Back From Africa - 2012 Picture Heavy

[Caveman]

Well our trip didn’t start out how we had put into the 10 months of planning. At the eleventh hour, that is, one hour before we had planned to leave home to catch a plane the next day in Seattle, our 17 year old decides he doesn’t want to go. There was a bit of a heated discussion as you can imagine. But in the end instead of dragging him, clawing, tooth and nail, and putting up with the attitude on the 30 hour trip we were about to undertake, we made arrangements to leave him behind. This was to be a father/son hunt. Hopefully, someday he grows up to realize what his decision meant to the family and I, and just what he had missed out on. Now was not the time to get into it, so the decision to leave him home was made. The house and pets were looked after, and the neighbours were informed we'd be away. That done, we jumped in the car and headed out.

We arrived in Seattle and settled into our room for the night. After a meal out, knowing we had to be at the airport at 7:00, to go through security, etc., as we were connecting with an International flight in San Francisco to Amsterdam, we hit the sack early. Our first flight was delayed due to air traffic in San Francisco, by an hour. Knowing it was going to be tight, but thinking we had time, we hastily made our way to the International terminal in San Francisco. We found our check in terminal, but were informed that the gate closed at 1:00 and we were 15 min late so were denied our flight. Now we had to go through the airlines to try and change all our connecting flights to get us to South Africa. The best we could was a flight to Atlanta the next day, then direct to Johannesburg. The worst part was that our luggage had made our missed flight, so was on its way to Amsterdam. Because my wife had made connecting flights, car rentals and accommodations in S. Africa, all had to be contacted and rearranged, with a 9 hour time change, it was a royal pain in the ass. All changes were made, so we thought we would just pick up our luggage in Johannesburg, stay over to make our connection and all would be good. NOT! Apparently our luggage was pulled at Amsterdam and we carried on to S Africa. We made a baggage claim in Johannesburg with our accommodations and itinerary, so they could forward it on to us when it arrived. We then caught a small plane to Krueger International Airport, to start our adventure.

We arrived at the Krueger International Airport to pick up a car and as leaving the airport we saw three Impala. Off to a good start. Our first week in S. Africa was to be spent in Krueger National Park on a self driven photography safari. We made our way north to the Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, 9km within Krueger, from the Malelane gate, in the Mpumalanga province of S. Africa. Before getting into camp, we saw about 20 Hippo as we crossed the bridge into the park, a Kudu cow along the road, a herd of cape buffalo, maybe a dozen, a couple giraffe, a couple warthogs and a hyena, all just an hour before dark.

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[Caveman]

The camp is quite cool, with a restaurant and store and a bunch of small brick chalets that have kitchenettes and two bedrooms. A Laundromat, which could be a life saver for those with no luggage.

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The next morning it was raining lightly, but we headed out in the comfort of our rental car. We travelled a back road to a watering hole and come across numerous Impala and several Leopard Tortoises. With nothing at the watering hole we carried on across country to meet the main road. As we crested a hill I spotted what I believe to by a Klipspinger, standing on a rock formation. There turned out to be two and they bounce around on the rocks about as easily as a Bighorn. It was not until we hit the main road that the game seemed to make their presence known.

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Well we were into day 3 and still have only the cloths we had on and a change of clothes in a carry on. All my hunting clothes and everyone’s clothes were out there somewhere. We had bought a few to get by, but our safari is on Monday and we had to leave Kruger National Park on Saturday to make our way South to Port Elizabeth to make our safari connection on the 9th. I thought I may have to scramble to find something suitable to hunt in on the way.
Over the next couple days we encountered almost all the many different species that Africa has to offer. The photo opportunities were many and it was very cool to get this close to many different animals in their natural habitat. The only thing that seemed weird was as it is driving through Jasper. The animals are so used to seeing vehicles that they really paid little attention to you. Only the predators were scarce and tough to catch in the open. One of the most interesting things we came across was a giraffe chewing on what appeared to be the shoulder blade of a small mammal. He gummed it for several minutes before dropping it and awkwardly bending over to pick it up again. I assume this was for the mineral content of the bone. I do have a short video of it with the shoulder blade.

[Mr. Dean]

Any dead zebra?
If I make it down there 1 or 2 will be buying it.


Cool shots. :cool:

[Caveman]

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[Caveman]

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[Rackmastr]

Wow some amazing photography so far!!! Looks great! Cant wait to see and hear more!

[Caveman]

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[Caveman]

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[Caveman]

In the evenings, as the was no internet, television, it was great just to sit back and have a drink, just talk about the day and maybe bbq a few Gembo skewers over the Braai. They taste awesome by the way. We also had Wildebeest t-bones on the grill

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[Mr. Dean]

Still not seing any dead zeb's................ :lol:

[Caveman]

On our last evening before heading out of the park to start to make our way to our safari destination, we got a pleasant surprise. Our luggage had arrived! It was at the park’s main gate. Perfect, we’ll pick it up on route to our next accommodation in Hazyview along the Panorama Route. Unfortunately, only one of two bags arrived. The good news was this was the bag with most of my hunting clothes. With one bag in tow we carried onto to Hazyview.

We drove a good piece of the Panorama Route and stopped in at the “Potholes”, “Gods Window”, “The Pinnacle” and “Mac Mac Falls”, all amazing scenic wonders.
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This is where I got a souveigner that I could have done without. I got caught by a photo radar crew and got a speeding ticket. They wrote my ticket and escorted us to the local Police dept to pay “in cash” the equivalent of $59.50. The next day we headed back to Krueger International Airport to catch a flight to Johannesburg then on to Port Elizabeth to meet our PH and go onto the Safari Lodge. While in Johannesburg, we made a second baggage claim as we were still out one bag. The guys in Baggage Claim vowed to make it their mission to find our other bag. We arrived in Port Elizabeth and met our PH, Eardley, who drove us to the Safari lodge to begin the next leg of our adventure.

[Caveman]

When we arrived at the lodge there were six American hunters enjoying their last evening, before heading back to the US. They had all had a great week of hunting taking many nice animals. Two of them had taken all their game by bow, both compound and long bow. We shared a few drinks with them and listened to their tales which excited me for what was to come in the next week. Arthur and his wife Trinnete, the owners of the lodge, were also there to greet us and to see the departing hunters, before they were to leave. We then shared a great meal of Kudu lasagna, sweet potatoes and sausages. The Rudman’s welcomed us into their home as if we were family and wished the best of luck in the coming week as well as congratulated the Americans in their success. After a more few drinks and stories it was time to hit the sack in preparation for the morning.
The next morning, I had to fire a round through the 30.06 I was to rent for the week, to ensure the gun was on, and to show the PH I was able to handle the gun. I only fired the gun once, at 30 yds. All seemed good, so off to see if we could find a nice Impala or maybe a good Kudu. The first thing I noticed was how dense the vegetation was, with a mix of many different slow growing trees and shrubs, mixed with cactus. Many of the plants have thorns, which are quite nasty. The terrain is quite hilly and for the most part there are few roads other than along “low” fences to keep sheep and goats contained. In contrast to driving through the park, the game here, being hunted, were not eager to stand and present much of a shot opportunity. We drove for miles watching and glassing many Impala bounding through thickets only giving brief chances to glass looking for a nice ram. Soon we began to see Kudu cows and younger bulls. With a brisk morning breeze the Kudu were spotted on protected slopes, feeding and watching us as we came closer. They blend in quite well in the thicket to an untrained eye. It was amazing to see how the tracker and PH could pick them out from long distances. Often this was as good as it got. This was a picture taken in the park, but you get the idea

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Again, few gave you a really good look, but the PH was quick to say that these are younger bulls. We had one good bull stand at the ridge with a cow just in front of him. His long curled horns, ears and head was all we could see. He stood there at about 275 yds giving a chance to assess his headgear, but never to give a chance for a shot as he sleeked into the thicket as he crested the ridge following the cow. We hunted the morning seeing numerous Warthogs, Duikers and a good number of Kudu and Impala. Back at the lodge for lunch, we discussed a plan for the afternoon. Based on the direction of the wind we would try another area and see what it would bring.
We headed out at about 3:00pm to another location. Going in there were impala everywhere, but they were bounding into the thicket, never giving a chance to really get a look at them let alone a shot. We came onto a large opening with a herd of Black Wildebeest, a large number of Impala and Blesbok, and a few Zebra. As I was not pursuing a Wildebeest at this point, we were looking for a nice Impala ram. The only issue being that there were so many eyes on the lookout that when one animal would run, they all would take off, Impala and Blesbok together. After a numerous stalks we elected to try another spot and walk in to where we could sit and wait as the sun set.

[Caveman]

We headed out at about 3:00pm to another location. Going in there were impala everywhere, but they were bounding into the thicket, never giving a chance to really get a look at them let alone a shot. We came onto a large opening with a herd of Black Wildebeest, a large number of Impala and Blesbok, and a few Zebra. As I was not pursuing a Wildebeest at this point, we were looking for a nice Impala ram. The only issue being that there were so many eyes on the lookout that when one animal would run, they all would take off, Impala and Blesbok together. After a numerous stalks we elected to try another spot and walk in to where we could sit and wait as the sun set. We walked into a cutline with a couple lookout stands at either end of the cut about 600 yds apart. The PH climbed the rickety old stand as I highly doubt it would support two people, to get a better view of the narrow cut line. After a half hour, or so, a Bushbuck stepped out at the far end to feed. These are generally solitaire and not seen as often as other breeds, but it was on my list of animals to try to get. The PH climbed down and we decided to try and get closer. As we started to close ground on the Bushbuck, several Kudu cows and a young bull stepped out about where the Bushbuck was. We stuck to the edge of the cut line and continued along closing the distance. The Bushbuck had gone into the thicket and was nowhere to be seen. When we got to about 170 yds of where the Bushbuck was he stepped back out into the cutline, so the PH set up the sticks and I readied myself for the shot. The setup was perfect. We had the sun to our back and a clear line to the Bushbuck. The Kudu were still feeding here as well, so I had to wait for the Bushbuck to walk clear and present a shot. As he walked across the cut, the PH whistled at him in attempt to stop him to give me the shot. He lifted his head and stopped to look in our direction and I squeezed the trigger. The 150gr bullet dropped him in his tracks. My first Africa trophy was on the ground. Not the biggest animal in the world, for sure, but not one that everyone gets the chance to take.

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The Bushbuck has a reputation of being nasty if wounded and cornered. The PH mentioned that they have lost dogs to them as they will put their heads down and charge the dogs or hunter if they are able. Their horns are very solid and very sharp and would pierce the thigh of a hunter with ease.

[Caveman]

After a few pictures are taken we load him up and carry on. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a Kudu. As the sun was about to set we start to walk along the edge on an open area next to the thicket. On the open hillside are about forty Impala and a herd of Blesbok running around. In the evenings the Impala rams like to spar and chase each other around. They make the strangest sound. They actually growl and bark as they spar. We edge along the dense growth as a few Kudu cows feed out to us. One young bull is with them and we stalk into about 100yds of them hoping a larger bull would soon join them. We stuck with them well after dark to no avail. Time to take the Bushbuck to the skinning shack.

Back at the lodge it’s time for a couple drinks, relive the hunt of the day and snack on some fresh biltong at the bar and watch some rugby or cricket. After another great meal with the PH and the owners of the lodge we again retire to the bar to wind down for the evening.

Day two of the hunt we are determined to get a nice Impala ram, so off we go with the tracker in the back of the Landcruiser and an assistant PH in tow. We come into a nice area and I point out a couple rams in the distance. At first glance the PH didn’t pay them much attention, but as we got closer, a second look made the PH take a much better look. After glassing the two he said the one in a very good ram. We got out of the truck and started on foot to stalk the two rams hoping to close some ground on them. We spent a half hour trying to get a chance for a shot, only to have them run off, making us continue to pursue them. After several stalks and the PH setting up the sticks for me they finally stood long enough for a shot. At this point I wished I had spent more time with the shooting sticks, as this was my third shot with this gun on these sticks and the Impala is at 260yds. I lay the cross hairs on the Impala, take a slow breath and squeeze, as I exhaled. The Impala is hit, but runs off with his partner as if nothing was wrong, but we heard the impact. We watched them bound off into the thick stuff outwards of 600 yds. At this point the PH says we’ll need the dogs, so we’ll let the tracker find some sign of the wounded Impala and we will return with the dogs allowing him to bed down and stiffen up. When we returned with the dogs we put one on a lead and the other loose with the tracker and assistant PH, while we went around to the other side of a draw where we felt the Impala would run when jumped. It wasn’t long after we got setup before we heard the dog barking as he had picked up the trail. All of a sudden we spotted the ram running across in front of us with the dog not far behind. In short order the dog has the Impala bayed in the thicket. We can see the head and neck but are about 250yds out. Two misses, then a third shot, and the ram falls. From where we are at, we can clearly hear the ram is still alive and growling at the dog as he darts in to nip at his ears. The tracker meanwhile is running over to where the Impala and dog are at, to finish the ram off with a quick jab with his “Oldtimer” lock blade knife. We walked up to where the Impala lay to have our first close look at my ram. We then carried him out into the open for a photo opportunity before loading him in the truck. The morning had ended just early enough to run him over to the skinning shack and back to the lodge for brunch.

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[Caveman]

The afternoon brought some winds and the sightings of kudu were much fewer, with no bulls of note. Again we were out right until dark looking for that one bull.


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[Caveman]

The next morning back at it, but again, no mature kudu. Many were spotted, but none that quite met the Ph’s criteria. He mentioned that the weather for the afternoon was to be good for Kudu. It has been his finding that over 50% of kudu he has hunted were all taken in the late afternoon.

One thing to mention that I found odd was that the PH’s like to use oranges to bait Kudu. I never hunted over any but the evening before we glassed across a valley to a location that looked to be a truckload of oranges on a cutline. A lone Kudu stood there and had to pickup and eat at least a dozen or more oranges. The condition of the vegetation right now was so good that the oranges were not overly effective, as there was plenty of feed. I asked if they were able to use any calls to attract Kudu. The PH said they don’t really vocalize. The only sound I heard is a bark they let out to warn of danger. If you hear that it’s too late as they are moving for cover. They generally come and go in silence.

The afternoon proved to be exactly as the PH promised. We glassed numerous bulls and made a couple stalks in the early afternoon. Several close calls but they were not to be. With about a hour before dark we glassed a couple nice bulls feeding towards an opening out of the thicket out about 1000yds. We decided one was well worth pursuing so we left the truck to stalk closer. We hastily made our way towards the bulls glassing to keep track of their movements. About half way there we are interrupted by another bull. Another mature bull but maybe not quite in the class of the one we were after. We carried on our quest to the three bulls feeding into the opening along a ridge above a river basin. As we approached, we set up several times looking for the shot and ensuring we were on the bull we selected. Finally at about 280yds the bull steps out in front of us, strongly quartering away from us. We decide it is time for the shot. Not the best angle and not a shot I would normally take, but time was running out. I lined up over the sticks and took the shot, just in front of the hind leg hopefully entering the ribs into the vitals area. We could hit the impact of the bullet very clearly. The bull ran off. We could hear the three bulls crashing through the underbrush as they crested the ridge to the river basin. As we searched for tracks on the downhill slope we felt the bull ran, the tracker radio’d us to say he could see a bull walking along the ridge. He said it was quivering every so often. Thinking this must be my bull we crested the ridge walking in the direction of this bull. After a few minutes we find it bedded between two trees. I stalked up within about 25ft and as the bull struggled to get to his feet, I squeezed on him, putting another round in his shoulder. The Kudu bull hunched up a bit, took a few steps and dropped. My kudu was down just minutes before dark. We set him up for pictures with the African sunset in the background across the valley.

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Awesome!

[mark]

Wow buddy, what an awesome adventure!

[Blainer]

Brings back fond memories from a few months ago.
Look forward to more of the tale.

[Gavin Johnson]

Wow man, that is awesome! Out of curiosity what did the trip cost roughly?

[pronghorn]

looks like a trip of a lifetime congrats

[BiG Boar]

great thread so far! Other than you son not going. Thats too bad. Woulda been some great memories.
Keep it coming! Thanks for bringing back memories!

[buckguy]

Wow what a fantastic trip of a lifetime. Sorry your son made that decision and I am sure he will eventually realize what an awesome oppurtunity he missed, hunting with his Dad. Great photos, thanks for sharing.

[The Hermit]

I think I might just have to go some day... inspired after all these geat threads. I love that Kudu

[Caveman]

The morning of day four found the PH, assistant PH, tracker and I heading for a new area to pursue a Gemsbok. The terrain was even steeper than anything I had seen yet, but open to where we could do a lot of walking. Walking we would do, but for a different reason. We drove in on one of the few roads, glassing the hillsides looking for Gemsbok. While doing so we came across something, I'm sure very few get to see. A newborn Gemsbok calf, left to fend for it's self, much as a fawn is left by it's mother. Scentless and motionless, as it gains it's strength to be able to join it's mother and run with the herd. This must of been one of the first of the spring, as it was the only one we would encounter. This made the pursuit of a bull that more important as both the female and male Gemsbok have horns. The females are generally thinner, but are also known for being longer. Because they were calving, I had no intention in harvesting a cow.

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As I took this picture we glassed a lone cow about 300yds away watching us. The calf would be easy prey for any predator, as it likely only weighed about 30lbs.

We left the calf as we found it. We carried on. No herds were to be see for a while, but then we spotted a group out about 500 yds. The PH and I got out to stalk the group. We got within about 250yds but no mature bulls were with this group as we watched them head off over a ridge. We set up on a hillside and glassed a couple bedded down across the valley from us. We elected to try and have the assistant PH and tracker circle around above them and attempt to drive them across the valley. We made our way to our vantage point as the two walked the ridge some 900yds away. While at our vantage point we spotted 5 more below us, as well as a herd of about 10 Eland. We had a chance to glass and assess the Gemsbok in front of us, but again no big bulls. The Tracker and assistant PH now have the two bulls across the valley, up and coming our way. We readied for a shot. It was going to be about 200yds downhill. The group below us sensed something was up as the two bulls came charging across the valley. They readied to move and the two bulls joined the group below. They stopped briefly giving me a quick shot. Unfortunately, as I squeezed, the bull turned to run at that same moment. The shot was a clean miss and the herd ran up and over the ridge. We were in pursuit on foot. We hurried, up and over the next ridge, only to see them crossing the valley. We pushed on, even though we were still losing ground, hoping they would calm down and go back to feeding. This was not to be. We got to where we spotted one animal out on the edge of a ridge, the rest we could not see. As we tried to close the distance between us, he headed down the other side. We got to the spot he was at only to see the entire herd had crossed the valley and stood an estimated 1000yds away. We came up with a plan to make our way to the valley bottom, at which point we would be out of view and would approach from above them, on a small ridge some 200 yds from where they stood. As we walked down the ridge, we would stop and glass the group to make sure we new where they were. Still in the open, the herd spooked, and ran up and over the next ridge. They spotted us at 750yds. How can that be? The PH claimed they have incredible eye sight and would be content to run a lot, until they got tired. This would only be the beginning.

[BiG Boar]

Oryx is one of the best. Looking forward to seeing the photos.

[Caveman]

Again, the plan was to sent the Tracker and assistant PH to follow the herd and we would circle around and set up for the Gemsbok to be pushed at us. The plan almost worked perfectly. We had over shot where we thought they would come down into the valley we were in, so we had to hastily double back and set up. I was over the sticks and the Gemsbok herd is only about 150yds out. There was just some bush for them to clear as they fed even closer. We waited patiently as they slowly made their way toward us. They had no clue we were there. Just as the first is about to clear the bush at 100yds, out of the corner of my eye, I spot an Impala come trotting right beside me headed in the direction of the Gemsbok. Then another and another. Soon there were a dozen and the Eland right behind them. The PH says get ready, the Gemsbok will join them. Problem was, the Eland and Impala were on the move, not just wandering along. Sure enough the Gemsbok joined the others giving me a very brief glimpse as they hurried from opening to opening. All three species ran up the valley and again over the next ridge. Again we would pursue them over the next ridge as well. We get to the top of the ridge which opened to a large basin, where we could see well over a mile. We can again see the Gemsbok and Eland out about a mile. Between us and them is a lot of open country, as well as a herd of Black Wildebeest. We elected to stay on the ridge and watch them for a bit to get a sense of their next move. We slowly made our way along the ridge in an attempt the circle them and approach from the side. We stayed behind as much cover as possible as we approached. We avoided the Black Wildebeest in our approach. Now we are about 200 yds out when the herds start to come out into view. First out, the are a couple Red Hartebeest, then a few Eland. None in a big hurry, as we have not been detected. Next to emerge are a mixture of Eland and Red Hartebeest with the Gemsbok in tow. Now I don't now which is a cow and which is the bull, so the PH is trying to point me at the right one. They are walking, stopping, walking, and stopping, passing each other, so the one I want is always behind a cow or a bush. Finally he steps out at 180yds giving me a broadside view. I've been on the sticks, ready for the shot, when he stops. Confirming with the PH that I am on the right one, I squeeze the trigger and hit him perfectly in front of the shoulder, in the neck He falls immediately. We played cat and mouse with these guys all day and finally it payed off.

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[Caveman]

The PH headed back to retrieve the truck, and on his return, he tells me, "As I walked across the basin to get the truck, the entire herd of Gemsbok just stood there at 200yds and just watched me walk by" What's up with that?

[Caveman]

As it was mid afternoon by the time we returned to the lodge, we decided to take a break, so the wife, daughter and I visited a Cheetah rehab centre for a while.

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This is a 6 yr old female and when they purr like a cat it is much like a low growl
They also had a couple Leopards and young lion cubs as well as several Servel cats

[muleychaser]

What an amazing trip!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing and am looking forward to the rest.

[Blainer]

Awsome tale
Good heavy horns on the Gemsbok.How tall??
Beautiful Cheetah.

[Spy]

Great write up so far brings back good memories !Especially the "Kruger" National park A wonder of the world & truly special place ! Thanks for sharing your trip & pictures which are great !

[waistdeep]

So now that your home did your son show any remorse for missing a trip of a lifetime?

[Caveman]

So now that your home did your son show any remorse for missing a trip of a lifetime?

I have talked to him and I don't think it has fully sank in, but yes, he has some regrets

[300H&H]

This is a great adventure story...keep it coming.

[Caveman]

Awsome tale
Good heavy horns on the Gemsbok.How tall??
Beautiful Cheetah.

Just a hair under 38"

[Caveman]

Wow man, that is awesome! Out of curiosity what did the trip cost roughly?

Not sure I really want to know! LOL! When I tally it up I'll let you now, but I will say it was over 20.

[olharley guy]

Howdy, sounds like an excellent trip and some excellent photography for the memories.Later

[Hammerhead]

Great story and pictures and glad to hear that it ended better than it started. Thats a bucket list trip for some day.
HH

[BiG Boar]

Pretty awesome gemsbuck. You'll never be able to Africa out of your blood. Keep it coming?

[Caveman]

When we got back to the lodge, I was informed by the PH that we were expecting a few guests and were going to be cooking on the braai tonight. Daniel, the assistant PH was in charge of the cooking and we were going to have Warthog filets and Bush-veld Oysters. I was afraid to ask, but was willing to give it a try, as to this point the meals at the lodge have been first class. I soon found out that part of the meal was to be kudu liver from my bull the day before. I looked at the wife, as she knows all too well that I am not a fan of liver. Still wondering about the Oysters, again not something that I am real found of. As I soon found out the bush-veld Oysters were niether Oysters or simular to Prairie Oysters. It was the kudu liver diced up into bite sized pieces, wrapped by, at first glance, what appeared to be bacon. It was in fact the layer of fat found around the stomach area of a freshly butchered sheep, cut into strips and wrapped around the liver pieces. They used a thorn off of a local bush as skewers to hold it all together. They were slowly cooked over coals in the braai. When they were done, they were placed on a platter and drizzled with fresh squeezed lemon and sea salt from a mill. I politely too one, so not to insult the cook. I was pleasantly surprised. They were incredible. I ate at least a dozen of these, while having a Castle beer, thinking, I'd love to try this with a fresh elk liver.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9130222.jpg

[REMINGTON JIM]

What a AMAZING adventure you had :-D - Congrats on all your trophys too ! :-D Thanks for sharing the storey and pictures ! RJ

[TSW]

Man, those are some beautiful animals and great photos! A trip nearly your whole family will remember for a lifetime! I actually feel sorry for your son. That decision will likely haunt him in the form of regret for life. Thanks for posting up all the pics and writing about it--lots of work--much appreciated!

[Krico]

Wow what an awesome trip. I've always thought Africa would be a grand adventure, whether hunting or even just a photo safari. In a few years I might just have to make it happen somehow...


I actually feel sorry for your son. That decision will likely haunt him in the form of regret for life. big X2 on that one.

[Caveman]

The morning of day five found us, yet again venturing out to a new area, to look for a Springbok. The terrain again is quite hilly with open valley bottoms with patches of thick cover. On the way in we saw several herds of Common Springbok and Black Springbok. We spent some time glassing before picking up on a small band of Springbok. There was one ram with them that looked quite good. Until we got within 300yds, I didn't realize just how small a target they are. They are quite skidish. Never standing in one place for very long. After several attempts, and having the herd run across in front of us, we finely got within 250 yds. The herd was on a sidehill above us. The PH set up the sticks and I readied for a shot at 240yds. I squeezed and undershot, and off they went. We hustled along the valley bottom to get another look. Again they stopped. again set up at 260yds, and again I under shoot. Damn! The herd heads up and over the ridge some 700yds away. Earlier we had seen a large group in the distance, and thought we would check them out rather that head up and over the ridge, as there was only the one good ram in this group. When we got to this group there was about 50-75 animals, but as in a lot of cases if one goes they all go. They ran along the sidehill never giving us any chance at a shot. When we glassed them they had all held up in a small gully on the sidehill. We decided to send the Tracker and Daniel up again to see if they could bring them down, by circling them from above. Well it worked to some degree, but the herd split. More than half ran back the way they had come in and the other half scattered, but were coming in our direction. We would see three or four scurry by, then a few more. There didn't seem to be a decent ram that came down the valley, but they had doubled back instead. We spent a fair bit of time going back and forth with this group but never was able the get within shooting range. We decided to see if we could find the ram I had shot at earlier. Strange thing is, they were back in the same spot we had originally seen them. This time though they were even more nervous. I had time for one shot as they made their way back up towards the ridge. This time unfortunately I shot just over his shoulder. We then decided to pursue this one, so over the ridge we would go. When we got to the top, it had quite a flat area, then dropped off to another valley. The wind was blowing quite hard and we had already endured several ran showers, with another one on the way. We spotted the group of Springbok and tried to circle them to keep our scent away from them. Unfortunately with the swirling breeze it didn't work and they spooked and ran across the ridge and down the slope from where they had first come. We made our way to the edge, and to our surprise they were just standing in the open about 175yds below us. We snuck down behind a couple trees giving me another shot. Using the tree to steady the rifle and the ram quartering away from us, I squeezed the trigger sending the 150gr bullet just in front of his hind quarter. He dropped where he stood. We then rushed down to get our hands on this ram. There is one strange thing that happens when a Springbok dies. A ridge of hair along the spine stands up for only a very brief moment, then settles right back down. Quite interesting to see. After a couple handshakes we have the Tracker bring the truck to the bottom of the slope and we paced the ram down to it. The PH commented that these animals are the most likely to be missed. It's been his findings, that the average hunter misses upwards of five or six times before connecting. Maybe, he was just trying to make me feel better, but they are not that big a target at 250yds. This was a weathered old ram, with a few scars from fights he had endured. Another fine African trophy!

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/P9140235.jpg

[Spy]

That is a fine Spring Buck ! Great stories keep them coming !

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/P9140235.jpg[/QUOTE]

[Blainer]

They are extremely small and deceiving,but arguably the prettiest of the antelope species.
That is a monster buck!

[bruin]

Looks like a great adventure! That Kudu is georgous! Congrats

[Caveman]

After a well deserved lunch, I started crunching numbers as I had a budget for the hunt and accommodations for the wife and daughter. I had to ensure we were within that. After a few minutes, I was convinced, that because my package had to be changed to reflect that my son was not attending, I had room for one more trophy. I discussed it with the wife and selected a Blue Wildebeest. I picked this for my final animal as everything else had been in the antelope family. I was thinking that we'd pursue it in the morning and mentioned it to Eardley, my PH, and he agreed that we would look for a good bull. Still in the back of my mind I thought we encounter a really good kudu, I'd be fine with that too. That afternoon we went out again. The wind was blowing quite hard as a small front seemed to be moving in. We checked several areas and found impala feeding in the draws and a few kudu, but nothing that I was interested in. Soon we spotted a herd of Blue Wildebeest. There were several really good bulls. We started out from the truck to stalk the herd, feeding in the open on the edge of a draw. As we closed in, they had moved to the draw for shelter as the impala had. We crested the ridge to find three bulls just at the edge of the thicket. Eardley sad the one on the right was a good one. They were at about 160yds, below us. Here was my chance! About as good as it gets. Eardley put the sticks up and I took aim on the front shoulder. Without hesitation I squeezed and the Blue Wildebeest humped up and all three ran down a small opening, immediately out of sight. Eardley explained that these are about as tough as they come. He's seen them run for ever, if not hit well. We radioed the Tracker to go in and look for sign. It was a tense few minutes, as none of us really wanted to track them though that thicket. After about five minutes, we spot three Wildebeest walk out into the open about 600yds away. Surely these could not be the same three that were together when I shot. We glassed them for a couple minutes and said "It can't be them. I felt good about that shot" About then the tracker radios and says he has the bull in the thicket. Thank God!, we were not chasing them across the valley, but what was mine in? We made our way down the clearing to find the Tracker, Jeffery, motioning to us that the bull was just in the thicket bedded down. As I stepped past Jeffery, I spotted the bull. He was bedded down about 50 feet in the bush. As I closed the distance, he stood up in front of me at about 25ft. I pulled up and put a second round into him. He struggled to stay on his feet. As he turned, I had no angle for a third shot. I made my way to my left to get a view from the other side of a tree. I put a third round into his shoulder and the Blue Wildebeest went down. I wasn't expecting to get him today, but who's arguing. Now we have to get him out to the truck. The PH went to retrieve the truck. As we waited, Daniel and I sampled a few berries from a Gwarrie Tree. They are quite small. About the size of a small Saskatoon berry, and taste much like a grape. Only problem is, they are about 70% seed, but quite nice. When Eardley returned, he brought a heavy tarp in. It had a sewn in canvas bottom. We rolled the Wildebeest onto the tarp and wrapped him in it, tying the grommet holes together. The tarp had four hand holds sewn into it. The four of us each got one and we pulled the beast out to the truck. It wasn't easy, but was that bad ether. Again, time for a few pictures and loaded him up to take him to the skinning shack.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9140252.jpg

[whitetailsheds]

Very nice...thanks Caveman! Awesome thread...fuelling the fires!!!

[Caveman]

On our sixth and final day, and my package filled, we elected to meet up with the Taxidermist and see his shop and discuss mounts, etc. Paul has a small shop in Port Elizabeth. There is only a young guy and himself that do the bulk of the work with a few skilled labourers to help out. We walked through his work area to see everything in process as well his display room. i've been to several taxidermists and this was one of the cleanest and organized i've seen. Everything was in it's place, labeled, tagged and very nice. it says something, when his work space is kept clean in my mind. Anyway, Paul is also a PH, but took up taxi work a few years ago. He has won some ribbons for his work in his field, very personable and i got a good feeling from him. Here is a sample of some of his work.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9150262.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9150261.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9150258.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9150259.jpg

[whitebirch]

LOVE them wildebeest! grats on a lifetime of memories

[Caveman]

After returning from the taxidermists, there was still the afternoon to kill. Because there was still a Duiker i could pursue and possibly a monster kudu, we had to go out. it was a nice hot afternoon and the wife joined us for our last outing. She had been out a couple other afternoons as well. We stopped several times to glass and took a good long look at a nice kudu, but it wasn't one of those one in 50 type bulls so we carried on. We spent some time glassing a river drainage and watched a Mountain Reed Buck feed along the river. We also saw a female Duiker and a couple kudu cows. We carried on and glassed down a ridge spotting a number of kudu, but still nothing to get excited about. We did, however get a surprise, when a Monitor lizard decided to pay us a visit. He walked up the trail in front of us to within ten feet before he realized it. He dropped to the ground and froze thinking we may not have seen him. As he tried to run off, Eardley grabbed him for a photo opportunity. The evening ended as it started, with no animals taken,but it was a great week of memories and friends made

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/P9120206-1.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/DSCN0760.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/DSCN0749.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/South%20Africa/DSCN0754.jpg

[whitebirch]

May or may not like this type of mount but I thought the kudu horns this way looked wicked: http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/agaucher/DB73178B-4612-4DC1-A242-D1F143FBC16A-8304-00000A0547C12080_zps8abfb41d.jpg

[Vanman1985]

Wow Greg, thats one hell of a trip! To bad about your son, he'll regret that one someday. Pretty cool to have the rest of your family there though! I'll have to come by when you get your trophies back.

[Caveman]

Should have them back around July next year! Like a kid waiting for Christmas by that time

[Vanman1985]

No kidding!!! ha ha hah..

[mike_b]

WOW!! Amazing pictures and awesome stories. And please keep this in mind; next time you go and your son doesn't want to, you're welcome to adopt me for a week or two. I may not be 17, but I think I should be able to act it!!

Seriously though, trip of a lifetime I'm sure....

[tomahawk]

Wow, great adventure, thanks for sharing!

[d6dan]

Great hunt,safari story and pictures Caveman. Definately a trip of a lifetime.:-D Thanks for taking us along..

[BCRiverBoater]

Awesome story and great pictures. Now the wait for the mounts to come home. I am just waiting for photos of mine then I am wiring the money. Should be in Canada within the next 3-4 weeks.

Looks like we shot very similar animals. I ended up coming home with 10 and already want to go back.

[goathead]

great adventure well written and photographed.what kind of camera lens combo were using to get those live animal shots

[boxhitch]

Looks like a great time G , attago
I was envious from the first I heard of your trip, now to dream some more. $20 K ?? pffft

[Caveman]

Looks like a great time G , attago
I was envious from the first I heard of your trip, now to dream some more. $20 K ?? pffft

Thanks B!
Keep in mind this was for three weeks of travel for three. Flights alone were over $6. The hunting cost about $6.5 as well. Car rentals, accommodations, attractions, meals. Lodging for the wife and daughter, while not hunting, tips, etc.

The third week I haven't even wrote about

[Caveman]

great adventure well written and photographed.what kind of camera lens combo were using to get those live animal shots

Thanks! I was using an Olympus SP-800UZ and the wife was using a Nikon CoolPix L810, both are basically point and shoot with some manual options for scene selection, etc. Both took very good pictures, but there was some playing with them to see what worked best

[Brambles]

Looks like an awesome time despite the initial headaches. Definitly seems like a great bang for your buck if you wanna whack and stack some animals. $6500 for the hunting and you took a bunch of game. In canada that would get you one animal, and some animals it wouldn't even touch the price...Congrats, too bad junior backed out, bad decision on his part to miss out on a once in a lifetime trip.

[Philcott]

Great write up, great pics. I don't imagine I'll ever get over there myself so I really enjoy reading the adventures some of you safari hunting guys get to go on. Maybe if I inherit some cash some day. Maybe.

[Caveman]

There is more to come! Thinking at the time that this could be the one and only time I get to experience this, I chose to hire a professional Videographer to document the whole thing. He and his wife produce Aim on Africa, seen on WildTV. He will be spending the next month editing the video, adding music and commentary, then shipping it off to me. I would think I can post it here for viewing, when I receive it. It should be cool to see.

[Neff]

Finally found a chance to peruse your thread. Fantastic trip, pictures and story.
Pretty awesome birthday gift.
Congrats on all the critters!

[kennyj]

Very cool adventure! Thanks for sharing your story and great photos.
kenny

[325]

I am SOOOOOOO jealous!! A very big congrats on a fantastic adventure!

[Caveman]

Mounts are almost ready for shipping. Got a sneak preview on the first mount completed

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/970876_655047031175741_1375124286_n_zps382e5729.jp g (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/cavemn94/media/970876_655047031175741_1375124286_n_zps382e5729.jp g.html)

[BCbillies]

That's wicked . . . leaves me wanting more plus an invite for the first showing! :)

[Caveman]

I still have the hunting video to unveil. We'll do a "Lunch and Learn" in the boardroom soon to view it. I'm sure you'll be up for that

[BCbillies]

10-4. You've been holding out on us for too long .. . let's make it happen!

[sheephunterab]

That is a beautiful gemsbok mount, can't wait to see the rest.

[Caveman]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/Wildebeast2_zpsf20a1ba8.png

[Caveman]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/Bushbuck_zps3797b351.png

[Caveman]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/Springbok_zpsb2478cd8.png

[Caveman]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/Kudu_zps5171c843.png

[Caveman]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/cavemn94/Impala_zps5ac09680.png

[Caveman]

They are all complete, just have to make arrangements for shipping

[kgs]

That was the best 30 mins of reading i have had in a long time. great story great trip. Thanks for sharing, has me thinking of a guided hunt something I have never done.

[Springer]

Thats an amazing adventure Greg , Good on ya man for pursuing the good things in life and including your Family.. My Wife has agreed to do a Safari some day with me but it will do some Brown nosing to ever do a hunt there , mostly due to Wall space at home..
Thanks for taking us along for the ride!!

Cheers.
Phil

[Caveman]

Well here it is..................................if it works!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TQIPkcJwzM

[The Dawg]

Well here it is..................................if it works!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TQIPkcJwzM

Private! !

[Caveman]

Private! !

Should be public now

[The Dawg]

It is....thanks!

[d6dan]

Great video Caveman!, thanks for sharing it..

[Kudu]

Wow - some trip.

I love the Graskop / Pilgrims Rest / Burkes luck / Saabi / Gods window / Hazyview area - I spent a good part of my life around there and in Nelspruit.

Why didn't you hunt in the Limpopo province - why fly all the way down to the Eastern Cape - Kudu and rooiboke (impala) are generally bigger up North than down in the PE / E Cape areas..

Where did you hunt down in the EC - Kirkwood or closer to Patensie?

Anyway seems you had a blast

God I feel homesick now!!!

[Caveman]

We hunted near Uitenhage, west of Port Elizebeth. The wife did all the travel arrangements. I just had a say in the Safari Company and had a good feeling with these guys

[Kudu]

We hunted near Uitenhage, west of Port Elizebeth. The wife did all the travel arrangements. I just had a say in the Safari Company and had a good feeling with these guys


Nice

Did you get a chance to go to Addo elephant park while you where in the Uitenhage district? More elephants per square kilometre there than any where else in SA - it would be a pity if you missed it!

When you drove through Uitenhage did you see the big VW factory on the left? When they tooled up to build the Audi A4 / A5 /A6 series there, I spent months in that place sorting out their demin plant for the paint shop - we had to basically re-plumb the whole place with HDPE once we got the reverse osmosis plant running.. We had loads of time to hunt around Uitenhage, Kirkwood and surrounds. Only thing I hated was the drive from PE to Uitenhage every morning - I'm sure you noticed squatter camps.

[Caveman]

We spent a couple days at Addo Elephant Park. Very Cool! Saw many Kudu, elephants and a couple large male lions, huge cape buffalo. Too many species to name.We also spent three days, along the coast, to sightsee down to Cape Town and three nights in Cape Town and surrounding area

[Kudu]

We spent a couple days at Addo Elephant Park. Very Cool! Saw many Kudu, elephants and a couple large male lions, huge cape buffalo. Too many species to name.We also spent three days, along the coast, to sightsee down to Cape Town and three nights in Cape Town and surrounding area


That's really cool, sounds like you guys squeezed it all in - brilliant.

Now I'm really home sick!