SOUTH AFRICA: Phil & Justin's Trip To HartzView Safaris 2015

Have a great trip and good hunt Phil! What's on your list this time?

You on the 55 or 57 en route to JNB..... If the 55, it will be one of there Airbus'. Maybe a little more up to date than the old 747s

Hope you have a great hunt. I just returned and had a good time. With Delta I didn't have any extra charges for firearms of ammo. Shoot something big. Bruce

looking for the reports

Hey Phil.....I wish to you the best hunt ever......waiting for that awesome report.......the best....!!!!!

Phil have fun and remember, "illegitimi non carborundum"!

Phil , have a great time and hunt. John

Phil,

Where you at? I it's Monday morning there.... I know your hunting. Quit bogarding the Intel!

Hope you enjoy your hunt. Airlines don't know how to squeeze any harder for money. Look forward to your reports on the run. I like that idea. I'll do he same on my trip. Looking forward to your reports.

Phil I will add my hopes for a great hunt! I do enjoy everyone's hunt reports so please share when you can. I've always wanted to fly on a 747 but never have I guess they are getting long in the tooth.

Phil,
I sure want to hear more about the firearms experience going through London and the costs.
Enjoy!
Philip

Phil, enjoy your hunt with your son..... Be safe and happy hunting....

Black Pudding? YUCK! British cuisine at its finest
Never had a good meal in all my time in England unlike Cote dAzur or Italy. Anything in camp is better!
Phil, have a bang up trip

Looking forward to the first hunting report. What a great experience to share with your son. I know it is a trip he will never forget. Good luck, good hunting. Philip

Hey Phil when you going to
Start hitting something? Or should I blame Jacques?

My best always

Sorry gents, I've not had WiFi since leaving London, that is until now. Yesterday was a travel day and we are now back at the main ranch until we depart Saturday for home.

So our trip from London was on a much more comfortable A380, no air control but the temp was steady. A quieter plane too with better personal entertainment devices.

We arrived slightly early and went through passport control in a timely manner and then off to SAPS. We did not use any of the gun permit services this time as Jacques was meeting us. Made it to SAPS where there was only one hunter ahead of me but another gent helped me immediately. A few mins later Jacques came in and a few mins after that I had my permit and we were on our way south.

Colenso, KZN

The first couple of days was a bit of a recon mission not far from this town. Jacques had been contacted about hunting this property. This was the first time he'd hunted it so we were all learning. The first evening we had a nice Impala ram walking down a mostly dry steam bed that we were sitting above. Jacques made a call to stop him but apparently he got his Impalese mixed up as the ram bolted without hesitation.

The following Monday I missed a zebra, no excuses just blew it. We saw a fair amount of other game, but no shots.

The next day we sat on a different spot to glass where we saw lots of impala, zebra, kudu and wildebeest. The cover on this property is thick, really thick. But Jacques makes a plan to take Justin on a stalk while the resident PH and I hang back, to minimize noise.

A proper stalk it was and we got to watch it all unfold. Jacques did a great job of getting my son in close to a bunch of impala but none were shooters. During all this we saw zebra making there way to Jacques and Justin, so did Jacques and he moved to put them in position for a 120 yard shot. The shot was quartering too with the zebras left shoulder leading. Justin put a great shot on the shoulder with the bullet passing through lungs just over the top of the heart cutting those blood vessels. The Zebra stallion dropped at the shot but then got up and made it all of 30 yards before dropping.

A few pics and then we must go hunting.



Entry wound


Exit side, bullet just under the skin at back of right shoulder.



All this from a 140 gr NorthFork bonded core out of a 7x57. Have I ever mentioned how I love NorthFork bullets? Pics of the bullet later.

We hunted that evening and one more morning on this concession. When we were getting the truck in to Jacques and Justin we saw a very nice Kudu that needed to be seen again. But that didn't happen and so it was off to the Midlands and specifically near the town of Nottingham Road.

This was only an hours drive from Colenso so we were able to hunt that evening. This is free range / mountain / farm hunting. The area is absolutely beautiful with tall mountains and tall pine trees. So off into the foothills of one farm we go in search of Common Reedbuck. A nice ram is spotted and I have a good place to shoot from at roughly 280 yards.

We had anticipated some longer range shooting, so Jacques brought along his .25-06 which I used for this shot. From a solid rest on a fence post I took the shot and it sailed well high. The ram took off for the reeds. We were certain it was not hit as we were able to watch him for awhile and he pointed us in the direction of another.

So in the bakkie we go to pursue this next one........sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Jacques is concerned that the scope is off on the .25-06, so now that we are a bit closer I'm using the 7x57. Just as we start the stalk on the second ram, the first one is spotted walking thru the reeds just 200 yards away. A bit of a tough shot as they blend in well with the reeds. Shot hit neck close to the junction of the shoulders and exiting high on the off side shoulder......bang flop.

I should mention the gent holding the ram's head is Hannes, one of Jacques' trackers and skinners. He is a quiet kind man who works very hard. He only speaks Afrikaans so our conversation is limited, but I have come to appreciate him very much.

Way to go ,boys
Keep it comming

So now I think it is Thursday and we are up high in the hills after Vaal Rhebok on a different property. Lots of fog and it is quite cool. Once the fog lifts we take time to check the .25-06 and yep it was shooting high, way high. Jacques gets it re zero'd and off we go. We are clearly in Vaalie land but we see nothing this morning. So off to lunch we go and then back to the farm from the previous evening.

Did I mention it's sometimes better to be lucky than good?

We are up in the higher hills and aren't seeing any bedded down. So in the little valleys between the hills we find ourselves driving when a very hard tap on the roof comes from the PH who was showing us around the properties. This was not the tap of "please stop I'd like to check something" it's the tap of there's what we are looking for.

On the move to the lower fields early was a very nice Vaalie ram. Out of the truck moving fast but the ram sinks down into a gulley. No problem we just move after him, we hadn't gone far when he appeared coming out of the gulley. Sticks up with the .25-06 and a 260 yard shot. He stops and I let one fly and hear the impact. He's moving and I want to hit him again but Jacques assures me he's dead. He is, a moment or two later he drops.