My Most Excellent Adventure

I would have to say that the last two weeks in August 2006 were the best of my life. What a marvelous time. I have trouble believing that any hunt will ever top the Bahati Adventure.

My hunting party was made up of six family members and one of our best friends, which made our group large enough to have the entire camp to ourselves. Some of the best memories are of re-living the days’ excitement around the campfire at night and we had plenty to share. The seven of us took a total of thirty seven trophies and were afforded opportunities to take many others.

The camps were true First Class Africa with all the essential, modern conveniences. The cabins were newly constructed and were quite comfortable. The food was generally a selection of recently taken wild game however, the bacon and sausages we were served most mornings ranked among the best I’ve ever tasted. Refrigerators are run long enough to chill beverages and make ice for the inevitable afternoon and evening refreshments.

My hunting partners agreed you can’t go wrong with any of the PHs that Johan employs. I think each of us determined we must have had the best PH and we had four, all told. Each had his area of special expertise and I was impressed by their game knowledge and hunting prowess.

The insects where not nearly as much of a problem as I expected however, the tiny bugs known as “hot ash” had a delayed effect which could light up your legs the next day. I would suggest spraying your clothes with the “dry on” type of repellant and wearing long stockings and pants while sitting around the fire at night. One of my cousins became their preferred delicacy and had a few miserable days dealing with the itching.

The Game was very plentiful most of the time and was active all but the hottest part of the day. If you are willing to hold out for a trophy class animal, you have an excellent chance of finding one in Mozambique. I collected a Sable that measured over 40 inches, a Nyala that was just under 30 inches, a very nice Oribi, a Waterbuck, and of course, a Cape Buff. The Buff was exactly what I told my PH Gary Geyer, that I wanted. It had very deep curving horns and a solid boss which is the epitome of what I think a buff should be. Two of the others in my party took buffalo in the 40” class that were very impressive. The buffalo are certainly not in short supply but, be advised, this is a real hunt and you will have to work for the real trophies, which is, after all, what it’s all about.

After the 12 Days in Mozambique, we hunted a couple days in South Africa where we collected an Impala and three magnificent Kudu. The Gemsbok gave us the slip which just moves them high up the list for the next trip.

I am heading to Reno for the SCI convention the end of January and look forward to seeing my friends from Bahati once again.

It’s hard to understand how lasting friendships can form in such a short time however, there’s something bonding about crawling through the swamp, within stomping distance of a ¾  ton bad attitude, that let’s you know what people are made of. I have nothing but good to say about Bahati and my experiences with them.