jbirdwell
AH veteran
Trip Review
Trip Dates: June 7, 2024 – June 18, 2024
Outfitter
- @Bos en Dal SAFARIS: Gerrit
- PH: Rickus
- Cameraman: Francois
Services Utilized
- Travel Express
- Global Rescue: Trip Insurance, Medical & Security Plan
- Rifle Permits
- Airline: Qatar Airways
Equipment Used
- Pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in 375 H&H Magnum using Barnes 300 grain TSX factory ammo.
- Custom 35 Whelen using Buffalo Bore 225 grain TSX ammo.
- Swarovski Z6 3-18 x 50 Scopes on both rifles.
- Swarovski EL 10X42 Binoculars.
- Viper Flex Quad Shooting Sticks (Which I gifted to my PH).
- Tuffpak 1050 Gun case.
- Apple Air Tags in all baggage.
One other acknowledgment. Without Mark Biggerstaff taking me under his wings with guidance and advice on planning this trip, my first safari would have probably been another few years from happening. He sent me a PM right after I joined @AfricaHunting.com with his phone number and an offer to call him anytime if I had questions.
June 7th: Arrive at IAH in Houston at 1:30 pm for my 6:10 pm flight. Had only planned to arrive 4 hours early but my ride to the airport showed up early.
Trina from Qatar had called me about 5 minutes before my arrival, wanting me to email me her copies of firearms documents. She ended up meeting me at the gate and walking me through the entire process until I went through the customs check.
First, at the check in area, she had me open my checked bag to weigh my ammo and then escorted me to the TSA check area. At the TSA check area, they had me unload the two soft gun cases and then ran a cloth down each side to the cases checking for explosive residue. Then it was off through customs to access the boarding areas.
When we arrived in Doha, I was met at the gate by another representative from Qatar Airways and was escorted to the Business Class lounge. Before anything else, I took advantage of the showers room in the lounge and then a quick bite in the cafeteria. Since this was a very long layover I also ended up eating again at the restaurant on the upper floor prior to the next flight.
I arrived in Johannesburg on time at 9:50 am on Sunday, June 9th and was met at the gate by the rep from Rifle Permits. One of the few snags of the trip was that they could not get the door open for the cargo area on the plane, so we ended up waiting for about an hour to get my checked bag and gun case.
After that was a quick pass though customs and was then met by my PH Rickus and Cameraman Francois. Then it was on to the SAP office for my firearms permits.
After arriving at the lodge and having a great lunch, we went to the range to check to make sure both my rifles were on. After some adjustments to my 375, we rode around the property until right before dark.
Hunt Day 1: Dawn broke clear, as it did everyday, I was there. With the exception of the last 2 day mornings were around 35 – 36 degrees and highs were in the mid to high 60’s. It wasn’t too long until the PH pointed out a nice Impala and the decision was to make my first stalk. You would have thought I was trying to shoot my first animal ever. I had a severe case of buck fever stalking up to the animal. My excitement level was beyond control. In hindsight, I’m glad I did not get a shot on that Impala because that short stalk calmed my nerves for the rest of the trip. Later that morning I had another busted stalk on an impala and another on a Zebra. Little did I know at this point that the crafty Impala would become my nemesis for the entire trip.
After a great lunch, it was decided to get back in the field and hunt immediately over a big tank, figuring that animals would be coming in to drink during the heat of the day. We parked on a road and hiked into the tank from the back side where the levee was high. The Blue Wildebeest at already beaten us there. After determining there was large bull, we ended up setting the sticks on the side angle of the levee for the shot. The bull was laying down facing away from us. After about 25-30 minutes, the bull stood up and was going to go to our left which would have put him behind a tree in about 2-3 steps.
The original plan was that once I was on the animal, I would make sure the cameraman was on the animal and then shoot. Unfortunately, with the bull deciding to go left, I did not have the time. As his front end was already behind the tree, I aimed just an inch or so off the right side of the tree to where his shoulder was still visible. With the precarious setup on the sticks due to the tank levee I never saw the impact, but my PH assured me he took 2 steps and was down.
View attachment IMG_2454.JPG
After much picture and video taking and waiting for Robert to pick the Wildebeest, we were back at it again. At about 3:45 pm, we spotted some Zebra on the side of the road. I had wanted to shoot a nice mare instead of a stallion if I hunted Zebra, figuring the mare would have a less scarred up hide. The mare that I was on, was hiding behind a tree and I was on the sticks waiting for her to come out. While waiting, my PH picked out another mare that was a little further back, so we moved the sticks six or seven feet to the right to get me a clear shot. After settling on the sticks and putting another shot in the shoulder, my second animal was down. By the time we were done with all the after shot activities it was getting close to dark so we headed into the lodge for a few after hunt drinks and a superb dinner.
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