SOUTH AFRICA: Tsala Safaris April/May 2017

[Delta5Cav]

It happened to me, the first round that I fired in South Africa in 2014. It never did it again. I did take my bolt apart when I got home and cleaned it out. Never another problem.

 

[dory]

Hello guys,

I just got back a few days ago and would like to share my experiences hunting with Tsala Safaris. I actually tried to keep a journal this time, but I’m sure I’ll miss some of the details. I also apologize if it's too long and tedious for some of you guys.

This trip came together last August when Rouan with @Tsala Hunting Safaris posted a special on sable for 2016. I've always wanted to hunt sable but could never afford it in years past. Although I could not make a second trip back to Africa in 2016, I decided to see if we could work something out for early 2017. Well, after a few emails, we agreed on a price and list of other animals that I was interested in and I booked the trip. I had already read a few hunt reports on AH and knew I would have a good time!

The original sable offer included 5 days hunting and I asked Rouan to add 2 days for a total of 7 so that we could hopefully get all the animals on my list (sable, red hartebeest, Limpopo bushbuck, waterbuck and honey badger). I had also mentioned this trip to a good friend of mine (who had never been to Africa) and he was interested in coming along as an observer/hunter. He had a few animals that he was interested in which included waterbuck, blesbok and impala. The additional hunting/observer day rates were excellent so he decided to come along as well.

Now to book airfare! Like most of us, I usually fly Delta from Atlanta, but after seeing that a few of you guys had used Emirates, I decided to check them out. They were about $500 cheaper than Delta and there was only about 2 hour difference in overall travel time so I/we decided to give them a shot.

The only thing left to do is to wait for April 28th to arrive….

In the meantime, I got my updated 4457’s(ARGH!), preapproved rifle permits, booked a room with Afton and all the other miscellaneous things you need to do before a trip like this. I also filled out/submitted the paperwork to carry firearms on Emirates through Dubai (very painless and thanks to @PHOENIX PHIL for all the help/info).

Finally, our departure day arrived.

As normal, I arrived at the airport about 3 hours before my departure time. As soon as I walked in, there was an Emirates employee that approached me and asked if I was Mr. “Y” and said that if we’d come with him, he’d get us checked in. Wow! I’ve never had that happen with Delta! He took us right to the front of the line (not there was much of one anyway) and started the check in process. After that was done, he walked us to TSA to drop off the rifles and then we were on our way to go through security. Altogether, the check in/rifle drop off process took us less than 10 minutes…. again, much quicker than Delta.

View attachment 183940

After a few Bloody Marys’ at my favorite airport pub, we were on our plane and headed to Dubai.

The flight was only about 70% full which allowed us to spread out a little which made the flight a little more tolerable than normal.

About 10 scotches and a short 15 hours later, we arrive in Dubai. Unfortunately, we only have a 2-1/2 hour layover, so no time to get out and see the city. We make our way back through security and hit the duty free store and are just in time for boarding our flight to Johannesburg. When they scanned my boarding pass, it flagged them that I was carrying a firearm and they called down to make sure it was loaded on the plane. It took a little while to verify, but I was happy to know it was loaded. This flight was 100% full and pretty cramped. Even though it was a 777 just like we flew from Dallas to Dubai, it was an older plane and not as nice and comfortable.

We arrived in Jo’burg at 8:50pm and made a mad dash to passport control to try to get through as quickly as possible. When we arrived, there was no one in line and we got right through….less than 5 minutes. Our luggage came off the carousel as soon as we walked up and we headed to SAPS to grab my rifles. Mr. X from Afton was there to meet us and got us out of SAPS in record time. He walked us out to the Afton van and we were on our way in no time.

The driver helped us get our luggage to our room and was nice enough to fetch us a few beers since the bar was closed and we were in bed about 30 minutes later.

I woke up at about 4:00am and was never able to really go back to sleep. After tossing and turning for about 2 hours, I got up, grabbed a shower and went to breakfast and my buddy joined me shortly after. After breakfast I visited with Annelise and she told me that she’s selling Afton to someone else. She mentioned that she might lease it to someone first, just to make sure they provided the same level of service that we’ve all come to expect from her. I look forward to visiting with her each time I’m in Johannesburg, so this was sad news for me.

Rouan picked us up at about 9:00am and after a quick stop for fuel, we were on our way. Even though this was the first time that I had actually spoken to him (other than email), I knew pretty quickly that I was really going to enjoy hunting with him. The drive to Tsala is about 2-1/2 hours but that flew by as we talked about everything under the sun and there were numerous animal sightings along the way. We also found out that we were the first clients of the year for them…I always like to be first for some reason!

When we arrived, he drove us straight to “our house for the week” and helped us get our stuff off loaded. The accommodations were a lot more than I expected. It was basically a two bedroom home with a kitchen, dining room and living room. Both bedrooms had large comfortable beds and full baths. After showing us around, he left us to get unpacked and showed us the footpath to the main house and said that we could come up for lunch when we were squared away.

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After we did a little unpacking, we walked up for lunch. This is when we were introduced to the rest of the family. Rouan’s wife, youngest daughter, mother, father and stepmother all greeted us when we walked in and we sat down for a proper lunch. When lunch was served, I knew that if this meal was any indication as to how the rest of the meals would be, I should’ve brought my fat boy clothes along…lol.

View attachment 183945

The main house. Sorry I didn't take any pics of the inside but it's very nice.

After lunch, we grabbed our rifles and a driver and headed to the property across the road to see how badly the baggage handlers had treated our guns. I shot first and was a little low. After a few adjustments, I was happy. My buddy ran 3 rounds through his gun and all was good and we went hunting.

The first thing that I noticed is how green and thick the bush was. We had discussed this on the way to camp but it was a lot thicker than I had thought and I knew would make the hunting/stalking pretty tough. Less than 5 minutes into the drive, we spotted a waterbuck bull with two cows. Since we both had waterbuck on our wish list, Rouan asked who would be up first and since this was my buddy’s first trip, I decided to take a back seat on this one. They got off the truck and took off to take a look. A few minutes later they radioed for us to pick them up as the bull was just a little too young. After a short drive, we stopped the truck again because Rouan wanted to walk through an area that was too muddy for the truck to get through. He gave instructions to the driver as to where we’d meet him and we were off. We didn’t walk five minutes when he spotted a nice impala standing in a clearing. The sticks went up and my buddy put a good shot on him and he went down in about 40 yards.

View attachment 183946

I promise he was happier than he looks in the picture.

We set him up for some nice pics and then off to the skinning shed.

After that, we drove to a dam where Rouan wanted to set up a bait site for honey badger. When we arrived, we discovered that a young zebra had died (broken leg) just 40 yards from the blind. It looks like it had only been there a day or two and nothing had touched it. We did see some civet tracks but no sign of badger. We get back on the truck and drive around the property and we spot a nice waterbuck. We drive past him and my buddy and Rouan ease off the truck and head back to see if they can get a shot. They get to within shooting distance but never get a clean shot and he spooks when an unseen kudu barked. It’s now getting close to dark so we decided to call it a day and head in.

We get dropped off at our house to wash up and grabbed a beer out of the fridge and headed up to eat dinner. I sat next to Rouan’s dad tonight (and every other night they were there) and he became my wine drinking buddy and made sure my glass was never empty.

After a great meal and more wine than I needed, we headed to bed. Somewhere in the 150 yards or so between the two houses, we decided that it would be a good idea to open the bottle of scotch we bought in Dubai….not my best decision. The next thing I know, my buddy is waking me up telling me that we had overslept and it was now 6:30am and we were supposed to meet for breakfast at 6:15. Damn it. I grab a quick shower to try to clear the cobwebs from my head and then run up to the house for a few pieces of toast and a cup of coffee.

After our late breakfast, we jumped on the truck and headed down to the river to look for bushbuck. We walked the bank for about an hour but no luck and headed back to the truck. Damn the bush is thick!

About an hour into our drive, the driver spots a waterbuck bull bedded down just off the road about 50 yards in front of us. We back the truck up to get out of sight and we all get off the truck to start the stalk. We get to where we can see him but he’s still bedded and there’s no shot. We continue to ease towards him and he finally stands up and gives us a shot. My buddy gets on the sticks and is using my .300wm. I plug my ears and wait for the shot….after a few seconds he turns and looks at me; I pull my fingers out of my ears and ask what’s going on??? He said that my gun had misfired…WTH?? He pulled the round out and handed it to me and puts another one in. The waterbuck is still standing there looking at us. He pulls the trigger on the second round and the gun goes bang, the animal runs about 40 yards and crashes and he got himself a nice 27” trophy.

View attachment 183947 View attachment 183948

Again, I promise he's more excited than he looks!

After the excitement wears off, I pull the misfired round out of my pocket to see if I can see anything wrong with it. There is a very light strike on the primer and when you compare it to a fired round, you can see the difference. Anyone ever had this happen? Any ideas on what could cause this? It never did this again the entire trip but still concerns me.

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We take the bull to the skinning shed and since it’s getting close to lunch, we head in to grab a bite to eat.

After another great meal, we get back on the truck about 2:00pm to continue our search. Sometime around 4:00, we spot a sable, park the truck and start our stalk. The animal is about 150 yards out and moving from left to right at a steady pace. We start easing our way to where we think he’s going. We wait for him to go behind a bush and then we move up a few yards to the next bush and wait. We repeat this several times and then for some reason, he does a complete 180 and starts heading the other direction, so we quickly change directions to follow. After what seemed like an eternity, we see him step out into a clearing at about 70 yards and he stopped. Rouan set up the sticks and I got set up and was told to take the shot when I was ready. I’ll admit, I was pretty calm and collected until I saw the bullet hit through the scope, then the adrenaline hit me….wow I'm shaking like a leaf! It looked like a good shot and the animal ran about 50 yards and fell. High fives, handshakes out of the way, we wait a few minutes and head over to take a look. I’ll also admit that from the time we first spotted the animal until I fired the shot, I NEVER paid any attention to the horns. So, walking up, I had no idea what I was going to see. When I got close enough to see, I couldn’t believe my eyes and had no words! The closer I got, the bigger he got!! Unbelievably beautiful animal!!!

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Even though it’s not important to me, for those of you that like keeping score, he had 10-1/2” bases and 42-1/2” horns. The pictures really, really don’t do him justice and to say that I’m stoked is an understatement!

After a long picture session, we dropped him off at the skinning shed and headed to the house for a celebratory beer and dinner.

Another great meal, good wine and great company and off to bed early to catch up on some sleep.


To be continued…..

Yes !!!
Take a look .
First time ever , cost me big time in Namibia .

 

[jasyblood]

Part Two


Day three and all future days started out the same…. up at 5:45 and breakfast at 6:15 and on the truck by 6:45. We drove around for a while and spotted some red hartebeest. We get off the truck and pursue them but no luck; they just vanished into thin air. We head back to the hide by the dam to see if anything was coming in to the zebra carcass and no luck there either.

About an hour or so later, we’re driving through a beautiful area that is heavily shaded and thick with cover and Rouan spots a group of Kudu crossing a creek. He signals the driver to stop and I can’t believe what I’m seeing…it’s a giant kudu about 50-60 yards away just staring at us. Kudu is not on either of our lists but this one definitely makes me think twice….we finally pull away from them and continue driving.

Sometime later that morning, my buddy makes a comment to me that he should’ve taken that kudu. I told him that sightings like that are rare and that if he’s really interested in a kudu, he shouldn’t let another opportunity pass. He agrees and lets Rouan know that if we see another nice kudu, he’s in.

The rest of the day was uneventful and we sat in the hide this evening for a few hours but no luck.

Tonight after dinner, Rouan’s son Brandon came in from Marakele where he’s doing some training/certification classes. He’s going to be home for a few days and plans on hunting with us to see if he can help us fill our bag.

Day’s four & five – Okay, to save myself a lot of typing and you guys a lot of reading, I’ll just say that the hunting gods were not with us on these two days. The entire team worked their butts off and we did see great animals, but it just wasn’t meant to be. That’s why they call it hunting!

Day six started out the same as the previous two. We’d spot animals and try to stalk but then they’d disappear on us. I’ve been through rough patches like this before and knew it could/would turn around if we kept at it but I could tell my buddy was feeling the pressure and he mentioned to me several times that he shot the kudu earlier in the week. I assured him that he’d get another chance.

Later that afternoon, Rouan’s camp manager called and said he’d seen a big kudu the previous evening and we went to the area to investigate. No sign of him but it was still early in the day and we made a plan to come back right before dark to see if we could find him. The rest of the afternoon was spent chasing a big waterbuck that we spotted but could never get a shot at.

Right before dark, we headed back to the area were the big kudu had been spotted. Rouan decided that it would be best if we park the truck and walk the area. I opted to stay at the truck and let the rest of the crew go in. About 30 minutes later, they called us to pick them up and they had not seen anything. After we picked them up, we had not gone more than 200 yards when one of the trackers in the back of the truck spotted some kudu right off the road. We slowed down just enough for Brandon and my buddy to step off the truck and we continued on for another 300-400 yards and stopped the truck. It wasn’t long before we heard a shot and is sounded like a good hit. We waited a minute or two and then walk to the area where we dropped them off and could hear them talking. My buddy had shot an extremely nice 55” kudu.

The body on this kudu was unbelievable.

Look at the neck on that thing!

Oh, I forgot to mention that earlier in the day, our driver had mentioned to Brandon that one of the employees that lives on the back side of the property has been having bushpig coming in every night digging through his trash and he asked if I’d be interested in trying to get one. “Hell yes I would” was my response….So, after taking pics of the kudu and dropping it off at the skinning shed, Brandon and I head out to hunt bushpig and the rest of the group go to camp.

When we arrive, we quiz the lady that lives there on where the pigs have been coming from and approximate times and made a plan. Since this hunt came up last minute, we were really not prepared and didn’t have a blind or even chairs, but we did the best we could with what we had. We borrowed two empty plastic beer crates to sit on, got the sticks set up low since I’d be shooting sitting down, went through a few dry runs and started waiting. I’ll admit I was not too optimistic with our situation as we’re only 30 yards from the trash pile and everything I’ve seen or read on hunting bushpig, I know they are not easily fooled.

We had only been waiting 15 minutes or so when we heard something coming and Brandon whispered that it was definitely bushpig. The sounds kept getting closer and closer and I was starting to believe that this might actually happen. Brandon had me get my gun up on the sticks and there was enough light coming from the house and moonlight that I could clearly see the trash pile and told Brandon that we didn’t need to use a light. About 30 seconds later, he whispered that he could see 3 large pigs and I’m straining my eyes but can’t see them. I asked “Where are they?” and he said “to the right of the trash”. “I still can’t see them! Where are they!?” Again, he says they are to the right of the trash. They are so close I can hear them breathing and grunting but can’t find them in the scope. Brandon asks if I want the light on but I’m afraid that it’ll spook them and tell him I’d rather wait to see if they’ll come into the trash. A few seconds later, we hear them run off. We wait a few more minutes but hear nothing and determine that the hunt is probably over.

After some discussion, we figure out why I couldn’t see them. Brandon was sitting on my left side and they had come in further right than we’d expected and there was a bush between me and them. He could see them but there was no way that I could’ve. A little frustrating but that’s how it goes and we’re optimistic that they’ll be back again tomorrow night and we’ll be a little better prepared!

We head back to camp for a late dinner and discuss plans for tomorrow (our last day). Brandon asks his mom if she’ll boil up some grits for us tomorrow for bait and she agrees.

Day 7 and our last hunting day and we’re on the truck by 6:45. We really have to step up our game today!

We first drive down to an area where we had seen a nice bushbuck early in the week to see if he was back but no luck. So, we headed to the backside of the property to see if we could find waterbuck or red hartebeest.

About 20 minutes into our drive, we spot a small group of red hartebeest in a clearing. We ease by them and Rouan slows down just enough for Brandon and me to step off and then continues on. We creep back down the road and to our surprise; they’re still in the clearing grazing and unaware of us (finally some cooperation!). We move down the road about 30 yards or so to get a clear shot and the sticks go up and I’m on the biggest bull. He turns broadside and let one fly. It’s a good hit and he runs about 30 yards before crashing. I’m not going to lie, it felt good to finally pull the again!

He’s a damn fine bull and I’m glad to have him!


After pics and dropping him off at the skinning shed, we head back out for waterbuck. We see lots of cows and young bulls but none of the mature bulls we’d seen throughout the week.

Later in the afternoon, we have a herd of impala walk across the road in front of us and there’s a small ram that is definitely in charge and chasing all the ewes to keep them together. I immediately think it’s strange that with all the large impala rams I’ve seen this week, that this little guy would be in charge. Rouan stops the truck and asks if one of us wanted a cull impala and I don’t think he had finished his sentence before I was on the ground and had my gun loaded! Brandon set up the sticks and I was able to make a good shot and he didn’t take a step. Again, it felt good to pull the trigger! I apologize but I didn’t get any pics of him.

We drop him off at the shed and Brandon and I agree that we should head out to set up for our pig hunt and my buddy decides to tag along. We have our bait with us (grits, syrup, beer, and leftovers from dinner) comfortable chairs and a cooler with drinks….a little more prepared today!

When we arrived, we decided that the best place to set up tonight was on the back porch of the house. We unload all our supplies and while Brandon moves the truck away from the house, my buddy and I get everything set up. There’s a half wall all the way around the porch which is the perfect height for me to shoot from and when Brandon returns, he sets up the bait and we make sure I can get a clear shot from where I’m sitting. Now all we have to do is wait for it to get dark and hope the pigs cooperate.

About 30 minutes after it gets dark, we hear movement and its getting closer….here they come! I get the rifle up and have my crosshairs trained on the bait. We can hear them getting closer and closer….I click the safety off and get ready. I can see something emerging from the bushes to the right…it comes right to the bait! But wait, that’s not a pig, it a huge freaking porcupine! Brandon is a little disappointed but I’m really wanting to shoot this porcupine!! When I ask him if I can shoot it, he says “Really? You want to shoot a porcupine??” He talks me off the ledge and convinces me to wait. Looking back, it was quite comical. Then, not 30 seconds later, he whispers that there’s a civet cat about 10 feet to the left of the bait. Now, this IS an animal I want to shoot. I get back on the gun but can’t find it in the scope (again, we’re doing this without any artificial light) and we figure out that there’s a tree blocking my view. I find the tree and wait for it to step out. Just a few seconds later it steps out and stops, I squeeze the trigger and the cat never knew what hit him. As soon as I shoot, Brandon hits the lights and I try to get a shot at the porcupine but it moves off too fast. What an exciting hunt!!

We decide to call it a night and pack up and head to the skinning shed to take some pics and then back to camp for another wonderful dinner. We stayed up a little later than normal tonight and visited with the family before we went to bed.

Day 8 – Time to go home. The last day is always depressing for me as I never like leaving Africa. We sleep in a little later this morning and get up around 6:30 and start packing. We meet for breakfast at 7:00, settle our bills, load the truck and head to the skinning shed for one last picture.

Rouan, Elias and Brite(not sure if I spelled his name correctly or not)

We’re on the road by 8:15 and arrive at the airport at 11:00. Rouan walks us in and makes sure that we check in goes smoothly. Everything from here on goes like clockwork and we arrive home 27 hours later.

In conclusion: This safari may not have turned out as originally planned, but that’s one of the reasons I love hunting and especially hunting Africa….there are no guarantees and you never know what you’re going to get or what’s around the next corner. I came to realize a long time ago, there’s a lot more to safari than skins in the salt or horns on the wall and this one did not disappoint!

To the entire Nel family, I would like to thank you again for your hospitality and making us feel like part of your family. Every one of you worked extremely hard to make this a memorable experience and that is exactly what we got. I can’t thank you enough and I will be back.


To all the folks reading this, I hope you enjoyed hearing my story as much as I did reliving it.

Thanks for reading,

Jason Y.

 

[jasyblood]

Yes !!!
Take a look .
First time ever , cost me big time in Namibia .
View attachment 184294

Wow! Did you figure out what the problem was?

 

[jasyblood]

I bet that if you tried the misfired cartridge again it would go off , the firing pin for what ever reason didn't strike the primer hard enough.

I bet you're right. I plan on trying that this weekend.

 

[cls]

beautiful Civet Cat

 

[Nyati]

Congrats for a very good hunt, and thanks for sharing !

 

[jeff]

Love that civet, it's on my list!

 

[dory]

Wow! Did you figure out what the problem was?

Shit gun and shit ammo .
It only misfired with winchester ammo .
But the federal ammo jammed after firing like yours did .
It was a new custom built rifle on its first and last hunt .
Cost a fortune and was a heap of shit .
It arrived at home just before we left for Africa so wasnt really tried out till we got there .

 

[jasyblood]

Love that civet, it's on my list!

You could've gotten this one with your bow...he was less than 25 yards when I shot! Hunting off the back porch is underrated! Lol.

 

[rinehart0050]

Congrats on your hunt- nice work on that civethe cat!

 

[enysse]

Congrats on all the great animals you guys got! What a stunning sable!!!! I love that red hartebeest.

 

[LivingTheDream]

That's Sable is awesome! Sounds like a great hunt!

 

[50by50]

Great writeup and fantastic sable!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Enjoyed reading your report. What a great hunt and excellent trophies. Congratulations!

 

[CAustin]

Sir you had an excellent hunt! Congrats on a beautiful Sable and the civet cat was a real bonus!

 

[jeff]

I've hunted with Rouan twice and hope to go back in a couple years again for one those bush pigs!!

 

[Archer]

Great write up! I may have to give Emirates a try on my next trip.

 

[dobber]

Great write up

 

[Hank2211]

Great animals and hugely impressive civet. Shooting in the dark (literally) is tough, but you got a great one!

You'll have to go back for the honey badger!