ZIMBABWE: Hunting the Omay For Elephant & Leopard With Dalton & York Safaris

Vundu on the Ume River... or how I learned that fishing is easy!

We'd mentioned to Dalton that we were interested in trying our hand at some fishing, if time allowed. On one of the days we were out looking for buffalo, York and some of the other guys went out to the Red Cliffs area (where we got our hippo) for a relaxing day of fishing. We still had the last bits of the bait bucket available, so we decided to use the last of it to try and lure in some of the local catfish, known as Vundu.

While we were out hunting, York and the guys tried their luck at fishing, to no avail. Dalton timed our day in such a way, that we approached the Red Cliffs within an hour of sunset, perfect time for fishing.

Now, I won't lie. I'm not a fisherman. Just not something I've ever really gotten into. I've heard its time consuming and requires great patience. Reports of the lack of success at Red Cliffs suggested these statements to be the case.

As we drove down towards the water, we could see some of the other trucks right at the spot where we'd pulled the hippo up a few days prior.

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We pulled up just as one of the fishing lines began to jump a little bit! In a flash, York jumped over to the fishing pole and began to work on reeling the fish in. He waved me over and passed the pole to me!

Now, as I said, I'm no fisherman and really had no idea what I was doing. York talked me through it and I fought with the fish for a while...


After a while, I was starting to get tired... the fish seemed anything but tired! I called to my wife and she took over. After fighting with the fish for a while, she managed to pull him to shore! Jeez- these vundu catfish are way bigger than I was expecting!!


I'm glad I handed off the fishing pole when I did, as it allowed my wife and I to share in the catch!

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Now, this experience may have spoiled us a bit... I hear its not normal to drive up and have a fish on the line within 30 seconds of arriving! In fact, no other vundu took the bait that afternoon.... but something else did!

After taking a few pictures with the vundu, we released him back into the Ume river...

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After our initial success, the fishing lines remained slack in the water, while we enjoyed some G&Ts and tossed scraps of meat towards the crocs swimming nearby. Initially, they showed little interest, but this changed as the sun began to set behind us. Andy pulled out his very nice camera and captured some great photos of the crocs taking the bait:

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The interesting thing with crocs is that when they initially grab the bait, they submerge. However, a second or two later, they arise from the water, cant their head back, and gulp the bait down!

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As the sun continued to set and dusk approached, so too did additional crocs! In pretty short order, we had a whole host of crocodile coasting ever closer towards shore...



At one point, the crocs were probably within 15 feet of shore! Andy was snapping some great pictures, but it was also becoming clear that the approach of darkness was emboldening the crocodiles- something not to be trifled with!

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On that note, we returned to camp where dinner and drinks awaited us! Another exceptional day in the Omay!

More to come soon...
 
Did they talk at all about the damage hyena do to plainsgame in the concession? Where I’ll be hunting in September the trophy fee is low to encourage more hunters to take them (and I’m assuming a higher quota on them too). I thought I read it was over the damage they cause.

The trophy fee for hyena was not particularly high- $700. We didn't specifically discuss them endangering the plains game, but the plains game in the Omay are definitely warry. They're predated by lions, leopards, hyenas, and other smaller critters. A hunt for PG in the Omay will definitely be more challenging than on your average South African concession. The key is knowing where to look for them, which Dalton and York definitely do!
 
In Search of Buffalo Bulls...

As I mentioned earlier, upon arriving in the Omay, Dalton let me know that he'd saved me a buffalo tag in case I was interested. While I suggested we focus on elephant and leopard first, my wife was definitely interested in taking a buffalo!

With the leopard in the salt and elephant down by the end of Day 9, we still had 5 days on our 14 day safari to get after it! We spent all of our first day of buffalo hunting sneaking through thick jess in search of 3 duggaboys. As the day went on, we found where they'd linked up with a herd. This too we followed, however the wind was not being helpful, swirling this way and that. After bumping the herd a few times, we finally got into range. Dalton spotted a great bull, but he bolted by the time the sticks were up. The wind got us again! This game continued until dusk set in and we were forced to give up the search.

Day 2 was the same story. Bad wind, bumping the herd, etc.

On Day 3, we went to a different area, west of where I'd shot my elephant. We drove up towards the shore of Lake Kariba with the intent of seeing whether any buffalo had come down from the hills for a drink. Approaching the flood plains through the thick bush, we noticed very fresh elephant dung, and big ones too!


Clearing the forest's edge, we parked the Land Cruiser under a tree. The trackers took off to our left to look for tracks, Dalton to our right. Shortly, Dalton came back and beckoned us to follow. No buffalo on his side, but he'd found three great elephant bulls moving toward the lake for a drink. One of the elephant was quite old, with thick ivory. Another was quite big, carrying impressive ivory with a deep arc. The third elephant was the young askari.

The elephant were quite calm and we took time to admire these impressive animals and enjoy our majestic surroundings- mountains all around, the lake in front shimmering with the sun's reflection. What a privilege!



The elephant eventually made their way down to the water, taking a bath. A fish eagle flew by, in search of prey. The fish eagle, while similar to the bald eagle, is a bit smaller and the white feathers extend a bit further down his chest. We've been enjoying these birds throughout the trip, but today's fish eagle decided to fly extra close to us, offering great photo and video opportunities...

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After enjoying the show for a time, we headed back to the truck. Just as we did, we heard the distinctive call of our trackers... they'd found buffalo!

Once we linked up with them, we discovered that they almost crashed into the buffalo, as a whole herd was bedded down on the opposite side of the hill in front of us. We climbed the hill and then cautiously approached the edge. The buffalo were all bedded down, so close to the slope that you could only see them from the edge.

Dalton inspected the herd for a long time. Ultimately, he gave us a dejected shake of his head. No bulls old enough to warrant further attention. That was it for today for buffalo, as we were planning on heading to the Ume river for some fishing (already discussed). Just to give us a show, Dalton tossed a rock to get the herd moving, which they did with gusto!


The buffalo hunting continued right up to the last day. We managed to get above another herd. Once again, no buffalo good enough to shoot. It was still fun climbing around on the boulders and cliffs above the herd. Here's our view:


We ultimately left without a buffalo, but not for want of trying. I give credit to Dalton- he's a passionate buffalo hunter, interested in only the finest and oldest specimens. He has no interest in just punching a tag to get a trophy fee. Just the way I prefer it- I'll be back to hunt buffalo with Dalton again soon!

Just so that we don't get the wrong idea... there are lots of buffalo in the Omay, to include some very impressive bulls. Here are two bulls taken by some friends that we had in camp with us. Both measured 44 inches. The first had amazing bosses, incredibly wide and fused together.

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This concludes the hunting portion of this report. More to come regarding accommodations in Harare and in Camp, as well as comments on Vic Falls and Dubai.

This trip was a big step for us as hunters, a step into truly wild Africa, in pursuit of some of the largest and most dangerous game. It exceeded every expectation, with each of us experiencing the emotional highs and lows of truly hard hunting. It was a privilege to live such adventure, make such great friends, and experience the great people and nature of Zimbabwe. I'm already thinking about our next trip to hunt with Dalton and the whole crew at Dalton and York safaris.

If you ask whether or not to hunt in Zimbabwe, or hunt with Dalton and York, or pursue the biggest and most dangerous game, my answer is an unequivocal "Yes!" I'm reminded of and will close with Theodore Roosevelt's famous Man in the Arena quote. So to all who are considering a real adventure, "Strive Valiantly" and go for it, whether success or failure follows, the experience alone is worth it!

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Congrats on the nice hyeana and buff! Both are on my upcoming list this September!
 
@rinehart0050, congratulations to you and Mrs. rinehart0050 for such a fantastic safari. Talk about a hunt of a life time, the narrative, the pictures and the videos are first class. Thank you for taking us along, and for taking the time to write and share such a beautiful adventure. You are one lucky man. Hats off to you two.
 
Wow! Starts with the Mrs.’ hippo and ends with a catfish. What an epic trip. Even the bushbuck and impala were top notch. Thank you for taking the time to share your incredible safari. Congratulations!
 
Fantastic report/ Thank you so much for taking time and effort to post everything! I also enjoyed the system of short video clipes. imply put, trully great!
 
This report was an exceptional read. I can only imagine how amazing of an adventure it was!

Congratulations, and thank you for taking the time to share the adventure with us!
 
Oh envy! What an excellent journey with outstanding reporting and pictures! It made me feel like I was there! Congratulations and thanks so much for allowing us to go along!
 
Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Well done, congratulations all around.
 
Well done, all around!
 
Great safari and report.

Really enjoyed your adventure.
 
Many thanks for letting us walk in your footsteps, will be heading to the Save August 2022 ..your wonderful report quicken the pulse in hopes that 12 months flies by
 
Excellent report! What an experience!

Kind regards,
Dempsey Bayly & Michael Sippel
 

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