ZIMBABWE: Off To Zimbabwe With AH Friends

[revturbo9967]

 

[CAustin]

I downed a bottle of water quickly at the truck and Gareth retrieved a hydration powder to add to his water. We drove to a dry wash and set up for lunch. In a short time @TOBY458 and his guide Chap joined us. Now understand we are in the middle of nowhere Zimbabwe. We are enjoying lunch under the shade of some trees when We hear people talking. I look up and there are four young women just strolling along walking somewhere. WTF! Twenty minutes later we hear the popping of a motor that had seen better years and a little India made truck beat all to hell comes clunking and popping down the path, I think that thing had a motor about as big as a Singer sewing machine but the back of it was loaded with people going about their daily lives headed who knows where,

 

[Philip Glass]

Reports are: 2 tuskless ele, 4 buff bulls, 2 bushbuck, 1 waterbuck, 1 hyena, 1 civit

Looks like at least Philip can come home now

Tanzania now

 

[Lee M]

Good report Charlie. Keep it coming

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Charlie, what you are walking in is mopane woodland, not jesse. Jesse is so thick you can hardly see through it let alone get through yourself. Sometimes it grows in islands and you meander between them, and sometimes it all joins together and you find tunnels through it. Very difficult stuff to hunt in, I prefer toe mopane scrub.

 

[buck wild]

Good read so far. Well at least all the previous reports warned you about what was to happen

 

[AZDAVE]

@CAustin Enjoying your writeup, liked the description of travel, camp setup and cooking arrangements. It is always interesting to see what can be prepared with the most basic of tools. (Fire, Coals and cooks ability) You have a good group of adventures with you and enjoying the writeup from everyone. Happy for you and a bit envious.

 

[Randy Bo]

@CAustin Enjoying your writeup, liked the description of travel, camp setup and cooking arrangements. It is always interesting to see what can be prepared with the most basic of tools. (Fire, Coals and cooks ability) You have a good group of adventures with you and enjoying the writeup from everyone. Happy for you and a bit envious.

+1^^^^^

 

[VertigoBE]

Great writing so far @CAustin! Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[PARA45]

Beautiful report, please don't leave us hanging, keep it coming.

 

[Tucketed]

Keep it coming! Enjoying you descriptive writing

 

[Mort Hill]

Loving every post @CAustin. Keep it coming.

 

[CAustin]

Charlie, what you are walking in is mopane woodland, not jesse. Jesse is so thick you can hardly see through it let alone get through yourself. Sometimes it grows in islands and you meander between them, and sometimes it all joins together and you find tunnels through it. Very difficult stuff to hunt in, I prefer toe mopane scrub.

Understand one day it was then indeed Jesse as the PH was calling it. We crawled on our knees a bit to get under some stuff.

 

[CAustin]

After lunch that day was more looking for fresh tracks but alas we went all the way to the lake and airstrip without seeing fresh signs, Along the way It got to see one of the living things I have always wanted to see in Africa. The massive and ancient Baobab Trees Also known as the upside down tree because the limbs look like the root system of a tree.
These trees were likely here on earth when Jesus walked the streets of Nazareth and can be as much as 154 feet around. One of these trees that died in 2011 was found to be 2450 years old.

 

[CAustin]

We set up a hyena bait not far from this specimen that I am standing about twenty feet in front of…..kinda gives you an idea of the size of the thing.

 

[CAustin]

The following day Moses and Kashinga found very promising tracks that indicated the Dugga Boys we had followed previously were now with a group. These two men along with the game scout went ahead to see if they could find the buffs. And by lunch time they had. We maneuvered down wind and Gareth went with Kashinga to see what the situation looked like. He came back and explained the the small herd had bedded down on the downside of a small hill that might give us an ambush possibly that afternoon . So we backed away and went to have some lunch. Gareth related that there were two or three possibilities in this group and that one was probably 43 inches. That got my attention fast. I was excited for two o’clock to come and we headed back to where the buffs were bedded. Our team advanced to a point about two hundred yards on the opposite side of the hill where the buffs were. Then Gareth and I went forward, 416 along, to get into a position above the group. Now these animals are smart. While the wind was in our favor from the approach we took seeing the things in grass three tO four feet tall and small trees was very difficult. But with my binoculars I was finally able to see the bull Gareth wanted me to shoot at about 150 yards and he was bedded down of course. All I could see was him turn his head once and I saw his horns. We stood under the shade of a small tree for about an hour until this group started to stand up and move around. I had been warned to stand perfectly still and I did. All of a sudden about ten animals stood up maybe 50 yards from us, we hadn’t seen any of them, and a young bull was looking right at me. But we didn’t move and just kept watching where the big guy was bedded down. Finally he stood up and started moving down hill a bit. Gareth at about six foot eight could see the animal and threw up the sticks for me. There right in front of us he said. Man I don’t see shot. Where are you looking? Gareth grabbed my shirt and pulled me up hill but I still couldn’t make out the beast In the tall grass and I wasn’t going to take a shot I was uncomfortable with. Gareth turned his attention to the closer group where I could clearly make out a big bull standing behind the young bull that had been looking at us. Gareth said he was also a shooter and that the bigger bull had mover down the slope And behind small shrubs and trees. No shit available on him. I was one the sticks aiming at this second bull as the young bull stepped away. Right through a small clump of trees I had the cross hairs right out in front of him. All he needed to do was take a step and a half. Come on bull move. The wind changed and the whole herd turned away from us and ran down the slope instead of him taking the needed step.…..Away from me instead of across my field of fire from right to left That I needed. CRAP! snorts and stomping was all we could hear As they moved away. So we waited a few minutes to give them a chance to settle and then followed. 500 yards away we caught up to them at the bottom of that slope and these animals were in thick stuff. You couldn’t see them just hear them moving about feeding. Finally one of the cows came into view looked at us and must have smelled us …..then it was a stampede away from the humans.
It was Bourbon time man !

 

[Shootist43]

I'm enjoying your report and photos Charlie.

 

[revturbo9967]

I can only imagine how hard your heart must have been pounding when he pulled you into position. Sometimes those shots need to be quick .

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

and I wasn’t going to take a shit I was uncomfortable with.

That is wisdom that none can argue with!!!

 

[buck wild]

So close man !