DRIVEN
SHOOTING

Day Two – Monday

Lusaka/Chilanga ICA
Driven Shooting/Lusaka Tour

Wake-up calls at first light for the guns, then tea/coffee and toast before moving off for the shooting day. Transfer to the airport for a short charter flight (10 mins) to the landing strip near the shoot. Met by our shoot hosts and drive into the dawn breaking over the African veld, scuttling game birds warming themselves in the first rays of sun to touch the roadside edges as we pass. A special experience on the way to our first day of driven shooting. This will be at Roger and Selma Johnson’s brilliant Chifomoyo shoot, their nine thousand acre property nestling on deep rich red soils at the base of a series of rocky hills in the well watered high rainfall area of Chilanga, to the south of Lusaka.

For the non-shooters, leisurely breakfast then a day’s guided visit of Lusaka. This provides the best opportunity of the safari to look for the interesting original African art for which Zambian is known.

The Johnsons farm intensively with irrigation; roses (in hot houses) for export to Europe, coffee, paprika and a variety of grains. They also run an acclaimed pedigree cattle herd. The estate is divided into two blocks; the grain (and other crop) growing area and the wildlife and game bird producing conservation area. This latter section has been joined onto the extensive bushveld areas of their three immediate neighbours, creating a superlative and pristine 15000 acres of contiguous natural wildlife habitat. It is where the open areas of cattle grazing and cereal farming adjoin the conserved wildlife habitat that the first signs of the stunning populations of game birds, present on this group of properties (particularly guineafowl) becomes apparent.

On arrival at Chifomoyo we will be briefed on the niceties of the days shootings, draw numbers for butts (the usual rotational system) and move off to meet up with the regiment of 150 beaters (and the  teams of 2 “picker-up” men allocated to each butt) who will be ready waiting for our 8 gun team at the start of the first drive of the day.

Then several early drives bringing in flocks of Helmeted Guineafowl and groups of Rednecked and Swainson’s Spurfowls, the odd Shelley’s Francolin and 3 different species of extremely sporting doves before we break for a scrumptious tea, coffee and hot snack picnic interlude (under a “guineafowl tree”) as the morning warms up. Top-up cartridge bags. And several more drives before lunch.

This driven shoot is conducted mostly through acacia savanna, with forest high trees and tall palms pushing the birds well up to present the guns with wonderfully high, challenging, snap shooting throughout the day. The guineafowl, interspersed with spurfowl and francolin and considerable numbers of dove and pigeon, ensure a busy day for the guns. Our host is a born sportsman, a superb wildlife manager and an organiser with a natural flair for providing exceptional African driven shooting.

Lunch will be hosted by Roger’s gracious wife Selma, at the Johnson homestead, assisted by the hostesses of the other Gamebirds association shoots in this area – and certain to be outstanding with particularly well chosen vintage wines to accompany it. After lunch 3 or more drives, depending on distance and time. Then either back at the Johnson’s homestead, or in the field at the end of the last drive, a welcome end-of-shoot “sundowner” before we drive to the airfield.

Return flight by propjet charter aircraft. Dinner and overnight at Chibembe Lodge. (All inclusive).