Safari in Heaven

My name is Mária Jurová. I was born and raised in the heart of Europe, in Bratislava, Slovakia and English is my second language. I started hunting in North Carolina, United States. Nowadays I’m a licensed hunter in Europe as well. I would like to bring you a part of my journal, from unforgettable safari in Zambia.

Visiting Africa was my dream for several years, which I spent getting familiar with the game from books and magazines. Then one day, I got an invitation and immediately said YES!

I had two weeks to switch between United States and Africa. At home, in Slovakia I was getting all the shots for disease and gear ready. I flew from Vienna, Austria, trough Amsterdam, to Lusaka in Zambia. The flight was 12 hours long and I was so excited, I could not even close my eyes to sleep.

Left alone in Africa When I landed in Zambia, I was expecting somebody to be waiting for me. But when I soon realized, there is nobody there at this late night hour, my adventure started before heading to the bush. No cell phone reception or internet made me sit down on my big bag and be re-thinking my strategy. I ended up at the police station contacting my friend Don, who was supposed to arrive the next day. The outfitter came to visit me at the hotel the following day and apologized for this mistake.

Driving to the hunting area, made me realize how far from civilization we will be hunting. The driver told us, to buy the last stuff we are going to need, because we will not get a second chance. After that, we drove for next 3 hours. We arrived at the ramp with no fence, just a road closing for public vehicles. The area is called Mushingashi and is situated at the Kafue river, next to the Kafue National Park. It was another hour to the kemp, which was right next to the river. In the evening we were chatting with our guide Adam about the buffalo stories, chewing on eland biltong, full of expectations and excitement.

First morning of the hunt, I’m waking up to an unusual sound. It was hippos and the sound was pleasant, because it reminded me, I’m waking up in the wilderness. Morning in the bush was chilly. In the 4x4, I sat next to Adam, asking him about every animal. Everytime I see an animal, it surprises me and I can’t hide it. The biggest adrenaline of the morning was an elphant bull charging the truck. I freaked out and Adam said, the bull is just bluffing. I’m not used to dinosaurs and similar creatures, in Slovakia.

Carrying my first kill It happened to be a lunch break and a siesta, of our first day. I was so excited, I couldn’t go take a nap. I was glassing from the porch of our little house on the river bank. I was seeing crocodiles and hippos on the other side. Suddenly, as I looked to the left, on our side of the river, there was bushbocks and one of them was a shooter! I ran into the house waking up Don, like this: Buchbock! Buchbock! Buchbock! After our break time was over, bushbock disseapeared. So we stood at the edge of our camp and I was handed a rifle. “It’s your turn!” We headed to the bush and I tought, that it’s a long time, since I shot my first boar. I hope I will make a good shot, when I get a chance to. I feel a huge responsibility for making a clean kill. We stalked until we seen the beautiful fur of chobe bushbock behind the branches. I was very nervous about taking the shot, as I could not clearly see the horns, but when I finally did, I took it, when the bushbock was quartering away. The look at Adam, my guide was giving me the certainty, the shot was placed right. We walked to the bushbock and it “fell in fire”, as we call it in Europe. In the spot of the fire. The trackers wanted to take my kill and drag it away. I felt, like it was wrong. I celebrated my first kill in Africa, by taking it to the truck myself. My chobe bushbock.

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