RockyMtnMT
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I had intended to write this story on going while we were there. This year there just wasn't a lot of spare time, and I didn't want to miss out on the evening time when we all sat around the fire and talked about the day's events over a good whiskey. So I will write the story in past tense.
What a great trip it was this year. As always Trophy Game Safaris took care of all of our needs from the time we arrived in Johannesburg till we got back on the plane to head home. We were greeted at the airport by Gilbert from Africa Sky Resort. They took care of getting all of our rifle permits in order prior to arriving and with Gilberts help were checked in through the police in no time and at the resort in time for a great sit down meal. Then some sit down time with some whiskey and a smoke. Then try and get some sleep with the 8hr change in time.
The next morning Ruan picked us up at Africa Sky and we made the 3.5hr drive north to Trophy Game Safari's main lodge. With a nice stop in the middle for lunch. We arrived early in the afternoon to be greeted by all the familiar faces. The staff has remained the same since our 1st trip in 2018. It is like coming to visit old friends and family. We got settled into our rooms and then headed to the range to check zero on all the rifles. After the 5 of us shot all 10 rifles to satisfaction, we then took an hr or two to drive around the main concession and get a look at some of the game. Then back to the lodge for our first fantastic meal, prepared by Amanda, of the trip. After dinner we settled around the fire to discuss the hunting arrangements for the next day.
Tuesday morning comes much earlier than we all wanted, because we still haven't adjusted to the time and we all woke up about 2am. We all met at the main lodge for coffee and some breakfast, excited to get into our 1st day of hunting. My number one animal that I wanted on this trip was a trophy eland. There was word that there were 3 big bulls hanging together on a neighboring farm a couple of hrs up the road, so Ruan and I busted out a bit ahead of the rest of the guys to see if we could find them. The other guys then stayed around the main concession to work on their lists of animals. We were unable to find those big bulls but a couple of the other guys did connect on the 1st day. Jim and Dean both got their impala. Eric had his main goal of getting a cape buffalo with his bow. A lofty goal for sure, as he did not want to work from a blind, so spot and stalk. He got some good action that 1st day but not quite where he needed for the archery shot. That night around the fire before dinner we discussed the plans going forward. We wanted to spend a night at a remote camp in the mountains, but there is not cape buffalo there. Eric really did not want to miss out on that part of the trip, so we needed him to get the job done then next day. I personally was not in a big rush for my hunting, so we re-arranged a bit to make sure that Jim and Dean would have good opportunities, since it is their 1st time in Africa. The plan then was for me to tag along with Eric for his cape and get Jim 1 on 1 with his PH and Brian and his brother Dean together to concentrate on Dean's list.
Wednesday morning comes and we all got better sleep as we were getting used to the time change, thankfully. We meet for coffee and get prepared for the day. Tino, Eric, and I head out to see if we can find nice old bull that would fall into the less than 40" category that Eric had paid for. The genetics of the cape buffalo in the area actually made this tough. Most of the old bulls were bigger than 40". In the process of trying to find the cape we came across a herd of golden wildebeest. These are very cool animals, not on my list, but got my interest peaked. We left them because the main goal was the cape. A bit later we came across a bachelor group of bulls with one big old boy that was in that 40" category. Eric and Tino were able to get into bow range, but the bull was quartered a bit, and Eric wasn't comfortable with the shot. You only get so many chances and Eric was feeling like might have missed his. We then decided that we should stay open to the possibility of taking a bigger bull, even though it would be a bit more expensive. A bit later we found another group of bulls and we dropped Eric and Tino to make a stalk on them. This was looking very good since they were relaxed and not alerted to our presence. Jeff, our tracker, and I left them and waited for the call on the radio. We waited...and waited...almost 2hrs! They were able to sneak inside of 20 yards, but they bedded. While they waited for him to get up, they decided to throw a loaded cartridge at him. A Hammer, of course! It worked! The bull got up to figure out what caused the noise and presented a 19y broadside shot. Eric made a perfect shot. We got the word on the radio, so Jeff and I decided to go see if we could get on the golden wildebeest. We found them again put a sneak on the big old bull. After busting him 3 times we finally got on him where I could get a shot through the thick brush. Just as I got the cross hairs on him he busted again. I was able to make the shot through both shoulders just as he was diving into the brush. The 375 Big Dog barked for the 1st time and dropped him in his tracks. High shoulder shot a bit forward breaking his spine. He did require a finisher because I didn't want him to suffer. The 1st shot passed through and we recovered the 2nd second shot. Between the shoulder blades through the spine and lodged in the brisket. Perfect bullet performance. Now back to the buff. We went and got Tino and Eric and went back to the lodge to grab their rifles and the dog to go make the recovery of the buff. Boy are we glad we brought Bonzo. He tracked the bull into some very thick cover where he was still up. He pushed him out where Eric could get a finishing shot on him. Had we not had the dog it could have been a very dangerous encounter. As it turns out the bull got Hammered by a loaded cartridge, shot with an arrow, then Hammered again from the 416 Ruger with the same cartridge that was thrown at him. Turns out the arrow made it through both lungs. Incredibly tough animals. Wow! What a day. The final tally for Wednesday was Eric's cape, my golden wildebeest, Brian got a red hartebeest, Jim got his blesbuck, and Dean doubled up with a blue wildebeest and a blesbuck. Back to the lodge for another incredible meal, good whiskey, and great company around the fire.
Thursday morning we were up early and packed to go to the remote camp in the mountains for 2 days and one night. Hunting in the mountains is mainly for kudu with potential for baboon and other animals. Since Jim did not have kudu on his list, he stayed back at the main concession to work on getting his gemsbok. Eric at this point just wanted to have fun. The remote camp was about a 3 hr drive to the mountains and then a very rough 4x4 road to the top where there is spring that comes out of the mountain like an oasis. This spot was developed in the mid 1800's by the postal system as a place to rest the oxen teams when hauling the mail over the mountains. There was then a lodge added in the late 1800's. If any of you ever go with us or on your own with Trophy Game Safari, I highly recommend going to the mountains. Truly spectacular. Being there totally remote with no power or phone was very enjoyable. The accommodations are very nice with rooms and hot running water. We cooked buffalo tenderloins on the fire. One of the best steaks I have ever had. The mountain experience was a highlight of the trip. We hunted the mountains hard for 2 days and the kudu proved to be tough. The vegetation this year was very thick and we were not able to dig up any good bulls. Eric did take a baboon on the 1st day and on the way out at last light on the 2nd day I took a stellar nyala. This wasn't on my list either. It adds to my quest for the spiral horns so I didn't want to pass him up. This was the second bark from the 375 Big Dog with the 281g Hammer Hunter. Frontal shot about 75y and recovered the bullet under the hide in the hind quarter. Perfect performance again.
We get back to the lodge Friday night for another great meal and time to share stories of the last couple of days. In the discussion the subject of giraffe comes up. Turns out there are too many of them and a management giraffe is not very expensive. Hmmmm...OK! I'm in. Not on my list either.
Saturday morning comes with plans for a giraffe for me and to continue working on everyone else's lists. Ostrich was high on the list today for Eric, Brian, and I as well. Brian and Eric both got theirs and I wasn't able to get on one for me. That's OK, cuz I'm wanting a giraffe. You would think these big animals would be a piece of cake. Well not so much. They see everything and have no trouble covering ground. Looks like they are in slow motion but in actuality they move really fast. In this process we wind up getting on a great waterbuck for Brian. Man these are impressive animals! Beautiful. Also Eric took a nice management impala. Jim spent the day chasing gemsbok to no avail. Also it had started raining and did so all day and all day the next day. This is highly unusual for the area this time of year. We did bring rain gear, so no trouble. Tonight we gathered in the bar with a fire inside to share in the days events. A pretty good day all in all, but Dean and Jim have hit a bit of a dry spell, and me too. But really it was a great day with lots of fun hanging out with good friends and hunting. It now starting to feel like we are running out of time. Only two days left to hunt and still quite a few animals to complete the lists. Another great meal and a good nights rest to get ready for tomorrow.
Sunday morning. Here we go, it's crunch time. Still raining and pretty cool out. No more shorts today. We all got set up with our perspective PH's and headed out. Brian, Eric, and I headed out with Tino to concentrate on getting a giraffe. Dean went out with Ruan to concentrate on his kudu, the one animal that he really wanted most. Jim headed out with Zane to see if they can get connected on his gemsbok. The goal with my giraffe was to find a fairly mature young bull to reduce the number of bulls. We found a group of 8 giraffe with a bull that was in the right category. 16 eyes 20 feet in the air that miss nothing, here we go. The giraffe always see you, but if you don't move directly at them they tend to not get too nervous. We worked our way through the brush try to stay concealed as much as we could just move slowly to not cause any panic. Try to move when none are looking directly at you. Eventually we were able to get onto the right bull and the 375 Big Dog barked again. About a 75y shot perfectly placed and the giraffe was down in 54y. He was down and out in about 3 seconds. Wow! The massiveness of these animals is stunning. This bull is not very big by giraffe standards and still just plain big. Aside from having concerns about enough feed for the animals to stay nice and healthy the other reason to cull some of the young bulls is as they become sexually mature, they will fight with the big bulls and often get killed in the process. With too many bulls there is no point in having this kind of thing happen when the animal can be fully utilized for the meat. Once down then the real work begins. An animal this size can only be dealt with where it lies. A crew of men come to the site to break it down and load it all in a trailer to bring back for processing.
Now that that is done, the three of us headed out to do some management impala hunting. The three of us with Tino just had a ball running around this huge ranch picking out old or poor quality bucks to take out for herd improvement. Brian took 2 and I took 1. In the evening we headed out to see if we could find a nice zebra for Eric. Just as the day was running out Eric and Tino were able to get on a nice stallion. Once again the 150g Power Hammer hit it's mark. Nicely done! Jim and Dean also had successful days. Dean was able to get on a nice mature kudu and take him out with his 300 Fat Girl running the 199g Hammer Hunter and Jim was able to get on a nice red hartebeest running the 150g Power Hammer from his 30-06. Still raining so another evening in the bar with a fire, good whiskey, and good company. Oh, and another spectacular meal.
Good morning for the last hunting day. We are all pretty good with our animal goals. Jim is still after the illusive gemsbok that has been giving him the slip all week. The night before when we were looking for the zebra, we saw a great kudu. I didn't want to be done so I decided that if we could find him again, I would really be up for that. Brian was in the same mindset as well. Today we stayed with the same groups. Rain was supposed to be done by now, but still coming down pretty hard. We headed into some good areas looking to see if we can find kudu. Vegetation is so heavy this year they just simply were tough to find. While driving we came across a great golden wildebeest bull. Brian couldn't stand it so he and Tino put a stalk on him. Success! The 6.5x284 running the 124g Hammer Hunter was once again flawless. One and done! If you have not seen one of these, they are spectacular. We finished the morning still looking for a kudu and just happened to run into a bunch of monkeys! Ok, what the heck, I'll shoot one. I wound making, what I think was a great shot at about 150y just resting on the rail of the truck. That will be good food for the lions! Then it was Eric's turn. He went from Dead Eye Eric to a new nickname. It is now Flinch. He was trying to make a quick shot with Brian's 6.5x284 and he flinched so hard it shook the truck! He won't live that one down for a long time. Time for lunch and then to go and feed the lions. Jim and Zane got on a great gemsbok this morning and Jim was able to connect. The last morning of the hunt for the animal that he wanted the most. Took it down to the wire. Jim definitely earned this one. The weather is now starting to break and poke out some sun. While we were feeding the lions a heavy thunder and lightning storm hit, chasing us back to the lodge to wait it out. Feeding the lions by the way is nothing short of intimidating. These are massive predators that rumble so deep you can feel it in your chest. They roar mornings and evenings so loud you can hear them 5 miles away. Makes you feel small. Love hearing them.
After the storm passed, we all decided to ride together in the photo safari truck for the last hunt of the trip. We all pretty much had what we came for, so really just out having a great time together. While were driving along we came across a bull and cow waterbuck. A pretty darn good bull! That was enough for me! Ruan and I bailed out of the truck and put a stalk on them in the thick brush. We got into less than 100y, but they bedded down, making them barely visible in the tall grass. We waited on them for close to an hour. While waiting, my left eye contact got a wrinkle in it! I'm trying to get this straight and finally wind up just losing it. Good thing I'm right eyed. They finally get up, but the cow busts us. Off they go. We went after them and were able to catch the bull in a tiny opening in the brush at about 150y. I got the Weatherby Mk V 6.5 RPM lined up and threaded the needle. The little 110g Hammer Hunter did it's job, quite well. Turns out my hit was a bit high and a bit back. Not a good place to hit a 700 lb waterbuck. The pump house on these animals is much more forward and lower than our North American game. Even with the marginal hit the bull only traveled about 50y after the shot. We could hear him die about 10 seconds after the shot. Meanwhile during this time they came across a half breed blue/golden wildebeest bull that has been hanging with the golden herd. He is a young bull, but they don't want him breeding the golden cows. I guess Brian was the man for the job. He and Tino put a heck of a stalk on him in the middle of the herd. They finally got into position for a shot kneeling and the shooting sticks broke one leg and they had to improvise a rest in a hurry as the bull had detected them. Just about a minute after my shot we heard Brian's shot. Another one and done for the 6.5x284 with the 124g Hammer Hunter. What a way to end the last day. It's not quite over though. After our last great meal Eric and Dean headed out for a night hunt to do some jackal calling with a thermal equipped rifle. They were able to get on some jackal and finish up an amazing trip. It did clear up so we were able to enjoy our last night outside by the fire with some whiskey and great stories.
The last morning after we got all of our gear loaded for the trip to the airport, with a stop at the taxidermist and a market for some shopping, we set up a photo with all of the skulls taken by the 5 of us. Also a couple of photos with the staff and crew. Each of the safaris we have done with Trophy Game Safaris has been truly a blessing. This trip was no exception. I have to put it down as the best one so far. Saddle up, we are going again in Sept and bringing the wives for a Hammer couples safari. There is still one spot left for another couple if anyone would like to join us.
What a great trip it was this year. As always Trophy Game Safaris took care of all of our needs from the time we arrived in Johannesburg till we got back on the plane to head home. We were greeted at the airport by Gilbert from Africa Sky Resort. They took care of getting all of our rifle permits in order prior to arriving and with Gilberts help were checked in through the police in no time and at the resort in time for a great sit down meal. Then some sit down time with some whiskey and a smoke. Then try and get some sleep with the 8hr change in time.
The next morning Ruan picked us up at Africa Sky and we made the 3.5hr drive north to Trophy Game Safari's main lodge. With a nice stop in the middle for lunch. We arrived early in the afternoon to be greeted by all the familiar faces. The staff has remained the same since our 1st trip in 2018. It is like coming to visit old friends and family. We got settled into our rooms and then headed to the range to check zero on all the rifles. After the 5 of us shot all 10 rifles to satisfaction, we then took an hr or two to drive around the main concession and get a look at some of the game. Then back to the lodge for our first fantastic meal, prepared by Amanda, of the trip. After dinner we settled around the fire to discuss the hunting arrangements for the next day.
Tuesday morning comes much earlier than we all wanted, because we still haven't adjusted to the time and we all woke up about 2am. We all met at the main lodge for coffee and some breakfast, excited to get into our 1st day of hunting. My number one animal that I wanted on this trip was a trophy eland. There was word that there were 3 big bulls hanging together on a neighboring farm a couple of hrs up the road, so Ruan and I busted out a bit ahead of the rest of the guys to see if we could find them. The other guys then stayed around the main concession to work on their lists of animals. We were unable to find those big bulls but a couple of the other guys did connect on the 1st day. Jim and Dean both got their impala. Eric had his main goal of getting a cape buffalo with his bow. A lofty goal for sure, as he did not want to work from a blind, so spot and stalk. He got some good action that 1st day but not quite where he needed for the archery shot. That night around the fire before dinner we discussed the plans going forward. We wanted to spend a night at a remote camp in the mountains, but there is not cape buffalo there. Eric really did not want to miss out on that part of the trip, so we needed him to get the job done then next day. I personally was not in a big rush for my hunting, so we re-arranged a bit to make sure that Jim and Dean would have good opportunities, since it is their 1st time in Africa. The plan then was for me to tag along with Eric for his cape and get Jim 1 on 1 with his PH and Brian and his brother Dean together to concentrate on Dean's list.
Wednesday morning comes and we all got better sleep as we were getting used to the time change, thankfully. We meet for coffee and get prepared for the day. Tino, Eric, and I head out to see if we can find nice old bull that would fall into the less than 40" category that Eric had paid for. The genetics of the cape buffalo in the area actually made this tough. Most of the old bulls were bigger than 40". In the process of trying to find the cape we came across a herd of golden wildebeest. These are very cool animals, not on my list, but got my interest peaked. We left them because the main goal was the cape. A bit later we came across a bachelor group of bulls with one big old boy that was in that 40" category. Eric and Tino were able to get into bow range, but the bull was quartered a bit, and Eric wasn't comfortable with the shot. You only get so many chances and Eric was feeling like might have missed his. We then decided that we should stay open to the possibility of taking a bigger bull, even though it would be a bit more expensive. A bit later we found another group of bulls and we dropped Eric and Tino to make a stalk on them. This was looking very good since they were relaxed and not alerted to our presence. Jeff, our tracker, and I left them and waited for the call on the radio. We waited...and waited...almost 2hrs! They were able to sneak inside of 20 yards, but they bedded. While they waited for him to get up, they decided to throw a loaded cartridge at him. A Hammer, of course! It worked! The bull got up to figure out what caused the noise and presented a 19y broadside shot. Eric made a perfect shot. We got the word on the radio, so Jeff and I decided to go see if we could get on the golden wildebeest. We found them again put a sneak on the big old bull. After busting him 3 times we finally got on him where I could get a shot through the thick brush. Just as I got the cross hairs on him he busted again. I was able to make the shot through both shoulders just as he was diving into the brush. The 375 Big Dog barked for the 1st time and dropped him in his tracks. High shoulder shot a bit forward breaking his spine. He did require a finisher because I didn't want him to suffer. The 1st shot passed through and we recovered the 2nd second shot. Between the shoulder blades through the spine and lodged in the brisket. Perfect bullet performance. Now back to the buff. We went and got Tino and Eric and went back to the lodge to grab their rifles and the dog to go make the recovery of the buff. Boy are we glad we brought Bonzo. He tracked the bull into some very thick cover where he was still up. He pushed him out where Eric could get a finishing shot on him. Had we not had the dog it could have been a very dangerous encounter. As it turns out the bull got Hammered by a loaded cartridge, shot with an arrow, then Hammered again from the 416 Ruger with the same cartridge that was thrown at him. Turns out the arrow made it through both lungs. Incredibly tough animals. Wow! What a day. The final tally for Wednesday was Eric's cape, my golden wildebeest, Brian got a red hartebeest, Jim got his blesbuck, and Dean doubled up with a blue wildebeest and a blesbuck. Back to the lodge for another incredible meal, good whiskey, and great company around the fire.
Thursday morning we were up early and packed to go to the remote camp in the mountains for 2 days and one night. Hunting in the mountains is mainly for kudu with potential for baboon and other animals. Since Jim did not have kudu on his list, he stayed back at the main concession to work on getting his gemsbok. Eric at this point just wanted to have fun. The remote camp was about a 3 hr drive to the mountains and then a very rough 4x4 road to the top where there is spring that comes out of the mountain like an oasis. This spot was developed in the mid 1800's by the postal system as a place to rest the oxen teams when hauling the mail over the mountains. There was then a lodge added in the late 1800's. If any of you ever go with us or on your own with Trophy Game Safari, I highly recommend going to the mountains. Truly spectacular. Being there totally remote with no power or phone was very enjoyable. The accommodations are very nice with rooms and hot running water. We cooked buffalo tenderloins on the fire. One of the best steaks I have ever had. The mountain experience was a highlight of the trip. We hunted the mountains hard for 2 days and the kudu proved to be tough. The vegetation this year was very thick and we were not able to dig up any good bulls. Eric did take a baboon on the 1st day and on the way out at last light on the 2nd day I took a stellar nyala. This wasn't on my list either. It adds to my quest for the spiral horns so I didn't want to pass him up. This was the second bark from the 375 Big Dog with the 281g Hammer Hunter. Frontal shot about 75y and recovered the bullet under the hide in the hind quarter. Perfect performance again.
We get back to the lodge Friday night for another great meal and time to share stories of the last couple of days. In the discussion the subject of giraffe comes up. Turns out there are too many of them and a management giraffe is not very expensive. Hmmmm...OK! I'm in. Not on my list either.
Saturday morning comes with plans for a giraffe for me and to continue working on everyone else's lists. Ostrich was high on the list today for Eric, Brian, and I as well. Brian and Eric both got theirs and I wasn't able to get on one for me. That's OK, cuz I'm wanting a giraffe. You would think these big animals would be a piece of cake. Well not so much. They see everything and have no trouble covering ground. Looks like they are in slow motion but in actuality they move really fast. In this process we wind up getting on a great waterbuck for Brian. Man these are impressive animals! Beautiful. Also Eric took a nice management impala. Jim spent the day chasing gemsbok to no avail. Also it had started raining and did so all day and all day the next day. This is highly unusual for the area this time of year. We did bring rain gear, so no trouble. Tonight we gathered in the bar with a fire inside to share in the days events. A pretty good day all in all, but Dean and Jim have hit a bit of a dry spell, and me too. But really it was a great day with lots of fun hanging out with good friends and hunting. It now starting to feel like we are running out of time. Only two days left to hunt and still quite a few animals to complete the lists. Another great meal and a good nights rest to get ready for tomorrow.
Sunday morning. Here we go, it's crunch time. Still raining and pretty cool out. No more shorts today. We all got set up with our perspective PH's and headed out. Brian, Eric, and I headed out with Tino to concentrate on getting a giraffe. Dean went out with Ruan to concentrate on his kudu, the one animal that he really wanted most. Jim headed out with Zane to see if they can get connected on his gemsbok. The goal with my giraffe was to find a fairly mature young bull to reduce the number of bulls. We found a group of 8 giraffe with a bull that was in the right category. 16 eyes 20 feet in the air that miss nothing, here we go. The giraffe always see you, but if you don't move directly at them they tend to not get too nervous. We worked our way through the brush try to stay concealed as much as we could just move slowly to not cause any panic. Try to move when none are looking directly at you. Eventually we were able to get onto the right bull and the 375 Big Dog barked again. About a 75y shot perfectly placed and the giraffe was down in 54y. He was down and out in about 3 seconds. Wow! The massiveness of these animals is stunning. This bull is not very big by giraffe standards and still just plain big. Aside from having concerns about enough feed for the animals to stay nice and healthy the other reason to cull some of the young bulls is as they become sexually mature, they will fight with the big bulls and often get killed in the process. With too many bulls there is no point in having this kind of thing happen when the animal can be fully utilized for the meat. Once down then the real work begins. An animal this size can only be dealt with where it lies. A crew of men come to the site to break it down and load it all in a trailer to bring back for processing.
Now that that is done, the three of us headed out to do some management impala hunting. The three of us with Tino just had a ball running around this huge ranch picking out old or poor quality bucks to take out for herd improvement. Brian took 2 and I took 1. In the evening we headed out to see if we could find a nice zebra for Eric. Just as the day was running out Eric and Tino were able to get on a nice stallion. Once again the 150g Power Hammer hit it's mark. Nicely done! Jim and Dean also had successful days. Dean was able to get on a nice mature kudu and take him out with his 300 Fat Girl running the 199g Hammer Hunter and Jim was able to get on a nice red hartebeest running the 150g Power Hammer from his 30-06. Still raining so another evening in the bar with a fire, good whiskey, and good company. Oh, and another spectacular meal.
Good morning for the last hunting day. We are all pretty good with our animal goals. Jim is still after the illusive gemsbok that has been giving him the slip all week. The night before when we were looking for the zebra, we saw a great kudu. I didn't want to be done so I decided that if we could find him again, I would really be up for that. Brian was in the same mindset as well. Today we stayed with the same groups. Rain was supposed to be done by now, but still coming down pretty hard. We headed into some good areas looking to see if we can find kudu. Vegetation is so heavy this year they just simply were tough to find. While driving we came across a great golden wildebeest bull. Brian couldn't stand it so he and Tino put a stalk on him. Success! The 6.5x284 running the 124g Hammer Hunter was once again flawless. One and done! If you have not seen one of these, they are spectacular. We finished the morning still looking for a kudu and just happened to run into a bunch of monkeys! Ok, what the heck, I'll shoot one. I wound making, what I think was a great shot at about 150y just resting on the rail of the truck. That will be good food for the lions! Then it was Eric's turn. He went from Dead Eye Eric to a new nickname. It is now Flinch. He was trying to make a quick shot with Brian's 6.5x284 and he flinched so hard it shook the truck! He won't live that one down for a long time. Time for lunch and then to go and feed the lions. Jim and Zane got on a great gemsbok this morning and Jim was able to connect. The last morning of the hunt for the animal that he wanted the most. Took it down to the wire. Jim definitely earned this one. The weather is now starting to break and poke out some sun. While we were feeding the lions a heavy thunder and lightning storm hit, chasing us back to the lodge to wait it out. Feeding the lions by the way is nothing short of intimidating. These are massive predators that rumble so deep you can feel it in your chest. They roar mornings and evenings so loud you can hear them 5 miles away. Makes you feel small. Love hearing them.
After the storm passed, we all decided to ride together in the photo safari truck for the last hunt of the trip. We all pretty much had what we came for, so really just out having a great time together. While were driving along we came across a bull and cow waterbuck. A pretty darn good bull! That was enough for me! Ruan and I bailed out of the truck and put a stalk on them in the thick brush. We got into less than 100y, but they bedded down, making them barely visible in the tall grass. We waited on them for close to an hour. While waiting, my left eye contact got a wrinkle in it! I'm trying to get this straight and finally wind up just losing it. Good thing I'm right eyed. They finally get up, but the cow busts us. Off they go. We went after them and were able to catch the bull in a tiny opening in the brush at about 150y. I got the Weatherby Mk V 6.5 RPM lined up and threaded the needle. The little 110g Hammer Hunter did it's job, quite well. Turns out my hit was a bit high and a bit back. Not a good place to hit a 700 lb waterbuck. The pump house on these animals is much more forward and lower than our North American game. Even with the marginal hit the bull only traveled about 50y after the shot. We could hear him die about 10 seconds after the shot. Meanwhile during this time they came across a half breed blue/golden wildebeest bull that has been hanging with the golden herd. He is a young bull, but they don't want him breeding the golden cows. I guess Brian was the man for the job. He and Tino put a heck of a stalk on him in the middle of the herd. They finally got into position for a shot kneeling and the shooting sticks broke one leg and they had to improvise a rest in a hurry as the bull had detected them. Just about a minute after my shot we heard Brian's shot. Another one and done for the 6.5x284 with the 124g Hammer Hunter. What a way to end the last day. It's not quite over though. After our last great meal Eric and Dean headed out for a night hunt to do some jackal calling with a thermal equipped rifle. They were able to get on some jackal and finish up an amazing trip. It did clear up so we were able to enjoy our last night outside by the fire with some whiskey and great stories.
The last morning after we got all of our gear loaded for the trip to the airport, with a stop at the taxidermist and a market for some shopping, we set up a photo with all of the skulls taken by the 5 of us. Also a couple of photos with the staff and crew. Each of the safaris we have done with Trophy Game Safaris has been truly a blessing. This trip was no exception. I have to put it down as the best one so far. Saddle up, we are going again in Sept and bringing the wives for a Hammer couples safari. There is still one spot left for another couple if anyone would like to join us.
