ZIMBABWE: DALTON & YORK SAFARIS - Chewore South 2025 Lion, Elephant, Buffalo & Hippo

[Razorback]

Operator - @DALTON & YORK SAFARIS
Ph - York Mare
Date - July/August 2025
Area - Chewore South, Zimbabwe
Species hunted - Lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo
Videographer – Untamed. Vaughan Vosloo
Rifles -
Heym 375 H&H
300 gr Northfork SS and PP
300 gr CEB solids
Heym 89b double 500 NE
570 gr Federal with Swift A Frame
570 gr Federal with Woodleigh Hydro solids

Every hunt I have full intentions of writing a nice elaborate hunt report, but somehow never find the time once I get back home and real life kicks in.
This year, I’m determined to at least get in a brief hunt report along with videos and pictures.

Travel was smooth with emirates via Houston to Dubai to Harare. Overnighted at Amanzi Lodge. Bush plane into Chewore the next morning.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Look forward to the story.

 

[Razorback]

First day, we needed to get some meat in the trees for lion bait, and quickly got on a herd of buffalo. Took the first old cow we found trailing the back of the herd. Frontal shot from about 130 yards with 375 H&H. Cow went about 100 yards and went down. We didn’t wait and immediately followed up. The old cow started to get up when we got to her and my hunting buddy and I dusted off our double rifles and put in some definitive anchor shots. (it was my first day of the hunting license since I was doing lion, but technically, my buddies’ hunts hadn’t started so we had fun hunting together for a day.)

 

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Spent the next day hanging baits, but still needed considerably more meat. So we were on the lookout for tuskless or dugboys. Trackers amazingly spotted a group of 3 dugaboys from about a mile away. We hopped out of the truck and grabbed both rifles and the stalk was on. I enjoy a traditional tracking Buffalo hunt as much as the next man, but the goal today was to get baits hung therefore needed meat as expeditiously as possible. We got to within 180 yards, but there was a large ravine between us and the buffaloes. There was no way we could climb the opposite wall without alerting the buffs so we decided to make our stand there. The two older bulls stayed in the thick stuff and behind trees for about 30 minutes and the too young to shoot, beautiful, over 40” buff stood in the open the whole time. Big black shoulder glistening in the sunlight. I checked and rechecked with York that he was absolutely positive the boss was too soft and alas, he was sure. When the old bull finally decided to move out of the thick brush into the open, he did so quickly. A quick cow noise from York paused him for half a second, long enough to get the shot off. At the rifle report, the three bulls ran to our right into the ravine and we quickly followed along the opposite ridge line. Set the sticks up for a potential follow up and two bulls emerged walking back out of the ravine but our bull didn’t come out. Few mins later York spotted him down, near the bottom of the ravine. A quick insurance shot in the cervical spine and we had an old heavy boss bull down.

 

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Next few days we’re busy hanging baits, checking baits and cameras, etc. By this point, we were assisted by our hunting partners bagging buffalo, tuskless, and elephant bulls themselves and were able to utilize portions of their meat, but feeding numerous lions requires lots of meat. All told, we probably had over 20 lions on bait and at least six different leopards and they can go through a tremendous amount of meat.

So after checking baits in the morning and mid afternoon, we decided to climb a small mountain and scope the area that evening. We spotted a group of elephant cows coming to the river bed and the group contained at least two tuskless. After getting the wind right, we made a beeline for them, only to discover when we got in final stalking position, they both had dependent calves. Was about to head back towards the truck when we heard a great commotion from across the dry river bed. Two elephant bulls were fighting, and they made their way into the dry river bed. The older bull was giving the young fellow what for and he quickly decided that he had enough and ran across the river bed and to our left. The old bull came straight for us. I really thought he was gonna walk right up to us, but at the last second turned to our left and followed the younger bull. York immediately said we’re taking this bull. Again, I like a traditional tracking elephant bull hunt as much is the next man, but our main priority on this hunt was lion and I was not going to turn down a gift from the gods. We rounded the corner and the bull momentarily stopped presenting a side brain shot, but then just as quickly took off. I don’t think he saw or smelled us, but he did act a little suspicious and started off at a brisk walk. We had to practically run to get around him in a flanking maneuver. Got in position a few minutes later, and with evening setting in, it was now or never. He stopped momentarily and glanced back over his left shoulder, presenting a side brain shot. 500 double with hydro solids did the job. We had a nice Zambezi Valley bull down in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

 

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Next couple days consisted of lots of driving and lots of bait checking. We were treated to several videos like this one where a younger lion is having a bit of a disagreement with a couple girls on who gets to eat first.

 

[Russ16]

What an amazing trip! I’d give anything to watch the full video.

 

[Rare Breed]

Great elephant!!! What are the tusk weights?

 

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After several days, we finally got the old male to come into a bait. First several days, we would have pictures of the younger males at the bait and would find tracks of the big boy, but he wasn’t eating. That finally changed and after seeing his video, we decided to build a blind.

 

[sniper7]

Amazing trip!

 

[Razorback]

The day after building the blind, we pulled up to the bait and lions were eating, and of course, barely ran off when we pulled the cruiser up. We pulled past the bait and into the area that you can see on the picture. The road cut across the river on a shelf and to the right side of the picture where there was a 10 foot drop off into a pool of crocodiles, but on top of the shelf, the water was shallow, approximately 2 inches. I got out of the cruiser on the passenger side, left side of the picture, and having waterproof shoes on, proceeded to walk around the cruiser to retrieve my rifle from the trackers so we could walk up and check the camera. I was looking up at the trackers about to grab my rifle and thought I was still stepping into another 2 inch deep water puddle, but instead stepped into the hole that is highlighted in the second picture which was about 3-4 foot deep. It was like stepping into a beaver run while duck hunting. I was in freefall before I knew what was going on and my foot hit the bottom of the hole, twisted, I felt a loud pop and immediately thought I had a tib fib fracture. After years of playing sports including basketball, I’ve never even sprained an ankle. And here I was, on my first lion hunt after years of preparation, just having built a blind, thinking I just broke my leg. My first thought was, I’m going to have to call Global Rescue and get flown out of here before I develop a compartment syndrome in the middle of the African bush. But a few seconds later after York helped me out of the hole, I put a little weight on my right foot and could bear my own weight. I determined there was not a serious tibia or fibular fracture. Possibly a fracture in the ankle but nothing that would be too serious from a emergent medical standpoint.The hunt would continue!!! After checking the camera, we saw the old male had been to the bait and thought he might come back, so they dropped me off at the blind and we stayed until near dark. I’ll never forget that cold evening, with pants wet up to my crotch, lions roaring, first time sitting in a lion blind, thinking the the old male may come back at any minute and I would need to make a decent shot. However, he decided to not come back that evening, which was probably a good thing for me.

 

[Razorback]

The next couple days consisted of us going back-and-forth to the blind in the mornings and evenings. The younger males were eating and an adjacent group of females came to eat from the bait but we didn’t see the old man. After sitting in the morning, York would drop me off at camp so I could keep my foot elevated and iced while they went and checked the other baits. Apart from being injured, it was actually a very pleasant few days. The camp was very comfortable and cool and they put some extra meat by the river so I could watch the crocodiles play all day long. A small pod of hippos never left the pool by the camp. Of course the camp staff waited on me hand and foot and would admonish me if I tried to get up and do anything for myself.
They had been pulling the cruiser up to the blind in order to minimize me walking, but after me reassuring them 100 times that I could manage to walk, we decided to park the car a quarter mile away and walk into the blind the next morning . The guys were so concerned about my well-being, I’m surprised they didn’t insist on piggybacking me in. But we got an early start that morning and slowly, but surely, made our way to the blind. As the sun came up, a young male that we haven’t seen before was eating, but you could tell he was very nervous. He kept looking over his shoulder and all of a sudden, he saw something behind him that he didn’t like and ran in the opposite direction, which happened to be straight at us. I had sat down for a moment to rest my leg and saw York going for his double. My initial thought was what in the world, none of scenarios that immediately went through my head involving a blind and PH needing his rifle were pleasant. So I stood up to get on my rifle about the time York starts hollering at this young fellow. He turned away about 3 meters in front of the blind. Now I’m standing up, on my rifle, looking through the scope and a few seconds later it was apparent what the young fellow was scared of. The old man walked over the hill, bowed up, ready to teach that young fella a lesson. That’s a moment that will forever be etched in my memory. The way he came over the hill with the sunlight hitting his huge head and mane, looking angry and without any doubt that it was his domain. It was majestic.
After a few minutes, he moved to the bait and started eating and positioned himself broadside, slightly quartering to. After carefully studying the angle and picking out my exact aimpoint, took the shot. The 375 with North Fork 300 PP bullets performed flawlessly.
As we put him on the rocks for final pictures, I thought whoever said that lions lose all dignity in death was completely FOS. He truly was the king of beasts.

 

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[Wildwillalaska]

View attachment 710661

I want to chase a Zim ele and so badly, with this outfit to boot. So would say Im jealous, but doesn’t even begin to adequately describe.

Such an amazing and fast-paced adventure so far. Thank you for sharing excited to continue reading how it unfolds.

 

[Razorback]

Next few days consisted of looking for a 46 inch sable that they had spotted a few weeks earlier, Kudu, or any other plains game that might present itself. No luck in the sable department. We did see a big beautiful roan, but they were not on quota.



York and the trackers spotted some hippo tracks in a dry river bed and decided to see if they could spot him. They left me in the truck to read my book and to nurse my ankle while they walked the river bed for about 5K. They came back and said they had seen three hippo, three tuskless and two dugaboys. We hopped in the cruiser and drove at break neck speed to the far side of the area to come in closer to where the hippos were spotted. They asked if I could walk maybe half to one kilo in and I said of course I can. Just have to take it slow. We made it to where they had spotted the hippos, but they had moved inland into the jess. Got on their track and tracked right up to a hippo laying in the thick brush. Tracker started running backwards and what I initially thought must be a charge. But come to find out they had just almost tripped over him and ran backwards. Hippo stood up and I shot him twice broadside with the double from less than 10 yards away. He was still on his feet and York gave him a round through the chest with the 470. I was reloaded then and gave him a final anchoring shot through the brain.

 

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