SOUTH AFRICA: Tootabi Hunting Safari Quick Stop Over & Short Hunt

I got some help resizing some pictures. Sorry they are not in order. These are from Loodt's incredible Karroo area!

We arrived in the afternoon and went out for a Lechwe and common springbuck. The springbuck was a challenge... After what I thought was decent hit, it just kept running and we chased it around and amongst a large group of them. Finally it was out with only a couple others around and getting dark soon.... Loodt and I went after it on foot and made our way towards it with a rise between us as we hunkered over and did the bent walk/run thing for a log ways. We spotted him pretty far off yet and Loodt said it is a very long shot but it might be our only chance. I turned my adjustable turret up all the way but it only goes to 350 yards (I'll have to work on that but thought it was enough for Africa)... I was on the shooting sticks and held best I could right above his back. It hit a bit far back but dropped him with a big hole through his middle. Loodt patted me on the back and said "you can shoot old man!". It was 524 yards and I can tell you it was all luck that I hit it. The first shot had only grazed a leg and the chest, an inch and a half higher would have been a heart shot.

The next day I was completely off my game and hit nothing all day. We were hunting Vaal rhebok and Klipspringer and Loodt put me onto them but I missed cleanly. In spite of that I felt it was a great day! We saw a lot of everything and the scenery was breathtaking!

We only had the afternoon mentioned above, 2 full days which I got nothing on the first, and a morning then needed to be coming out of the veld by noon on the final day. That first morning, we drove through a big gate into the high fenced property.... And we put on 121 kilometers on one road through the property before we drove out another gate and never got close to a fence the whole day! In fact it was well after dark before we got out. It was Loodt's first time getting in that deep and we were actually conserving food and water the last few hours just in case. We did make it back for a great feast at the lodge, albeit a bit late. If it had been just Loodt and I, we would have slept out there to be in the best klipspringer area at first light. I literally takes half the day to get in that far! This is truly free range hunting even though it is high fenced. At one point, the herds of both black and blue wildebeest, blesbuck, red hartebeest and a few zebra we running around like it was the Serengeti Plain! Literally hundreds of them!

The second morning we got started earlier and drove in before the sun came up. right away we saw 4 nice Kudu bulls in the headlights. Then just as it was getting light I caught a shimmer of light on a horn and as we turned the corner, there was a Sable standing there! My day was made and the sun was not up yet!

As we got into the Klipspringer area we stopped often to glass and I spotted a pair on a rock way up top. The stalk was on and took a long time... We actually got to the top and thought they were got but as Loodt peaked over they were 20 yards away! But ran off as I was trying to get the gun up for a shot... Then an eagle swooped down and was trying to get them! The eluded the eagle as they had done to us by running through and behind the big rocks. That was to be our only Klipspringer opportunity for the day and all we say of Vaal rhebok was white flags.

Went a bit nuts towards the end of the second day after we got out of the primary Klipspringer and Vaal Rheebok area.
Shot a Black Wildebeest, and a cull one, then a blesbuck and as we were coming out of that area we spotted a big old red hartebeest way down in a valley. I shot and hit low in the chest and thought it was a good hit but it was running and then hit in the gut, and just as he was about to disappear behind a bush I got another one in the right spot low on the shoulder and he dropped beside the big bush. 320 yards away down in the rocks so the work was cut out until just after dark. After photos I took all the gear and went to get the truck while Loodt and the two tracker carried him up the hill with Ann shining a flashlight for them. We had a good load on the bakki and headed back for a brie.

The next morning we headed out to a just go in a kilometer or so and glass for Vaal Rhebok one more time, only saw females but saw some incredible waterbuck. I'll try to follow up with pics of them in another post.

There is an incredible population of bontebuck there and I wanted to have a look so we cut out when the sun was well up and went there. Couldn't resist taking one once I saw them!

Then I really wanted a white springbuck so we dedicated the rest of the morning to that. In this area they are specifically breeding for them and they are mixed in with commons so very hard to find and then find a good male. There are some very nice black ones running around in there as well. I thought it would be a small area but boy was I mistaken! it went on forever and I never did see the back fence. We would spot a couple white critters from miles off and get there only to discover it had been white blesbuck. Then we found white female springbuck but no male. Finally we were down to deciding if we turn right where there were 3 white dots near a few sparse bushes or turning left and going after two that had just gone over the horizon. We were going to go left as the other were trotting around looking uneasy when they settled down ad we decided to make a long stalk trying to keep the few bushed between us and them. Trouble was the commons were spread out and could see us so we had to move carefully. We got to 280 yards and it was now or never as it was already noon. I managed to vindicate myself after missing the Vaalies and Klippies and dropped him with a perfect shot off the sticks. It was to be my last critter for an outstanding 3 weeks of two safaris (if you did not catch it, we were with Spear for two weeks prior)! I was blessed with 21 critters total in about 16 1/2 day hunting.
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Waterbuck spotted in Loodt's Karro area. I was sorely tempted but had one already and wanted to stay focused on other species. . So they are still there if anyone wants to hunt them! And these are just a small sample.

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Wow....

That is some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen, ever. I'd sleep in the truck in a heartbeat to hunt there.
 
Yea and the amazing this is that pretty much all of what you see in the background in included in that one area!

Loodt was talking about taking tents and doing overnights out there. Plant a little seed with that guy he pours water and fertilizer all over it!
 
Yea and the amazing this is that pretty much all of what you see in the background in included in that one area!

Loodt was talking about taking tents and doing overnights out there. Plant a little seed with that guy he pours water and fertilizer all over it!

He does!!!

That's so pretty too, and with that many animals, he might even get Nancy in a tent. Which is something I could never do!!!
 
Plant a little seed with that guy he pours water and fertilizer all over it!

Isn't that the truth! Look out what you ask for with Loodt. You will get it.
 
Amazing! Thanks for the report what a wonderful safari you had.
 
Waterbuck spotted in Loodt's Karro area. I was sorely tempted but had one already and wanted to stay focused on other species. . So they are still there if anyone wants to hunt them! And these are just a small sample.

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Great pictures Bob - all of them - but the one of the tiny speck of a hunting vehicle, way down in the distance, driving up the rocky canyon, with all that vast mountain scenery in the background is outstanding.
 
Great pictures Bob - all of them - but the one of the tiny speck of a hunting vehicle, way down in the distance, driving up the rocky canyon, with all that vast mountain scenery in the background is outstanding.
Paul that truck is not driving, we had to go back and get it! Well actually Loodt went back for it and we waited;)

I'm pretty sure all you see there, possibly with the exception of the very farthest mountain in the haze.... is included in that property and inside the one enclosure.... If you look behind that truck to the first mountain with the rocky top, I think those may be the rocks we stalked up for Klipspringer. And if you can imagine the drop off down into the lowest valley, I would guess it is something like a thousand feet.... It was amazing the view we had through a cut straight down over the entire valley way below... I wish we had stopped for a picture but we were in the middle of a major stalk a major rock face!

I also like the one above where 3 of us are standing glassing, and the road is way off to the right. We had just traveled up that over the previous hours.

I have every intention of going back there and possibly spending a night or two out there to hunt it in the morning.
 
I believe this most recent safari of yours is the most extensive I have read about since being a member of AH! Congratulations! What a trip! You had to come home to let the barrels cool down!
 
Paul that truck is not driving, we had to go back and get it! Well actually Loodt went back for it and we waited;)

I'm pretty sure all you see there, possibly with the exception of the very farthest mountain in the haze.... is included in that property and inside the one enclosure.... If you look behind that truck to the first mountain with the rocky top, I think those may be the rocks we stalked up for Klipspringer. And if you can imagine the drop off down into the lowest valley, I would guess it is something like a thousand feet.... It was amazing the view we had through a cut straight down over the entire valley way below... I wish we had stopped for a picture but we were in the middle of a major stalk a major rock face!

I also like the one above where 3 of us are standing glassing, and the road is way off to the right. We had just traveled up that over the previous hours.

I have every intention of going back there and possibly spending a night or two out there to hunt it in the morning.

Outstanding, and seeing that geography inspires me to one day get a 7x64 or perhaps another .300 H&H someday.
I too like the one of you guys glassing but, they're all good fotos.
Also, the vastness of that place reminds me of how some folks (usually ones who have not been to Africa) like to moan about fenced land.
 
Seeing waving flags on Vaalies is not uncommon. Damn hard animal to hunt.
 
Looks like a lot of fun. Some great looking trophies. Nice to be able to go and do things like that. Africa is just magical place. You have some great trophies and nice pics. Bruce
 
Seeing waving flags on Vaalies is not uncommon. Damn hard animal to hunt.

Aren't you trying for one with a bow this next trip?
 
Here are some photos of Loodt's very comfortable lodge back at his home area. He and his family own a large amount of land right there adjacent to Addo Elephant Park. And he has additional concessions including a large coastal area a short drive over to the Indian Ocean as well as some old Colonial Houses to serve as spike camps. We did not have time to visit those but I have every intention of getting back there to hunt that coastal area!

I honestly was surprised by the top quality hunting land he has available, even at home. I expected smallish fenced parcels but was pleasantly surprized. Loodt told me he has some remote land that no one has been on for about 10 years as it is not accessible by vehicle. We went out one night looking for bushpig and jackal and ended up seeing some exceptional kudu right up top behind the home farm buildings.

Loodt recently purchased the land in the background of the below photo and that is representative of what his home area is like.
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A better shot of the terrain in the area.
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Bob,

Sounds like you had a great trip with a couple of great hunts. I'm happy for you.

Thanks for sharing your memories and photos.(y)

All the best.
 
Bob, you hit a home run for sure! Loodt and crew, you did it again! I am very proud of you all!

I sure hope Kathy doesn't divorce me after all these years, but I got a feeling in about 12 days I am just going to hand Charlene my Visa card and go hunting. :A Camping:
 
One thing I don't understand though.

In the pic of the stud common Springbok, the guy from RSA is in short sleeves and the guy from Minnesota has a jacket on???

What's up with that? :)
 

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