This is a looong read, so if you're not into that sort of thing, this thread isn't for you. I kept a running journal of my just completed trip to South Africa, along with my wife, and a few other TBH'ers. This is my personal account, and I'm not a "writer", so take that into consideration, as you read it. It was everything we'd hoped for and more. I'll add some photos shortly. So, grab a drink and dive right in........
A first timer’s hunting trip to South Africa:
So, my wife and I started planning our “once and done” hunting trip to South Africa in January 2018. We live in southern Brazoria County, Texas, and have a good friend, Russ Cannon, who has hunted with Limcroma Safaris several times. I’d heard nothing but good things about them, so that decision was easy to make. We had the privilege of travelling with several strangers, who all would soon become good friends. This story is my personal journal, updated throughout the trip as noteworthy events happened. Our hunt dates were September 1 – 7, 2019.
Friday, Aug 30: After starting our trip in Houston, we had a two-hour flight to Atlanta, then caught a non-stop flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. That flight is approx. 15.5 hours, and I’m not gonna lie – it’s not fun, but it is, what it is.
Saturday, Aug 31: We touched down in Johannesburg at 5:20PM and after gathering all of our luggage and bows, were met by Francois, the very personable driver, who transported us about 3.5 hours by van, to meet up with our PH (professional hunter), Ivan, in Thabazimbi. Ivan drove us the final hour of our journey, giving us the chance to get to know him a little, and he us, and we finally reached camp around midnight.
Sunday, Sept 1 – Day One: We drank a few beers around the campfire, then turned in for a few hours of sleep at 1AM, before starting our safari. 5AM rise and shine!! After breakfast at 7AM, we headed to the rifle range, so Gwen (my wife) can try out the gun that she will use for her hunt. It is much easier to travel without a gun, so we’d made the decision to rent one of theirs. I would be bow hunting, but today is her day. We met our tracker, Steven, a local young man who will end up amazing us with his tracking skills, before the week is done. A couple of practice shots on the money, and we were on our way to the first hunting concession, an 8,000-acre property about 15 minutes from camp. We had a few stalk attempts for Gemsbok, but the animals were extremely wary, so no shot opportunities were presented. We saw numerous species of animals that were not on her hit lit, as well. In addition to Gemsbok, we saw Roan, Sable, Blesbok, Duiker, Kudu, Zebra, Waterbuck, Eland, Impala, Blue and Golden Wildebeests, and a Hyena, so that kept things interesting for us. We were really in Africa! We returned to camp for a lunch of fried Gemsbok steak with Monkey Gland Sauce (yep, that’s what it’s called, but there are no actual monkey parts in it). Ivan said that we’d return to the same property for the evening hunt. After lunch, I went to the bow range at camp, just to make sure that it had survived the flight with no damage. 20 yards – Bullseye. 25 yards – Bullseye………we’re good!
The evening hunt was pretty much a repeat of the morning. We saw a bunch of animals, but even though we were hunting in/around relatively thick brush, they were extremely wary when they saw a vehicle, and usually wouldn’t stand still for more than a couple of seconds before they were off and running. Rifle hunting here was more difficult than I’d anticipated. I don’t know what I expected exactly, but I envisioned it being pretty easy…...NOT. We veered off Gwen’s hit list this evening. After seeing several very impressive Sable and having heard a couple of conversations about how the price of these magnificent creatures had dropped recently, I was interested in Gwen shooting one. After discussing it with Ivan, and convincing him that I was serious, the decision was made for Gwen to take one if the opportunity presented itself. Needless to say, she was ecstatic! We continued hunting, and eventually crossed paths with another beautiful Sable. After a successful stalk, she put the bullet right on the mark from 80 yards. He sprinted away and Steven followed up the blood trail, finding him about 100 yards away. High fives, hugs, and photos followed. Ivan was very pleased, and even commented that Gwen was his first female client to take a Sable. That evening we had Grilled Kudu Kabobs for dinner, followed by drinks and a cigar by the camp fire. All in all, it was a great first day.
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Monday, Sept 2 – Day Two: Breakfast at 6AM, then off to a different property for spot and stalk for Gwen. We saw four Giraffes, Kudu, Wildebeest, Impala, Steenbok, Duiker, and several Gemsbok. Had an unsuccessful stalk on three Gemsbok. Then a successful stalk on a lone Gemsbok bull, but the only time he stopped long enough for a shot, his vitals were hidden behind dense brush. Exciting, yet frustrating. At 9:30AM, we moved to a bow blind. The feed truck came by at 10AM and filled tubs from 12 -28 yards away. 10:20 - Waterbuck comes in. He looks nice, but he’s not a shooter. He fed then bedded down in sight of the blind. 11:15 – Seven Eland come in. 11:50 – Shooter Blue Wildebeest showed up, but a truck (the landowner) came driving by a couple of minutes later and scared all of the animals off. 12:10PM – Another young Waterbuck shows up. 12:20 – The Wildebeest returns and starts feeding at 28 yards. 12:35 – Several more Wildebeest show up, and the shooter moved on, without presenting a shot opportunity. 1:35 – After hanging out about 60 yards away for an hour, the Wildebeest Bull comes back to the feeder, but is facing toward me. 1:46 – He walks 20 yards further away, as a bunch of Guinea fowl went to the feeder he was at and seemed to push him away. 1:50 – He walked back to the same feeder, but one of the Waterbucks was standing where he had stood previously, so he took a position, giving me a perfect broadside shot. As I started to draw, a group of Eland started walking in from behind him, so I felt the need to get the shot off quickly, fearing that they would cause him to move. Arrow away! He was pumping blood immediately and ran out of sight. Ivan commented, “Great blood!” We reviewed the video, confirming what we had just seen. We drank a beer and waited for Steven (the tracker) to show up. A solid 200-yard blood trail led us straight to my dead Wildebeest. Congrats were exchanged, pictures taken, animal loaded in the truck, and we dropped him off at the skinning shed. Then we took the rifle back up again for Gwen. We saw numerous animals and had several close encounters with Gemsbok, but no shots were fired. These animals just give you a few seconds, before they’re gone. Dinner was a tasty Eland stew.
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Tuesday, Sept 3 – Day Three: 8AM – Gwen went off on an Elephant Encounter excursion, so it was just Ivan and me today. We took off to yet another property, to hunt what he considered one of his top areas. It’s a portable blind and should offer me a 15-20-yard shot. 8:45 – We settled in and were waiting for the feed truck to come by, but had already seen a really nice Sable at 15 yards. 9:04 – A shooter Waterbuck walked through to check for feed, but he didn’t stay. Ivan is certain that he’ll be back after the feed truck comes. 9:35 – The feed truck came by. 9:45 – Unbelievable!! The Sable from earlier was already back, and the big Waterbuck came back, along with two impressive (but too young) Kudu bulls. I can’t describe what it felt like to be this close to those four magnificent animals all at the same time. We decided to try for the Waterbuck. We had to wait for him to present broadside, and with the help of one of the Kudu, he moved into perfect position at 15 yards, in short order. Ivan had previously instructed me where to aim, so I was ready. I stood up behind a solid panel in the blind’s front wall, drew my bow, then side-stepped to get in front of the window. Took a deep breath, and exhaled, settled the pin on the desired spot, and THWACK!! I hit that exact spot, and we watched him run away in a cloud of dust. He ran out of sight, but we heard him crash into a tree about 50 yards away. We reviewed the video, confirming that the shot was perfect. Ivan said, “This is a hot spot and it’s early, so load another arrow and let’s get ready for something else.” 10:30 – Ten Cape Buffalo came in to feed. It is amazing just how huge they (and their horns) are; especially at 20 yards, with nothing between them and us except for the thin walls of the blind. I got some good close-up video footage of them before they left. Ivan said it was good that they didn’t hang around since most other game animals wouldn’t come in while they were there. They thundered off in a cloud of dust, and he said, “They might be back later.” It was cool as hell, nonetheless. 10:55 – Several Kudu cows came in followed by two bulls, one of them being exceptional; close to 54”. Unfortunately, the truck came to pick up the Waterbuck right at that moment, so the Kudu all left. Ivan thought they might return later. If so, I might get a chance at my dream animal today. 11:15 – The Waterbuck ran about 60 yards after the shot. Pictures were taken, then we got him loaded and got back in the hide, ready for more action. Time for a cold Castle Light beer! 11:55 – Five Kudu bulls came in with one no-doubter in the bunch, but the wind shifted, and they left. Ivan thinks they might come back. It was an awesome sight, shot or no shot. 12:05PM – A Sable came in, then here came the Kudu again, but what was that approaching from the opposite side? Seven Eland bulls, and Ivan said, “Two of those bulls are huge!” Eland wasn’t on my hit list, but now, I’m reconsidering my options. Ivan helps when he said, “I can get you on a big Kudu bull later, but there’s no guarantee that we’ll see another Eland like these two bulls.” Enough said, now I’m after an Eland! A game of cat and mouse ensued, waiting for either of the big bulls to give us the shot that Ivan wanted – that being no more than 20 yards, and either broadside, or slightly quartering away. After several “almosts,” I finally got the perfect shot opportunity and… arrow away! It’s now 12:50. The video showed that I hit the crease perfectly, and exactly where I was aiming, but the shot was a little lower than Ivan had hoped for. We took a break for a lunch of Kudu sausage corn dogs and planned to take up the track in about an hour. I cannot understate how much of a team effort the hunter/PH relationship truly is. Ivan’s knowledge and advice have been invaluable on this trip so far, and it’s only day three.
1:45 – Steven shows up and we began to track the bull. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a short, or easy task. They were finding blood, but not what we’d hoped for, and there were no blood spots where he’d stopped to rest or lay down. About ½ mile into it, Steven found my FOB (fletching). Then after another ½ mile, he found the arrow intact, with the broadhead having come unscrewed from it, but still in the bull. It appeared that I got about 8-10” of penetration. It was now almost 3:00, and I had the sinking feeling that we weren’t going to find him. Ivan agreed that it wasn’t looking good, but he and Steven never gave up and were able to stay on the track. The bull was able to stay with the group, so that made tracking more difficult. Ivan was hoping that he would eventually head off on his own, or else get left behind by the group. Ivan was carrying a rifle from the outset, and we had discussed that if a shot presented itself, he would take it. Around 5:00PM Ivan saw the group about 400 yards away and was able to get an offhand shot off at my bull, but wasn’t sure if he had connected or not. Later he got another shot at him from about 100 yards, but it was through some brush. He hit him this time, but the hit didn’t appear to be fatal. Ivan and Steven split up, and I stayed with Steven. A short while later, we heard the unmistakable sound of clicking Eland hooves, somewhat heading our direction, so we stayed put and saw the group pass through a small opening about 100 yards ahead of us. My bull was no longer with them. He had finally fallen behind or broken off. Darkness was fast approaching, so the decision was made to mark the location, and Steven would return to attempt to continue that track in the morning. They don’t continue tracking after dark, and it’s easy to understand why………because there are Cape Buffalo in the area. I had already given up the hope of finding him, but they never stopped trying, even after trailing him for several miles. The skills that they displayed were absolutely amazing. I thanked them for their efforts, and Ivan said, “It’s my job.” I get that, but his dedication and professionalism were something that I’ll never forget. Dinner that night was Bushbuck roast.
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Wednesday, Sept 4 – Day Four: 7:15AM – Steven went back to try and find my Eland, while we set up for Gwen to rifle hunt in a brush blind overlooking a water hole. It was a slow morning, but we saw some Waterbuck cows and a big herd of Blue Wildebeests. Neither of these were on her hit list. Steven returned and reported that he was unsuccessful in finding my Eland. I was certainly disappointed, but not crushed. I had made a “good shot”, but it just wasn’t good enough, on an animal that huge. Ivan is sure that they’ll eventually find him, and will recover the skull for me, if possible. We ate a lunch of Gemsbok steak sandwiches and decided to move to a bow blind, to sit for the rest of the day. 1:00PM – Four Kudu bulls were feeding in the area when we drove up, but they ran off. I hoped they would return. We set up in a relatively small blind (for three people), so Ivan said to only bring our essential equipment with us. Since he had a range finder, I didn’t get mine out of my backpack, which I left in the truck…along with my video camera! We all had cell phones, so that would work if we needed to video anything. 4:50 – It had been a long sit with no game sightings whatsoever, and I had been doing my best to fight off a coughing spell. (I was really surprised that we hadn’t seen more animals today, but we would find out later, that it had been a slow day for most everyone else out hunting, too.) 5:52 – BIG KUDU BULL!! He came in alone and Ivan said, “He’s over 54” long,” but I said that I would take him, if given the opportunity. There were only a few minutes of shooting light left as 6PM was the cutoff time, to attempt a shot. He was very skittish from the get-go and kept looking towards the blind. He was quartering towards me the whole time, so Ivan had me step into the shooting window, hoping that the bull might turn and offer me a shot. It didn’t work, so Ivan made a sniffing noise to try and get the bull to turn, but the bull didn’t like that either. He barked aggressively before running off just as shooting light disappeared. I wasn’t too disappointed, though, since I’ll be satisfied with a slightly smaller (and cheaper) bull. Dinner consisted of roasted Gemsbok shanks and it was delicious!
Thursday, Sept 5 – Day Five: We moved to a different property 45 minutes away from camp to try and get Gwen on some of her animals. Ivan said that he had a feeling she might be able to get multiple chances today, especially on a Zebra, so she was eager to give it a try. 7:15AM – We started seeing game right away, and it wasn’t long before she got her chance at a Gemsbok. 7:50 – BANG...175 yards; Gemsbok down! After we got photos taken and dropped him off at the skinning shed, we were back on the hunt. After a long day of not seeing many animals yesterday, this day was off to a great start! We saw several species of animals including a family of Giraffes and a herd of Golden Wildebeest. Although we weren’t hunting them, it was great getting to see them up close. Then we ran into a big herd of Blesbok. 9:30 – BANG…140 yards; Blesbok down! More high-fives and the disappointment of yesterday has already been replaced by the successes of today. More pictures taken (he only ran about 20 yards and conveniently dropped right next to the road), then we’re off again. Now, we’re hoping to find some Zebra; Gwen’s #1 trophy. It took a while for us to locate them, but eventually we did, and that was just the beginning. The Zebra were so skittish that they would run at the first sight of a vehicle. We chased them around the property for a good while, and had a couple of close calls. She just never ended up with a shot attempt. I was beginning to think that it just wasn’t going to be in the cards for us today, until finally, on one of our stalks, we caught them by surprise, and in their confusion, the old lead stallion stepped into the clear for just a moment too long, and Gwen was ready. 12:15PM – BANG...200 yards; Zebra down! Ivan was excited to see the Zebra’s ***-end drop immediately upon bullet impact – no tracking needed! What an awesome morning of hunting. As disappointed as we were yesterday, we had managed to keep a good attitude, and Gwen had been rewarded with a hat trick, thanks to some fine shooting. Even more pictures, hugs, laughs, then we were off to the skinning shed to pick up the Gemsbok and Blesbok, and headed back to camp to get ready for some afternoon bow hunting. We had Gemsbok meat pies for lunch, as we headed towards yet another Limcroma property. 2:45 – We set up in an awesome, spacious pit blind, and we passed a couple of shooter Kudu on our way there. We had hardly gotten settled in the blind, when a shooter Kudu walked by at 25 yards, but he didn’t present me a shot. Shortly after, three Gemsbok walked by, but they didn’t hang around. If Gwen hadn’t gotten her Gemsbok in the morning, I’d have been looking to shoot one of them. I was concentrating on Kudu now! 3:30 – The feed truck had just left and we already had two big Sable bulls at 18 yards. In addition, we ended up seeing nineteen Gemsbok at one time (all within 25 yards), five Kudu bulls, six Eland, two small warthogs, five Blue Wildebeest, and two Zebra. When the Eland moved in, they pushed the Kudu out, and although the shooter Kudu I was looking for came by inside of 20 yards, he didn’t stay long enough for a good shot opportunity. All in all, this was our best, most entertaining bow blind sit so far. 5:47 – My target Kudu showed back up, but the Eland were still around, as well. We only had 13 minutes of shooting light left for him to come in and present a shot. Well, everything fell into place except, at the moment of truth, and while I was at full draw on the bull at 17 yards, I wasn’t positive that I was looking at the right one. When I made my move to get into position for a shot, there were two bulls standing near each other; my shooter and another one. The second bull must have moved off as I was moving into position, and I lost sight of my shooter bull. It was a little frustrating, for sure, but there’s always tomorrow! Dinner consisted of Sable meat that Gwen and another hunter in camp (Kyle) had harvested, plus some Zebra, and it was all amazing. After dinner, there was one helluva party including the PH’s, the head chef, and all of the hunters and guests. Oh yeah...and FIREBALL...hangovers for everyone!!
Friday, Sept 6 – Day Six: 9:00AM – Gwen is off on another excursion, so it’s just Ivan and me. We were back in the blind that we hunted Wednesday evening, when we had seen the big Kudu right at dark. Even though it’s pretty windy, I’m hoping for a quick, successful hunt this morning. Alas, the animals just weren’t moving, and there was also a slight chance of rain. 11:35 – Three Kudu bulls show up, two shooters, but one has more symmetrical horns, so he becomes my target. He was broadside at 17 yards in short order, but I didn’t take the shot due to a video camera malfunction. It then took about 10 minutes for him to get in the clear for another shot opportunity. He was standing at 25 yards, my hold felt good, and at release, I heard a loud “BANG!” and had no clue what just happened. My arrow was gone, the Kudu was gone, and we were both trying to figure out what in the heck had just happened. We reviewed the video, and it showed a high hit in the shoulder, with just a few inches of penetration, but he ran away with my arrow in him. After gathering our wits about us, we recreated the scenario, and it became clear what had happened. At full draw, the top cam on my bow must have been only a fraction of an inch below the 1” square tubing roof support of the blind. When I released and the top cam rotated, it got “taller” and hit the support. This caused my arrow to lose speed and also pushed the bow slightly downward, but with my hold, it caused the bow to pivot slightly upward, causing the arrow to fly higher than my aiming point. If I had been standing either ½” to the left or right, there would have been no metal to metal contact, but my bow was centered in the window, just as the support was. Talk about a game of inches…… Anyway, Ivan called Steven in immediately, and they started discussing how to proceed. There was no blood on the ground at all, which came as no surprise, based on where the arrow hit the bull. Words cannot even begin to describe all the negative thoughts running through my mind at that moment, but suffice to say, I was not in a good mindset. Quite the contrary, I immediately sank into serious depression and self-doubt. Here I was in Africa and had a perfect opportunity at my #1 dream animal. I had totally screwed it up and failed. How could this be, after all my practice and preparation, for this exact moment?!? Steven was ready to take up the track, but Ivan said, “I’ve got a hunch. Let’s drive around some and see if we can possibly spot the three of them anywhere.” Now, this whole area has thick cover all over the place, but what else were we going to do? So we got in the high rack, with Steven driving the truck. Every thought in my mind is telling me, “There’s no way you’re ever going to lay eyes on that Kudu again. He’s gone and you are going home empty handed.” I truly felt like we were looking for a needle in a haystack. Anyway, we take off and Ivan pulled out the rifle. I told him, “If we find him, shoot him for me,” knowing that I was mentally wrecked right then. I was seriously in a bad emotional place and also believed that the chances of seeing my bull again were ZERO. We saw a couple of bulls a short while later, but Ivan was certain that they were not the two that were accompanying my bull. We drove some more and were now probably about ½ mile from where the shot took place, when we turned onto a long straight road. He saw something way down the road and pulled up the rifle to take a look. I could tell there was something down there but had no idea what it was. It was several Kudu, and they were easily ¾ mile from us. He instructed Steven to get down there fast, which he did. When we got there, they had walked off the road and into the brush, but we could see three Kudu bulls, and they were walking away from us, heading toward thicker cover. When one of them turned slightly, I saw RED on his left shoulder!! This could not possibly be happening!! How in the world did Ivan find him?!? My eyes probably popped out of my head and got as big as dinner plates (think cartoon character), when I laid eyes on that blood-soaked patch of hide! There was my Kudu, and he was about to disappear! A second later, Ivan touched off a shot and my bull collapsed. I’ve never felt such a feeling of relief and elation at the same time. He laid down the gun and bent over to catch his breath. I’m certain that he was feeling the same sense of astonishment, that had just come over me. When he stood back up, I gave him a huge bear hug. It was quite an emotional moment, and I don’t mind admitting that I was near tears. He knew how much that bull meant to me, and he took it upon himself to make sure that he found it...AND HE DID. Neither of us really said much after my initial shot, other than replaying the scenario of my bow cam hitting the blind frame, and I took that as we both realized that the chances of finding him, much less recovering him, were extremely slim, and there was just nothing else to say. I struggled for words, saying, “Thank you for saving my hunt!” and gave him another hug. We took plenty of pictures, got the bull loaded, drank a celebratory beer, and headed back to camp. What an emotional roller coaster ride I had been on, in that hour from the moment of my shot, until Ivan found him, and dropped him! The bull measured 52”. What a beautiful mount, he’s going to make. After we got back to camp, I inspected my bow, then went to the range and shot a few arrows, just to check it out. It was still on the money and appeared to have survived with no damage. 4:15 – This evening we’re hunting much closer to camp, hoping for an Impala or a Warthog. 5:30 – No animal sightings and we only have 30 minutes of shooting light left. That’s okay; no doubt I used up all of today’s hunting luck, this morning.
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Saturday, Sept 7 – Day Seven – Last day of hunting:
7:45AM – We set up at Ivan’s “go-to” spot for Impala, not too far from camp. It’s a really neat pit blind. Gwen was off on a photo safari. 8:07AM – Six Blue Wildebeest come in for water, followed by three Impala rams. The first ram was the biggest, and he came right in after checking things out. He got wary as I got up to get into position for a shot, but he settled right back down and began to drink from the water hole. 8:13 – He’s at 20 yards and the arrow is on its way. THWACK! – spine shot and he dropped right there. It obviously wasn’t the shot I was aiming for, but when I reviewed the video in slow motion, he actually jumped the string a bit, and when he dropped, the arrow nailed him in the spine. Pictures and more video were taken; we loaded him up and dropped him at the skinning shed. 9:10 – Ivan gives me a quick tour of the facility, and described the entire process, from drop-off, to record keeping, skinning, fleshing, butchering, to preparing the hides/skulls/horns for shipping. It was a well-oiled machine, and quite impressive at that. 9:25 – Next, we were off after a Warthog, and settled into a spacious pit blind, overlooking a water hole/mud wallow. It looked like the perfect spot for warthogs. Ivan said that the cooler weather makes the big boars less likely to move much, but he was hoping that we might see something anyway. Even if we didn’t see another animal, this morning had already been a success! My fifth animal, and fourth recovered, and Gwen was four for four. We saw two Sable bulls and a bunch of Monkeys, but no Warthog. We went back to the lodge for a hot lunch of smothered Gemsbok steak. 4:00PM – The last hunt, on the last day: Ivan asked if I would be interested in trying some spot and stalk for a Warthog or Red Hartebeest (also on my hit list), using the rifle, and I said “Count me in”, so off we went. We had a couple of close encounters, but no shots were fired. I snapped a couple of pictures, as the sun set over South Africa, for the last time on our trip. And oh, what a trip it had been!! We finished off with grilled, stuffed, bacon-wrapped Kudu backstrap for dinner. What a fantastic last meal, and what a perfect ending, to a perfect trip.
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Until next time South Africa…………………….
A first timer’s hunting trip to South Africa:
So, my wife and I started planning our “once and done” hunting trip to South Africa in January 2018. We live in southern Brazoria County, Texas, and have a good friend, Russ Cannon, who has hunted with Limcroma Safaris several times. I’d heard nothing but good things about them, so that decision was easy to make. We had the privilege of travelling with several strangers, who all would soon become good friends. This story is my personal journal, updated throughout the trip as noteworthy events happened. Our hunt dates were September 1 – 7, 2019.
Friday, Aug 30: After starting our trip in Houston, we had a two-hour flight to Atlanta, then caught a non-stop flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. That flight is approx. 15.5 hours, and I’m not gonna lie – it’s not fun, but it is, what it is.
Saturday, Aug 31: We touched down in Johannesburg at 5:20PM and after gathering all of our luggage and bows, were met by Francois, the very personable driver, who transported us about 3.5 hours by van, to meet up with our PH (professional hunter), Ivan, in Thabazimbi. Ivan drove us the final hour of our journey, giving us the chance to get to know him a little, and he us, and we finally reached camp around midnight.
Sunday, Sept 1 – Day One: We drank a few beers around the campfire, then turned in for a few hours of sleep at 1AM, before starting our safari. 5AM rise and shine!! After breakfast at 7AM, we headed to the rifle range, so Gwen (my wife) can try out the gun that she will use for her hunt. It is much easier to travel without a gun, so we’d made the decision to rent one of theirs. I would be bow hunting, but today is her day. We met our tracker, Steven, a local young man who will end up amazing us with his tracking skills, before the week is done. A couple of practice shots on the money, and we were on our way to the first hunting concession, an 8,000-acre property about 15 minutes from camp. We had a few stalk attempts for Gemsbok, but the animals were extremely wary, so no shot opportunities were presented. We saw numerous species of animals that were not on her hit lit, as well. In addition to Gemsbok, we saw Roan, Sable, Blesbok, Duiker, Kudu, Zebra, Waterbuck, Eland, Impala, Blue and Golden Wildebeests, and a Hyena, so that kept things interesting for us. We were really in Africa! We returned to camp for a lunch of fried Gemsbok steak with Monkey Gland Sauce (yep, that’s what it’s called, but there are no actual monkey parts in it). Ivan said that we’d return to the same property for the evening hunt. After lunch, I went to the bow range at camp, just to make sure that it had survived the flight with no damage. 20 yards – Bullseye. 25 yards – Bullseye………we’re good!
The evening hunt was pretty much a repeat of the morning. We saw a bunch of animals, but even though we were hunting in/around relatively thick brush, they were extremely wary when they saw a vehicle, and usually wouldn’t stand still for more than a couple of seconds before they were off and running. Rifle hunting here was more difficult than I’d anticipated. I don’t know what I expected exactly, but I envisioned it being pretty easy…...NOT. We veered off Gwen’s hit list this evening. After seeing several very impressive Sable and having heard a couple of conversations about how the price of these magnificent creatures had dropped recently, I was interested in Gwen shooting one. After discussing it with Ivan, and convincing him that I was serious, the decision was made for Gwen to take one if the opportunity presented itself. Needless to say, she was ecstatic! We continued hunting, and eventually crossed paths with another beautiful Sable. After a successful stalk, she put the bullet right on the mark from 80 yards. He sprinted away and Steven followed up the blood trail, finding him about 100 yards away. High fives, hugs, and photos followed. Ivan was very pleased, and even commented that Gwen was his first female client to take a Sable. That evening we had Grilled Kudu Kabobs for dinner, followed by drinks and a cigar by the camp fire. All in all, it was a great first day.
.Monday, Sept 2 – Day Two: Breakfast at 6AM, then off to a different property for spot and stalk for Gwen. We saw four Giraffes, Kudu, Wildebeest, Impala, Steenbok, Duiker, and several Gemsbok. Had an unsuccessful stalk on three Gemsbok. Then a successful stalk on a lone Gemsbok bull, but the only time he stopped long enough for a shot, his vitals were hidden behind dense brush. Exciting, yet frustrating. At 9:30AM, we moved to a bow blind. The feed truck came by at 10AM and filled tubs from 12 -28 yards away. 10:20 - Waterbuck comes in. He looks nice, but he’s not a shooter. He fed then bedded down in sight of the blind. 11:15 – Seven Eland come in. 11:50 – Shooter Blue Wildebeest showed up, but a truck (the landowner) came driving by a couple of minutes later and scared all of the animals off. 12:10PM – Another young Waterbuck shows up. 12:20 – The Wildebeest returns and starts feeding at 28 yards. 12:35 – Several more Wildebeest show up, and the shooter moved on, without presenting a shot opportunity. 1:35 – After hanging out about 60 yards away for an hour, the Wildebeest Bull comes back to the feeder, but is facing toward me. 1:46 – He walks 20 yards further away, as a bunch of Guinea fowl went to the feeder he was at and seemed to push him away. 1:50 – He walked back to the same feeder, but one of the Waterbucks was standing where he had stood previously, so he took a position, giving me a perfect broadside shot. As I started to draw, a group of Eland started walking in from behind him, so I felt the need to get the shot off quickly, fearing that they would cause him to move. Arrow away! He was pumping blood immediately and ran out of sight. Ivan commented, “Great blood!” We reviewed the video, confirming what we had just seen. We drank a beer and waited for Steven (the tracker) to show up. A solid 200-yard blood trail led us straight to my dead Wildebeest. Congrats were exchanged, pictures taken, animal loaded in the truck, and we dropped him off at the skinning shed. Then we took the rifle back up again for Gwen. We saw numerous animals and had several close encounters with Gemsbok, but no shots were fired. These animals just give you a few seconds, before they’re gone. Dinner was a tasty Eland stew.
.Tuesday, Sept 3 – Day Three: 8AM – Gwen went off on an Elephant Encounter excursion, so it was just Ivan and me today. We took off to yet another property, to hunt what he considered one of his top areas. It’s a portable blind and should offer me a 15-20-yard shot. 8:45 – We settled in and were waiting for the feed truck to come by, but had already seen a really nice Sable at 15 yards. 9:04 – A shooter Waterbuck walked through to check for feed, but he didn’t stay. Ivan is certain that he’ll be back after the feed truck comes. 9:35 – The feed truck came by. 9:45 – Unbelievable!! The Sable from earlier was already back, and the big Waterbuck came back, along with two impressive (but too young) Kudu bulls. I can’t describe what it felt like to be this close to those four magnificent animals all at the same time. We decided to try for the Waterbuck. We had to wait for him to present broadside, and with the help of one of the Kudu, he moved into perfect position at 15 yards, in short order. Ivan had previously instructed me where to aim, so I was ready. I stood up behind a solid panel in the blind’s front wall, drew my bow, then side-stepped to get in front of the window. Took a deep breath, and exhaled, settled the pin on the desired spot, and THWACK!! I hit that exact spot, and we watched him run away in a cloud of dust. He ran out of sight, but we heard him crash into a tree about 50 yards away. We reviewed the video, confirming that the shot was perfect. Ivan said, “This is a hot spot and it’s early, so load another arrow and let’s get ready for something else.” 10:30 – Ten Cape Buffalo came in to feed. It is amazing just how huge they (and their horns) are; especially at 20 yards, with nothing between them and us except for the thin walls of the blind. I got some good close-up video footage of them before they left. Ivan said it was good that they didn’t hang around since most other game animals wouldn’t come in while they were there. They thundered off in a cloud of dust, and he said, “They might be back later.” It was cool as hell, nonetheless. 10:55 – Several Kudu cows came in followed by two bulls, one of them being exceptional; close to 54”. Unfortunately, the truck came to pick up the Waterbuck right at that moment, so the Kudu all left. Ivan thought they might return later. If so, I might get a chance at my dream animal today. 11:15 – The Waterbuck ran about 60 yards after the shot. Pictures were taken, then we got him loaded and got back in the hide, ready for more action. Time for a cold Castle Light beer! 11:55 – Five Kudu bulls came in with one no-doubter in the bunch, but the wind shifted, and they left. Ivan thinks they might come back. It was an awesome sight, shot or no shot. 12:05PM – A Sable came in, then here came the Kudu again, but what was that approaching from the opposite side? Seven Eland bulls, and Ivan said, “Two of those bulls are huge!” Eland wasn’t on my hit list, but now, I’m reconsidering my options. Ivan helps when he said, “I can get you on a big Kudu bull later, but there’s no guarantee that we’ll see another Eland like these two bulls.” Enough said, now I’m after an Eland! A game of cat and mouse ensued, waiting for either of the big bulls to give us the shot that Ivan wanted – that being no more than 20 yards, and either broadside, or slightly quartering away. After several “almosts,” I finally got the perfect shot opportunity and… arrow away! It’s now 12:50. The video showed that I hit the crease perfectly, and exactly where I was aiming, but the shot was a little lower than Ivan had hoped for. We took a break for a lunch of Kudu sausage corn dogs and planned to take up the track in about an hour. I cannot understate how much of a team effort the hunter/PH relationship truly is. Ivan’s knowledge and advice have been invaluable on this trip so far, and it’s only day three.
1:45 – Steven shows up and we began to track the bull. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a short, or easy task. They were finding blood, but not what we’d hoped for, and there were no blood spots where he’d stopped to rest or lay down. About ½ mile into it, Steven found my FOB (fletching). Then after another ½ mile, he found the arrow intact, with the broadhead having come unscrewed from it, but still in the bull. It appeared that I got about 8-10” of penetration. It was now almost 3:00, and I had the sinking feeling that we weren’t going to find him. Ivan agreed that it wasn’t looking good, but he and Steven never gave up and were able to stay on the track. The bull was able to stay with the group, so that made tracking more difficult. Ivan was hoping that he would eventually head off on his own, or else get left behind by the group. Ivan was carrying a rifle from the outset, and we had discussed that if a shot presented itself, he would take it. Around 5:00PM Ivan saw the group about 400 yards away and was able to get an offhand shot off at my bull, but wasn’t sure if he had connected or not. Later he got another shot at him from about 100 yards, but it was through some brush. He hit him this time, but the hit didn’t appear to be fatal. Ivan and Steven split up, and I stayed with Steven. A short while later, we heard the unmistakable sound of clicking Eland hooves, somewhat heading our direction, so we stayed put and saw the group pass through a small opening about 100 yards ahead of us. My bull was no longer with them. He had finally fallen behind or broken off. Darkness was fast approaching, so the decision was made to mark the location, and Steven would return to attempt to continue that track in the morning. They don’t continue tracking after dark, and it’s easy to understand why………because there are Cape Buffalo in the area. I had already given up the hope of finding him, but they never stopped trying, even after trailing him for several miles. The skills that they displayed were absolutely amazing. I thanked them for their efforts, and Ivan said, “It’s my job.” I get that, but his dedication and professionalism were something that I’ll never forget. Dinner that night was Bushbuck roast.
.Wednesday, Sept 4 – Day Four: 7:15AM – Steven went back to try and find my Eland, while we set up for Gwen to rifle hunt in a brush blind overlooking a water hole. It was a slow morning, but we saw some Waterbuck cows and a big herd of Blue Wildebeests. Neither of these were on her hit list. Steven returned and reported that he was unsuccessful in finding my Eland. I was certainly disappointed, but not crushed. I had made a “good shot”, but it just wasn’t good enough, on an animal that huge. Ivan is sure that they’ll eventually find him, and will recover the skull for me, if possible. We ate a lunch of Gemsbok steak sandwiches and decided to move to a bow blind, to sit for the rest of the day. 1:00PM – Four Kudu bulls were feeding in the area when we drove up, but they ran off. I hoped they would return. We set up in a relatively small blind (for three people), so Ivan said to only bring our essential equipment with us. Since he had a range finder, I didn’t get mine out of my backpack, which I left in the truck…along with my video camera! We all had cell phones, so that would work if we needed to video anything. 4:50 – It had been a long sit with no game sightings whatsoever, and I had been doing my best to fight off a coughing spell. (I was really surprised that we hadn’t seen more animals today, but we would find out later, that it had been a slow day for most everyone else out hunting, too.) 5:52 – BIG KUDU BULL!! He came in alone and Ivan said, “He’s over 54” long,” but I said that I would take him, if given the opportunity. There were only a few minutes of shooting light left as 6PM was the cutoff time, to attempt a shot. He was very skittish from the get-go and kept looking towards the blind. He was quartering towards me the whole time, so Ivan had me step into the shooting window, hoping that the bull might turn and offer me a shot. It didn’t work, so Ivan made a sniffing noise to try and get the bull to turn, but the bull didn’t like that either. He barked aggressively before running off just as shooting light disappeared. I wasn’t too disappointed, though, since I’ll be satisfied with a slightly smaller (and cheaper) bull. Dinner consisted of roasted Gemsbok shanks and it was delicious!
Thursday, Sept 5 – Day Five: We moved to a different property 45 minutes away from camp to try and get Gwen on some of her animals. Ivan said that he had a feeling she might be able to get multiple chances today, especially on a Zebra, so she was eager to give it a try. 7:15AM – We started seeing game right away, and it wasn’t long before she got her chance at a Gemsbok. 7:50 – BANG...175 yards; Gemsbok down! After we got photos taken and dropped him off at the skinning shed, we were back on the hunt. After a long day of not seeing many animals yesterday, this day was off to a great start! We saw several species of animals including a family of Giraffes and a herd of Golden Wildebeest. Although we weren’t hunting them, it was great getting to see them up close. Then we ran into a big herd of Blesbok. 9:30 – BANG…140 yards; Blesbok down! More high-fives and the disappointment of yesterday has already been replaced by the successes of today. More pictures taken (he only ran about 20 yards and conveniently dropped right next to the road), then we’re off again. Now, we’re hoping to find some Zebra; Gwen’s #1 trophy. It took a while for us to locate them, but eventually we did, and that was just the beginning. The Zebra were so skittish that they would run at the first sight of a vehicle. We chased them around the property for a good while, and had a couple of close calls. She just never ended up with a shot attempt. I was beginning to think that it just wasn’t going to be in the cards for us today, until finally, on one of our stalks, we caught them by surprise, and in their confusion, the old lead stallion stepped into the clear for just a moment too long, and Gwen was ready. 12:15PM – BANG...200 yards; Zebra down! Ivan was excited to see the Zebra’s ***-end drop immediately upon bullet impact – no tracking needed! What an awesome morning of hunting. As disappointed as we were yesterday, we had managed to keep a good attitude, and Gwen had been rewarded with a hat trick, thanks to some fine shooting. Even more pictures, hugs, laughs, then we were off to the skinning shed to pick up the Gemsbok and Blesbok, and headed back to camp to get ready for some afternoon bow hunting. We had Gemsbok meat pies for lunch, as we headed towards yet another Limcroma property. 2:45 – We set up in an awesome, spacious pit blind, and we passed a couple of shooter Kudu on our way there. We had hardly gotten settled in the blind, when a shooter Kudu walked by at 25 yards, but he didn’t present me a shot. Shortly after, three Gemsbok walked by, but they didn’t hang around. If Gwen hadn’t gotten her Gemsbok in the morning, I’d have been looking to shoot one of them. I was concentrating on Kudu now! 3:30 – The feed truck had just left and we already had two big Sable bulls at 18 yards. In addition, we ended up seeing nineteen Gemsbok at one time (all within 25 yards), five Kudu bulls, six Eland, two small warthogs, five Blue Wildebeest, and two Zebra. When the Eland moved in, they pushed the Kudu out, and although the shooter Kudu I was looking for came by inside of 20 yards, he didn’t stay long enough for a good shot opportunity. All in all, this was our best, most entertaining bow blind sit so far. 5:47 – My target Kudu showed back up, but the Eland were still around, as well. We only had 13 minutes of shooting light left for him to come in and present a shot. Well, everything fell into place except, at the moment of truth, and while I was at full draw on the bull at 17 yards, I wasn’t positive that I was looking at the right one. When I made my move to get into position for a shot, there were two bulls standing near each other; my shooter and another one. The second bull must have moved off as I was moving into position, and I lost sight of my shooter bull. It was a little frustrating, for sure, but there’s always tomorrow! Dinner consisted of Sable meat that Gwen and another hunter in camp (Kyle) had harvested, plus some Zebra, and it was all amazing. After dinner, there was one helluva party including the PH’s, the head chef, and all of the hunters and guests. Oh yeah...and FIREBALL...hangovers for everyone!!
Friday, Sept 6 – Day Six: 9:00AM – Gwen is off on another excursion, so it’s just Ivan and me. We were back in the blind that we hunted Wednesday evening, when we had seen the big Kudu right at dark. Even though it’s pretty windy, I’m hoping for a quick, successful hunt this morning. Alas, the animals just weren’t moving, and there was also a slight chance of rain. 11:35 – Three Kudu bulls show up, two shooters, but one has more symmetrical horns, so he becomes my target. He was broadside at 17 yards in short order, but I didn’t take the shot due to a video camera malfunction. It then took about 10 minutes for him to get in the clear for another shot opportunity. He was standing at 25 yards, my hold felt good, and at release, I heard a loud “BANG!” and had no clue what just happened. My arrow was gone, the Kudu was gone, and we were both trying to figure out what in the heck had just happened. We reviewed the video, and it showed a high hit in the shoulder, with just a few inches of penetration, but he ran away with my arrow in him. After gathering our wits about us, we recreated the scenario, and it became clear what had happened. At full draw, the top cam on my bow must have been only a fraction of an inch below the 1” square tubing roof support of the blind. When I released and the top cam rotated, it got “taller” and hit the support. This caused my arrow to lose speed and also pushed the bow slightly downward, but with my hold, it caused the bow to pivot slightly upward, causing the arrow to fly higher than my aiming point. If I had been standing either ½” to the left or right, there would have been no metal to metal contact, but my bow was centered in the window, just as the support was. Talk about a game of inches…… Anyway, Ivan called Steven in immediately, and they started discussing how to proceed. There was no blood on the ground at all, which came as no surprise, based on where the arrow hit the bull. Words cannot even begin to describe all the negative thoughts running through my mind at that moment, but suffice to say, I was not in a good mindset. Quite the contrary, I immediately sank into serious depression and self-doubt. Here I was in Africa and had a perfect opportunity at my #1 dream animal. I had totally screwed it up and failed. How could this be, after all my practice and preparation, for this exact moment?!? Steven was ready to take up the track, but Ivan said, “I’ve got a hunch. Let’s drive around some and see if we can possibly spot the three of them anywhere.” Now, this whole area has thick cover all over the place, but what else were we going to do? So we got in the high rack, with Steven driving the truck. Every thought in my mind is telling me, “There’s no way you’re ever going to lay eyes on that Kudu again. He’s gone and you are going home empty handed.” I truly felt like we were looking for a needle in a haystack. Anyway, we take off and Ivan pulled out the rifle. I told him, “If we find him, shoot him for me,” knowing that I was mentally wrecked right then. I was seriously in a bad emotional place and also believed that the chances of seeing my bull again were ZERO. We saw a couple of bulls a short while later, but Ivan was certain that they were not the two that were accompanying my bull. We drove some more and were now probably about ½ mile from where the shot took place, when we turned onto a long straight road. He saw something way down the road and pulled up the rifle to take a look. I could tell there was something down there but had no idea what it was. It was several Kudu, and they were easily ¾ mile from us. He instructed Steven to get down there fast, which he did. When we got there, they had walked off the road and into the brush, but we could see three Kudu bulls, and they were walking away from us, heading toward thicker cover. When one of them turned slightly, I saw RED on his left shoulder!! This could not possibly be happening!! How in the world did Ivan find him?!? My eyes probably popped out of my head and got as big as dinner plates (think cartoon character), when I laid eyes on that blood-soaked patch of hide! There was my Kudu, and he was about to disappear! A second later, Ivan touched off a shot and my bull collapsed. I’ve never felt such a feeling of relief and elation at the same time. He laid down the gun and bent over to catch his breath. I’m certain that he was feeling the same sense of astonishment, that had just come over me. When he stood back up, I gave him a huge bear hug. It was quite an emotional moment, and I don’t mind admitting that I was near tears. He knew how much that bull meant to me, and he took it upon himself to make sure that he found it...AND HE DID. Neither of us really said much after my initial shot, other than replaying the scenario of my bow cam hitting the blind frame, and I took that as we both realized that the chances of finding him, much less recovering him, were extremely slim, and there was just nothing else to say. I struggled for words, saying, “Thank you for saving my hunt!” and gave him another hug. We took plenty of pictures, got the bull loaded, drank a celebratory beer, and headed back to camp. What an emotional roller coaster ride I had been on, in that hour from the moment of my shot, until Ivan found him, and dropped him! The bull measured 52”. What a beautiful mount, he’s going to make. After we got back to camp, I inspected my bow, then went to the range and shot a few arrows, just to check it out. It was still on the money and appeared to have survived with no damage. 4:15 – This evening we’re hunting much closer to camp, hoping for an Impala or a Warthog. 5:30 – No animal sightings and we only have 30 minutes of shooting light left. That’s okay; no doubt I used up all of today’s hunting luck, this morning.
.Saturday, Sept 7 – Day Seven – Last day of hunting:
7:45AM – We set up at Ivan’s “go-to” spot for Impala, not too far from camp. It’s a really neat pit blind. Gwen was off on a photo safari. 8:07AM – Six Blue Wildebeest come in for water, followed by three Impala rams. The first ram was the biggest, and he came right in after checking things out. He got wary as I got up to get into position for a shot, but he settled right back down and began to drink from the water hole. 8:13 – He’s at 20 yards and the arrow is on its way. THWACK! – spine shot and he dropped right there. It obviously wasn’t the shot I was aiming for, but when I reviewed the video in slow motion, he actually jumped the string a bit, and when he dropped, the arrow nailed him in the spine. Pictures and more video were taken; we loaded him up and dropped him at the skinning shed. 9:10 – Ivan gives me a quick tour of the facility, and described the entire process, from drop-off, to record keeping, skinning, fleshing, butchering, to preparing the hides/skulls/horns for shipping. It was a well-oiled machine, and quite impressive at that. 9:25 – Next, we were off after a Warthog, and settled into a spacious pit blind, overlooking a water hole/mud wallow. It looked like the perfect spot for warthogs. Ivan said that the cooler weather makes the big boars less likely to move much, but he was hoping that we might see something anyway. Even if we didn’t see another animal, this morning had already been a success! My fifth animal, and fourth recovered, and Gwen was four for four. We saw two Sable bulls and a bunch of Monkeys, but no Warthog. We went back to the lodge for a hot lunch of smothered Gemsbok steak. 4:00PM – The last hunt, on the last day: Ivan asked if I would be interested in trying some spot and stalk for a Warthog or Red Hartebeest (also on my hit list), using the rifle, and I said “Count me in”, so off we went. We had a couple of close encounters, but no shots were fired. I snapped a couple of pictures, as the sun set over South Africa, for the last time on our trip. And oh, what a trip it had been!! We finished off with grilled, stuffed, bacon-wrapped Kudu backstrap for dinner. What a fantastic last meal, and what a perfect ending, to a perfect trip.
.Until next time South Africa…………………….
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