SOUTH AFRICA: Back From Kido Safaris

[Custom]

My son Ryan and I returned last week from our first safari in KZN. What an experience! It was the most fantastic hunting experience I have ever had and unlike anything you can do here in North America (you guys already knew that). We took 10 animals, ate like kings and were treated to fantastic hospitality

Saw this guy on the drive into the reserve.



Rustic accommodations! They had extra space, so Ryan and I each had our own rooms.



Henk picked us up at 7:30 am Monday in Richard's Bay. 2 hour drive to the lodge, then showers, lunch and check the rifles at the range. After a short nap, we climbed on the bakkie and out for an afternoon hunt! About 4 pm, we spotted a really nice Kudu bull with several cows. A short stalk and Elias, our tracker, had the sticks down. Unfortunately, I was jet lagged, excited and jacked up on testosterone and adrenaline. I shot him too far back, which I knew immediately. We tracked him until dark, then picked it back up at first light the next morning. Finally lost the trail completely mid-day. I felt terrible about it, but it happens and I had to shake it off.

Henk and Elias on the trail of my kudu.



On the drive back to the lodge for lunch, we spotted a really nice wildebeest bull. It was Ryan's turn on the sticks. He made the stalk with Henk and Elias and made a perfect shot at 60 yards.



More to come.....

 

[bluey]

sounds like a most enjoyable time a father and son could have the pleasure of sharing , custom
sorry about your kudu bloke
keep on typing mate im not going anywhere(not yet anyways )
thanks for sharing this much so far

 

[BRICKBURN]

Thanks for sharing your report.......I do like this instalment method..

Sucks on the Kudu but it has nowhere to go but up.

Rustic accommodation..

 

[Custom]

Ok, back from a short break for dinner. To the skinning shed with Ryan's wildebeest and to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we headed to our rooms for a nap (I could get used to this). Then back on the bakkie for the afternoon hunt.

Ryan on the bakkie, ready to go.



Henk and I discussed the kudu and he was still confident we could recover it, so we agreed we would return to area each day and scout for sign. In the meanwhile, we cruised the hills looking for any other game on our lists. Saw lots, but nothing we could put a stalk on. Back to the lodge for Castle beer and then dinner.



The next morning, Wednesday, we were back out at daybreak. Spotted a nice impala and made our stalk. It was my turn on the sticks and I made the shot with my 300 win mag at about 100 yards. Whew! some of the pressure was off. Redemption for my bad shot on the kudu and my first animal on the salt.



That afternoon, Ryan was on the sticks with his 30-06 for his impala. Another nice one. His shot was longer, probably 200 yards, and a bit far back. We didn't have to track him too far, though, and he made a nice finishing shot.



What a great day! Two impala and a happy and proud father and son. That's us by the bakkie, celebrating the fantastic day and enjoying the beautiful scenery (hint, I'm the fat one).



Well, the wife is beckoning me for some honey do or another. I'll have to pick this back up tomorrow. Until then....

 

[enysse]

I really love Ryan's impala, super animal!

 

[messmate]

Some nice animals and am keen to see the rest....& hopefully you found your kudu. Don't keep us in suspenders to long!

 

[Custom]

After showers Wednesday evening, Ryan and I sat at the bar discussing the day's events over a couple of cold Castle's with Henk and making plans for the next. We still held out hope we would recover my kudu, and agreed we would return to area each day to look for him, either wounded and alive, or signs (vultures) of where he had expired. Initially, I had wanted to pursue gemsbok on this trip, for which we would need to travel to another concession. But kudu was a main priority, so we agreed to hold off on the gemsbok trip pending whether we recovered the wounded kudu in the next couple of days. If not, I decided that I would hunt another. So, the plan for the next day was to hunt for Ryan a kudu, a nyala for us both and look for my wounded kudu. In the meanwhile, dinner.

Jesse, the lodge manager, treated us to a wonderful dinner of grilled wildebeest tenderloin, impala oysters and impala sausage, all served outdoors by the fire. Jesse is a Food Network fan and dreams one day of making it to the states and enjoying real American barbecue (being from Kansas City originally, something I am partial to.



The next morning, Thursday, we again set out at daybreak. Saw several kudu in the morning, and made an unsuccessful stalk. Late morning, it came together for Ryan. We saw a nice bull on a hillside which Henk thought we could make a stalk on. Ryan, Henk and Elias set out and I stayed on the bakkie and took photos. The cover was good and the stalk was relatively short. Ryan got on the sticks and made the shot, a little over 100 yards.



The bull was hit hard, but didn't go down immediately. A quick follow-up shot put him down for good.



A proud son. And, on the other side of the camera, a really proud father!

Well, now off to work....

 

[bluey]

Thanks for sharing your report.......I do like this instalment method..

Sucks on the Kudu but it has nowhere to go but up.

Rustic accommodation..

im going for this instalment plan aswell
its like lay-buying something real cool
thanks again observe
don't let work stop ya mate

 

[gillettehunter]

Sounds like a good time. Nice looking Impala's. Africa is addicting. I'm getting the itch to go back. Keep the story coming. Thanks. Bruce

 

[BnC 04]

Enjoying the story, keep it coming! Congrads on the successful trip. Get the pics back up...

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Congratulations to the both of you and thank you for sharing your time in Africa with us!

 

[Custom]

Back to the skinning shed with the kudu and to the lodge for lunch and then our customary nap. Henk at he skinning shed...



After lunch, we set out in search of nyala. After some cruising, we spotted several nyala bulls, and Henk said one was REALLY nice, the biggest he's has seen on the reserve in several years. I grabbed my rifle and off for the stalk. Elias put the sticks down several times, but he was a crafty old bull and we just couldn't get in position for a clear shot. Always limbs or other brush in the way. After the kudu, I wasn't going to risk wounding another trophy. Eventually, back to the bakkie we went.

Back to the area where I shot my kudu the first day. No sign of him, but we did spot a herd of blue wildebeest with what our crew said was a really nice bull. We had seen the same herd the evening before, and tried a stalk, but the wind changed on us and they snorted and blew. This time we were able to get to about 100 yards using the cover and the breeze held in our favor. Elias put down the sticks and I laid the 300 on them. However, my bull was behind a tree. Crafty old fellow. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, he took two steps and gave me a shot at his shoulder. At the crack of my rifle he dropped. Bang flop! The 180 grain partition did it's work, took out his heart and smashed the opposite shoulder.

Another fantastic day with a kudu for Ryan in the morning and a blue wildebeest for me in the evening. How much better could



Same routine after the hunt, shower, then libations and dinner. However, this evening the Norwegian crew arrived in camp. They were there partially for business and partially for fun. Runar owns a neighboring lodge, but it was full, so he and his friends were in camp with us. Great bunch of guys, and they introduced us to aquavit, apparently a traditional Norwegian drink used to celebrate a successful hunt. So we did!

 

[Cliffy]

Don't stop now!!????

 

[Custom]

Friday we set out in search of nyala. We both had them on our list and we looked at a lot of bulls throughout the day. We saw many, and attempted a couple of stalks on decent bulls, but were unsuccessful throughout the day. We also returned to look for my kudu, to no avail. A lot of riding and looking at game, but nothing in the bag. By 4:30 I had concluded we were going to return to the lodge empty handed, which was ok, since we had such a successful week to that point. Until we rounded a bend in the trail and there he stood, the same nyala bull from the day before, with another bull who was decent in his own right. We were able to use the available cover and make a good stalk. Elias put the



I got my rifle down and saw a clear shot at his shoulder. Two breaths and squeeeeeeeze the trigger...and he was down! We gave it a couple of minutes and the went to have a look. As an afterthought, Henk suggested Ryan takes his rifle in case the other bull was still around. Seemed unlikely to me. Found my bull, what a



After confirming my bull was down for good, we took a hike through the bush in the direction the other bull went, and then there he was. Sticks down again and Ryan put his 06 on them. 150 yards up the hill, but it was clear and his shot true. Wow, did we just do that? Double down on nyala? We did!

Ryan with his nyala...



I can't imagine a more perfect ending to another beautiful South African day. We felt truly blessed.

 

[enysse]

Wow, what a double :beer:! Very nice looking nyala.

 

[bluey]

bloody oath custom he is a snoozer:thumb:
ryans is not so small either
hats off boys
youse are making this one to remember

 

[BRICKBURN]

DAMN!!!.
Double on trophy Nyala Bulls.

Tis the year of the double.

Congratulations, I love the Chevron on that old monster of yours.

 

[Custom]

So, back to the lodge Friday evening. We were really feeling our oats after the nyala double and enjoyed several libations at the bar with Henk, his staff and our new Norwegian friends. Of course, more aquavit to celebrate the successful hunt.

At the bar...


Over dinner, we inventoried what we had remaining on our lists and made a plan for Saturday. At this point, Ryan had taken a wildebeest, impala, kudu and nyala. He only had a zebra remaining. I had taken a wildebeest, impala and nyala. By now, we held little hope for recovering my kudu, so we decided to pursue another full out. This would likely eliminate the possibility of traveling to the other concession for gemsbok, but that was OK. It seemed so easy Monday afternoon when I took my first shot at a kudu after only two hours in the bush, but I was to learn why the kudu is called the grey ghost.

I also wanted to take a warthog. We had seen quite a few throughout the trip, and had attempted a couple of stalks, but the grass was tall and the little devils moved quickly. Most of the time all you saw was them squirting across the trail, then their tail zipping through the grass. Henk said it would be best to sit at a waterhole in the heat of the day. We agreed, then, to focus on a kudu for me and a zebra for Ryan. If time permitted, we would sit at a waterhole for a piggie.

So, Saturday morning we set out in search of kudu and zebra.

 

[JGRaider]

Lovin' it custom. Great stuff. Looking forward to more! I recognize your boy from the plane.

 

[1ObsessedHunter]

Great job guys...congrats!!!