SOUTH AFRICA: Hunt With Game 4 Africa

[Tim Novak]

O.K. so I feel like I am posting this hunt report a little late since my hunting partner Brandon already posted his report and the other hunter that joined us in camp Kevin (k-man) already posted a report but I have benn a little busy since returning from this trip. It all started back in late January when Brandon sent me a brochure from Game 4 Africa with the deal for a 7-day hunt with no daily fees for 2 hunters and 10 animals, after doing a little research on this outfitter I told Brandon I was all in! I pick 5 animals Kudu, Bushbuck, Nyala, Waterbuck, and Burchell zebra. I already have a Hartmans mountain zebra and I wanted a Burchell to make a nice rug for the trophy room. I have hunted in Namibia twice and hunted Kudu both times but still did not have one due to bad luck and in one case a bad outfitter.

 

[Tim Novak]

So we arrived in P.E. from Joberg after a night at the Afton house were they took great care of us as usual. Wik, our PH picked us up and we drove to Kudu Ridge lodge that turned out to be even more beautiful than I had imagined. After a quick check of the rifles we decided it was too late and too hot to hunt so we relaxed and unpacked so we would be ready to hunt in the morning.
Day 1: We had a light breakfast and headed out there had been a full moon overnight, bad for hunting we went out looking for Kudu and the temperature and the wind both picked up quickly, we saw quite a few Kudu but nothing we could get close to, we tried to put a stalk on two nice bulls but got busted by baboons! We went in for lunch and headed back out around 3:30 by that time the wind had changed direction and it cooled down nicely. We spotted some Kudu and tried to head them off we had a nice bull up on a ridge but by time we could get in position for a shot he took off. We spotted several more Kudu including a group of 9 bulls but could not get close enough. Just before dark we had a group of Kudu we were stalking but they gave us the slip and then Wik spotted a nice Nyala bull across a draw, I got on the sticks on he stepped out at 190 yards he disappeared at the shot and we were not sure what happened then one of the trackers got over there and found a dead Nyala! A very nice old bull!

 

[Tim Novak]

Day 2: I had told Wik when we started this hunt that I only wanted to shoot old animals and his eyes lit and he said that that was all he liked to hunt. We did all of hunting spot and stalk on foot which is the best way to hunt in my opinion so on day 2 the weather was cloudy and cooler so we headed out looking for Kudu in the morning, Brandon spotted a Nyala and decided to take it which he has already talked about in his report. We had lunch and headed back out at 2:30 looking for Kudu and Waterbuck, we stalked in very close to 2 waterbuck bulls that I thought looked pretty good but Wik said we can do better so we passed. At about 5:15 we spotted a group of Kudu across a draw from us and Wik said there was one good bull in the bunch, I got on the sticks and watched some cows and two young bull come by and then nothing Wik said wait he was still out there then a couple more cows came up from the bottom and the old bull was behind them he was going straight away so I knew I could not get a broadside shot I waited and he turned very slightly and gave me a steep quartering away shot, I held just in front of the hing quarter and the shot hit him just behind the left rib cage took out the lungs and the heart and exited in font of the right shoulder! He still made it up the hill before falling! He was so old he hardly had any teeth left.
Day 3: We tried hunting Bushbuck a little in the morning hiked up and down some steep hills with no luck. We headed out in the afternoon looking for waterbuck and zebra, again we saw some nice waterbuck but passed. At one point we spotted some zebra headed our way with a group of Impala and some Kudu, I set on the sticks and had all three of those animals in my scope at the same time. The zebra gave us the slip at first but we followed them and caught up to the same group Wik told me to take the first one and I hit him good there was some commotion in the bush and when we got there he was dead about 100 yards from where I shot him. After pictures we hunted Impala for Brandon on the way back and he got a fine Ram! Great day of hunting! We ate the tenderloins from my Nyala for dinner - it was out of this world.

 

[cagkt3]

Congrats, everytime I see a nyala I want one more and more...

 

[Tim Novak]

Day 4: We headed out early and made about a one hour drive to a different hunting area for bushbuck, it was cold early so we started by hiking down a mountain to glass an area that is good for bushbuck we did not spot anything and Wik called one of the trackers who had gone to a different spot and found out that he had spotted a couple of rams so we immediately hiked back up the mountain and headed to that area. We got there and started a stalk through some very thick bush we got to a point where we spotted the ram, I got on the sticks and then he turned into the bush and disappeared. Late in the afternoon we were glassing a large bush choked valley when we got a call from the tracker that he spotted a ram in the next draw over, we got there and I set up on the sticks waiting for him to show after awhile two different rams stepped out much further down the hill and I dropped one with one shot! A very nice ram! We had to walk all the way around the draw to get to him but we got there just before dark to get the pictures.
Day 5: We started the morning glassing a large valley from the top of a mountain and we spotted a nice waterbuck but we were not sure if he was big enough after watching him for at least 30 minutes he finally lifted his head and Wik said he is big do you think you can get down there? I said I am right behind you, we stalked down the hill and it seemed he was looking our way the whole time we finally got to a spot about 100 yards out and set up on the sticks he was behind a bush to the left and we kept waiting for him to step out, when he finally did he was walking and I hit him a little far back he ran about 150 yards and lay down we stalked in until we could see his head and neck and I shot him in the base of the neck, he stood up and I gave him another one in the shoulder to put him down for good! He is a huge old bull, they are very hard to kill! So after 5 days I have all 5 of the animals I signed up for and all excellent trophies!

 

[Edge]

Thank you for the report and some great animals!

Edge

 

[Tim Novak]

Day 6: I told Wik that I would like to hunt mountain rhebuck and fallow deer since we still had a lot of hunting time left we headed out early and drove about 1.5 hours to a different hunting area. After hunting and glassing for a while we spotted a group of fallow deer way out on a big ridge there was a stag in the group that was pure white, very rare! Wik said that they had never taken a white one before he said that it did not have great horns but the fact that it was white made it very unique. We decided to try to put a stalk on him after lunch but we got busted by some other game in the area so we went back with out any fallow deer today.
Day 7: Since it was a very hot day we decided to go the the Aldo Elephant park and do the tourist thing, Wik had his manager Andre take us there we had a fun day checking out the animals saw a lot of elephant, eland, zebra, kudu, and even a few cape buffalo.
Day 8: We went back to the area that has fallow deer and mountain rhebuck, we put stalks on about 4 nice fallow deer stags in the morning but they kept giving us the slip, right before lunch Brandon shot a huge old warthog with no teeth but very large tusks! I was able to stalk into a mountain rhebuck ram at shot him at about 270 yards when we got to him we discovered that I had hit on of his horns! After lunch we headed back out looking for fallow deer and after glassing for awhile we spotted the same white stag we had seen two days earlier! He was laying under a tree way down in a bush choked valley so we stalked as close as we could and we were still 320 yards out. I set up on the sticks and waited but after a very long wait it was apparent the he was not going to get up so after some discussion I tried a shot while compensating for wind. I hit him and he got up and ran we moved down the ridge a ways and I got a follow up shot that also hit him but he still ran back in the bush. We sent in the trackers and the dog as soon as they let the dog go he was on the deer we could see the dog chasing the deer in thick bush but could not shoot so we headed back to the truck and drive around to try to get in for a finishing shot but before we got there one of the trackers was able to finish him with a knife! Very unique trophy and very rare!
Day 9: Last day of hunting and I told Wik that the only thing I wanted to look for was duiker as it turned out the weather was not good all day very windy, late in the day we spotted a large eland bull and Brandon decided to go after it, he got a fine trophy! The Coetzee family runs an excellent operation I must say that Wik is hands down the best PH I have hunted with on the three trips that I have taken to Africa to date. They make you feel like family, the food is second to none the equipment is top quality and the trophy quality is excellent!

 

[brandondd24]

Great report Tim! I enjoyed our time hunting together, and I agree Wik is an excellent ph! Til next time my friend!

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on some nice trophies! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Love seeing the report and the quality animals you took. Looks like a great hunt.

 

[jeff]

Thanks for posting and letting us share your hunt!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Very nice waterbuck and I love the shape of the Nyala!

 

[Neale]

Nice trophies. Thanks for sharing your story. The Waterbuck is very nice.

 

[Lee M]

Very nice trophies. The Kudu had a nice deep curl.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Great report, thanks for sharing! All your animals are excellent, but the Waterbuck is what really stands out in my opinion. @Game 4 Africa Safaris really has a lot of big Waterbuck, they must really thrive on all that eastern cape vegetation.

 

[billc]

You had a great hunt and share camp with some other ah members which I am sure made it even better.

Game 4 Africa seems to be doing some great hunts.

 

[cagkt3]

Great stuff and congrats again!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Congratulations on your success.

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

 

[enysse]

Congrats! Great trophies and memories!

 

[Ridgewalker]

Grand hunt! Thanks for sharing!