- Report by:
- PH Leon Lamprecht
- Client:
- Mike Brown
- Area:
- Rungwa Ikili
- Date:
- 19 August 2007 - 05 September 2007
19 August 2007
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Mike arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport without any luggage. Thanks to the fact that Mike is a seasoned traveler he packed a carry-on with the essentials and one set of spare clothes. Today was Mike’s first hunting day and the charter left at first light. The flight was smooth and after a refuel in Dodoma we arrived in camp for a brunch.
One of the most important parts of the pre-hunt is to check the rifles. On our way out of camp we checked the 375 and 416 Mike was going to use and proceeded to check some lion baits already in place as well as putting out some new ones.
The previous client, Charlie Henderson has just completed his Rungwa portion of a 21 day lion hunt and chartered out with the plane that brought Mike in. Charlie was very fortunate to shoot a lion this morning and still had various baits out that we would use. Charlie was also in the position of having two decent sized cats on bait at the same time of which they harvested the one and hopefully the second was still around.
We refreshed everything and will know by tomorrow what is in stall for us.
20 August 2007
)
After a healthy breakfast we left camp at first light in the direction of the north to inspect the baits. The Upande mbuga is a big plane to the north of camp. After crossing the mbuga and driving up another in the direction of our north western boundary we saw a herd of eland crossing the road with one monster old bull with a black face. Mike indicated he would like to shoot an eland and we did a stalk on foot. We did not go too far before we found them and Mike was rewarded with a very big eland bull; certainly a good way to start, we had some meat to replenish bait and eland made excellent table fare.
A lion that Alistair had on bait and called “big foot” by his client Charlie had fed for 2 nights on a bait but did not return. The bait close to the Ikili Mountain however had some decent sized mane hair on it and we erected the PUP-blind and sat until dark but nothing showed up.
21 August 2007
After an early rise and quick breakfast we were back in the blind 45 minutes before first light. We could hear lionesses calling in the distance answered by a male closer by. Our lion did not return and we assumed correctly that he was more interested in the female company. We left our blind to inspect some more of Alistair’s baits but they were mostly finished by prides or smaller lions. )
We climbed Ikili Mountain looking for some buffalo bulls seen from the plane 2 days earlier and although we found fresh tracks did not managed to find them. We did however see a herd of about 75 buffalo from the mountain but were unable to see any shootable bulls when we stalked them. We managed to get within 30 yards of the herd but could only see females and younger bulls.
On our return to camp in the late afternoon while crossing Upande mbuga we saw a young roan male and 3 zebra. We did a very successful stalk on the zebra and Mike managed to harvest a big stallion. Apart from having sought-after skins the zebra makes excellent lion bait; because of the fat the meat lasts a lot longer in the heat.
22 August 2007
Another round of checking baits and seeing lots eland and sable; for some reason a lot of eland have been moving into the area this year. Unfortunately however no fresh lion activity on our baits and the two males we had on bait did not return yet. The bait that “big foot” was feeding on now only had a single lioness.
In the late afternoon to the south of Ikili Mountain we saw a herd of 35 buffalo with one old bull in it but nothing that was of interest to us at this stage. What was comforting however was the amount of calves we saw in the herd after we saw very few in the big herd 2 days ago.
23 August 2007
An uneventful day seeing less plains game with the build up to the full moon and no fresh hits on our baits. The lioness towards the Makwasa in the north was still feeding but “big foot” has not returned yet.
24 August 2007
I was awaken at 4:00 this morning with the roaring of a lion. A Male was roaring close to camp and a second was answering in the distance. By the time we had breakfast the lions were roaring up a storm as they crossed camp on the other side of the Makwasa River.
Our bait situation was getting desperate and the main purpose this morning was to find some meat. Grant packed the fly camp trailer and moved south to put up a fly camp for us to limit traveling up and down the concession in the same day. By doing it this way we could hunt our way at leisure to the south western boundary and check all our baits in one day; the idea being to spend the night in the fly camp and return to main camp the following day hunting and checking all the baits on the way back.
We found a herd of zebra not to far from camp, unfortunately they scented us when the wind turned and moved off. We climbed a nearby hill and could see the zebra but they were out of range and moving further away.
The hill we were on formed a range and we moved along the range to see if we could spot any other game. After seeing only two elephant we returned to the car only find another herd of zebra but these heard us and disappeared in a cloud of dust. We climbed yet another hill in the range but to no avail.
In the road at the bottom of the hill we saw the tracks of the lions we heard this morning; the one certainly something to pursue.
)
We checked all the baits in the north and on the way to join Grant in the south saw 2 zebra. The zebra were on a big open plain together with 3 giraffe. We drove out of sight and stalked around the plain to get in shooting distance. Fortunately for us the one remaining giraffe cooperated and we managed to get within 150 yards of the unsuspecting zebra. Mike shot the stallion a little bit low and it took a second shot to kill him. We now had bait so it was mission accomplished.
The trip back towards camp was in a hurry; I would have liked to get to camp and have the skinner get the hide off the hind quarters to give us a quick bait for this morning’s lion. Luck was on our side however when the trackers spotted 4 buffalo bulls feeding in the distance.
To get the wind right we had to circle the buffalo, a big tree was our point of aim, about 100 yards from the tree one of the trackers saw the buffalo coming our way. As luck would have it the buffalo stopped about 60 yards from us but the brush was very thick. We managed to get within 35 yards of the buffalo and sat down keeping an eye on them; there were 6 bulls in total, one younger bull had close to 44” horns. I could see 4 older but smaller bulls and one old bull with his behind to us. )
I could not see the 6th bull where he was lying, the oldest bull was the first to turn broadside and as bait was the deciding factor we decided to take him without seeing the quality of the trophy. Mike gave him a perfect shot on the shoulder and the bull tumbled within 60 yards. The other bulls stopped to assist their comrade. We approached to 60 yards and had sufficient time to inspect all the bulls. The bull I could not see was the oldest but we made a wise decision; the bull Mike shot was 42” and surely a buffalo to be proud of.
We had just enough time to hang one bait close to camp where we anticipated last night’s lions to cross the river.
25 August 2007
Seeing that last night’s bait was put up in a hurry we went back to check it at first light and cover it with branches to prevent vultures from finding it.
We managed to find a nice tree for a bait site close to where we saw the big lion tracks a day ago and put out one buffalo front quarter.
“Big foot” did not find our bait close to the river but a very nice male leopard was on bait as we arrived at the spot. He moved away about 25 meters, crouched down and looked at us before he trotted off.
We still only had the lioness on “big foot’s” old bait and went to the bait close to Ikili Mountain where we sat earlier. Lots of decent size mane hair were found on the bait and we could see a decent size track. After speaking to Grant at the fly camp however we decided to rather go to a spot where he had a lion with a very big track on bait and have already built a blind.
After lunch in main camp we proceeded to the fly camp to pick up Grant and spent the late afternoon in the blind with no action.
26 August 2007
We were back in the blind an hour before first light this morning. )
Two minutes after the car left the lion was back but waited about 15 meters from the blind before he started feeding again 20 minutes later. First light revealed a very beautiful, big old lion but unfortunately very little mane.
A leopard called various times close to our blind and it was obvious that this was a spot for future use. We checked the rest of our baits on the return to main camp and had various leopard on bait but we were not interested in a leopard. At the bait north of Ikili Mountain we found a pride of lions were on the bait. We set a trail camera and refreshed the bait.
27 August 2007
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Another round of bait checking; the trail camera at Ikili indicated a pride of 13 lion with one male of about 4 years old and 4 cubs of about 6 months old. Both the cubs and the age of the male made it against company policy to hunt him. The rest of the baits only had leopard and hyena on bait and we moved back to the fly camp after lunch to check for lion activity and the possibility of shooting a hippo for bait.[ photo 7 – Plug male ]
Half way to the fly camp we found a pride of 9 lions on a buffalo kill. We placed the trail camera to see if they had a male with them seeing that we only saw two, year old males.
28 August 2007
Seeing that hippo was our priority both for camp meat and bait we set off on foot from the fly camp walking the Isawa river looking for a single old hippo bull that frequents the pools in the river. After reaching our southern boundary we returned to a spot north of the fly camp and walked back towards the camp to see of maybe the bull was on the opposite side. Luck was not with us and after breakfast we returned to the main camp.
Inspecting the bait north of the fly camp we found fresh feeding activity but no mane hair on a bait. We removed the second bait south of camp to ensure sufficient food for the cat. The best option was to return to the main camp and have the fly camp driver set the trail camera to give us a better indication of the size of cat.
No other lion activity was found on bait and we did not see any fresh buffalo sign.
)
Reaching the main camp we found that a big male lion has walked through camp the previous night. This was probably the same lion we heard roaring a few days earlier. We returned to our bait to the north of camp and moved it to a spot along the Upande korongo where we were sure it would intercept the lion this coming night. The camp staff told us about a big male lion that started roaring south of camp at about 9 pm and of their experience the previous night with the lion in camp and at the skinning shed. After he heard a female calling to the north he roared and followed her to their delight.
29 August 2007
The priority was yet again buffalo today. The guys at the fly camp phoned to inform us that they flushed a lioness and a male from the bait this morning. The lioness stood growling at the car with trail camera in her mouth but the male fled and they did not get a good look at him. The mane hair on the brush did however look promising.
We spotted two old buffalo bulls from the car and approached them but they disappeared after the wind changed on us. We circled around and climbed a hill but could not see the buffalo again. We did however have a good look at 31 elephant that came past us.
After lunch we picked up yesterday afternoon’s tracks of a herd of buffalo. We eventually flushed them with the car and circled around to get the wind right. The wind in buffalo basin, the area where we found them, is very tricky however and could never get too close before they would spook. Eventually they were caught between a rock and a hard place. We were on the one side and Ikili Mountain on the other, the herd started going up the hill on an elephant path and we circled to get to the head of the herd. Unfortunately we were seconds too late; an old bull was already at the top of the mountain and it would have been impossible to recover for bait.
)
Late afternoon on the way back to camp we saw tracks of another group of buffalo and shortly after wards spotted them from the car. Nothing is easy with Mike Brown around; we would get into perfect ambush position only to find the wind change or the buffalo change direction. After numerous stalks we have established one old bull and about 3 bulls in their prime. As Mike was allotted 3 buffalo on license any of these would do. Everything eventually fell in place and a single frontal shot through the hart provided us with much needed bait and camp meat.
30 August 2007
We slept in this morning not to arrive to early at the bait we moved 2 days ago to the north of camp. About 220 yards before we reached the bait a lioness and a very big male lion trotted across the plane and stopped behind some brush. We had a good look at him but the wind was bad and we would not be able to approach on foot. We inspected the bait only to find out that the lions did not find the bait yet. The wind was picking up and moving straight to them so we decided to move the bait and re-hang it up wind from the lion.
Back at the airstrip bait still only a leopard and we removed the bait to take south with us.
We had some coffee in camp and returned to the fly camp in the south. En route we hanged another bait where the lions killed the buffalo the other day and refreshed the bait where the lion stole the trail camera yesterday. The PUP-blind was erected and everything readied for this afternoon’s sit. The mane hair on the bait revealed some good potential.
After lunch Mike had a quick power nap and we left to put up the last of the buffalo meat as bait to the south of camp where the staff heard some lion roar during the night. We were in the blind by 4:30 pm and it was a long hot afternoon. At about 6:15 pm we started hearing first the monkeys and then the guinea fowl go crazy. This must have lasted for 20 minutes and we knew some cat was lying in the river where we could not see it. At last everything went quiet but still no cat at the bait. A francolin made a racket as it flew up to the right of our blind but we could not hear anything else.
At dark the suspense was finally over when a leopard arrived at our bait. Aware of the presence of the lions he must have been very cautious when approaching.
31 August 2007
I was awaken by the roar of lions in the direction of the bait where we sat last night. We got up at 4:30 and left for the blind at 5. It is only a 10 minute drive to the blind from the fly camp. The car dropped us off and it was not 2 minutes after the car left that the male lion started roaring and appeared at the bait to see what the car was doing at his food. With full moon only 2 days ago the moon was still relatively high and bright, bright enough to get a reasonable look at the lion and his quality but not good enough to judge the age.
As luck would have it more lions started roaring to the south east and our male left for the river where he started roaring. After roaring for a while down stream he moved up stream and continued until long after sunrise. It did not look like he was going to come back so I called in the car and have it leave again immediately. )
The lion started roaring again immediately after the car left but he was not going to fall for my trick and come and investigate the bait. We were however pleasantly surprised when a big male leopard arrived at the bait just after 8 in the morning. Seeing that we were not hunting for leopard we managed to get some nice photographs. The amount of leopard in this concession never seizes to amaze me.
Yesterday’s big male lion north of the main camp was still fresh in our minds and we decided to move back to the main camp after breakfast. The new bait we put out on the way to the fly camp also revealed a very big leopard but no lion. The bait north of camp however was a different story, the lions did find the bait and made a good meal of it. The easiest was to put tree stands in a tall tree down wind from the blind and after refreshing the bait we returned to camp for lunch.
4:30 pm saw us back in the tree stands; fortunately it was not as hot as yesterday and the breeze up in the tree made for a welcome change. Peter the tracker predicted the lion would be back at 5:30 and dead before 6.
Peter however was not right today; the lion and a lioness arrived at last light, he had water below our tree stands and the sound of him drinking water sent shivers through our spines. After he had his fill he arrived at the bait but the car arrived at about the same time.
01 September 2007
Another early morning and back in our tree stands an hour before first light. The moon phase was already past full moon but still very bright and high enough this time of the day to give us a good view through the binoculars. The cats were back within two minutes of the car leaving. The male proceeded with his feeding and the female was lying about 5 yards off giving him his space.
The male feeding carried on for about 30 minutes when we heard a faint grunt to our right. The female jumped up and joined a second male approaching from this side; as she reached him he started roaring and the male at the bait joined in, in a memorable duet.
This roaring continued for a while but the second male did not show any interest in the bait. Joined by the female they walked off and after a quick feeding frenzy was joined by the first male. We could hear more grunting and roaring over to the left but by the time it was light enough to shoot the lions could only be heard in the distance.
We were back in our old predicament of needing bait urgently. After yet another hearty breakfast in camp we returned in the direction of Ikili Mountain. )
It was not very long before the guys on the back spotted a herd of buffalo feeding in the short green grass of a mbuga. The wind was in our favor and we made the stalk with sufficient termite mounds in place to get us with in shooting range of the moving herd. Towards the back was a good old bull with very deep curls and turning broadside was his last mistake. We now had enough meat to freshen up the bait at the fly camp where the other male was still feeding as well as our bait north of the main camp.
5 pm saw us back in our tree stands, darkness found us without any sign of lion. We went back to camp and would return in the morning; such are the joys of lion hunting.
02 September 2007
Same drill, different day; early this morning we heard lions roaring in the direction of our bait but closer. En route we saw the male and female but probably about 4 km away from the bait. Reaching the bait we found it untouched but decided to sit anyway. While sitting we could hear the lion roaring back towards camp. This time we only sat until first light and returned to where we saw the lions this morning. We found the tracks of a big male walking down the road in the direction of camp and a spot where it left the road about 2 km from camp going towards the Makwasa River. A suitable tree was found and the bait moved to this spot. We returned to camp, had breakfast and hit the road south again. We would sit at the fly camp tonight while waiting to see if the camp males would return to our bait.
The fly camp lion arrived at last light but too late to have a good look at him.
03 September 2007
We were back in the blind an hour before first light and the lion was there 3 minutes after the car left entertaining us with his serenade, he did however not come back to the bait seeing that he broke some ribs of the bait and we could hear him eating this to the right of the blind. )
Before first light he moved to the river where he lied for a while roaring before he moved off.
About 30 minutes after sunrise two hyena were active on the ribs that the lion removed from the bait. Once this was finished a big male hyena moved to the bait and presented a perfect broadside shot while sniffing the bait; Mike has been looking for a hyena and this was an opportunity that could not be passed up, one perfect shot and 30 yards further Mike had a very nice hyena trophy.
After breakfast we heard from the main camp that only a female visited our new bait at camp and we decided to rethink our bait at the fly camp. We moved the bait about 30 yards to the river’s edge and cleared an area around the tree from all vegetation to enable us to get a good look at the male should he come in. We also moved our bait to the banks of the river further up stream to such a spot that would enable us to see the lion when he lies in the river; something that he often does according to the tracks.
With the new bait in position we did a circuit back to the fly camp along the Mpingo River; a 4 hour drive in an area known for impala and warthog. We ended up seeing lots of impala and warthog but nothing to tickle our fancy. Back at the fly camp we had lunch and readied ourselves for yet another afternoon in the blind; this time with a better view however.
The wait was quiet but not as hot thanks to the blind being in the shade. Only once did we hear guinea fowl complaining further down stream but nothing serious. When the car arrived just after dark we were none the wiser.
04 September 2007
With a lot of expectations we were back in the blind at our normal time. We did not hear the lion roar during the night and did not see any tracks in the river or on the sand as we drove in to our blind spot.
We sat down and once settled signaled the car to leave. Normally the lion started roaring within minutes after the car left but today it was quiet. After what felt like ages we were rewarded with a cough; it came from the opposite bank but that was it and it went quiet again. By now the moon was past half way to the new moon and although bright enough for us to see something in the open it was not bright enough to see anything under the trees. By the time the growing morning light assisted us we could make out the figure of the lion on the bank beside the tree. It was not long after this that he got up and started feeding. Feeding at an angle on the river bank was however very tiring and he would not eat for too long before he would get back onto the bank for a rest. It eventually grew light enough where everything could be watched with the naked eye.
Our plan was a success; the sun was rising and our lion still feeding on and off and spending the rest of the time on the bank where we could get a clear view of him. He was not what we looked for but the scene was very rewarding. )
The lion was probably only 4 or 5 years old and also did not have quite the genetics we were looking for; he had some mane on his chest and a dark Mohawk but apart from two white patches on his cheeks nothing else to write home about.
The lion got up after a while and wondered off along the river bank. After a couple of minutes we saw him lying further along the bank just staring down the river like we were doing. By now the sun was well on its way to its zenith and I decided to call like a lioness calling her cubs. At first the lion could not hear me but as I called a little louder we had immediate reaction. The lion first turned his head to get a better listen and then jumped up looking in our direction. As soon as I called again he was on his way to us. He came down the bank onto the sand and walked straight towards us. Unfortunately he chose the trail ahead of the blind and disappeared into the riverine scrub looking for the female. We had a very good look at him in the open not too far away from us and it confirmed what we saw earlier. We did not have a lion in the salt but was rewarded with a beautiful sight on our last morning.
We took the long way round to main camp after breakfast; we attempted a couple of stalks on impala and hartebeest but with no luck. The baits at the main camp were still untouched and we eventually made it back to camp for a late lunch. We went to cut down our last baits before dark and Mike shot a few doves for table fare.
It was a long hunt and we were not successful on the lion but to Mike it was a rewarding hunt. )
Mike has hunted Africa numerous times before and was pleased with the lion activity and the amount of buffalo he saw. Unfortunately you can not win them all and not getting a lion left something for Mike to come back to.
We saw a lot less plains game this year; I can only contribute it to this year’s wet conditions. With fewer plains game around the cats have more difficulty hunting and that is probably the reason for all the cat activity. In all we either saw or had photographs of 33 lions in 17 days of hunting. We had numerous leopard on bait and even saw a leopard in the road while driving. I will be back in this area in 2 week’s time with my next client John Lake and are certainly looking forward to see what we will get then. John will be hunting for both the cats.