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IT’S
ONLY DAY ONE
By Dave Fulson
The
bush was starting to dry up as the African winter
progressed and Bob’s safari, scheduled for
early July, found the jesse starting to drop its
leaves and open up as far as visibility was concerned.
Bob
had been met at the remote bush airstrip by his professional
hunter Mike, and was enjoying the drive to the camp
which would server as base for his ten-day buffalo
/ plains game safari.
After
the normal back and forth conversation about the
flight over, ‘What rifle and caliber did you
bring?’ and ‘Have you been on safari
before?’ questions have been discussed, the
talk quite naturally turns to hunting.
“How’s
the hunting been and have you seen many buffalo?”,
asks Bob. “The herds are breaking up into smaller
groups and the bulls are starting to drift off on
their own a bit, but not to worry, we’re going
to see plenty of buffalo”, replies Mike who
is confident his new client will be following fresh
tracks daily until he takes his bull.
As
the conversation gets more buffalo-specific, Bob
tells his PH (and believe me, his PH is already aware
of this) that he wants a ‘trophy’ buffalo
and nothing less.
Mike
explains that they will hunt hard, leave early and
return late, and hope good luck will cross their
path with the bull of Bob’s dreams. “With
10 days to hunt, I’m sure we’ll find
a bull you will be very proud of. Maybe Day 1, maybe
Day 10, but we’ll find him.”
Over
the next several years, Bob will replay that last
comment over in his head many, many times.
Bob
enjoyed his first African sunrise from the top seat
of a Land Cruiser while driving up a dry watercourse.
He enjoyed the sounds, sights, and smells of Africa,
for so many years only a dream, but finally, today
right here at his feet.
As
Bob tried to make sense out of the astounding number
and variety of tracks that crisscrossed the streambed,
one of the trackers tapped the hood bringing the
truck to a stop. As the PH stepped out, the trackers
pointed to three pairs of platter-sized tracks that
led up into the green riverine cover that bordered
the stream. Bob’s PH looked up at him and said “Nyati…buffalo – these
are fresh, so we better saddle up and get on them”.
Mike
explained to Bob who was loading his new .375 that
the tracks belonged to three, obviously large-footed ‘dagga
boys’ or bachelor bulls. “We’re
in luck, I think I know these gentlemen. I’ve
seen them cross here before and one of them is a
hell of a bull. I nearly got him in early May with
a client who was just a bit slow getting on the sticks…shame,
because he missed out on a lovely buffalo.”
The
tracks led up out of the heavy stuff into some relatively
open mopane cover and barely thirty minutes into
Bob’s first buffalo stalk, on his first morning
of his first safari the lead tracker, Coffee, froze
and pointed with his chin to a large black blob coming
out from behind a screen of bush. To Bob’s
amazement, the blob turned into a real, honest to
goodness Cape Buffalo, which was soon joined by a
second bull.
As
Bob stared at the bull on the right, which seemed
bigger than its partner, he was aware of the PH setting
the shooting sticks up and suddenly felt a firm hand
on his shoulder, followed by a quiet hiss in his
ear telling him to drop the bloody glasses and get
his gun on the sticks.
“Right
up the front leg, halfway up the shoulder. Take him….NOW!”
Bob
shouldered his rifle and looked at the bull, but
then, very calmly turned to his PH and said, “Mike,
I’m not sure…he doesn’t look wide
enough and besides, its only the first day. We’ve
got lots of time to look around.”
The
bull, a big-bossed beauty that would have stretched
ole’ Bob’s tape measure to forty inches,
now had spotted the hunters and wore the same stunned
expression as the PH. The bulls grunt as he wheeled,
partially covered the curse of the PH as Bob lowered
his rifle.
Seeing
the confused look on the trackers faces and the darker
look his PH wore, Bob again muttered, “Hey,
it’s only the first day…right?”
“No,
it’s your first day. We have been out here
every day since April, and several of those days
looking for the bull you just threw away.”
As
the trackers and the PH turned to head back to the
vehicle, Bob, sensing the mood said, “Well,
did we make a mistake by not shooting that bull?” The
PH chose his words carefully, and trying to be as
honest as he could said, “Well, the trackers
made no mistake. They followed a particularly clever
bull beautifully and put us in position for a perfect
setup. I don’t think I made a mistake by telling
you to shoot one of the best bulls I’ve seen
here the last couple of seasons – big boss,
wide, deep, beautiful curl, he had it all. If there
was a mistake – and time will tell – it
was that you did what so many clients do and that
was not being prepared to seriously hunt early in
the safari. But if it helps, you’re not the
first, and you won’t be the last to fall into
that bloody ‘its only the first day’ hole.”
The
scenario above, while it may be fictional, is based
on reality countless times, every year, and in every
country where safari hunting is found.
So
many factors play a part in how successful a safari
will be. Booking with the right safari company, one
with a proven track record on the species you wish
to hunt, is the first step. Good firms employ top
professional hunters, men who know both the areas
they operate and the number and quality of game animals
found there. It is their expertise and knowledge
you are paying that nice, fat daily rate for.
Luck
always plays a part in hunting. In a good area, and
under the guidance of an experienced PH, you will
no doubt find the trophy you came to Africa to hunt.
The catch is, you do not know when it will show up.
Now
don’t misunderstand, there is nothing wrong
with holding out for a superior trophy. I have done
so many times myself and been rewarded with a better
specimen than some I had passed on earlier in the
hunt. I have also passed some opportunities that,
when looking back, I must have been crazy not to
take advantage of. The price is either an unused
tag (which is okay), or worse, taking an animal the
last day that you are not really pleased with.
As
our friend Craig Boddington says, “When Mother
Nature smiles at you, it’s not a good idea
to kick sand in her face.”
In
the vast majority of PH/client situations, the PH
or guide has a better grasp of when and what to shoot
than the client, as he does it daily and usually
has a deep well of experience to draw from. This
is true of buffalo in Zimbabwe, kudu in South Africa,
or a grizzly in Alaska.
Any
professional worth his salt wants his client to take
a trophy he will be proud of. Few will want you to
fill your bag on the first animal just to get a bag
filled. On the other hand, if a trophy that in his
estimation you should take comes along on day one,
you would be wise to take the advise – and
the shot. DON’T PASS UP ON MONDAY WHAT YOU
WOULD BE THRILLED WITH ON FRIDAY is a pretty good
motto to follow on any hunt.
Each
season, we hear so many stories from our PHs’ who
report in saying, “ Now listen, John shot an
average buffalo or elephant late in the safari, but
he passed up a big one on day one or two. I told
him it was a shooter and he passed, which was okay
by me, but if he comes home with a ‘he let
me shoot a small one’ story, you now have the
facts.”
The
sole purpose of this piece is to try to make your
safari a wonderful, successful, and most importantly,
memorable event. Coming into a new country after
game you may not be familiar with, and often with
pre-conceived notions of how and exactly when and
what size animal you will take can lead to tough
lessons in reality.
Remember,
you have booked with an outfit that knows the safari
game from years of experience in the exact area you
will be hunting. Hunt hard, do your best. pass when
you should, and take the shot if the right animal
comes along – Day 1 or Day 21.
Trust
me, there are worse things than having a nice trophy
in the salt early in the safari and relaxing with
the pressure off!
