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Apparently I've exceeded single-post bandwidth limits again. Here's a pic of the big jumbo properly displayed: ![[Linked Image]](http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb332/DocDarkside/Elephant%20Bulls%208_zps1yplweim.jpg) If you look closely, you'll notice significant differences between this bull and the little guys I posted about earlier. For one thing, longer tusks (40-pound class, John told me). For another, look how thick the base of his trunk is. This elephant is over 14 feet tall, to give some scale. His trunk was close to 4 feet in diameter, I would estimate. An elephant that big could roll up a Toyota Land Cruiser like an empty can of Bud Lite.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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Cool beans Doc!!  The poaching thing got my attention. The last Working Dog Consult I did was for Conservation Dogs...they wanted advice on training them to track poachers in Zambia. Since I have a good background in K9 tracking for bad guys, and good knowledge of what takes place in the bush...I seem to be uniquely qualified. It was an interesting session, and I hope the dog folks got enough out of it to keep most dogs/handlers alive. Here is a dog from my program the Conservation people snapped up, he is not a tracker, but a scent dog, trained to work road check points for Ivory, Rhino horn, and any type of weaponry. He is kicking ass finding guns mostly, has two armed guards 24/7 and a price on his head. Because of the complicit nature of it all,I had to tell the folks involved to never let even the handler know where and when the checkpoints would be set. Your post reminded me of that. ![[Linked Image]](http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss45/thmsbrownlee/P1010636_zps261a2ac9.jpg)
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Awesome, Poobs!
Yes, dogs are a big part of the good work being done there. John and I had a good laugh at the campfire one night as I described to him my "close encounter" with Arrow, the Belgian Malinois I shared a long night's stakeout with back in my SWAT days. He says they use Mals exclusively for enforcement purposes in the BVC.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
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Great Great read! Thank you for sharing you story and the photos. Damn what a hunt. Congratulations on a true adventure!
OBTW San Angelo is my home town, still have some family there and I go back several times a year! Baker
Last edited by Elkhunter49; 09/08/15.
A true friend is someone who reaches for your
hand but touches your heart !!!
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Campfire Oracle
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Yeah the ones we just sent over were a German Shepherd/Dutch Shepherd cross.High drive man-eaters with a bit more coat than a Mal- requested because the tsetse already killed one short coated dog with Tryps, and it seems the longer coats are harder to get through.
Anyway,back to YOUR story!
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Great story, Doc. When I was there with Dawna the patrols had just caught a poacher and they had him sitting on the ground, hands tied behind his back. He was unarmed, so he lived....
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
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It seems there is a difference in the writing of a person who is an experienced, or veteran hunter of Africa, and the person who is experiencing Africa for the first time.
What makes your account of this safari so enjoyable for me to read, is that you seemed to be taking in all the details that I might have noticed, having never been there myself.
Not that I do not enjoy reading stories from PH types and veterans of several african safaris, but the connection for me has to do with your enjoyment of watching the young elephant's interaction with one another.
Great story, well written. I have enjoyed it very much.
"The number one problem with America is, a whole lot of people need shot, and nobody is shooting them."
-Master Chief Hershel Davis
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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Joel, you got that right! Nothing like seeing it the first time, and Doc has the talent to put it into words....
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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All I can muster is a "Wow"......awesome story and pics Doc.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joel, I confess I made a conscious decision prior to leaving for Zim to chronicle my experiences on a daily basis. I took my laptop and spent a lot of time tapping at the keyboard every day, trying to preserve the experience while it was still fresh in my mind. And I also had a notepad with me every day, so I could jot down random thoughts as they occurred to me during the hunt.
It helps to have a camera on you at all times, and to remember to take photos of everything.
As I said earlier, my only real regret is that I didn't spring for a videographer. I hadn't realized just how much detail I COULD have had footage of, stuff that you never would imagine happening. If there'd been video footage of the big elephant standoff, or the rhino charge at the end of that buffalo stalk, what a thing that would have been!!! Not to mention the events immediately after I shot my buffalo... John and Isaac were shouting and laughing in amazement when the second buff gored and tossed my bull, because it's such a rare event that neither of them has ever seen it! If I could have had that on video, it would have been amazing.
Note to all other prospective hunters: hire the videographer. You'll regret it if you don't.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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Damn Doc you could be a writer, very eloquent,makes me feel as if I was right alongside of you! Great pictures and story can't wait for the next chapter
My dog is a member of the "Turd Like Clan"
Covert Trail Cameras are JUNK
3 Time Dinkathon Champion #DinkGOAT
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Just an excellent read and formatted to be a very polished piece here DR, thank you for sharing.  You are certainly putting the reader "there", which is always the hallmark of a good outdoor writer. Couple of questions if you don't mind. How did your body adapt to the local food and water? What did you bring that you did not use (and wouldn't take along next time)? And conversely, besides the videographer, anything else you wished to have packed into your gear bags? ...the second buff gored and tossed my bull, because it's such a rare event that neither of them has ever seen it! If I could have had that on video, it would have been amazing.
Did they give a reason or venture a guess as to that behavior? Thanks!
Epstein didn't kill himself.
"Play Cinnamon Girl you Sonuvabitch!"
Biden didn't win the election.
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Your a dam fine story teller! Africa was a dream of mine, but I know now ill only be able to live it, thu, posts like this one! keep it going, for us that will never be able to make the trip!
Deer Camp! about as good as it gets!
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Campfire Ranger
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This could be the #1 safari write up in Campfire History. Good work, Doc. I can't tell how it makes my Africa Jones act up. Your recount takes me right there. Buffalo hunting is really a favorite of mine. Track, stalk, spot, walk-walk-walk. You earn a good bull and you earned that one. Fantastic! I think we could make this a little better if we were all gathered around this bar with a cold one in hand listening to days events. What do you think? ![[Linked Image]](http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb332/DocDarkside/Chamalaya%20Dining%20Room_zpscexbv9sk.jpg)
"The Democrat Party looks like Titanic survivors. Partying and celebrating one moment, and huddled in lifeboats freezing the next". Hatari 2017
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Han Solo
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Campfire Outfitter
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Great story Doc...thanks for sharing...
Bob
If you can not deal with reality, reality will deal with you....
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Just an excellent read and formatted to be a very polished piece here DR, thank you for sharing. You are certainly putting the reader "there", which is always the hallmark of a good outdoor writer. Couple of questions if you don't mind. How did your body adapt to the local food and water? What did you bring that you did not use (and wouldn't take along next time)? And conversely, besides the videographer, anything else you wished to have packed into your gear bags? ...the second buff gored and tossed my bull, because it's such a rare event that neither of them has ever seen it! If I could have had that on video, it would have been amazing.
Did they give a reason or venture a guess as to that behavior? Thanks! Thanks, add... I didn't have any problems with food/water. It was all very clean, and other than my intense dislike for curry, I don't have any fussy's. I used pretty much everything I packed, and I packed only stuff that veteran hunters agreed needs to come along. As for anything I wish I'd brought... I really need a better camera. The little Kodak point-and-shoot I brought is old and has seen better days. I'd bring one with a slightly better zoom than my current camera. As for the buff behavior, the goring, etc... we surmised that the bull I killed was the dominant one of that herd of dagga boys, and the next guy in line saw that his nemesis was vulnerable and so took his opportunity to do his best to finish the old boy off. But that's speculation, of course.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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hatari... I think my best decision on this trip was to hunt alone. Just me, one to one with my PH. It was also my worst decision. I missed having good friends to sit with back at camp at the end of each day. It would've been awesome to have some of you guys there to sip a sundowner with each evening, to share pics and stories with.
My favorite hunting camp of all time is the one I share almost every fall with a bunch of 24HCF members out in Wyoming, hosted by eh76. It's the end-of-day comraderie. It would've been nice to have that on this trip. And I have to say that I missed two people very, very much while I was in Africa: The Redhead, and my youngest daughter. It would have been wonderful to have them there to share this trip with.
However, if they or any of y'all had been there, social obligations would have interfered with writing, and I wouldn't have got my daily diary entries down as I did, and this hunting story/travelogue would never have come about. So there's that side to it.
Bottom line, it happened the way it happened, and the way it was supposed to have happened.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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Campfire Ranger
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A couple of folks have asked about the boots I was wearing on this hunt. They are Courteneys, made in Zimbabwe but available here in America. My PH has been a spokesmodel for these boots for years, which, if you know John Sharp, says a helluva lot. John is the real deal and he will endorse nothing if he isn't satisfied that it's the best product you can get. Now, sometimes that means he's a bit slow to accept new stuff (like TSX bullets, f'rinstance), but that's small beer.
I bought my Courteneys about 6 weeks before my hunt, on the internet. They sent along a great pair of arch supports that they said would bring their European size more in line with my American size 11 feet, and the combination was superb for comfort and support. I did a lot of walking in these boots prior to my hunt to make sure they fit and were well broken-in, but truthfully they needed very little breaking to fit me perfectly. The boots are VERY quiet in the bush, BTW, something you absolutely MUST have when stalking buffalo.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
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Have heard that about Courteneys...my pard bought and wore some on our trip and said they were by far the most comfortable footwear ever...
"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 21,694 |
Joel, I confess I made a conscious decision prior to leaving for Zim to chronicle my experiences on a daily basis. I took my laptop and spent a lot of time tapping at the keyboard every day, trying to preserve the experience while it was still fresh in my mind. And I also had a notepad with me every day, so I could jot down random thoughts as they occurred to me during the hunt.
It helps to have a camera on you at all times, and to remember to take photos of everything.
As I said earlier, my only real regret is that I didn't spring for a videographer. I hadn't realized just how much detail I COULD have had footage of, stuff that you never would imagine happening. If there'd been video footage of the big elephant standoff, or the rhino charge at the end of that buffalo stalk, what a thing that would have been!!! Not to mention the events immediately after I shot my buffalo... John and Isaac were shouting and laughing in amazement when the second buff gored and tossed my bull, because it's such a rare event that neither of them has ever seen it! If I could have had that on video, it would have been amazing.
Note to all other prospective hunters: hire the videographer. You'll regret it if you don't. Wise move, my friend.
"The number one problem with America is, a whole lot of people need shot, and nobody is shooting them."
-Master Chief Hershel Davis
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![[Linked Image]](http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/DocDarkside/media/Elephant%20Bulls%208_zps1yplweim.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://s560.photobucket.com/user/thmsbrownlee/media/P1010636_zps261a2ac9.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/DocDarkside/media/Chamalaya%20Dining%20Room_zpscexbv9sk.jpg.html)