The Leopard

Remember the warthog I found? It was Ken's leopard that killed this warthog.
From tip of tail to the tip of his head he stood at 6ft, 10 inches.
George said he knew Ken made a perfect shot on the cat because the leopard never tried to pull out the broadhead from its leg.
Pick a spot.
This was Ken's second attempt trying to get a leopard. In 2004, he hunted with George's dad, Lou Hallamore and they never saw a male leopard.

He took his shirt off. He took his shoes off. For Towel it was an honor to carry Ken's leopard to the truck.

The next morning when the search for the leopard began. George told me, "DO NOT get out of this truck for any reason. Do you understand what I just said?" Yes George. The cat had traveled 50 yards behind the blind before expiring. Ken said the first thing he saw was the sun light shining on his spotted belly. That was when I heard a loud "YES" from inside the truck!!!!!
George Hallamore and Ken. It took 10 days of hard hunting before the success of the hunt could be celebrated.

Ken trying to get the broadhead out of the cat's leg.

With his bow in hand Ken holds the beautiful leopard. We have a place in our home where he will recline on a log and be honored by the Cook Clan.
Ken, Jimson, George, Game Scout and Absent.
This is an amazing picture. This is Africa!! This is Towel...

Chifudze Camp still hunting

At Chifudze Camp day 8. This is Ian, who is almost 21 years old. He is studying to be a PH. It takes three years in Zimbabwe to become a Professional Hunter.
Red breasted roller.
Some of the rock here looked liked lava rock. Some of the rock formations were amazing.
This corner was the local bus stop. Most everyone walked wherever they went.
George looking at another area to hang a bait.
Me standing at the edge of a dried river. The rains arrive in the middle of November and it will rain until the end of January. Graham tells me after the rains the transformation in the landscape will be unrecognizable because of the new greenery.
The baobab tree towering over its kingdom. Ken is following the road that has lead us to so many of our dreams. We are blessed and grateful..
This is the iron that was used to iron our clothes everyday while in camp. Hot coals go inside the iron. The reason for ironing the clothes everyday was to prevent any flying insects eggs from hatching on our clothes.
Ken is pointing on the map where we are hunting. The Omay concession is three million acres.
This is a strangling fig tree. The root of this tree is white, and it attaches to the rock and grows down into all the cracks and crannies of the stone.
We bounced/drove by this rock everyday. I called it mushroom rock.

We finally caught up with the cape buffalo.
This tree is where a lioness climbed to try and eat the bait that was hanging. Lions aren't very good at climbing. That's why all the claw marks. We could see where she fell out of the tree. I guess this caused her to give up.
I found this cape buffalo skull while wandering thru the bush.
Find the road that will lead you to your dreams.

This was my bed at the Chifudze camp.
Where we found big leopard tracks, George found a rib cage wedged between two rocks in the creek. He assumed it was the rib cage of an impala that the leopard had just fed on. So while they were sitting up a place for the blind, I was out looking around. This was what I found. You are looking at a giant warthog his teeth measured 15 inches on both sides and 19 inches of width between the two teeth. We decided the leopard had killed this warthog not an impala. I will be telling you more about the warthog a little later.
This road sign I found to be funny.
The mustache flower. After it blooms the pod opens up to look like a mustache.
A "don't know what it's called" bird. There were lots of these around.
Anteater den.
The reason why the anteater made his hole here, Ant heap.
Bouncing down the road one morning I looked over and saw a dead impala beside the road. We stopped to take a look and found he was caught in a snare. We pulled several snares from the area. Snares are a sad slow death.
A male leopard track.
The dining area at the Chifudze camp.
This was the veranda we would all gather on in the evenings at Chifudze. At night we would hear elephants trumpeting, bush bucks barking, lions roaring, and leopards calling. Pretty crazy to think about all the animals we would hear. It's a jungle out there.

Chifudze Camp week three

The PH's of HHK Safaris have attempted on numerous hunts to achieve this task. But not one bow hunter has succeeded until Ken. One because it's dangerous and done at night. Two because you have to set up your blind so close to the animal feeding. Now I'm not asking you to agree with this story, But I would like for you to try and understand. I still struggle to understand it all myself.

In the bush, in Zimbabwe you have native people who live in small villages through out the hunting concessions. These natives are not allowed any kind of firearm for hunting. For them to eat meat they either raise their own cattle or goats. Or depend on the hunters in that concession to provide you the meat from the kills that they have made. The money the hunter pays for that animal whether it be trophy fee or bait fee goes to the people of the villages. The money is divided up for them to buy feed, seed, books, whatever they need. Africa, like anywhere else, has poachers that will catch a leopard or lion even elephants in snares. It's a cruel death. They take what they can sell and leave the rest to rot. Because our economy is down, US hunters are not spending the money to travel or hunt. One of the results is that poaching all over Africa is at an all time high.
This is Absent, one of our trackers, hanging bait for the leopard. It has to be hung high to prevent hyenas and lions from stealing it. Leopards love to climb trees with their meat for the same reason.
Here is the tree they put the bait in. Because Ken is bow hunting, there is a lot of strategy that goes into preparing for the hunt and building the blind. After the bait is in place and a male leopard has hit the bait, George, our PH, mounts a remote control lighting system that has to shine on the cat. Once they hear it feeding he turns on the light to identify whether it is a male or female. Only males are legal. The blind is 22 yards from the bait tree. This is the distance Ken will shoot.
Leopard track and it's a male. You will be fined big bucks if a female leopard is harmed. When you hunt an area you always have a game scout. His job is to make sure you and your PH abide by the laws.
This is Towel. He is 69 year old and can out walk, and out carry all of us. He was our human GPS system since he was intimately familiar with the hunting area.
I found several pods of lucky beans in the area where we were baiting the leopard.
This is the blind 22 yards from the meat hanging in the tree. CLOSE, VERY CLOSE!!! A blind is only set up after a male has eaten some of the bait. The male leopard tracks left behind are the only sign needed. The first night Ken and George sat in the blind, they heard dogs barking. Later they found out it was poachers running dogs.
Ken looking out the hole of the blind. What you see hanging in the background is the bait.
Because you have to use big portions of meat to bait a cat, zebra, impala and cape buffalo were the chosen ones.

Once your baits are hung, you cover them with limbs and branches to keep vultures from finding them. All together we had six different baits out. We drove about 50 miles every morning checking our bait line. This would take about six hours over very bumpy "roads". Towel sharpening his axe head, which he uses for something every day. They used it for everything from skinning a fish to chopping a fallen tree from the road.
Their was no single place for my eyes to rest. My eyes would search for other signs of human life. Space was far and wide and did I mention beautiful?
Ken taking a rest after we chased buffalo FoRRR- EvERRR...:)
Midnight sun you touch my soul.
My sweetie living his dream.
We had just walked several miles trying to catch up with the buffalo.
Mopane flies are a lot like our gnats. In places there would be swarms of them, up your nose, in your eyes, in your ears buzzing around, in your mouth. They don't bite, just pesky, and it would feel like millions of them at once.
This is one of the mornings we were out looking for baits. George decided to cross the dried riverbed. Down, down, down we go. The boys finally got us pushed out.
Dig, push, Dig, push.....
Women can balance a five gallon bucket full of water on their heads, plus have a baby strapped to their back. I found this so amazing. I can't balance squat on my head.
You are looking at the hot water heater that heated the water in the lodge rooms. It was an oven too. Two loaves of bread a day are baked fresh... Soooo Good!
Ken and Absent tieing down equipment.
This is the stalking approach. George our Professional Hunter, two trackers, Absent and Jimson, our personal human GPS, Towel, Ian (who is studying to be a PH) and our game scout.

Ken with his Impala male.
The age of time Baobab trees.
Ken sighting in his gun.
Bullseye baby!!
Here's a story for ya.. Look close at the gaping hole in George's truck. A female elephant with a bad attitude, drove her tusk through the hood of his truck and pushed him backwards over three trees and almost off a cliff before stopping and running off.
George said he had his brakes to the floor the entire time.
Do not piss off the animals in Africa they have a way of getting revenge.

Amber eyes, Many stripes, Spiraled horns

Animals at Chikwenya are plenty. There is no hunting here, only wildlife viewing and fishing.
I found the striped horse to be beautiful. Zebra's stripe patterns are just like our finger prints, each one is different.
When zebra colts are born it's up to the mother for her newborn to recognize her stripes and her stripes only, no other.
To live in Africa one must be tough. Whether it be human or anima, there is no room for the weak or faint of heart. Death lives around every corner, so it's up to you to stay alert.
Monkeys, Impalas, termite heaps and birds of all kinds are plentiful. The birds were amazing. Some of the sounds they made sounded like words, or at least to Ken and me. You have the bird that says "GoAway" one sounds like he is saying "A-Hole" one says"NoProblem". We even heard a frog that sounds like he saying.. DonBarone... We stayed entertained for sure..:)
This male hippo is old and scarred from fighting. He weighs in at about 6000 pounds.
Water bucks and this big bull hippo lined the landscape.
The animals you see in the Zambezi Valley will lift your spirit and you will soar.
Tracks of many.

This is a sausage tree. They say monkeys are about the only animal in the Zambezi valley that eats the sausage. It has some medical uses and one is to treat skin cancer.
The dirt from termite mounds or "ant-heaps" is used to make bricks in the villages. Sticky spit I guess..:)
This is a saddleback stork. Pretty colorful, huh?
Baboons and Impala are a daily sight.
This is a very old hippo.

Guinea fowl were plentiful
Eland and Impala keep a watchful eye on us as we drive by.


Our room at Chikwenya had a shower and bath tub outside along with our own personal swimming pool. Spoiled huh:)
From our room looking off the deck.
The design in the wall plaster is tree trunks and branches.
Our bed has the traditional mosquito net around it.
If you chose to shower inside this was it.

This was the sitting area inside our room.
You can see the mountain range across the river in Zambia and the ant heaps speckled across the horizon.

This is an acacia tree
Very nice male Impala, actually gi-normous.
Cape buffalo and Zebra.

Ox peckers eat the insects from the buffalo.


A mom protecting her calf.
This is one of my favorite pics.
The land cruiser we used for wildlife viewing.
It took me awhile to wrap my brain around everything I was seeing.. I would tell Ken to pinch me so I would know this was all real. You could go months here and NEVER see another person.What makes your heart race? What have you seen that has left you speechless? What ever it may be, keep it close to you and never forget where it came from...Africa
The Fish Eagle.
Goose and Turtle.
Kudu standing on an ant heap.
Three cape buffalo bulls.

Ken and Graham are looking for a female waterbuck that was taken from the shores by a croc. Dinner time!! Beware!!!
Ken holding elephant pooooo.
Vervet monkeys and baboons were never too far away.

Waterbuck and Elles
Two kudu checking us out.

Africa week two CHIKWENYA

Chikwenya Camp, I will do my best to describe this piece of heaven on earth. It all started three years ago when Graham invited us to come to Chikwenya to shoot a promotional video on tiger fishing. He had just gotten this concession which had been unoccupied for years. Run down wall tents stood on concrete floors. Your only source of light at night was a fire.
That was then. This is now!!!
The Zambezi River Valley separates Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is a Magical Place Indeed!!!

Butterflies of all colors.
To see a sunrise in Africa is to see the hand of God.
As soon as you get the river in your sights you hear the sounds of the hippo grunts from every direction. Their big heads bobbing around, sinking down only to pop up somewhere else. We fished around them most all of the time.


While we were out fishing a big group of elephants were on the shore mingling around. Then all of a sudden the matriarch of the herd decided to cross over to a nice green island. So away they go, all of them.

At one point the matriarch of the herd stopped, and they all stopped. It was only when she started walking again did the rest of the group walk with her.Every calf had an adult in front and adult in back of them for protection.

Ahh look at the babies.
Here is the Chikwenya Lodge now. From camp you cam see the Zambezi River lined by the mountain range on the Zambia side. Monkeys watch you from the trees. This amazing place runs entirely off a generator. No electricity, but you have AC in every room.
This is the open bar. You can see Ken sitting under a tree watching wild dogs run up and down the shores.
Hot tub and dining area.
Swimming pool with bar stools connected to the bottom so you are able to view all the wildlife from the pool.
Ken with one of the many tiger fish we caught.
Wild dogs are a pretty special sight to see. They are protected, and at one point were almost extinct. They hunt in groups. Together they will bring down an impala. Once down a group of about five will stop to feed, then the rest will continue to hunt until another impala is caught. They continue to do this until all are fed.
What I've noticed here is, most animals have big ears.

Sitting at the bar this was my view. WOW!!
In the mornings when we woke up it wasn't unusual to see cape buffalo or elephant and you always heard the hippos.
The plane we flew in on from Harare.
The landing strip. At the far end after we landed elephants walked across. YIKES!!!
This is a twenty five hundred year old baobab tree. The fruit it bears is a pod which is made into cream of tarter. That's the land cruiser truck that picked us up after we landed next to this beautiful, magical tree.
Me standing next to a giant hole that has worn itself into the baobab tree, assisted by elephants over time.
Look at the different pattens on the wild dogs.
Ken showing off his tiger fish.
Looks like I'm busted now. That's me wearing Hunter's "lost" tee shirt.
Flying over Chikwenya. Zimbabwe is BIG, VAST and Beautiful..

Me getting some of this fighting action. My biggest weighed 13 pounds.
Nice hippo!!! Or water horse. Grunt Grunt Grunt!!!
Red breasted rollers.

From the water you can see camp along with elephants and water bucks
This lamp shade is made from porcupine quills. They also use these quills for bobbers when fishing for bream.

I will be writing and posting more pictures from our journey to Africa. A journey that has touched my soul once again.
Enjoy!!!

Under The African Sky

Our first few days in Zimbabwe. We are now at Grahams house. That's me sitting on veranda writing in my journal.

Pictures are a little blurry because I'm sitting in the back seat on our way out to the lake. Here are a few villages we passed. Fences, roofs and homes are made from the native grass called thatch. Some were logs most were thatched.
This tree was blooming solid purple, just beautiful.
I tried to get some of the road which was all dirt on our way to the lake.
Now in Zimbabwe all money is US dollars, Zim money no longer exists. You can now buy food in the grocery stores and gasoline on the streets.
Poinsettia bush. Africa seasons are opposite of our seasons. Right now spring is on its way out and summer begins. Nov, Dec and Jan are the rainy seasons.
This is a type of bird nest. The male bird spends hours making the nest and when the female arrives to move in, and if it does not suit her approval, she will snip the nest down, It falls to the ground and he will start over until it meets her approval. I saw in one day six different nests on the ground. "Dude get it right the first time"
Look closely at the Preying Mantis.
This is the fish camp we stayed in. Pretty cool huh?..:)
Natives gathering their fish nets.
Kingfisher bird perched on the fence that surrounded the camp
To see an African sunset is to see God's beauty up close.
Together we share another journey under the African skies. My family, I'm thinking of you....:)
The people who have survived and still live in Zimbabwe are like family. Every chance they get, they come together and enjoy the beauty that Zim has to offer.
Inside the fish camp.
Employees at this camp make forty dollars a month. And happy to have it.
Gathering his nets
Team meeting at the HHK Tournament involved lots of Zimbabwe beer and fish stories.
The sunset from the lodge was awesome, as they usually are in Africa.
This spider and I shared the bathroom. It was fine as long as I knew where he was at all times.
This was our "cabin" for the weekend.
Most plants have spines. This one is called "thornbush" for good reason.
Life in Zimbabwe involves the land and animals.
Lawn at the Lodge was pretty neat.
Darin was one of the weigh masters. He also caught a good bag of bass.
Spiers caught the "duma" bass which means "BIG". Weight: 10.78 pounds.

This is Ken and Brian coming in to Weigh-in. In a hurry as usual.
Brian was a big boy. A gentle giant. Makes the boat look small, aye?
Inside our tent.
Our room was pretty neat.

Now, that's a box o' bass.
We caught a few nice ones, but no "duma". There were 4 over 10 pounds weighed in.
Fishing for bass shrinks the world.
Roger Cousins won the event with an amazing catch.
Nice topwater bass from Darwendale.
The "weigh bay" was a new canal dug by the Lodge operator to acomodate the boats.
Our cabin/tent/very nice...:)
Every participant got a trophy from HHK Safaris.
Graham and KJ are officers of the Zimbabwe Federation.


The amateur winner. With high fives in order.
Ken gave the Federation his tourney shirt to auction for a fund raiser.
The amateur winner and his winnings with Graham.
Roger Cousins and his amateur won the team competition with 10 bass for 72+ lbs. Yikees.
A good time was had by all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KJ and his new daughter, Jordan.

Spirit of Survival Marathon

Hunter giving some last minute adjustments.
Adam ran 13.1 miles in the Spirit of Survival Marathon
Yes it hurts right there....:)
A lot of popping and crunching going on. Thanks to Hunter.
Marti made Monica a GO sign. Here she comes!!! Serena, Marti and Hunter cheer her on..

With a high five to finish...:)She is looking good at mile 20. We are so PROUD of Monica and Adam for running for Cancer awareness.
Serena/Mom helping Monica out by handing her a banana and water.

She finishes her marathon in 4:32. WOW!!!

She did take the time for a short pose.