Just got back in South Africa after a classic 21 day safari in the Selous Game Reserve of Tanzania. with long time friend and great professional hunter Peter Dafner. We have 3 blocks (concessions) in the western sector of the Selous this year. Very scenic areas steaming with game. We saw many buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeest, hartebeest, not to mention a very healthy population of East African kudu and eland, lots of impala, warthog, waterbuck … The Selous is indeed one of the very best African wilderness areas where hunting is at its best.
Peter run a world class operation in Tanzania, managing 3 of the finest Selous concessions. Good vehicles, excellent camps, great food and good hunting, what else could we wish for ?
Astonishing results so far with 100% success on lion, leopard and buffalo until mid August. This will mean 3 old lions out of 3 and 6 leopards out of 6. Everybody go at least one or two buffaloes, with 21 day hunter going up to 3 old dagga boys (old buffalo bulls). Good crocodile, lots of hippos, great sable, kudu, eland together with usual plains game taken in between.
The first 21 day saw Peter and PH QW going after a wounded lion in very thick brushes. The big cat charged and was shot at less than 2 paces away … Peter’s .500 NE did a very good job on that one again … That was real close this time, with a happy ending to the hunters with nobody getting hurt.
Best early season start ever, especially considering the new rules and regulation in place for lion hunting in Tanzania. Only 5 year old male and older to be taken , must not be with females and less than 9 month old cubs… This is very good rules but it does not make things easier as statistics shows for last year with only 89 lions taken in the whole of Tanzania, out of a quota of about 250.
Realistically, it is now a lot more difficult to get lions, and this is what Swiss hunter Claude could experienced with us those last 3 weeks. We struggled a bit to get bait when it was most needed, had lots of lions feeding, including a nice 6 year old boy with his 3 lionesses and 2 young cubs. No go on him … Other tracks in just about all the sandy rivers, but it just did not work out this time, I guess this is also part of hunting, and Claude was very sporty about it. We will try again soon.
We also spent a week chasing an elusive huge elephant bull sen last year and again recently, taking also lion hunting time away … we came very close to that big tusker but our tracking came to an end when other elephant herds walked on his tracks. Lots of elephants in that long thickets where the bull was, lots…
We had awesome time taking a few buffaloes, hippo, waterbuck, hiena, Nyassa wildebeest, Lichtenstein hartebeest, warthog, zebra, impala… and just simply being out there in the wild doing what we enjoy the most, hunting !
I am now expecting a satellite call from Peter any time about that big elephant as I know he is after him with a new elephant hunter at camp as we speak… This elephant is possibly one of the biggest ever seen by PH Crisspin as well as by Peter, with tusks estimated to be over 2,3 meter long (over 7 ½ feet). This will be an elephant of a life time, or should I even say, of a pro hunter’s life time !!
So yes, as you can read, our 2012 season in Tanzania is going very well, with still some big safaris to come together with other great animals. I’ll let you know.
For 2013, Peter has managed to secure an other 2 fantastic areas in the heart of the Selous, with top luxury camps and a solid reputation for big tuskers and great lions.
It will make it up to 5 different areas in the Selous under our management. We will also have access to some of the finest hunting in Masailand for lesser kudu, gerenuk, the gazelles and large leopard and buffaloes, together with usual plains game found in the northern part of Tanzania.
2013 and 2014 bookings are now open
