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Fantastic report. It was nice meeting you and Walt in ATL. Very impressive trophies!

It is already up. Nick Bowker Hunting June 2024

I have been back a few weeks now from my first PG hunt. I used a 338 win mag with 210 gr Barnes TTSX and do not regret it. However, I also fall into the lost game category for pushing my limits and not being patient enough. Out of the list provided I am in the 30-06 camp with a 180gr premium...

Had a good transaction as seller to @Skshyk. Payment was made promptly as agreed. Item went out to him next business day.

I used IMR4064 with 165gr projectiles back in the day and since I am waiting on my new to me 30-06 that is where I plan on starting again. I will be using the TTSX and Interlocks both in 165gr in this gun. I have noticed that a lot of my hunting guns and loads are calling for Ram Shot Big Game...

That should be okay, what distances are you anticipating? My .338WM was running them at about 2755fps with a 210gr. Killed a Red Hartebeest @305yds DRT.

SOLD.

Me too. I use them so mine are not collectors for sure but they are in great shape for their age, which in most cases they are older than I am.

My hunting rifles are pretty much all Sako. It appears we have very similar taste. I got spoiled when the 7mm-08 was gifted to me from my stepfather when I was 16 or so. I had a choice between it and if I remember correctly a .257 Robert’s, which I do not recall the make as it was many moons...

I got my work cut out for me... Just picked up a Sako L61R 30-06 so that is on deck along with my Sako L57 7mm-08(used to be a .243). Really trying to hone in on all these Sakos I have as they all shoot damn well.

Both pressure test loads for the 338 & the 375 are complete. First time loading for the 375. .338WM- 68-72grs in 0.5 increments of IMR4350 with the 200gr Hornady SST on top .375H&H- 64.5-68.5grs in 0.5 increments of IMR4320 with a 300gr Hornady DGS on top

Price reduced. Still available. $165 shipped lower 48.

Great report. Glad to see the success and great trophies. Ben is an awesome PH and Nick runs a first rate outfit. I will be going back as soon as I can.

Thank you for reading it. To make the shots better I just need more practice on the sticks and better reading of the angles on my part, it was definitely doable just a lack of patience and skill at those distances.

I believe I was correct but it might have been blesbok. All I know is there were lots of animals. Many of which I still could not tell you what they are with my naked eye from a distance. I will be able to clear it up when I get the video.

Trogon, thank you for reading it. You were mentioned several times in the Bakkie by Ben. The second trip is being heavily thought about and the saving of my pennies begins again. I am hoping for 2026 however my son will be graduating from high school so I might have to adjust my plans. Either...

It was a great time and thanks for reading it. The lost animals definitely sucked but I own it. My limits were tested and my ability was challenged. Hindsight is 20/20 and I am looking forward to the return to Africa.

Conclusion: This trip was absolutely amazing and a learning experience. Not everything went well and it was fully my fault for the lost game. I had all the right tools and an excellent PH. They got me on every animal on my list and we even saw others. At one point I was asked more than once...

Hunting Day 7: June 18, 2024 This morning a decision was made to hunt near the old lodge property. We got there just as the sun began to shine on the hillsides. From a high vantage point we were seeing lots of game. As Ben was glassing for our Kudu the hills came to life and emerged some Kudu...

Hunting Day 6: June 17, 2024 The decision was made to do a short travel to the mountains for my Black Wildebeest and Zebra this day. We set out at 6:00am to get to the property we would be hunting that was roughly 45 minutes away. Upon entry to this property we had to have our boots sprayed...

At lunch time Ben whipped up the fresh Red Hartebeest liver which was fantastic. In the afternoon we set out for the Kudu we had seen earlier that morning and created a plan once they were spotted. We set our tracker out to push them from the hill they were on and set up an ambush for when they...

Since it was getting late and we still had drive ahead of us to get back to Hopewell Lodge we hustled to load up the Impala and get to the skinning shed. Marvin, our tracker, got to work quickly to prepare the Impala for a euro mount and then we took off to the house to get our gear loaded. We...

After dealing with Swiss we were called by the landowner about a Kudu on the other side of the property so we took a drive over. After a short stalk it was determined he was a good animal except for the broken horn on one side. So we headed back to the house for the night for a great dinner and...

Hunting Day 2: June 12, 2024 We got going right at 5am and boy was that difficult with all the traveling and time zone difference, it was 11pm back home, which is past my bedtime. However the excitement to see what the day would bring snapped any tiredness right out of my body. We picked up a...

Hunting Day 1: June 11, 2024 We got up nice and early enjoyed a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. Ben decided we would start the hunt off with an Impala. When we arrived to the area we would be looking for a nice ram we took a short stroll to a cliffside to view the valley below. We saw...

After we relaxed for a bit we took a short drive to the range area to verify my rifle was still in good order. A single shot from the bench on paper proved she was. Another shot on sticks to steel proved I was ready to go, so I thought. More on this later. We returned to the lodge and were...

Practice, practice, practice.... Shooting sticks are the norm and I am glad I was able to get some and practice before arriving. If I did not I think my success would have been much lower and I will explain shortly as we are getting to the meat and potatoes of this report. I made a choice to...

Getting there for a guy leaving North America for the first time ever created a whole new layer of questions but Nick's website lead me to Gracy Travel and Hannah was fantastic. She made it a breeze to get flights, insurance, and even my gun permit figured out. Bruce, their man on the ground in...

This will be long winded for many but I wan to include as much as I can for other first timers on my experience from making the decision to the leg work getting there and the final result. It was worth the time and money for sure. I hope you enjoy the read. I often thought of doing a safari as...

Thank you all. It is going to be amazing I am sure.

I was thinking red hartebeest as a possibility maybe a gemsbok.

I had that feeling and have been eyeballing potential additional trophies. Trying to stick within my budget and get the ones I liked the most first. I guess I will see what Africa gives me when I get there. There are a few I would add.

I am hunting Eastern Cape with @Nick BOWKER HUNTING SOUTH AFRICA. My menu is Zebra, Kudu, Black Wildebeest, Blue Wildebeest, and Impala. I’ll be hunting for 8 days and looking at weatherunderground it will be nice while I am there.

Depart on DL200 Sunday night. I cannot believe how quick time has flown by since booking my safari last August. Today it became really real when I received my trophy tags from SSI. Wyatt has been great to deal with this far. Now all I have to do is get some trophies. I get to ATL at around 5pm...

I am flying Delta and have a decent layover before take off in ATL at 2130. I get to ATL at 1700. I have an overnight in joberg before I depart to Port Elizabeth. This will be my first time on safari and leaving North America in general. 28 days until check in and counting. If you are up for it...

I fly out of Hartford, CT to Atlanta on June 9th heading to RSA. Good luck on your hunt!

I had some old stock new brass in house however a couple months ago Kittery Trading Post in Maine had some and I picked up another 100 pcs. Might want to check them out as they do ship. I have a bunch of once fired saved up as well and glad I do with how hard it was to find the new brass.

Great advice as I will not be able to correct a problem once there. However they all passed the gage which was set off a fired case from this rifle. But I am going to heed the advice and appreciate it fully.

Leupold VX-3HD with CDS turret. Just got it back from them Wednesday and it is on the scope ready to go. I will do a final check a few days before I depart. Spending as much time as I can practicing on sticks with my 22 and 223

Just developed this one for the gun. Oddly enough it was the first load I tried and it worked. I did test in .5gr increments to 70.0gr. My other two previous 338’s liked 69-69.5 of the IMR4350 so I felt I would be close. I got the gun back from the smith this winter from rebluing, new recoil...

Spent time today loading for my plains game safari next month in Eastern Cape RSA. Sako L61R 338WM New Winchester brass Winchester LRM primers 210 gr Barnes TTSX 68.5 gr IMR 4350 2810fps 100yd sight in

I am doing my first ever safari as well, actually my first time leaving North America. I depart the US on June 9th to hunt with @Nick BOWKER HUNTING SOUTH AFRICA. My menu currently consists of Zebra, Kudu, Black Wildebeest, Blue Wildebeest, and Impala.

Good to see another fellow from the Northeast. I will be going on my first safari in June. I depart from Bradley on the 9th. It is so close yet so far away. You will find a lot of information here.