WISHING EVERYONE ON HUNTERSNETWORKS

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

FROM ALL OF US AT HUNTERSNETWORKS

BEST WISHES

ARJUN

 

 

The Zambezi ate my Crocodile!

A moment ago the large Nile crocodile having eaten most of the elephant leg we had so generously provided for it, had been sunning itself on the steep river bank, its snout pointing towards the water. Now all that was left were the marks in the sand from the thrashing of its powerful tail and a pool of blood in the Zambezi River which was fast disappearing before our very eyes. The Zambezi had eaten my Croc!

A half an hour earlier we had quietly made our way along the steep rocky banks of the Zambezi, moving in slowly to check the last bait site that we had started a few days ago with the intention of shooting a large crocodile. The hot sand and rocks burnt the soles of our naked feet as we closed the last 75 yards. The direction of the wind and the Go Away birds were our biggest enemies now. Soon we would be on our final approach, crawling our way through the final obstacle - a small dry river bed which flowed into the Zambezi. I looked up to see my PH, Mitch Bunce belly crawling in the hot river sand ahead of me, making it look so much easier than it was. The last few yards dragged on forever as I did my best to imitate his fluid snake like movements.

At last we were in position; at the base of a little sandy mound below which lay our bait at the waters edge. Mitch slowly made his way up the little rise inch by inch scared that anything at that last moment would give away our position to a wary crocodile at the bait. As he peered over the top his body went rigid and he excitedly whispered to me to pass him my rifle and motioned for me to crawl up the rise quickly. The huge scaly head barely 25 yards from the muzzle of the rifle filled the scope as the crocodile lay facing towards the water offering a rear angled side brain shot. A moment later a 300 grain Swift A frame delivered from the 375 H&H hit the crocodile! At the sound of the shot all hell broke loose. All the Go Away birds within earshot took off making a loud noise, a couple of smaller crocodiles which we had not seen earlier at the bait jumped with a loud splash into the river and Mitch was now up from my side running, shouting and falling down the steep river bank.

I took this all in, in a flash and what alarmed me most of all was the large crocodile with a now bloody head was writhing and rolling, its powerful tail thrashing, propelling it towards the dark and foreboding Zambezi. Mitch was now nearly at the bank when I shouted out to him to get out of the way. I fired again trying my best to anchor the crocodile by shooting it between the shoulders, but to no avail!

At the sound of the second shot Mitch went for the crocodile like a terrier after a rat. He lunged for but missed the end of the powerful tail as the huge prehistoric animal entered the water and slithered out of view!

We couldn’t believe our eyes! Where had it gone? We strained to catch a glimpse of the large reptile in the stirred up muddy water stained red with its blood, within a few moments all the evidence was washed away and we were left gaping at an empty sand bank and the river swirling before us.

The boat was dispatched back to camp for any equipment they could find that would help us locate the wounded crocodile! The 10’ poles the trackers cut in the meantime would have to do for now. From the bank we poked and prodded and discovered to our horror that at the very edge of the bank where we stood there was a steep drop off going down into the depths of the mighty Zambezi.

The sound of the outboard engine and the returning boat brought new hope, but very little in the way of recovery gear! A coil of rope and a very thin but pointed anchor shaped like a treble hook was all that they had been able to find.

Unlike their watery companions the Hippo, crocodiles do not float after being shot, they sink to the bottom only to return to the surface when the body is completely decomposed and the trophy ruined, if one is lucky!

The minutes and hours slowly ticked by while we played every card that we had in our pack! The boat’s anchor had snagged for over an hour in some rocks costing us precious time, we had even risked an International incident by seeking help from a Zambian fishing camp across the river enquiring if they might posses a fish finding device which we could use. Six hours had come and gone, soon it would be time to give up and make the ride upriver back to camp before darkness fell.

With the evening’s lengthening shadows our faces grew longer as we got down to play our last card! We had noticed earlier that when we threw some twigs in to the river to gauge the direction of the current some of them would get caught up in the fast current and hurtle downstream while others thrown a foot or so closer would swirl around in the little cove where the bait was positioned. After several attempts due to the current the boat was finally anchored in the right position, Mitch took up his position as the wireman, the line was attached to the feeble treble hook shaped anchor and the casting began.

On the 4th cast Mitch shouted out that he had felt something at the end of the line, he threw it back in the same spot over 20’ deep and again shouted out that he had felt something as before but was unsure as to what it was! This got all our attention. He bent the barbs of the thin anchor like treble hook so that it would bite into whatever was down there and cast it out once more.

Gently pulling in the rope he announced that the hook had seemingly snagged again on whatever was lying at the bottom of the river. By this time we were all standing up on the bank watching the proceedings. Hand over hand steadily the rope came back while we all held our breath; Mitch broke the silence saying it was probably a rotten log, but kept up the steady rhythm. Suddenly he shouted “there it is”, through the clear water he could see at the end of his line a large greenish scaly monster dangling precariously from a single barb of a hook. Time stopped as he slowly brought in the last few feet of line, Norman and Richard the trackers lent over the side of the boat and as soon as they could they grabbed the dead crocodile and held on to it for dear life.

It was far too heavy to pull onboard, with the boat listing to one side they started the outboard and made for shore. My somersaults of joy and happy shouts rent the air as the rest of the crew grabbed hold of the crocodile and dragged it ashore. A single barb had snagged the crocodile in its soft underbelly, not even puncturing the skin but just barely holding it.

My two shots had been perfect the first shot had entered directly behind the right horn angling forward towards the brain cavity and had killed the crocodile outright, the hastily fired second shot missed the front shoulders but had hit the base of the neck. The crocodile had been dead instantly but the reptilian mechanism of the beast which has worked for thousands of years had worked one last time pushing it back towards its home and safety.

As far as trophy crocodiles go, at 12’ it was not a record breaker, but I would guess that there are not that many Crocodiles that have been recovered from the depths of the mighty Zambezi.

The moment they got hold of it!

 

On their way to the shore, everyone has big smiles!

 

Top view of the brain shot - you can see where the bullet entered on the left and went right across the brain pan.

 

Mitch and I with our trophy! At the end of its jaw you can see where the 2nd bullet exited.

 

They are truly great trophies and unique animals to hunt! The next one I shoot however will not be facing the water, I don't care who says what shot to take .

 

 

Here is a good link to latest news stories from Safari Club International

 

www.scifirstforhunters.org/static/News-and-Media/index.cfm

 

 

Hi Folks,

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Regards,

Arjun

 

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NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT
Vol. 16, No. 43      10/30/09

NRA Sues Seattle Over Illegal Gun Ban

Click here to vote in this week's poll.

On October 28, NRA filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Washington State against the City of Seattle, asking the court to enjoin and declare invalid a recently enacted parks and recreation administrative policy that prohibits firearms in parks, community centers and other city-owned buildings.  Other plaintiffs in the case include state correctional officers and private citizens.

"NRA members are outraged that the City of Seattle has ignored and defied state law and an opinion of Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox.  "The NRA will continue to fight this senseless infringement on the rights of law-abiding Seattle gun owners."

 

Outrage Of The Week:  Over the past few years, we have reported on numerous, outrageous cases of "zero-tolerance" enforcement defying logic and rational thought.  There seems to be no shortage of this kind of miscarriage of not only justice, but of common sense.  So here we go again:  This week's "Outrage" comes to us from Des Moines, Iowa, where a school recently suspended an 11-year-old girl for bringing a handful of empty shotgun shells to school.

 

During a family trip to a ranch in South Dakota, the blank rounds were fired as part of a show, and the sixth-grade student gathered the harmless, empty shells as souvenirs.  Once again, these were harmless, empty shell casings from fired, blank rounds!

 .But We're Not Through:  This week's second outrage comes to us via Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper (D), who recently issued an official opinion that landlords can prohibit law-abiding tenants from possessing their legally-owned firearms within the leased premises of their rented apartments, even if the tenants have a valid carry permit!

According to an October 28^th article on Knoxnews.com, the opinion is in response to a request from state Representative Tony Shipley (R-2), who said he had thought the answer would have been different. 

 

 

Can't Spell "Freedom's Voice" Without Free!  As the days wind down to Election Day in Virginia-November 3^rd-once again, Grassroots staff is on the road-where we belong and where we thrive!  We will be traveling across the state, working with our members and supporters to elect pro-gun candidates.

 

Another Way To Get Involved:  Online Social Networking:  Internet social networking has exploded in recent years.  Websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter attract millions of users.  These on-line communities foster a connection between their users, and allow distribution of user-generated content (like pictures, profiles, music, video, and text). 

NRA has been a part of this social technology for some time now, with a presence on each of these sites.  By actively participating in these new media, we are able to reach out to more potential members and supporters than ever before. 

Clearing Up the Rumors: The Truth About The "Gun Tax Bill"  Over the past few months, NRA-ILA has received hundreds of e-mails warning us about "SB-2099," a bill that would supposedly require you to report all your guns on your income tax return every April 15. 

Like many rumors, there's just a grain of truth to this one.  Someone is recycling an old alert, which wasn't even very accurate when it was new. 

Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Click At A Time:  We have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime!  It's the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it.

 

 

STATE ROUNDUP  (Please note the only items listed below are those that have had recent action.  For other updates on state legislation, please go to the state legislation section at www.NRAILA.org, and check each week's issue of the Grassroots Alert.")

MICHIGAN: Parking Lot Legislation Headed to the House Floor!
On Tuesday, October 27 the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee approved House Bill 5302 and House Bill 5303 by a 9 to 1 vote. HB5302, introduced by State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93), and HB5303, introduced by State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-103), would prohibit employers from firing employees who safely and lawfully store their firearms in locked vehicles while at work.  The bill now moves to the full Michigan House of Representatives where a vote may be taken any day.  Please contact your Representative TODAY and respectfully ask them to support this important Second Amendment legislation.  To find your representative and contact information please click here.

NEW JERSEY:  Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day!  Be sure to "Vote Freedom First!"  If you have questions about candidate grades and endorsements, please call our Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) or visit www.NRAPVF.org.  For more information about voting in New Jersey, please visit http://www.njelections.org/.  

 

NORTH CAROLINA:  Tar Heel State to Start Producing NRA License Plates!  In 2005, North Carolina established an NRA license plate, but we needed 300 North Carolinians to commit to purchasing them before they could be issued.  We have finally reached the magic number!  The applications, along with the necessary payments, have been submitted to the North Carolina DMV, and we thank everyone who has been patiently waiting for their chance to show support for NRA on their vehicle-especially those who applied in the beginning.  It has been a long road, but your patience will soon pay off.  We will be sure to post further updates as soon as we can, to let you know when to expect your NRA license plate.  Our special thanks go out to NRA Western North Carolina Field Representative Doug Merrill, who has been handling all of the submitted applications, and fielding anxious calls looking for updates.  Again, thank you for your patience! 

SOUTH CAROLINA:   Volunteers Needed to Assist with Range Clean-Up and Maintenance  The Twin Ponds Rifle Range in the Francis Marion National Forest is in need of clean-up and repairs after it was closed in September because of vandalism over the last 12 months.  The Forest is hosting a volunteer clean-up and repair day in order to get the range reopened by Sunday, November 1.  Already, a number of shooter-volunteers, along with a troop of Cub Scouts, have pledged their help that day.  The Forest can always use additional volunteers for that day and in the future to keep the range safe and clean. For more information, please click here. 

TENNESSEE:   Clay County to Address Repeal of Ban on Firearms within State Parks  On Monday, November 2 at 6:30 p.m. the Clay County Commission will consider an ordinance that would repeal an earlier vote that bans the possession of firearms within County parks. The meeting will be held at the Clay County Community Center, located at 145 Cordell Hull Drive in Celina. The meeting will be open for public debate so be sure to arrive early if you would like the option to speak. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact County Mayor Dale Reagan and the County Commissioners at 931-243-2161 and respectfully urge them to support the removal of the existing gun ban.  To contact the Mayor and County Commissioners, please click here.

 

Ordinance Banning Firearms in Parks Dealt a Blow in Bartlett  An ordinance which would have outlawed the possession of firearms in local parks, even by those who possess Right-to-Carry permits, failed to pass on Tuesday, October 27.  Thank you to all of the NRA members who made their voices heard.  Please continue to visit www.nraila.org for up-to-date legislative alerts on this issue.

 

TEXAS:  Attention NRA Members in Henderson & Kaufman Counties!  Please make plans to attend upcoming town hall meetings for your State Representative and strong Second Amendment supporter, Betty Brown (R-4).  The events are being hosted by the Texas Conservative Coalition -- the conservative caucus of the Texas Legislature.  The first meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m.in the Trinity Valley Community College cafeteria, located at 100 Cardinal Drive, in Athens.  The second will be held on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30 AM at Covenant Generations Church, located at 10342 W. Highway 80 in Forney.  Two key NRA-backed bills did not pass during the 2009 legislative session: a proposal prohibiting employers from enforcing policies against hard-working Texans who store their lawfully-owned firearms in their locked motor vehicles while parked at work, and a measure allowing concealed handgun licensees to protect themselves on college and university campuses.  Rep. Brown co-sponsored both bills, but House leaders failed to set either of them for a timely vote by the full House.  This is your chance to thank Rep. Brown for her support and to urge her to push House leaders for a floor vote on both issues next session!

VIRGINIA:  Remember to Vote Freedom First on Election Day!  Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day in the Old Dominion.  Be sure to "Vote Freedom First!"  If you have questions about candidate grades and endorsements, please visit www.NRAPVF.org, or call our Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).  For more information about voting in Virginia, please visit http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Election_Information/Index.html.

With the Virginia elections now merely days away, we need you to increase your volunteer activism in support of our candidates.  To find out how you can assist with our final push, please contact your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representatives (CFRs).  For CFR contact information, please click here.

WASHINGTON:  NRA Sues Seattle Over Illegal Gun Ban  On Wednesday, October 28, the National Rifle Association filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Washington State against the City of Seattle, asking the court to enjoin and declare invalid a recently enacted parks and recreation administrative policy that prohibits firearms in parks, community centers and other city-owned buildings. Other plaintiffs in the case include state correctional officers and private citizens, as well as the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the Washington Arms Collectors, Inc.  The city is in violation of Washington's preemption statute, which forbids localities from enacting this type of ban. In October 2008, Attorney General Rob McKenna issued an opinion that put the City of Seattle and Mayor Nickels on notice that Washington cities may not enact local laws prohibiting possession of firearms on city property or in city-owned facilities.

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Can anyone recommend a good outfit to hunt MuskOx in the spring? Thanks.

 

Too many elephants!!!

I am very pleased to be able to say that a story I wrote [My First African Trophy] has been published in the fall edition of "Game Trails" the hunting journal of the Dallas Safari Club on page 54. Hope you like it.

 

 

The old bull of the Gwai River Bridge

           

One afternoon we decided to head up to the Gwai river bridge crossing to see if there was any elephant activity. The river had a thin trickle of water flowing throught it with a few pools dotted around. It was an extremely hot day perfect for elephant hunting! On enquiry a local native informed us that we had come to the right place and a very old bull elephant with a younger askari bull was drinking daily at the river. He went on to tell us that they would drink every evening around 6pm and then feed along the banks till the early morning where the children from the local village would see them everyday as they went to school. What wonderful sights for a child to see everyday!

Since it was already around 2pm, we decided to hang around and check out the bull ourselves. In time other local villagers came by and they all had the same story to tell! This is always a good sign as local natives exaggerate and often tell you what you want to hear. So we sent the trackers to look for tracks! They came back to confirm that indeed there were tracks from the night before of two bulls drinking at the water, one track in particular was that of a very old bull, his feet were worn with deep cracks, the tracks were not large but sometimes elephants can have small feet and big teeth! Scott the PH was also excited at the sight of the very old tracks.

Around 5ish we loaded up and headed down to set up on a path which the bull would have to come down towards the river. 6 o clock came and went and the village cattle passed us by, the shadows lengthened and day slowly gave way to night, it was the day before full moon, so the moon came up early bathing the dry river bed and surrounding forest in its soft but bright glow. We waited sweating under the sausage tree, the mosquitoes came out to feast on us, but still no sign of the bulls! At 8:30 we decided to call it a night and quitely withdrew. We were back on the bridge at 530am, now using binoculars to look into every shadow along the river bank expecting to see the old bull in the early morning. Still no sign!

         

The trackers were despatched to see where they had drunk and we decided to drive the boundary road which ran parallel to the river but a mile away. The road was our area's boundary and we could not follow the bull across the other side. The boundary was all too close for our liking but rules are rules. Halfway down the boundary road we picked up his fresh tracks from the night before, he had come from the river and crossed the road heading into the other hunting block! Dissapointed we returned to collect the trackers and they confirmed what we already knew that the bull had drunk at the river but at another pool lower down!

The next morning we returned again, this time a light drizzle had washed out the tracks from the night before and all we could tell was that a herd of cows had passed by! Had we lost the chance of finding this old bull, an animal that had walked under the African sun for close to 50 years, perhaps carrying ivory well into the 60s and 70lb range. One tall villager described the tusks as being taller than him, surely a 100lb and every elephant hunter's dream! This was a quiet hidden away little place, a place where an old clever bull could easily hideout and spend his old age. We wondered whether his sixth sense which had kept him safe all these years told him that he was now being hunted and whether he had packed up and left with his younger friend! The daily tracks and foreign smell of our hunting vehicle would have been enough sign to warn him.

The sight of that old foot haunted us and we knew we had to go back at least one more time. Back again we made the early morning drive to the Gwai. We dropped off a couple of trackers to check the pools in the river and started our drive down the two mile boundary road. A mile later still no sign, perhaps he had moved off, at the end of the road, we stopped waiting for the trackers who were walking the length of that stretch of river to join us. Scott, decided to stretch his legs and walked down to the river, he was back in a few minutes to say that he had just found very fresh tracks of the two bulls and they were heading towards the river. The chase was on. We waited patiently for the trackers to return, they came at a run to say they had also seen the fresh tracks where the elephants had drunk, but were now heading into the one mile band along the river. We loaded up and followed them going as fast as we could in the dry river sand, up the river bank into the thorn bush, up and down the rough terrain following them, hoping that we would catch them before they got to the boundary road which was somewhere ahead of us! We lost the tracks twice in the grass and leaves, Luxon and Ben found them and off we went again. The elephants were heading as we suspected towards the boundary and to safety. There was no way we could catch them now, the boundary was only about 150 yards away still invisible in the thick bush! Suddenly the tracks turned sharply, as we followed I realized that we were heading back towards the river and deeper into our hunting area. Perhaps the elephants were planning to cross the river and head into the hills.

The big green accacia trees that only grow along the river came into view, we were not far now from the river and getting into the real thick stuff. Suddenly a loud cracking sound came from infront, no doubt elephant. A few more careful steps and they came into view. The old bull feeding on the left and the younger one on the right, we had him! Checking the wind we closed the distance one step at a time. Trying desperately to get a look at the ivory. This was it, the elephant I had come to shoot. At 25 yards a long yellow tusk swam into view, too thin and really not long enough. Scott cursed for both of us. The expression on his face did not need words. It was the old bull of the Gwai alright but not what we were looking for. We watched the old elephant as he fed quietly, got some good video footage of him and slowly withdrew.

We made our way back to the boundary road and sent for the vehicle. As a new day broke and the sun came up, we sat in the dust laughing at our misfortune. That old bull could have been that once in a life time elephant, he could have had pillars of white gold, but his small yellow ivory had kept him safe all these years. All hunting is about the experience and not just the final outcome. But more so when hunting for a trophy bull elephant I have come to realize it is the journey that is to be savoured as much as it is to get there.

Long may the old bull live in his little honey hole at the river Gwai and amuse the local villagers and children.