SOUTH AFRICA: My First Safari with Maximum Safaris

[RickB]

....Now that my wildebeest is out of the wasy it is time for my Gemsbuck. I actually lost count of the number of stalks we put on Gemsbuck. I would say somewhere between 15-20. I just could not connect on one. Two perticular stalks where fun. First my dad spotted two standing on a hillside.. Van and I got out of the truck and started our stalk. We got to about 50 yards and it ended up being 4 Gemsbuck, 3 Wildebeest, and 3 Waterbuck. Problem was the Gemsbuck where all young bulls. So we just sliped out the back door. The second one we had made our way bcak on top of a ridge andwe spoted two more Gemsbuck off to our left. Van leds the way arround the brush and we stop. I can see them both about 30 yards out. Now we are sad!! The shooter has about 40 inch length but the left horn is broken. Normally I wouldnt mind but this is the animal I came to afica for and he was missing about 10+ inches. I could handle 3-4, but it was bad. So we backed out and continued our hunt.

We made our way down the mountain as it was getting late and we had some Bushbuck hunting to do. We are about 200 yards from the owners house, Van taps the side of the truck to stop the diver. About 250 yards to our right I can see the Gemsbuck standing on the woodline. We hop out of the truck and close the distance to 190 yards on the rangefinder. We could not belive he just stood there. Every other one jut took off! Wind was in our favor and he must have not seen us coming. So I took the shot. I know I hit him but off he went and out of sight. We get to where he was standing and we pick up the blood trail. First 100 yards are great. The next 100 yards the blood is thining out. Now at 300 yards I have no blood. We know he has to be here somewhere. About 350-375 yards from where I first hit him we found him. It was a good hit just a little high. Still hit both lungs, he just didnt want to go down. But I got the animal I came to Africa for!

We load my Gemsbuck on to the trailer and go after some Bushbuck. I wont drag this out any longer.....We saw nothing this night. But on the way back to the trailer to to head home we spot a Jackel and my dad makes a good shot on a really nice Jackel....

 

[RickB]

We ended our third day and decided to take a break from hunting. We made a small side trip to the Pilanesberg National Park. We spent the whole day there and saw to many animals to count. 22 Elephants on one hilside. About 14 White Rhino. Hippos, Springbuck, Wildebeest, Kudu, Baboon and so on. It was a great day trip.

So we are on to day 5. My dad on the day off has decided to not go for a warthog and go after a Kudu instead. I think that is a gret trade off. The property owner offered a Kudu for a discount because he had some old bulls that needed taken. So my dad took him up on his offer!

We start day 5 for Bushbuck. The sunrise was great and it was a beutiful day. The property owner and his son had some buisness to take care of in the morning so it was my dad and I as spotters and Van driving. We are driving arround the property looking for Bushbuck when we fine a mom and a baby but not dady! We take one more road that goes right into the thick stuff. We come arround a small turn and there he his! It was like a movie. He was standing right in front of us about 50 yards and he was lit up by the sun. I dont think I have ever seen anything so beutiful. We get the truck stoped and he started. lol Another missed oppratunity. We contiue on talking about how nice he looked standing in the sun like a spotlight just lighting him up. We will try again tonight. On to the Kudu!

We run arround looking for Kudu. My dad makes a couple of stalks on a few but nothing to show for it. Van asks if we are up for a hike. Why not we say! We get to the top of this ridge and glass for some Kudu. We spot a really nice bull (to big for us) and some cows crossing the bottoms and going over to the opposite ridge. Their is another group of hunters in our camp on this property who is looking for big Kudu. Van calls the other PH on his cell phone and tells them to get to the opposite ridge and put a stalk on. We sit back and watch with our binoculars for the whole stalk. It took about an hour but it was worth it. He finaly connected and got his kudu. So after lunch it is my dads turn. We leave the house and drive about 5 min and we spot a nice bull in our size range. But he runs a long a diffrent road. We turnoff and head down that road but we dont see him. I see what I thought was the butt of a Kudu about 30 yards to my right. I tell Van to back up. I was right! It is a bull but we cant see how big. Van has to get out the other side of the truck so he doesnt sook him. About now Vans cell phone starts ringing. lol But the kudu goes about his buisness. My dad gets down and bangs the barel of his gun on the truck. He still doesnt go. He knows we are there but never leaves. He moves a few yards to the right and Van says he is a shooter. Van sets up the sticks and my dad lets him have it. He runs about 20 yards and goes down. A really nice 48 inch old old old bull. He has lost alot of the hair on his neck and his teeth are worn down. So we came to thet conclusion he could no longer see or hear. But still a nice animal.

We finnish our pics with the the Kudu and it is onto the Bushbuck again. We have driven arround the whole property again but have seen nothing. We end up on the same road where we saw the ram this morning. In almost the same spot where we saw him this morning we find him standing on the other side of the road. Plus we are about 50 yards from where we saw this ram a few days before. This time he does not seem to be in a hury. Van asks my dad if he can see him. My dad said he was in the brush and thought he could make him out. Van said if you can take the shot now is the time. He wont stand there long. My dad took the shot. It turns out the shot was a little far back and he took off. Van grabs his dog Gruno and they get on the trail. He ended up going about 300 yards in just about a complete circle. One more shot and a big thanks to Gruno for keeping on his trail. Turns out to be a nice 14 inch ram.

We load up the bushbuck and head back to the house. With about a mile drive and very little light I pick up my gun in hopes for a warthog. A few hundred yards from the house we see a warthog run accross the road. Van stops the truck and we stalk up the road about 50 yards. Obout 50 yards off the road there he stood. This is the first boar we could make out all week. We saw countless pigs but none of them had tusks. So this was going to be the one. I took the shot and down he went. It was a great night and a awsome week.

This concluded our hunting part of our trip a day early. We did some sight seeing and Van took us to a local market for some trinkets and gifts for the family. I could not have imagined a better first trip to Africa. I have been fortunate in my young life to see and do things that others only get to watch on discovery and national geographic. I could not thank Jacques and Van enough. This week of hunting with my dad will be something I will never forget! I will return to africa with my son and daughter(my wife if I can get her on the plane) some day to make more memories with them. Thank you Maximim Safaris and thank you South Africa for the the memories.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Congratulations to your dad and Gruno on getting that Bushbuck. Gotta love good dog work.
Good hunting trip and good memories for you both.

 

[enysse]

Nice kudu and lovely bushbuck, those memories will last a long time!