Hunter: Mark Ouellette
Hunt: Tuskless elephant
Location: Chewore South safari area, Zimbabwe
When: 15 to 24 September 2025
Operator: Dalton and York Safaris
Professional Hunter: Johnny Russell
Trackers: Chiedza, Luke, Boniface
Videographer: Vaughan Vosloo, Untamed Knife Company
My Camera: Nikon Z8 with a 28-400mm F4-8 Lense
The Goal: Tuskless, to be my first elephant
Elephant, the largest land animals on earth. Or, at least the bulls are. Tuskless are predominantly female and thus smaller than males but larger than other species, male or female. A large, old bull elephant will be found by themselves or with a younger askari bull or two. Female or cow elephants gather in herds of females, calves, and young bulls. My elephant would be in a herd of grumpy, hormone enraged temper tantrum, protective cow elephants.
Secondary Goal: Photographs of Africa
I’ve been a hobby photographer for over 40 years. I geared up for this hunt switching with a new silent mirrorless Nikon Z8 camera. During the hunt, I didn’t have as many photo opportunities as I wanted but I captured 1000 stills and a few dozen or more short videos.
Since tuskless elephant are non-exportable, in addition to photographs, my take-home trophy will be the video to be made by Vaughan Vosloo of Untamed Knife Company. During the hunt, Vaughan was always a few steps behind me, “Like a leaf on the wind”. Vaughan reminds me of the actor Alan Tudyk, whose character would say that while piloting the spaceship through meteor fields.
Is that Vaughan Vosloo on the left? "Leaf on the wind"
As for Vaughan, I barely knew he was there but he was always only a couple steps behind me. He also very much assisted Professional Hunter Johnny Russell. Vaughan isn’t a PH but for a half dozen or more years he has accompanied many of the best PH’s filming hunts. Being a pretty sharp young man, he sucked up knowledge like a sponge! About my video, since this was a late season hunt and any business worth their salt will be backed up, the Untamed version of my hunt won’t be available until the holidays. It will be a Merry Christmas present to me and all my Africa Hunting friends!
Traveling I flew to Harare, Zimbabwe via Emirates out of Chicago laying over for 14 hours in Dubai. My wife accompanied me until the plane stopped at Lusaka, Zambia where she departed there to spend time with her family.
Traveling is much easier with a loved one...
The entire trip including driving nearly six hours to Chicago O’Hare airport, flying to Dubai, laying over for 14 hours where we took an airport hotel room, flying to Lusaka, Zambia, then for me, continuing on to Harare, clearing customs with the assistance of the multi-talented Yvonne of Wenhau Africa Safaris, and arriving at Amanzi Lodge in Harare, amanzi.co.zw/ took three days. Raveling via Johannesburg would have been faster and a little less money, but with my wife going to Zambia with four checked “care packages” for her family, flying Emirates made sense. Plus, Emirates has the most comportable seating in economy class.
At 6 AM the next day Professional Hunter Johnny Russell with tracker Chiedza arrived to start our drive to camp in Chewore South safari area. His “Cruiser”, local speak for Toyota Land Cruiser was packed with gear and camp supplies. My hard Pelican and soft cases were carefully added to the load. Then we were on the road. Along the way at rendezvous points we added Vaughan Vosloo of Untamed, and our trackers.
PH Johnny Russell and tracker Chiedza re-packing Cruiser
I enjoyed the 6-hour drive to camp. We left the city of Harare, traveled though flat country, passed through a town or two, meandered up an escarpment over the high country, and winded down the other side. The further we ventured from Harare, the more rural, unimproved everything was. A couple hours from camp we were passing small collections of mud and clay brick huts. The scenery looked much like Africa of many decades ago.
Mud and Clay Brick Huts of Villages
Arriving in camp in early afternoon, we settled into our lodgings, large tents with cement floors and running water. Lunch was served a short time later. A couple hours later found us at the shooting range where I would check my zero and Johnny would check my shooting ability.
The Rifle
With tuskless elephant as my primary game, I bought only one rifle, my Heym 88B double chambered in .458 Winchester Magnum. My carefully prepared handloads were 450 grain Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Solids at 2310 fps. I also bought CEB 420 grain Safari Raptors at 2335 fps for plains game after I had my tuskless. Both loads regulated to 2”, 50-yard groups, and 4” 100 yard groups at home from my standing bench.
50 yard sighting in at Home with 450 Solid and 420 Raptor - Composite groups with Heym 88B .458 Win
After pretty much traveling for four days, checking my zero and PH Johnny Russell checking my shooting ability, I could not get 3” groups at 30 yards! I was so embarrassed! NO PHOTOS of that!!!
As frustrating as that was, 30 yards would be a long shot at a tuskless so I called those groups good enough.
Day One, We scouted for tracks across the half million acres within Chewore South. Johnny drove his Cruiser up and down very steep gullies that American off-roaders would go nuts over. This he repeated many times each day until my hunt was over. Darn tough truck that Cruiser is! During Day One, we tracked a small group of four elephants but nothing exciting happened. There were no tuskless.
Day Two, Our trackers found tracks of six or so elephants in early morning. We followed those for some way. Then, there was a set of young lion tracks following the elephants. That soon changed as the tracks revealed that the elephants were now chasing the lion away. Men walking cannot keep up with elephants “chasing” anything. We abandoned those elephants. Later that day we were on a high ridge where looking down we spotted a young eland bull with two cows. Interesting but my goal was a tuskless elephant. We also saw four zebra later on that same ridge but I wasn’t hunting zebra either, at least not before tuskless.
On the trail between Plan A and Plan B...
Ele in the bush
Day Three We stopped the Cruiser to listen, just listen for elephant. The terrain as heavily forested so we could not see far. Listening revealed that we were perhaps a little more than 100 yards from elephants making snacks out of tree limbs! We started our stalk and found where four or more elephant were eating but a few minutes ago. It seems that where we stopped the cruiser, it was far too close with six people offloading and getting ready for the stalk. The noisier of the six was most probably probably me. So much for me being a ninja.
We slowly followed this group of elephant for an hour, then two hours. On a steep side hill trail paralleling a dry stream twenty yards below, tracker Chiedza stopped. The group of elephants were feeding ahead and above us on the side hill. We studied them for a few minutes. Then they turned and proceeded downhill crossing the trail perpendicularly. One was a very large cow with no visible tusk on its right side. Chiedza and PH Johnny Russell conferred nearly silently then Chiedza slipped back past me. Johnny motioned me forward and communicated that it was probably a tuskless. He set up the shooting sticks and I waited. Suddenly, back up the side hill the elephants were coming back quickly, very quickly! Johnny gave me a look that I perceived to get back, so I did and so did everyone else! I though it was the “Get out of Dodge” kind of signal. But, it was not. I was twenty yards down the trail when I looked back for Johnny. He was standing there wondering what the heck I was doing. Live and learn. My late father would say, “You never make any money on the first try.” The elephants crossed our trail heading uphill. The large cow was huge with no visible tusk on her left side. I don’t know if I’d had a shot at her since shooting a moving elephant even at close range wasn’t anything I’d thought of. Thanks to my misinterpretation of the PH’s instruction, those elephants proceeded to put distance between us and them.
We did however track those elephants for another hour. In total, we had traveled less than two miles but it seemed like many more. Johnny had tracker Luke radio for the Cruiser to meet us where our travels would intersect a road in a half mile or so. We continued on the tracks when Chiedza signaled “stop”. In front of us, 50 yards or less were elephants. The wind was swirling and they were nervous. One even raised her truck straight up like a periscope to sniff the wind. Her truck fingers swiveled from right to left trying to smell anything out of place, like us.
Johnny instructed Chiedza to lead us in a wide circle to where we’d be downwind from those elephants. Once there, Johnny took the lead and motioned me forward. There was a large tuskless in the dark shade of trees. Johnny set the sticks but I would have to step into a pile of dry leaves. Have you ever stepped on a pile of corn flakes? Same noise. I motioned for him to move the sticks to a safer position, which he did but that put me on Johnny’s right side with Johnny in my right-handed shooter’s blind area. I took position on the sticks looking through the Trijicon SRO mounted on my double rifle. The elephant was rotating her head side to side but too fast for me to try a frontal brain shot.
There were leafy branches near her head obscuring my aiming point. Adding to that, through the SRO, what I saw was the dark silhouette of the right side of the elephant’s head. Because of the corn flake leaves surrounding me, Johnny could not move to my right side. Johnny whispered to make my shot at “eye level”. He had previously told me to break the top of the zygomatic arch. I had been thinking of the Z-arch all morning but where the heck was that arch on a dark silhouette of an elephant head? Don’t ask me why but at that moment I thought the arch was 1/3 of the way up. I aimed and squeezed the front trigger so that surprise happened when my trusty Heym generated the reassuring push of recoil against my shoulder and a 450 grain solid hit exactly where I aimed, 1/3 of the way up the ele head! Unfortunately, the arch was ½ way up and the skull later revealed my bullet was less than an inch low from breaking the arch! Nevertheless, my elephant fell over sideways away from me. Johnny instructed, “Put one in her heart/lungs”. I aimed for a second shot but the tall grass obscured all but the top of her shoulder and side of stomach. I hesitated and the elephant started to stand up! Johnny says shoot her shoulder, which I did putting her down once more. “Good shot”, said Johnny but that tuskless certainly did not want to die! As she tried to stand once again, Johnny Russell backed me up with a 600 grain solid from his 500 Jeffery right up her tailpipe. Johnny lead me to the left and told me to shoot her again. I took an offhand shot and drilled her. That elephant was down hard but for insurance Johnny lead me close, said take a knee and shoot her there.
Me and Professional Hunter Johnny Russell with my first elephant
Deep cracks in this old elephant's feet
Me with elephant tail
My trusty Heym in the mighty .458 Winchester Magnum
It turned out that my elephant was not from the group we watched on the side hill an hour before. The original group with the huge tuskless were a quarter mile more distant on the far side my tuskless’s group. Remember when Johnny had the truck called? The first group of elephant moved across the access road when the truck approached them. That group was then gone.
The Work Begins: Skinning
The truck arriving providing the means to call camp requesting skinning reinforcements. Our trackers were pulling off a panel of skin when the camp’s main skinner James and his helpers arrived. I didn’t count but there were probably seven or more people actively working on skinning, quartering, and empting organs from my tuskless. Four hours later the meat, bones, skin panels, and organs were in the truck. There was nothing remaining but the contents of the elephant’s stomach and intestines. Both of which then empty were also on the truck. Nothing would go to waste from my kill.
Skinner James doing his magic!
PH Johnny Russell with 11people skinning my tuskless
Many men loading a "drumstick" on the truck!
Nothing remaining from my elephant accept a pile of goo from the stomach and intestines... Everything except that goo would be used by villagers!
50 to 55 year old Tuskless Elephant
Days later the skull was examined. My elephant was a third of her way through her 7th or last set of teeth. Johnny estimated her age to be 50 to 55 years old. Her age with what I next report on made her a perfect elephant to shoot. My first bullet destroyed the bottom inch of her brain and shattered that portion of the brain housing. I don’t know how far she would have traveled but shooting a couple more times ensured our tracking would be over for the day.
Day Four: Meat Distribution and School
Due to the 95 degree Fahrenheit heat we took the meat to a tribal council office the next day. The council and adjacent village were an hour drive from camp since there are no villages in the safari area. On the way we stopped at a small village of a half dozen small clay brick and mud huts. The inhabitants had next to nothing. Most were tending their fields or caring for babies. The headwoman was available and through a tracker’s interpretation I asked if I could please take photos. She obliged me and when I finished, I wanted to give her a few dollars. Johnny stopped me stating that if I had, a few hours from now on the return we’d be swamped by others wanting to pose for money. On the way back to camp we stopped and I gave the headwoman a couple of $5 bills. That token sum would provide the village supplies they otherwise would not have.
Village
Village Mothers and Children
Village Headwoman
Local Primary School
Johnny took an over hill and dale rough country short cut on the way to the village but James, the head skinner driving the truck with a ton of meat had to drive the longer, smoother route. This shortcut afforded time to stop at the school to donate school supplies. Education in Zimbabwe, like most sub-Saharan African countries is not free nor required by law. Parents must pay tuition for a child to attend. Needless to say that schools funded by tuition from poor villages might be lacking basic supplies. I brought over 175 pencils and extra erasers, pencil sharpeners, and a couple soccer balls, deflated and pumps, and ask Johnny to pick up a couple reams of printer paper. The paper weighs too much to carry from the USA.
Happy school children
Primary School Head Mistress, Teacher, and PH Johnny Russell
This photo is for Johnny's mother!
I thought myself pretty good for bringing so many pencils and a thousand sheets of paper. The school headmistress informed me she has almost 500 students in her grade 1 to 6 primary school. I tried at least. The secondary school next door has only 66 students. If that isn’t something to think about, the children in school are mostly only one per family. After school they must teach their siblings what they learned in school. That’s kind of humbling, at least for me. Secondary school attendance is only 1/8 that of the primary school.
Masoka Campfire Council Office
At the council James and the meat arrived. James and a couple helpers started to cut the meat into approximately 2 kg pieces for distribution. Experience had taught James and Johnny to keep a tall fence between the lines of villages and the meat. If a villager or two cut lines to get their meat first, a riot would start. Better safe than sorry.
Elephant legs on “table”, being prepared for butchering and distribution
Skinner James and Vaughan Vosloo
James leading the butchering meat into 2 kg pieces
Passing the meat over the chain link fence to one villager at a time kept order among them. The meat, bones, and organs were all happily taken by happy villagers. When one has nothing, almost anything is something special.
Meat distribution with “Good order and Discipline!”
These mothers has what may be the only meat her families eat for many months
Vaughan and Johnny admiring a Zimbabwe cruiser restoration project
Campfire Anti-Poaching Ranger with his .303 SMLE
Days Five, Six, and Seven We scouted for zebra, eland, and warthog tracks. We spotted warthogs one morning and went in pursuit. Johnny could not get a clear view to determine if the male as of shooting age. PH Johnny Russell is a very ethical hunter. We were not going to shoot any warthog, or any anything!
We focused on zebra and if we found tracks, eland also. I think we tracked more eland than zebra. I have never hunted eland before. Heck, I thought zebra were skittish. They were nothing compared to the few eland in Chewore South. Johnny mentioned that an eland had not been shot there in 15 years. Now, I know why. The trackers and Johnny saw a flash or two of eland, but not me. We tracked them a couple times but when they headed off the elephant trails across blankets of corn flake leaves, we could not follow quietly.
Young kudu bull
Calf dug a hole to find fresh water
Day Eight We spotted four zebra. Dismounting from the cruiser we saddled up for the stalk. Luck was with us because the zebra very conveniently headed on a path that afforded us a 10’ high ridge between them and us. We crept up the ridge and Chiedza stepped back as Johnny took the sticks and motioned me forward. He set the sticks so my line of sight will just clear the top of the ridge. Johnny whispered that one is a large stallion and to take him. At 55 yards I squeezed off a shot sending a 420 grain, .458” diameter Cutting Edge Safari Raptor to shred the bottom of the zebra’s heart and seemingly vaporize one lung. Of course we would not know that until in the skinning shed. When hit, the stallion dropped and flopped and stood up again. I asked Johnny if I should shoot it again. He replied, “If you want to”. Bam! The zebra was down hard.
My Double Rifle Zebra Stallion
Front row: Tracker Chiedza, me, Tracker Boni
Back row: Tracker Luke, Johnny Russell, Zim Parks Ranger Tico
I don’t know why I didn’t photograph the most interesting part of this. My second shot, the bullet passed through the center of an almost 2” diameter tree. Then it clipped half its diameter on not one, but two smaller trees. The entry hole of the second shot was a bit larger than the that of the first shot. Maybe the Raptor had or was opening?
We dined on zebra two nights later and it was very good. Much better than dead cow. It seems that zebra meat is not a favorite for camp meals so the trackers and camp staff divided the meat and took home with them. I was happy to provide support the trackers and camp staff.
Days Nine and Ten We scouted for more zebra and eland tracks. We saw a couple of buffalo that I swear could have passed for Volkswagen busses with feet! Gosh their bodies were huge. On day 10 we followed a single set of eland tracks until it, by the tracks, laid down. The trackers figure that lying still, it probably heard us pursuing it. The tracks leaving the resting spot were of an eland running. With that we called it a great hunt and returned to camp.
Day 10+1 Johnny, Vaughan, the trackers and I rode the Cruiser to Harare stopping to drop off meat to the trackers’ families. Tracker Boniface’s wife was (is) pregnant which caused some concern during my hunt. Nevertheless, Boni soldiered through the hunt. Based on a previous hunt with a less than perfect operator, I bought a solar powered fan with me. I didn’t need it with D&Y, but it was clear that such a luxury would be greatly appreciated by Boni’s wife. My wife would have insisted on this!
Boni and wife
Final notes;
Hunt: Tuskless elephant
Location: Chewore South safari area, Zimbabwe
When: 15 to 24 September 2025
Operator: Dalton and York Safaris
Professional Hunter: Johnny Russell
Trackers: Chiedza, Luke, Boniface
Videographer: Vaughan Vosloo, Untamed Knife Company
My Camera: Nikon Z8 with a 28-400mm F4-8 Lense
The Goal: Tuskless, to be my first elephant
Elephant, the largest land animals on earth. Or, at least the bulls are. Tuskless are predominantly female and thus smaller than males but larger than other species, male or female. A large, old bull elephant will be found by themselves or with a younger askari bull or two. Female or cow elephants gather in herds of females, calves, and young bulls. My elephant would be in a herd of grumpy, hormone enraged temper tantrum, protective cow elephants.
Secondary Goal: Photographs of Africa
I’ve been a hobby photographer for over 40 years. I geared up for this hunt switching with a new silent mirrorless Nikon Z8 camera. During the hunt, I didn’t have as many photo opportunities as I wanted but I captured 1000 stills and a few dozen or more short videos.
Since tuskless elephant are non-exportable, in addition to photographs, my take-home trophy will be the video to be made by Vaughan Vosloo of Untamed Knife Company. During the hunt, Vaughan was always a few steps behind me, “Like a leaf on the wind”. Vaughan reminds me of the actor Alan Tudyk, whose character would say that while piloting the spaceship through meteor fields.
Is that Vaughan Vosloo on the left? "Leaf on the wind"
As for Vaughan, I barely knew he was there but he was always only a couple steps behind me. He also very much assisted Professional Hunter Johnny Russell. Vaughan isn’t a PH but for a half dozen or more years he has accompanied many of the best PH’s filming hunts. Being a pretty sharp young man, he sucked up knowledge like a sponge! About my video, since this was a late season hunt and any business worth their salt will be backed up, the Untamed version of my hunt won’t be available until the holidays. It will be a Merry Christmas present to me and all my Africa Hunting friends!
Traveling I flew to Harare, Zimbabwe via Emirates out of Chicago laying over for 14 hours in Dubai. My wife accompanied me until the plane stopped at Lusaka, Zambia where she departed there to spend time with her family.
Traveling is much easier with a loved one...
The entire trip including driving nearly six hours to Chicago O’Hare airport, flying to Dubai, laying over for 14 hours where we took an airport hotel room, flying to Lusaka, Zambia, then for me, continuing on to Harare, clearing customs with the assistance of the multi-talented Yvonne of Wenhau Africa Safaris, and arriving at Amanzi Lodge in Harare, amanzi.co.zw/ took three days. Raveling via Johannesburg would have been faster and a little less money, but with my wife going to Zambia with four checked “care packages” for her family, flying Emirates made sense. Plus, Emirates has the most comportable seating in economy class.
At 6 AM the next day Professional Hunter Johnny Russell with tracker Chiedza arrived to start our drive to camp in Chewore South safari area. His “Cruiser”, local speak for Toyota Land Cruiser was packed with gear and camp supplies. My hard Pelican and soft cases were carefully added to the load. Then we were on the road. Along the way at rendezvous points we added Vaughan Vosloo of Untamed, and our trackers.
PH Johnny Russell and tracker Chiedza re-packing Cruiser
I enjoyed the 6-hour drive to camp. We left the city of Harare, traveled though flat country, passed through a town or two, meandered up an escarpment over the high country, and winded down the other side. The further we ventured from Harare, the more rural, unimproved everything was. A couple hours from camp we were passing small collections of mud and clay brick huts. The scenery looked much like Africa of many decades ago.
Mud and Clay Brick Huts of Villages
Arriving in camp in early afternoon, we settled into our lodgings, large tents with cement floors and running water. Lunch was served a short time later. A couple hours later found us at the shooting range where I would check my zero and Johnny would check my shooting ability.
The Rifle
With tuskless elephant as my primary game, I bought only one rifle, my Heym 88B double chambered in .458 Winchester Magnum. My carefully prepared handloads were 450 grain Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Solids at 2310 fps. I also bought CEB 420 grain Safari Raptors at 2335 fps for plains game after I had my tuskless. Both loads regulated to 2”, 50-yard groups, and 4” 100 yard groups at home from my standing bench.
50 yard sighting in at Home with 450 Solid and 420 Raptor - Composite groups with Heym 88B .458 Win
After pretty much traveling for four days, checking my zero and PH Johnny Russell checking my shooting ability, I could not get 3” groups at 30 yards! I was so embarrassed! NO PHOTOS of that!!!
As frustrating as that was, 30 yards would be a long shot at a tuskless so I called those groups good enough.
Day One, We scouted for tracks across the half million acres within Chewore South. Johnny drove his Cruiser up and down very steep gullies that American off-roaders would go nuts over. This he repeated many times each day until my hunt was over. Darn tough truck that Cruiser is! During Day One, we tracked a small group of four elephants but nothing exciting happened. There were no tuskless.
Day Two, Our trackers found tracks of six or so elephants in early morning. We followed those for some way. Then, there was a set of young lion tracks following the elephants. That soon changed as the tracks revealed that the elephants were now chasing the lion away. Men walking cannot keep up with elephants “chasing” anything. We abandoned those elephants. Later that day we were on a high ridge where looking down we spotted a young eland bull with two cows. Interesting but my goal was a tuskless elephant. We also saw four zebra later on that same ridge but I wasn’t hunting zebra either, at least not before tuskless.
On the trail between Plan A and Plan B...
Ele in the bush
Day Three We stopped the Cruiser to listen, just listen for elephant. The terrain as heavily forested so we could not see far. Listening revealed that we were perhaps a little more than 100 yards from elephants making snacks out of tree limbs! We started our stalk and found where four or more elephant were eating but a few minutes ago. It seems that where we stopped the cruiser, it was far too close with six people offloading and getting ready for the stalk. The noisier of the six was most probably probably me. So much for me being a ninja.
We slowly followed this group of elephant for an hour, then two hours. On a steep side hill trail paralleling a dry stream twenty yards below, tracker Chiedza stopped. The group of elephants were feeding ahead and above us on the side hill. We studied them for a few minutes. Then they turned and proceeded downhill crossing the trail perpendicularly. One was a very large cow with no visible tusk on its right side. Chiedza and PH Johnny Russell conferred nearly silently then Chiedza slipped back past me. Johnny motioned me forward and communicated that it was probably a tuskless. He set up the shooting sticks and I waited. Suddenly, back up the side hill the elephants were coming back quickly, very quickly! Johnny gave me a look that I perceived to get back, so I did and so did everyone else! I though it was the “Get out of Dodge” kind of signal. But, it was not. I was twenty yards down the trail when I looked back for Johnny. He was standing there wondering what the heck I was doing. Live and learn. My late father would say, “You never make any money on the first try.” The elephants crossed our trail heading uphill. The large cow was huge with no visible tusk on her left side. I don’t know if I’d had a shot at her since shooting a moving elephant even at close range wasn’t anything I’d thought of. Thanks to my misinterpretation of the PH’s instruction, those elephants proceeded to put distance between us and them.
We did however track those elephants for another hour. In total, we had traveled less than two miles but it seemed like many more. Johnny had tracker Luke radio for the Cruiser to meet us where our travels would intersect a road in a half mile or so. We continued on the tracks when Chiedza signaled “stop”. In front of us, 50 yards or less were elephants. The wind was swirling and they were nervous. One even raised her truck straight up like a periscope to sniff the wind. Her truck fingers swiveled from right to left trying to smell anything out of place, like us.
Johnny instructed Chiedza to lead us in a wide circle to where we’d be downwind from those elephants. Once there, Johnny took the lead and motioned me forward. There was a large tuskless in the dark shade of trees. Johnny set the sticks but I would have to step into a pile of dry leaves. Have you ever stepped on a pile of corn flakes? Same noise. I motioned for him to move the sticks to a safer position, which he did but that put me on Johnny’s right side with Johnny in my right-handed shooter’s blind area. I took position on the sticks looking through the Trijicon SRO mounted on my double rifle. The elephant was rotating her head side to side but too fast for me to try a frontal brain shot.
There were leafy branches near her head obscuring my aiming point. Adding to that, through the SRO, what I saw was the dark silhouette of the right side of the elephant’s head. Because of the corn flake leaves surrounding me, Johnny could not move to my right side. Johnny whispered to make my shot at “eye level”. He had previously told me to break the top of the zygomatic arch. I had been thinking of the Z-arch all morning but where the heck was that arch on a dark silhouette of an elephant head? Don’t ask me why but at that moment I thought the arch was 1/3 of the way up. I aimed and squeezed the front trigger so that surprise happened when my trusty Heym generated the reassuring push of recoil against my shoulder and a 450 grain solid hit exactly where I aimed, 1/3 of the way up the ele head! Unfortunately, the arch was ½ way up and the skull later revealed my bullet was less than an inch low from breaking the arch! Nevertheless, my elephant fell over sideways away from me. Johnny instructed, “Put one in her heart/lungs”. I aimed for a second shot but the tall grass obscured all but the top of her shoulder and side of stomach. I hesitated and the elephant started to stand up! Johnny says shoot her shoulder, which I did putting her down once more. “Good shot”, said Johnny but that tuskless certainly did not want to die! As she tried to stand once again, Johnny Russell backed me up with a 600 grain solid from his 500 Jeffery right up her tailpipe. Johnny lead me to the left and told me to shoot her again. I took an offhand shot and drilled her. That elephant was down hard but for insurance Johnny lead me close, said take a knee and shoot her there.
Me and Professional Hunter Johnny Russell with my first elephant
Deep cracks in this old elephant's feet
Me with elephant tail
My trusty Heym in the mighty .458 Winchester Magnum
It turned out that my elephant was not from the group we watched on the side hill an hour before. The original group with the huge tuskless were a quarter mile more distant on the far side my tuskless’s group. Remember when Johnny had the truck called? The first group of elephant moved across the access road when the truck approached them. That group was then gone.
The Work Begins: Skinning
The truck arriving providing the means to call camp requesting skinning reinforcements. Our trackers were pulling off a panel of skin when the camp’s main skinner James and his helpers arrived. I didn’t count but there were probably seven or more people actively working on skinning, quartering, and empting organs from my tuskless. Four hours later the meat, bones, skin panels, and organs were in the truck. There was nothing remaining but the contents of the elephant’s stomach and intestines. Both of which then empty were also on the truck. Nothing would go to waste from my kill.
Skinner James doing his magic!
PH Johnny Russell with 11people skinning my tuskless
Many men loading a "drumstick" on the truck!
Nothing remaining from my elephant accept a pile of goo from the stomach and intestines... Everything except that goo would be used by villagers!
50 to 55 year old Tuskless Elephant
Days later the skull was examined. My elephant was a third of her way through her 7th or last set of teeth. Johnny estimated her age to be 50 to 55 years old. Her age with what I next report on made her a perfect elephant to shoot. My first bullet destroyed the bottom inch of her brain and shattered that portion of the brain housing. I don’t know how far she would have traveled but shooting a couple more times ensured our tracking would be over for the day.
Day Four: Meat Distribution and School
Due to the 95 degree Fahrenheit heat we took the meat to a tribal council office the next day. The council and adjacent village were an hour drive from camp since there are no villages in the safari area. On the way we stopped at a small village of a half dozen small clay brick and mud huts. The inhabitants had next to nothing. Most were tending their fields or caring for babies. The headwoman was available and through a tracker’s interpretation I asked if I could please take photos. She obliged me and when I finished, I wanted to give her a few dollars. Johnny stopped me stating that if I had, a few hours from now on the return we’d be swamped by others wanting to pose for money. On the way back to camp we stopped and I gave the headwoman a couple of $5 bills. That token sum would provide the village supplies they otherwise would not have.
Village
Village Mothers and Children
Village Headwoman
Local Primary School
Johnny took an over hill and dale rough country short cut on the way to the village but James, the head skinner driving the truck with a ton of meat had to drive the longer, smoother route. This shortcut afforded time to stop at the school to donate school supplies. Education in Zimbabwe, like most sub-Saharan African countries is not free nor required by law. Parents must pay tuition for a child to attend. Needless to say that schools funded by tuition from poor villages might be lacking basic supplies. I brought over 175 pencils and extra erasers, pencil sharpeners, and a couple soccer balls, deflated and pumps, and ask Johnny to pick up a couple reams of printer paper. The paper weighs too much to carry from the USA.
Happy school children
Primary School Head Mistress, Teacher, and PH Johnny Russell
This photo is for Johnny's mother!
I thought myself pretty good for bringing so many pencils and a thousand sheets of paper. The school headmistress informed me she has almost 500 students in her grade 1 to 6 primary school. I tried at least. The secondary school next door has only 66 students. If that isn’t something to think about, the children in school are mostly only one per family. After school they must teach their siblings what they learned in school. That’s kind of humbling, at least for me. Secondary school attendance is only 1/8 that of the primary school.
Masoka Campfire Council Office
At the council James and the meat arrived. James and a couple helpers started to cut the meat into approximately 2 kg pieces for distribution. Experience had taught James and Johnny to keep a tall fence between the lines of villages and the meat. If a villager or two cut lines to get their meat first, a riot would start. Better safe than sorry.
Elephant legs on “table”, being prepared for butchering and distribution
Skinner James and Vaughan Vosloo
James leading the butchering meat into 2 kg pieces
Passing the meat over the chain link fence to one villager at a time kept order among them. The meat, bones, and organs were all happily taken by happy villagers. When one has nothing, almost anything is something special.
Meat distribution with “Good order and Discipline!”
These mothers has what may be the only meat her families eat for many months
Vaughan and Johnny admiring a Zimbabwe cruiser restoration project
Campfire Anti-Poaching Ranger with his .303 SMLE
Days Five, Six, and Seven We scouted for zebra, eland, and warthog tracks. We spotted warthogs one morning and went in pursuit. Johnny could not get a clear view to determine if the male as of shooting age. PH Johnny Russell is a very ethical hunter. We were not going to shoot any warthog, or any anything!
We focused on zebra and if we found tracks, eland also. I think we tracked more eland than zebra. I have never hunted eland before. Heck, I thought zebra were skittish. They were nothing compared to the few eland in Chewore South. Johnny mentioned that an eland had not been shot there in 15 years. Now, I know why. The trackers and Johnny saw a flash or two of eland, but not me. We tracked them a couple times but when they headed off the elephant trails across blankets of corn flake leaves, we could not follow quietly.
Young kudu bull
Calf dug a hole to find fresh water
Day Eight We spotted four zebra. Dismounting from the cruiser we saddled up for the stalk. Luck was with us because the zebra very conveniently headed on a path that afforded us a 10’ high ridge between them and us. We crept up the ridge and Chiedza stepped back as Johnny took the sticks and motioned me forward. He set the sticks so my line of sight will just clear the top of the ridge. Johnny whispered that one is a large stallion and to take him. At 55 yards I squeezed off a shot sending a 420 grain, .458” diameter Cutting Edge Safari Raptor to shred the bottom of the zebra’s heart and seemingly vaporize one lung. Of course we would not know that until in the skinning shed. When hit, the stallion dropped and flopped and stood up again. I asked Johnny if I should shoot it again. He replied, “If you want to”. Bam! The zebra was down hard.
My Double Rifle Zebra Stallion
Front row: Tracker Chiedza, me, Tracker Boni
Back row: Tracker Luke, Johnny Russell, Zim Parks Ranger Tico
I don’t know why I didn’t photograph the most interesting part of this. My second shot, the bullet passed through the center of an almost 2” diameter tree. Then it clipped half its diameter on not one, but two smaller trees. The entry hole of the second shot was a bit larger than the that of the first shot. Maybe the Raptor had or was opening?
We dined on zebra two nights later and it was very good. Much better than dead cow. It seems that zebra meat is not a favorite for camp meals so the trackers and camp staff divided the meat and took home with them. I was happy to provide support the trackers and camp staff.
Days Nine and Ten We scouted for more zebra and eland tracks. We saw a couple of buffalo that I swear could have passed for Volkswagen busses with feet! Gosh their bodies were huge. On day 10 we followed a single set of eland tracks until it, by the tracks, laid down. The trackers figure that lying still, it probably heard us pursuing it. The tracks leaving the resting spot were of an eland running. With that we called it a great hunt and returned to camp.
Day 10+1 Johnny, Vaughan, the trackers and I rode the Cruiser to Harare stopping to drop off meat to the trackers’ families. Tracker Boniface’s wife was (is) pregnant which caused some concern during my hunt. Nevertheless, Boni soldiered through the hunt. Based on a previous hunt with a less than perfect operator, I bought a solar powered fan with me. I didn’t need it with D&Y, but it was clear that such a luxury would be greatly appreciated by Boni’s wife. My wife would have insisted on this!
Boni and wife
Final notes;
- For in and out of Harare airport the executive service (expeditor) that I hired via Dalton and York was worth every penny, plus a 20% tip! She is Yvonne of Wenhau Africa Safaris.
- Vaughan was always there for filming, quiet on the trail, and often functioned as an assistant to our professional hunter. Prior to the hunt I wasn’t sure I should spend the money for a video. Now, I plan on Vaughan being with me on my next hunt!
- Everything and I mean everything that Professional Hunter Johnny Russell did or managed was as close to perfect as could be in that area of Africa.
- Johnny knows first aid to the level of most medics/Corpsman. He is prepared for the worst with his Air Ambulance first aid kit!
- Johnny ALWAYS kept be informed of his plan. He also always had a Plan B in case the first plan didn’t work.
- Johnny's integrity and hunting ethics are without question. He is the “salt of the earth”.
- Johnny adapted to me, the client. If I was a little too noisy he reminded me rather than scolding he. He seems to have mastered "setting aside his ego".
- Johnny takes care of his brothers, trackers Chiedza, Luke, and Boni. Having previously hunted elephant with a very questionable PH in western Zim who yelled at his trackers non-stop, it was refreshing to hunt with a PH who holds his trackers in the highest esteem.
- I don’t consider myself as any operator’s “client” if they haven't taken the time to develop a relationship with me. I do however consider Johnny Russell to be my PH and will seek him out for future hunts. I also recommend him without any reservation to all! This young man made my dream hunt perfect!
Attachments
Last edited:
