2010 Season Review

Another year has passed. This year was, somewhat harder than most, to say the least. Early bookings were non-existent and we found it necessary to take on some contract hunting.

By the sixth night, we had two females and, finally, a few days later, a male feeding on our baits. Dustin’s cat was taken from a blind, on the tenth evening, just when it was almost too dark to see. A good clean one shot kill, rewarded with a  magnificent cat, measuring six feet seven and weighing about one hundred and sixty pounds.

Anthony’s “hot” bait was visited by four different leopard, and finally, on night seven, by  this cat which was even more cooperative than Dustin’s! He was in the bait tree an hour before sunset and safely in the salt before dark ! Another fine one shot kill.

Early July found the team  once again on Lemco Ranch, one of my favorite places in Zimbabwe.
We were accompanied by second - time visitor, and hunting buddy, Ken Myers from Bull Shoals Arkansas.   The hunt for Buffalo and Gemsbok, followed by anything else that got in the way! This was to be recorded by my tried and tested friend and ‘guru’ cameraman, Scott Jurgens.

We stayed at Ningo camp, well situated near the centre of the hunting area. Ken took a blue wildebeest, a honey badger, gemsbok, and a civet as well as his buffalo.  Naturally this was the highlight of the hunt, being the dangerous one, but we certainly did not go short of adrenaline -pumping moments thanks to the numerous and regular encounters with lion, more buffalo and plenty of black rhino! It was a great experience for us all, duly and professionally documented by Scotty!

July and into August, my very good friend Luca Bogarelli came from Italy with his friend, Luca Gaeti, for his first trip to Zimbabwe and indeed, first hunt in Africa.
This too was a buffalo hunt which took place in Matetsi, and turned out to be a roaring success. Luca took a fine buffalo, zebra, warthog, baboon, impala and even a caracal, all this on a seven day hunt!

Most of August was spent with very good friends Cindy & Kirby Davenport and Anna & Dale Forbus. All seasoned visitors to Africa except for Anna who was a “first timer”. They too are from Arkansas and my wife Pam and I joined them for a bow hunt in South Africa with Greater Kuduland safaris. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed our time with these great people. Dale & Kirby had some fine bow hunting and between them, took a total of  eleven animals.

Kirby took magnificent kudu and impala trophies, a nice warthog, a baboon and we got to stalk and shoot an injured wildebeest which was especially exciting with a bow ! Dale took an outstanding wildebeest, good quality gemsbok and nyala, an impala, a duiker and a baboon. As a group we also paid a visit to the Kruger National Park.

Our next hunt was a disaster!  I took Claudio Chiappa, from Italy, down to my old stamping ground, the Malapati hunting area. We were hunting an elephant and, for some inexplicable reason, there was just no elephant movement at this time in the area we hunted. Next was a contract hunt in Omay north with Terry Brown and his two sons TJ & Chris. The boys had not been to Zimbabwe before and we had a ball!  Terry took this great elephant, TJ an excellent hippo and Chris a buffalo, his first African animal!!  I have a feeling we will hunt together again.

The season ended with a two – on - one hunt, back in Matetsi, with two first - time visitors from Italy, accompanied by my good friend Vittorio Giani. We were looking for buffalo and plains game. We were extremely successful especially since the seven day hunt was cut down by a full day due to their return flight commitments.

Both hunters took zebra, waterbuck, baboon, kudu and  two really good quality buffalo. Pietro also took a bushbuck and Renato an impala. All these animals within five and a half days!