any better than this." The purpose of this review is to help any new hunters / travelers know what to expect and plan accordingly. So, I've included lots of pictures as Brickburn suggested
Summary:
The trip over was brutal. Coach, back of the plane. Almost exactly 24 hours of actual being in the air with almost exactly 24 hours of layovers. But we made it.
Those are just a few of many incredible pictures. We saw giraffe, elephant, warthog, baboon, monkeys, zebra, kudu, hippos, and many more species. But we were there for buffalo. This was a great hunt for me. I killed the buffalo on the second day early in the day. Although, I made a terrible shot on a walking buffalo at 38 yards with my bow, he went about 20-30 yards and laid down. I got very lucky and hit something way too far back that did the job. I finished him off with a rifle just so he didn't suffer. He was a mature bull (hard) and 38- 39 inches. (My measurement was a little bigger than the others. I think they stretched the tape. haha) The croc was a bonus I was was able to shoot on the last day of the hunt. Used a rifle at about 40 yards perfect brain shot. He never moved. 13.75 feet and we estimate close to 1000 lbs.
Overall great trip. Would highly recommend it.
Pros: 1) Clayton Stone is an incredible PH and co-owner of Stone Hunting Safaris. Worked hard to get us what we wanted and didn't try to get either of us to settle for less than what we wanted. He was also fun to be with and easy to get along with. I will definitely hunt with him in the future.
2) Plenty of animals despite being the driest of conditions imaginable.
3) The trackers were great and knew their stuff.
4) No mosquitos, no one got sick, plenty of bottled water, soft drinks, adult beverages
5) No safety issues or concerns
6) Rooms, beds, showers were very comfortable
Cons: 1)The flights over were brutal due to all the airlines issues with CoVid. Once all the regular flights return this should be more manageable.
2) Lusaka airport was an extremely stressful situation for me as a new traveler with a bow. I was basically "shaken down" by the airport police both entering and leaving the Lusaka airport. I should have been prepared for this but was taken off guard. Basically I had to give them $20 USD for them to "help" me get my bow through security / customs. So if I were to do it again I would have my "tip" money ready and just play the game right away instead of not catching on at first.
3) It was hot! 105-107 F. The camp and fans in our rooms ran on solar and would last until about 1:00 AM then the sweating started. The last 4 days the staff at the camp made some adjustments and the fans stayed on until we got up at 3:30 AM.
I hope this helps the next traveler. Good luck and I hope your next hunt will be your best hunt.
David
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