I was part of a group of 10 that Scott {Diamond S) put together and several have already posted their recaps but I am just getting around to it. I had high expectations and they were blown away. Mof’s team treated us like old friends from the beginning and I have never felt so at home with a group of “strangers”.
South Africa notes
Departure-amazingly uneventful and lucky enough to have an empty seat both legs. Trip to lodge was a little rough-2 hours of highway and then 2 more on a rough ...dirt road.
1st evening
Hunting Johns place with Willie. The archery blinds are pit blinds as big as a small house and very comfy. I Saw lots of Eland, a big nyala and a bless buck (no shot) but nothing else I was after.
Day 1 at Johns again. Had a nice impala coming in just as the feed truck showed and spooked him off. Slow start and then about 9 lots of movement. Had a group of wildebeest (two golden) , kudu cows and a small bull. About 10am a group of impala came in with a monster Impala-I set up and took the shot-hit a little low but lots of blood (thought he was 21 yards but was 27). He lunges like he is about to do a face plant and then gets his legs back... we see him walking down the road a few seconds later with lots of blood on both legs/ we give him 30 minutes and start the track. Not a lot of blood but small puddles every 30-50 feet are encouraging. We track it for 700 yards and he lays down 2x. Trackers stayed on the trail over a mile and after 6 hours we give up the trail.
Back to sit in the blind about 130 and soon after we have the kudu and wildabeast back. A few vervet monkeys show up and are curious little guys-came up to the blind window looking in. A few more hours of animals stopping by to grab a drink...first warthogs-a big female but one side broken off and several small ones, a few nyala, kudu, wildabeast etc. At about 5 we have a nice Bushbuck show and Willie says go-this animal wasn’t on my list but after the lost Impala I needed a confidence boost. I take the shot at 21 yards and it looks good Complete pass through. Close to dark so we don’t wait long. He doesn’t leave much of a trail but we find him just 60 yards away and I have my first African animal!!
Day 2-1 hour 20 min drive to go after Kudu!. On the drive in we saw 2 nice bulls so I was pumped.
Well today sucked. Sat from 8-1 and saw 4 impala, a duiker and bunch of baboons. From 2-6 we saw 1 warthog and a duiker. Disappointing day for sure. It can only get better tomorrow.
Day 3-hunting Willie’s place (Arman sitting with me)in the am after a Kudu or impala. Nice little ground blind but water is 40 yards....duiker came in about 9 but didn’t present a shot. At 9:20 a group of impala came in to the water hole with a nice ram. I waited for the ram to hit the salt block at 24 yards but when he did the ewes were behind him so no shot. He started to walk away and with a whistle from Arman he stopped giving me a 28 yard shot. Long story but lost arrow and no blood-impala has been my jinx! I haven’t lost a whitetail in a few years so this was tough to deal with...
Day 4-going after Johnnys Gemsbock with a rifle and maybe a kudu for me in the afternoon. Hunting the Unico ranch for the gemsbok. We chase them around and see several groups before Jonny finally gets a shot off-he hits it but not a fatal shot. We search for a few hours with no luck and it’s time for me to go after my Kudu. The ranch we are hunting is a desert and only 2 water holes so odds are good. After maybe 45 minutes in come 2 monster water bucks and a few kudu cows. And then it happens ...a young kudu bull followed by a shooter! He steps into an opening near the waterhole and I take the shot at 17 yards. Shot looks great and the arrow is covered with good blood. We wait 45 minutes and start tracking...very little blood considering where I hit it and got a pass through. We split up following 2 trails and after maybe 75 I see him down!! Woohoo the #1 animal on my hit list is down after several hard days of hunting this hunt was almost too easy. Willie and I get some pics and get him loaded (thank goodness for the winch since we didn’t have any help with us). They are still looking for Johnny’s gemsbok so we head that way to help. Just 10 minutes later we get word that they found her and he was able to get her down.Johnny now has his #1 animal and we killed them maybe 1 1/2 hours apart.
Day 5-Johnny stays at the lodge so it’s just me and Willie today. We are going after an Impala with the rifle this morning. 1 hour drive to a nice rqnch. We proceed to spot and stalk four or 5 nice rams and walk about 2 miles and not even close to shot opportunity. Willie says screw it and we jump in the truck. 2 more hours of chasing them around and finally we have a nice one pop out at 70 yards and boom he is down. Head back to the lodge for a 2 hour break and then head back to Johns for a Blesbuck. We get situated and it is very quiet for the first hour or so and then a few kudu cows show. They feed for 30-40 minutes and then Willie says here they come and 6 Blesbuck are working their way through the woods. They hang out at the edge for a good 15 minutes before coming to the water...3 are shooters but they are all so close Willie and I can’t agree on which one to shoot! Finally after a very hectic few minutes one of the big ones gives me a clear shot at 22 yards. I let it fly and it hits right where I was aiming and I see lots of blood and he smacks a tree on the way out. the arrow only goes in maybe 16 inches and I see it laying on the ground...We review the footage and the shot was pretty much perfect so he shouldn’t be far. We wait 20 minutes and go to pick up the trail.We spot him in the brush still alive so we backed out for another 45 minutes. The shot was good and it broke his opposite shoulder but dang these animals are tough! Pics and load him up to head back. We visit with John for a few and as were are leaving and at the gate we see a nice warthog across the road (also Johns land). Willie asks if I want to try and I get it-heck yes it was the biggest one we had seen the whole trip....this part is a little funny. We back up and drive over to the barn so we don’t spook them. There is no real way to close the distance but Johns workers house is between us and the road-they have a tarp around the fence so you can’t see in or out and it’s about 6 feet tall. We go into the fenced and John pulls out his knife and cuts a hole in the tarp and there the pig is about 80 yards away and through two 12 strand fences and across the road (legal in South Africa)I take the shot and he drops! Lol. What a crazy day-3 animals in one day after a few slow days. This is the kind of day I dreamed of and it finally happened! I am done hunting.
Day 6
We relax and do a little shopping. In the evening Johnny decides to go after a Nyala cow for a rug.
Day 7-head to Pilanesberg
Spent a few days at Pilanesberg reserve and was lucky enough to see the big 5 in just 2 1/2 days!
South Africa notes
Departure-amazingly uneventful and lucky enough to have an empty seat both legs. Trip to lodge was a little rough-2 hours of highway and then 2 more on a rough ...dirt road.
1st evening
Hunting Johns place with Willie. The archery blinds are pit blinds as big as a small house and very comfy. I Saw lots of Eland, a big nyala and a bless buck (no shot) but nothing else I was after.
Day 1 at Johns again. Had a nice impala coming in just as the feed truck showed and spooked him off. Slow start and then about 9 lots of movement. Had a group of wildebeest (two golden) , kudu cows and a small bull. About 10am a group of impala came in with a monster Impala-I set up and took the shot-hit a little low but lots of blood (thought he was 21 yards but was 27). He lunges like he is about to do a face plant and then gets his legs back... we see him walking down the road a few seconds later with lots of blood on both legs/ we give him 30 minutes and start the track. Not a lot of blood but small puddles every 30-50 feet are encouraging. We track it for 700 yards and he lays down 2x. Trackers stayed on the trail over a mile and after 6 hours we give up the trail.
Back to sit in the blind about 130 and soon after we have the kudu and wildabeast back. A few vervet monkeys show up and are curious little guys-came up to the blind window looking in. A few more hours of animals stopping by to grab a drink...first warthogs-a big female but one side broken off and several small ones, a few nyala, kudu, wildabeast etc. At about 5 we have a nice Bushbuck show and Willie says go-this animal wasn’t on my list but after the lost Impala I needed a confidence boost. I take the shot at 21 yards and it looks good Complete pass through. Close to dark so we don’t wait long. He doesn’t leave much of a trail but we find him just 60 yards away and I have my first African animal!!
Day 2-1 hour 20 min drive to go after Kudu!. On the drive in we saw 2 nice bulls so I was pumped.
Well today sucked. Sat from 8-1 and saw 4 impala, a duiker and bunch of baboons. From 2-6 we saw 1 warthog and a duiker. Disappointing day for sure. It can only get better tomorrow.
Day 3-hunting Willie’s place (Arman sitting with me)in the am after a Kudu or impala. Nice little ground blind but water is 40 yards....duiker came in about 9 but didn’t present a shot. At 9:20 a group of impala came in to the water hole with a nice ram. I waited for the ram to hit the salt block at 24 yards but when he did the ewes were behind him so no shot. He started to walk away and with a whistle from Arman he stopped giving me a 28 yard shot. Long story but lost arrow and no blood-impala has been my jinx! I haven’t lost a whitetail in a few years so this was tough to deal with...
Day 4-going after Johnnys Gemsbock with a rifle and maybe a kudu for me in the afternoon. Hunting the Unico ranch for the gemsbok. We chase them around and see several groups before Jonny finally gets a shot off-he hits it but not a fatal shot. We search for a few hours with no luck and it’s time for me to go after my Kudu. The ranch we are hunting is a desert and only 2 water holes so odds are good. After maybe 45 minutes in come 2 monster water bucks and a few kudu cows. And then it happens ...a young kudu bull followed by a shooter! He steps into an opening near the waterhole and I take the shot at 17 yards. Shot looks great and the arrow is covered with good blood. We wait 45 minutes and start tracking...very little blood considering where I hit it and got a pass through. We split up following 2 trails and after maybe 75 I see him down!! Woohoo the #1 animal on my hit list is down after several hard days of hunting this hunt was almost too easy. Willie and I get some pics and get him loaded (thank goodness for the winch since we didn’t have any help with us). They are still looking for Johnny’s gemsbok so we head that way to help. Just 10 minutes later we get word that they found her and he was able to get her down.Johnny now has his #1 animal and we killed them maybe 1 1/2 hours apart.
Day 5-Johnny stays at the lodge so it’s just me and Willie today. We are going after an Impala with the rifle this morning. 1 hour drive to a nice rqnch. We proceed to spot and stalk four or 5 nice rams and walk about 2 miles and not even close to shot opportunity. Willie says screw it and we jump in the truck. 2 more hours of chasing them around and finally we have a nice one pop out at 70 yards and boom he is down. Head back to the lodge for a 2 hour break and then head back to Johns for a Blesbuck. We get situated and it is very quiet for the first hour or so and then a few kudu cows show. They feed for 30-40 minutes and then Willie says here they come and 6 Blesbuck are working their way through the woods. They hang out at the edge for a good 15 minutes before coming to the water...3 are shooters but they are all so close Willie and I can’t agree on which one to shoot! Finally after a very hectic few minutes one of the big ones gives me a clear shot at 22 yards. I let it fly and it hits right where I was aiming and I see lots of blood and he smacks a tree on the way out. the arrow only goes in maybe 16 inches and I see it laying on the ground...We review the footage and the shot was pretty much perfect so he shouldn’t be far. We wait 20 minutes and go to pick up the trail.We spot him in the brush still alive so we backed out for another 45 minutes. The shot was good and it broke his opposite shoulder but dang these animals are tough! Pics and load him up to head back. We visit with John for a few and as were are leaving and at the gate we see a nice warthog across the road (also Johns land). Willie asks if I want to try and I get it-heck yes it was the biggest one we had seen the whole trip....this part is a little funny. We back up and drive over to the barn so we don’t spook them. There is no real way to close the distance but Johns workers house is between us and the road-they have a tarp around the fence so you can’t see in or out and it’s about 6 feet tall. We go into the fenced and John pulls out his knife and cuts a hole in the tarp and there the pig is about 80 yards away and through two 12 strand fences and across the road (legal in South Africa)I take the shot and he drops! Lol. What a crazy day-3 animals in one day after a few slow days. This is the kind of day I dreamed of and it finally happened! I am done hunting.
Day 6
We relax and do a little shopping. In the evening Johnny decides to go after a Nyala cow for a rug.
Day 7-head to Pilanesberg
Spent a few days at Pilanesberg reserve and was lucky enough to see the big 5 in just 2 1/2 days!
Attached Files
Comment