Report by: PH John Greeff
Location: Madaba Camp, Selous
Date: 16 October 2006
Clients: Brad Severs
Greetings from Madaba Camp, Selous
Day One
Yesterday Brad severs arrived to hunt for 14 days. We zeroed in the camp .375 and went on a drive seeing buffalo, hartebeest, and eland.
Today we were to try and find bait and in the morning tracked a single buffalo bull for a few hours with no luck. Near lunch time we managed to see a lone hartebeest bull. So we stalked him and Brad shot through a small clearing at about 80 yards. 
He ran about 50 yards and died. We now had some bait and a very nice trophy. At lunch which we had in the shade of a tree next to the Madaba river. While Davey skinned out the hartebeest. At 3 pm we were on our way to hang bait and had been driving for an hour.
When Davey spotted buffalo feeding in a burned area. We worked our way around and saw there were two bulls about 400 yards in front of another two bulls that were feeding down a small hill. We stalked the first two and got to 80 yards. I saw that they were both really old but not very good. So decided to look at the two behind we went back and got the wind right and got to 80 yards as they were in a really open area. I saw that the bull feeding at the back was good. 
So I set the sticks and Brad got ready waiting for him to move a bit closer and into a small gap. He turned broadside and Brad shot him. He jumped really high and started to run and Brad shot again. Then he went into some long grass.
We waited a bit but as it was already late we started to track him. We went 150 yards on his track. But seeing as it was getting late I said it would be best if we climbed a small hill. As we reached the top I spotted the bull standing in some really tall grass next to a tree waiting facing his back trail. Brad and I snuck closer but the wind changed at that moment and he started to go up a small hill . I told Brad to shoot and he shot the bull three times as he went up the hill. 
As he went over I shot once as insurance as it was really late, but there was no need as when we climbed to the top of the small hill the bull bellowed and we got close and Brad shot him one last time. It was an exciting hunt. Brad had dreamed about hunting buffalo since he was young and today he realized his dream. What a first day.
Day Two
Today we recovered Brads buffalo which the hyenas had eaten some of the back from but had left the cape in good shape, thank goodness. 
We hung three pieces of the buffalo and two pieces from the hartebeest for leopards, so now we are hunting leopards. Its just a waiting game till one feeds then we will start with blinds etc.
Day Three
This morning we hung our sixth bait and then started to look for hippo. We checked out some karongas (small rivers) but no luck . We then drove for an hour to an area I thought might have a few bulls. At 10 am we walked about 600 yards up a karonga. 
When we saw what we thought was a rock under an overhanging bank as we were 100 yards away I said we should go and check it out. As we got to 20 yards I could see it was a hippo bull.
We then moved onto the bank above him and he was 10 yards away and eight feet below us. I saw there was a trail to our left about five yards away but figured once the hippo saw us he would go down the karonga. We got a stick and Davey threw it in the water and the bull jumped up started to go to the left I told Brad to shoot as he was a really big bull. Brad shot him in the heart as he left the water and he then charged up the trail five yards from us as he got to the top he turned on us and Brad shot him in the neck and I brained him as he was far too close and he went down four yards from us. 
It was a really exciting hunt and Brad did well as he stood and kept shooting. We then had a big job as when we shot him and fell he slid back into a hole and we spent the rest of the day getting him out and caped. We had to leave the meat so I left a lot of toilet paper in the trees so the vultures and hyenas would stay away.
Day Four
This morning we went back and walked in on the hippo. We were hoping we might see a hyena or even lions. 
But only two hyenas had found the meat and eaten a little so we skinned it out and cut four lion baits and spent the rest of the day hanging bait. We gave Mark, the other PH, one of the baits when we got back to camp.
Day Five
Today I decided we would travel over to U3, our neighboring concession, to look for buffalo and plains game. We had a good day but did not shoot anything. We saw two lions, an elephant and a hippo, and got into a herd of buffalo, and got to see them go into a water point no more than 30 yards from us. But unfortunately there were only three young bulls from 40" to 38" but just too young. So we left them. 
We chased zebra and wildebeest with no luck, but it was a really good photographic day.
Day Six
This morning we left camp early and walked in on one of our baits where we had some hyenas feeding, but there were none on the bait. So we then started to check out leopard baits and look for buffalo. We followed two bulls for two hours and finally found them and got to 35 yards of them. But they were both old bulls but their horns were not very good. 
So Brad said he would rather wait for a bigger bull. So we walked back to the truck. We then had lunch and in the afternoon we got to one of our baits that we had not checked for 3 days and saw that a nice male had been feeding and as we had a Cuddeback camera we got some great photos of him at the base of the tree. We also had pictures of a hippo passing the tree and a hyena. We then quickly built a blind and will try to walk in tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. On our way back to camp this evening Brad spotted a dead eland in the brush and when we walked in we saw it had been killed by lions in the morning. So we dragged it to a nearby tree and hung it up and will check on it in the morning as well. Looks like we might be busy tomorrow with the cats. Lets hope we get lucky.
Day Seven
Got up at 4 am and got into the blind at 5:30 am. We sat till 8 am. But the leopard did not come. When we checked the camera and saw photos of him from 7 pm to 4:30 am this morning. So we tried to get some bait, but we chased impala and hartebeest with no luck. At 2 pm we stopped at camp for a quick lunch. During lunch Leon came back to camp and Amy had shot a waterbuck. So we managed to get some fresh bait from them. We went back and hung the fresh bait and sat in the blind but the leopard was a no show.
Day Eight
We returned to the blind at 5:30 am this morning but the leopard had been feeding through the night on the fresh bait and had left at 4:15 am. We left the blind and found a herd of buffalo had passed over our tracks. So we followed them. But unfortunately they had walked past our southern boundary so we had to stop following them and returned to the car. As it was 12 pm we decided to go back to camp for lunch . But I said we would go on a new route, and we found a hartebeest bull that was really big so we followed him and found him feeding in a small clearing. I set up the sticks and Brad shot him and he went straight down we then shot him again to finish him off. Brad was really happy as he was much bigger than the one we had shot for bait.
We loaded him up and once again started for camp when the guys on the back saw some wildebeest so we went after them, but they spotted us and took off. We were going back to the car when I saw a herd of zebra feeding in an opening. So we crept onto a small rise above them and I set the sticks and we waited for the stallion to feed into a opening. I told Brad which one to shoot and he did a great shot right through the lungs. The zebra stood still for a few seconds then took off and died about 70 yards away. Brad was over the moon. Plus now we had some great bait.
I walked back to the truck and on my way in to recover the zebra Davey spotted a reedbuck ram lying in some shade. So once we had the zebra loaded I said to Brad we should walk to were we saw the reedbuck. 
We got to the area he had been bedded down but he had moved so we started searching the area and we jumped him and he ran down a gully we got to the top and saw him running and then he stopped for about 5 seconds and Brad shot him a perfect heart shot. He only ran 15 yards and collapsed. Brad was really happy and he was a really big reedbuck for the area.
We had shot three really great trophies in about two hours and had not gotten to eat any lunch. But as it was now late we dropped the animals off in camp and got to the blind. At 4:30 pm we had a quick sandwich and then walked into the blind. We sat till dark with no luck. But the day had been a good one.
Day Nine
This morning we went back to the blind at 4 am. We sat from 5:30 am till 8 am. But as we went into the blind we saw leopard tracks coming out of the blind. He had been sleeping in the blind. But had left before we got there. So once we got out I told Brad we needed to leave him for a day and see what happens we also took down the blind as we would have to move it when we go back tomorrow. We then started checking our other baits and dropping the ones that were rotten. We got to one of our lion baits and a male and female had been feeding on it for 3 days and nearly finished it . We built a blind and replaced the bait with some of the zebra meat. We sat in the blind from 4 pm till dark but again a no show from the cats.
Day Ten
We left camp at 4:30 am this morning and walked into our blind at 6 am but the lions had not come back. So we hung more bait and set up a camera so if they came we could see what the lions are like. We then hunted towards the leopard bait, and on the way there we spotted a duiker running we walked after him and spotted him feeding from 140 yards away. I set up the sticks and Brad made an incredible shot dropping him in his tracks. He was a really old male and Brad was happy as they are hard to get as they hardly ever stop moving.
We then carried on to the bait but on the way there I decided we should walk in on a small mud hole as I thought we might get a warthog as the day was hot and they like to wallow in the mud to cool down. 
As we got close we spotted a hyena laying in the mud I set up the sticks and made a hyena call and the hyena stood up and Brad shot it. It fell dead and we were really excited as they are hard to get and to find one in the heat of the day was a bonus as they are mostly nocturnal. We got to our bait and the leopard had fed again but only at night. So I decided to let him feed some more and we left Brad’s reedbuck for him to feed on.
We went in for lunch and went for a walk at 4 pm as I was tired of driving and I new a place we might find wildebeest or impala. Just before dark, Davey spotted 3 wildebeest bulls. 
We stalked them but they saw us and ran off. We kept with them and finally got them standing facing us. I set up the sticks and Brad once again made a great shot into his chest. He ran 50 yards and died. What a nice bull and 10 minutes of legal time left. What a great day. Brad once again got three really nice trophies and did some great shooting.
Day Eleven
We went looking for buffalo this morning but had no luck . So after lunch we went and checked on the leopard bait and he had been feeding well. So we put up another blind in a new spot. We then sat in the evening but had no joy.
Day Twelve
We walked in on the leopard bait this morning but he had fed at 11:30 pm and again at 3:30 am. But was a no show. We then went looking for buffalo and at 9 am found were a herd had crossed the road so we set off after them. But it seems whenever we follow buffalo they are changing areas as we walked till 12 pm and got to look at the herd but there were no really good bulls. We started back to the truck and the rain came and we were soaked in minutes. So we went back to camp for lunch. Then we returned to the blind, but the cat did not show.
Day Thirteen
We went back to the blind this morning and the leopard had finished the bait at 1 am . So we decided we were now done with this cat as he is a night feeder. So we took down the blind and went hunting. 
We drove past a opening with a lot of grass and Davey spotted two bushpigs. So we stalked back and Brad shot the boar and he ran off. But after a short tracking job we found him in some thick brush and Brad finished him off. He was a really big pig and Brad was happy.
A little later we found three buffalo bull tracks and followed them from 8 am till 12 pm and were not catching up as there were once again changing areas. Then I spotted a zebra feeding down a small ridge so we stalked up, and he fed to 50 yards of us. Brad shot him perfectly in the heart and he ran 80 yards and collapsed. He was a really old stallion.
We then got the truck in to recover him and then had lunch and the driver returned to camp to drop off the zebra. 
We kept tracking the buffalo. But at 5 pm I called it off as we had not even gotten onto daytime tracks and we were a long way from the road. At 5:45 pm Davey spotted a lone eland bull walking and we made a stalk but got to 180 yards and he spotted us so Brad sat down and shot him a frontal chest shot he jumped well and took off running. We followed him for 2 km but it got dark and we are going back in the morning to keep after him . It looks like Brad shot him a bit to the left going through his shoulder but not into the lungs. Hopefully we will find him tomorrow.
Day Fourteen
From 6:15 am this morning we followed Brads eland. Davey did an amazing job tracking through a lot of grass. The blood we found was coming off the bulls front left leg and stopped bleeding after 500 yards. But Davey stayed with him for 6 km. 
But in the end we were still a long way behind him. So at 12:30 pm we called it off and decided we would try and salvage the day by looking for buffalo or waterbuck. We had lunch and made our way to another area that was fairly open. We spotted a waterbuck lying down and stalked him. Brad shot at him but the shot went high.
So we continued and at 6 pm Davey saw a lone buffalo bull feeding in a thicket 300 yards away. We quickly stalked him but he saw us and ran a bit we got to 50 yards of him. Brad shot him, and I backed up as it was late and we then both shot again and the bull went down. What a way to end Brad’s safari. He had a really great old bull with huge 131/2” bosses and a good solid 36" spread. We had shot our first buffalo at last light on the first day and now our second one on the last day at last light. Brad was really happy, and his safari was complete having shot 16 animals in 14 days.
I really enjoyed hunting with Brad as he enjoyed every moment and aspect of his safari from shooting a duiker to a buffalo. I look forward to hunting with him in the future.
My season in Tanzania is now done, and all in all I had a good season and some really nice clients plus some great trophies and good hunts, and am looking forward to going home and will be at the SCI conventions in January 07. See you all there.
Cheers,
John