|
|
|
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
South Carolina Wildlife Federation
National Rifle Association
Gun Owners of America
Africa News
US Department of State Travel Information
|
It was with a little trepidation that I purchased the seven-day Tanzanian buffalo hunt from SCI Low Country's live auction last February. I had hunted South Africa with Ryan Weinand's Zuka Safaris years earlier, but the bidding leveled off well below "market value"; there had to be a catch. The auctioneer's gavel came down, and within a few months I would find out.
Debbie Gracie of Gracie Travel did a phenomenal job of hooking up our group with round-trip flights from Charleston all the way to the dirt airstrip closest to Zuka Safaris' Tanzanian camp. I've since found that Gracie travel is the preferred companyof most SCI Low Country chapter members. This holds true for most SCI chapters across the country. Travelocity's best rates were over $3000 round-trip, but Gracie's tickets were less than half of that. KLM was the parent airline and our route went from Charleston through Detroit and Amsterdam en route to Dar es Salaam. We didn't have any incidents flying with our rifles, but these days any flight with weapons, especially one of that length, is arduous. The night before Ramadan we landed in Dar, and discovered our hotel was not expecting us. Note to self: always reconfirm dates by day of week and numerical calendar date. Sometimes these things just happen, but the fortuitous rental of an Iridium satellite phone saved the day.http://www.gmpcs-us.com/products/iridium/iri_rentals.htm
The next day, we loaded our rifles into soft cases (a requirement of most small charter planes), and boarded the eight seater that would drop us on a dirt strip just three hours from camp. Three hours in first gear that is. Tanzania is breathtaking and primitive. It is quite different from South Africa and so unfortunately are the roads or "tracks". Upon arrival in camp we quickly greeted the staff and headed for the range to check for any baggage handler damage to our rifles. All was found to be in order so we sat down for a welcome adult beverage "with ice". Yes thanks to generator power and a small ice maker, evening beverages feature a cube or two of this most American cocktail staple.
The buffalo were plentiful, but hunting hard was very important. 200 yard belly crawls and 5 mile hikes were a daily regimen. Equipment, especially footwear must be dependable. The soles of my brand name boots delaminated one afternoon after a stream crossing. Luckily Duct Tape is known world wide, and the camp's supply kept me going in comfort if not style. All bug repellents except 100% DEET were useless against the Tsetse flys, and the African sun scoffs at sunscreen with SPF numbers below 30. Ryan's camp has all the needed amenities, and his staff is highly skilled. Success is truly up to the hunter and his/her conviction. Thanks to excellent assistance from my pH, it took less than 36 hours to survey countless other bulls, and harvest this 42 inch trophy. The second buffalo and other plains game were no harder, nor easier. My hunting partner, Tom Tiller, purchased a 21 day license so he could take advantage of the full spectrum of Tanzanian game. Although he intended to focus on game exclusive to Tanzania, plans changed when his PH spotted this bull elephant and his seven foot tusks! They finally weighed in at 57 and 60 lbs.
We hunted hard all day, but at night we relaxed and were regaled with safaris gone by. Ryan's father Antoine, a retired ivory hunter, held court late into one evening. Jeff Wainwright, a freelance PH, used the lion and leopards scars that decorate his arms and body to punctuate tales of his 50 plus year career. This was Tanzania; the last Mecca of the "old guard" and home of SAFARI. There was definitely a "catch" to bidding on this Safari, but most just refer to it as an addiction. It is an addiction that worsens with every trip.
I'll see you at this year's SCI Low Country Fundraiser.Walter Frank
|
This site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer and an 800 x 600 monitor screen setting.Send mail to
scilowcountry@yahoo.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
