Post by: Rainier10 on March 23, 2025, 06:14:35 PM
Another member has gone with this guide twice and is here with us now. He may chime in.
We flew on Qatar airlines from SeaTac Friday afternoon, 14 hour flight to Doha Qatar. Transferred planes and took another flight to Johannesburg South Africa, 8 more hours. Then took one last fight to port Elizabeth, less than two hours. The long flights were brutal but Qatar airlines was comfortable and the food was great. So we left Friday at 5pm and we in port Elizabeth by 10am their time Sunday morning.
Our guide picked us up and drove us 1 hour to his place. Beautiful country and as we were seeing game right from the lodge. We had some lunch, you won’t go hungry, food was great. Then we all shot his guns. We decided to forego the hassle of bringing mine and dealing with all that. He has multiple guns all with silencers. We all were shooting great using his 300 win mag.
We headed out for an evening hunt and about 3pm we came across a nice antelope and three blue wildebeest. My oldest daughter said she was ready to shoot so she got out and as he set up the sticks the impala stepped into the brush and out of sight. So did the wildebeest. We hiked closer and the impala took off. She got on the sticks found it in the scope and tracked it until it stopped to look back. 150-200 yard shot, just as she pulled the trigger the impala took off. I heard the hit but it sounded soft like the guts.
My wife was filming and we could see the shot was a little back but quitting away so that would help. Up the hill to point of impact and there was blood. The guide moved me to a location below the impala in case it ran downhill when they jumped it. 30 yards into the track and they found the antelope expired. Lots of high fives, hugs and photos.
Then we loaded up the buck and continued hunting. We saw kudo, Nyala, impala, wildebeest and duiker but didn’t shoot any of them.
Back to camp for a fabulous dinner of impala beef stroganoff followed by celebratory cocktails around the fire before retiring at 9pm exhausted.
I can’t wait to see what today holds.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 23, 2025, 06:16:49 PM
Post by: jackelope on March 23, 2025, 06:20:38 PM
Post by: Platensek-po on March 23, 2025, 06:29:14 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 23, 2025, 06:32:23 PM
Post by: Dan-o on March 23, 2025, 06:34:31 PM
Post by: Rob on March 23, 2025, 06:45:02 PM
Post by: HntnFsh on March 23, 2025, 06:47:23 PM
Post by: follow maggie on March 23, 2025, 06:55:21 PM
Post by: wadu1 on March 23, 2025, 06:57:16 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 23, 2025, 07:01:27 PM
I am truly blessed to be able to do this with my wife and kids. Monetarily it is expensive but the experience is absolutely priceless. You can’t take the money with you and I can only imagine when I am at the pearly gates they are going to welcome me with open open arms and say “man did you do some epic stuff with your family.”
Post by: MADMAX on March 23, 2025, 07:09:19 PM
I was going to wait to post until I got home but am quickly realizing there is too much to remember. Best to just post each day as it happens.
I am truly blessed to be able to do this with my wife and kids. Monetarily it is expensive but the experience is absolutely priceless. You can’t take the money with you and I can only imagine when I am at the pearly gates they are going to welcome me with open open arms and say “man did you do some epic stuff with your family.”
Awesome sir
👍
Post by: actionshooter on March 23, 2025, 07:57:10 PM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 23, 2025, 08:24:50 PM
Post by: jrebel on March 23, 2025, 08:33:57 PM
Post by: Bob33 on March 24, 2025, 07:17:06 AM
Post by: Dan-o on March 24, 2025, 08:04:53 AM
Your family, and you will cherish this trip the rest of your lives.
Absolutely!
Post by: Ridgerunner on March 24, 2025, 09:25:44 AM
Post by: washingtonmuley on March 24, 2025, 09:49:52 AM
Post by: elkaholic123 on March 24, 2025, 09:57:23 AM
Post by: Ridgerunner on March 24, 2025, 10:03:03 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on March 24, 2025, 11:51:40 AM
Post by: Jason on March 24, 2025, 01:21:18 PM
I'm going with three buddies to South Africa in October of 2026, not looking forward to the long flights.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 24, 2025, 03:26:36 PM
Started off hunting for zebra. All four of us wanted to shoot a zebra but that didn’t seem right so we decided to have my daughters shoot it out. Closest to the bullseye would shoot the zebra. My youngest had won that contest back home. That is why the oldest got to shoot the impala yesterday.
They prefer that you shoot old dry female zebra. If you shoot a mature male it creates chaos in the herd unless it is an old male that has been kicked out. We found what the guide thought was the oldest mare and my daughter belly crawled into position. She stood up and took a 120 yard shot quartering to, it almost summersaulted the zebra and my daughter. The zebra didn’t go 100 yards and expired. The herd came into view and no stragglers. They started barking, yes barking kind of like coyotes. The guide said the zebra is dead between where it was shot and where the herd stopped. We found it not even 100 yards away from where she shot. Zebras apparently are tough animals and we were thrilled there was no need for a follow up shot. We are going to make a zebra rug with this. More of the story to come later.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 24, 2025, 03:47:03 PM
Forgot the photos
Post by: Rainier10 on March 24, 2025, 03:56:32 PM
He had hunted a couple years back but was unable to check warthog off his list on that trip or his trip before that. The smile on his face shows what a great feeling it was to take this warthog.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 24, 2025, 04:01:07 PM
Sharing the stories with everyone while eating kudo backstrap was tons of fun. The camaraderie in camp is really awesome and the food is just as good as the stories shared.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 24, 2025, 04:18:22 PM
We got to their location and we could barely see either sable through the brush. They assured time the lower sable was special. I could see his horns moving in the brush and his ears flicker. We moved a little until I could see his horns perfectly and his head. He was laying down and I could see his dark body through the brush but couldn’t clearly see the leg or vitals.
The upper sable stood and started to feed. It was nothing to shake a stick at but clearly the one still bedded was the one to shoot. He had to be 10” or more longer. Finally the target sable stood and shot right out of his bed and ran 15 yards. I think he winded us. I was so zoomed in on his previous location I had to readjust and make sure I was on the correct sable. I scanned and found the smaller sable and immediately knew I needed to drop the bigger one. He was perfectly broadside but looking back over his shoulder. His nose was just above the shoulder bone that the guides wanted me to make sure I broke. These are big tough animals and destroying that shoulder and taking the animal down is more important than trying to save some meet but losing the entire animal because it is able to run off.
I settled in 2” below the nose right on that shoulder and squeezed the trigger slowly. The bullet flew true, walloped the shoulder and he went 15-20 yards on three legs before he piled up.
When we got to him there was no ground shrinkage. 40” is a trophy sable and this guy was almost 44”. He was an absolute warrior, lots of scars from fighting and a huge scar one knot on his face between his nose and eyes.
Dinner and cocktails were over the top as we went over the days events.
Post by: wadu1 on March 24, 2025, 05:56:18 PM
Post by: Ridgerunner on March 24, 2025, 05:56:51 PM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 24, 2025, 09:07:01 PM
Your family, and you will cherish this trip the rest of your lives.it’s priceless
Post by: arrowflinger on March 25, 2025, 06:22:40 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on March 25, 2025, 07:53:31 AM
Following, We are heading there in June. We can't wait. Did you take you're own rifle or use the camp rifle?" Then we all shot his guns. We decided to forego the hassle of bringing mine and dealing with all that. He has multiple guns all with silencers. We all were shooting great using his 300 win mag."
Post by: arrowflinger on March 25, 2025, 08:11:39 AM
Following, We are heading there in June. We can't wait. Did you take you're own rifle or use the camp rifle?" Then we all shot his guns. We decided to forego the hassle of bringing mine and dealing with all that. He has multiple guns all with silencers. We all were shooting great using his 300 win mag."
Thanks
Post by: Jpmiller on March 25, 2025, 08:23:10 AM
Post by: Rob on March 25, 2025, 08:55:39 AM
Nice zebra as well. I found Zebra to be my second favorite meat as well. Eland was #1.
On my first trip, I had absolutely zero zero interest in a zebra. Once I arrived and saw them, I was totally hooked and had to have one. It was my favorite hunt of the trip (Mountain zebra so we were up in the high country) and honestly, my favorite mount. I had it done as a pedestal and it came out amazing.
I highly recommend doing the sable as a pedestal - they look amazing. Like a full sized chess piece.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on March 25, 2025, 09:06:41 AM
Post by: bearhunter99 on March 25, 2025, 10:04:44 AM
Post by: mountainman on March 25, 2025, 11:19:08 AM
Congratulations!!
Post by: Angry Perch on March 25, 2025, 11:46:52 AM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on March 25, 2025, 11:57:57 AM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 25, 2025, 03:09:42 PM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 25, 2025, 03:13:01 PM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 25, 2025, 03:16:58 PM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 25, 2025, 03:21:29 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 25, 2025, 04:54:43 PM
So we started the day looking to fill some of the animals on our list. Mike had seen four nice Nyala bulls the night before in a field so we went there first thing Tuesday morning. My oldest daughter was back up as the shooter. We rounded the corner and the field that had been full of Nyala, blesbuck and impala the night before only hel one Nyala. It appeared to be and old Nyala with a wounded/blind right eye. It just kept feeding towards us from left to right not seeing us to his right since he was blind in that right eye.
At 73 yards she squoze the trigger as the Nyala fed quartering to her. It punched the right shoulder hard and dropped it right there. When we walked up on it the left eyed was all hazy and I thought to myself “am I confused?, I thought the right eye was hazy.” Flipped the Nyala over and the right was hazy too. This Nyala was so old it had gone blind. We opened its mouth and the teeth were almost all gone. J it st a great specimen to take.
Post by: Woodchuck on March 25, 2025, 05:05:24 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 25, 2025, 05:19:58 PM
The tracker brought the girls down with the truck and they weee durprised to see the kudo. They had heard the shot and the hit but watched the two kudo run away. They assumed I must have found and shot a warthog.
This kudo was broke off at both tips, the right side much more than the left and had what looked like a third horn starting out right between its eyes.. Lots of photos and then we loaded him up and really put the pedal to the metal to get both animals back before it got too hot. This was all before 9am.
Post by: Dan-o on March 25, 2025, 05:21:40 PM
Post by: Bob33 on March 25, 2025, 05:31:15 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 25, 2025, 05:35:53 PM
For the evening hunt we wanted to try to find a warthog. We found tons of impala, one black impala,,lots of blesbuck, one white blesbuck, kudo cows, one blue wildebeast ,one male warthog, three female warthogs and four baby warthogs all in the same field. We watched the field all night hoping a bigger male would show itself but none ever did. On the way back to the lodge we did see about 30-40 monkeys in the trees at the edge of the meadow. They were grey with white faces.
What an epic day.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 25, 2025, 05:42:21 PM
These guys are seeing these animals daily and really know their stuff. It really is conservation at its finest. Shooting the blind Nyala is a prime example.
Post by: Jpmiller on March 25, 2025, 07:20:40 PM
Post by: bugs n bones on March 25, 2025, 08:25:31 PM
Post by: Rob on March 26, 2025, 07:36:38 AM
Since we were done so early in the day we did head to Jeffries Bay for some authentic South African BigMacs and fries. The bigmacs were actually bigger than at home. We checked out dolphin beach a popular surf spot and then headed back to the lodge.
For the evening hunt we wanted to try to find a warthog. We found tons of impala, one black impala,,lots of blesbuck, one white blesbuck, kudo cows, one blue wildebeast ,one male warthog, three female warthogs and four baby warthogs all in the same field. We watched the field all night hoping a bigger male would show itself but none ever did. On the way back to the lodge we did see about 30-40 monkeys in the trees at the edge of the meadow. They were grey with white faces.
What an epic day.
This is plains game hunting in Africa to a T.
"well, we started out looking for X, and we saw 6 other game animals that we could have shot as well"
The presence of quality game animals in Africa is astounding.
Imagine that you are on a quality Elk hunt. There are amazing elk everywhere and you are just trying to find the right one. While hunting you see a trophy mulie, a herd of 20 Pronghorn with a monster male, and some Javalina. The guide says, "would you like to shoot any of those animals?" "Why yes, yes I would thank you very much!" It is so easy to go over budget with all that temptation! I have discovered that I am a weak weak man when it comes to adhering to budget.
I am also amazed at the game trackers. I look at a stream bed and see tracks from 15 different species all going different directions. how they are able to pick out a specific animal and determine where it is going and trophy class is beyond me. they take tracking skills to a whole new level.
Post by: Ridgerunner on March 26, 2025, 08:25:55 AM
Jeffreys Bay is a cool place too. I can still remember eating pizza from a wood fired oven under a large tree in the courtyard. It was very good.
Post by: OutHouse on March 26, 2025, 03:22:15 PM
This is crazy awesome. And your Kudo buck, I think that's coolest type of "buck" I've ever seen. Thanks for sharing!!
Post by: Rainier10 on March 26, 2025, 09:05:15 PM
Quick update from yesterday. We spent the day hunting zebras for Mike. Long day in the sun but he was able to close the deal on two great zebras, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We chased some impala but they were super skittish.
Pretty sunburned from yesterday. Going with long sleeves and a thick coating of sunscreen on my face and neck today.
We are splitting up today as my family is going after blue wildebeast and impala while Mike goes after waterbuck and warthog.
Food yesterday was amazing again. I’m not sure I’m ever coming home.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 26, 2025, 09:08:10 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 26, 2025, 09:10:13 PM
You are so spot on with all of this.Since we were done so early in the day we did head to Jeffries Bay for some authentic South African BigMacs and fries. The bigmacs were actually bigger than at home. We checked out dolphin beach a popular surf spot and then headed back to the lodge.
For the evening hunt we wanted to try to find a warthog. We found tons of impala, one black impala,,lots of blesbuck, one white blesbuck, kudo cows, one blue wildebeast ,one male warthog, three female warthogs and four baby warthogs all in the same field. We watched the field all night hoping a bigger male would show itself but none ever did. On the way back to the lodge we did see about 30-40 monkeys in the trees at the edge of the meadow. They were grey with white faces.
What an epic day.
This is plains game hunting in Africa to a T.
"well, we started out looking for X, and we saw 6 other game animals that we could have shot as well"
The presence of quality game animals in Africa is astounding.
Imagine that you are on a quality Elk hunt. There are amazing elk everywhere and you are just trying to find the right one. While hunting you see a trophy mulie, a herd of 20 Pronghorn with a monster male, and some Javalina. The guide says, "would you like to shoot any of those animals?" "Why yes, yes I would thank you very much!" It is so easy to go over budget with all that temptation! I have discovered that I am a weak weak man when it comes to adhering to budget.
I am also amazed at the game trackers. I look at a stream bed and see tracks from 15 different species all going different directions. how they are able to pick out a specific animal and determine where it is going and trophy class is beyond me. they take tracking skills to a whole new level.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 26, 2025, 09:15:08 PM
For whatever reason warthogs more than any other animal in Africa do it for me, hope you smack a good one! The taxidermy bill sounds like it will be higher than the guide lol100%, gold wildebeest and wart hog were my two have to have animals. And yes the taxidermy bill is going to be huge. The trip really can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. For me it is pretty expensive having four of us here but it is what it is. This is a once in a lifetime trip, not just hunt, that my family will remember forever. You can’t put a price tag on that.
I will forget the costs in a year or two but will never forget the experience and time spent with my wife and kids.
Post by: Dan-o on March 26, 2025, 09:19:42 PM
Post by: Timberstalker on March 26, 2025, 09:37:34 PM
Thank you for taking us along on the ride.
Post by: jrebel on March 26, 2025, 10:01:49 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 27, 2025, 02:47:55 AM
They have a very aggressive blue wildebeest that they wanted removed. He has great brindle which is the striped coloring on the sides. My outfitter nines that I really liked the defined brindle and that was more important to me than horn size. He actually used that to our advantage. He told the farmer the bull didn’t have big enough horns but if he would let us also shoot an impala for free we would take care of the blue wildebeest for him. This property has huge impala, 23” impala. The farmer agreed as long as we used suppressed rifles.
We arrived and immediately saw the wildebeest. The brindle was amazing. We decided to hunt for the impala first and then go after the wildebeest. We came across a pair of Nyala bulls and a single cow and noticed in the background a group of impala. There were multiple rams and two really nice ones. My wife got out and put the sneak on them. She made a great double lung shot and the impala died within 100 yards. It’s just so hard after all the years of putting it behind the shoulder to actually aim at the shoulder like they want you to. With that said double lung does the job.
We put the tape to this beautiful ram, it is 25 1/4”. Absolutely amazing. I may be doing a life size mount of this very special impala.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 27, 2025, 03:03:45 AM
She had a nice broadside shot but the bull moved just before she could shoot. We followed him to some shade trees and only had a frontal shot. This had to be spot on and once again the bull moved before she could settle in and feel comfortable.
Finally we got on him and he was quartering towards us. She put the crosshairs just in front of the shoulder and completely rocked his world. On impact his head went down as he bucked and kicked never putting weight on the right front. He expired writhing 75 yards.
I gave her a huge hug as she was shaking in my embrace with emotion. Walking up on him was so awesome. The stripes were so defined, his chest and shoulders just massive.
We checked the time and it wasn’t even 9am yet. We had left the lodge at 7am.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 27, 2025, 03:26:43 AM
Post by: Dan-o on March 27, 2025, 08:12:06 AM
Post by: Rob on March 27, 2025, 08:39:44 AM
If you don't go full body, consider a wall pedestal. I really like the way the shoulder looks - I am pretty sure all my wall mounts will be wall pedestals going forward.
Post by: Jpmiller on March 27, 2025, 08:49:08 AM
For whatever reason warthogs more than any other animal in Africa do it for me, hope you smack a good one! The taxidermy bill sounds like it will be higher than the guide lol100%, gold wildebeest and wart hog were my two have to have animals. And yes the taxidermy bill is going to be huge. The trip really can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. For me it is pretty expensive having four of us here but it is what it is. This is a once in a lifetime trip, not just hunt, that my family will remember forever. You can’t put a price tag on that.
I will forget the costs in a year or two but will never forget the experience and time spent with my wife and kids.
Not sure I can think of a time I gritted my teeth and payed the money and regretted it, but I can think of lots of times I wish I’d forked over the cash when I cheaped out. Good decision.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on March 27, 2025, 09:14:59 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 27, 2025, 12:13:16 PM
The herd moved and while looking for them we found a bachelor group of four bulls in a small valley. No wind and a good bull broadside at 100 yards. I squeezed the trigger and hit him in the shoulder hard, he came out the other side of the bush bucking and kicking, I stayed on him but something seemed wrong. My guide said I don’t think that’s him. We moved to the side of the bush and could see a tail flickering from the ground. Bull down.
What a day, three great animals with three great shots.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 27, 2025, 12:19:55 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 27, 2025, 12:21:40 PM
Post by: Bob33 on March 27, 2025, 12:22:30 PM
Post by: Bob33 on March 28, 2025, 07:13:37 AM
Getting an early start tomorrow, hoping to get a gemsbok, common springbok and a black springbok.Leave a few animals on your wish list unfilled so you have a good excuse to go back. ;)
Post by: Rainier10 on March 28, 2025, 11:48:36 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 28, 2025, 11:51:10 AM
For sure. We are already talking about the next trip. Heartabeest, water buck, leweche, roan and eland are on the list already.Getting an early start tomorrow, hoping to get a gemsbok, common springbok and a black springbok.Leave a few animals on your wish list unfilled so you have a good excuse to go back. ;)
Post by: Rob on March 28, 2025, 01:14:01 PM
For sure. We are already talking about the next trip. Heartabeest, water buck, leweche, roan and eland are on the list already.Getting an early start tomorrow, hoping to get a gemsbok, common springbok and a black springbok.Leave a few animals on your wish list unfilled so you have a good excuse to go back. ;)
Then you also have Dangerous game.... Croc and Hippo were two of my most memorable and interesting hunts.
Post by: Dan-o on March 28, 2025, 02:45:10 PM
For sure. We are already talking about the next trip. Heartabeest, water buck, leweche, roan and eland are on the list already.Getting an early start tomorrow, hoping to get a gemsbok, common springbok and a black springbok.Leave a few animals on your wish list unfilled so you have a good excuse to go back. ;)
You're hooked. :chuckle:
Post by: jackelope on March 28, 2025, 04:25:09 PM
Found some gemsbok but just couldn’t get on them before the sky opened up and started dumping rain and hail, there was also plenty of thunder and lightningNo good but there is always tomorrow. We are hoping to go to a spot that has white blesbok.
That’s where the hail went. Huh. Who knew.
Post by: Twispriver on March 29, 2025, 08:52:51 AM
I'm enjoying this thread and looking forward to today's update.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 29, 2025, 09:54:38 PM
We had to get closer and catch our breath. The brush was tall so we left my wife there to watch as we hiked up hill to get a closer shot. The blesbok played down and disappeared into the brush. We made a huge loop to get above it and when we got above it we couldn’t find it. Two stood up at 60 yards and we had to make sure we had the right one. As we confirmed the right one they both took off before the shot.
After a long hike we finally caught up to it again. I steady the rifle at 100 yards and pulled the trigger with no luck. I had flipped the safety off but only to the unload position not the fire position. This is where using their rifle but us in the butt.
It moved off and we repositioned for a 195 yard shot. I settled in, felt rock solid, touched the trigger and it dropped in its tracks. What a relief and what an exhausting hunt.
Post by: Rainier10 on March 29, 2025, 10:00:12 PM
What a view. Sunday we are going to an elephant park.
Post by: Dan-o on March 29, 2025, 10:22:03 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 06:12:26 AM
Post by: HillHound on March 30, 2025, 07:55:16 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 08:57:46 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 09:00:31 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 09:02:31 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 09:05:45 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 09:13:22 AM
Post by: teanawayslayer on March 30, 2025, 09:49:54 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 09:59:26 AM
Going for black springbok and common springbok in the morning. Grab some lunch and then head out for the gemsbok.
Post by: LDennis24 on March 30, 2025, 11:21:27 AM
The golden wildebeest is beautiful.
:yeah:
Congratulations on an adventure of a lifetime! I want a golden wildebeest on my wall before I die! That or the Kings wildebeest would make me happy. Was that an option?
Post by: elkaholic123 on March 30, 2025, 11:23:37 AM
Post by: Dan-o on March 30, 2025, 11:25:39 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 12:11:36 PM
Yes kings is an option and they are gorgeous.The golden wildebeest is beautiful.
:yeah:
Congratulations on an adventure of a lifetime! I want a golden wildebeest on my wall before I die! That or the Kings wildebeest would make me happy. Was that an option?
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 12:23:36 PM
Looks like everyone is having a great time! Have you gone to Addo Elephant Park?No we went to the elephant sanctuary today and walked with the elephants. It was $40 each and a great way to spend an hour.
Post by: LDennis24 on March 30, 2025, 01:38:11 PM
Yes kings is an option and they are gorgeous.The golden wildebeest is beautiful.
:yeah:
Congratulations on an adventure of a lifetime! I want a golden wildebeest on my wall before I die! That or the Kings wildebeest would make me happy. Was that an option?
Were you told a price on a Kings?
Post by: Rainier10 on March 30, 2025, 09:29:22 PM
The local workers got paid Friday. Hit the booze hard all weekend and decided Sunday night to “peacefully protest”. They have piled up tires on the road and set them on fire. They have also blocked the road with cars. It is similar to the chop in downtown Seattle, it is a no entry zone. It’s a little rodeo.
Working on a new plan to go somewhere else. Looking at what roads are open.
Post by: Dan-o on March 30, 2025, 10:56:39 PM
Little change of plans. We were supposed to go springbok hunting this morning and gemsbok hunting after lunch.
The local workers got paid Friday. Hit the booze hard all weekend and decided Sunday night to “peacefully protest”. They have piled up tires on the road and set them on fire. They have also blocked the road with cars. It is similar to the chop in downtown Seattle, it is a no entry zone. It’s a little rodeo.
Working on a new plan to go somewhere else. Looking at what roads are open.
:yike: :yike: :yike: :yike: :yike: :yike:
You're getting some extra excitement.
Post by: bugs n bones on March 31, 2025, 06:48:40 AM
Post by: Rob on March 31, 2025, 07:19:09 AM
The PH's are amazing at solving "pop quizzes" like the protest issue you are facing-chaos like that is a normal part of their lives. Hopefully they came thru for you. Our whole concession was seized from our PH a month or so before our trip. We were worried but had an amazing trip anyway!
Post by: Rainier10 on March 31, 2025, 11:38:47 AM
Finally got a shot at the gemsbok but my daughter hit low in the front leg. Second shot was farther away and quartering away. She hit it low in the back leg. It went into a thick brushy creek bottom. There were buffalo in the creek bottom so our guide went in. The gemsbok ran out and we shot it.
Post by: Dan-o on March 31, 2025, 11:51:34 AM
Simply amazing.
Post by: Jpmiller on March 31, 2025, 06:53:19 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on March 31, 2025, 07:23:58 PM
We got to 200 yards from a group of ten, all broadside. I was steady on the one at the back of the line but just couldn’t pull the trigger through the safety. Once again not having my gun screwed me. I had pushed the safety forward but only the first click to the unload position.
We drove around to the next basin and hiked up the ridge, they had moved two ridges. It’s incredibly how much ground these animals can cover in a short amount of time.
We just kept at it and found a group of bachelor rams running with a group of bachelor impalas. We got to 30 yards in thick brush twice. Both times I only had a head shot. The second time however the brush was thin and I was told to just shoot through the brush. As I started my squeeze a copper springbok steeped in front of the one I was shooting at. My guide said no no don’t shoot as I was already letting up on the trigger not wanting to shoot the wrong one. Of course with the commotion they ran off.
Else saw them again just below us at 237 yards. I got on the sticks and zeroed in on the ram at the bottom of the group. This time the safety was fully off and I was able to slowly squeeze the trigger smack the springbok hard. He slowly spun around a few times not knowing what to do. He was clearly hit hard but still standing. I racked another round in and my guide said don’t bother he is done. Just as he said that the springbok fell over dead.
Walking up on him I was shocked at the size of them. They are a really small target compared to everything else I had shot.
Post by: MADMAX on March 31, 2025, 07:35:02 PM
But a hell of a taxidermy bill🤣
Post by: LDennis24 on March 31, 2025, 08:38:47 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on April 01, 2025, 05:42:57 AM
C'mon, post the black impala! :chuckle:He’s a beauty.
Post by: Rainier10 on April 01, 2025, 05:56:05 AM
All tagged out. Heading home tomorrow.
Post by: Dan-o on April 01, 2025, 08:28:56 AM
Post by: Boneyard72 on April 01, 2025, 08:34:06 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on April 01, 2025, 09:39:18 AM
Everything here is way cheaper but I would just feel better having it in state.
This trip was super expensive but it could have been way cheaper. I really wanted my entire family to be a part of this so money wasn’t a concern.
Post by: birdshooter1189 on April 01, 2025, 11:03:26 AM
Post by: OutHouse on April 01, 2025, 11:34:20 AM
Post by: bearpaw on April 01, 2025, 12:00:56 PM
Post by: Dan-o on April 01, 2025, 12:13:48 PM
Dip and pack, taxidermy to be done at home.
Everything here is way cheaper but I would just feel better having it in state.
This trip was super expensive but it could have been way cheaper. I really wanted my entire family to be a part of this so money wasn’t a concern.
Will you adopt me?
Post by: hunter399 on April 01, 2025, 02:32:16 PM
Fantastic adventure for your whole family Rick, thanks for sharing it with us! :tup::yeah:
👍👍👍
Post by: LDennis24 on April 01, 2025, 02:59:45 PM
Post by: Jpmiller on April 01, 2025, 04:59:38 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on April 01, 2025, 10:04:06 PM
Wow! I would say it was worth every penny! That black springbok is awesome looking! Is there anything your leaving without that you wish you had gotten a chance at or did get a chance but it didn't work out?Number one thing on my list was for my kids to be there and see tons of animals. We checked that box day one and everyday after that.
We bought a package of nine animals and then added golden wildebeest, zebra and warthog to the wish list. All I wanted to shoot was the golden and the warthog. All my youngest really wanted to shoot was the zebra. Then it was basically pick what you want off the list.
We got them all except the warthog. We did see warthogs but mostly sows and most of them had piglets.
There was a sable that I added to the list after getting here and when a private land owner asked us to come shoot an aggressive wildebeest our guide negotiated for us to shoot an extra impala which ended up being a giant.
My wife really wants a black impala and there are a couple more animals I would like to go after as well so I see another trip in our future. Just the wife and I probably.
Post by: Rainier10 on April 01, 2025, 10:15:35 PM
So was I reading that right that you used the dog to track the springbok and then it bayed it too so you could get a follow up shot? That’s super cool if that’s how ot worked out. I’d love to hear more about the dog, and about the experience of hunting that bobcat looking cat too!Yes you can use dogs to recover game and if the animal is still alive the dogs bay up the animal. They run a little but then turn around in a defensive position face to face with the dog. It works like a champ. We were 80 yards from the springbok but couldn’t see it. We had gotten close twice before we called for the dog and each time we were so slow and noisy the animal jumped before we saw it and was on the move not giving us a shot.
The dog is so small, fast and quiet it was on the springbok before it could even get out of its bed. We were slow looking for tracks and blood. The dog was lightning quick just going off scent. It was amazing to watch.
We had also used the dog on day one for the impala. We thought it was a good shot but wanted to be safe. We turned the dog loose on the blood and it found the impala within seconds dead.
The pictures below are two different dogs from two different guides. Apparently it’s the dog to have for tracking.
Post by: Jpmiller on April 02, 2025, 05:36:32 AM
Post by: Rob on April 02, 2025, 05:53:36 AM
Post by: nwwanderer on April 02, 2025, 07:11:03 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on April 02, 2025, 09:00:08 AM
Dream come true. So glad my wife and kids were there.
Post by: jackelope on April 02, 2025, 04:10:33 PM
The next question is how big is the addition on the house going to be for the taxidermy.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on April 02, 2025, 04:43:46 PM
Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
Post by: jackelope on April 02, 2025, 05:34:16 PM
They have the cabin to hang mounts in as well, but yeah hell of a lifetime family hunt..
Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
There’s no room in the cabin. Maybe for those little critters.
Post by: Dan-o on April 02, 2025, 06:26:03 PM
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,290991.0.html
Post by: Rainier10 on April 02, 2025, 10:22:20 PM
Leaving Doha now. It’s 8:29am Thursday here and we land in Seattle at noon Thursday. 14 hour flight but with time change we gain 10 hours.
Post by: bearpaw on April 03, 2025, 06:06:43 AM
Post by: Bob33 on April 03, 2025, 07:12:48 AM
I wonder how long is will be before one of your family asks "When are we going back?"
Post by: Rob on April 03, 2025, 07:17:39 AM
What a trip. Thanks for taking us along!
I wonder how long is will be before one of your family asks "When are we going back?"
I am betting before "wheels up" in Johannesburg.
Post by: lhrbull on April 07, 2025, 11:38:14 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on April 13, 2025, 08:20:02 AM
@arrowflinger we did use their guns. It made getting there and through customs way easier. With that said I did miss two great opportunities because of my unfamiliarity with their gun. The gun safety had a safe, unloaded and fire position. Twice I clicked forward from safe to what I thought was fire but in reality was just unload. You can’t pull that trigger hard enough to get it to fire if it’s not on fire. I did end up getting both animals in the end but should have got them sooner.Following, We are heading there in June. We can't wait. Did you take you're own rifle or use the camp rifle?" Then we all shot his guns. We decided to forego the hassle of bringing mine and dealing with all that. He has multiple guns all with silencers. We all were shooting great using his 300 win mag."
Thanks
Post by: Rainier10 on April 13, 2025, 08:22:14 AM
Excellent write up, and adventure. Does the guide service you are using do just photo safaris, and if so are the meals the same?I would suggest going with a strictly photo safari guide. We did get some great photos but the focus was definitely on hunting.