Welcome to This is Africa’s first hunt of the season at Matetsi Unit Two, a legendary locale in Western Zimbabwe brimming with majestic lions and plentiful elephants. Teaming up with Classic African Hunting, run by the renowned Johnson family, we embarked on an adventure with Guav that promised, and delivered, heart-thumping excitement.
Our quest kicked off with the hunt for bait. Spotting an ancient giraffe, our sharpshooting client from Spain made an exceptional shot, quickly transforming it into lion bait. Matetsi is famous for its imposing lions, and it wasn’t long before we had them vying for our bait. While hanging baits, we stumbled upon a magnificent kudu bull. With agile footwork and a well-placed shot from the client’s trusty .375, the bull was ours.
The suspense intensified as our trail cameras captured images of not two, but four male lions feasting on our bait. Strategically sitting in a blind—a clever tree blind by day and a stealthy walk-in blind by dawn—we awaited the kings of the savannah. But they had tricks of their own, and after a series of roars and close encounters, we had a lioness interrupting the bromance, turning the coalition into a suspenseful soap opera.
A surprise plot twist awaited when three more males decided to join the feast on another bait. Among them, a potential target, though his mane wasn’t quite what we’d hoped. Sticking with our original quarry, we finally had two males approach again. One shot, expertly called by Guav, and the lion we had marked was ours—albeit after some nerve-wracking moments and cautious retreats.
Lion hunting behind us, the real beast was still out there: an elephant bull. Covering more ground than we thought possible, our persistence paid off with the sighting of a magnificent 50-pound bull.
The dance of the hunt reached its crescendo late in the evening, culminating in an unforgettable success.
