DAY EIGHT

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Hello Again

We have been hunting fairly hard the past couple of days – starting to build up momentum again. Whilst the captain’s crew has been working the Humani side of the river (south), Rick, Pete and company have spent all their time on Bedford, searching for the monster waterbuck and keeping an eye out for a good kudu or bushbuck. Frustratingly, the waterbuck in question has remained elusive and the plan is to hunt another area tomorrow.

I have spent most of the time with the waterbuck hunters, whilst Ryan Neal has been the journalist on the Captain’s truck. Pete Wood and tracker Rindai have kept Rick and me on the move and we have covered a lot of ground. We have been working a rugged chunk of land close to the Save/Turgwe junction mostly, with a couple of forays up the Turgwe today. The bush is super dense due to the late rains and nowhere is it denser than in the area we have been hunting. It makes it challenging and that is good.

The waterbuck ended up leading us on a merry chase for what eventually amounted to almost 3 full hunting days. This buck resides in a particular area, and as we worked that area over thoroughly, we came across his tracks often. We never did see him again though, since the last sighting on the afternoon of day 6. I guess he didn’t become a monster by being blasé. We spent about 4 hours in a giant jackal berry tree yesterday afternoon, in a location which the bull’s tracks crisscross and which he appears to frequent often. No joy but plenty of discomfort for Rick and me. PH Wood and Rindai seemed to be in their element (natural habitat!). Wood in the woods. Anyway, the ambush was in vain and after a short skirmish about the vicinity this morning we decided to give the buck a break for a couple of days and go walk the Turgwe in search of a kudu or bushbuck, or giant waterbuck bull….

The walk yielded no trophies but we saw a fair amount of game and almost took a kudu bull once again. As was the first bull we turned down, this bull was about 53 or 54 inches. It was a difficult decision to make, but we still have a week’s hunting time remaining and are holding out for something bigger. The kudu are in rut at the moment and the bull we got the drop on was a most impressive specimen – in his prime with wide-splayed horns and a heavily engorged neck. He was feeding off some scrub not forty yards from us – senses dulled and defenses lowered because of girls on the brain. Many of us know what that’s all about, right? It was very tempting but temptation was resisted and after a few minutes enjoying the spectacle, the bull noticed our presence and disappeared into the bush, barking loudly as he went. Rick gave a wry smile. Heading back to camp at lunchtime, we came across a 35 pound lone elephant bull and got some good footage and pictures. I have not yet downloaded the elephant pictures but will post them soon.

We saw two more kudu bulls this afternoon, but both were smaller than the one seen this morning. We also spotted a couple of bushbuck rams but one had a broken horn and the other was a spiky. Other game seen included nyala cows and a magnificent bull, waterbuck cows and young bulls, several female bushbuck, and the usual wildebeest, zebra, impala and kudu cows. Driving slowly through Bedford this evening, we came upon a herd of approximately 80 buffalo, wallowing in a pan close to the roadside.

Captain Bob, Lymon and Guy have turned also turned down kudu bulls – a few more than us actually. As they tell it, most have been between 50 and 53 inches. By turning down these bulls we are not trying to suggest that a 52/53/54 inch kudu is not good enough. No way – a 50 inch kudu is a fine bull and we all know that. The thing is that the Captain and Rick are only after a few select plainsgame trophies and we are all striving to get them the best trophies possible. As stated, we have time. We don’t want to leave things too late, but believe that there is still no need to rush events. Essentially, we have 2 kudu, 1 bushbuck, 1 waterbuck and 1 warthog to account for, and we have one week to achieve this.

This morning, Lymon and Guy took the Captain to a very special gomo (kopje) on Humani known as Chifanurgwe. This kopje is the highest on Humani and is held dear by the Whittall family for a number of reasons. When James Whittall (Roger’s father) passed away, the entire Whittall clan (dozens of them) ascended this kopje to honor that man. Walking around the base of the Chifanurgwe, the hunters came across a large kudu bull with a most impressive rank. Captain Bob turned that kudu down, not his PH’s. Everyone was somewhat confused as it was pointed out to the Captain that the bull was a fine specimen – probably the best seen so far. I guess the Captain has his own reasons for turning that bull down. He did mention to me this evening that it was eerily quiet around Chifanurgwe Kopje…..

From Chifanurgwe, the Captain’s crew drove to the Jurus plains to seek out a zebra for their skipper. Bumbling around the acacia sprinkled grasslands for a while, it was not long before the hunters bumped into a small herd of zebra and initiated a stalk. The stalk became prolonged as the wind was jinxing about a bit and the zebra were on the move, alerted to the presence of pursuers. Eventually the Captain took a very long shot at a stallion – about 200 yards. The stallion raced off over the open ground and collapsed stone dead after about 30 yards. It was a great shot and all present were suitably impressed.

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When I joined this hunt on the second day, I signed up as the number two cameraman. Grateful thanks to the Captain and Rick who have since elevated my status to hunting journal writer/producer. Now I am truly in my element….

I hope you are all having a good day

Dave