Having hunted a lot of places in North America including Alabama,Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado,Utah,Montana and Idaho. Plus Ontario,Maitoba,Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, I was really ready to go to Africa.
I have been thinking about Africa for a long time and this trip exceded all my expectatations.
I was able to take an old dagga boy buffalo bull and actually experineced an unprovoked charge by an unwounded bull on the same day. I had a great time hunting plains game as well.
I was hunting the Limpopo area of South Africa with Kuche Safaris. I booked the hunt through J.D. Outfitters and dealt with Kuche owner Koos De Meyer in preparation for the trip.
I was met at City Lodge Hotel by my PH, Pete with whom I hunted every day. It was an excelent experience all the way around.
Koos has a several camps in three areas of South Africa but we hunted in his largest camp which is close to the Limpopo River right across the river from Botswana.
We hunted large tracts of land and saw lots of animals everyday. The animals were spooky and hard to hunt but that just makes it better when you are sucessful.
I told my PH that the two animals that I was the most interested in are Kudu and Cape Buffalo. They really mean Africa to me. About a mile from camp on the way in we spotted a big Kudu bull,and I asked if we could hunt him.
We spent several hours looking for him but never laid eyes on him again. This country is Bushveld and visibility is less than 50 yards in most places. And the size of these thickets are vast. Also the animals are pretty spooky and if they see you or smell you they head for cover and are gone quickly.
At sundown on the first day, we did see a good Blesbuck. I was able to stalk him and take him off sticks at a little over 100 yards.
It was an unexpected emotional experience taking my first African animal. I was hooked on Africa forever.
The Blesbuck was taken about a mile from the main Kuche Safaris Lodge. The next day we drove about 30 minutes to a large ranch where Koos runs Beefmaster cattle.
This place had a lot of Kudu, wild spooky Kudu. We saw lots of immature kudu bulls as well as many cow and kudu calves.
About noon that day, while hunting kudu, we happened upon a really old warthog boar. His body weight was down, Pete said it was his last winter.
He was quartering away when a single Trophy Bonded bullet put him down instantly.
We looked all day for a good kudu and got a quick look at one after the warthog hunt, we hunted for him for a while tracking him on foot and finally caught up with him again but he saw us and was gone again.
I was feeling like the kudu had won the day only to see a really good one about sundown, he saw us too and was slipping away in the brush when I shot him just behind the shoulder with my M70 in 416 Remington.
He ran off but a heavy blood trail led to him after about 100 yards.
I asked my PH if he was a good one and he said “No sir, he is magnificent.”
A sense of relief ran over me because I came to Africa especially to find a good kudu.
The next day we got up at 3:30am and drove 2 hours to the place Koos wanted me to Buffalo hunt.
The scenery was worth the drive. It was beautiful place where the bushveld meets the highveld mountains. It had large open spaces and thick bush as well as gorgeous mountain escarpments.
As we were driving, we topped a hill and were about 50 yards from 50 buffalo.
So we are in a 4x4 Ford Ranger. Brown our tracker is driving and he is on the right side of the cab with the steering wheel.
Pete my PH is in the truck bed with me seated right behind Brown.
And I am in the back of a Ford Ranger at eyeball level with a herd of buffalo.
There were a bunch of cows with calves in this herd with maybe a dozen bulls . They are all mighty agitated and the bulls form a line right to left and start working our way with that nasty look in their eyes.
The Bulls close the distance to within about 40 yards and I have shouldered my rifle and am watching them through the 1x power of my Trijicon 1-6 scope.
Suddenly one of the bigger bulls starts charging straight toward the truck exactly where I’m sitting.
Nobody has told me to shoot but I’ve got the safety off and am trying to put the tip of the green triangle between the bulls eyes.
There no way I’m going to share my spot with a mad Cape Buffalo so at 15 yards the reticle steadied and I am putting pressure on my trigger. Waiting for the trigger to break.
I suppose I should have mentioned that when we drove up on the buffalo, Brown stopped the truck and Pete is glassing them looking for a hard bossed shooter.
I was looking through my scope because Pete had told me to be looking through a scope and not binoculars when he is looking for a shooter animal if the animals are close.
That way I’m in a position to take action shouid he tell me to do so.
So I am about to finish pulling the trigger when I hear Pete yell “ Drive Brown, Drive.”
When it occurs to me that I am not about to be killed, the adrenaline really hit me.
So we wait about 30 minutes and get out of the truck and head back to the spot where we were charged.
The buffalo are gone but Brown picks up their trail and we begin tracking them on foot in heavy cover.
I have the M70 416 and Pete has his Brno 460 Weatherby. Im loaded with a Swift 400 grain Aframe followed by Norma 400 grain Flat nosed monolithic solids. Pete has a 500 grain Barnes TSX followed by Solids.
Knowing the seriousness of the situation of tracking the bull who had just charged us, Pete looked at me and said “From this moment on, be ready and listen to me with every fiber of your being “.
So we stayed after them all day long. Occasionally getting glimpses of cows, calves and soft bossed bulls but never seeing the really big mature bull that Pete saw when he was glassing the herd.
A little after lunchtime, we are back in the truck traveling and glassing. We also meet Arnu, the manager of the property we are hunting. Pete has told Arnu about the charge and Arnu has brought his 470 Merkel Double which he has loaded with two Barnes TSX bullets.
Arnu said he prefers Woodley Hydros but he has run out of them. So as we are driving around glassing we happen upon a big Zebra Stallion. Arnu gives the go ahead and we slip within 75 yards of the Zebra in the heavy bush. He sees us and is almost out of sight when I am able to hit him through an opening with a 400 grain Aframe behind the shoulder as he is quartering away. He dashes about 75 yards and piles up.
So you were charged by a buff….Did you survive? 😳😁
I had about given up on finding the big bull we’re after as we are driving around looking for them or their fresh tracks when Brown spotted them about 300 yards away at sundown.The big bull was with a group of 8 bulls and at least a dozen cows and calves.
Knowing we had to move quickly before dark, we put a quick sneak on them since they were downwind.
When we got within 120 yards of them, some of them spotted something and started looking our way. We got set up to shoot but the big bull was behind a couple of the cows. I turned my scope up to 6x and had to wait about 5 minutes for the bull to get clear of the other animals.
Finally he was clear and I told Pete that I had a good clear shot. He said” Shoot when you are sure”.
This time I strarted putting pressure on the trigger as I placed the reticle just behind the shoulder of the quartering away bull. The trigger broke, and all the buffalo disappeared over the rise to our right. My bull following the others on 3 legs.
We went to the spot the bull was standing and there was no blood. Arnu said we need to wait, but the sun was setting and it would be dark soon.
Pete asked me exactly where I was aiming when I shot and I told him half way up the body, just behind the shoulder.
Pete had seen me make 4 one shot kills so far, two with the 308 and two with the 416. He looked me in the eyes and said “Let’s go now.” He started walking the way the buffalo went and I followed,so did Arnu.
Arnu,in his late twenties carried his Merkel 470 double. Pete in his early 30s carried his Brno 460.
We were separated by about 5 yards, Arnu to my left and Pete to my right. I carried the 416 in the middle. Brown was tracking right at Pete’s right side. We went over the rise following the buffalo. The adrenaline was real knowing we were following a wounded buffalo in a group of bulls, one of which had already tried to kill me.
What we found as we cleared the rise was a dust storm about 40 yards in front of us. The bulls were pushing on my bull trying to get him up,and fighting each other deciding who was now boss.
I have my scope on 1x and Pete and Arnu have no optics on their big guns. In an instant, the bulls stopped fighting and were looking at us like we had despoiled their fiance, burned their houses and owed them money.
I knew we were in for another charge but they all suddenly turned and ran except for my bull on the ground. Since it’s the dead ones that kill you, I was about to shoot him again but Pete said “Wait”.
We walked around to the rear of the bull with our rifles ready, but he didn’t move. We got closer and found that he was stone dead.
The 400 grain soft point had made a tennis ball diameter wound channel through both lungs and had taken out the great vessels above the heart. It had smashed the off side shoulder without exiting.
In spite of this damage, the bull had made it a little over 100 yards without any blood trail.
He was the biggest bodied of all the bulls and had huge massive hard bosses. I consider him the trophy of a life time.
Getting a Buffalo and a Zebra in the back of a Ford Ranger and driving more than 100 miles back to camp is an adventure in itself.
The Ford Rangers used by several of the PHs are the same size as ours but they are very different. Equipped with a 3/4 ton suspension and turbocharged diesel, they get over 30 miles per gallon.
I would buy one tomorrow if they were sold in the states. They did not use DEF and probably wouldn’t meet our emissions standards but if they polute twice as much as our engines per gallon but use half the gallons, they would work. And we would use half the fuel.
I spent my last two days hunting on a 30000 acre farm that belongs to Pete and his family,it is only about 20 minutes from the main Limpopo Kuche Safari Lodge where we had our meals and lodging.
I was hunting for a good impala and a male gemsbuck.I had actually passed on a good Gemsbuck while we were hunting kudu,that Pete urged me to shoot,but not wanting to spook any kudu,foolishly passed. I would not have another chance at a male although I did pass on a very fine female.
Pete's ranch, known as Buck Africa,was full of dense brush and lots of animals. They were hunted often and were very wary. Hunting here mostly consisted of slipping up on water holes as well as sitting at them at midday heat and last light. After a couple of blown stalks on spooky impala,I was able to take a very old scared male at a waterhole. Pete said he too was in his last winter.
After the Impala, we kept slipping up on water holes hoping to find a Gemsbuck male. Pete said it would be difficult because Gemsbuck only water every few days.
That afternoon we sat at a waterhole in a blind and saw a waterbuck. I could tell from the look on Pete’s face that he was a big one.
I shot at him broadside with the 308 and he ran into the waterhole and emerged standing on the other side quartering away.
I always shoot again when an animal gives me a chance. The second shot hit the big waterbuck quartering away behind the shoulder and dropped him instantly. The first shot had gone through both lungs and exited but the second was under the hide on the off side. It was the only bullet recovered out of all the shots fired from the safari.The 165 grain trophy bonded tipped looked like an advertisement for a perfect bonded bullet.
The Waterbuck was a large one with horns to match. Pete said he was around 200 kilograms.
So it had been a great hunt and I’m down to the last day. Again we hunted the Buck Africa property that belongs to my PH and his family. We were looking for a Gemsbuck and having seen a Common Duiker with a broken horn, I decided that I wanted one of those if we could find one.
We spent the day on the move, stalking waterholes and other good spots. We actually slipped up on a big group of eland bulls. One of them was a giant blue bull with enormous horns. Pete said if I wanted an Eland , that I should shoot. I had my 308 and Brown right beside me had my 416. Pete had emcouraged me to shoot my 416 at the larger plains game but having seen how the Trophy Bonded bullet worked on the waterbuck, he said that the 308 was fine for eland.
I looked through the scope and put the rifle down and watched the eland around the waterhole for nearly an hour.
When the eland left, I asked Pete if we could find me another like him next year? He said “Sir, you might come a dozen times and not see one like him again “.
Passing the big eland and the gemsbuck are my only regrets from a wonderful safari.
well you are hooked now so have you started planning your trip back for the Gemsbuck and Eland yet? but I would not use the 308 on the Eland a little light for an animal that can top 2000 pounds the 416 much better choice
well you are hooked now so have you started planning your trip back for the Gemsbuck and Eland yet? but I would not use the 308 on the Eland a little light for an animal that can top 2000 pounds the 416 much better choice
Yes, already talking to people about going back for Eland, Gemsbuck, Bushbuck and Springbuck.
Also considering Dangerous game again.
Africa is so incredible it’s hard to describe it in a way that does it justice.
I don't know anything about African record books, but intend to have the Waterbuck measured for Rowland Ward and SCI. Like so many Record book animals, it was a lucky find by an individual who was just in the right place at the right time.
Thanks so much for sharing pictures and narrative.
I would much rather see the pictures and hear the story from someone I "know" on here than from the perspective of a professional magazine writer.
Well since I was not paid for posting,but I did some get advice from a Professional, Our own Mule Deer, I believe that I am now throughly qualified to claim the title, " Unprofessional Writer".
After the charge,my PH,Pete even called in reinforcement in the person of Arnu, another PH who was full time manager of the place we were hunting. Arnu was carrying a lovely Merkel 470 Nitro Express double with upgraded wood and engarving.
I asked Arnu if after shooting a bull,if he was down and needed a finisher,could I use his 470 double?
Arnu said that would be fine and if that happened we could switch rifles.
Pete however was not amused,he said "Sir,when we are following up wounded dangerous game,we are not F'ing around,this Sir,is no time for target practice.Having been duely admonished, I didn't bring it up again.
So when we walked up on my very dead buffalo bull, I was actually thinking about shooting it with the 470,just to have a chance to shoot the rifle in hopes of recovering a bullet. But I wasn't going to ask, Arnu must have been reading my mind because he asked me if I wanted to shoot his 470.
Pete however said,it's getting late let's get busy with this buffalo.
The idea of shooting a dead buffalo with a borrowed rifle just somehow seemed frivilous and unprofessional to my PH.
Which does reinforce the notion that I am a fully qualified Unprofessional gun writer. :
I just spoke with a friend I first hunted Africa with in 1993 when I was basically still a kid. We haven't talked for several years but had a great time remembering our hunt. I went back and hunted in 2008 but have not yet made it back. I'd hoped to go for cape Buffalo a few years ago but covid messed that up.
I'm really feeling homesick for Africa tonight. I spent 2 years there and feel like a part of me is still there. Actually it is, I had my appendix out in Joburg at the Florida clinic in 1994. It changed so much between 1994 and 2008 its hard to imagine what its like now. That waterbuck is impressive bur I think that kudu was a very good trophy too. Mine went 55" and yours looks like it went much better than that.
Although I'm not a rifle hunter, I use to be years ago & the 308 is a great hunting rifle & is used extensively in Africa by the locals. Just use good bullets as always & it will take care of you, nice work! Oh, and did anyone tell you that is one heck of a Water Buck. I passed on a good one, nothing like your bruiser but one I would have been proud of with my revolver. Very well done sir!
Your PH Pete, sounds like the real deal. I really appreciate his professionalism when you were tracking your buff. Congrats on a FANTASTIC hunt and thanks for taking the time to write it up and provide pics. Just curious though......When you go back are you going to be a true " looney " and take different calibers? LOL
To all the folks who read this thread,thanks for the kinds words. Already planning to go back but still figuring that out.
Since my African trip my rifle loonism has been in full gear ,and I have taken the plunge and now have a Brno 602 in 458 Lott and a Merkel Double rifle in 470 Nitro.
The hardest part of going back is figuring out which two rifles to take. I am looking at going again for plains game and Cape Buffalo. In which case I will probably use the 470 double rifle.
If I take the 470,my light rifle will proably be my scoped M70 Winchester in 375 H and H.
This would be a very traditional choice of rifles and cartridges as a opposed to my first trip with the more modern 308 and 416 Rem.
I do still consider the 416 to be the best dangerous game rifle for a client provided he can handle the recoil. If the 416 is a bit too much, the 375 is the natural choice.
You really need a 375 and a 470 double to do the work that the 416 can do by itself in my opinion.
Sounds like a great hunt, congratulations! There's no place like Africa for the hunter.
A truer word had seldom been uttered. Trying to describe hunting in Africa is like trying to describe a beautiful sunset. Words fail to do it justice and you just have to see it for yourself.
What a terrific safari congratulations. The quality of the animals is very impressive & the many near misses you describe are what real hunting should be. Sometimes you get the bear…..
Your photos are excellent and the scenery looks breathtaking.
I may have to re-prioritize to be able to make an Africa trip before I’m too old & decrepit to enjoy it. I’ll need to take my wife who wouldn’t be physically up to the hunting part of the safari. Was the lodge comfortable enough to not be too boring & isolated? Not a concern of mine although delicious food is welcome but wouldn’t want my dream trip be her miserable trip.
