SOUTH AFRICA: Hunting Safari With The Family!!

[jmoore]

Just got back from SA for our first trip to Africa. We hunted with global safaris ubathi and what a trip we had. The people, accommodations, and the family friendly atmosphere were awesome. So let's get to it.
The planning of this began nearly 2 years ago, when I won an auction at our local du banquet. Thru many email conversations and meeting the owners at the DSC show last January I felt like we were in good hands.
We arrived July 20 after the long flight from Atlanta where Ronald and 2 PH met us at the airport and we were on the way to the ranch. Next morning we woke up got checked the zeronon the guns and headed out after blesbok, top of the list for one of my boys. As we drove thru the ranch seeing different animals and scenery, I realized that a life long dream was coming true and I was not only experiencing this for myself but thru the eyes of my sons and wife. I was finally in Africa! As we rock need a corner Ty, our ph for he trip, spotted a group of blesbok and motioned the driver to stop the truck. As we glasses he said there were a couple of definite shooters in the bunch and he, Brennan, and myself were off the truck and on a stalk. We played cat and mouse for a bit with these critters and finally closed the distance to around 150 yds. As Brennan settled in on the sticks he said dad I can see him good and asked if he could take the gun off safety. Ty gave him the green light and as the gun reported that sound of a bullet finding its mark rand loud and clear. As the herd of blesbok took off, Brennan's ran was at the back of the pack and losing ground until he finally tumbled. A couple hours into our safari and Brennan had his ram in his hands.

The rest of the day we rode around seeing different places and had an awesome meal and hit the sack to get rested for day 2.
As the sunrise came on day 2 I was up and had coffee going before anyone else was stirring and the remnants of the previous evenings campfire glowing in the pit. It wasn't long before I had 2 boys piled in my lap telling stories from the day before. After breakfast we loaded up and went to another concession about an hour away. Today we would be looking for red hartebeest, this was the top of Ashton's list. When we reached the ranch, we were met by the owner and he gave us direction the a pasture where'd he seen our quarry, so we headed out. We met a farm worker who had seen 4 hartebeest earlier in the morning at a waterhole and pointed us in that direction. As we approached we crossed paths with the beasts, and this time me, ty, and Ashton were off the truck in hot pursuit. Although my sons are twins, there is a definite height difference and getting him on sticks in the long grass, thanks mr capstick, of this pasture where he could make an ethical shot proved to be a challenge. We stayed the course and after a few blown stalks and a few hundred yards later we were able to get it done. As Ashton got on the sticks, ty told him which animal was the ram and the other 3 were ewes. So he got on him a when he squeezed the trigger the ram collapsed and we had his ram on the ground.

After getting the hartebeest seen about and taking some pics, the land owner said if we saw any good impala rams, we could take a couple if we wanted to. Well impala was top of my wife's list so we accepted his invitation. We were back on the truck looking for mama's impala. These cagey rascals gave us the slip on multiple stalks and as we were preparing to head out we came across a herd of impala. We jumped off the truck and were on another stalk. This time we were able to get mama on the sticks at just over 100 yds. We could have gotten a tad closer but the cat claws in this area were so thick, I don't believe we would have had any skin left on our shins had we tried. As monica settle in on her ram, she was breathing so hard that it made my blood pressure rise and hell I was breathing hard too. As she calmed down and squeezed the trigger the ram took out and we were not sure if she had hit him or not. We brought in Moses, our tracker, driver, skinner, babysitter, and now my friend. He got on the track and this ram hadn't gone 30 yards but it was so thick and he had left no blood. Either way mama had her impala and we were loading up to head back to head quarters with our prize and all smiles.

8 days to go. I will continue tomorrow as it's bedtime now.

 

[slam8031]

Always nice to involve the family!! Nice going and great hunting!!

 

[MMAL]

It is a true gentlemen that let's his two kids and wife shoot before he does. Kudos and I couldn't and didn't with my family on my first trip. Have fun and good luck with the rest of the trip. I

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing!

 

[cagkt3]

Thanks for sharing! I am gearing up to go next year, and seeing more reports on the folks I'm going with gets me excited all over again.

 

[PLM]

Awesome start to your hunt. Making memories of a lifetime.

 

[jmoore]

Day 3
As the sun made it's appearance over the Acacia trees, again I was out on a stroll thru the bush while everybody else was sleeping. I only had a handful of days in this dream and wasn't about to waste any time. This morning I happened on the same group of giraffe from the prior morning. Only this time, not being caught off guard, I was prepared to take some pics. After all the only place back home you can see these is in a zoo. They were in similar area that I found them in yesterday, and little did I know but this would be the last time I saw them for the remainder of the trip.

After taking some pics, I decided to make my way back to camp, as I could smell the bacon!! Everybody was up and at'em and after breakfast we set out for a day of sight seeing, which included a trip to the Marakele animal sanctuary to see some big cats and then we would return after lunch to do some quail hunting. It was a nice trip and the sanctuary is a lot different from our zoos back home. The only thing seperating us from the cats was an 8' cyclone fence and some hot wire, but I can't be sure how "hot" it was as I saw one male lion that particularly liked rubbing his face against it with no reaction. This turned out to be a nice trip and mama and the boys really enjoyed it, so success. We got back to camp in time for a change of clothes and off to the birds. My group of 4 took 20 quail and the other guys that went with us, 3 good friends of ours, managed to take 28. The quail here are about the size of a small chicken and I couldn't wait to see how they would be cooked. As the day wrapped up and night pushed the sun out of sight, we settled in to a nice campfire telling todays stories and looking forward to the morning. As we were going after my Kudu.

Day 4
After a long sleepless couple of nights, this one may have been the toughest. Of course I was tired after the time change, and the accomodations were spot on but I was living out a childhood fantasy. As the sun came up this morning again I was out on patrol, coffee in hand, looking for new sights. When I made it back to camp, the quail from the evening before had been chicken fried with a side of gravy, fried eggs sunny side up, and toast. After the feast, we headed to a ranch about 30 minutes away where the land owner had a nice kudu bull on his trail camera showing up to a certain waterhole pretty regular. As we made our way into the pasture, I saw our hide and immediately I was taken back. This was the type of blind I had pictured in my mind from watching numerous hunting shows and reading multiple magazines about hunting africa. A concrete dugout with vertical windows and enough room to host a dance.

As we got settled in, 2 wildebeest showed up and began to drink. They were followed by vervet monkeys, young warthogs, and more guinea than I have seen in a barnyard. As we sat there waiting and watching, I looked around and evryone including my PH were on some type of electronic device excpet me. I didn't want to miss one second of this, and quite frankly enjoyed the spotty cell service we had in the field. Phones and tablets are handy, but can become a nuisance when you work a job that is on call 24/7. I could not help myself so I tried to sneak a selfie of this inattention, but mama's knwing eye busted me.

After a couple hours in the blind watching 2 wildebeest turn into about 15 and other critters multiplying as well, Ty spotted movement to the right of the hide about 100 yards away and told me it was kudu cows. He then said there is a good bull following behind them and told me to get my gun ready. I told him I wanted to let the bull get into bow range and that I may use the bow if the opportunity presented itself. This old bull reminded me of the weary whitetails I am accustomed to back home. As the cows and calves made their way to the water, he stayed back in the brush, I suppose looking for anything out of the ordinary and would make his escape if needed. As the cows drank, he finally committed to the water and although I could have taken him for the last 20 minutes I watched him, I wanted to elt him get closer. He closed the distance and I prepared for the shot at 30 yards. I opted for the 338 wm over the bow. After all this was my first time and I wanted to make it count, or so I thought. I eased the gun up and Ty told me do not sitck the barrel out the windo into the sunlight or he may spook at this distance. After making sure everyone had ear protection on and took a deep breath so as not to inhale what was going to be a dust storm with a muzzle break inside the blind, I slowly began squeezing the trigger. At the report of the gun, that bull jumped what had to be no lower than 10 feet straight up and when he came down landed head first in the watering hole. He then jumped up and ran about 30 yards before collapsing, I had my kudu! After the hugs and hi 5's we went to look at this magnificent animal and take some pics. Monica asked me if something was wrong and told me that I seemed upset. I told her, I was very excited but immediately I regretted not using my bow hanging 5 ft away from me in the blind. Either way, the kudu was on the ground and I had the top animal on my african bucket list checked off.

After we got this bull seen about and had a bite of llunch, Ty recommended we return to the same blind for the afternoon as there were a lot of warthogs using this waterhole and this would be Brennan's next quarry. When we returned to the blind, Ty's recommendation proved right as we jumped near 20 warthogs and a herd of wildebeest. After about 30 minutes of being back in the blind, the usual monkeys and guineas began shwoing bakc up. The next thing I know, in a voice that is closer to a scream than a whisper, Brennan jumped up and yelled WARTHOGS. Although i was laughing inside, I was able to calm him down with a stare and that stearn voice that a father uses when a child makes a mistake. Then we all went back to our low voices normally used in a hunting blind. It ended up being 5 sows and 12 young pigs and 2 juvenile boars and Ty said they were not shooters so we waited. We watched this group for around 30 minutes and Ty noticed a group of impala headed our way and said 3 of the rams were possible shooters. At this point Brenna made me proud and said Dad I know you want to shoot an impala with your bow, so if one of these are good I will wait until later for my warthog. As they made their unsespecting approach Ty told me one ram was a definite shooter, so I graciously accpeted Brennan's invitation. As the ram eased in for a drink, I got the bow to full draw and anchored wettling my pin right on his shoulder blade. Ty whispered to me, there is a ewe standing directly behind him so wait on her to clear before shooting. In a low mutter I said yep and released the arrow, as from my angle she was in the clear before I drew the bow. The arrow found it's mark and the ram bolted causing the all the animals to create one heck of a dust storm. With both front shoulders out of commission, he plowed ahead about 50 yards before piling up, and my Impala with a bow was now checked off the bucket list.

On the way back to camp we recieved a call, that my best friend had shot his Eland and they needed all hands on deck to get this large critter in the vehicle, so wemade a turn and headed that way. The shear size of these animals is just amazing. Congrats old buddy on a fine specimen.

After getting this monster loaded we headed back to camp again and had a blesbok roast with all the trimmings and Monica's impala was turned into a similar dish but with barbeque sauce. This trip is turning out to be more than I had expected and still have 6 more days.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I'm enjoying this round robin family hunt. Congratulations.

 

[buckmarkhunter]

I like hearing about your adventure. Great family hunt. Global seems like an awesome outfit!

 

[MarkD]

Great so far

 

[CAustin]

Congrats to everyone on the hunt. So glad you could take your family.

 

[Nyati]

Nothing like hunting with the whole family !

 

[jmoore]

Thanks for reading my story and all the kind words thus far. And after my wife read the stories, she has told me that I can't type very good and feels sorry for the people trying to read this with all my typing mistakes. She's right, my typing is under par and I will try to proofread better before submitting.
Day 5
This day would find me separated from my wife and sons, as I was hunting waterbuck with a bow from a brush blind and they would be on another concession looking for Steinbok and Springbok for the boys. After breakfast and well wishes we went our separate ways. Ty, Moses, and I arrived at the ranch we would be hunting for the day and began cutting and dragging the Acacia brush in preparation for a ground blind, at a feed and water hole. This stuff is terrible to handle and makes the mesquite trees of Texas look like milled lumber. Every branch is covered in toothpick sized thorns and then when you dodge the big ones, there are small ones on the bark waiting to dig in. Anyway, we managed to get a blind assembled, mainly Ty and Moses as I was more selective how I grabbed these limbs than they were. As we got in the blind for a sit I saw a group of Nyala coming in, and we watched them for a little while and Ty told me there was a Waterbuck cow headed our way. As we sat and watched her approach, I could see movement in the brush behind her and it was a nice bull. As he got closer, he took notice of the new brush pile and was not impressed at all. He began to blow and stomp around which put the Nyala and other animals on high alert. As the 2 of us sat motionless in the blind, the stare down continued. After nearly an hour, I guess that bull decided it was safe since the other animals were eating and drinking with no problems and he began to close the distance. When he reached 37 yards he stopped again to inspect the new pile of tree limbs in his living room and the stare down was on again. Every time I readjusted my foot in the sand he could tell something wasn't right, and my heart was beating out of control. After about 30 minutes of this he turned to leave and as i got the bow drawn and stood, he stopped broadside to see what the commotion was in the blind. At this point it was too late, I was anchored and had the 35 yard pin on his shoulder blade. Thwack! the arrow found it's mark and the bull hit the brush like a freight train, knocking limbs down and of course coming to rest in the thickest part of the brush but I had my waterbuck on the ground by bow.

After we got my waterbuck seen about and got back to an area with cell service, I had multiple texts from my wife that Ashton had gotten his Springbok and Brennan his Steinbok, and both were ecstatic to tell me all about their hunt. When we returned to camp both of their animals had been dressed and prepped so unfortunately I didn't see them in person but the stories were as big as Texas so it all worked out.

So the game plan for the evening was to sit in a hide at headquarters where a big duiker had been showing fairly regular. This hunt would turn out t obe the most trying for the 4 of us. We were unsuccessful on this hunt but would not give up after one evening, as Mama has wanted a duiker for quite a few years!

 

[jmoore]

Day 6
Today the boys and Mama would go to town with our hosts to visit curio shops and some sightseeing. Ty, Moses, one my buddies that had come to Africa with us, and me headed North to a concession in search of springbok for me. We were told we would be met by a farm worker that would show us around the place and be our guide as Ty hadn't spent enough time on this place to be familiar with it. As we pulled up to the barn to pick him up, I saw a big snake laying out on the ground and had to investigate as I had never seen one this size. The workers said they had killed it in the barn this morning and told us that we could take pictures with it if we wanted to. As my friend posed behind the snake for a pic, I made fun of him and nudged him to be a man and pick it up and hold it but he was having no part of it. As we got ready to leave I turned around and one of the workers handed it to me, trying to make me eat my words from making fun of my friend moments ago. Well being the MAN that I am, I took the snake and draped it over my shoulders. Then it went to constricting a bit as the nerves were still doing their thing. At this point, the MAN that I was began to exit the scene. I told them they better get the picture quick because I am about to drop this snake and go because he aint dead yet. As everyone erupted in laughing at me, it seems I had been pranked.... Fun times!

Now it was time to get serious, I had seen springbok on videos jumping gracefully into the air but I wanted to witness this first hand. So as we headed into the ranch we saw impala, kudu, nyala, and then finally sprinbok and they were jumping. I sat there in awe of these beautiful little antelope jumping and fleeing as the truck moved on. We were finally able to locate a herd of 3 rams and Ty and I were off the truck for a stalk. As we closed into around 200 yds we bumped a herd of impala which alerted the springbok and they all took off. We stayed hot on the trail using the cover to keep an eye on them as much as possible but they were a lot quicker than we were and we lost the. At this point we were a long ways from the truck and decided to press on in hopes of finding them again or possibly another herd. I don't know how much ground we covered but we did locate the original group of bucks, as one had a broken horn. As we made our way in and reached 200 yds, Ty ask if I was comfortable on the sticks at this distance and I told him yes. We got set up and the bullet found it's mark. We didn't make it in time to see the hair raise on his back, but soon we were loading him in the truck for the trip back to camp. Springbok down.

When we returned to camp we found out one of the other guys had taken a monster Kudu and his PH had a bad battery. We went to get them going and man what a monster! This bull was just over 61". Congrats man on a heck of an animal.

After we got him loaded, we found a trap with a hyena in it. Didn't know these critters were so big or smelled so foul. Took some pics and that was about it. Cool to see one up close.

The evening was spent again looking for Mama's duiker but this dude was smart. This was our third evening after him and we had seen him on all hunts, but it was like a chess game. Where ever we chose to sit he would be in the location we were in the previous day. But we were able to locate the trail he was using and tomorrow would be a different story. Time to build a brush blind.
Day 7
Today, after a chicken fried Kudu with gravy and eggs we were after my sable. We rode around looking for a bull and Ty said he new of a place where 2 bulls spent a lot of time fighting and both were shooters. We headed out that way but were also patroling for the duiker. As we rounded a corner, sure enough there were 2 sable bulls about 900 yds down a right of way. All I could see were 2 black spots moving around, but Ty assured me they were sable. We left mama and the boys on the truck and were off on foot again. We went thru the brush trying to be as quiet as possible, but the cat claws made this very hard to accomplish. We would pop out and peak every couple hundred yards or so and the bulls were still there sizing each other up. The last time we popped out, we were closer than expected and busted a herd of wildebeest in the brush we had not seen. Ty had told me the best bull was the one with his rump facing us. I jumped on the sticks and just then he turned to leave exposing his shoulder, I let the hammer down. As he shot into the brush I could see his opposite shoulder was taken out and knew he was hit good. Ty text Moses to bring the truck and help us in the thick brush finding this animal. He hadn't gone 50 yards and we were able to find him. These are beautiful animals.

We headed back to camp for Cordon Bleu Eland and some sides, but I can't remeber what they were as I was focused on the Eland. Man that's some good stuff!! Plans were made for where to build the brush blind for the evening duiker hunt. Around 4 pm, brush blind complete, we piled in and waited for an appearance. 530 pm just like clock work he crossed the road as on the 3 previous hunts and was headed our way. The trail he had used was still his favorite and soon mama would have her chance. The duiker stopped in a clearing and although she tried, the height of this small critter would not enable her to see his vitals. So as he made his exit, Monica and Ty headed off after him and about 10 minutes later the boys and i heard a shot. They came back so the blind to get me and the boys and said they were unsure about the shot but the stalk was awesome. They had gotten to within 10 yards and the duiker didn't even know they were there. Well Monica's scope was turned to 8X and the shot was not great but we did find him and with the scope turned to 4X she was able to make an awesome final shot, and here duiker was on the ground. She was so happy to have him but remorseful in the fact that she had initially wounded the animal. I explained this was part of hunting and the good part is that we found him and were able to finish him off.

As we waited for Moses to bring the truck and the African sun getting low in the sky, the boys took advantage of not being couped up in a blind and decided to skip some rocks at the waterhole. Doesn't matter what country a person is in or from, skipping rocks is fun. And before you know it, me, Ty, mama, and even Moses were all skipping rocks.....
A great way to wrap up the day.

Day 8
This day was Monica's day to enjoy a spa in the bush, which is something Monica had been looking forward to and is offered by the owners wife at headquarters. Me and the boys weren't having any part of that action, so we were out after breakfast looking for warthogs. We made a trip to the concession where i had taken my kudu a few days prior. The land owner, Ty's father, had a spot where he was seeing a big pig on a daily basis. He would feed his cattle and the pigs would come in and take over the trough, but today we would be there to guard the feed troughs. There was an existing brush blind about 75 yds away from the troughs and we eased in around 10 am. Ty's father came thru feeding about 1030 and as soon as his truck was out of sight here come the pigs. It started off with many females and young and then a couple young boars. We watched these pigs jump in the feed and when one fo the cattle would try to eat the pigs would hook them with the cutters and go bakc to eating. After about an hour, I was beginning to think that big boy wasn't coming but sure enough Ty spotted him back in the brush. As he made his way in I thought man this is what a big pig really looks like. Although they had told me it was a very nice pig I wanted Brennan to shoot him. After all a few days prior he had given up his warthog hunt so that I could take an impala with my bow. Brennan got the scope on him and was tracking the big pig, and just before he reached the feed Ty whisteled at him and he stopped. Boom! Both shoulders were taken out and the pig bulldozed his way about 20 feet before his cutters wedged him between the ground and the 2" pipe around the feed pen. As we went to check out the hog, the boys were both in awe of how big a set of cutters are on Warthogs. The ysaid Dad this thing comes with dragging handles. So, I told them to grab one and get to dragging then.

We then had a bite of lunch in the field and decided to build another brush blind for the afternoon sit waiting on my warthog. This would be in a pasture with buffs and I really didn't know what to expect.
As we got the blind built and set up, I heard the brush behind us moving and stomping around. With 2 ten yearold beside me, I was hoping surely we didn't have buffalo on us, but turns out we did. I wasn't sure what to do, allI knew was that I didn't like this situation much as we were sitting here.

And ended up looking at about 20 of these!! All of which left as soon as they figured out what we were, but I was on the edge of my seat for the duration of the hunt. And as the 3 groupd of buffs came and went, it sounded like a feight train going thru the brush when they left, each time making a new path thru the brush.

Finally the warthogs began to show up, and just like every other time we had seen them females and youg began the show followed by the boars. As 2 started making their way in, I noticed that one had a big puncture would in his left leg with blood running out of it. Ty asked if I wanted to take him and said he was decent but we could do better. I was honestly ready to get away from the buffs since the biys were with us and said yes. Igot on his shoulders and slowly squeezed and when the bullet hit him, he dropped in his tracks. We both had our pigs and were getting out of this buff pasture unscathed. Lol

We made it back to camp just before dark and the boys were more than happy to tell mama about the day in the African bush. And she was showing off her new nail job and telling how relaxing the massage was. We snapped some together pics of our pigs, ate dinner and settled in at the fire. As this was our final day of hunting and tomorrow would be sightseeing as a family.

Almost forgot. While we were out hunting, Moses made a warthog for Ashton.

Day 9
This was a group trip to Pilanesburg National Park in hopes of seeing the Big 5. We never saw lions, leopards, or buffs here but did see a lot of other animals, as it was a great trip and all of us had a good time.

Day 10
We we had planned alot for this final full day at the lodge. We were able to pack in a morning quail hunt for me and the other guys while mama and the boys went to visit a local school, then we took family pics in the bush, and somehow managed to go to Zebula to pet Cheetahs and learn about and ride some elephants. The day was another success and the bed would be a welcome sight at the end of this one.

All said, Ronald, Carolein, and Rene run an outstanding operation at Golbal Safaris Ubathi SA and we could not have been more pleased with our visit. The PH's and staff there went out of their way to make us feel like family and we hated to leave but day 11 was tomorrow and that was the day our triple 7 headed to Atlanta was waiting for us. We have began planning our next trip and can't wait to get back to this beautiful country and amazing people we were blessed to meet and hang out with for a breif period. Baie Dankie!

 

[cagkt3]

Awesome stuff! You are really making me wish I could fast forward about 7 or 8 months....

 

[rinehart0050]

Congrats to you and your family. Sounds like a great hunt. Awesome sable!

 

[Dr Ray]

Just got back from SA for our first trip to Africa. We hunted with global safaris ubathi and what a trip we had. The people, accommodations, and the family friendly atmosphere were awesome. So let's get to it.
The planning of this began nearly 2 years ago, when I won an auction at our local du banquet. Thru many email conversations and meeting the owners at the DSC show last January I felt like we were in good hands.
We arrived July 20 after the long flight from Atlanta where Ronald and 2 PH met us at the airport and we were on the way to the ranch. Next morning we woke up got checked the zeronon the guns and headed out after blesbok, top of the list for one of my boys. As we drove thru the ranch seeing different animals and scenery, I realized that a life long dream was coming true and I was not only experiencing this for myself but thru the eyes of my sons and wife. I was finally in Africa! As we rock need a corner Ty, our ph for he trip, spotted a group of blesbok and motioned the driver to stop the truck. As we glasses he said there were a couple of definite shooters in the bunch and he, Brennan, and myself were off the truck and on a stalk. We played cat and mouse for a bit with these critters and finally closed the distance to around 150 yds. As Brennan settled in on the sticks he said dad I can see him good and asked if he could take the gun off safety. Ty gave him the green light and as the gun reported that sound of a bullet finding its mark rand loud and clear. As the herd of blesbok took off, Brennan's ran was at the back of the pack and losing ground until he finally tumbled. A couple hours into our safari and Brennan had his ram in his hands. View attachment 198535 The rest of the day we rode around seeing different places and had an awesome meal and hit the sack to get rested for day 2.
As the sunrise came on day 2 I was up and had coffee going before anyone else was stirring and the remnants of the previous evenings campfire glowing in the pit. It wasn't long before I had 2 boys piled in my lap telling stories from the day before. After breakfast we loaded up and went to another concession about an hour away. Today we would be looking for red hartebeest, this was the top of Ashton's list. When we reached the ranch, we were met by the owner and he gave us direction the a pasture where'd he seen our quarry, so we headed out. We met a farm worker who had seen 4 hartebeest earlier in the morning at a waterhole and pointed us in that direction. As we approached we crossed paths with the beasts, and this time me, ty, and Ashton were off the truck in hot pursuit. Although my sons are twins, there is a definite height difference and getting him on sticks in the long grass, thanks mr capstick, of this pasture where he could make an ethical shot proved to be a challenge. We stayed the course and after a few blown stalks and a few hundred yards later we were able to get it done. As Ashton got on the sticks, ty told him which animal was the ram and the other 3 were ewes. So he got on him a when he squeezed the trigger the ram collapsed and we had his ram on the ground.View attachment 198536 View attachment 198550
After getting the hartebeest seen about and taking some pics, the land owner said if we saw any good impala rams, we could take a couple if we wanted to. Well impala was top of my wife's list so we accepted his invitation. We were back on the truck looking for mama's impala. These cagey rascals gave us the slip on multiple stalks and as we were preparing to head out we came across a herd of impala. We jumped off the truck and were on another stalk. This time we were able to get mama on the sticks at just over 100 yds. We could have gotten a tad closer but the cat claws in this area were so thick, I don't believe we would have had any skin left on our shins had we tried. As monica settle in on her ram, she was breathing so hard that it made my blood pressure rise and hell I was breathing hard too. As she calmed down and squeezed the trigger the ram took out and we were not sure if she had hit him or not. We brought in Moses, our tracker, driver, skinner, babysitter, and now my friend. He got on the track and this ram hadn't gone 30 yards but it was so thick and he had left no blood. Either way mama had her impala and we were loading up to head back to head quarters with our prize and all smiles. View attachment 198551
View attachment 198552
8 days to go. I will continue tomorrow as it's bedtime now.

That's a great hartebeest and I really like the impala. Enjoy the remainder of your trip.

 

[enysse]

Wow, some super trophies and memories! I really love those warthogs!

 

[gillettehunter]

You'll never regret taking the kids. Something they will remember forever. Looks like the wife had a great time too. That always helps insure the return trip has some priority. Congrats on some nice animals. Bruce

 

[Ridgewalker]

What memories your family will have from this great time together! You are one lucky guy to have a beautiful family involved in the outdoors with you!
Thanks for sharing!