Darryl Burns | Play Our Planet

Posts Tagged ‘Darryl Burns’

My Amazing African Safari

Thursday, May 3rd, 2007

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Dear friends and family,
I wrote this the night I arrived home from our African Safari. I did not want to forget any details of this particular day.

Hello,

Yes , it is good to be in my own bed. But , we could have stayed in Africa much longer. Simply , this was the most wonderful trip, experience, that I have EVER had. It was truly an African Safari. Our host, guides, ( a family) kept us entertained and provided the knowledge that was needed to hunt in Africa. Don and I had "Mel". He is the African equivalent of the Crocodile Hunter. I was signed up to hunt 6 trophy animals..Common Springbok, Black Springbok ( substituted for 2 smaller things that I called Jungle rats), Impala, Kudu, Blesbok. I added an Nyala and Lion. Yes, I said a Lion.

I just can’t put into words what this means, and how I felt on this hunt. I was thinking about it as one hunter had gone earlier in the week. A second hunter had signed up, but on the morning of his hunt, he backed out. A knock on my hut at 6 am with the sudden news, and the question. I just said yes. It was good that it happened this way. I had two requests one: that my friend Don went along ( he is the reason I went on this trip anyway) and the other was I got to use my Dad’s rifle (A 30.06, about my age).

This was very important to me. The legal size is a 375 caliber, minimum. The 460 Magnum ( the most powerful hunting rifle available is used mostly, duh) My caliber is small for lions , but I had dropped everything with one shot up to this point. Placement is the key because of some concern on the earlier hunt when the lioness had hidden in the grass after being wounded, and was literally 5 feet from the hunters, when she pounced, and was shot with a flurry of cannons. Knocking one hunter down in shock. We have this on video as the fee includes a camera man! This is what I had to think about for several days before I signed on. I had to agree that the guide could shoot if necessary, since I had a small caliber rifle ( for lions).

The hunt lasted most of the day. In the morning, I sprained my ankle a few hours into the hunt, and could barely walk. I was in sharp pain with each step. but mostly pissed off that I may have to stop ( and basically not enjoy) this of greatest experiences. At one point in the trees and brush, the lion was 30 feet away. She was on the other side of a thick bush. The guides are amazing. I only could see a faint dark yellow shade on a lighter yellow background.

At this point we were all tense to say the least. As we walked around the trees, she moved away and nobody heard nor saw her go. This is a Cat, just a very big one. Later, I had 2 "hail-mary" shots at the lion at 300 - 400 yards in the AM, but missed to the right each time.( I plead wind factor.) This was as we walked back to the trucks (the guide saw her sticking her head out of the trees up on the hill we had just left ). Even with the scope she blended into the trees.

We broke for lunch ,and to get drugs and ice for me. At camp, I iced and took a pharmacy. The pain subsided, and so did my head! I was calm to say the least. I had to be the first lion hunter on Narcotics! (humor)

After a few hours we went out again and began the tracking. She was spotted in the tall grasses (4-5 feet high). They can really move around without any sight or sound. At 5 feet away, you would not know they were there. Only when we walked in the grasses did I feel the fear that this was real and that anything can happen. The lions want us as much as we want them. It was during these times that a glance to Don would say it all. We both knew that after 40 years of friendship, and shared experiences, that we just may be dumber that we thought!

We finally spotted the lioness in the grass about 150 yards away. We took up a position on a knoll and just waited for her to move. After 30 minutes, one guide took the truck and drove around the spot in circles trying to flush her out. Nothing.

The truck had driven around her within 5 feet and she did not move one inch! Amazing. And she was not spotted. There was much discussion between the guides (brothers) in Afrikaan language about what to do next. One said she was there, another thought she moved down into a valley. I was sitting with the scope on the spot. After about a hour of this cat and mouse, she raised her head up for a look-see. Like a turtle in the creek. You could not see her with the naked eye, yellow on yellow grass. This is nature’s best. They are invisible. Only with the scope could I see a head in the grass like one of the paintings that have painted horses in the trees.

I had plenty of time to aim and squeeze. Only the top of her head was faintly visible in the yellow grasses. An ear flick, a dark eye, was all there was. The guides had much advice as to where to aim. I did not want to only get a head shot and mess up the mounting. I had her in the cross hairs, and squeezed slowly. Crrrack! Her head dropped like a rock. I didn’t see the head drop since the rifle moves too much in that instant. The guides thought she was hit. Much discussion again. Waiting for her to move. They usually move, jump, or growl when hit. Nothing. I got high fives. Great shot was claimed by all. "But, no, no , but hell no" in the words of our guide Mel in his Afrikaan accent. He was not convinced. We waited. 10-15 minutes. Nobody was jumping up to walk out into the tall grass to "check".

I was staying put! I was seated, braced onto a tripod. (and enjoying the pain relief, I might add, :-)…..calm.

Then, Mel and Don took the truck and began to work his way down to the area that the Lion was spotted to check things out. He moved around her position so as to flush her out toward a better shot position.

As I kept the scope onto the area, the Lion was spotted. She raised her head again, like a yellow ghost. She was looking to the right and then turned toward me, only the eyes and ears were visible in the dense grass. This time I didn’t wait for any advice. At this distance(150 yards), there was no need for any calculations. Crrack……….she dropped again. Nothing.

Mel, then continues into the grass, only the window area of the truck could be seen. He spots her and backs off. His brother,JP, then says to me, "lets go" and "check" . Now it’s real. We walk down and into the grass. It is at my shoulder level. JP is in front, with the 460 cannon. Mel is about 100 feet away from the area with Don in the truck. Both with rifles. We walk toward the spot , slowly, ( can you say blood pressure). As we walk up, you can not see anything 5-10 feet away. And after the earlier lion hunt events, I am FOCUSED. Suddenly JP sweeps his rifle in the grass, like a blind man with a cane. He sees her, and motions me to come. As I moved forward, I could not see her until I was 5 feet away. JP had said the lion is not dead until you touch their eye. He motioned me to put one shot into her for the final check. He touched her eye.

And there she was. A Cat the size of a pony. And not a mark on her. JP raised her head and the air let out a growl. That little surprise took 5 years off my life. As I said , there was not a mark on her. I had shot her right up the nose!

I will probably never be able to describe the emotions of this day ….Africa, a Lion hunt, my friend Don being there, using my father’s rifle ,and testing myself.