Report by: Barron Brittingham
Location: Mt. Kitumbeini
Date: 30 August 2006
Mt. Kitumbeini
After a few successful days of hunting plains game in Maasailand around the Kaserian camp in the Lake Natron area of Tanzania Wildlife Company’s concession, I decided to take some time to go with my Dad to hunt for Cape buffalo, eland, and bushbuck on top of Mt Kitumbeini.
When we began our trip up the mountain, we passed through much of the arid plains to which we had become accustomed. The higher we climbed up the mountain, the more dense and humid the climate became, until we reached the highest point possible in the Land Cruiser. From here, Dad and I decided to pass on the option of a horseback climb up the rest of the mountain, and we climbed on foot instead. The vegetation was thick, and it soon became clear that we were ascending into a cool, wet rain forest atop Mt Kitumbeini. The heat of the surrounding plains sends warm air in thermals up the mountain, and when it reaches the top, it becomes part of the ever-existent cloud that gives Mt Kitumbeini constant moisture and, thus, an actual rain forest climate.
When we reached the top, there was a perfect little camp set up for us overlooking the vast crater that has created a valley on top of the mountain. The rain forest rose above us on all sides, sporting enormous trees, cloaked thickly in moss and vines, which must have been nearly 1000 years old. The ground underneath is covered with vegetation, ranging from short grass to tall, thick brush and the occasional stinging nettle. To walk through this jungle is a spectacular sight and is similar to what one might see in a dream or in the deepest, darkest parts of the African continent.
We spent the first evening organizing our things and having a delicious dinner prepared by the camp staff, who had made the journey ahead of time to have everything ready for us when we got there. After a good night’s rest, we were up the next morning at 5:30, and off we went into the fog in search of an old buffalo bull. Action started early, as our Maasai guide spotted a herd of buffalo feeding on top of the ridge in front of us. We crawled through the wet shrubs, which made sure our clothes were soaked fully by the time we were within 50 yards of the giant animals. Dad had figured out the trick ahead of time though, as his lightweight camo rain suit kept him warm and dry. For any of you who may plan to embark on an adventure up Kitumbeini, this light rain suit may be worth its weight in gold.
Only 30 yards away from a large buffalo bull, Leon and I inched forward to try to get a shot with my CZ .458 Lott. Unfortunately, however, Leon was about three feet ahead of me, and about six inches taller, so when he told me to shoot the bull at the base of the neck, all I could see was his face, from the nose up. This being my first time to use my new rifle on anything other than a target, I decided that I should not take an uncomfortable shot, and the bull disappeared into the thick brush with the rest of the herd. The rest of the day was spent moving slowly around the circular ridge overlooking the crater on all sides. We saw several bushbuck and eland but were not able to get a shot.
The next morning’s action was even more intense than the day before. We got up onto the ridge and began working our way around. While glassing, I spotted a small group of buffalo feeding on the other side of the crater about a mile away. We moved as quickly as possible to try to intercept the buffs, but when we got to the spot where they had been feeding, we were unable to find them. After a few more minutes of glassing, Dad spotted a lone bull feeding in the thick brush on the other side of a small, finger-shaped valley that branched off from the main crater. We slowly worked our way down the ridge until we were standing at the edge of the valley. Just then, a large cloud of fog rolled through the valley all around us and limited our vision to about 10 yards. After waiting for the fog to clear, the spotters we had left on the ridge could not see the buffalo. We decided to move in and try to find him. Stalking at a snail’s pace through the thick brush and thorns, we kept our rifles at the ready for whatever might happen. We began working our way around a small thicket as our spotters indicated that we were right on top of the large bull. Suddenly, a large crashing came from the thicket and the brush began shaking back and forth. With both rifles and one camera pointed at the thicket, we realized that the bull was not charging us, but going away from us, toward the small valley. After talking to our spotters later, we found out that the bull had moved into the thicket as we approached his side of the valley. Once he was there, he used the cover to turn around and face us. As we worked our way around the thicket to the other side, he crashed out into the valley and disappeared up the other side of the ridge. It was scary to think that, the whole time we were moving around the thicket, we were not more than ten yards from a large bull Cape buffalo. So, the score became: Buffalo – 2, Barron – 0. Back to camp we went for a large breakfast and a nap.
That evening, we decided to check out a small water hole for bushbuck. As we approached, a monster of a bushbuck bounded away toward the base of the ridge. He must have already been there drinking when we arrived. Everyone thought that the chance was blown, but I noticed that he had stopped a few hundred yards away and was feeding on the shrubs at the base of the ridge. Dad and Leon decided to make a stalk while I stayed on our side to hold the ram’s attention and to film what I could from where I was. I used a small radio to inform them of the ram’s position as they crept along the base of the ridge until a large cloud of fog rolled in and I could no longer see what was happening. A short time later, Leon called on the radio and told us we could come on over to the other side. Despite the fog and a younger, more dominant ram that had been chasing the large ram, Dad had managed to get a shot, or many shots, with his bow, and the last arrow connected nicely with the beautiful bushbuck ram. I’ll let you read his story for more details on that hunt.
On the third morning, we woke early to intense fog and moisture and decided to forego hunting for that day, and get back down the mountain for some plains game hunting below. Though the 3-day trip up Mt Kitumbeini did not yield any trophies for me, I know that more time would have produced a spectacular trophy, and I will never regret spending those three days with my Dad in such a fascinating and adventurous atmosphere.