I just returned from my first South African safari and it did not disappoint! The quality of the animals, overall service, the attention to detail, the food, the hospitality, the comradery, was all above our expectations.
We took the direct Delta flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg and overnighted at Africa Sky Guest House. AS had a representative meet us at the airport and took us directly to their facility. This place is fantastic! The food and accommodations were top notch. Once we got settled in, we ate a fantastic meal. Then it was off to get some sleep.
Day 1
We had a great breakfast and then a short wait to be picked up and head to the camp. We arrived at the Three Rivers lodge shortly after 1PM. After getting settled in and checking our bows we set out for an evening sit. The hide was situated over a waterhole about 20 yards away. We didn’t have to wait long before we had some good activity. One nice Kudu was taking his time coming in. Once he was in and comfortable, two others appeared. After a little stare down and establishing the pecking order, two remained at the waterhole and the other bull left the area. I thought the two remaining were very nice, but my PH Ivan assured me we could do better. As darkness started to approach, the Kudu abruptly left the waterhole. A minute later, three Cape Buffalo appeared. Seeing these creatures’ eye-to-eye at 25 yards really gets your blood pumping. They are ugly and beautiful at the same time; I was just in awe.
Day 2
We had a lot of animal activity in the hide early. I had a shooter Waterbuck come in with a doe, after some waiting, I was able to draw on him, but he moved out of position and then left the area. We had a lone Impala ram come in about 45 minutes later and my son was ready. However, he hit it directly in the shoulder. After Steven, the tracker arrived, we began the track. Unfortunately, there was very minimal blood and it was very tough to track. We spent the afternoon trying to get a sighting of the animal with no luck. During that time, we bumped some Zebra and tried to spot and stalk some with a bow having no luck. Overall it was a tough day, but our spirits remained high!
Day 3
We went to the same hide that we sat in Thursday morning. The morning started a little slow. We had a lot of Vervet Monkeys that kept us entertained through the morning. Shortly before noon we had a lot of Kudu action. 6 cows, some immature bulls, and a more mature bull. Once they started milling around a shooter came in and Ivan said he was the one. We waited about 5 minutes for him to get into position. Once he did, I was at full draw. And just like that, a smaller Kudu blocked the shot. I was not able to get another clear shot and after about 5 minutes they all left the area. I was a little disappointed. But that is the way hunting goes! Shortly after lunch in the hide the Kudu heard returned. The bull I was after came right back to his original spot, then moved to the other side of the water hole and presented a 20 yard slightly quartering to shot. The opportunity was perfect. The shot was off and good. Bull down in 60 yards. Once the excitement died down a bit, Ivan called Steven to come pick us up. A few minutes later a lone Blue Wildebeest came in, he was a shooter! Parker’s shot looked good, complete pass through and good blood. Once Steven arrived, we went to the spot where we last saw the Wildebeest, good blood on both sides of the track. We felt confident that we would find him quickly, so we decided to load the Kudu and drop him off with the skinners and have some lunch. Once we arrived where we left off, we began following the track. A little while in Steven said that the bull had fallen in with a herd of other Wildebeest. We looked all afternoon, finally spotting the herd and the wounded bull but we could not get a shot on him with a rifle. Once the dust had settled, Steven was on the bulls track again. We had good news as the sun was starting to set, the bull had finally broken away from the herd and had bedded down. We bumped him once and he took off again. We decided to leave the track and pick it up again I the morning. This made for a long night, my son’s spirits were getting pretty low.
Day 4
Steven picked up the track where we marked it the night before and after 20 minutes, the Blue Wildebeest was recovered!
Now it was time to get a Zebra. We moved to another concession that had a lot of Zebra and Gemsbok activity. We sat in the hide from 9:30AM until 6PM with no luck. The game activity consisted of Gemsbok (no shooters), Warthogs (no shooters), and a nice Kudu. However, the Zebra were uncooperative. They would come within 50 yards and stop, then ease around the water hole, then leave. They did this throughout the day.
Day 5
We made an hour drive to another concession to put Parker on some animals with a rifle. We saw a nice heard of Gemsbok with 2 mature bulls. After determining our game plan, we decided to put on a stalk. After stalking for about 15 minutes the sticks were up and Parker made a great shot that dropped him in his tracks. Once we got to him, he put another round in him for insurance. Once pictures were taken and the animal was loaded up, we headed to the skinning shed. We saw a nice heard of Blesbok that had not seen is yet. After glassing them we decided it would make a nice addition to our list. After a quick stalk through heavy brush we were set up and one shot from the sticks and Parker had his second trophy of the day! Once the animals were loaded up, we gutted and cooled them and set out for Zebra. After two unsuccessful stalks, we were able to keep sight of the herd and set up to cut them off. However, they changed the plan and decided to go back where they came from. We were set up in perfect position and once they were in a clearing Ivan pointed out which on to take. Parker was rock steady behind the sticks. On the shot the herd ran directly towards us, at that point the wounded Zebra broke away from the pack and went 80 yards and stopped. He began to get jello legged and went down. Parker added another round for insurance. Three trophies in about 4 hours of spot and stalking. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the skinning shed.
That afternoon we tried spot and stalking Zebra with a bow. After spotting a herd of 5 we jumped off of the truck and stalked to within 40 yards with no shot. I drew from the back of the truck on three different occasions, with the Zebras not cooperating. We attempted another stalk and got to 38 yards where I had a shot on the biggest stallion in the herd. I stubbed my toe on the shot, shooting under him.
Day 6
Our morning sit did not go as planned due to the wind constantly changing directions. Before the wind changed, we had a mature Kudu come within a foot of the blind. 2 Impala females came into water and left. Another Kudu came in but didn’t stay. We decided to move spots to a hide where they put out feed and had water in hopes of running into Zebra. Instead we were covered up in Vervet monkeys, Kudu, and Warthogs. Two blue wildebeest came in, one was very nice. After a short discussion with Ivan I decided to take him. At that moment the monkeys ran everything off. Fortunately, after 15 minutes, animals started coming back to the water hole. The Wildebeest presented a broadside shot at 18 yards. Double lung pass through and down in 60 yards.
Once we got him to the skinning shed, we decided to break out the rifle and go after Zebra that afternoon. After a short drive to a new concession we got out and started to walk. After 20 minutes or so, we spotted a herd of 10 Zebra and began our stalk. Once we were in position the Zebra changed directions, we made an adjustment and I took a shot. I hit him back but good. We tracked for 200 yards and he was down but not out. I made a final shot to finish him off. After pictures and loading him out we decided to see what else we could come across. We saw a very impressive Red Hartebeest that I couldn’t pass up. We quickly got into position and I took the shot. He was down, no follow-up required.
Day 7
Today we were after Impala. We were able to hunt a concession that our tracker, Steven, had grown up on. So, he knew the area very well and knew there were some great rams in the area. The area is rarely hunted, so once we pulled in, we began to walk. Immediately we could hear the rams calling (it was prime rut time). Roughly 10 minutes later we saw a nice ram. We moved to get into position and had to wait a minute for him to present a shot. Once he did, I took the shot. After pictures, we decided to see if we could get Parker his ram. We walked about 30 minutes before we saw a nice ram, he never presented a shot. We were walking along a river and saw a nice Bushbuck. We were going to the bend where we saw him and ran into 30 Impala does with a lone mature ram. The sticks went up, Parker was given the go ahead and we had the second ram down. This hunt made for a perfect ending to an amazing safari! Once we had the Impalas in the salt, we ended the day driving around and taking pictures.
Day 8
We took it easy after breakfast and hung around camp until lunch. After lunch we decided to try to spot and stalk a Blesbok with a bow. We were able to get close but never got a shot. It was a fantastic day in the bush. My PH and Tracker, Ivan and Steven, were awesome to be around the whole time. By the end of our safari, we had formed a true brotherhood.
The next morning we left camp and headed to Cape Town for 3 days and then to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe for 2 days before heading home.
I cannot say enough good things about the operation that Limcroma Safaris runs. From their willingness to answer questions years before our trip, booking our additional travel after the safari, their communication on details about the trip, and their hospitality during our trip. It made it feel like we were not only clients, but family.
We took the direct Delta flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg and overnighted at Africa Sky Guest House. AS had a representative meet us at the airport and took us directly to their facility. This place is fantastic! The food and accommodations were top notch. Once we got settled in, we ate a fantastic meal. Then it was off to get some sleep.
Day 1
We had a great breakfast and then a short wait to be picked up and head to the camp. We arrived at the Three Rivers lodge shortly after 1PM. After getting settled in and checking our bows we set out for an evening sit. The hide was situated over a waterhole about 20 yards away. We didn’t have to wait long before we had some good activity. One nice Kudu was taking his time coming in. Once he was in and comfortable, two others appeared. After a little stare down and establishing the pecking order, two remained at the waterhole and the other bull left the area. I thought the two remaining were very nice, but my PH Ivan assured me we could do better. As darkness started to approach, the Kudu abruptly left the waterhole. A minute later, three Cape Buffalo appeared. Seeing these creatures’ eye-to-eye at 25 yards really gets your blood pumping. They are ugly and beautiful at the same time; I was just in awe.
Day 2
We had a lot of animal activity in the hide early. I had a shooter Waterbuck come in with a doe, after some waiting, I was able to draw on him, but he moved out of position and then left the area. We had a lone Impala ram come in about 45 minutes later and my son was ready. However, he hit it directly in the shoulder. After Steven, the tracker arrived, we began the track. Unfortunately, there was very minimal blood and it was very tough to track. We spent the afternoon trying to get a sighting of the animal with no luck. During that time, we bumped some Zebra and tried to spot and stalk some with a bow having no luck. Overall it was a tough day, but our spirits remained high!
Day 3
We went to the same hide that we sat in Thursday morning. The morning started a little slow. We had a lot of Vervet Monkeys that kept us entertained through the morning. Shortly before noon we had a lot of Kudu action. 6 cows, some immature bulls, and a more mature bull. Once they started milling around a shooter came in and Ivan said he was the one. We waited about 5 minutes for him to get into position. Once he did, I was at full draw. And just like that, a smaller Kudu blocked the shot. I was not able to get another clear shot and after about 5 minutes they all left the area. I was a little disappointed. But that is the way hunting goes! Shortly after lunch in the hide the Kudu heard returned. The bull I was after came right back to his original spot, then moved to the other side of the water hole and presented a 20 yard slightly quartering to shot. The opportunity was perfect. The shot was off and good. Bull down in 60 yards. Once the excitement died down a bit, Ivan called Steven to come pick us up. A few minutes later a lone Blue Wildebeest came in, he was a shooter! Parker’s shot looked good, complete pass through and good blood. Once Steven arrived, we went to the spot where we last saw the Wildebeest, good blood on both sides of the track. We felt confident that we would find him quickly, so we decided to load the Kudu and drop him off with the skinners and have some lunch. Once we arrived where we left off, we began following the track. A little while in Steven said that the bull had fallen in with a herd of other Wildebeest. We looked all afternoon, finally spotting the herd and the wounded bull but we could not get a shot on him with a rifle. Once the dust had settled, Steven was on the bulls track again. We had good news as the sun was starting to set, the bull had finally broken away from the herd and had bedded down. We bumped him once and he took off again. We decided to leave the track and pick it up again I the morning. This made for a long night, my son’s spirits were getting pretty low.
Day 4
Steven picked up the track where we marked it the night before and after 20 minutes, the Blue Wildebeest was recovered!
Now it was time to get a Zebra. We moved to another concession that had a lot of Zebra and Gemsbok activity. We sat in the hide from 9:30AM until 6PM with no luck. The game activity consisted of Gemsbok (no shooters), Warthogs (no shooters), and a nice Kudu. However, the Zebra were uncooperative. They would come within 50 yards and stop, then ease around the water hole, then leave. They did this throughout the day.
Day 5
We made an hour drive to another concession to put Parker on some animals with a rifle. We saw a nice heard of Gemsbok with 2 mature bulls. After determining our game plan, we decided to put on a stalk. After stalking for about 15 minutes the sticks were up and Parker made a great shot that dropped him in his tracks. Once we got to him, he put another round in him for insurance. Once pictures were taken and the animal was loaded up, we headed to the skinning shed. We saw a nice heard of Blesbok that had not seen is yet. After glassing them we decided it would make a nice addition to our list. After a quick stalk through heavy brush we were set up and one shot from the sticks and Parker had his second trophy of the day! Once the animals were loaded up, we gutted and cooled them and set out for Zebra. After two unsuccessful stalks, we were able to keep sight of the herd and set up to cut them off. However, they changed the plan and decided to go back where they came from. We were set up in perfect position and once they were in a clearing Ivan pointed out which on to take. Parker was rock steady behind the sticks. On the shot the herd ran directly towards us, at that point the wounded Zebra broke away from the pack and went 80 yards and stopped. He began to get jello legged and went down. Parker added another round for insurance. Three trophies in about 4 hours of spot and stalking. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the skinning shed.
That afternoon we tried spot and stalking Zebra with a bow. After spotting a herd of 5 we jumped off of the truck and stalked to within 40 yards with no shot. I drew from the back of the truck on three different occasions, with the Zebras not cooperating. We attempted another stalk and got to 38 yards where I had a shot on the biggest stallion in the herd. I stubbed my toe on the shot, shooting under him.
Day 6
Our morning sit did not go as planned due to the wind constantly changing directions. Before the wind changed, we had a mature Kudu come within a foot of the blind. 2 Impala females came into water and left. Another Kudu came in but didn’t stay. We decided to move spots to a hide where they put out feed and had water in hopes of running into Zebra. Instead we were covered up in Vervet monkeys, Kudu, and Warthogs. Two blue wildebeest came in, one was very nice. After a short discussion with Ivan I decided to take him. At that moment the monkeys ran everything off. Fortunately, after 15 minutes, animals started coming back to the water hole. The Wildebeest presented a broadside shot at 18 yards. Double lung pass through and down in 60 yards.
Once we got him to the skinning shed, we decided to break out the rifle and go after Zebra that afternoon. After a short drive to a new concession we got out and started to walk. After 20 minutes or so, we spotted a herd of 10 Zebra and began our stalk. Once we were in position the Zebra changed directions, we made an adjustment and I took a shot. I hit him back but good. We tracked for 200 yards and he was down but not out. I made a final shot to finish him off. After pictures and loading him out we decided to see what else we could come across. We saw a very impressive Red Hartebeest that I couldn’t pass up. We quickly got into position and I took the shot. He was down, no follow-up required.
Day 7
Today we were after Impala. We were able to hunt a concession that our tracker, Steven, had grown up on. So, he knew the area very well and knew there were some great rams in the area. The area is rarely hunted, so once we pulled in, we began to walk. Immediately we could hear the rams calling (it was prime rut time). Roughly 10 minutes later we saw a nice ram. We moved to get into position and had to wait a minute for him to present a shot. Once he did, I took the shot. After pictures, we decided to see if we could get Parker his ram. We walked about 30 minutes before we saw a nice ram, he never presented a shot. We were walking along a river and saw a nice Bushbuck. We were going to the bend where we saw him and ran into 30 Impala does with a lone mature ram. The sticks went up, Parker was given the go ahead and we had the second ram down. This hunt made for a perfect ending to an amazing safari! Once we had the Impalas in the salt, we ended the day driving around and taking pictures.
Day 8
We took it easy after breakfast and hung around camp until lunch. After lunch we decided to try to spot and stalk a Blesbok with a bow. We were able to get close but never got a shot. It was a fantastic day in the bush. My PH and Tracker, Ivan and Steven, were awesome to be around the whole time. By the end of our safari, we had formed a true brotherhood.
The next morning we left camp and headed to Cape Town for 3 days and then to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe for 2 days before heading home.
I cannot say enough good things about the operation that Limcroma Safaris runs. From their willingness to answer questions years before our trip, booking our additional travel after the safari, their communication on details about the trip, and their hospitality during our trip. It made it feel like we were not only clients, but family.
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