I have recently returned from another wonderful experience with Shawn Bird and Balla-Balla Safaris in Zambia. My Africa addiction grew as a result of my first experience with them, when my buddy and I hunted all three of their concessions: the Conservancy in South Africa's Limpopo, Dendro Estate in Zambia, and Bird Estate, which was the destination for this leg of my 2019 Africa sojourn.
Bird Estate is a very pleasant mixture of open plain and forest and contains two relatively large permanent water bodies, although the current drought has put great pressure on both. The forest is comprised of a number of larger trees, such as the pod mahogany, whose weird, twisted limbs fascinate me. The high trees provide relief from the sun for animal and hunter alike, but are high enough, and spaced well enough to afford the forest floor ample light for grass to grow well. It makes for great stalking, as there is always a way to use the vegetation to your advantage. The camp consists of three permanent tents with enclosed bathroom and shower, and a wonderful fire-place area overlooking the larger of the water bodies. During the day, one can observe a steady parade of animals that come to drink, or enjoy one of the salt blocks. Common visitors include the kafue lechwe, impala, Livingstone eland, cape buffalo, Liechtenstein hartebeest, and occasional passersby, such as sable, nyala, roan, and zebra. At night, one is captivated, even enthralled by the magnificent African sky, and entertained by the fierce fights by the lechwe rams. These memories are just as vivid as the hunting.
On this trip, we were after some on the animals we had overlooked, much to our regret, on the first hunt. I suppose our pocket books had dictated our actions. My primary goal was the Kafue lechwe whose long, sweeping horns have been burned into my memory. It is impossible to explain why, but I like that animal more than any other plains game critter. As we had a small list, and lots of time, we put our priority on finding good, but old specimens. First up was the lechwe...I guess my buddy was sick of listening to my rave about them and figured he could stop the noise if I hunted first. My luck was in, and we found a grazing herd in very short order. The wind and sun were in our favour and the forest allowed us to stalk within a ridiculously short distance of the preoccupied animals. We spent around an hour evaluating the rams as they moved around in the glade until Shawn pointed one out. His exact words were, "I usually Don't recommend that my clients shoot an animal on their first day, but we will not find a better one." He was perfect: heavy horns that had lost a couple inches due to age, and very beautifully shaped.
I'll continue once I remember how to add photos. Any advice?
Bird Estate is a very pleasant mixture of open plain and forest and contains two relatively large permanent water bodies, although the current drought has put great pressure on both. The forest is comprised of a number of larger trees, such as the pod mahogany, whose weird, twisted limbs fascinate me. The high trees provide relief from the sun for animal and hunter alike, but are high enough, and spaced well enough to afford the forest floor ample light for grass to grow well. It makes for great stalking, as there is always a way to use the vegetation to your advantage. The camp consists of three permanent tents with enclosed bathroom and shower, and a wonderful fire-place area overlooking the larger of the water bodies. During the day, one can observe a steady parade of animals that come to drink, or enjoy one of the salt blocks. Common visitors include the kafue lechwe, impala, Livingstone eland, cape buffalo, Liechtenstein hartebeest, and occasional passersby, such as sable, nyala, roan, and zebra. At night, one is captivated, even enthralled by the magnificent African sky, and entertained by the fierce fights by the lechwe rams. These memories are just as vivid as the hunting.
On this trip, we were after some on the animals we had overlooked, much to our regret, on the first hunt. I suppose our pocket books had dictated our actions. My primary goal was the Kafue lechwe whose long, sweeping horns have been burned into my memory. It is impossible to explain why, but I like that animal more than any other plains game critter. As we had a small list, and lots of time, we put our priority on finding good, but old specimens. First up was the lechwe...I guess my buddy was sick of listening to my rave about them and figured he could stop the noise if I hunted first. My luck was in, and we found a grazing herd in very short order. The wind and sun were in our favour and the forest allowed us to stalk within a ridiculously short distance of the preoccupied animals. We spent around an hour evaluating the rams as they moved around in the glade until Shawn pointed one out. His exact words were, "I usually Don't recommend that my clients shoot an animal on their first day, but we will not find a better one." He was perfect: heavy horns that had lost a couple inches due to age, and very beautifully shaped.
I'll continue once I remember how to add photos. Any advice?
Last edited by a moderator:
