RockyMtnMT
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I had promised to try and keep a running update of our couples safari and I just couldn't get myself to take the time while we were there. I think I will quit making that promise. Early mornings to leave on hunts, and really don't want to miss out on the group time when back at the lodge. We did all keep journals on this trip, so that helps keep things in order. Amazing how hard it is to remember what happened only a week after the trip is over. So here goes from my perspective. Will try to get the others that were on the trip to give their story of the trip and add to this thread.
We left Montana early Saturday morning and arrived in Johannesburg Sunday evening. As always, we were greeted by Gilbert at the airport with our pre-arranged rifle permits and he took us seamlessly through the police station and had us loaded into the vans to go to Africa Sky Resort. Got ourselves into our rooms and then enjoyed a great family style dinner. Then took some time to sit by fire and have some drinks while talking about the adventure that was about get started.
The next morning, Monday, we were picked up and taken to Trophy Game Safari. We arrived and got reacquainted with our old friends. Tino and family and staff. It is always great to see them, can't say enough good about all of them. They really have become good friends. We arrived early enough that we hustled to the range to verify zero on all the rifles, in hopes that we would have enough time to get out for an evening hunt. I gave a rundown in an earlier thread of the rifles and bullets that were to be used. The rifles all stayed the same, but some of the bullets changed, as we have been working on a new projectile. This new bullet made it through media testing, so we couldn't pass up this opportunity to get it on game. More on this later. Side note: We had planned to bring many of the rifles suppressed but found out through US customs that there would likely be issues getting them back into the States. Last minute we decided to have Tino purchase suppressors for us there that we will just keep there for future trips. Top of the line suppressor in SA is only $300 and purchased over the counter. Should be that way here too! Got zero adjusted on the rifles and had time to head out. I have to add, my wife Jill again shot lights out. Shooting 3 for 3 on the 3" gong at 100y standing off shooting sticks.
We split into 3 groups with our perspective PH's. My group was with Jill, Kelsey, and Tanner hunting with PH Ruan and tracker Morgan. We didn't get any animals in our group, but saw lots of animals highlighted by the 5 hippos that are new to the place. Very cool! Always really neat to see the giraffe too.
Got back to the lodge to sit by the fire with drinks as we anticipated the 1st great dinner. As always, Amanda did not disappoint with a 5-course meal that was simply delicious. I always go on and on about the meals, so I will get it over with now. Each supper is like this with no repeating of dishes. Each supper also includes wild game taken on the trip. It is great to be able to taste the animals. None that we have tasted yet have any kind of game taste to them. Very mild with great flavor. After dinner we spent more time as a group at the fire and got plans together for the next full day of hunting. Off to bed to try and get some sleep. Even though we are beat from the travel, still wake up at 3am. Time change takes a few days to get used to.
Tuesday morning comes and overnight a cold front blew in making the next couple of days on the cool side and quite windy. The animals always seem to be on high alert when it is windy. Still not bad for daytime temps at 50's and 60's. We headed out with the goal of getting Jill on an nyala for her 1st big game animal ever. Between the morning and evening hunts, I think we had Jill off the truck and stalking 4 or 5 times. She set up on the shooting sticks 8 or 10 diff times, only to always have the animal covered with brush when they stopped for a shot. A big sable and nyala were the animals she was stalking. They didn't get big on accident. Always moving quickly in the open spots and stopping in the very thick stuff. Our group ended the second day of hunting still empty. Meanwhile the other groups are racking up the kills. Good for them, right? lol! Another great meal and time in the bar with an open fire inside because it was too windy for a fire outside.
Wednesday morning, we are up early getting some breakfast and coffee and headed out again. Goal today is still the nyala. The big sable from the day before has quickly risen to the top of Jill's list. Can't blame her, they are spectacular! Very early as we were headed out, we saw a stud golden wildebeest. I told Ruan that if the opportunity came, we should try and get Jill on it. He said it would be tough because they are very skittish and just don't hold still for a shot. We passed him. Came back a bit later to that area and he was still there! Ruan says, "Why not. Can't get him if we don't try.". We then drove away from him to go set up a stalk. They never shoot animals from the trucks because they don't want them to associate the trucks with hunting. We made a short stalk through the brush in the direction that we left him and sure enough, he was standing on the edge of the road in the open. I stayed in the brush while Ruan and Jill carefully eased into position to set up the sticks. As they set up the sticks, he caught them and quartered too them a bit to figure out what was going on. The practice that we did at home getting on the sticks and acquiring the target quickly, paid off. She got on him and Ruan told her to aim just to the right of his nose. Boom, whop! She placed the 85g Hammer Hunter exactly where Ruan wanted it. A perfect 150y shot from the Creed running 3540 fps. The wildebeest dropped to the shot, but quickly regained his feet and ran into the bush. I knew she hit him perfect, but Ruan was a bit worried. These animals don't drop to the shot unless hit in the spine, and if they get up it is usually an indication of a marginal hit and a very tough tracking job ahead. We went to where she hit him and found blood within about 20y and the trail quickly got bigger and bigger. About 75y and there he was piled up. She hit him right on the big knuckle joint and the little 85g Hammer Hunter punched a hole center through it and stopped in the far lung. This is a tough test for any bullet, let alone a little 85g pill. Retained 39.5g exactly as is should. Turned out to be a very big trophy golden wildebeest. After lunch we got Jill back on the big sable and he slipped us again! Then we got into some zebra. Kelsey is up now. She and Ruan worked in on them and she got her zebra with the 280ai and the 140g Absolute Hammer. Hit a bit high and left, but still did the job. Nice old stallion! After getting pics and loaded on the truck to the skinning shed to drop him off. Headed back out and got into a heard of blesbok, also on Kelsey's list. After a long stalk that must have taken a couple of hrs they got busted. We were about out of day and getting cold, so headed back toward the lodge. Ran into that same nyala that had given Jill the slip the day before. After setting up on the sticks 3 more times and no shot, he finally stopped in the wrong spot. About 70y shot and she snuck the shot through a little hole in the brush and centered him in the pump house. No doubts on this one, he went about 40y and piled up. This one was taken with the creed using the 118g prototype bullet at 2900 fps muzzle vel passed through. Pleased with the new bullet performance. Took us two days, but now we are on a roll! Another great meal, drinks, and fire by the bar. Still too windy.
Thursday morning we decided to stay on the main concession and try hard for the sable and possibly an eland for me. Got Jill on that sable again and he still is proving to be too smart to get into an opening. Two more times on the sticks for a shot with no luck. After lunch we decided to go to another place. A huge avocado farm. We decided to go there for a kudu for Tanner and possibly a night hunt for bushbuck for me. For those who don't know the bushbuck are very nocturnal and usually taken with spotlight. This ranch is only about 2hr drive but an entirely different climate. It is a jungle here and gets significantly more rain annually compared to the area where the lodge is. Since we were going to be so far from the lodge and also trying a night hunt, we brought dinner to have out there. Not a fancy as the 5 course that all the others got, we had a very nice KFC dinner by a fire. There is quite a lot of kudu here and one of the only places that has a good number of bushbuck. Right after getting there, we found a bunch of kudu cows. The bulls this time of year are generally not with the cows. A bit later we found a bachelor herd of kudu with one very good bull. We almost got Tanner on him, but he slipped us in the jungle. Tanner has been very patient to this point. This was the 1st time he has even looked at his rifle! Night sets in, so we had or chicken dinner and headed out to see if we can find a big bushbuck. My goal on this trip was to get eland and bushbuck to finish my South African spiral slam. We hunted till about midnight and passed several trophy bushbuck. Ruan really wanted me to get a big one for the collection and he has seen some pretty big ones in this area. Headed back to the lodge to get a few hrs of sleep.
Friday morning we decided to stay close to the main lodge since we were out so late last night. Goal today is to see if we can find my trophy eland. First thing in the morning not far from the lodge we spot a big bull with a cow. Ruan and I jump out of the truck to make a stalk and I hear a little rattle noise in my rifle. Odd. Decided that it was nothing since it shot very well a few days ago. We put a stalk on the eland. After about an hr of sneaking and waiting and staying very still, he and the cow finally open up without one in front of the other. Set up on the sticks for a nice 180y shot. Boom whop! Good reaction from the bull and the shot felt great. I'm shooting the 30-06 with the new prototype bullet at 163g running 3000 fps. We give the 1800 lb animal a bit of time before moving in on him. We get closer and find him still standing, so I quickly hit him again through the brush. This caused him to hit the ground and he shortly expired. Turns out my first shot was low and to the right about 18". Good thing these animals are so big. It just caught the bottom of the lungs. The second shot hit brush and got him in the liver. Turns out the little rattle appears to be a loose lens in my scope. That retires the 30-06 for the rest of the trip. Bullet performance from the prototype is very good again. We then head out to see if we can find the sable or a blesbok. We found a herd of blesbok and after a couple of stalks Kelsey and Ruan are able to connect on her trophy blesbok. About 100y shot. Again she hit a bit high and left. There was a little twig that was hit, so we didn't think anything of it. After lunch we head out again to find Jill's nemesis, the big sable. We know the area that he is staying in and sure enough we find him bedded down. He literally ignored the truck as we drove by him. He is pretty cocky! We drove away from him and dropped Jill and Ruan off and drove farther away. After about 15 min of stalking, they were able to get to about 70y of him and he stopped with a small opening in the brush this time. We heard the rifle go off and knew she hit her mark. Waited for the call on the radio before driving to go find them. Sure enough, she finally got him! Centered his shoulder with the 6.5 prototype 118g from the creed. Bull traveled 50y and expired quickly. These guys are spectacular animals! What a day!
Saturday morning comes, and the plan today is for the girls to go to town with Amanda for some shopping. Tanner and I went back to the orchard to see if we can get on the kudu and bushbuck. About mid-morning we run into a bachelor herd of kudu bulls in the burn. A few weeks prior, there was a wildfire that burned a large amount of ground there. Seems that the kudu like the burn area with the new grass growing in. Either that or it is just easier to spot them with less jungle! We get to about 70y of a big bull and Tanner has a shot quartering away pretty hard to the left. Tanner is a lefty and he had a pretty small spot to slip his 300 Wby mag with the 124g Hammer Hunter into. Boom! Nothing. Bull runs off, clean miss. Between a weeks worth of anticipation and a heavy factory trigger the lefty pulled the shot left. Bummer, there is only so many of the big stellar bulls. I hope we didn't miss our chance for a really big one. Had lunch in the field near a nice pond with a pavilion. Same place we did dinner the last time we were there. Grilled up some game sausage, made in the butcher shop at the lodge, over open coals for a very nice lunch. Then headed out for the afternoon hunt. Hope is to get really lucky and find a big kudu bull and then a nice bushbuck in the eve. Well, we got half of it. We got lucky and found another stellar kudu bull, even better than the one earlier. No mistakes this time. The 124g Hammer Hunter running 3800 fps centered the kudu shoulder. He dover into the jungle and made it about 35y. It is so thick! We headed into the jungle to look for him. Morgan decides to climb a tree to see what he can see. We hear a whistle. "I see him, he is dead." says Morgan. He was under the tree he had climbed about 10y away. After getting pics and chopping a trail for the 4 of us to drag him back to the truck, we decided we didn't have much time to get back. It was quite hot out and didn't want the hair to slip. We didn't see any bushbuck on the way out in the daylight. Stopped to water down the bull a couple of times and headed home. Get back to the lodge for a great meal and fire outside. Lots of fun with the whole crew. The ladies had a great time in town shopping. Finally Tanner has broken the seal! What a stellar kudu bull!
Sunday and we decide to go to the potato farm and do some impala culling. Also there is a long range there so we can do some drop verification with the new prototype Hammer in hopes of getting a long range test. We got to the range for shooting drops 4 rifles shot out to about 600y and everything looks good. All of the ladies pile into one truck and head out for what I would call a real shooting session. I think within a couple of hrs all five girls had an impala on the ground. They had a ball! Meanwhile we are out trying to see if we can set up something a bit farther. We separate into two trucks to cover more ground. Brian gets set up on a herd of females at about 600y for a try with his 6mmx284 running a 70g prototype Hammer. They moved into the bush and when they came back out they were a bit over 200y. So he just took one. I was able to get set up on a herd at 520y with the Creed and the 118g prototype Hammer. Made a great shot exactly where I was aiming. I was aiming center of the gut to allow for a left to right wind. Boom whop! As we are walking across the pivot field the wind shifts from left to right to the opposite. Hmmm I am thinking. From the shooting position we could see the wind at the animal the same as it was where we were. Sure enough, there was two winds and the bullet hit exactly where I was aiming. Bullet did a great job and the impala only traveled about 20y from the impact. Golf ball size exit with an impact about 1980 fps. Another good test passed. At lunch I talked with Tino about an eland bull that we had been seeing. He is mostly blind and not doing well. They figured he got tangled up with a spitting cobra. So, we decided that Tanner would hunt him after lunch and cull the poor guy. Turns out they have had 5 other hunters on him over the last few months and he gave them all the slip. Because he can't see well this bull had learned not to run but just a little way and then tuck into tight cover and just simply hide. We found him and Ruan and Tanner headed out after him. Sure enough he gave them the slip. We went and picked them up in the truck and just a short distance from where we loaded back up, we ran into him again. He was hiding in a tight little patch of brush. They got back out of the truck and put another stalk on him. This time Tanner was able to put the 124g Hammer Hunter in his chest on a frontal shot. He dropped within about 20y after the shot. It was good that we culled this guy. He was totally blind in one eye and the other eye had a big scar across it. He was very thin, probably half his normal weight. His suffering was over. Getting close to the end. One more hunting day left. Another great eve with everyone having drinks and dinner, telling stories of hunts so far.
Monday morning, plan is for Ruan and I to head to the avocado orchard early to try and get there just after the sun comes up. My last chance to get a bushbuck. Jill is not happy with me because I took her rifle because mine is out of commission. She is not liking sharing Kelsey's rifle. Turns out Kelsey's rifle had slipped the scope in the rings. That is why she was hitting high left. My wife had figured this out because she was not hitting exactly where she was aiming on the impala the day before. Not my 1st time in the doghouse. So, we get there early and see a couple of good bushbucks. Had the cross hairs on one as he was moving though the brush. He wouldn't stop and I didn't want to risk hitting the brush. After that opportunity, Ruan tells me that is probably as good as it will get. Feeling like I might have blown my one good chance, I told Ruan that if we run into a great kudu bull, I would do that instead and worry about the bushbuck the next time we come. I already have a couple of kudu from previous trips, but they truly are spectacular. A couple of hrs later we find two kudu bulls. One young bull and one that is stellar. I decided, since it is the end of the trip that I would like to try for the kudu. We head out on the stalk and we are inside a couple hundred yards. Working our way through the burned brush to try and get to an opening for a shot. Just as Ruan is about to set up the sticks, I see a bushbuck to my left. Showed him to Ruan and asked if he was big enough. Answer is he is a very good one. Question, "Which one should I take?" Answer, "I don't know." I'll never forget that. The bushbuck is moving toward an open lane so we decided that there was going to be a good shot for sure and set up for it. About 150y and he stepped into the lane. Boom, down. The bulls then went about 20y up the hill and stopped. Reset up for another shot. Got the big bull in the cross hairs, butt straight at me. Waiting for him to turn a bit. The young bull takes off and the old guy followed him straight out. No shot opportunity. Almost doubled up! That's alright! I got my bushbuck. 1st one Ruan has taken in the daylight on a stalk shot off sticks. Another success for the Hammer prototype. Got the pics done and loaded up and back to the main lodge in time for lunch with the rest of the crew. After lunch we went out to the potato farm to see if we could get some ostrich or whatever else. Tanner still has his trophy impala to get as well. Chased some ostrich to no avail. Jill put a stalk on a really big waterbuck to only get slipped. Kelsey bailed out to go get a red hartebeest only to stalk in a figure out that they are tessapee. They would have shot one accept they require a permit and there was no time to get it. After that Ruan and Tanner went after a very nice trophy impala. High winds again, making it hard to hold still on the sticks. A couple shots later, Tanner has his impala. He got this one with his new, full custom, 300rum with the 199g Hammer Hunter. Then just as we are starting to run out of light, we find a herd of gemsbok. There is a good bull, so Kelsey gets out of the truck and sets up. Boom whop! She is shooting the creed with the 118g prototype Hammer. Sounded great! After a few minutes of waiting, we head to where she hit him. Halfway there we see a branch that she shot in half. Uh oh. So we back off and just Kelsey and Ruan sneak in. He only went about 50y and laid down. He was still head up though. Kelsey gets on the sticks just as he jumps up to run off. Big props to her as she made a fast shot Texas style. Had she not made that shot he would not have been recovered for quite a while. The 118g prototype Hammer made it through the hind quarter, through the paunch, into the liver stopping him. He only traveled about 20y after the shot. She got a beautiful bull. What a last day! The last night is always bittersweet. Lots of fun with another great supper and drinks with great friends and family.
Tuesday morning we got all packed up, said our goodbyes and got a group pic of all of us with all the skulls laid out. Off to the airport for the long trip home. Get to the airport only to find out our flight is cancelled. Spent the night in a motel in the airport and left 24hrs late. Every flight on the way home was delayed. Got home at midnight on Thursday night. Can't wait to go again!
We should be getting the professional pics soon, so I will add more pics then. I am going to have the others add their own stories to mine, so you can read about the other groups and their hunts. Hope you all enjoy.
We left Montana early Saturday morning and arrived in Johannesburg Sunday evening. As always, we were greeted by Gilbert at the airport with our pre-arranged rifle permits and he took us seamlessly through the police station and had us loaded into the vans to go to Africa Sky Resort. Got ourselves into our rooms and then enjoyed a great family style dinner. Then took some time to sit by fire and have some drinks while talking about the adventure that was about get started.
The next morning, Monday, we were picked up and taken to Trophy Game Safari. We arrived and got reacquainted with our old friends. Tino and family and staff. It is always great to see them, can't say enough good about all of them. They really have become good friends. We arrived early enough that we hustled to the range to verify zero on all the rifles, in hopes that we would have enough time to get out for an evening hunt. I gave a rundown in an earlier thread of the rifles and bullets that were to be used. The rifles all stayed the same, but some of the bullets changed, as we have been working on a new projectile. This new bullet made it through media testing, so we couldn't pass up this opportunity to get it on game. More on this later. Side note: We had planned to bring many of the rifles suppressed but found out through US customs that there would likely be issues getting them back into the States. Last minute we decided to have Tino purchase suppressors for us there that we will just keep there for future trips. Top of the line suppressor in SA is only $300 and purchased over the counter. Should be that way here too! Got zero adjusted on the rifles and had time to head out. I have to add, my wife Jill again shot lights out. Shooting 3 for 3 on the 3" gong at 100y standing off shooting sticks.
We split into 3 groups with our perspective PH's. My group was with Jill, Kelsey, and Tanner hunting with PH Ruan and tracker Morgan. We didn't get any animals in our group, but saw lots of animals highlighted by the 5 hippos that are new to the place. Very cool! Always really neat to see the giraffe too.
Got back to the lodge to sit by the fire with drinks as we anticipated the 1st great dinner. As always, Amanda did not disappoint with a 5-course meal that was simply delicious. I always go on and on about the meals, so I will get it over with now. Each supper is like this with no repeating of dishes. Each supper also includes wild game taken on the trip. It is great to be able to taste the animals. None that we have tasted yet have any kind of game taste to them. Very mild with great flavor. After dinner we spent more time as a group at the fire and got plans together for the next full day of hunting. Off to bed to try and get some sleep. Even though we are beat from the travel, still wake up at 3am. Time change takes a few days to get used to.
Tuesday morning comes and overnight a cold front blew in making the next couple of days on the cool side and quite windy. The animals always seem to be on high alert when it is windy. Still not bad for daytime temps at 50's and 60's. We headed out with the goal of getting Jill on an nyala for her 1st big game animal ever. Between the morning and evening hunts, I think we had Jill off the truck and stalking 4 or 5 times. She set up on the shooting sticks 8 or 10 diff times, only to always have the animal covered with brush when they stopped for a shot. A big sable and nyala were the animals she was stalking. They didn't get big on accident. Always moving quickly in the open spots and stopping in the very thick stuff. Our group ended the second day of hunting still empty. Meanwhile the other groups are racking up the kills. Good for them, right? lol! Another great meal and time in the bar with an open fire inside because it was too windy for a fire outside.
Wednesday morning, we are up early getting some breakfast and coffee and headed out again. Goal today is still the nyala. The big sable from the day before has quickly risen to the top of Jill's list. Can't blame her, they are spectacular! Very early as we were headed out, we saw a stud golden wildebeest. I told Ruan that if the opportunity came, we should try and get Jill on it. He said it would be tough because they are very skittish and just don't hold still for a shot. We passed him. Came back a bit later to that area and he was still there! Ruan says, "Why not. Can't get him if we don't try.". We then drove away from him to go set up a stalk. They never shoot animals from the trucks because they don't want them to associate the trucks with hunting. We made a short stalk through the brush in the direction that we left him and sure enough, he was standing on the edge of the road in the open. I stayed in the brush while Ruan and Jill carefully eased into position to set up the sticks. As they set up the sticks, he caught them and quartered too them a bit to figure out what was going on. The practice that we did at home getting on the sticks and acquiring the target quickly, paid off. She got on him and Ruan told her to aim just to the right of his nose. Boom, whop! She placed the 85g Hammer Hunter exactly where Ruan wanted it. A perfect 150y shot from the Creed running 3540 fps. The wildebeest dropped to the shot, but quickly regained his feet and ran into the bush. I knew she hit him perfect, but Ruan was a bit worried. These animals don't drop to the shot unless hit in the spine, and if they get up it is usually an indication of a marginal hit and a very tough tracking job ahead. We went to where she hit him and found blood within about 20y and the trail quickly got bigger and bigger. About 75y and there he was piled up. She hit him right on the big knuckle joint and the little 85g Hammer Hunter punched a hole center through it and stopped in the far lung. This is a tough test for any bullet, let alone a little 85g pill. Retained 39.5g exactly as is should. Turned out to be a very big trophy golden wildebeest. After lunch we got Jill back on the big sable and he slipped us again! Then we got into some zebra. Kelsey is up now. She and Ruan worked in on them and she got her zebra with the 280ai and the 140g Absolute Hammer. Hit a bit high and left, but still did the job. Nice old stallion! After getting pics and loaded on the truck to the skinning shed to drop him off. Headed back out and got into a heard of blesbok, also on Kelsey's list. After a long stalk that must have taken a couple of hrs they got busted. We were about out of day and getting cold, so headed back toward the lodge. Ran into that same nyala that had given Jill the slip the day before. After setting up on the sticks 3 more times and no shot, he finally stopped in the wrong spot. About 70y shot and she snuck the shot through a little hole in the brush and centered him in the pump house. No doubts on this one, he went about 40y and piled up. This one was taken with the creed using the 118g prototype bullet at 2900 fps muzzle vel passed through. Pleased with the new bullet performance. Took us two days, but now we are on a roll! Another great meal, drinks, and fire by the bar. Still too windy.
Thursday morning we decided to stay on the main concession and try hard for the sable and possibly an eland for me. Got Jill on that sable again and he still is proving to be too smart to get into an opening. Two more times on the sticks for a shot with no luck. After lunch we decided to go to another place. A huge avocado farm. We decided to go there for a kudu for Tanner and possibly a night hunt for bushbuck for me. For those who don't know the bushbuck are very nocturnal and usually taken with spotlight. This ranch is only about 2hr drive but an entirely different climate. It is a jungle here and gets significantly more rain annually compared to the area where the lodge is. Since we were going to be so far from the lodge and also trying a night hunt, we brought dinner to have out there. Not a fancy as the 5 course that all the others got, we had a very nice KFC dinner by a fire. There is quite a lot of kudu here and one of the only places that has a good number of bushbuck. Right after getting there, we found a bunch of kudu cows. The bulls this time of year are generally not with the cows. A bit later we found a bachelor herd of kudu with one very good bull. We almost got Tanner on him, but he slipped us in the jungle. Tanner has been very patient to this point. This was the 1st time he has even looked at his rifle! Night sets in, so we had or chicken dinner and headed out to see if we can find a big bushbuck. My goal on this trip was to get eland and bushbuck to finish my South African spiral slam. We hunted till about midnight and passed several trophy bushbuck. Ruan really wanted me to get a big one for the collection and he has seen some pretty big ones in this area. Headed back to the lodge to get a few hrs of sleep.
Friday morning we decided to stay close to the main lodge since we were out so late last night. Goal today is to see if we can find my trophy eland. First thing in the morning not far from the lodge we spot a big bull with a cow. Ruan and I jump out of the truck to make a stalk and I hear a little rattle noise in my rifle. Odd. Decided that it was nothing since it shot very well a few days ago. We put a stalk on the eland. After about an hr of sneaking and waiting and staying very still, he and the cow finally open up without one in front of the other. Set up on the sticks for a nice 180y shot. Boom whop! Good reaction from the bull and the shot felt great. I'm shooting the 30-06 with the new prototype bullet at 163g running 3000 fps. We give the 1800 lb animal a bit of time before moving in on him. We get closer and find him still standing, so I quickly hit him again through the brush. This caused him to hit the ground and he shortly expired. Turns out my first shot was low and to the right about 18". Good thing these animals are so big. It just caught the bottom of the lungs. The second shot hit brush and got him in the liver. Turns out the little rattle appears to be a loose lens in my scope. That retires the 30-06 for the rest of the trip. Bullet performance from the prototype is very good again. We then head out to see if we can find the sable or a blesbok. We found a herd of blesbok and after a couple of stalks Kelsey and Ruan are able to connect on her trophy blesbok. About 100y shot. Again she hit a bit high and left. There was a little twig that was hit, so we didn't think anything of it. After lunch we head out again to find Jill's nemesis, the big sable. We know the area that he is staying in and sure enough we find him bedded down. He literally ignored the truck as we drove by him. He is pretty cocky! We drove away from him and dropped Jill and Ruan off and drove farther away. After about 15 min of stalking, they were able to get to about 70y of him and he stopped with a small opening in the brush this time. We heard the rifle go off and knew she hit her mark. Waited for the call on the radio before driving to go find them. Sure enough, she finally got him! Centered his shoulder with the 6.5 prototype 118g from the creed. Bull traveled 50y and expired quickly. These guys are spectacular animals! What a day!
Saturday morning comes, and the plan today is for the girls to go to town with Amanda for some shopping. Tanner and I went back to the orchard to see if we can get on the kudu and bushbuck. About mid-morning we run into a bachelor herd of kudu bulls in the burn. A few weeks prior, there was a wildfire that burned a large amount of ground there. Seems that the kudu like the burn area with the new grass growing in. Either that or it is just easier to spot them with less jungle! We get to about 70y of a big bull and Tanner has a shot quartering away pretty hard to the left. Tanner is a lefty and he had a pretty small spot to slip his 300 Wby mag with the 124g Hammer Hunter into. Boom! Nothing. Bull runs off, clean miss. Between a weeks worth of anticipation and a heavy factory trigger the lefty pulled the shot left. Bummer, there is only so many of the big stellar bulls. I hope we didn't miss our chance for a really big one. Had lunch in the field near a nice pond with a pavilion. Same place we did dinner the last time we were there. Grilled up some game sausage, made in the butcher shop at the lodge, over open coals for a very nice lunch. Then headed out for the afternoon hunt. Hope is to get really lucky and find a big kudu bull and then a nice bushbuck in the eve. Well, we got half of it. We got lucky and found another stellar kudu bull, even better than the one earlier. No mistakes this time. The 124g Hammer Hunter running 3800 fps centered the kudu shoulder. He dover into the jungle and made it about 35y. It is so thick! We headed into the jungle to look for him. Morgan decides to climb a tree to see what he can see. We hear a whistle. "I see him, he is dead." says Morgan. He was under the tree he had climbed about 10y away. After getting pics and chopping a trail for the 4 of us to drag him back to the truck, we decided we didn't have much time to get back. It was quite hot out and didn't want the hair to slip. We didn't see any bushbuck on the way out in the daylight. Stopped to water down the bull a couple of times and headed home. Get back to the lodge for a great meal and fire outside. Lots of fun with the whole crew. The ladies had a great time in town shopping. Finally Tanner has broken the seal! What a stellar kudu bull!
Sunday and we decide to go to the potato farm and do some impala culling. Also there is a long range there so we can do some drop verification with the new prototype Hammer in hopes of getting a long range test. We got to the range for shooting drops 4 rifles shot out to about 600y and everything looks good. All of the ladies pile into one truck and head out for what I would call a real shooting session. I think within a couple of hrs all five girls had an impala on the ground. They had a ball! Meanwhile we are out trying to see if we can set up something a bit farther. We separate into two trucks to cover more ground. Brian gets set up on a herd of females at about 600y for a try with his 6mmx284 running a 70g prototype Hammer. They moved into the bush and when they came back out they were a bit over 200y. So he just took one. I was able to get set up on a herd at 520y with the Creed and the 118g prototype Hammer. Made a great shot exactly where I was aiming. I was aiming center of the gut to allow for a left to right wind. Boom whop! As we are walking across the pivot field the wind shifts from left to right to the opposite. Hmmm I am thinking. From the shooting position we could see the wind at the animal the same as it was where we were. Sure enough, there was two winds and the bullet hit exactly where I was aiming. Bullet did a great job and the impala only traveled about 20y from the impact. Golf ball size exit with an impact about 1980 fps. Another good test passed. At lunch I talked with Tino about an eland bull that we had been seeing. He is mostly blind and not doing well. They figured he got tangled up with a spitting cobra. So, we decided that Tanner would hunt him after lunch and cull the poor guy. Turns out they have had 5 other hunters on him over the last few months and he gave them all the slip. Because he can't see well this bull had learned not to run but just a little way and then tuck into tight cover and just simply hide. We found him and Ruan and Tanner headed out after him. Sure enough he gave them the slip. We went and picked them up in the truck and just a short distance from where we loaded back up, we ran into him again. He was hiding in a tight little patch of brush. They got back out of the truck and put another stalk on him. This time Tanner was able to put the 124g Hammer Hunter in his chest on a frontal shot. He dropped within about 20y after the shot. It was good that we culled this guy. He was totally blind in one eye and the other eye had a big scar across it. He was very thin, probably half his normal weight. His suffering was over. Getting close to the end. One more hunting day left. Another great eve with everyone having drinks and dinner, telling stories of hunts so far.
Monday morning, plan is for Ruan and I to head to the avocado orchard early to try and get there just after the sun comes up. My last chance to get a bushbuck. Jill is not happy with me because I took her rifle because mine is out of commission. She is not liking sharing Kelsey's rifle. Turns out Kelsey's rifle had slipped the scope in the rings. That is why she was hitting high left. My wife had figured this out because she was not hitting exactly where she was aiming on the impala the day before. Not my 1st time in the doghouse. So, we get there early and see a couple of good bushbucks. Had the cross hairs on one as he was moving though the brush. He wouldn't stop and I didn't want to risk hitting the brush. After that opportunity, Ruan tells me that is probably as good as it will get. Feeling like I might have blown my one good chance, I told Ruan that if we run into a great kudu bull, I would do that instead and worry about the bushbuck the next time we come. I already have a couple of kudu from previous trips, but they truly are spectacular. A couple of hrs later we find two kudu bulls. One young bull and one that is stellar. I decided, since it is the end of the trip that I would like to try for the kudu. We head out on the stalk and we are inside a couple hundred yards. Working our way through the burned brush to try and get to an opening for a shot. Just as Ruan is about to set up the sticks, I see a bushbuck to my left. Showed him to Ruan and asked if he was big enough. Answer is he is a very good one. Question, "Which one should I take?" Answer, "I don't know." I'll never forget that. The bushbuck is moving toward an open lane so we decided that there was going to be a good shot for sure and set up for it. About 150y and he stepped into the lane. Boom, down. The bulls then went about 20y up the hill and stopped. Reset up for another shot. Got the big bull in the cross hairs, butt straight at me. Waiting for him to turn a bit. The young bull takes off and the old guy followed him straight out. No shot opportunity. Almost doubled up! That's alright! I got my bushbuck. 1st one Ruan has taken in the daylight on a stalk shot off sticks. Another success for the Hammer prototype. Got the pics done and loaded up and back to the main lodge in time for lunch with the rest of the crew. After lunch we went out to the potato farm to see if we could get some ostrich or whatever else. Tanner still has his trophy impala to get as well. Chased some ostrich to no avail. Jill put a stalk on a really big waterbuck to only get slipped. Kelsey bailed out to go get a red hartebeest only to stalk in a figure out that they are tessapee. They would have shot one accept they require a permit and there was no time to get it. After that Ruan and Tanner went after a very nice trophy impala. High winds again, making it hard to hold still on the sticks. A couple shots later, Tanner has his impala. He got this one with his new, full custom, 300rum with the 199g Hammer Hunter. Then just as we are starting to run out of light, we find a herd of gemsbok. There is a good bull, so Kelsey gets out of the truck and sets up. Boom whop! She is shooting the creed with the 118g prototype Hammer. Sounded great! After a few minutes of waiting, we head to where she hit him. Halfway there we see a branch that she shot in half. Uh oh. So we back off and just Kelsey and Ruan sneak in. He only went about 50y and laid down. He was still head up though. Kelsey gets on the sticks just as he jumps up to run off. Big props to her as she made a fast shot Texas style. Had she not made that shot he would not have been recovered for quite a while. The 118g prototype Hammer made it through the hind quarter, through the paunch, into the liver stopping him. He only traveled about 20y after the shot. She got a beautiful bull. What a last day! The last night is always bittersweet. Lots of fun with another great supper and drinks with great friends and family.
Tuesday morning we got all packed up, said our goodbyes and got a group pic of all of us with all the skulls laid out. Off to the airport for the long trip home. Get to the airport only to find out our flight is cancelled. Spent the night in a motel in the airport and left 24hrs late. Every flight on the way home was delayed. Got home at midnight on Thursday night. Can't wait to go again!
We should be getting the professional pics soon, so I will add more pics then. I am going to have the others add their own stories to mine, so you can read about the other groups and their hunts. Hope you all enjoy.
