Jack Brittingham's 2003 African Hunt
Field Report #6 - July 16, 2003
Buffalo, Cats, Hippos, And more...
Hello Everybody,
Here is the latest information on my trip. I have had some difficulty with the Sat-phone, so am a little behind. I now think I have the problem corrected and will be able to send regular reports from now to the end of the trip.
The two last days at the Mbono Camp were good ones even though I had shot most of the animals on my license for that area. I went with Ray Murski one of the mornings and he got a nice buffalo which I videoed. It was a good hunt with Ray making a fine shot at about sixty yards.We had picked up the tracks of a sizable herd early in the morning, and followed them for about two hours before coming into contact with them. It was difficult to pick out the oldest bull and get a clear shot at him. The bull was quartering towards, and Ray hit him right on the point of the shoulder. The old buffalo bull only went about 100 yards before going down. He was about fifteen years old and had a 37 inch spread; just the kind of bull that usually causes lots of trouble.
In the afternoon I went out to look for a Thompson's Gazelle. We saw many and finally found a mature ram that had 12 1/2 inch horns. They are not very challenging to hunt but are excellent eating, and that was my main reason for shooting him. The shot was 140 yards and I shot him from a sitting position.
Later, as we were walking to get to a plain in hopes of finding some eland, we bumped into a Serval Cat. He saw us at the same time as we saw him and ducked into some tall grass. We moved up until we saw him sneaking away. Doug set up the sticks while I chambered a solid in the 375. I took a shot as he began to disappear behind a tree, and hit him low in the chest. He ran and so did we. After about fifty yards I saw him again running straight away at about forty yards. I threw the rifle up and caught him in the neck, killing him instantly. He was really beautiful, and was an old male weighing about 18 pounds. I am going to have him mounted life-size chasing a sand grouse. It should make an interesting mount.
We had a morning hunt yesterday that stretched into the afternoon when we spotted, and began stalking a huge herd of eland. We had to go about a half mile around the herd to get the wind and then had to crawl and sneak for better than an hour to finally get into position to take a shot at the best bull we could see. It was a 150 yard shot and I put it right on the point of the shoulder. It hit where I wanted it to and the bull took off running with the herd. I expected him to go down in sight but they got into the trees pretty quickly. With all the other animals it was impossible to track him, so we walked grids in the tall grass trying to locate the bull.
After two hours of searching we had to give up as the plane was due in to get us within an hour. Another team was sent from camp to try and locate him as we were leaving. I should hear something in the next day or two as to what they were able to find. It was a shame not to be able to find him right away but it was a situation that could not be helped. As good as they are to eat, I hate the thought of so much meat going to waste but, as you know, nothing is wasted in Africa. All the predators and scavengers will think Christmas came early if they find the bull before we do.
Today, we changed camps to a location about 180 miles southwest on the Ugalla River. From this camp we will be concentrating on Leopard, Hippo, Lion, Crocodile, Kudu, Sable, and I would like to find another buffalo. This afternoon I shot a hippo from one of the pools about a mile from camp. It was interesting as we tried to locate a solitary bull and judge him strictly by the appearance of his head. I don't think I will be qualified to make such a determination on my own for quite some time. At any rate we were able to find a suitable bull and I made a brain shot at about sixty yards. The bull just rolled over in the water. We will recover him in the morning, and I can't wait to see him! I will send a photo with the next installment.
Take care,
Jack
Next: Ugalla River Camp