spotnspook
AH senior member
Ahh where to start, what a trip! I am still decompressing and still haven't fully digested everything that happened and put it in a place I can recollect it all coherently. First time in Africa or on a guided trip for me late August 2024.
It was a truly wonderful experience. Nick (@Nick BOWKER HUNTING SOUTH AFRICA) and his crew run a great operation and are true, honest, hard working, consummate professionals. Everything was exactly as it should be and as advertised and there were no surprises or funny business on their behalf. Prompt pickup, precise communication, and everything running as it should. Benjamin, my PH, was professional in every sense of the word and worked hard every day to get us on good stuff and make things happen. And these people had to put up with me, a bit eccentric and nutty. I am most likely difficult if not downright annoying to be with and they tolerated me with the utmost professionalism. I felt very at home and welcomed. The food was excellent, my room was clean and tidy, and my laundry was done every day. I have absolutely zero complaints about any of the service I was provided and can say nothing but good things about their entire operation. Nick, Benjamin, Liz, the trackers, the camp staff, all went above and beyond to really make things nice, and the hunting was excellent. I had flip flopped on my package/animals about three times prior to arriving and Nick and I got this sorted the first night straight forward and everything above board and we set off.
I won't give a play by play of each hunt. I wrote dispatches home every day or two with that but it's a bit too personal to paste here. All of the hunts went well, I didn't wound or lose any animals and everything I killed was shot once. That doesn't mean it was without tribulation or difficulty. I missed my first gemsbuck shot (nerves) and a missed a few springbuck (nerves, high winds, long range). Everything else went absolutely swimmingly. Some hunts tough and long multiple stalks and attempts (two days on gemsbuck). Other hunts went smooth as butter and everything worked out exactly like it should. At home I've learned to take the easy ones when you can get them. Shots were were ranged quite variably, my kudu was shot at 390 and gemsbuck at 370, my zebra at 25, impala at 90, and everything else in-between. The shooting was quite a bit like home and 200-300 yard shots were the norm. All shots were off sticks and on foot.
We hunted by Nicks, in the mountains near Bedford, and about two hours north at a friend of theirs in the mountains. It was wonderful seeing the country side and the oh so varied landscapes, terrains, and biomes. By the end of it I was pretty well beat. Not sore because I am fairly acclimated to the walking/climbing but I was weak and fatigued from the flights and day to day grind (and my drinking habits). Not to mention I could stand to lose about 30 pounds. Before leaving I just made sure I could climb at work 2 flights of stairs and then a ladder on top (the roof access) up and down 15 times without any soreness or issues.
We finished out early, which is a good thing in my opinion, on day 6 of 8 with a springbuck in the morning. So the last hunting day I dragged Ben to Addo Elephant Park so we could goof off and take pictures, and oh boy did we, it was a really fun time with lots of laughs and jokes.
A little aside, before coming I did the minor work-out routine I mentioned previously, but I also played the game Way of the Hunter. There is a map in that game called Tikamoon plains that is based in Africa. If you can imagine an interactive version of "The Perfect Shot" by Craig Boddington this is it. It gives you an interactive view when you harvest an animal so you can see your bullets terminal ballistics and performance through the animals anatomy. This was instrumental in getting accustomed to looking at African game through a scope knowing their anatomy. I was able to practice shot placement with every angle and build a mental albeit not muscle memory baseline. There's a saying in firearms training that under stress you revert to the lowest level of training that you mastered, I find this to be true.
I used Bens camp rifle, a Howa 1500 chambered in 300 win mag with a Swaro z6, zero complaints about the rifle. I absolutely crushed most of my animals taking out their aorta, vena cava, and both lungs. If only I could focus to hold my poop together and do my job. My blue wildebeest ran about 20 yards and died, zebra the same. Gemsbuck maybe 50 and waterbuck maybe 30. Black wildebeest went 112 yards but I had to hold center lung on him because of circumstances. My only bad shot (aside from the misses) was on my kudu. It was low and back, diaphragm and upper stomach. In my defense, making excuses, it was 390 yards in a small opening in heavy mountain cover and it had to happen right away (and stupid me drank a bit too much the night before). We couldn't get him that evening but saw where he went and bedded and found him dead there the next morning.
I am sure I am forgetting to mention something but it is all so much to take it and really can't be conveyed with text or pictures, as most of you know it's just something you have to experience. I'll attach quite a few photos, and if anyone has any questions or comments please feel free to message me or reply. It was truly wonderful and everything I could have asked for, I am home now and still haven't come down. Cheers
It was a truly wonderful experience. Nick (@Nick BOWKER HUNTING SOUTH AFRICA) and his crew run a great operation and are true, honest, hard working, consummate professionals. Everything was exactly as it should be and as advertised and there were no surprises or funny business on their behalf. Prompt pickup, precise communication, and everything running as it should. Benjamin, my PH, was professional in every sense of the word and worked hard every day to get us on good stuff and make things happen. And these people had to put up with me, a bit eccentric and nutty. I am most likely difficult if not downright annoying to be with and they tolerated me with the utmost professionalism. I felt very at home and welcomed. The food was excellent, my room was clean and tidy, and my laundry was done every day. I have absolutely zero complaints about any of the service I was provided and can say nothing but good things about their entire operation. Nick, Benjamin, Liz, the trackers, the camp staff, all went above and beyond to really make things nice, and the hunting was excellent. I had flip flopped on my package/animals about three times prior to arriving and Nick and I got this sorted the first night straight forward and everything above board and we set off.
I won't give a play by play of each hunt. I wrote dispatches home every day or two with that but it's a bit too personal to paste here. All of the hunts went well, I didn't wound or lose any animals and everything I killed was shot once. That doesn't mean it was without tribulation or difficulty. I missed my first gemsbuck shot (nerves) and a missed a few springbuck (nerves, high winds, long range). Everything else went absolutely swimmingly. Some hunts tough and long multiple stalks and attempts (two days on gemsbuck). Other hunts went smooth as butter and everything worked out exactly like it should. At home I've learned to take the easy ones when you can get them. Shots were were ranged quite variably, my kudu was shot at 390 and gemsbuck at 370, my zebra at 25, impala at 90, and everything else in-between. The shooting was quite a bit like home and 200-300 yard shots were the norm. All shots were off sticks and on foot.
We hunted by Nicks, in the mountains near Bedford, and about two hours north at a friend of theirs in the mountains. It was wonderful seeing the country side and the oh so varied landscapes, terrains, and biomes. By the end of it I was pretty well beat. Not sore because I am fairly acclimated to the walking/climbing but I was weak and fatigued from the flights and day to day grind (and my drinking habits). Not to mention I could stand to lose about 30 pounds. Before leaving I just made sure I could climb at work 2 flights of stairs and then a ladder on top (the roof access) up and down 15 times without any soreness or issues.
We finished out early, which is a good thing in my opinion, on day 6 of 8 with a springbuck in the morning. So the last hunting day I dragged Ben to Addo Elephant Park so we could goof off and take pictures, and oh boy did we, it was a really fun time with lots of laughs and jokes.
A little aside, before coming I did the minor work-out routine I mentioned previously, but I also played the game Way of the Hunter. There is a map in that game called Tikamoon plains that is based in Africa. If you can imagine an interactive version of "The Perfect Shot" by Craig Boddington this is it. It gives you an interactive view when you harvest an animal so you can see your bullets terminal ballistics and performance through the animals anatomy. This was instrumental in getting accustomed to looking at African game through a scope knowing their anatomy. I was able to practice shot placement with every angle and build a mental albeit not muscle memory baseline. There's a saying in firearms training that under stress you revert to the lowest level of training that you mastered, I find this to be true.
I used Bens camp rifle, a Howa 1500 chambered in 300 win mag with a Swaro z6, zero complaints about the rifle. I absolutely crushed most of my animals taking out their aorta, vena cava, and both lungs. If only I could focus to hold my poop together and do my job. My blue wildebeest ran about 20 yards and died, zebra the same. Gemsbuck maybe 50 and waterbuck maybe 30. Black wildebeest went 112 yards but I had to hold center lung on him because of circumstances. My only bad shot (aside from the misses) was on my kudu. It was low and back, diaphragm and upper stomach. In my defense, making excuses, it was 390 yards in a small opening in heavy mountain cover and it had to happen right away (and stupid me drank a bit too much the night before). We couldn't get him that evening but saw where he went and bedded and found him dead there the next morning.
I am sure I am forgetting to mention something but it is all so much to take it and really can't be conveyed with text or pictures, as most of you know it's just something you have to experience. I'll attach quite a few photos, and if anyone has any questions or comments please feel free to message me or reply. It was truly wonderful and everything I could have asked for, I am home now and still haven't come down. Cheers
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