BANGWEULU SITATUNGA
Challenging water waders
IN Northern Zambia, near Luangwa Valley at the bottom end of the Rift Valley, lies Lake Bangweulu, a large freshwater lake surrounded by papyrus and reed swamps. There are various narrow channels meandering through and around the swampy areas. This area is unique because it has the only black lechwe herd in Africa. The remains of David Livingstone were buried not far from Lake Bangweulu.
Apart from the countless black lechwe, there are other fairly rare species such as tsessebe, oribi and, for birdwatchers, the rare shoebill stork. And, of course, there are large numbers of sitatunga in the swamps.
Sitatunga bulls are almost the same size as nyala, but are a brown colour with slightly shaggy hair and face markings similar to a kudu. They have spiral horns (averaging about 25 inches in length), long legs and their feet are elongated to help support them on the swampy ground. They can swim extremely well and, when hiding from pursuers, submerge themselves under the water, with only their noses poking out to breathe. It is a real challenge to bag a good bull.
I used to take my clients to Bangweulu for black lechwe, record class tsessebe and sitatunga. The most enjoyable and interesting was hunting the wily sitatunga bulls. The best way to bag one of these wary animals is to find an area in the swamp where there is plenty of spoor and other sign. Then, poles and other materials have to be ferried to the spot by boat and a high lookout platform erected so that the animals can be spotted over the reeds and papyrus. After keeping away for a couple of days to let the area rest, and to hunt other animals to pass the time, the sitatunga hunt can commence. Hunters go in by boat before light, get up on the high platform and wait quietly to spot a good trophy bull. It can often be a few days before a good trophy is taken. Sitatunga bulls are extremely cautious and shy and will not appear if there is any disturbance. Usually the females are a lot less cautious and can be seen often.
In July 1987 I collected Irwin at Lusaka Airport. We left early the next morning and after a long, bumpy trip, we arrived at the camp near Bangweulu. The following morning we took a drive around the open floodplains to check out the black lechwe and tsessebe herds. It was amazing to see the huge herds of black lechwe; there were groups all over the lawn-like plain and some herds consisted of hundreds of bulls. At one spot from the top of the Land Rover we could
see an estimated ten thousand black lechwe dotted all over the flat plain. What a fantastic sight!
We loaded some long mopane poles and the inflatable boat on the Land Rover and took them down to the lake shore. There was a small channel that came right to the hard bank where we could launch the boat. We attached the outboard motor and went off down the channel to look for a good spot. After meandering along a number of channels, we found a likely place where there was a good, open, flat bank of green grass, with papyrus and reed-banks sheltering it. We found plenty of tracks and other sign, so set up the platform. We did two trips to ferry the poles and by then it was getting dark, so we headed back to camp. On the way back to the ‘dock’ we almost ran into a big old hippo in one of the narrow channels. He looked like he might attack, so I put a shot into the water near him and he took off onto the reed-bank, crashing and splashing through the swamp.
The following morning we drove to the swamp and, as we got out, we heard a couple of sitatunga running and splashing away in the papyrus. A good sign. We finished erecting the platform then returned to camp.
The next day we came across a small herd of tsessebe bulls and managed to stalk near enough for Irwin to get a shot. I pointed out a particularly good one and he gave it a heart shot. It was an excellent specimen, the horns measured 18 inches, scoring very high in the record book.
Before light the next morning, we drove up to the ‘dock’, climbed into the boat and headed for the platform. It was cold and we were wrapped up in jackets and warm pants. We quietly got off the boat, walked in and climbed up onto the lookout platform then settled down to wait for the sunrise. We could hear splashing and the sound of reeds crackling. As it started to get light, I could see the dark forms of some sitatunga about a hundred metres off in the river grass and reeds. As the light got better, I could see that there were no good big bulls, only some females and a couple of young males. It was exciting sitting up there expecting a big bull to appear at any moment, but it didn’t happen that morning. For the next three days we went to the platform before light and sat there until 10am. We saw plenty more females and small bulls, but no good trophies. Irwin was getting pretty anxious, and a little despondent, and I was worried that we would have to take an average sitatunga.
Then I had an idea. Every time we approached the boat in the early morning, we heard sitatunga running off through the papyrus right near the bank. I decided to erect a platform on the bank near the ‘dock’ that would overlook the swamp. I believed that the sitatunga in the area had got used to us moving backwards and forwards and would not be disturbed too much. We erected a new platform and early the next morning drove down to within 300m of it, quietly walked in, climbed up and waited. I could hear the faint splashing of animals walking about in the low papyrus and the bark of a sitatunga bull deep in the swamps. The tension really started to build and I was sure we were going to see something good.
The sky in the east slowly started lighting with the dawn. I heard a splash and looked down into the swamp, about 30m away. There were two dim, dark shapes slowly moving around. I grabbed Irwin by his arm and motioned for him to get ready. It was still too dark to aim properly, so we had to wait with bated breath until there was enough light. As it got lighter I could see that the animals were both big bulls, slowly grazing along the edge of the papyrus.
“Hold it; let it get light enough to see well. Keep your eyes on the one on the right. He is the one,” I whispered. It was a very good bull and I was getting quite agitated, worrying that the animals would get our scent and take off before we could see properly. The two bulls were facing slightly away from us and moving very slowly.
“I can see okay now,” Irwin whispered. “OK, take him.” He fired, the sitatunga leapt into the air and took off like an express train, splashing through the swamp then disappeared. “Where did you aim?” I asked. “Right on the shoulder,” he said. He should have aimed back of the shoulder because the bull was facing slightly away. Now we had to find an animal with a broken leg, I thought. Irwin looked crestfallen and I told him that we would have to wait for more light to see the tracks properly. When it got light enough, the tracker and I climbed down, found the spot where the animal had started to run and proceeded to wade through the water and papyrus. There was a path of flattened reeds and papyrus and some blood on the reeds. The trail was fairly easy to follow but the going was tough because of all the vegetation and mud, and the mosquitoes were attacking us mercilessly. After about 100m of this, I realised that the animal was not mortally
injured. I was worried that it would get into deep water and swim across the channel and that we may come across a big croc or hippo. We were wading hip deep and would not be able to take avoiding action if there was a problem – I would have to shoot any animal that threatened us.
A couple of times we heard the sitatunga splashing off as we got near and I was starting to think we would lose it. After another few hundred metres of wallowing along, a croc suddenly came tearing off a small sandbank and dived into the water near us. Luckily the water was shallow and he only wanted to get away, but it gave us a bad fright.
Just after that, the tracker grabbed my arm and pointed into the water and papyrus ahead of us. I could not see anything at first, but then I saw the nose and part of a horn poking out of the water. The sitatunga had decided to submerge himself when the croc took off. I didn’t want to shoot him in the head and wreck the horns, so I stood and waited for him to get up and run. We stared at each other for a few minutes before he leapt up and took off. I shot him in the rump with my .338 and he collapsed into the water. What a relief!
It took us about an hour, forcing our way through the papyrus and reeds, to drag the sitatunga back to the bank. Then I sent the tracker to get Irwin and while I waited, I got the leeches off my legs. When Irwin got there, I showed him that his shot had hit the animal too low in the front leg.
The horns were very good at 27½ inches so Irwin was happy. This was probably the highlight of his safari. I, however, picked up bilharzia from wading around in the stagnant swamps which was an unpleasant experience after this challenging hunt.
JOHANNESBURG based Lubrication Engineers (LE) developed L-X Heavy Duty Chemical Supplement to keep engines clean and reduce frictional wear by combating carbon, varnish and gum deposits that prevent an engine from operating at maximum efficiency. L-X can also be used for cleaning and lubricating firearms.
LE states that the same factors that ensure L-X protects engine parts make it an excellent lubricant for handguns, rifles and shotguns.
In an engine, L-X works by physically permeating the metal surfaces and adding a sacrificial layer to protect the rings, plugs, pistons, valves, carburettors and fuel injectors from heat, corrosion and acids. In handheld firearms, L-X cleans and lubricates in one go. The oil reduces internal friction in firearms, but also cleans dirt and contaminants from exposed metal surfaces and displaces moisture from metal pores.
I used a rather harsh test for the lubricant; I covered two pieces of cleaned steel in wet salt. One piece of steel was treated with L-X oil and the other was not. I simply put a bit of oil on my finger, rubbed it onto the steel and then wiped the excess oil off with a cloth before placing both pieces into the damp salt.
After 48 hours I took the steel out of the salt and left it out in the open for two days to dry. The piece treated with L-X showed only slight signs of rust. Seven days later the results were more pronounced, clearly showing the rust preventative properties of the oil (see the photos alongside).
I also used L-X on three handguns; two brand new, and my own CZ75. First I cleaned the pistols with boiling water and then I administered a thin layer of oil to all the moving parts. Thereafter the new pistols functioned flawlessly without hiccups for the more than 250-round test. My own handgun performance was on par with the oil that I use regularly, and I have since fired more than 500 rounds without cleaning my pistol.
A thin coat of L-X on the surface of my pistol, just wiped down with a cloth, also ensured that my CZ stayed rust free for the two month test.
Over the same period I’ve also used L-X on several test rifles and so far the results are on par with the other rather expensive oils I normally use.
Unlike some products that are available, the L-X oil is thin enough to run easily into hard-to-reach nooks and crannies as found on most firearms. In addition, the bottle has a 30mm nozzle that makes application to these difficult areas much easier.
As a final test I used L-X without any carbon cleaner, to clean a rifle barrel after firing more than 200 shots. I pushed a patch dipped in the oil through the barrel, left it for two hours and then proceeded with the normal process of running a brush several times through the barrel, followed by several patches. This resulted in a perfectly shiny and clean bore.
Overall, L-X is more than up to the task to protect my firearms and a 250ml bottle should go a long way.