SOUTH AFRICA: Couples Hunt With Limcroma (Filled With Photos)

[huntaholic]

Very nice report so far. Now you have the fever your next trip will be in the works soon. That Kudu is a smasher for sure!

 

[cls]

Great Kudu, great photos as well. Congrats to all.

 

[IA Monsterbuck]

That is a great kudu! Congratulations! I do hope you left at least one more like that, I leave for Limcroma in 16 days.

I relly like the zebra too, and understand choosing a smaller animal with nicer markings. One thing that has me surprised is your wish list. Egyptian Goose #1??? I've never even heard of t hat. Looks like I'll need to consult Google.

The photos are very nice. Were these taken by you or the PH? I like the notation in the lower right corner.

A bit disappointed to hear about the WIFI situation as I am hoping to be able to send messages back home. I hope that things are better when I am there. Sounds like they need to warn clients not to be using up data with videos and such.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your report. It sure has me getting fired up for my adventure!

 

[buck wild]

Hellavua nice kudu for your 1st ever African animal !!!! Loving the pics

"The 1st animal I see/hear was the clicking hoofs of a Eland."
It's actually the tendon in their knees but I digress
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/learn-something-new-everyday-clicking-eland.29753/

 

[Josh Neal]

That kudu is sick! It is indeed a dream kudu!! Congratulations and thanks for the report. We (my wife and I) are headed for Limcroma next year so these reports are greatly appreciated!

I was in the same boat. Every time I seen a new limcroma report I stopped whatever I was doing to read it!

 

[Josh Neal]

Hellavua nice kudu for your 1st ever African animal !!!! Loving the pics

"The 1st animal I see/hear was the clicking hoofs of a Eland."
It's actually the tendon in their knees but I digress
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/learn-something-new-everyday-clicking-eland.29753/

No way!?! I

 

[BRICKBURN]

Glad you got that Kudu distraction out of the way. Onward to that Goose hunt!

Congrats on a fine trophy.

 

[Josh Neal]

That is a great kudu! Congratulations! I do hope you left at least one more like that, I leave for Limcroma in 16 days.

I relly like the zebra too, and understand choosing a smaller animal with nicer markings. One thing that has me surprised is your wish list. Egyptian Goose #1??? I've never even heard of t hat. Looks like I'll need to consult Google.

The photos are very nice. Were these taken by you or the PH? I like the notation in the lower right corner.

A bit disappointed to hear about the WIFI situation as I am hoping to be able to send messages back home. I hope that things are better when I am there. Sounds like they need to warn clients not to be using up data with videos and such.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your report. It sure has me getting fired up for my adventure!

Thanks for the response!

I'm a die hard waterfowl hunter! An Egyptian goose is just a dream bird that I would consider one of the holy grail birds!

I took all the photos with my Canon 7d Mark ii camera. I added the watermark in the bottom right concern during the edits.

Much more review coming tonight! I'll be sure to give you all the info I wish I knew or had going in so your trip is amazing!!!!

 

[buck wild]

"We did see 6 stallions, but they were all pregnant and fixing to pop! We weren't able to take anything on this day, but that is why they call it hunting!"

Just busting your chops because I came back to see more pictures and there weren't any new ones yet, so I had to reread what was there again.

 

[Josh Neal]

"We did see 6 stallions, but they were all pregnant and fixing to pop! We weren't able to take anything on this day, but that is why they call it hunting!"

Just busting your chops because I came back to see more pictures and there weren't any new ones yet, so I had to reread what was there again.

LOL my wife caught this last night, and I couldn't figure out how to edit the post from my phone app!

Now I don't see an edit option on that post...

 

[K-man]

I have heard of the amazing things they can do on these South African game farms, but pregnant stallions? I'm glsad I nevah maketyposwhenoipost...........

 

[Josh Neal]

I have heard of the amazing things they can do on these South African game farms, but pregnant stallions? I'm glsad I nevah maketyposwhenoipost...........

I was to eager to get to the next day where I shot a Stallion. I had them on my mind when typing! Bad part is I re-read each post before posting, and it seemed fine!

 

[mdwest]

love the pics. you have done some great work with both your camera and your bow.

 

[kathy]

Awesome Adventure, great photos . Forrest

 

[Josh Neal]

THE REPORT CONTIUNES!!!

We had a few day trips planned for our 11 days, and on Day 5 it was time to take a day off from hunting! Those 6:30am breakfasts, and 8:15pm suppers were getting to us, along with 10 hours in a hide. We had previously made plans for 4 trips/activites...
#1 was a spa day and curio shopping.
#2 was and elephant back safari or lion encounter.
#3 was a father son trip to the Free state foe black wildebeest and springbok.
#4 was a visit to the local school.

Unfortunately we were only able to do 1 of the 4 trips. Due to all of the Limcroma camps being full they were unable to schedule a trip to the spa. (we had actually been told there was a spa at camp when we booked, but I'm not sure it ever got built.)

Previously during our booking my father and I made a decision to spend a day hunting together down south for Black Wildebeest and Springbok. We were told that is was a 4 hour drive from camp, which would be a LONG day.. but well worth the memory with my father. (this would also be the day that the ladies were to go to the spa). Upon arriving in camp and mentioning to our PHs about our desire to do this hunt, we were informed that it was an 8 hour drive and we would need to dedicate 3 days for it. So we unfortunately my father and i didn't get to hunt together aside from the night hunting.

The local school was on a Winter break during our 1st week in camp, but resumed during our 2nd week. The camp staff reached out to the school to plan a visit. The next morning many of the girls in camp (my wife and mother included) were ready to visit the school and drop off the donations we had brought. But there was some issue that had caused the trip to be cancelled... the ladies were so excited to get to see and interact with those kids. We still had 3 day in camp, but no other arrangements were made for the school visit.

WE DID GET TO VISIT THE LIONS!!!!
We spent the day at Ukutula Conservation Center! This place was amazing. It is NOT A ZOO! we were able to get in with Cheetahs and Lion (Kids or short people not allowed in... See the cheetah photos I took and you'll understand why!)
We got to walk with 4 male lion in their natural habitat and nearly seen one catch and kill an ostrich! We learned a lot about each animal that they had at the facility, as well as had a great meal provided by the staff there!

Ukutula was a massive operation, set on a beautiful property with 5 star lodging and food!

 

[Josh Neal]

With a day of rest under our belt, and all of our excursions/trips unavailable there was nothing left to do but hunt... I wasn't to mad about that! LOL
On this day my wife and I set out after gemboks, blesbok, or impala. My wife and I made an agreement that she would shoot a gemsbok or impala, and I would shoot an impala. (she was nervous of a string jump by an impala.) We set out to a beautiful termite mound hide overlooking a watering tank. It was a fairly slow morning in comparison to the other days, but we were joined most of the day by 4 big beautiful giraffe! As we were watching the Giraffe cautiously drink I spotted an impala ewe just 15 feet out the side of the hide.... then another, and another, and several more! I knew there had to be a ram coming, and sure enough BAM there he was. A big old warned horn ram. PH immediately said he was a shooter, so I had my bow in hand, impatiently waiting for a shoot as he ran his girls in circles, before stopping 23 yards in front of the hide for a drink. I settled the pin in his crease, and he hit the dirt like a TON of bricks! (lung/spine)
I was again speechless and I turned towards the camera all I could say was "ARE YOU SERIUOS???" we made the recovery and settled back into the hide where we would go on to see nothing worthy of an arrow the rest of the day.

Tomorrow was my wife's turn to shoot as I had quickly gathered a 3-1 lead in the kill count.

 

[MarkD]

Man what a great Kudu!!! Looking forward to the rest of the story!!!

 

[Josh Neal]

After a few long sets in the blinds my wife finally got her chance at a gemsbok. 20 yards slightly quartering away... a Beautiful long horned wide male. During this hunt we were COVERED up with maybe 60-70 animals around us... Kudu, sable, wildebeest, warthogs, impala, and gemsbok.

My wife settled her pin in the right spot, released the arrow, and got a pass though.... just not the pass through we were looking for. She shot about 8" right and simply pierced the dewlap of the edge of the neck. Her height was perfect, but my guess is a slight flinch cased her arrow to be send to the right. the arrow had no blood and we never found a single drop on the ground. After reviewing the footage we knew this was not a terminal wound. We decided to give it 4 hours and come back with a rifle in hopes of spotting him again. My wife was so crushed and upset at herself... mainly at the bad shot, but also expressed to me that she was upset that her shoot would cost us a lot of money with no trophy to show for it.

I assured her that the money was not a problem as the trip had already been paid in full and we would do our best to get her gemsbok.

Long story short we never seen hide or hair of that gemsbok, but as the week went on my wife was feeling better and better. During the next few days my mother and father had much success! Dad hunted the mornings with archery, and spent the evenings with my mother and her loaned rifle. Here are some of their photos... my mom killed some UNBELEIVABLE TROPHIES!

Her Kudu measure out at 57'', barely bigger then mine, and her Nyala measure at 28"

 

[Josh Neal]

This being my wife's 1st real bow-hunting trip, she was understandably shook about her bad shot on the Gemsbok. We sat down together one night and discussed some different hunting options. By this point in the trip we had spent over 90 hours in a hide. We still had 2 hunting days left and a lot of game to chase! We both opted for a change in hunting styles. I left my bow at camp and she was loaned a .270. We were off on a safari style hunt for blesbok and impala. I thought to myself..."this will be easy, ride around... find them... shoot them!

Boy was I wrong.

We stalked and stalked and stalked but by the end of the day, and with several miles on the soles of our shoes, we had 2 more trophies for my wife! Now the count was even 3-3.... One hunting day left and I still have not even got to pursue my Top 2 animals!!!

(side note... each evening when we returned to camp there was usually a little bit of light left, and early on in the trip I spotted a GIANT Nyala near camp. I spent several evenings trying to close the distance on the huge bull... see pics below)

 

[enysse]

WOW, your mom's kudu is HUGE too! Lovely nyala!!!