Someone made it back from africa
- Thread starter TLC
- Start date
WV Hunter
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- Joined
- Oct 6, 2009
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Tom in Tennessee I presume. Spectacular!
the nikster
Well-known member
Nice trophy Tom, Looks like ya might have a hole in yer pants.
I leave today for NYC to catch my flight out to Africa.Going to shoot my bow once more then pack it up and double check my packing list.I won't be after anything as big as elephant,but it should be fun.Love to hear the story of that kill when I get back
since he may be a lil busy, here's the rest of the story from TiT.
Arrived in Maun Botswana on May 1 and was met by my PH Jay Leyendecker and his guy Vera. After lunch, we made the four hour drive to Masame Safari Camp located in concession Block NG42. The concession is approximately 500,00 acres, roughly 75 Km straight line from North to South and bordered by Chobe NP on North and NXia Pan NP on the South. Other similar sized concessions bordered on East and West----no fences , just a cut line for boundaries. Truly wild Africa---no native villages in concession.The camp was well staffed, organized and managed. The staff assembled and sang greetings to the new hunter with wishes for success. We saw at least 50 Steinbok on way in, one Ele Bull estimated at high 30’s, low 40’s and my first ever Wild Dogs.
The area is in severe drought---worst in 15 or so years according to couple of other PH’s in camp. One has already conducted two hunts and says they are seeing nowhere near the number of Eles normally seen this time of year...more like late July. The strategy will be to drive first to one of the three pans out in the area that have water (pumped) and look for tracks to follow or if an ele is present, evaluate, let him walk off, then track him if a shooter. No shooting anywhere near pans. In this dry country it would be like hunting over bait.
On the first day, we drive around an hour and a half, no interesting tracks in two track sand road that basically uses and old ele trek path as part of it and stop short at Baobab Pan. Vera taps on roof meaning something is at pan. Rapulu, assigned camp staff tracker and Nora, Gov Game Scout are with Jay and I. We ease out of truck, chamber rounds (Jay shoots a bolt action .500 Jeffries with 570 gr solids) and ease thru Mopane shrub. A shooter size Bull Ele is drinking. Two huge Cape Buffalo are standing out in the water drinking and one at edge. We are about 35 yds from the Bull and 25 yds from the Buffalo. Jay looks him over and says “Mid-50’s one side, high 40’s, low 50’s on other. He is a shooter if you want him”. Had it been 60’s instead of 50’s, my hunt would have perhaps been over rather quickly assuming we could catch him after he left water. I said “No way! First of 12 days. We must hunt and see what we can find.” Jay liked the response, Dumb Nora then sees the third Buffalo and in a stage whisper excitedly says “there’s another Buffalo” which spooked the Buffalo who then ran out of the pan which spooked the Bull Ele who walked off briskly. We walk back to truck and Jay decides to call PH Gary McKenzie on radio since he’s been on the concession four weeks. Gary advises we better think twice about passing----it has been a tough go. Jay and I talk about it and decide to try to catch up and do a really careful evaluation and rethink our decision. After a 2 1/2 trek in the sun over the sandy soil that makes you feel like every step is one and a half steps, we lose the track....he was headed toward NXia Pan NP and we were within a couple of clicks of it when we quit him. Vera pointed easterly and said “Road close”. We walked 30 minutes to the road, found one tree with a little shade and sat down while Vera and Rapulu went to retrieve truck carrying my .416Rigby. Took them almost 30 minutes to get back to us. We put 130km on the crew cab Land Rover and see no more Ele’s that day.
We usually swapped areas with Gary and his client daily after that----one would hunt south and the other north then switch.
Day 2, 12 Bulls –no shooters. Also saw my first ever Roan---three running together. Thicker bodied than I thought. Nora, thank God, has been rotated back to office and new game scout Emdee joins us----he is a Fisheries guy on his first hunt....
Day 3, Zero Elephants, two hyena , always see several Giraffe and Steinbok and we see my first ever Honey Badger on way in. Three Gemsbok.
Day 4, Lioness visited skinning shed last night. See 7 Bulls, 4 Cows and two calves. Big Male Leopard comes to Butterfly Pan around 5:00 and hangs out for 30 minutes or so---way cool! Also saw one eland and another Roan.
Day 5, Ele’s visit pan at Camp over night....about 100 yds away. They splash and play and trumpet and their “rumblings” are quite audible. Check the tracks at first light....none big enough to follow. Head back South and stop at pan about 3km from camp....find three Bull tracks , one of size enough to be interesting, follow for a couple of hours and they turn so wind is from us to them, Game over. Back to truck. On to Baobab pan where three more sets of tracks are found, one quite big. Vera and Rapulu set out. Three hours later they radio, “Caught them. Two small one with 60lbs but broken off at lip line on other side”. Damn! See 5 Bulls total for day, another leopard just before dark on way in and the biggest by tusk length Wart Hog I have ever seen. We radio Maun the next day to verify there is no Wart Hog on quota.
Day 6, Ele’s play in Camp Pan again last night. Huge male Lion tracks in road about a click from camp. Go straight to 19 Pan. Find Bull Tracks. The guys follow for over three hours before catching—too small. Go to Butterfly Pan. Three Bulls,all too small. Around 4:30, we leave pan and then drive over to tall tree a little over a click from pan. Vera climbs and spots five Bulls slowly making their way to water. We chamber a round and take off. Catch them in about 30 minutes in thick Mopane. Play with them for another 30 minutes to get all five sorted out—too small. One senses something is there but doesn’t see or smell us but gets a little cheeky at 20 yds.
Day 7, Straight to 19 pan again. Vera and Rapulu follow tracks for over three hours, another 30 minutes to sort out in thick bush---all too small.
Day 8, Back to Baobab Pan. Three really nice Cape Buffalo watering. Pick up big single Bull track. The guys take off on it. At 10:05 they radio they have caught him. At 10:30, they radio, “Thick tusks. You come look”. It is on! We know where the guys are because they have Garmin Rhino and we have one. Two and one half hours later, we catch the boys. It is 12:30. 90F. Thick thick Mopane and walking in sand all the way. Longtime Botswana hand PH Louie Pansegrouw is hanging out and comes with us as does Emdee. We move in on the Ele to evaluate, moving very slowly in crunchy Mopane leaves, grass and twigs. He is about 25 yards away and damn near invisible. See a tail Swish, then one foot move. Jay and Louie stop me and ease to where they can see that he has two tusks and verify he is a shooter. Largest bodied Elephant we have seen but tusks not quite as big as one on Day 1. Based on this being only second shooter sized bull we have seen in eight days, the decision is easy. We try to work for a frontal shot but wind is wrong. Back out and move back paralleling him. See high part of back only, see trunk reach up and grab a mouthful of leaves, Ease along some more. See an Ear flap. And then there is an opening above the short Mopane and between two tall Mopanes. We can see 50%-60% of his head. Louie has an Ipad that has great pics of sideview of Ele head clearly showing the Ear SLIT---not a hole. I studied it for over 30 minutes in camp on day 2 night. Louie whispers “Side Brain”. Jay takes the sticks and sets them firmly. We had practiced stick setting with my height. We also had worked out a series of two or three word “codes” as instructions of where to shoot. Planning is a good thing! Jay whispers “Low ear” as I get on the sticks and gets ready for back-up if needed.. The Swarovski scope is set on 2-power. I settle into sticks and am quite calm as I have been self talking to stay calm and squeeze for at least 15 minutes. I look thru scope and the ear slit is quite obvious from my studying of the pics. I find the top, drop 4-inches down and move between one and two inches forward. I squeeze the trigger so easily that I don’t even realize I have reached the break point until the Ruger .416Rigby fires. We are at 17 yards and I am shooting somewhat “up hill”. The Bull has no clue we are there. He never hears the shot. The 400gr Barnes Solid on a Norma round does its job. The back legs crumple, his head snaps back so hard his trunk snaps back and lashes his back. He goes straight down, dead instantly on all fours, spread-eagled on his knees, head up right and never topples! I have done it! The perfect one shot side brain kill.
To paraphrase Ruark, “There is no shame in shedding a tear on your first elephant”. I did! I am so emotional I choke up every time I try to speak for at least 20 minutes. It has come true! And we did it the right way!
Back to the truck and then to Camp where the staff sings , dances and celebrates with me and I tear up again. What a wonderful experience to be able to hunt and take this magnificent animal. The penultimate!
We recover him the next day using six guys to chop a road to him and spend the rest of the time helping the other hunter find his bull which he did on Day 11. Jay and I do “photo safaris” after that but nothing interesting until driving back to Maun when we spot a Leopard laying in the shade on the side of the road. We photo and watch for five minutes or so at 20 yards until he gets disgusted, yawns, stretches and saunters off.
For the first time I can remember, I did not want to come home! I wanted to do it all over again.
Arrived in Maun Botswana on May 1 and was met by my PH Jay Leyendecker and his guy Vera. After lunch, we made the four hour drive to Masame Safari Camp located in concession Block NG42. The concession is approximately 500,00 acres, roughly 75 Km straight line from North to South and bordered by Chobe NP on North and NXia Pan NP on the South. Other similar sized concessions bordered on East and West----no fences , just a cut line for boundaries. Truly wild Africa---no native villages in concession.The camp was well staffed, organized and managed. The staff assembled and sang greetings to the new hunter with wishes for success. We saw at least 50 Steinbok on way in, one Ele Bull estimated at high 30’s, low 40’s and my first ever Wild Dogs.
The area is in severe drought---worst in 15 or so years according to couple of other PH’s in camp. One has already conducted two hunts and says they are seeing nowhere near the number of Eles normally seen this time of year...more like late July. The strategy will be to drive first to one of the three pans out in the area that have water (pumped) and look for tracks to follow or if an ele is present, evaluate, let him walk off, then track him if a shooter. No shooting anywhere near pans. In this dry country it would be like hunting over bait.
On the first day, we drive around an hour and a half, no interesting tracks in two track sand road that basically uses and old ele trek path as part of it and stop short at Baobab Pan. Vera taps on roof meaning something is at pan. Rapulu, assigned camp staff tracker and Nora, Gov Game Scout are with Jay and I. We ease out of truck, chamber rounds (Jay shoots a bolt action .500 Jeffries with 570 gr solids) and ease thru Mopane shrub. A shooter size Bull Ele is drinking. Two huge Cape Buffalo are standing out in the water drinking and one at edge. We are about 35 yds from the Bull and 25 yds from the Buffalo. Jay looks him over and says “Mid-50’s one side, high 40’s, low 50’s on other. He is a shooter if you want him”. Had it been 60’s instead of 50’s, my hunt would have perhaps been over rather quickly assuming we could catch him after he left water. I said “No way! First of 12 days. We must hunt and see what we can find.” Jay liked the response, Dumb Nora then sees the third Buffalo and in a stage whisper excitedly says “there’s another Buffalo” which spooked the Buffalo who then ran out of the pan which spooked the Bull Ele who walked off briskly. We walk back to truck and Jay decides to call PH Gary McKenzie on radio since he’s been on the concession four weeks. Gary advises we better think twice about passing----it has been a tough go. Jay and I talk about it and decide to try to catch up and do a really careful evaluation and rethink our decision. After a 2 1/2 trek in the sun over the sandy soil that makes you feel like every step is one and a half steps, we lose the track....he was headed toward NXia Pan NP and we were within a couple of clicks of it when we quit him. Vera pointed easterly and said “Road close”. We walked 30 minutes to the road, found one tree with a little shade and sat down while Vera and Rapulu went to retrieve truck carrying my .416Rigby. Took them almost 30 minutes to get back to us. We put 130km on the crew cab Land Rover and see no more Ele’s that day.
We usually swapped areas with Gary and his client daily after that----one would hunt south and the other north then switch.
Day 2, 12 Bulls –no shooters. Also saw my first ever Roan---three running together. Thicker bodied than I thought. Nora, thank God, has been rotated back to office and new game scout Emdee joins us----he is a Fisheries guy on his first hunt....
Day 3, Zero Elephants, two hyena , always see several Giraffe and Steinbok and we see my first ever Honey Badger on way in. Three Gemsbok.
Day 4, Lioness visited skinning shed last night. See 7 Bulls, 4 Cows and two calves. Big Male Leopard comes to Butterfly Pan around 5:00 and hangs out for 30 minutes or so---way cool! Also saw one eland and another Roan.
Day 5, Ele’s visit pan at Camp over night....about 100 yds away. They splash and play and trumpet and their “rumblings” are quite audible. Check the tracks at first light....none big enough to follow. Head back South and stop at pan about 3km from camp....find three Bull tracks , one of size enough to be interesting, follow for a couple of hours and they turn so wind is from us to them, Game over. Back to truck. On to Baobab pan where three more sets of tracks are found, one quite big. Vera and Rapulu set out. Three hours later they radio, “Caught them. Two small one with 60lbs but broken off at lip line on other side”. Damn! See 5 Bulls total for day, another leopard just before dark on way in and the biggest by tusk length Wart Hog I have ever seen. We radio Maun the next day to verify there is no Wart Hog on quota.
Day 6, Ele’s play in Camp Pan again last night. Huge male Lion tracks in road about a click from camp. Go straight to 19 Pan. Find Bull Tracks. The guys follow for over three hours before catching—too small. Go to Butterfly Pan. Three Bulls,all too small. Around 4:30, we leave pan and then drive over to tall tree a little over a click from pan. Vera climbs and spots five Bulls slowly making their way to water. We chamber a round and take off. Catch them in about 30 minutes in thick Mopane. Play with them for another 30 minutes to get all five sorted out—too small. One senses something is there but doesn’t see or smell us but gets a little cheeky at 20 yds.
Day 7, Straight to 19 pan again. Vera and Rapulu follow tracks for over three hours, another 30 minutes to sort out in thick bush---all too small.
Day 8, Back to Baobab Pan. Three really nice Cape Buffalo watering. Pick up big single Bull track. The guys take off on it. At 10:05 they radio they have caught him. At 10:30, they radio, “Thick tusks. You come look”. It is on! We know where the guys are because they have Garmin Rhino and we have one. Two and one half hours later, we catch the boys. It is 12:30. 90F. Thick thick Mopane and walking in sand all the way. Longtime Botswana hand PH Louie Pansegrouw is hanging out and comes with us as does Emdee. We move in on the Ele to evaluate, moving very slowly in crunchy Mopane leaves, grass and twigs. He is about 25 yards away and damn near invisible. See a tail Swish, then one foot move. Jay and Louie stop me and ease to where they can see that he has two tusks and verify he is a shooter. Largest bodied Elephant we have seen but tusks not quite as big as one on Day 1. Based on this being only second shooter sized bull we have seen in eight days, the decision is easy. We try to work for a frontal shot but wind is wrong. Back out and move back paralleling him. See high part of back only, see trunk reach up and grab a mouthful of leaves, Ease along some more. See an Ear flap. And then there is an opening above the short Mopane and between two tall Mopanes. We can see 50%-60% of his head. Louie has an Ipad that has great pics of sideview of Ele head clearly showing the Ear SLIT---not a hole. I studied it for over 30 minutes in camp on day 2 night. Louie whispers “Side Brain”. Jay takes the sticks and sets them firmly. We had practiced stick setting with my height. We also had worked out a series of two or three word “codes” as instructions of where to shoot. Planning is a good thing! Jay whispers “Low ear” as I get on the sticks and gets ready for back-up if needed.. The Swarovski scope is set on 2-power. I settle into sticks and am quite calm as I have been self talking to stay calm and squeeze for at least 15 minutes. I look thru scope and the ear slit is quite obvious from my studying of the pics. I find the top, drop 4-inches down and move between one and two inches forward. I squeeze the trigger so easily that I don’t even realize I have reached the break point until the Ruger .416Rigby fires. We are at 17 yards and I am shooting somewhat “up hill”. The Bull has no clue we are there. He never hears the shot. The 400gr Barnes Solid on a Norma round does its job. The back legs crumple, his head snaps back so hard his trunk snaps back and lashes his back. He goes straight down, dead instantly on all fours, spread-eagled on his knees, head up right and never topples! I have done it! The perfect one shot side brain kill.
To paraphrase Ruark, “There is no shame in shedding a tear on your first elephant”. I did! I am so emotional I choke up every time I try to speak for at least 20 minutes. It has come true! And we did it the right way!
Back to the truck and then to Camp where the staff sings , dances and celebrates with me and I tear up again. What a wonderful experience to be able to hunt and take this magnificent animal. The penultimate!
We recover him the next day using six guys to chop a road to him and spend the rest of the time helping the other hunter find his bull which he did on Day 11. Jay and I do “photo safaris” after that but nothing interesting until driving back to Maun when we spot a Leopard laying in the shade on the side of the road. We photo and watch for five minutes or so at 20 yards until he gets disgusted, yawns, stretches and saunters off.
For the first time I can remember, I did not want to come home! I wanted to do it all over again.
TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
Thanks for posting, Todd! You the man!
Now if GD fugging Delta would just find my Rigby, I would be a happy camper!
Now if GD fugging Delta would just find my Rigby, I would be a happy camper!
FishN4Eyes
Well-known member
Tom,
Fantastic tusker, congrats!
T Minus 26 days for me to Zim.
Hope they find your gun soon, better on the way back then on the way over!
Chris
Fantastic tusker, congrats!
T Minus 26 days for me to Zim.
Hope they find your gun soon, better on the way back then on the way over!
Chris
I think I just saw a new posting on GunBroker for a "slightly used Rigby" from "TSA-man"!!!
TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
Good luck Chris---I love Zim.....what a beautiful country to be so fugged up by government....but there is still plenty of safe good hunting....the Guvmint likes our money....
Go figgur----Customs and Border Patrol now has my gun....found somewhere in ATL....did not get advised until yesterday, nine days after I got here.....they now want me to go back to ATL and unlock the case so they can compare serial numbers....WTF.....is it illegal for me to own a gun in this country??? I cleared the gun thru CBP and watched Delta put it on the coveyor belt and verified it was tagged for CHA....how the hell it ended up back behind the CBP line is beyond me.....oh, and I called a specific CBP employee at 3:00 today, got voice mail.....want to guess if the MoFo called me back yet???? Good news is I know where my .416Rigby is.....bad news is the guvmint has it....
Go figgur----Customs and Border Patrol now has my gun....found somewhere in ATL....did not get advised until yesterday, nine days after I got here.....they now want me to go back to ATL and unlock the case so they can compare serial numbers....WTF.....is it illegal for me to own a gun in this country??? I cleared the gun thru CBP and watched Delta put it on the coveyor belt and verified it was tagged for CHA....how the hell it ended up back behind the CBP line is beyond me.....oh, and I called a specific CBP employee at 3:00 today, got voice mail.....want to guess if the MoFo called me back yet???? Good news is I know where my .416Rigby is.....bad news is the guvmint has it....
FishN4Eyes
Well-known member
Dang, that sucks about your gun.
Hope you get it worked out so you don't have to return to ATL.
Glad you had a great trip with the exception of the gun fiasco.
Hope you get it worked out so you don't have to return to ATL.
Glad you had a great trip with the exception of the gun fiasco.
TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
Now Delta which has a policy of refunding excess baggage fee if baggage doesn't show within 12 hours doesn't want to give me a $75 refund because I washed the receipt.....guess I will have to call credit card company....
Tomorrow will hopefully lead to some arrangement for me to get my Rigby back! Incidently, Ruger no longer makes the .416Rigby and Swarovski no longer makes the specific scope.....could have some real interesting "fun" with that on "replacement" value !!!
Tomorrow will hopefully lead to some arrangement for me to get my Rigby back! Incidently, Ruger no longer makes the .416Rigby and Swarovski no longer makes the specific scope.....could have some real interesting "fun" with that on "replacement" value !!!
Topgun 30-06
Active member
How's it going with getting the Rigby back Tom?
TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
CBP finally called me back around 1:00 YESTERDAY! The nice agent said he would contact Delta Cargo and authorize it to be shipped to Customs Office in Chattanooga and they would call when they get it. 25 minutes from house---show them the 4457 and bring my baby home....no further word. thanks for asking, Mike!
Topgun 30-06
Active member
That's Sanfrantastic Tom! I know you're like I am and losing that Rigby would be worse than losing certain body parts, LOL!
TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
Still ain't got it---Delta does not have a bonded warehouse in CHA....CBP supervisor was supposed to call me yesterday with instructions----nope....and I called him twice....to voice mail....at least it is locked up in bonded warehouse in ATL, and yes, Mike, that gun means a lot to me...it has been my go to on DG.
TOM IN TENNESSEE
New member
6/8/2012...10:05 p.m.
Guess what I just picked up from CHA airport!!!???
I got no clue what the nice CBP Agent I talked with this morning pulled---he is a fellow hunter----he told me he would meet me at Delta Air Cargo in ATL tomorrow between 10 and 11 because he was required to see the gun and my face....when I got home from taking Grandson back to his parents tonight, I have a message from Delta Air Cargo saying my gun was on a flight to CHA and giving me a baggage claim number! Took three full weeks after I got home, but my .416Rigby is home too!!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
Guess what I just picked up from CHA airport!!!???
I got no clue what the nice CBP Agent I talked with this morning pulled---he is a fellow hunter----he told me he would meet me at Delta Air Cargo in ATL tomorrow between 10 and 11 because he was required to see the gun and my face....when I got home from taking Grandson back to his parents tonight, I have a message from Delta Air Cargo saying my gun was on a flight to CHA and giving me a baggage claim number! Took three full weeks after I got home, but my .416Rigby is home too!!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
