I decided to start a new thread to give ya'll my report on my recent trip to SA. First, the disclaimer. I am 59y/o and although I have hunted all my life, I am a greenhorn when it comes to Africa as this was my first trip. There are many on this forum that know lots more than me, yet I hope this report will provide some info from my perspective as a newbie. I used Esplanade as a travel agent, because I was also going to Kruger, but I don't think I would use them again. The opinions are mine and YMMV. Okay, here we go......

We (my wife and I) flew out of Tampa, Fl on Aug 11th and connected thru Atlanta. After meeting up with our good friends Tip and Terre from Arkansas we waited with great anticipation for the 7:30pm direct flight to Jburg. The plane was packed and we didn't push back from the gate til 8:30. We would be traveling 8000 miles in about 16 hrs and friends and neighbors it is a ball buster. My azz does not fit the seats, and after about 8 hrs you run out of things to do. The guys up in first class have a recliner thing they sleep in but I referred to our section as "the torture chamber." I kept reminding myself that it would all be worth it and it was.
About 5pm Thursday, we arrived. We breezed thru customs and were met by the meet and assist guy from Afton House.(I would stay there again and the 100 bucks for the meet and assist was sure worth it to us). The SAPS gun room was a zoo with hunters
from all over the world. I had already sent all my paperwork and as soon as we waited our turn for the SAPS guy to check the serial number on my Interarms .375 (thanks luv2safari) we were out of there (20 min total) and headed to Afton house. My buddy Tip was done too and he had a 1964 Win push feed '06 that he bought when he was 14. It had a cool old tv screen Redfield scope. He didn't know it, but he would kill 8 animals with 8 tsx 180 gr bullets out of it, the best shooting in camp.
We were a little shocked when we got to Afton House which is only about 15 min from the airport. We had to go thru a gate with guards and the fine homes in that area all looked like fortresses with high walls, lots of razor wire and electric fence around the top. Not just a few, every one. There were other hunters there and we got to swap stories. Be advised, if you are going somewhere else (Windhoek) you have to check your gun thru, take it to Afton, then check it back thru the next day when you fly. We just left our rifles in the large walk in safe at Afton and they kept it for us while we went to Kruger.
Ari cooked us a steak and we were whupped and went to bed. Next day, we had a 4 hour drive to Kruger Park. I would advise you to see Kruger if you have time. We saw the big 5, including 2 leopards and a big male lion. His picture might be the best one I got there.



I think I will cover Kruger in a different thread and just stick to the hunting here. After staying at Skukuza camp and driving around and seeing hundreds of impala, kudu, elephants, buffalo, hippos, zebras, etc, etc, etc, we were all pumped up and ready to hunt. We returned to Afton House on Monday afternoon. Ari cooked ribs and lambchops on the braii (pronounced like the cheese) and we ate. Other hunters were coming in and we swapped more stories in a lounge area near the bar. Did I say I liked Afton? Thanks Annelise.
The next morning I was like a kid at Christmas. Craig from cruiser (didn't know he would be my ph) picked us up about 9:30. He had with him Tim Todd a guy from California whose buddy who was scheduled to come with him had to cancel at the last minute because he broke his foot. My advice, as you get close to your departure date, no rugby. Tim had 2 rifles, a pre 64 300h&h and a 300 Dakota, both with killer wood. He didn't know it then but he would fall in love with his Dakota and out of love with the 300 h&h. He was shooting A frames and we found more of his bullets in animals than any other. They were all perfect mushrooms. Ok so we leave and we asked poor Craig a million questions, most of which he probably answers every week. Me, my wife, Tip and his wife, and Tim. Only 3 hunters and 2 wives in camp. We get to Crusier after 3 1/2 hrs and we went thru the countryside that was very beautiful. In places the poverty was apalling. Lots of folks walk everywhere and it was rare for me to see an obese person.
We were met in the driveway by the Pieter, Tiny (delMarie the cook) and other ph's. They welcomed us with a glass of fresh orange juice. After a great lunch, we sighted in our rifles on their range.



My .375 was about an inch right and 4 clicks on my Trijicon 3-9 with a red post brought it right in.
The other guys did the same. Tim had a missfire on his Dakota, no dent in the primer and it kinda worried him but he shot it the whole trip and it never happened again. Tip's '06 was kinda all over the place but he does not hunt alot and was nervous. The ph's were watching closely.



We loaded up around 3:30, everyone in one truck, took Tim's Dakota and went riding around, Johann driving. Tip, Tim, and I sat on the outside top seat of the bakkie (that's what they call a truck). The girls sat inside with Johann. The deal is, if you see an animal you want to shoot, you get charged for 1/2 day of hunting. If not, the riding around is free. We saw lot's of kudu and impala but did not see anything we wanted to shoot. Temps really fall right at dark so take a warm jacket for the rides out in the morning and back in in the evening.
We had some sundowners at the weel stocked bar, dinner, and then off to bed.





Tomorrow.......ZEBRA!!
A

Sounds good so far, keep going......

Yep, keep going, it's bringing back memories...


maddog

What tour company did you book with to tour Kruger(sp) Nat'l. park and which outfitter to hunt? We are planning a second trip and are looking to tour Kruger and different outfitters. Great story!

Oh, Man Your Killing me!
Not fair to keep us in suspense, sounds great so far.
As Paul Harvey would say "Now for the rest of the story"?
Hurry, my heart can't take it!

When we went to bed that first night, we were surprised to find two hot water bottles in the bed at our feet. It was a great luxury as it was kind of chilly. We were awakened by a knock at 5am and I had already been awake awhile. Wow, my first day to hunt in Africa and what a day it would be. Everyone was up bright and early. You know how it is at hunting camp, the first few days you are up and at em and after a few hard days hunting, you get to the breakfast table later and later. We had coffee and those little hard bisquits they eat and also eggs, bacon and all the trimmings. I was too nervous to eat. We left about 6am and we were hunting a large area very close to camp. We called it "across the street". We pulled the bakkie thru a large gate. There were 4 of us, me, Barb, Craig the ph, and our driver Johannus. Craig said "load your rifle and get up in the jumpseat". Man those were sweet words to my ear. Here I am for the first time with a loaded rifle in Africa.



You will notice the fence behind me. If they bother you, don't go to South Africa hunting. They are almost everywhere. There are 20 strands of wire on them and they cost about 6,000$ per kilometer to build. The smallest tract we hunted was about 3500 acres and believe me the animals can avoid you very well. In some areas some game was off limits. In one you could shoot kudu but not impala. In others just the opposite. We drove down the road looking for game. At this point I could take Zebra, impala, blue wildebeest, warthog, steenbok, and kudu. The country looked like this.



We drove around till about 10am or so and we even walked about an hour thru the bush but saw very little. As we were riding along Craig suddenly got "birdy". Now listen, these guys can see stuff you can't see with a 25x spotting scope. I felt like Stevie Wonder most of the time, just being led around by the arm.
He had seen some Zebra and we bailed off the bakkie on the stalk.




The herd was standing still at about 100 yds and Craig put up the sticks and told me to shoot the one on the left. It was a mare. You can shoot either sex and he said the mares were more likely to have unmarked skins. The stallions are rather nasty fellows who bite each other and fight alot. Also, you can tell the tree huggers the stallions routinely kick the small zebras (especially males) to death, we saw one. I got on the sticks but before I could shoot they ran. I had noticed a much larger animal on the right in a group of about 5. As we proceded quietly toward where they had been, a lone Zebra stayed behind. He was the big one I had seen earlier. This is the picture just before we shot (taken by my lovely wife).



The stallion was right to left and quartering away. Craig put his fingers in his ears and I held for the last rib on his left side halfway up and trying to hit the opposite shoulder. Boom! Whop! , I had never shot an animal with a .375 before and the impact noise surprised me. It sounded like when you beat a dirty rug hanging on the closeline outside. Craig took his fingers from his ears and I asked him about the shot. "Not very good" he said and my heart fell in my boots. I learned later that he still had his fingers in his ears at impact and didn't hear it. He said "I saw dust, I think you shot under him." "No way" I said, I heard the impact. While we were discussing it, all of a sudden a large cloud of dust was kicked up about 50 yds away. Craig said "he's down!". We ran to the spot and there was the most beautiful Zebra and he was mine. This picture was taken right where he fell.




Man I was a happy camper. Craig thought I had shot the mare but while he went to get the bakkie, I looked and it was definately a stallion. When he came back, I said "if this is a mare, I am too!" He got a kick out of it cause he had really thought it was a female. Here are a couple more pics of Mr. Zebra.



[img]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii76/123lassie/AFRICA%202010/AFRICAPICTURES739.jpg[/img]

We took him back to the skinning shed. I told them to skin him for a rug. We ate a nice lunch, rested awhile and went back out about 2:30. We hunted hard but did not see anything else. After a beautiful sunset

[img]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii76/123lassie/AFRICA%202010/AFRICAPICTURES442.jpg[/img]

we went back to a cold beer, and a hot shower. What a first day!!

tomorrow, impala and blue wildebeest......stay tuned...

AFTERUM, you're doing it right...I'll stay tuned!


maddog

Luvvin the story and pics. Tell your aquantance that I will take that pre-64 model 70 300 H&H off of his hands.

yeah, I offered him $150.00 after he crippled an impala......

Will be looking forward to Chapter 3 tomorrow.

Thursday 8/19/2010 The Wildebeest won.
We awoke at 5am and had a good breakfast. I was kinda feeling like a Bwana since I had one of my most desired animals (Zebra) in the salt. I should know better.

We went to 2 different properties to hunt, primarily blue wildebeest. This ended up being a "walk all day" hunt, tiring and very frustrating. We would walk until we heard or saw the animals, then something would always go wrong. The wind would change, another animal (impala usually) would see us and run and thus ruin our stalk. The wildebeest would run, usually 1/2 to 1 mile and we would follow them and try again. Craig could track a mouse across a marble floor. Sometimes it took him a few minutes to figure it out but he keep us on the trail. I just tried to keep up and be quiet (not easy as it was very dry). Barb was with us and I am sure Barb and I sounded like a crash of Rhinos coming thru the bush. I was on the sticks at least 8-10 times.





Craig, my ph was becoming very frustrated. I was not so much frustrated as just plain tired. Be sure you do some walking (do some 5 mile hikes if you can) before you go. Just before dark, we spotted a herd of wildebeest and Craig said "Let's not go after them, they have fresh legs." Man I was glad cause my legs were anything but fresh. We drug back to camp covered in red dust and worn out. My hands and arms looked like I had been sorting wildcats. I had not yet learned how to avoid the thorns which were everywhere Many times the blood ran down my arm and dripped off my fingers. Craig joked that I may need a transfusion. Wear leather gloves when you go. Dusty, tired, bloody, and outsmarted over and over by those damn wildebeest. A cold Castle and a hot shower helped to ease the pain. I will just say that those gnus are a hell of alot smarter than they look.

Man, sorry to hear about your arms & hands. Was your wife able to avoid the thorns?

yeah, she's alot smaller than me, lol, my 60 y/o hide is pretty thin and I bleed easily. Wear long sleeves when you can, but sometimes it is just too hot. Wish I had taken some leather shooting gloves or just some cheapo leather work gloves (I think Ingwe suggested it) to wear while stalking to protect the back of your hands. You could kick the right one off quickly for a shot.

You mean gloves like these????



Ingwe

yep, those would be the ones.......

here's one more teaser......

Wellllll...

you'll just have to buy some gloves...


and go BACK!!!!


Ingwe

is this what you call a black and blue bird?

cool pic.....

Ingwe

sure hope you checked that hole for a wartie, before ploppin the missus down in it!


maddog

Teasers are for kids. Either put the pictures up, or forget about it.

YEP!

+1000

Friday, 8/20/2010 Wildebeest Revenge
This day started out as a carbon copy of yesterday.



Stalk after stalk was ruined or we were busted by other animals. One good thing though, the wind blew steadily from one direction. Although it was strong, 10mph or so. it was as least predictable unlike yesterday when it swirled and brought our scent to the animals usually before we even saw them. Craig was really frustrated. There is more than a little competition among the ph's and I had only killed the Zebra Wednesday and nothing since. Tip had an impala and a record book (13 in total) steenbok to his credit, and Tim had a blue wildebeest and a 58 inch kudu, a magnificent animal indeed. We walked and walked. We even took a short lunch so we could get back to it. We just parked in a little shade and ate in the bakkie.



Craig was like a bulldog. He told me "By dark, there will be a dead blue wildebeest in the bakkie!" I told him "I believe you brother" but I wasn't sure I really did. Little did I know our fortunes were about to change. About 4:30, we got on some tracks of a small "bachelor" herd that we had been looking for. As we folowed them thru some thick thorney stuff (like most of the Africa I saw) we were suddenly in the middle of a herd of impala, about 15-20 animals. I only could see does but Craig said there was a good ram. I never even saw him til he put up the sticks and said "There, shoot." The ram was quartering away right to left and about 60yds away thru some thick stuff. I don't like to shoot thru brush but I thought I could see an opening low on his left shoulder. I got on the sticks, let the sight picture settle , and sent the 270gr tripleshock on its way.
I saw his feet in the scope before the recoil took me out of the sight picture. We ran to where he lay and I looked donw on perhaps the most beautiful game animal I had ever taken. Slick, shiney and fat, he looked like his coat was painted on. His horns were black with big ridges near the base and went up into that beautiful lyre shape. When Craig took out his tape and began to measure, I suspected he must be pretty good. He went
24 and 1/2. Score didn't matter to me, I was just glad to break the 2 day drought.



After the hero shots, Craig and Johannus each grabbed a horn and dragged the ram out to the road. It was now less than an hour till dark and the .375 had announced to all that we were in the area. I assumed we would walk on out. Not Craig. He still had a score to settle with the blue wildees. We proceded about 300 yards further into the bush from where I shot the ram. As we rounded a corner in the trail, Craig stopped and came to full alert. "Gemsbok" he said, and I could barely see the tail of one animal moving thur my binos. As we watched them Craig turned and hissed "Wildebeest" and beyond the Gemsbok I could see them. It was the bachelor herd. They were about 80 yds away, about 8 of them and one over in the shadows by himself. Craig indicated that I should shoot him. He was quartering left to right so I aimed about three ribs back and shot him off the sticks. My trijicon really helped as it was getting late. Whop! the bullet sounded like it hit a watermelon and all hell broke loose, animals running in circles and then exiting stage left. About 10 seconds later, a lone bull came from our right and stood in a small clearing about 50 yds away. Now, here is the problem of course. I wanted to make sure it was the one I had already shot. I thought I saw him wobble a little as he stood there but I was not sure. Craig watched him closely and finally saw some blood dripping from his nose. "Shoot him again." I got back on the sticks and put another 270 in his left shoulder. To my amazement, it did not knock him down, he just turned and walked away. They don't call these "poor man's buffalo" for nothing. They are tough. As I was preparing to shoot him again, he just fell over. As it turned out, the exit from the first bullet and the entry of the 2nd were about 3 inches apart on his left shoulder.




You can see the entry of the first shot in this picture. As Craig and I walked over to him, Barb prepared to take a picture. Craig yelled and jumped back like the beast was about to get up. Barb jumped back (and I did too and leveled the rifle) and he started laughing and we had a good laught all around. We had to hurry the hero shots cause it was getting dark and we had to ge the bakkie in there to load him.(it takes an electric winch). After pictures and loading we headed back to camp. It was almost dark but in spite of our sore legs and feet, the view of those 2 animals in the back of the bakkie was wonderful indeed. Back at camp we found out that we were the only hunters that had scored that day, and that made Craig very happy. He reminded my of his earlier prediction and I acted like I never doubted him for a minute.

Here is the picture of Tip's recordbook steenbok. I forgot to put it in the story.

That really is a WHOPPER of a Steenbuck..


Ingwe

Those imapala are beautiful creatures, arent they? I was pleasantly surprised when my PH and I walked up to mine.

Saturday 8/21/2010 Here piggy, piggy, piggy......
We left the camp just after daylight, me, Barb, Craig, and our driver Johannus. After a 15-20 minute drive we arrived at the porperty we were to hunt. It was a large piece of property owned by a guy named Louie and it was divided in half by a railroad. My new friend from California, Tim, would be hunting on the back for zebra and impala and I would hunt on the front half for warthog. When we arrived at the gate there was a truck parked there waiting for us. A young guy with blond curly hair got out and he and Craig spoke to each other in Africaans. Most people that I ran into were bi-lingual. They speak to each other in Africanns, their native tongue which is very much like dutch, but has gutteral sounds like german to my ear. This guy's name was Fritz and he was Louie's land manager. He told Craig that he had seen a big warthog (the Africaans is a funny sounding word that sounds like "fick vuck". We saddled up and left walking right away. Craig in front, then me, then Barb. We walked fast for 200 yards, then slowed and walked quietly and slowly. As I have mentioned, Craig could see things that sometimes I had trouble seeing, even when he pointed. So it was with this wartie.
He said "there" but the bush was very thick and I could not see the hog. About that time he either saw us or smelled us and took off. It is a real hoot when they run. They stick their little skinny tails straight up and take off in a sort of formal looking trot. I ran up on the shoulder of the road so I could see better and I could see he would cross a small opening to my left. As he entered the opening running right to left about 40 yds away, I brought the rifle up and tried to swing the red triangle on the Trijicon up on his shoulder. I slapped the trigger and he just dissappeared. Craig took off running after him, but stopped right where I had last seen him. He almost made it out of the clearing but the bullet caught him squarely in the left shoulder. Because of the angle it exited about 4 inches behind his right eye and busted the skull (and I wanted a skull mount). I was very proud of that shot with him running and all.



He had big tusks but his body, especially his hind quarters were beginning to go downhill and Craig said he would probably not make it another year. Fritz came down and shook my hand and I thanked him for the information that allowed us to take the hog. About that time Tim and his ph Hans came by and they stopped to admire my warthog. They went on across the railroad to hunt and about an hour later I heard a shot back there. It was Tim shooting his first warthog. He would end up killing 3, one of them a real monster. Here is a picture of mine (blue tape) and his 3.



We rode around the rest of the morning and I saw a record book impala (but I already had one) and decided not to shoot. We went back to camp at noon and we took Tim's pig with us so he and Hans could stay and hunt. We came back about 2:30 but did not see anything we wanted to shoot. We had to leave the property at 5:45 sharp because that is one of Louie's rules. The animals were just starting to move as we went out the gate.

stay tuned for kudu......

10-4 on that!
Every one you shoot, you want to get mounted. Like pheasants....


Also I was always amazed by the fact they live in the nastiest thickest stuff but always emerge like they had been to a groomer..

Ingwe

Keep on posting! Looks like it was a great trip.

THAT IS A VERY NICE STEENBOK!
Randy

here are the only 2 270gr tsx I found....both in the gemsbok.....they look like an advertisement for barnes....

W O W!...
What he said ^^

And, your piggie is excellent!

That sure is a beautiful rifle you're shooting, also.

I got up at 2AM today. Hiked almost 4 hours in the dark faster than a fuggin gazelle to glass for 45 minutes. Saw 5 animals, one was a stud, hiked out doing mach 5, trying not to break a fuggin leg in wet downfall, rocks, and crossing a river. Was 3 hrs late to work. Season opens tomorrow. I might get skunked. But at least I know I'll die an old man and there's never be a photo like this taken of me.

well acutally, there was no shot taken there. We just set up to show how we would shoot so Barb could get a pic... I never shot down that road or fence or any other....but I'm sure you are a much better hunter than me and Africa would be way too easy for you......

GH, initially, through your other posts, I thought you were simply trying very hard to be clever. Bluster can be a cover for any number of issues. But I was wrong. You are merely young and rude. And judging by your sentax and grammar, you no doubt have other challenges as well.

I have truly enjoyed this series of posts from a man who has the ability to see a new world, the skill to articulate it beautifully to his peers, and has the life experience to appreciate how special that opportunity was.

Those are attributes which you may, if you are very lucky, someday earn.

There are men reading this post who have parachuted into darkness, hiked twenty plus miles with eighty pounds of equipment on their back, and then killed other men. Others have flown fighter aircraft through missiles and flak. You'll pardon me if your deer counting stroll fails to impress.

Great posts Afterum. Thank you.

wow.....thanks

I arose at around 0900 today, had coffee out back in the veranda, saw your great pictures and wished it was me taking a bead off those sticks!

Great hunt and great pictures Afterum and thank YOU for sharing. jorge

So to be a man you have to do one of these things?

When I saw the picture above my first thought was that he had shot something in a pen. Standing right next to a high fence aiming a rifle with the guide spotting is probably not the best way to take an "action shot". I dont think GH was outta line for bringing it up and I would bet that most people would agree that a better picture could have been taken.

Drum

when you go, you can take better pictures I'm sure.......

Not at all. I am sure we're all grown up here. More an issue of relative maturity than anything else. And a simple issue of perspective. Unless my vision and grasp of English have slipped, I think it was GH who butted into this dialogue and rather childishly self-promoted his scouting hike as some sort of alternative measure of the "real" outdoor experience. I simply noted that based upon my perspective, I was unimpressed. I remain so. And I "bet that most people" would agree with that observation.

For crying out loud! All you nit pickers cut it out and stop ruining a good thread. The fact of the matter is that there are high fences in RSA, just as there are lower fences in NA. The man was taking a demonstration photo, and even if he was shooting something, what's the big deal, as long as it is sporting and legal in the host nation? If it is not your cup of tea, great, don't go to the RSA, or find an operation where fences don't play a part.

I wasn't being ugly, I was just making an honest comment on the picture.

I also killed a kudu, steenbok, and gemsbok but to provide the story and pics would probably offend some of our forum members so I guess I will just stop here. Thanks to all who gave positive feedback, and if you are planning a trip to Africa, pm me and I will help any way I can. It was truly a dream come true.

That's too bad, it was merely an observation. I would have thought this Africa crowd would have thicker skin.

Ask yourself, would a guy that parachuted into darkness, hiked twenty plus miles with eighty pounds of equipment on his back, and then killed other men pick up his ball and go home because of some constructive criticism or would he post up pics of the rest of his trip?

You're just a jealous [bleep], like GH...Pizz off

Your just mad that I missed your birthday. So Happy Birthday!

Yup! I'm jealous too! Keep the stories coming sir, I have to live this adventure through your eyes!

it has been a while since i saw such a well described hunt as this, but much more important sir is that the way this hunt has been done it seems that you are one of the few overseas hunters that are experiencing a local hunt in much the same fashion as how local hunters hunt. and it seems you are equal to the task.

have a brandy and coke on me!!

Please post the kudu photos. They are a great prize and beautiful and elusive creatures.

Mine took me nine days of hard hunting in the hills of N. Zim on a 27,000 hectare conservancy. I had several shirts and two pairs of pants shredded to rags in the thick thorn bush, before he and I connected.

AFTERUM, come on please and finish the story. Just ignore you know who, and carry on. I for one would love to see the rest of your pics, as well as the stories behind them.


maddog

Thank you Afterum, great pics and report.
I am going on my first PG hunt in RSA in Apr 2011.
I will surely try not to have any fences in my pictures.
JEEZ---

+1 to that

Fences are a fact of life in much of southern africa, some to keep game in,some to keep game out and FWIW Ive seen Eland clear a ten foot fence and accidentally jump into a lion enclosure...
Got the Darwin Award for Eland....

Please AFTERUM....carry on...

Ingwe

How about this one...does it twist any knickers??

Good story Afterum. How in the HELL did you get your wife into that hole for a pic?

Ignore gayhorn, he's just a jealous little runt flapping his vagina lips behind a keyboard. What the [bleep] is wrong with people!

oh hell, looks like I might be near a road........man, I just can't get it right.......

Well I'd say you got it right, Afterum. Wish you would continue your account of this hunt, I'm luvin it.

If ol' Gayhorn doesn't like fences he oughta be pickin' his bone with the land owners rather than the hunters. Best stay away from Texas too, we are pretty sold on private property rights down here on the frontier... aaah, maybe the youngun just hasn't hunted 15 or 20 thousand acres inside a fence. I have, and from where I stand his morning walk don't mean schitt to me.

Afterum

I agree that you are a skilled craftsman with words, and a really fine photo journalist. Your serial postings have taken me back again and again to the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of Africa. I, like Jorge 1 sat overlooking my back quarter with a cup of coffee and my laptop re reading your posts.

I spend time every day looking at my mounts, and am filled with wonder that I was ever there. Please continue with your posts, and ignore the piss pants that make unruly comments in the negative. We men of this forum have a more gracious nature, although we do not suffer fools.

Your postings bring me much joy for what it is worth.

Randy

Men.. Get some thick skin. The pictures are super awesome. Carry on!

That was a great story. Afterum's is better. Let him tell his.

Enjoying the story. I love that zebra. The black ones with white stripes look best to me.

Seriously, thats a much better picture! I see that picture and it looks like your hunting out in the bush, not at the zoo like in the other pic. Again, not being ugly, just being honest.






I think anybody thats honest with themselves would agree that one picture is MUCH better than the other one. I dont like the saying "Perception is reality" but I think it applies here. This may be the toughest hunt in the world but you show that one picture and nobody would believe it.

I am not trying to rain on anybodies parade, simply offering some constructive criticism

Glad that this was the trip of a lifetime that you and your wife will remember forever

let me offer some constructive criticism to you huntsonora...lose that "not being ugly, just being honest" schitt and you will be much better off......that really doesn't fool anyone......

As if he or anyone else cares what you think of the quality of his photography. He is kind enough to share pictures and thoughts of a hunt of a lifetime, and you and your buddy feel compelled to try to offer a critique in photojournalism - or his style of hunting - or anything else at all? Spare me your vapidity. Hijacking threads is what trolls do - or wannabes with key boards. You aren't worth responding to, and I wouldn't except I appreciate this site, and I truly appreciate the effort Afterum has taken. I also have a personal appreciation of what it is like to go to Africa for the first time. It is a joy to experience a touch of that again through his words and images.

Oh absolutely.

On with the story!

AFTERUM, what did I say that was ugly? I offered an honest opinion to a picture you posted. You posted another picture and asked if it "twisted an knickers" or something to that effect and I posted back that I thought it was a lot better and was happy that you were on such a memorable vacation with your wife.

If you dont want opinions then dont ask if something "twists knickers" as thats an invitation to respond with another opinion. I thought the second picture was a lot better and offered my opinion as to why it was better.

Its too bad that in this day and age some feel its better to have smoke blown up their ass than to have somebody be honest and shoot straight with them.

Looks like I need to purchase a parachute and take some flying lessons then

+1

GH, and huntsonora, leave the the guy alone, and let him post his hunt. Go play somewhere eles. You litle pricks are starting to anoy me. The man has had the trip of a lifetime, and you are ruining it!!! Ya wanna pick on Ray, go ahead, but leave this guy alone! Quit bein' a Dick Weed!


Afterum, I really wanna hear the rest of the story!


maddog

Sunday, 8/22/2010 -- Louie, Louie
Craig said we were going to another large piece of property owned by Louie (where I killed the warthog). These decisions were made each night and handed down to the ph's from Pieter whom we called "the wizard". Anyway, he said the property had not been hunted except for bow and we would be the first rifle hunters on it in some time. I was pumped. Maybe today would be "kudu Sunday". The kudu is probably the marquee animal on these hunts. It is considered very bad juju if you don't get one and Craig could only recall one guy all year that had not killed one. He held out for a 55 inch but ended up taking home a 48 inch. The kudu is scored around the outside curve of the horn so the length that you see is not so important to score as how deep the curl is. That is, if you look down thru the horn from the top at the tips (you look right at the animal's eye btw,) the size of that "tube" you look down thru determines to a great extent the score. If the inside of the tube is say the size of a golfball it is not nearly as good as if it is the size of a baseball or softball or even a liter soda bottle. Thats how you get those 60 inchers that everyone wants.
We were met at the gate by Heather, Louie's daughter. She was an ex airline pilot according to Craig, but now was running her dad's considerable holdings for him. She provided us with a map of the property and even though Craig had hunted there before, he seemed glad to get it. There was a good network of twotrack roads and a couple of houses as well as sheds for their farming equipment. The problem was, there were off limit areas marked in red all over the place. These red areas were no shooting zones. They extended around the houses and sheds, the waterholes and on his property there was no shooting from the bakkie although it is not against RSA laws and is done frequently. Craig had recently had a man who was in a wheelchair and he took all his animals from the bakkie. We passed a waterhole that had one of those cool little thatched roof houses with the long slit windows for bowhunting. Bowhunters there don't stalk, but sit over the waterhole with their guide all day long. Craig said the "rush hour" comes from about 9am to 2pm as animals come to water in the heat of the day. I am pretty sure that I couldn't sit there all day for 10 days straight. I much prefer the spot and stalk although I told Craig I would shoot from the truck if a good opportunity presented itself. So far, my animals had come with the expense of shoe leather. As we rode around, we saw lot's of impala as usual. As we passed another waterhole (no shooting zone) we saw at least 5 kudu bulls about 75 yds from the water. They are very impressive animals and I never got tired of seeing them, even the cows. They blend in so well that that "grey ghost of Africa" name is very true. A couple of these big boys are gonna make some future bowhunter very happy. We went back to camp for lunch.
About 3pm we went back over there and rode and walked all afternoon, but saw no shootable kudu that was not in the red zone. We saw tons of blue wildebeest (cause when you are after something you can't find it but when you have killed a certain animal they are suddenly everywhere.) I hoped that I wouldn't be the second guy this year to go home without a kudu. Maybe tomorrow. Here are a couple of pics that attempt to show some of the beauty of Africa.

one more

Part of the beauty of Africa is that it can be, at times, very stark and harsh...

Keep 'em coming AFTERUM!!

Ingwe

Not often I turn to the African forum and get into a thread. Keep it going!

The close man in that picture led me to my 5 African animals. It may be high fenced (technically), but those animals were spooky as hell. It was way easier to hunt elk in the Selway than it was to get a gemsbok. I'll be back there someday for a wildebeast.

Awesome story. I am dreaming of my first trip to Africa, but it will be a while for sure.
It's hard to describe the feeling when you see real poverty for the first time in person. Going through the gate from Kuwait to Iraq was a shocker. I felt something I never felt before when I saw those raggedy clothed kids begging for food.
I can't say what it feels like to see those animals in person in the wild, but hopefully one day.

Congradulations

I don't often do a lot of poking around in the African area because Africa is not a place which I have ever been taken with though I do find many aspects interesting. Your simple, unpretentious re-telling of your experience in "common man" terms, however, is a compelling tale that has me more hooked by stuff African than any thread I've yet come across on the 'net (or I wouldn't have tossed the idea lightly past my wife). I thank you for sharing.




Since honesty is the theme here, why not just let the OP do the telling in his own unshadowed way? Are his pics the way you or I want or wish Africa to be? Perhaps not, but it is how it is. He's honest about it, and he's also honest about the fact that his hunt was hardly shooting fish in a barrel in spite of the enclosure. One man's unembellished honesty hardly begs that each of us need to bare his soul to opine our innermost thoughts. Use your PM if you must.

Like a rose, this thread is less about the thorns than anything else. Way to go, Afterum!

Afterum,
I want to thank you for taking the time to post your story and photos. Its a place I too haven't thought of going but if the economy improves ............

When these threads are hijacked by trolls and fecal heads its no wonder why others choose not to post their stories. This is not unique to this site but aggravating nonetheless.

Now on to the kudu............

Monday 8/23 2010 Hoodo on the kudu....
Before I go on, let me clear up something from my last post. I was talking about kudu and how one guy went home without one and that he killed a 48 on the last day when he had been holding out for a 55. I made it sound like one guy, which obviously, it couln't be . It was 2 different clients.

Now another disclaimer. The last 2 animals in my contract (kudu and steenbok) and the animal I added (gemsbok) were all 3 shot from or very near the bakkie. It is not illegal and when you go you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I hunted hard Monday thru Friday and except for the kudu, I walked lots of miles. It is just that opportunity presents itsself sometimes and only you can decide when you get there. Please do us all a favor and don't read any farther if this bothers you.

We left camp about 6am as usual. Craig would drive til we got to the property, then he, Barb and I would get in the jumpseat of the bakkie and Johannus would slip under the steering wheel. We drove around for about an hour looking for animals and tracks but it was a little chilly and nothing seemed to be moving.



There was also a powerline on this property. I guess hunters all over the world hunt them. I know we sure do in Georgia.



The following will take longer for me to type than it really took to happen. Craig was looking to the left (I sat on the seat but he sat on the back of the seat or stood up most of the time so he could see better) and he suddenly told Johannus to stop. In Africaans it sounds like "stop piggy" which means "stop a little". I stood up and about 80 yds away I could see the horns and head (only) of a kudu. Now I know this has happened to most of you, not with kudu maybe, but with deer or elk. When you see him, there are no binos, no wondering, no talking. You just go into auto hunter mode and you are reaching for the rifle. Problem was, I did not have a shot from where I was. Craig told me to climb up on the seat and I did and to prop the rifle on his shoulder which I also did. Barb was standing at my right elbow on the seat with us. Funny, I get nervous just typing this. Time began to flow slowly. I remember the morning sun on his horns and face. He looked like he had his own internal light and the chevron on his face glowed snow white. I could barely see his neck where it seemed to join his body. I remember thinking he looked like a shoulder mount standing there looking at me. He didn't run like most do when you stop. I think he thought he was hidden. Craig now has his fingers in his ears and I let the red triangle settle on the spot where the neck joins the chest. At the shot, he disappeared from sight. Craig scrambled down and he and Johannus took off running thru the bush. At 60 y/o I don't scramble too well but I hurried and when I caught up to them, they were just standing there looking around. I almost passed out. Had I missed? I really thought the shot was good. My dream kudu, and now I have messed it up and missed or wounded him? I looked about 20yds to the right and right there in the warm morning sun a dream and reality kinda collided. Craig and Johannus began to laugh and shake my hand. He was lying on his left side, those beautiful stripes lit up by the sun and there were horns everywhere. I walked over like I was in church and knelt down to touch him. I wish I had the right words to tell you how I felt sitting there in the red dirt of Africa finally looking at my kudu. I just sat there stunned and I think Barb cried and the other 2 guys probably thought we were crazy. Here is a picture right where he fell.



After a few minutes, we started getting ready for the heroe shots.



here are a couple more.......








He measured 51", not that I cared, but what I really liked was the fact that the tips turn out and they looked like ivory on the ends. I can still close my eyes and see him standing there. We went back and turned him over to the skinners. I asked for them to cape him for a shoulder mount.

[img]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii76/123lassie/AFRICA%202010/AFRICAPICTURES964.jpg[/img]

We hunted that afternoon for steenbok and gemsbok and saw alot of small steenbok and I was on the sticks once on gemsbok but just couldn't close the deal. What a day, Kudu in the salt.

[img]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii76/123lassie/AFRICA%202010/AFRICAPICTURES878.jpg[/img]

Great story! Beautiful Kudu! From the pics, I remember that property. I took my blesbok there.


maddog

Great stuff, keep it coming!

One thing I would like to point out to some people reading this thread is that South African ranches are NOT game-fenced to make hunting easier. They are fenced because the game is the property of the landowner.

This is true not just in many countries in Africa but in Europe, and is partly because southern Africa was for many years a collection of European colonies. Game meat is also sold in supermarkets and restaurants, just as it is in most of Europe.

This may not agree with the ideals of many Americans, who hunt public land for game that (at least supposedly) belongs to all of us, but that's the way it is. And it's the very reason that wild game is so abundant in South Africa and many other African countries right now. If the game did not have cash value, South Africa would still be a country full of cattle and sheep ranches and not a safari destination.

There are some areas in South Africa that are not game-fenced, but they've also benefitted from the propagation of game on ranches. In fact two of the four kudu I've taken in South Africa were in unfenced country, including my biggest. But the fenced ranches where I took the other two bulls were 37,000 and 50,000 acres, though because both were very much up-and-down the actual land surface was much greater. Oh, and it took 12 days of hunting to take one of those easy "fenced" kudu....

Excellent stuff AFTERUM...as far as getting them close to the bakkie...Ive got a Kudu story for you...a pard and I went to Namibia in 1997, Kudu of course was at the head of his menu...We had a 12 day hunt, by day 11...still no kudu...

Then.....as my pard and my PH were changing a flat tire ( aka "puncture") on the bakkie, my pard looked up to see a Kudu bull watching the proceedings..




At that point, I never even asked if he had an issue with " shooting from the truck" as it were...

Ingwe

Great story and a super kudu. I really prefer the wider, more gentle curls than the deep corksrew which is what I shot. What a great story and a great thread! thanks! jorge

This sounds a lot like Lee24 and his hike down the grand canyon.

Great story and pictures. I haven't been there yet but your post makes me want to go even more than before. Would love to see more of your pictures and hear more of your story.

Way to go! Magnificent animal and writeup. Thanks for taking the time to share your story.

What a great! account and just a magnificent Bull Kudu. Afterum, you got me shaking a little there! I am really thinking about my own safari now!

Thank you for sharing and telling a great hunting tale.

Texas

I just can't stand this anymore! I HAVE to go, I just Have to....

more please!

Wow nice Kudu!!! Looked bigger than 51" to me for sure!!

Yeah, I think a lot of Americans that don't have any first-hand experience hunting in South Africa tend to think of "canned", or at least unsporting, hunting when they hear about the game farms (ranches) being fenced.

I thought I would post some photos of the farm I have hunted three times now (in 2000, 2002, and 2005). The property is about 14,000 acres in size. The farm is located in the northern part of the Limpopo Province; about 10 miles south of the Limpopo River.


An aerial view of one section of the Mabelingwane Game Ranch.












Of course, not all of the land visible in the photos is part of the ranch but a good portion of it is. (The mountains visible in the distance are not part of the ranch, for example.)

This property is smaller than the ones JB mentions in his post above but it was big enough for me!

Cheers!
-Bob F.

MAN!!!
What a horse of a KUDU!

They are real smart when they get to that age/size. What a once-in-a-lifetime trophy to get one that size. I love those ivory tips.

14,000 acres of thornbush is plenty big!

No kidding!

I know a taxidermist who is a very avid and successful big game hunter. A client asked him to tag along (to cape the bull) on his bison hunt at a farm. The bison herd was enclosed in a high fenced 160 acre parcel of rolling, mostly forested, hills. The taxidermist said he had never hunted anything that was so spooky and hard to get a shot at. Took them nearly three days to get the shot at the big bull on this "canned" hunt.

14,000 acres of thornbush would be plenty.

Just DO IT! A hunt for plains game is less expensive than you might think. And, you'll have memories that will last a lifetime. The only downside is that once you have been you will want to go back!





Cheers!
-Bob F.

AFTERUM,

Great thread, great posts, and great photos! Thanks for posting and sharing your story with us!!

Cheers!
-Bob F.

Some of the public land I've hunted, which was surrounded by fenced private property, is a lot smaller than that fenced farm.

Some people actually do stuff like that.

Yes, some do.

My suggestion is that rather than get your panties in a wad when GH tosses a cookie like that, that you take notes and do the same. If you physically can't, join a gym. He ain't lucky, he just works harder than 99% of the hunters on the forums.

My panties aren't in a wad, I still think his bragging sounds like Lee, and you can but out anytime.

You are acting like a fool. Lee didn't back anything up in the way of pictures of success. You might want to rethink your comparison.

OK, I'll stop acting like a fool and you stop fantasizing about my panties.

Save your breath Calvin, these guys have their minds made up already. Hell, all I did was offer an opinion that a picture would have been better without the high fence and I've been labeled a troll. You'd think that hunters that hunt the "Dark Continent" wouldnt be such thinned skinned wusses

Carry on with the story and pictures please

I hunted Africa in 2009 on 160000 acres of fenced land. The fences are no different in purpose than in NA, to keep game wandering onto other properties. The game belongs to the owner of the land it lives on. The place I hunted started as a 16000 acre sheep and cattle ranch. It had low fences. Farming became unsustainable because the land was not really able to support domestic stock. The land owner got rid of his livestock.

The land started to regenerate, and as it did game began to naturalise back in. He bought a small herd of 20 black wildebeast, which had lived on the land when he was a boy. He then began to buy adjacent farms, getting rid of the livestock, and letting it naturalise. He did this for years, and the sterile adjacent lands were natural boundaries to keep the game in.

As the farmers adjacent to him saw he was making a progressive living with wild game they began to let portions of their land naturalise and the animals started to migrate into it as a part of their travels. It was at this time that the son of the original owner erected high fences to control this migration, and loss of income. He presently sells animals to stock other game farms from the excess produced on his land. He also brings in professional cull hunters to keep his herds prime and healthy, selling the meat and hides to keep the operation viable.

His family's far sightedness has seen 160000 acres returned to its natural state, and provided a breeding ground for species to thrive on and off his property. I think that the motivation of profit has resulted in a very positive outcome. His wife runs a wild cat breeding and reintroduction facility which specifically works to reestablish wild cats of the Karoo, which have no economic impact, but makes the land more like it was in the past.

By the way I had days I was so tired after a day of hunting, I went to bed after a cup of Bush Tea and without supper. I hunted hard for four days for my Gemsbok and he took us over 12000 of those acres. Call it a canned hunt if you want to. My wildebeast photos are taken where we are within sight of hydro lines. He took us for a five mile walk after being hit in the lungs, and with a broken shoulder. I may be a wuss, won't deny that, but those free range animals sure are not.

The honesty and lack of self grandisement exhibited by Afterum is worth the read in and of itself, not to mention the transportation back to the field it offers those of us who have hunted there, or for that matter anywhere.

Thank you sir for your excellent narrative and photography. I shared my trip with my wife as well since she is my partner in all aspects of my life, both at work and at play. It is obvious by the photos that your wife is worthy as you to experience all Africa can offer.

In deepest respect

Randy

thanks Randy, it was because of you and guys like you that I choose to continue.....

Not so thin skinned at all. This thread started as a great story with pictures on what may be one of the great adventures of a life time. Then a couple of jerks effectively shut it down. It was just stupid.

Come on AFTERUM, I really want to read the rest of the story....purty please


maddog

No he's not Lee and his bona-fides are genuine, , he is an unquestionable and capable hunter, but some of us do and or did hunt on Public Lands and DIY, bit you can't do that in Africa and until one has hunted there, on the trail of an animal from dawn until dusk, it is no walk in the park. I've done both. Have you? Regardless, this has been a GREAT thread, quite enjoyable. jorge

PS; There are no public lands or DIY in Africa and as to this:


Have you considered that some here might be past their physical prime and as to the 99% did you derive that empirically or through research?

And by that statement you have not made up your mind as well? It's not thin skin Sonora, merely an attempt to correct something that just ins't so... jorge

Tuesday August 24th 2010
I was still riding high on my kudu from yesterday. Not the biggest in camp (Tim had a 58") but the shape and the way the tips turned out and that beautiful ivory on the ends, well it just fit perfectly into that space created in my dreams. I only had steenbok left on my "contract" and I had definitely decided to add a gemsbok, especially after seeing lots of them as I hunted other animals. Tip and Tim had both killed nice bulls. I had seen a cow with what Craig said were 36" horns, a very nice one in that area. At that time, I had not decided to add one so I passed. It was funny, we would ride around and see animals like this eland.



Craig would say "do you want to pop him?" and I would say "not yet" and we would laugh. I probably would have shot an eland (it's about an 1800$ "pop") if I could get the meat home. It was the best I tasted and it would fill a couple of freezers. We rode around part of the morning and walked the other part. I saw lots of steenbok (they tend to jump the road like rabbits), maybe 2 dozen or so, but they were either does or they were young males with small horns. Tip had already killed a monster (pic in a previous post) and I knew I would probably not equal it, but I wanted a good mature represenative of the species. BTW I saw three of the small antelope on my trip. Steenbok, duiker, and klipspringer (at Kruger). Let me tell you, you ole boys that are used to hunting rabbits would get a kick out of these little guys. They run like a well, deer, and not only that, they duck and dive and in general are hard to get a bead on. I think maybe shotguns and buckshot would be the ticket. Duiker (diker in English daker like baker in Africaans) means diver and buddy they live up to their name. You almost never see them still and that makes it double hard to see if they are a buck and if so if they are a shooter. Craig said there is a group of trophies of the little guys and if you can collect all of them you would have the tiny seven. A hard group to collect since some live in very out of the way places. We went back to the lodge for lunch.
Back out about 3pm Craig said, lets take a walk. We had only done a couple of miles that morning and so it felt good to walk off some of that big lunch. We saw several steenbok but no shooters. We did see a big gemsbok but a zebra spooked him before we could get a shot. Those dang zebras ruin many a stalk. I told Craig "if you spook a zebra, the whole forrest runs!" Two zebras can turn the whole area into a running circus parade. When we got back to the truck we rode around some and saw somemore duikers and steenbok but still no shooters. We were headed home when we came around a corner and Craig stopped the driver and pointed, "there, shoot". Hell, he didn't say what he had seen and I was looking for a big gemsbok, "No" he said "steenbok" so I looked lower and saw the buck. I tried to shoot him far enough back to keep him from being torn up from the .375 (a 22 magnum would have been about perfect). Here is his picture. I am glad you can't see the other side. Craig assured me he could be put back together for my pedestal mount.



He measured 4 and 1/2 and I thought he was beautiful. Before we went out to retrieve him I told Barb "now before we walk out there I want you to know these things are "cute". She said "I'm OK" and we brought him back for the pics. I remember thinking, I have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to get my gemsbok. I can afford to hold out for a very good one. I should know better than that.BTW, in order for me to get low enough for the hero shot, I was down in the same aardvark hole you see Barb in here.



Glad this one didn't have a warthog or black mamba in it!

We didn't hunt the steenbok, when we were there in 2008, instead "trading up" for the blesbok, on the pkg. But you are right, there was a boatload of the little fellers around.

maddog

I have grown quite enamoured of the tiny tims in Africa. I had opportunity for a steenbok, but decided against it because of my 338.

It seems I should have taken the shot. It and a giant springbok were the only two the PH was a little ticked I didn't shoot. I had already taken a springbok at 320 yds, and did not need to shoot another.

Your description of the running, darting of the steenbok is bang on and they always amazed me how they would dart back and forth then stop suddenly, your eyes moving to where they should be and then loosing them.

Barb is character isn't she. I love that shot of her.

Randy

You couldn't pay my wife a million bucks to get down in a hole like that. You should have stuffed the Steenbok in your luggage to avoid dipping & shipping fees. LOl

Thank you for continuing your narrative. I missed the chance to do what you have done 12 years ago having taken a different road I value your story and experience. Keep it coming.

I wanted to show you a lilac breasted roller the most photograped bird in RSA...

and the sunset that day....

An excellent report, and great trophies, mate!!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
I think it hit me Tuesday night. I woke up about 3am and thought "Hell, this thing is gonna end soon." Sounds crazy I know but I had been so caught up in this thing that I guess I never considered it would end. We would hunt all day and then eat supper and then we would gather at the fire to talk about guns, calibers, other hunts, "the way we do it at home" and stuff like that. The ph's, especially Johann were very knowledgeable about guns (JB they were rifle loonies, they just don't know it) and they also reloaded and were up on new powders and bullets. They were true Barnes disciples as well. Tim, my new buddy from California was a double rifle nut and he had some 75 guns (not all doubles but quite a few) in rare and unusual big African calibers. I learned alot from him and the Africa boys as I called them hung on his every word about those old rifles. Barb and Terre (pronounced Terry) had decided to travel about 40 miles away on Wednesday to take an elephant ride. I decided to go along, not to ride but Craig and I would go into a small town near the elephant ride ranch and while they rode we would pick up some supplies for Pieter and the camp. I hated to miss a morning of hunting but I needed to pick up a few gifts and I would still have 2 and 1/2 days to hunt for a good gemsbok. I really enjoyed the morning in town but a strange thing happened. I had been in the bush for the previous 8 days or so and coming to town (even this little one-horse town) kinda overwhelmed my senses. Too much noise, lights, hustle and bustle. Craig noticed it and told me the same thing happened to him sometimes after a long stint at camp. I went to the local "tourist trap" and bought a few handmade things to take home. We stopped by a supermarket (smaller than ours but nice and clean and well stocked) and over in the "deli" department was this glass case full of what looked like chicken pot pies. I forget what the name is in Africaans but Craig bought me one and he bought himself two. The ones he bought were peppered steak, he said they were best, but they had chicken, lamb, mincemeat, and others. We went outside and ate them in the parking lot washed down by a diet coke. The pastry was homemade and excellent, nice and buttery with a rich meat filling that was tender and spicy with black pepper. By the time I had eaten mine, Craig had finished his two. He said " I usually get 3 !" I said "Yeah, I could eat like that when I was 28 y/o too." We went back and picked up the girls about 12:30pm and headed back to camp and Tiny had lunch on the table. We ate and headed out to a place called "Rose Valley" to look for Gemsbok. I was very glad to be back hunting but although we walked most of the afternoon we could't make anything happen.

not sure what you are describing but in Afrikaans it might be "vetkoek" or "pasteikies", not sure though.

Thanks for a great report Afterum

Years ago I did the hardship thing in Africa (Peace Corps); mud huts, muddy water, military coup, malaria, the works....

...and now I live in South Texas which, as it turns out, looks remarkably like South Africa...

Sooo.... by my lights...

...while ANYBODY in Africa is a real weenie if'n they ain't drinking muddy water (and who has the yellow bubbly diarrhea from their giardia to prove it), sleeping in mud huts, twenty pounds underweight, and eating the exact same miserable things day in day out....

....I know for a fact a fence across the middle of nowhere (as per your pics) does NOT make it any easier to find game.


..and as per your pics, I'd much rather see it the way is REALLY is.

Thank you for sharing

Birdwatcher

Nice Steenbok!!

Keep up the good work and excellent writing style. I just wish we all had submitted our reports in this manner.
Also, don't get discouraged with some of the comments here. They beat me up bad for having a little blood on my Springbuck in a picture I posted on another website. I didn't bother with a reply explaining that we had run out of water to give it a bath with.

AFTERUM,

Congratulations on a great safari in RSA, I hope one day I can return to Africa with my wife also!

I took my son and we both hunted PG in Namibia June 2008...

Your excellent hunt report and photographs have brought back some wonderful memories!

Thank you for sharing I'm glad you did!

Thursday, August 26th, 2010
I could really feel the clock ticking now. Two days to hunt. We had breakfast as usual and we headed out to a very large (20,000 acre) property that was not very far from camp. I liked the close pieces of property cause we got to come back for lunch and then a little rest in the middle of the day before we went back out about 2:30 or so. This was another one of those "hard" days. We saw a gemsbok from the bakkie early and we bailed off and gave chase. We tracked him for over an hour thru the thorn and got a glimpse or two but I never even got on the sticks. Back to the bakkie, ride some more, walk some more, just couldn't find the magic. We went back for a nice lunch, and I spent some time writing in my journal. When you go, be sure and journal your adventure. I hope you are better at it than I am, I still have some blank pages and I have been back almost 2 weeks! I promise I will get it all filled in. I tried very hard this day to notice small things. Sights, sounds, smells of Africa that I knew I would miss very much when we left on Saturday. My binoculars were covered in a fine red dust (I still have not cleaned them except for the lenses) and I have never hunted with a dirtier rifle than the one that was in my lap. I figured there would be plenty of time to clean everything when we got home. Craig was getting anxious. You know how we all go thru phases as hunters. When you are younger, its "kill, kill, kill," and as you get older its "come my friend, let's have a drink around the fire and talk about the day". We walked almost all day and I think sometimes Craig would speed up just to see if I could keep up. The thorns must have taken my cap off a dozen times and I was bleeding here and there again. One time, Craig, the great white ph hung his big ole foot in a forked limb and he almost fell on his face. I turned my head to laugh and looked back at Barb. His face got red and I don't think he thought it was very damn funny. I liked him, he was a good kid. We saw some very nice waterbuck and I would love to have one, maybe next trip. I really felt like I earned an animal this day, but I sure didn't get one. Now we were down to one last day.

hunting is hard work

Great Thread, thanks for posting AFTERUM.

I especially liked your description of how the Afrikaans words sounded to your ear, I have been able to work out the actual word in most instances.

Cheers,
Rath

Thanks Rath and I just noticed all thru the thread I spelled it with a "C" instead of a "K" as you correctly have it. It should be "Afrikaans" not "Africaans". My apologies.

Long thread, but enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, thank you for sharing. I can see the benefit of keeping a journal.

Afterrum, nice photos and it's obvious all are having a great time. My apologies for disrupting your thread and being a jackass.

Apology accepted. Thanks Greenhorn.

Thanks Greenhorn, mighty big of you to apologize to Afterum the way you did.

Did you have any luck in your hunting? I haven't noted any posts.

Good on 'ya GH...

Ingwe

AFTERUM, when ya gonna finnish the story. You forgot the last day, and the gemsbok

maddog

Last I heard he went to a football game. Maybe he drank too much alcohol and did not remember the last day in Africa.

Ahh, that could happen....


maddog

Just got back from the big easy. My Ole Miss Rebs beat Tulane in the dome but it weren't purty......I will finish my yarn this week...didn't think ya'll would notice......Stoney, re think the .308.....

I may take the 260rem.

omg

I'd re think that if I was you[personal opinion]. The boys over there tend to prefer a 30 cal. bullet[.308 win. on up], simply for the blood trail. The critters tend to run in herds, and the soil is sandy. The trackers are good, but I'd use a .308 or larger to help them out. Course you could always use a .45-70......


maddog

Who in their right mind would use a .45-70......


Ingwe

before I finish, I wanted to show you this fine Kudu, taken by Tim from California. 58" on one side 59" on the other. What a horse.

Afterum,
Thank you for a great post and most of all thanks for including your wife. If I am able to go someday my wife will also be with me. It means a lot for her to see your post.
Phil

Friday, August 27th, 2010
How could it be that ten days of hunting had gone by so fast? There are still 24 hrs in a day aren't there? How come they seem to pass so swiftly. Well, I knew the last day had to come and I still did not have a gemsbok. We went to "Rose Valley" because we had seen alot of them there and we had just arrived when Craig saw a bull from the bakkie. "Stop piggie" and Johannus stopped and we bailed off to try to get a shot. We trailed this bull for about an hour and I never saw him, although Craig saw him twice. I already had considered the fact that I may not get a gemsbok and I was ok with that. After all, I had passed a 36" cow and what did I have to complain about. We walked, and then we walked some more. Most of the time, when we would walk thru the thorn, we would finally come out on a road and Craig would call Johannus on his walkie-talkie and Johannus would come pick us up. It saved walking back to the truck. When Johannus came to get us, he told Craig (in Afrikaans) that he had seen a small herd of gemsbok that had a large female. We took off down the road to find them if we could. By now it was about 11AM, and we had walked most of the morning. As we rounded a corner, we saw 5 or 6 gemsbok about 100yds away in the bush. We stopped and were about to get out of the bakkie, when they turned to leave. About three of them started walking to the right and then one came back and was crossing broadside right to left. I was about to get down but decided to prop on the truck instead. Craig said "shoot the 2nd one crossing right to lefe." Well, I tried to get the crosshairs on that animal but the gemsbok was able to cross and start away from me before I could get a good sight picture. The animal had crossed and now was going away and as it turned slightly right, I thought I could shoot it behind the last rib, and angle the bullet forward into the left shoulder. I made the only bad shot of my trip. Instead of the last rib, I hit the right ham. I did not know where I hit it and since it went right down, I thought I had made a good shot. Craig took off running, and I followed. When he got to the gemsbok she got up and he emptied his 9mm pistol, but did not hit her. We also had with us Craig's dog Lightning, a puppy that was a bloodhound/bluetick cross. Craig had said, "I would like to train my dog on a bloodtrail, but the way you shoot, looks like I won't get to." He would get his chance now, thanks to my poor shot. When we got to where the gemsbok was standing, I was glad to see a good blood trail. Craig and Lightning went on ahead and Johannus, Barb, and I followed the blood. All of a sudden we heard a pistol shot, then Craig came running back towards us. He asked for my rifle, I gave it to him and he ran back out of sight. The three of us followed as fast as we could. Boom! I heard the .375 and I hoped that was the end. Boom! another one and I was feeling kinda sick. When we got to where Craig and Lightning were (about another 100yds) they were standing by the dead gemsbok. My first shot had severed the femoral artery in the right ham. Craig told me that when he and the dog had caught up, she was already lying down. He shot her in the left ham so she would not get up, and then in the heart.
She was beautiful and had long very sharp horns, thought not as big at the base as Tip and Tim's bulls. I am sure she would have died from the first shot but I was very disappointed to make a questionable shot on such a fine animal.



We got back to the camp right at lunch. This gemsbok was the only animal that I was able to find the 270gr TSX bullets in.



They looked like a Barnes advertisement.

After lunch, Craig and I talked Barb into trying to shoot something. After all, we had the whole afternoon, and I was all done. Pieter let us borrow his 7/57 mauser. It had a killer Swaro 30mm scope and was a little heavy which helped with the recoil. His only request was that we let Barb shoot it on the range to make sure it was "on" and, I think, to make sure she could shoot it effectively. We sat her down at the bench and I let Craig coach her. I thought she would listen to him better than me (a prophet is without honor in his own country) although I knew she could shoot as she used to hunt with me bk (before kids.) She shot the first time and it was about 1/2 inch low but in the bull. After the second shot, Craig said "I think she missed the target!" "No way" I said and we walked down to the berm and looked. It took a minute, but on close inspection you could see that she had put the 2nd shot almost in the same hole! "I think she's ready" Craig said. We were off to a waterhole to wait for Mr. warthog.



the reticle looked like this



We sat for about 3 hours and several warthogs came to the watertank but no males.
Lots of guinea fowl came to water, and about 1/2 hour before dark, they got really nervous. Soon we were able to hear some squawking and then we saw a jackal that had tried to get one of the guineas. We let him come on down near the water. Craig told Barb that if she shot him, there would probably not be a chance at a warthog. I told her to shoot. She took careful aim. The jackal was about 75yds away and had no idea we were there. The report of the rifle startled Barb and she looked at me and said"Did I get him?" "Yep, you flattened him" I said and so she did. We went out and retrieved her fine trophy. I think she became a hunter again that day.



What a great ending. We drove slowly back to camp and just as we got to the gate, there were 2 young bull kudu standing about 40 yds away. I said "stop piggy" and Johannus laughed as he stopped the bakkie. We sat there for about 10 minutes. I watched the young bulls as the sun set behind them. I tried to drink in all I could and I promised myself that I would be back someday. I was a changed man.

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and encouragement. If this thread should have a small part in encouraging just one of you to go to Africa to hunt, it will be well worth it. I will look forward to YOUR excellent adventure.

Afterum

Excellent ending to a great story. Congrats! When ya going back


maddog

AFTERUM: if you've seen my posts, then you know Gemsbok are my favorites,so all I can say to your first pic is....YOU SUCK!!!

2nd pic... Too bad about those Barnes....they didnt overpenetrate.....

But really....I have enjoyed your narrative as much as anything Ive ever seen posted here.It is sooooo cool being able to see it all again, through someone elses eyes, who are seeing it for the first time. I probably told you ( I tell everyone who listens...) that going to Africa is like falling in love for the first time...you will not have a day pass...for the rest of your life...when you don't think of her....

Ingwe

Thanks for the good read. I hope to go some day.

Steve, what are you going to do with the jackal?

we left him in that row of trees you see behind Barb....kinda wish I had skinned him and done something with it, and I think she does too....but it was late, the last day, he was pretty torn up on the other side and we didn't want to fool with his stinky azz...

Would have been a nice mount.

I like that pic of your wife holding it up. Very cool!

Afterum,

Thanks for sharing your experiences and photos. I went to RSA in 2008 and have been saving to go back ever since. Reading your thread reinforced that!

Manny

AFTERUM,

Can't tell you how much it gets me to thinking, reading your articles and missing Cruisers. My wife and I were there in 09 and are planning a couples trip back in 2012. Good to see the pictures of Craig and Johan. They are great guys as are everyone there , Grassy , Hans and on occasion, Jon.

Afterum, I was late to this party. Nice photos and great story. It is always a pleasure for me to hear about a well enjoyed safari.

I was glad so many of you enjoyed the thread but I would have never guessed 10,000!!!

Entertaining, Engaging, Eloquent and Inspirational.
Thanks for the fantastic recounting of your trip, I almost felt I was there along for the ride.
Hopefully, one day.....preferably soon.
Thanks and Regards,
Aussielad.

That was a fantastic read!

Congrats on your trophies.

Very nice write-up and stories, I like your writing style a lot.

Now about that next trip.....

Very Good read

Great read, thank you very much AFTERUM

Thanks for taking the time in posting your hunt report. I enjoyed the pics of Africa as well. Helps us wanta be there guys to read and see what it is like. Great read. Thank your wife for taking the pics too.

Great writing. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

This was one of the first stories I read on this forum. Went back again and re-read it today, still is a fantastic read even the second time around.

No kidding! I have been told I look like I am on a chemical high when reliving stories.
Randy

Never been to Africa. Probably never will. But after reading your thread I feel like I was there with you.
A heartfelt thank you.

Awesome report AFTERUM.
Truly inspiring!
You definitely had the trip of a lifetime.
I hope to make it over one day (I had an RSA surfing trip in '03 that was incredible... but to hunt Africa would be a dream!)

Did you get any biltong over there?!!

EricM,
Biltong (their form of jerky) is available in every little town and made from all the animals you will hunt (kudu, wildebeest,and even warthog) I ate alot while I was there. Thanks to all for the kind words. I would never have guessed that there would be over 18,000 views. I will go back some day Lord willin'.

25,696 views.....unbelievable

WELL IT HAS BEEN AN OUTSTANDING POST TO FOLLOW!!!!!!!!!!
SO HERE IS 25,697!!!!!

You are eloquant, and your honest reporting has the feel of integrity and honour. It is no small wonder there are so many views ans rereads.

Randy

Great job. Thanks for sharing!

You did a remarkable job in telling us about a great hunt! I was able to hunt RSA in 2002 & 2003 and have always regretted that I did not take the time to keep a journal and do a better job of photography. The memories will last a life time, and as one forum commentor stated " Africa is like your first love, you will think of her every day" is so true! Thanks again!

For years I've wrestled with the idea of Africa because of the stretch financially, my line of work, and the unmet desires that still exist for me in North America, but this thread has probably enhanced my desire to make a plains game hunt more than anything else I've read in recent memory.

Really outstanding accounting and pictures.

Can I ask a couple of questions? First, with airfare, gratuities, daily rate, and game handling, what would be a reasonable expectation of cost for a comparable hunt?

Second, I'm also an avid bowhunter; would any of you recommend and archery hunt for plains game (assuming I have one shot at this deal in my lifetime), or would you suggest sticking with a rifle hunt?

Also, any of you have experience bird hunting RSA? That is one of my interests too.

I have my first hunt scheduled for next year with Cruiser's. I read your hunt report off of their website, and recognized you through the photos. Thanks for the great stories - it definitely fuels my fire!!

As someone who lives in & hunts in Africa all I can say is this is truly a wonderful account! Well done & hope to have you back this side sooner rather than later!

You will have a wonderful hunt with Cruiser!


maddog

Not really. I've viewed it 25,000 times myself.

68 more day's till Cruiser.

Well slg888, ya better come home with a hellava story, and pics1


maddog

Man, am I jealous Stoney....you gonna love it!

WOW! Made a rare stop at this forum and luckily clicked on your thread, Afterum. What a great account. I never really had an interest in an Africa hunt, but you may have changed my mind. I do know one thing - I'd be honored to share a camp with you. You understand why I hunt and you appreciate all those experiences that make every day memorable.

Thanks again!

Ron

AFTERUM

Thank you for taking the time to share you experiences.
The pictures and report were great.

AFTERUM

Thanks for giving us your story,and so well made that we can also live it

DOn't know how I missed this thread, great story and hunt, gives my old bones hope yet,

Was the Zebra just dirty or the coat realy that dark, have never seen one up close

thanks DaveJames,
yeah he was really dark, not dirt really, I would call him black with white stripes rather than the other way around.....

please more. it was really just one azzhole.

But why run someone elses hunt down. i would like to hear gh's next day hunt for 'the stud' as i enjoyed seeing the results of your bear hunt.

I re-read the hunt again. Was just as good as the first time.
Jeez, almost 35K views - that says something.

thanks guys....no one was more surprised than me at the number of views....I am no writer, just tried to tell it like I saw it...

I just found this thread and read it for the first time. Thank you sir for posting it!

I, too, just stumbled across this ... I've been reminiscing a lot lately about my first (and only) hunt in Namibia 5 years ago and the similarities are breathtaking -- including AFTERUM's outstanding taste in rifles and bullets.

My hunt also changed my view of fences. We hunted several properties, some low-fenced and some high-fenced, with the fences in varying degrees of repair. After I saw a herd of kudu jump between the strands of wire on one slightly damaged high fence, and a hartebeest use a warthog tunnel to crawl under one that was better maintained, I don't give fences as much credit as I used to!

Well done Afterum, very nice thread, with some great photo's.
I was bit dissapointed by some peoples comments early on but glossed over these.
I hope you are planning another trip and another thread.
I may of missed it , but what was the weight of the recovered 270gr TSX's.
I shot an Eland with a .375 250gr and its still 250gr.

I only recovered two of the 11 bullets fired on my trip (which includes the two fired to check zero). Each of them was 270 grains when it went into the case, and 270 when it came out of the animal.

will weigh them and get back to you

Cool!

I thought there would be more pics when I saw this again on the first page. Surely there are more? If not, you have to go back.

man I sure hope I can.....
dem buffs is callin me......this time next year maybe??? when are you going?