SOUTH AFRICA: Buffalo & Plains Game With GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS 2025

[Firebird]

Wind is generally poor for big game hunting. We were “home” from Kramberg but the animals were hunkered down out of the wind. Wik and I had planned to hunt nyala-so after lunch and a short nap, we loaded the truck with delicious oranges, valiant trackers, one cameraman and some Hope and faith. I have hunted nyala with Wik before and we have done quite well. Nyala are plentiful on the property, one of the real pearls in a sea of thorns and spekboom. Wik determined to stay high and glass into the protected valleys. It’s a good plan but it blew standing in the wind with watery eyes and exposed fingers. Climbing one road Wik made one of the best discoveries I’ve ever had at Woodvale-a francolin! It posed wonderfully in the road for pictures for a mjnute or two and then exited stage left. Someday I need to hunt them!

I could have been finished then and been a happy man. The next plateau ledge was more calm and the valley seems void of wind. Kudu, eland, warthog, impala-all out feeding for the evening. I spotted it first and when I looked for Wik to show him the small nyala I had found (it was in plain sight, standing in a road) Wik was waving like crazy for me to join him. Dean and myself hustled over to Wik and he got me right on the sticks. Deep and very downward was a young kudu bull and a bigger nyala bull posing majestically above the morass of brush in the creek bottoms
Bottom.

 

[Hunt anything]

Absolutely great pic of the Frankolin.

 

[Firebird]

Thank you! I think the shot was about 200 yards and used the 7mm-08. The angle was awkwardly downhill so I was especially grateful when I saw him skid down in a small opening after running a very short distance. Just his tail was flickering bright white and his yellow legs showing against the gray soil. Accessing the animal was a beast-crawling on hands and knees for part of it. After pictures, the tracker Simone took the stomach out. The contents were dumped then he kept the stomach in a plastic bag to eat later. The trackers line their stomachs alittle green still. I like mine washed extremely pure and white and smothered in gravy! Wik and Simone strapped him into the pole and bulldozed their way out through the brush.
Got some cool footage with the drone and drove out literally into

the setting sun.
Ran across a herd of giraffe before we got to the lodge. Everything a giraffe does is smooth and graceful. Everything about today was excellent. I could feel the days going faster and wished I could slow down my time there.

 

[PARA45]

Gorgeous Nyala, and seems like it has some serious mass. Congratulations!!! Such a beautiful animal.

 

[Hunt anything]

Beautiful nyala, funny about the stomach. I was in the skinning shed one day and they had something boiling up, I asked what it was and they told me it was bushpig stomach and they asked if I wanted some. Not wanting to offend them I said sure. Huge mistake! Worst thing I ever put in my mouth! Even worse than when on a snow goose hunt when we shot into a flock and they all evacuated their bowels and some found it’s way into my mouth. YUUK!

 

[PARA45]

Thanks for the warning and never to ask what's cooking.

 

[Firebird]

Camera man Dean telling the story about how God touched the nyala on the face and that is why there are white spots on his face-and then he gave it a sway on the behind.
I took the story from a spiritual perspective rather than sarcasm or sacrilege and the spots on the nyala are now more beautiful to me than ever before.

It was cold and windy this day, would be hard to be a camera man. . .

 

[Hunt anything]

You may have mentioned it before and I missed it, what are your taxidermy plans?

 

[PARA45]

Love the story, and I'll believe it. If God touched the Nyala, I'm sure he also touched the Kudu. The Nyala right along with the Kudu are one of the most beautiful, majestic and elegant antelopes in the continent.

 

[CBH Australia]

I remember the trackers emptying the stomach of a Kudu I hunted. They just squeezed out the contents and it still looked green. He pulled a bread bag from his pocket and placed the pouch in the bag. Definitely something they like to take as a treat.

 

[Firebird]

Taxidermy plans-I have been contacted by Lauriston taxidermy as they will be doing the dip and pack. Then off to the shipping company. Hunters international will
Receive the crate in California, clear it and move it on to a taxidermist here in Utah that is licensed to accept it. One of my friends, he has handled my imports several times now. Contains the buffalo, warthog and goose so will require an inspection. Then I’ll have that taxidermist mount 3-4 shoulder mounts for me. He does his own tanning so the turnaround is less than 6 months.
My father in law will do the remainder. That way I don’t have to pay for everything all at once. Also I get to alter the forms and bit and have a part in the process.
The goose I will mount myself. Part of this process is to see in what condition a bird will get here. Next trip might include more birds if this one is a good experience.
I toured the Lauriston taxidermy facility and was very impressed. Their work is very good and their turnaround exceptional. They have a huge warehouse and many employees all very busy!
They also sell finished gun bags, carvings, bronzes, leather goods and more. A well organized and run business. I have been in the taxidermy industry for 40 years and it was a pleasure to see how they were doing things and the type of work they were turning out. They didnt have a bird guy tho-maybe could turn this to my advantage
Buffalo skull only, duiker skull only, warthog skull only, blesbok skull only.

 

[Sika98k]

Beautiful nyala, funny about the stomach. I was in the skinning shed one day and they had something boiling up, I asked what it was and they told me it was bushpig stomach and they asked if I wanted some. Not wanting to offend them I said sure. Huge mistake! Worst thing I ever put in my mouth! Even worse than when on a snow goose hunt when we shot into a flock and they all evacuated their bowels and some found it’s way into my mouth. YUUK!

Maybe never shoot at snow geese with your mouth open would be a good advisory !

 

[Firebird]

Seems likely that God touched the face of the kudu and told it how beautiful it was and blessed it with grace with a swat (not a sway) on its backside.
Equally possible He did the same for the little bushbucks, but knew they were going to be a bit more troublemakers!

 

[Hunt anything]

Lauriston did my taxidermy work from my 2018 trip to @GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS , Greg did a fine job. My only complaint was my baboon, pose was exactly what I wanted but they failed to fill in the nasal ridges and the snout looks like a dogs.
Curious to see what kind of shape the goose is in as well. Did you skin it yourself?

 

[Firebird]

No, as I understand the process, they will keep him frozen until my whole crate is ready to ship and then they will skin and preserve the bird-that way it gets to me relatively fresh and workable-fingers crossed!

 

[Africa1]

Returned from Africa in May. A 40-year dream-come true hunt. Gracy Travel ramrodded the entire 18-day trip through 4 African countries. They made this trip for my wife and I a breeze when it could have been a logistical nightmare! Many kudos to the staff at the office and in the field. Never travel to Africa without them!

 

[Hunt anything]

No, as I understand the process, they will keep him frozen until my whole crate is ready to ship and then they will skin and preserve the bird-that way it gets to me relatively fresh and workable-fingers crossed!

Interesting. It seems like they may have done it before.

 

[PARA45]

I shot one of those Egyptian Goose and never thought about even keeping a feather. I kick myself in the rear for not keeping something. Shot it with Wik's 222 at a bit shy of 200 yds.

 

[Firebird]

So there is some background on the goose-I have two daughters that love to fish. While I was in Africa one of the girls sent a picture of a catfish she had caught. She ties her own flies and takes pride in using them to catch fish and is very nearly a flyrod purist.
Her text was something to the effect that it would be fun to have some feathers so she could tie some Africa specific flies. I tie flies to look like the birds the feathers came from and her text was inspiring to me that I should tie some flies to resemble guinee fowls. I showed Wik and Don the text just bragging on my kids. They both suggested I get
My daughter some feathers. After lunch one day myself and Dean walked the field below the lodge gathering up treasures. In the end I had a handful of porcupine quills which I gave Dean for his kids and he gave me a handful of fowl feathers for my kids.
Wik had a bigger plan and on my last morning we drove around the property seeking gamebirds with Wiks suppressed .222. My first shot with the rifle (never shot a suppressor before) was an embarrassing miss-pulling feathers from a guinee. But my next shot was perfection on a noisy lone Egyptian gander. Wik had already spoken with the taxidermist on the phone about keeping the skins but he was thinking feathers. The damage was so minimal that I determined we should try and mount this one and see how the condition shipped home would be and so Wik could see how my skills with dead birds are.
Wik has some other ideas for my next trip. So I am already working an overtime shift in order to get back there again!
Lauristons quote on the goose was $120 to skin prep and ship inside my crate.

 

[PARA45]

Funny you said that about Wik's 222. My first shot was a complete miss, and that was because I was not expecting the trigger to that light. Oops. The second shot was right on, and I knew what to expect from that light trigger.