Frederik
AH elite
I have been very busy at work and feeling very blessed with this amount of work that I have not yet compiled any reports this year on my two hunting trips thus far and decided to rather do one report over my hunting season of 2024.
So here goes Hunt no.1 for this year would be from May 9 to 12, 2024 with some good friends on a fabulous largish property in North West Limpopo about 60km as the crow flies from the Bostwana border.
Early morning of 9 May 2024 and I pick up my good friend Riaan load up and head out north to Limpopo about 3 1/2 hour drive excluding pit stop or two.
Quick Breakfast stop just north outside Nylstroom/Modimole and all 3 vehicles heading north in convoy from there.
My plan was to harvest impala and if chance came up waterbuck or kudu cow a gemsbuck was also not out of the pictue if it would present itself. Took two rifles along my new 7x57 CZ 550 Loaded with 160gr Safari Bullet Company solid shank bonded bullets 160gr travelling at 2600fps. The other my 6.5x55 Carl Gustav loaded with 160gr Hornady interlock travelling at 2400fps which Riaan my friend would use on the hunt.
Now this would be a my third visit on the property of 7000 acres but my first proper hunt on it from the visit in December just before Christmas and taking our two dogs for walks I came upon a lot of game especially impala and knew that would be easy targets. But it seems in the last 5 months since December some evil reigned over the property that we did not know. The property does not have permanent resident expect for the staff that keep the camp lodge and check water holes and fencing but not anti poaching or very active visual presence and so it was for the last 4 years with no issues.
All the neoghbouring frams would also not have any permanent residents as two of them were sold off recently.
Anyway before I get ahead of myself we arrived Thursday late morning unpacked had a bit to eat checked rifles on the range and off we went for the afternoon session. We were the first hunters of the season and game should have been very calm and relaxed like I have seen in December.
Just before we head out the afternoon I kindly asked if we should start the coldroom so long as the impalas would be coming in of course and then we found that the gas somehow escaped and the coldroom is not functional. The owner letting us know they will make a plan and have it sorted. We have been experiencing very hot weather for this time of the year with temperature on the Saturday hitting 35C midday. So the coldroom was essential of course for the meat we would harvest.
So me and RIaan get dropped of first and we slowly make our way stalking very slowly with the wind in our favour. It was not 5 minutes and I spot a group of kudu cows and the stalk is on, slowly we move closer the cows are unaware of us and I see some impala also following them. I mark the largest cow and setup the shooting sticks they linger in the shade of a tree with quite a bit of bush covering vitals. Range around 120 meters and very little cover left for us to get closer.
I take the safety off and settle on the largest cow but there is another behind her I have seen the 160gr 7mm bullet penetrate really well and do not shoot as I knew there would be a good chance on a pass through. The longer I stand there as I wait for my shot the more my brain goes overboard the coldroom is busted what will happen to the carcass in this heat and its 3pm. Bugger this I'm sure we will get another opportunity I call off the shot and switch target to an impala ewe that was behind the cows. At least it would be a smaller issue to cool down the impala carcass than the kudu cow.
The kudu cows gently move away and we move closer to the impalas who are grazing and moving all the time. Suddenly the wind shifts and we are busted with the impalas leaving for safety.
Wow, what a nice stalk and that within 5 minutes of getting dropped of me and Riaan think. We head in the direction where the impalas fled and I tell riaan why I dind't take the shot on the kudu with the uncertainty of the coldroom being fixed. He fully agrees and on we go.
The other guys Deon was after Gembuck or impala and Adriaan after impala mostly walking together Arend our other friend was behind the mountain looking for a wildebeest bull. Deon was hunting with his 404 Jeff and aimpoint sight, Adriaan with his 375 H&H CZ 550 and Arend with his 416 Rigby CZ550.
Me and Riaan spotted and got busted on a bunch of stalks on more impala but somehting was not right the impalas were on very high alert yes there is a few brown hyenas around and leopard but the impalas didnt need to confirm you if they smelled, heard or see you they were off in a flash. This was a complete change on the walks I did with my dogs in December and from previous seasons impalas were the easiest game due to their numbers to hunt.
Brown Hyena tracks was covering most of the roads on the farm.
So a difficult afternoon went by as we slowly head to back to camp only to be called in by radio to help on a might be wounded impala ram that Deon shot at.
Heading off in their direction after being picked up we followed the tracks of the would be monster impala ram but we could find any blood and had to halt the search due to light.
[/CENTER]
Around the nice campfire we discussed everyones afternoon and Deon was sure that although the shot was longish on the ram over 100 meters he was secure and confident so he decided to head back to the area the next morning and keep looking as the gemsbuck was also in that area.
Arend, didn't see much except for a monster of a klipspringer but they were not on the list to be hunted.
A good evening around the fire with all the words troubles being solved as usual by men who love to hunt.
The next morning I would be on my own in the area where I spotted the kudu cows and the impalas while Riaan and Adriaan would be going after gemsbuck and impala on another area and Deon after his monster impala that we could not find any trace of blood but also gemsbuck. Arend decided to stay in and rest he had couple of hard weeks at work.
So here goes Hunt no.1 for this year would be from May 9 to 12, 2024 with some good friends on a fabulous largish property in North West Limpopo about 60km as the crow flies from the Bostwana border.
Early morning of 9 May 2024 and I pick up my good friend Riaan load up and head out north to Limpopo about 3 1/2 hour drive excluding pit stop or two.
Quick Breakfast stop just north outside Nylstroom/Modimole and all 3 vehicles heading north in convoy from there.
My plan was to harvest impala and if chance came up waterbuck or kudu cow a gemsbuck was also not out of the pictue if it would present itself. Took two rifles along my new 7x57 CZ 550 Loaded with 160gr Safari Bullet Company solid shank bonded bullets 160gr travelling at 2600fps. The other my 6.5x55 Carl Gustav loaded with 160gr Hornady interlock travelling at 2400fps which Riaan my friend would use on the hunt.
Now this would be a my third visit on the property of 7000 acres but my first proper hunt on it from the visit in December just before Christmas and taking our two dogs for walks I came upon a lot of game especially impala and knew that would be easy targets. But it seems in the last 5 months since December some evil reigned over the property that we did not know. The property does not have permanent resident expect for the staff that keep the camp lodge and check water holes and fencing but not anti poaching or very active visual presence and so it was for the last 4 years with no issues.
All the neoghbouring frams would also not have any permanent residents as two of them were sold off recently.
Anyway before I get ahead of myself we arrived Thursday late morning unpacked had a bit to eat checked rifles on the range and off we went for the afternoon session. We were the first hunters of the season and game should have been very calm and relaxed like I have seen in December.
Just before we head out the afternoon I kindly asked if we should start the coldroom so long as the impalas would be coming in of course and then we found that the gas somehow escaped and the coldroom is not functional. The owner letting us know they will make a plan and have it sorted. We have been experiencing very hot weather for this time of the year with temperature on the Saturday hitting 35C midday. So the coldroom was essential of course for the meat we would harvest.
So me and RIaan get dropped of first and we slowly make our way stalking very slowly with the wind in our favour. It was not 5 minutes and I spot a group of kudu cows and the stalk is on, slowly we move closer the cows are unaware of us and I see some impala also following them. I mark the largest cow and setup the shooting sticks they linger in the shade of a tree with quite a bit of bush covering vitals. Range around 120 meters and very little cover left for us to get closer.
I take the safety off and settle on the largest cow but there is another behind her I have seen the 160gr 7mm bullet penetrate really well and do not shoot as I knew there would be a good chance on a pass through. The longer I stand there as I wait for my shot the more my brain goes overboard the coldroom is busted what will happen to the carcass in this heat and its 3pm. Bugger this I'm sure we will get another opportunity I call off the shot and switch target to an impala ewe that was behind the cows. At least it would be a smaller issue to cool down the impala carcass than the kudu cow.
The kudu cows gently move away and we move closer to the impalas who are grazing and moving all the time. Suddenly the wind shifts and we are busted with the impalas leaving for safety.
Wow, what a nice stalk and that within 5 minutes of getting dropped of me and Riaan think. We head in the direction where the impalas fled and I tell riaan why I dind't take the shot on the kudu with the uncertainty of the coldroom being fixed. He fully agrees and on we go.
The other guys Deon was after Gembuck or impala and Adriaan after impala mostly walking together Arend our other friend was behind the mountain looking for a wildebeest bull. Deon was hunting with his 404 Jeff and aimpoint sight, Adriaan with his 375 H&H CZ 550 and Arend with his 416 Rigby CZ550.
Me and Riaan spotted and got busted on a bunch of stalks on more impala but somehting was not right the impalas were on very high alert yes there is a few brown hyenas around and leopard but the impalas didnt need to confirm you if they smelled, heard or see you they were off in a flash. This was a complete change on the walks I did with my dogs in December and from previous seasons impalas were the easiest game due to their numbers to hunt.
Brown Hyena tracks was covering most of the roads on the farm.
So a difficult afternoon went by as we slowly head to back to camp only to be called in by radio to help on a might be wounded impala ram that Deon shot at.
Heading off in their direction after being picked up we followed the tracks of the would be monster impala ram but we could find any blood and had to halt the search due to light.
[/CENTER]
Around the nice campfire we discussed everyones afternoon and Deon was sure that although the shot was longish on the ram over 100 meters he was secure and confident so he decided to head back to the area the next morning and keep looking as the gemsbuck was also in that area.
Arend, didn't see much except for a monster of a klipspringer but they were not on the list to be hunted.
A good evening around the fire with all the words troubles being solved as usual by men who love to hunt.
The next morning I would be on my own in the area where I spotted the kudu cows and the impalas while Riaan and Adriaan would be going after gemsbuck and impala on another area and Deon after his monster impala that we could not find any trace of blood but also gemsbuck. Arend decided to stay in and rest he had couple of hard weeks at work.
Last edited by a moderator:
