The setting sun blazed through the Zimbabwean bush like a forest fire, hot yellow, orange, and red in the sweltering evening that gathered over the bush camp. The kopjes along the bush camp rose like giant blunt granite teeth, framed against the darkening sky.
Several dusty lapas circled a beaten area shaded by a grove of old musasa trees, their branches spreading like emerald umbrellas over the safari camp. A thread of smoke from a camp fire twisted up through the cover, carrying with it the tantalizing scent of burning mopane wood and roasting impala.
In the shade of the central tree, a lone figure, a man tough as old boot leather, was crouched over the fire stoking it with a stick. Upon my approach he looked up expectantly and uttered with a smile that extended to his eyes, "Are you ready to kill a cat?"
The entire night was spent tracking a mature and extremely crafty Tom. By the next morning, Ingwe's luck had run out.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/leopard.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/leopard3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/leopard2.jpg)
FOs, a couple of things...
1st: I want to welcome you back home! :thumb2:
2nd: Glad you had a great time/hunt! :congrats:
3rd: That's the worse case of pudytat measles I've ever seen. :huh:
:biggrin: :congrats: on the cat
Geez, that was some description :laf: I had to read it twice cause the first time I got swept away. :congrats:
Thats cat is just awesome :yoyo: Wow! Nice, very nice!
Wow! I'm with Jim on that one. I thought I was reading a magazine. I don't know what to say other than you are one lucky man. You are getting to hunt things we can only dream about. Great job. :congrats:
Very nice! Congrats on the cat. Nice write up too. I'll bet hunting big cats in the dark can get the 'ol heart to thumpin'. ;yes;
Good to have you back. Great write up, I'm anxious to hear more about the big adventure you shared with your son.
Pat
Wow! What a cat! Yes, give us more details of that hunt, the tracking, etc.
What an Entrance!!! :highclap:
Welcome back Fos, and congrats on a beautiful Tom! He sure will make a nice rug. Can't wait to hear all the adventures.
Dave
Wow! That's awesome!! More pictures and stories please!
Jim
Congrats on a nice cat looks like you had a great time. :yoyo:
QuoteWow! That's awesome!! More pictures and stories please!
+ 1
Welcome Back FOs!! Congratulations on a beautiful cat!!
Much obliged everyone.
Made it back home Saturday afternoon..... with jet lag, need for sleep and a handful or work related issues needing attention, you'll understand it'll be a few days before I can sort through the additional pictures from our trip. Son and I hunted both RSA and Zim.
In short, the leopard hunt was scheduled for 10 days in Zimbabwe. PH and I were sweating it as we had absolutely NO luck until approx. 11pm on day seven.
We cut his track, and the pursuit was on. Not able to catch up and close the gap until sunrise. A little after 9am we had him treed. A shot wasn't presentable as several branches in the way of his vitals. Missed him completely!
Fortunately he stayed in the tree, and stood up and moved a little further out on the limb. Only shot I had was his neck.... and it was obvious he was contemplating a run for it.
.308 Win shooting Federal HE 180gr. NP hit him in the neck, and exited his cranium. Dead before he hit the ground. Taxidermist will have a challenge gluing the rear portion of his skull back together.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0439.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0440.jpg)
WOW thats awesome!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
sounds like a hunt of a lifetime fos. Nice looking kitty as well.
I think I'd be sweating it out on day 7 too. Especially with that thing looking down on me. :whew:
You must be saving the skull? Cause the taxidermist wont need it to mount the cat.
Yes, hoping to salvage the skull in order to display it in my curio cabinet.
Glad you had a safe trip and a GREAT hunt. :yoyo: :yoyo: Awesome looking cat!!!
Great story and pictures! Kudos to you and glad you had such a good trip. That's the stuff dreams are made of. :congrats: :congrats:
I can't wait for the rest of the stories to come popping up on the screen here!! :biggrin: :biggrin:
Hey Fos what did that thing weight? He looks awfull big.
Welcome back Fos. I was wondering how you two made out over there, and am glad to see this post.
You cut his track at 11pm on day 7 - gotta tell us about that, how do you go about looking for sign at that time? - must've been an exciting hunt.
Can't wait to hear more on your entire trip.
BTW, with that skull your cabinet has evolved to a furio cabinet
No scale in camp, so we can only make a guesstimate of 160lbs plus/minus a few pounds.
PH and his tracker stated the tracks and stride left by this cat was a little bigger and longer than any other cats they've hunted thus far. To say they were extremely excited while after this cat would be an understatement.
This cat brings their record to 62 and 100% success rate. They've taken a few cats that weighed an honest 180+
My cat had alot of loose skin. Game density has taken a hit the past couple years due to increased poaching. Hyena's and wild dogs have been putting a hurt on the game as well.
Based on the amount of loose skin, my PH stated he was confident if this cat had been eating properly, he would likely tip the scale in the 180 mark.
We attempted to call in hyena's with hand calls one night (I brought some of HuntnCarves hand calls to Africa :biggrin: ). They came in..... but hung up in the thick mopane brush. Couldn't get a shot unfortunately. Having them respond to the calls, and come in with their eery whoops and "laughs" was creepy and unsettling!
We hunted with hounds.
Initially we scout out the various "roads" that the guys created by burning brush and grass. The area is quite sandy and rocky.
Once a fresh track of a suitable male is found, we decide where to hang baits close by for him to find. Then, we go kill some Impala for bait. I also killed a Zebra, which made 6 baits.
Once hung, we get up at 3am each morning to go check baits. A tracker sits on the bonnet while we drive to the bait sights, as he can spot tracks in the sandy road on the way.
If we find a bait that has been fed on, and the tracks are of a mature Tom, we turn loose the hound. When she gets hot on the leopards trail, then the other hounds are released.
Unfortunately, we had no mature male leopards hit our baits!
On day 7 it was decided to work around the clock. That night while driving along a sandy stretch by a large kopje, the tracker spotted a track. We stopped, jumped out and followed it to see where it lead. Dogs were put on the track..... but Mr. Spots was always allusive and a few steps ahead.
I think the hound was nervous and uncomfortable tracking the cat at night as she appeared hesitant and uncooperative. With the aid of flash lights, the PH and trackers managed to keep us on the leopards spoor. When daylight arrived (a bit after 6am) you could discern a noticeable difference in the scent hounds "attitude" as she gained her confidence and began to eagerly track the leopard. A few minutes after 9am the rest of the pack was released.
The Tom climbed several trees, and went up a couple kopje's to elude the dogs.... and finally climbed a large musasa tree. His luck ran out shortly after. :biggrin:
Here's some pictures to give you an idea of the type of terrain we hunted in:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0414.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0416.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0417.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0418.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0419.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0421.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0428.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0430.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0484.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0489.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0490.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0491.jpg)
WOW!!! That is some beautiful country thanks for sharing your pictures and storys with us. :highclap:
That's a far sight more rugged than they show on TV!! And waaaay more beautiful!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
They let you shoot a Zebra for bait? :huh: Holy crap.
I hope you kept the hide.
A few pictures of the animals taken during our hunts.
Cape Kudu June 18th Tarkastad Mountains RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0215-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0223-1.jpg)
Cape Bushbuck June 21st Bedford RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0279.jpg)
Blesbok June 21st Adelaide RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0287.jpg)
Common Reedbuck June 22nd Kokstad RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0300.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0316.jpg)
Greater Kudu June 23rd Umkomaas RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0321.jpg)
Nyala June 24th Umkomaas RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0349.jpg)
Red Lechwe June16 Baviaans RSA
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/P1010953.jpg)
Warthog June 28th Ladi Zimbabwe
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0408.jpg)
That is one happy looking young man! :biggrin: :biggrin: You're going to have to ID those critters FOs, we don't see many of them around here. :eyebrownod: :eyebrownod:
Pat
Thank you.
Dang, Fos, a lot of that country looks like lion country in Arizona, or I should say pictures I have seen of it. That is a real pile of critters. The warthog wins the ugly contest; the prettiest animal will be harder to pick. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Thanks for sharing FOs & Aaron!! Those are some darn nice critters you fellas harvested!! Congratulations on all of them!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
Were all of those trophies taken with the 7X57 and .308?
Pat
Nice!...very nice. :yoyo:
I was expecting a Zula too though :laf:
:yoyo: :congrats: AWESOME story and photos, FOs! Congrats on a very succesful trip!
Really enjoyed looking at all those pics! Looks like 250 Sav had an awesome time. Did he shoot that warthog?
Wow, that would be quite the trip !!
Congrats ! :congrats: :congrats:
Wow! That's quite the trip. Do you have to have a tag, etc. for each of those? Or can you shoot what you want when you want?
You might want to hide your taxidermy bill from SWMBO. :laf:
fos, glad you could do this with your son . congrats on all the critter and the cat is a dream for most but i think your best trophy there is the smiles on the boys face .
Proud to say i know you buddyboy
Quote from: coyote101 on July 12, 2011, 07:37:52 PM
Were all of those trophies taken with the 7X57 and .308?
Yes.
I used my Kimber 84M Classic .308 shooting Federal HE 180gr. Nosler Partitions.
Leopard, Red Lechwe, Greater Kudu, Nyala, and Warthog.
I also shot a handful of Impala for bait, as well as a Zebra mare. I retained the hide for a rug.
250Savage used his Winchester M70 XTR Featherweight 7x57mm Mauser with hand-loaded 175gr. Nosler Partitions.
Cape Kudu, Common Reedbuck, Bushbuck, and Blesbok.
He had an opportunity to shoot Mtn. Reedbuck..... but developed "buck fever". In fact, on several animals we put him in front of the first few days..... he couldn't move his trigger finger. He was shaking pretty bad! :eyebrownod:
He shot a duiker (extremely small antelope) through the ear! Damn thing rolled around for a few seconds, then jumped up and ran for the mountains! We both lobbed some lead after him, but he was much too fast and small for us off hand at distance!
Quote from: George Ackley on July 13, 2011, 07:48:10 AM
i think your best trophy there is the smiles on the boys face .
You're right!
Great write up and amazing photos Fos. Glad that you made it back home safely. The smile on your boys face assures me that you both had a great time, and will remember the trip forever.
John
Wow!! What an adventure!!
Jim
Nice cat and hog!!!!!!!!!! And did I meantion that's one lucky kid to enjoy these opportunities, and a nice job he is doing at enjoying them. :biggrin:
AWESOME!!! :yoyo: :yoyo: Congrats to you both!
Quote from: Yotehntr on July 15, 2011, 09:14:47 AM
AWESOME!!! :yoyo: :yoyo: Congrats to you both!
:confused: Man I really thought you were gonna say "Look at all those calls!!" :laf: :laf:
A few more pictures of the terrain we hunted in RSA:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0166.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0167.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0168.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0169.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0170.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0180.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0184.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0191.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0187.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0240.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0244.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0256.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0329.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0328.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0330.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0365.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0368.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0369.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0370.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0374.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0375.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/IMG_0379.jpg)
Great pictures FOs. :highclap: :highclap: Beautiful country indeed. I must have watched too many Tarzan movies as a kid because whenever I hear "Africa" my mind defaults to jungle.
Pat
Long into his adulthood Aaron will look back and realize what fabulous experience he was able to live out with his father. Hopefully he'll have a few more safaris under his belt. But the first one will obviously be the most special! The smile on his face shows that he was touched by Africa. All I can say is "Way to go!" And "Thanks" for taking us along and sharing your adventures.
Dave
Great sets of pics fos. Sounds and looked like a great trip.
WOW, WOW. Congrats to both of you. What an awesome hunt !! Thanks for sharing the pics and stories. :yoyo: :yoyo:
Wow, those pics of the horizon are so cool looking, they almost look fake. Beautiful country for sure. :congrats:
Thats a pretty cool looking hunting cabin. A floor and a roof, with a tent in it. Whay didnt I think of that? And those bed rooms are nicer then mine! :doh2:
What's the round hut all about? It looks so nice inside it's like...what the?
I think I inadvertently set the camera to "miniature effect" on a couple of pictures. :laf:
The round "huts" with the thatched roofs are called lapas. Pretty common throughout southern Africa.
250Savage and I lived in one during our Zimbabwe Safari.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/Leopard_2011/IMG_0424.jpg)
Those are really cool, and crazy interesting. What are they made of? What's the roof material?
I tried Googling them, but didnt get anywhere.
Made out of some type of reed/grass. The underside has a wooden framework.
(http://www.thelapacompany.co.uk/images/lapa15.jpg)
I was told that the thatch can last 25 years before needing to be replaced.
Thats amazing you know that? Them Zula Monkeys are smarter then we give them credit for. :alscalls:
By the looks of that last pic, there's some well designed engineering going on to. :eyebrownod:
It's predominately the white Africans that have lapas (as outdoor entertainment areas, and guest cottages). The black Africans from what I've observed in Namibia, RSA, and Zimbabwe are lazy and live for today.
Their "homes" were typically devoid of windows and doors (as they sell the metal frames for beer $ and burn the wood for heat) and mostly had scrounged up pieces of tin or other metal used for their roofs..... with rocks and/or tires to keep the wind from blowing their roofs away! :laf:
Wow, that must be a long line of hereditary :alscalls:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/southafricacamp2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/village1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/Queenstown1-104.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/laundry.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/FOsteology/RSA_2011/Queenstown1-109.jpg)
Wow :nono: Thats freekin amazing. What a way of life. And the children growing up in that pick it up and continue the trend.
I was going to ask if these places were mixed in or if they had their own communities. Kinda like a the bad side of town.
It's looks like there some decent buildings in the background of the second pic.
Do the have power in those shacks. I wonder how they run it if they do.
Thanks for all the wonderful pictures. You guys really had a great adventure!! Thanks for sharinf it with us!!
Jim
Awesome! Fosteology congrats again memories with your son are priceless!
Awesome hunt, story , and pictures !!!
Fos,
I sure have enjoyed catching up on your son and your hunt. It sure was a special time for both of you.
Jerry