Howard Bradshaw 2011 - Botswana

In the last 2 weeks of July I travelled back to Botswana with Kerry Wallace of Dark continent Video Productions to film a Hunt for Mike Howard and Clifton Bradshaw. We hunted the Sankuyo concession of Coenraad Vermaak Safaris and each hunter pursued an Elephant.

An exciting and great time we had indeed as Mike and Cliff's humour was enjoyed around the evening campfires. Both hunters bagged themselves each a great Elephant Bull and Cliff also took an old old Buffalo trophy and Monster Kudu bull of 56 1/2 inches!

This was Mike's 3rd safari video and we thank him for his support over the years! We also look forward to one day welcoming Cliff back on Safari as i am sure the bug has bitten!!!

Bass family - Matetsi 2011

Myself and Hans Vermaak had the pleasure of having Christy Bass and her 2 sons, Will and Brian, join us in our Matetsi concession this June for 14 Days of Leopard, Buffalo and Sable hunting.

Hanging baits were the order of the first few days in Matetsi and as a team we hung, checked baits and built blinds collectively over the 14 days. The leopard action started on the 5th day and Brian and I sat that first afternoon waiting in patience hoping we would get real lucky but alas no cat came into the tree !

The next morning saw Hans take over and sit with Brian as he had been the previous day in Vic Falls with Christy. The team worked that Bait over the next 5 days every morning and afternoon but the Cat just never came during Daylight hours. A day after that first Hit, Will and myself were fortunate and had another bait hit which we also sat on for 4 days but Mr spots did not reveal himself during hunting hours. During our attempts in the blinds we were also traversing the wonderful hills and valleys of the Matetsi in search of plainsgame and Buffalo. On the second day Will took a lovely old Dagga Boy with a single well placed shot from the .375 H&H.

Another key specie on the list was the majestic Sable and Will's patience paid off with a splendid Sable going down to the .300 win mag mid-safari. Christy hunting with me was able to finally put to bed her Nemesis, The Kudu, and this was done with a single shot at 190 yards! A monster bull with impressive width and depth!

Back to the leopards saw us frantically working the last few days hanging more baits and building blinds. The second to last afternoon we had 2 hits, both checked by the other team, we decided to sit that evening. Brian, Scruff and Eleckson chose to sit at the "Lucky" tree (a tree out of which 2 leopards were shot last year) and we were sent to sit at "impala" bait.

Nothing revealed itself that evening but the next morning the other team were able to get a shot into a Tom which came into the Tree at 6.30am. Unfortunately after a few hours tracking the Cat they were unable to locate it and the search was called off! Oh so close and my thoughts go out to Brian who worked so hard for that Leopard! Next year though we shall try again in the Timbavati where Brian will take a leopard and Will a Lion.

Maritz group - June 2011

In June Steve Maritz and son William Joined us for a Hunt at Rooipoort in South Africa. They arrived as part of a larger group consisting of another 3 Fathers and Sons and a total of 4 Hunting vehicles left camp each morning.

Steve has been fortunate to have hunted the Dark Continent many time previously but it was Willie's first Hunt on African soil and he did fantastically well to bag most of his trophies with one shot kills! Conditions were also testing as a cold front from Antarctica swept through the Country and we had to contend with wet and miserable temperatures. Willie was able to bag 3 Ostriches, a feat not yet accomplished at Rooipoort as the Ostrich is a worthy and "switched on" adversary in those parts! Also in the salt went a impressive Red Hartebbest, Steenbok, Blesbok, Black Wildebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Zebra and a Kudu which we worked hard to track down and dispatch. This being Willie's priority trophy meant we were well on target to a clean sweep.

The only critter that eluded us were the Warthog, as this time of year the grass was tall and visibility on foot always challenging for the "shorter legged" game. Dad, Steve was also able to bag himself a Black Backed Jackal, his first after numerous previous attempts in Africa.

The last Day saw us head along the mighty Vaal river and into the Hills after a Mountain Reedbuck which Willie took with a well placed shot to the neck. After a successful 7 Days it was time to say goodbye and bid them farewell as they headed to Botswana to continue there Safari in Search of Elephant and Buffalo in our Sankuyo Concession.

Botswana and Timbavati 2011 - Coenraad Vermaak Safaris

It was a great pleasure to have Alex Smuzikov and Viktor Efanov return and hunt with me again this year with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris. Also having the wonderful Kerry Wallace of DCVP on hand to document the adventure was rather enjoyable and her services come highly recommended.



Our first leg of the trip started in the wilds of the Timbavati and the search was on for a Hippo and 2 Trophy Buffalo. The going was slow the first day and we saw very little Buffalo herd movement, an unusual occurrence in the Timbavati, but this returned to the usual mass sightings rather quickly and by mid morning on Day 2 we had already viewed over 600 Buffalo. Being able to look over large numbers of Buff and in particular many Bulls each day is what makes the Timbavati a unique and special hunting destination Our search for an Old Hippo Bull ended on Day 3 with a single shot entering the brain from Alex's .375 H&H. The excellent shooting continued and the following morning Alex took his first Buffalo, a perfect SINGLE shot, through the heart and lungs. Later that afternoon we had the opportunity to take another fine Buffalo specimen, which Alex quite comfortably did at 60 yards, and this ended what will always remain with me as one of those "special days" in Africa never to be repeated.



TWO Buffalo bulls, both absolutely remarkable trophies, (42inch and 43inch respectively) taken in one hunting day and with very well placed broadside shots from Alex! It was then off on an early departure to Botswana where Kerry and I had the pleasure and enjoyment of travelling with Alex and Victor in Alex's Gulfstream G450 (cruising at an altitude of 42000 feet, at a speed faster than a 747 in luxury is an experience I highly recommend trying).

In Botswana we met up with PH's Ian Newmarch and Richard de Bufanos and continued our hunt looking for 2 trophy Elephant Bulls. Alex took his first Elephant on the 4th day in Botswana with a perfect Heart lung shot and followed up with some insurance shots to the spine and head. A respectable 50lb plus Ele that Alex can be very proud of. In search of the second Elephant we were stretched to the last day and as the case on many safaris it all came together perfectly with Alex taking his second Bull just before lunch. A truly remarkable 14 days had come to an end and will firmly remain with me as a very fond memory. Ayiki Inkinga (no problem)

I look forward to my next adventure this year with Alex in search of White Rhino and Lion in August. Thank you to Victor for his always energetic humour and company on this safari and to Alex for choosing once again to hunt with me and Coenraad Vermaak Safaris.

Best Dangerous Game Trophy of 2010 - Houston Safari Club

Courtney Comiskey seen here with proud Father Frank Comiskey holds her recently awarded Trophy for Best Dangerous Game taken in 2010. This award was presented by the Houston Safari Club for Courtney's awesome Cape Buffalo and is something she can be extremely proud of. Well Done!

2010 Newsletters

Return to Maasailand and Ngorongoro Crater 2010

In October 2010 Professional Hunter & DCVP Videographer Rayno Egner travelled to Maasailand in Tanzania to document a Maasai species hunt with Christy Bass of Dallas Texas.

Rayno Egner writes…

Just south of the border between Kenya and Tanzania and west of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro lies the Rift Valley. Here from the dusty plains that lie on the foundations of the Ngorongoro Crater, between Lake Manyara and Lake Natron, to the top of the misty dew moistened forests of Mount Losimingori is the game controlled hunting area of MtoWaMbu.

It has been several years since I filmed a safari in Tanzania. It has been several years since I last was in Maasai land and several years since I last visited the Crater and MtoWaMbu. When the opportunity arose to film Christy’s hunt it was an easy decision to make. It would be a great opportunity to re-visit an area and country that in the past shared many of my travels and experiences. It was destined to be a memorable hunt and it turned out to be exactly that!

Travelling from Joburg to Nairobi then hopping across the border on an early evening flight thru the “Gates” of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru myself and PH Hans Vermaak met up with Christy as she landed on the late evening flight inbound from Europe on KLM.

We settled in camp the next evening after a 3 hour drive from Arusha and watched the sun setting over the Crater rim in the distance.

It was an early start the next morning as we checked the rifles and prepared for 12 days of hunting. In the first few days Christy took some magnificent trophies including a Dik Dik, Grants Gazelle and a Lesser Kudu which tested the skills of the trackers and quick shooting from Christy. We then focused on Gerenuk and Fringe-eared Oryx. Following a report from one of the other hunting vehicles we tried to get onto an Oryx with huge lion wounds down its back but it managed to evade us. We passed many Gerenuk females each day until on the 7^th a fine ram gave us a good hunt and went down with a single “on the walk” shot from the 300 win mag. It was then time to focus entirely on the Oryx. With the next day being a day off to visit the Crater we worked hard and at last light we found the same “lion scratched” Oryx as earlier in the Hunt. He took only one shot and went down as the light faded.

The Visit to the Ngorongoro crater was superb with 4 of the Big 5 sited in just 2 and half hours! It also gave us a chance to recharge before continuing the safari back in Mtowambu. The last few days saw us checking leopard baits and taking on the thick steep undergrowth of Losimingor Mountain and coming off second, ultimately turning around and admitting defeat. Christy also secured herself other trophies such as a Thompsons Gazelle and White Bearded Gnu.

With the hunt complete and successful it was time to head back to Arusha and check out the local wares and Tanzanite before heading home. As we headed out on the early bird precision air flight towards Nairobi and the Sun poked its orange head over the white face of Kilimanjaro I realized that my return to this beautiful and diverse country could not have come any sooner!