TANZANIA: Bullet Safaris - Nathan Askew - Leopard/Buffalo Hunt - October 2020

[mikecatt13]

Congrats on a great trip and getting your cat, thanks for sharing! Very well done waiting for the right shot and executing, that mustve been quite the feat taming those nerves especially on the last day

 

[Bullet Safaris]

That was an exciting morning! After that we started the mobile safari adventure...it got even better after that. I can wait to find Jack and NoName in 2021.

Day 6:
We head out this morning and don’t get more than 30 minutes out of camp when the trackers snap and jump off the truck to inspect some buffalo sign from the night before. As Nathan and I are situating our gear at the truck one of the trackers radios that there is a small group of Hartebeest feeding ahead on our left heading to our right.

We dismount the cruiser and crouch walk into position, Nathan says to wait as they are going to walk from our left to our right maybe 80 yards or so. As the small group of Hartebeest walks to my right Nathan has the sticks up but I am still kneeling, he tells me the position of the bull and I keep an eye on him. The hartebeest spotted us and turned facing us. Nathan confirms which one is the bull and says go ahead and take the shot facing us. I squeeze the trigger and all four legs fold under the bull before he hits the ground, he never even flinched once he hit the ground.

As we are taking pictures with the hartebeest Nathan has the truck radio for the other truck to come cape the Hartebeest out and cut him for baits. During the pictures we heard buffalo in the bush and the main tracker tells Nathan it is time to go! We gear up and start our tracking into the bush for the buffalo.

About an hour in and out of the tall grass we catch up to the herd in an open area as the front of the herd is almost across the open area. We close the gap to 120 yards from behind the herd and Nathan identifies the better bull at the back left of the herd. He says we are going to walk straight at them and when he turns broadside to look shoot.

Nathan’s plan worked as he said and when the bull turned broadside I got on the sticks, half way up the body on the crease of the shoulder and squeeze. The bull was about 60 yards or so when I shot. The bull jumps and bucks, the herd heads into the bush and bull goes to our left still in the open. By now we are at a full sprint flanking the bull, the sticks go up and Nathan says aim for the tip of his nose. I do and squeeze the trigger shot felt very good. We move up again and I fire again when the bull stops. As I am reloading my rifle I tell Nathan to start shooting with me to put the bull on the ground. Over the next couple of minutes a lot of lead was sent out and bull finally toppled over. When the dust settled the bull had 4 shots in the vitals on his right side, one in his back left hip, one on his left side behind the last rib as he was quartering away, one too far forward in the brisket, and one that entered where his jaw met his neck from the left side. This is my first buffalo and they are tougher than I could ever imagine.

Nathan calls in the truck that picked up the hartebeest to come assist with the buffalo. Pictures and a rest under a shady tree. As Nathan and I sit under the tree talking about the stalk and adrenaline rush it was I tell him well we started the big five, one day we will be sitting under a shady tree and I will say well Nathan we finished the big five. I have known Nathan for 20 years or so and this is my second safari with Bullet Safaris. Everything in RSA and now Tanzania has been top notch. In the future I will tell Nathan what I want to hunt and let him put it together for me, not a better guy out there to trust with your time and money.

We head back to main camp and pack for fly camp which is about a 3.5-4 hour drive from main camp. We arrive at fly camp just before dark and Askew’s Army has outdone themselves. Cooks, waiters, showers, toilets, and living quarters all constructed in a matter of hours. Amazing to me. We took lots of pictures of fly camp and had steak with French fries and peppers for dinner, at a fly camp in the middle of nowhere that did not exist a few hours ago!
View attachment 373421View attachment 373422View attachment 373423View attachment 373424View attachment 373425View attachment 373426

 

[Scott CWO]

Great job Nathan! That’s some great service, as always.