Monster Sable in South Africa?

[tap]

I am out of town right now and will post pics tomorrow of my last month long hunt where I got my kudu. 3 actually. One was 54.5 one was 58 1/4, and one was 59 3/4. So to be honest I didn't get a 60 but I assume that is close enough. If anyone wants to see the pictures toto ins website and view page one of his photo gallery. That waterbuck was 30.5", the oryx was a young bull but was 40 1/2. When I dropped the oryx a spring buck stood up and Ian was begging for me to shoot it and I had no desire to. He eventually talked me in to shooting him and he was just shy of 17 inches. It was simply a fluke hunt. The kudu in those pics is the 58 1/4 inches and was the one I had full body mounted. Sorry for the lack of spell corrections but my iPad doesn't do so well on this site. Anyways ians website is www.vdvsafaris.co.za the first several pics there are of me. Thanks to him killing that giant croc in there my wife has now requested he find one like that for her and to call when he has access to a concession with one that big in it.

 

[tap]

www.vdvsafaris.co.za
Ians website.....I am the first several pics in that gallery. That kudu is 58 1/4.

 

[tap]

Alright this site sux now. I can't post URL links and there is no way to upload photos with an I pad. Sorry for the last several confusing posts. I will refrain from posting further until I can get off this cursed iPad!

 

[Bushbuck]

Honestly if someone is into the score,(which I an Not) 1/4 inch is huge. In fact on many animals it is the difference between 1st place and 400th place..

 

[tap]

so the bull that was 59 3/4 i sould passed cuz he wasnt 60"? tough crowd. im sorry for lying. Since we are being honest my big kudu was actually 59 3/4 on one side and 57 3/4 on the other sde and both bases were 12 1/2 inches. so the score came out to be 142 inches. even if he was 60 on both sides he would have been far from top ten. but that is beside the point. a 60 inch kudu to me is like a 400 inch rcky mountain elk and of the 20 bulls ive killed 386 is my best taken on public lands. s for me i killed the eqivalent of a 400 inch bull in kudu and i consider this high mark for sable to be 45". its simply a mark i set in order to have goals. as long as i have goals i have excitement to look forward to. why set my goals low only to accomplish them and have nothing left to do. thats jut my view and im not saying its correct. its just how i tick. sorry

 

[BnC 04]

Good looking Kudu for sure, congrats. I know the "setting a goal" idea, I think as hunters we all in some shape or form do it....

 

[sestoppelman]

Tap,

You are very fortunate to have taken such fine trophies with such relative ease. Not saying the hunting is easy, I know it isnt, but to take that number of really big kudu on so few trips, remarkable. Like I said earlier it took me 5 trips to get one over 50 and I was tickled pink! Its my avatar picture BTW. I however have never been a particularly lucky hunter though I have taken my share of nice trophies and I think over half of my Africa stuff would qualify SCI should I want to enter something which I never have done. Anyway, fine looking kudu bull.

 

[hunting]

Hi Tap
Help me out on this one. In Your first Thread you said the following.
" My first african experience with numzaan safaris was a disaster and I want to avoid safari companies like that at all costs".
Then later you said,
"Thanks to him killing that giant croc in there my wife has now requested he find one like that for her and to call when he has access to a concession with one that big in it."
In the first thread you are talking about Ian and Numzaan safaris and in the second statement you are still talking about Ian as you gave his web site and detail but still you would like to spend your money with him by taking a crock with his company, sorry but i do not get the two together.
Johan

 

[tap]

I understood enough Africans in my first safari to understand that stef, the owner of numzaan, told the other ph's not to let us shoot trophy animals because we weren't wealthy clients. He also left us in camp guileless two days because the so called wealthy guys wanted more help. When I heard Ian and stef arguing in Africans about not treating clients like we were being treated I knew I had someone who could help. I stepped in and let stef know Ian would guide me the rest of my hunt or I would peruse him in court. Ian took care of us from there on out. Ian even took the time to have bottled water shipped in for all four of us. Stef only refilled bottled water cuz he's a tight wad. Needles to say the source of the water made us all sick with the runs. Ian stepped up and make a horrible experience memorable. From there on out I have trusted no one else but Ian. Stef was even bold enough to not feed our wives when we were away from camp for breakfast and lunch in order to save a buck. However when stef found out we were well of he became our best friend and personally tried to guide us. Funny thing is that every time a 20 inch impala turned broadside stef would say that's a monster you must shoot it. Stef is a salesman and that is all. This is a game about money to him and that's all it ever will be.

 

[tap]

Btw Ian left numzaan after that and I followed him wherever he went. He finally went on his own and I stayed with him.

How did I get those kudu? I told Ian my number one desire was a 60" kudu. Since Ian hunts 280 days out of the year he hunted several places where he saw giant kudu. Once he had enough places located where we knew giant kudu lived I booked a hunt. We hunted an entire month and that kudu pictured above took us 5 days just to finally locate. After that it took us three more days of waiting overlooking what we thought was his bedroom before we got him. The other animals I got we just animals of opportunity found while we were hunting those kudu. The 55 inter was taken on shilantes farm which I found to be less of a challenge since the place hadn't been hunted much before I got there. However the other two kudu were a huge game of chess and were a blast to hunt.

 

[LouisB]

Hi Tap

I am sorry to hear about your bad experience, luckily Ian did his part for you!

You sound like the kind of guy who knows what he wants and have no problem with hunting selectively, this does take up a lot of time as you pointed out but that is what it is about.

Congratulations on the fine animals you have taken in the past and I wish you all the best for the future.

Best Regards
Louis van Bergen

 

[enysse]

Tap, I really would hunt Zambia, for the sable you are looking for is quite special. You seem like a client that states what he expects and wants on a hunt and I respect that in a person. You have shot some really nice kudu. And as a kudu nut like you....there are plenty of places in the Limpopo to get a kudu at the 55"+ area and it doesn't take a whole lot of research.

Some of your experience with Africa, mirror some of the things I have seen.....there definitely can be good and bad experience. I'm glad you found a guy you like!

I would contact Pete Swanepoel safariBwana. I think he can give you the answers you are looking for in Africa.

 

[tim416]

The Matetsi Safari area is known for very large sable as well as waterbuck.
I was there with clients this past fall and saw a few over 40".
This one was taken in November, the last hunt of the season. I do not have the final score but the client indicated it was in the mid forties.

 

[tap]

i do not appreciate that last thread at all. i am self employed and need to concentrate on keeping my business up and running. then you guys go and post a picture of a monster sable. now i wont be able to get any work done for weeks. j/k....

i was actually looking into matetsi safaris next year for buffalo and croc. that is if they will allow ian to be my ph which im sure they will so we will see.

 

[wswat]

Why are the prices on Sable so High??
They are not dangerous game so is it just there numbers?

 

[enysse]

They are high priced because they are a very majestic animal!

You wil always see wildebeest, springbok, warthogs, oryx,...etc. But you are never going to see a ton of sable. There are only so many to go around. The breeding programs in South Africa....make the sable high priced....but then again aren't cape buffalo high price too?

I personally don't think $8000 is too bad for 40+ sable.....but would have a hard time justifing a 36" for anything more than $6000 in South Africa....after all everyone is starting to charge by the inch.

That is my two cents for what it's worth.

The really ???? is why the roan is charged more than the sable in RSA...you can hunt them cheaper in other countries.

 

[LouisB]

Here is a picture of one of the bulls we have!

He is 44” but there are some bigger bulls.



Best Regards
Louis van Bergen

 

[enysse]

How am I to sleep when you post pictures like this Louis (lol). Darn nice sable!!!!

 

[tim416]

Why are the prices on Sable so High??
They are not dangerous game so is it just there numbers?

As was stated by Enysse, they are a very beautiful thus desireable trophy. Quality sable are in limited supply and qualify as a specific hunt. In Zimbabawe they typically require a 10 day hunt at $900-$1000 per day with a 3,000-4,000 dollar trophy fee. The daily rates are much less in RSA but the trophy fees are doubled. Any way you slice it's not a cheap trophy but a truly beautiful one.

Oops Tap, I'm sorry, did I post that sable photo again?

 

[LouisB]

LOL That is why I never sleep.........thanks Enysse!

Best regards
Louis van Bergen