Joey17
New member
Long time AH reader, first time poster. This was my second trip to Africa (SA both times), exclusively bowhunting, and my first time with African Bowhunting Adventures. I started typing this, trying to keep it short, but I’m so excited about it I can’t stand to not share some of the details…..so, my apologies for being verbose.
I had spoken with Danie a few times online previously, and we made arrangements to meet in person at DSC show in January of ‘24. First two things I told him were (1) that I wasn’t coming back in 24 after a big trip in 23 with another outfit, and (2) that I am very picky with my trophies. Well….at least one of those things remained true!!! I ultimately booked the last week of dates he had available for 2024 and ended up hunting with him for 7 hunting days - Aug 27th thru Sep 2nd.
Our first stop was the Kalahari, west of Vryburg and within 5 miles of the Botswana border for lion. We linked up with a few other PHs Danie knew well and their trackers, and we had an incredible hunt. After a few miles of tracking a very nice cat, we were able to catch up to him when he found himself between us and a few buffalo bulls, prompting him to bay up and face us. We ended up able to pop into a hole in the thick brush and get a 22 yard head on/slight quartering to shot on him with the bow as he was crouched and sizing us up. We were blessed with a perfect shot (Later recovered the heart and the arrow went through the dead center), and when he exploded from his lair he turned and ran away from us until he piled up 40 yards away - none of the 3 big bore rifles required for backup were ever fired, and all were safe. When we review the video, we can see the lion was dead on his feet in approximately 11 seconds. Incredible hunt and a perfect outcome.
From there, we moved on to hunt an animal I was insanely and probably unreasonably obsessed with for this trip - a red lechwe. My PH the previous year had told me it wasn’t going to be possible once I got to camp (would have been nice to know before I flew across the world…), though we did see a few, which only stoked the fire within me. Danie knew how fixated I was on getting one, and man did he find an exceptional property for us to hunt them on. We say dozens and dozens of lehwe with several very nice bulls. We were able to stalk in on one that had the beautiful coloration and symmetry I was after (let alone size…), and put a solid shot on him at 54 yards through the tall grasses. I could not have been moore thrilled when we recovered the bull - symmetrical, 29.5” in length, and having exceptional mass - both at the bases and through the horn lengths. Our preliminary measurements lead us to believe that he will rank as SCI #2 every taken with a bow, second only to one of Brian Bailey’s, and in the range of #6 all time. I couldn’t be more excited, and the animal is a testament to Danie’s ability to find exactly what I was after, and get me into bow range on foot - so, @Danie Geel - if you read this, thank you again…!
Next up, giraffe. Again, much scouting went into this on my outfitter’s side to ensure an incredibly special giraffe. While these are tough to quantify, this one was an undeniable giant. I’ve seen likely in the hundreds of giraffe in my life (few, I’m sure, in comparison to many others on this site…), and this one had all I could want - size, color, and incredible character in the skull - see the photos, my words fail to do it justice. Again, we were able to get to 30 yards on foot, and with one well placed arrow, watched him fall 40 yards and some 15 seconds later.
Next was another DG species, and one of the driving motivators for the trip. As my dear friend and outfitter noted, another one I was incredibly particular about - buffalo. As all know, there are countless shapes of buff, and while I would love to take all of them, I’m still a working man, so one would have to do - and if I’m after just one, it must be one I’m happy to look at daily for the rest of my life. Danie and I texted about the buff I was after for months, including many photos and his patience as I tried to describe an intangible look was incredible and much appreciated. I am never solely interested in score or numbers, so width wasn’t the driving motivator for me. I must say - the place I hunted the previous year prides itself on quantity and quality of buffalo, and while I saw some great dugga boys, they didn’t hold a candle to the incredible bulls in this area that ABA has exclusive access to. Very shortly into the hunt we spotted a small group of 3 bulls which had been kicked from the larger herd. One of the well known old warrior bulls that I had seen pics of was in the group, and was easily identifiable by the scars all over his face. While I was quite excited about that particular bull, my face lit up upon seeing one of the others with him - though a touch narrower, he had it all. Incredible bosses, drop, curl, tips, symmetry, and most of all, just the “WOW” factor that I simply can’t describe. One look and I knew he was the one I’d have to have. Given the nature of the situation and this buffalo’s notorious companion, we opted to head for a blind we knew the bull was headed towards as opposed to attempting a foot stalk. While he took his time offering a shot, we ultimately were able to get him broadside within 30 yards. One arrow buried to the fletchings, and as he ran away we saw him die on his feet at a full sprint, tumbling to the ground in a video-confirmed 12 seconds. When we got to him, he was absolutely all I could have dreamed of in a buff. At a width of 44.5” and 17.5” bosses along with gorgeous sweeping curls and tips, his sci score is over 135”, good enough for #3 all time with a bow. An absolute dream buffalo, and while I knew we’d find a good one, I hadn’t dared to dream we’d find one this spectacular. They’re tricky to photograph, but I’m sure that you’ll be able to see how special the animal truly was.
Before moving on to the next animal I harvested, I should point out a few I did not take - due to the necessary budget constraints and my very specific preferences, I passed some incredible opportunities with the bow at this place. We had a great mountain reedbuck that I got to stalk with one of the other PHs who ultimately took it(at my urging with my bow, very cool to watch and be a part of), and several klipspringer that I’m confident we could have taken with the bow within 60 yards (assuming I did my part…!). The place was incredible and loaded with up and coming monster buffalo bulls, and if I ever plan to hunt cape buff again in SA, I know where I’ll be headed and who I’ll be calling! We saw brown hyena tracks and even had a leopard come to the skinning shed at night and help himself to some of the offal from my buffalo. Awesome experience and a gorgeous property loaded with game.
I had expressed some interest in a few very specific color variants, and was able to take a beautiful saddleback impala ram that I can’t wait to get back and up on the wall. At this property I was able to see some beautiful roan and tsessebe as well as we hunted our way around.
At our last stop we planned to pick off a zebra, but on our way into camp I spotted a kudu that just had “the look” to me. It’s hard to describe, but when I see something that speaks to me, I have a tough time forgetting it, even though I had taken a nice kudu over water and feed last year when hunting. This one was looking a bit skinny in his old age, and with hip and shoulder bones protruding, it was a great one to take. His secondary growth and horn character really pushed him to the front of my mind, and so the next morning we found ourselves spot and stalking a kudu - a task that has been described to me before as nearly impossible. Thanks to some tall grass and an incredibly skilled PH, we were able to crawl into range and get an opportunity at 70 yards even. The feeding bull had no clue we were there and when I stood up with my sight dialed and bow drawn, he didn’t move or raise his head until the arrow was already through him. Another beautiful animal down in sight.
That evening, we were blessed with a great zebra opportunity and I was able to send an arrow at 71 yards after a short stalk. Though the video shows an arrow headed exactly for the intended target, zebra reacted to the shot so it wasn’t my ideal placement, but we still got great penetration and it was feeling the effects in 100-120 yards, allowing us to get up to it and accelerate his death with another shot.
In conclusion, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the guys with African Bowhunting Adventures. Their willingness to take on a very particular and picky client, and ability to find exceptional trophies should be commended. I also really appreciated their dedication to getting great video and photos, and I have incredible media to remember the hunt by as I wait on the taxidermy. If you know what you want, this outfit is particularly well equipped and motivated to find it for you, and while I don’t wish to bad mouth my prior outfitter at all, I wouldn’t recommend bowhunting Africa with anyone else. The entire experience was all I could have hoped for and more. I’m happy to discuss with anyone who may have questions about the operation…just don’t try to bump me from my 2026 dates…!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go shore up my SCI membership and make a few entries….i have no doubt that in a few years, the SCI archery records will be dominated by ABA clients.
I had spoken with Danie a few times online previously, and we made arrangements to meet in person at DSC show in January of ‘24. First two things I told him were (1) that I wasn’t coming back in 24 after a big trip in 23 with another outfit, and (2) that I am very picky with my trophies. Well….at least one of those things remained true!!! I ultimately booked the last week of dates he had available for 2024 and ended up hunting with him for 7 hunting days - Aug 27th thru Sep 2nd.
Our first stop was the Kalahari, west of Vryburg and within 5 miles of the Botswana border for lion. We linked up with a few other PHs Danie knew well and their trackers, and we had an incredible hunt. After a few miles of tracking a very nice cat, we were able to catch up to him when he found himself between us and a few buffalo bulls, prompting him to bay up and face us. We ended up able to pop into a hole in the thick brush and get a 22 yard head on/slight quartering to shot on him with the bow as he was crouched and sizing us up. We were blessed with a perfect shot (Later recovered the heart and the arrow went through the dead center), and when he exploded from his lair he turned and ran away from us until he piled up 40 yards away - none of the 3 big bore rifles required for backup were ever fired, and all were safe. When we review the video, we can see the lion was dead on his feet in approximately 11 seconds. Incredible hunt and a perfect outcome.
From there, we moved on to hunt an animal I was insanely and probably unreasonably obsessed with for this trip - a red lechwe. My PH the previous year had told me it wasn’t going to be possible once I got to camp (would have been nice to know before I flew across the world…), though we did see a few, which only stoked the fire within me. Danie knew how fixated I was on getting one, and man did he find an exceptional property for us to hunt them on. We say dozens and dozens of lehwe with several very nice bulls. We were able to stalk in on one that had the beautiful coloration and symmetry I was after (let alone size…), and put a solid shot on him at 54 yards through the tall grasses. I could not have been moore thrilled when we recovered the bull - symmetrical, 29.5” in length, and having exceptional mass - both at the bases and through the horn lengths. Our preliminary measurements lead us to believe that he will rank as SCI #2 every taken with a bow, second only to one of Brian Bailey’s, and in the range of #6 all time. I couldn’t be more excited, and the animal is a testament to Danie’s ability to find exactly what I was after, and get me into bow range on foot - so, @Danie Geel - if you read this, thank you again…!
Next up, giraffe. Again, much scouting went into this on my outfitter’s side to ensure an incredibly special giraffe. While these are tough to quantify, this one was an undeniable giant. I’ve seen likely in the hundreds of giraffe in my life (few, I’m sure, in comparison to many others on this site…), and this one had all I could want - size, color, and incredible character in the skull - see the photos, my words fail to do it justice. Again, we were able to get to 30 yards on foot, and with one well placed arrow, watched him fall 40 yards and some 15 seconds later.
Next was another DG species, and one of the driving motivators for the trip. As my dear friend and outfitter noted, another one I was incredibly particular about - buffalo. As all know, there are countless shapes of buff, and while I would love to take all of them, I’m still a working man, so one would have to do - and if I’m after just one, it must be one I’m happy to look at daily for the rest of my life. Danie and I texted about the buff I was after for months, including many photos and his patience as I tried to describe an intangible look was incredible and much appreciated. I am never solely interested in score or numbers, so width wasn’t the driving motivator for me. I must say - the place I hunted the previous year prides itself on quantity and quality of buffalo, and while I saw some great dugga boys, they didn’t hold a candle to the incredible bulls in this area that ABA has exclusive access to. Very shortly into the hunt we spotted a small group of 3 bulls which had been kicked from the larger herd. One of the well known old warrior bulls that I had seen pics of was in the group, and was easily identifiable by the scars all over his face. While I was quite excited about that particular bull, my face lit up upon seeing one of the others with him - though a touch narrower, he had it all. Incredible bosses, drop, curl, tips, symmetry, and most of all, just the “WOW” factor that I simply can’t describe. One look and I knew he was the one I’d have to have. Given the nature of the situation and this buffalo’s notorious companion, we opted to head for a blind we knew the bull was headed towards as opposed to attempting a foot stalk. While he took his time offering a shot, we ultimately were able to get him broadside within 30 yards. One arrow buried to the fletchings, and as he ran away we saw him die on his feet at a full sprint, tumbling to the ground in a video-confirmed 12 seconds. When we got to him, he was absolutely all I could have dreamed of in a buff. At a width of 44.5” and 17.5” bosses along with gorgeous sweeping curls and tips, his sci score is over 135”, good enough for #3 all time with a bow. An absolute dream buffalo, and while I knew we’d find a good one, I hadn’t dared to dream we’d find one this spectacular. They’re tricky to photograph, but I’m sure that you’ll be able to see how special the animal truly was.
Before moving on to the next animal I harvested, I should point out a few I did not take - due to the necessary budget constraints and my very specific preferences, I passed some incredible opportunities with the bow at this place. We had a great mountain reedbuck that I got to stalk with one of the other PHs who ultimately took it(at my urging with my bow, very cool to watch and be a part of), and several klipspringer that I’m confident we could have taken with the bow within 60 yards (assuming I did my part…!). The place was incredible and loaded with up and coming monster buffalo bulls, and if I ever plan to hunt cape buff again in SA, I know where I’ll be headed and who I’ll be calling! We saw brown hyena tracks and even had a leopard come to the skinning shed at night and help himself to some of the offal from my buffalo. Awesome experience and a gorgeous property loaded with game.
I had expressed some interest in a few very specific color variants, and was able to take a beautiful saddleback impala ram that I can’t wait to get back and up on the wall. At this property I was able to see some beautiful roan and tsessebe as well as we hunted our way around.
At our last stop we planned to pick off a zebra, but on our way into camp I spotted a kudu that just had “the look” to me. It’s hard to describe, but when I see something that speaks to me, I have a tough time forgetting it, even though I had taken a nice kudu over water and feed last year when hunting. This one was looking a bit skinny in his old age, and with hip and shoulder bones protruding, it was a great one to take. His secondary growth and horn character really pushed him to the front of my mind, and so the next morning we found ourselves spot and stalking a kudu - a task that has been described to me before as nearly impossible. Thanks to some tall grass and an incredibly skilled PH, we were able to crawl into range and get an opportunity at 70 yards even. The feeding bull had no clue we were there and when I stood up with my sight dialed and bow drawn, he didn’t move or raise his head until the arrow was already through him. Another beautiful animal down in sight.
That evening, we were blessed with a great zebra opportunity and I was able to send an arrow at 71 yards after a short stalk. Though the video shows an arrow headed exactly for the intended target, zebra reacted to the shot so it wasn’t my ideal placement, but we still got great penetration and it was feeling the effects in 100-120 yards, allowing us to get up to it and accelerate his death with another shot.
In conclusion, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the guys with African Bowhunting Adventures. Their willingness to take on a very particular and picky client, and ability to find exceptional trophies should be commended. I also really appreciated their dedication to getting great video and photos, and I have incredible media to remember the hunt by as I wait on the taxidermy. If you know what you want, this outfit is particularly well equipped and motivated to find it for you, and while I don’t wish to bad mouth my prior outfitter at all, I wouldn’t recommend bowhunting Africa with anyone else. The entire experience was all I could have hoped for and more. I’m happy to discuss with anyone who may have questions about the operation…just don’t try to bump me from my 2026 dates…!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go shore up my SCI membership and make a few entries….i have no doubt that in a few years, the SCI archery records will be dominated by ABA clients.
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