SOUTH AFRICA: Tootabi Hunting Safari Report With The Wife A Family Affair

[tarbe]

Kathy and I are getting ready to turn in for the night at Tootabi, and we are doing so with a great big lol at these last posts!

 

[Royal27]

Yea Royal that thing looks a lot like our yellow lab when he's getting petted! Great video... So does Tim have his own version?

Anxiously waiting @tarbe !

I am pretty sure that he does. I think Kathy got so, e iPhone vodeo. Here is a good pic of Tim though.

 

[tarbe]

Yea Royal that thing looks a lot like our yellow lab when he's getting petted! Great video... So does Tim have his own version?

Anxiously waiting @tarbe !

I know!

Loodt must first send me pics, and I must get home! Too busy here to do more than a quick post or two.

It is 1030 and we must get up early for Chamwari tomorrow!

Tuesday and Wednesday will include the final hunts. Also hope to get another Baboon (two are not enough ).

 

[billc]

I am just glad in such a short time loodt has come through in a big way to make for some very happy clients. I knew he would come through but he has done better for everyone then I even thought. Shows how taking a chance with someone new in a business can pay off for the guys willing to take the chance. Great job loodt and looking forward to my return trip.

 

[Warbird782]

Shows how taking a chance with someone new in a business can pay off for the guys willing to take the chance.

Amen to that!

 

[jeff]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure! You have a great way of telling a story along with picts.

 

[tarbe]

Amen to that!

I second the Amen and will add a double thumbs up.

 

[tarbe]

Great job loodt and looking forward to my return trip.

I think we will be hearing this a lot!

Tim

 

[CAustin]

Royal this has been a great read. Thank you for sharing everything. I liked your Kudu very much.

 

[HuntingGold]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! I really enjoyed it.
Randy

 

[Royal27]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure! You have a great way of telling a story along with picts.

Royal this has been a great read. Thank you for sharing everything. I liked your Kudu very much.

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! I really enjoyed it.
Randy

Thanks guys!

It really was a great trip and Charles I appreciate your saying you like my kudu. I really like the character he has. I also don't think he will be my last kudu.

Interestingly enough, my two favorite animals to hunt on this trip were Kudu and warthog. Beauty and the beast!

 

[Bullthrower338]

Great story Royal! Glad You and the wife had a wonderful trip! Very cool you got to do some hunting with Tim also. That time with the cheetahs must have been amazing!
Cheers,
Cody

 

[Royal27]

Day Ten

My last day if hunting, making it bittersweet. Up early and looking for the Wildebeest Bull from yesterday. We find spoor and then eventually the bull, along with three other bulls now, but he was still the best of the bunch. I’ve used my .30/06 for the entire trip, but bring out my .375 H&H for this one. Honestly, I had planned on using it more, but didn’t want to change things up as I was shooting well for the most part.

We bump the bulls a couple of times, but the wind is in our favor and they aren’t sure what we are. They run across a little valley and up the other side and stop. First the bull is blocked my brush, then another bull is right behind him, so we have to wait a bit. He finally clears the other bull and I again near the “thwack” of the hit and he drops as if hit by lightning while the other bulls run off. I was aiming at the point of the shoulder and pulled to the left and broke his neck. It was 214 yards and worked out well, but I’m still not overly pleased with the shot. Maybe I’m too hard on myself, but I really try and have high standards for my shooting.

So we will need help getting this guy out and I don’t want Nancy to miss out like she did on the Kudu, so we go for her and a cart. I shot the Wildebeest, but Nancy quickly announced he was hers. She loved him.

That evening I got a bonus. Although I was happy with my Steenbok Lammie wasn’t and kept telling me he thought it was bigger and so did Attie. He wanted me to shoot a better one if we saw one. Well, that evening we did. And Nancy was with us, so I got a chance to redeem myself for the missed warthog on the first day. I don’t measure horns very often, but Lammie wanted to measure this one. The short horn is 5 inches and the other right at 5.2. I was tickled. It is also funny how the 96 yard shot on the Steenbok looked much further than over 200 on the beest.

Another evening around the fire and we’d be headed back to the main lodge the next morning.

 

[Royal27]

Day Eleven

This will be short. We went back to the main lodge and then I spent most of the day back out with Tim. So again, you’ll need to read his report for that, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed the time.

Oh, and the Tootabi surprise was that night. Photos are getting out now, so I will add another one, tell you it was an amazing experience, and leave it at that. I’ll also say it is another example of how Loodt works with the local community of Patterson. Great touch Loodt!

 

[Royal27]

Day Twelve

Last full day at Tootabi and we planned to spend the afternoon and evening with Tim and Kathy at Scotia Game Reserve. This is the third different reserve we’d been to and I’d say they were all different and all worth it. I didn’t find myself thinking any of them were a repeat.

The one really cool thing for Nancy at Schotia was that they had a crocodile at a waterhole. This now meant she had seen all of the Dangerous Seven in Africa. She was excited about that. And we did get to see lions feeding on a kill, sort of. The big male had drug the kill into the brush and although we could see him we could never see what dinner was. We could however; hear the crunching of bone. It was a great reminder of the power in those jaws.

I hung out with Tim and Loodt that morning while they…. Oh, right, I can’t say…

 

[CAustin]

Royal the Kudu gets into your blood. They are majestic for sure! I think the left horn on yours gives him a very distinctive look. Don't think you mentioned how you intend to have him mounted but his neck was huge so I would sure play that up!

 

[Royal27]

Departure Day

What a trip it has been! Loodt’s parents were great and man can his mother cook.

We ended the trip with a visit to Relive Taxidermy. I really enjoyed it, but between all of the mounts and the smell it was more than poor Nancy could handle, so she sat in the truck most of the time.

Paul at coffee and snacks ready for our visit and the nicest touch was to see my buffalo skull from last year sitting on the table with the coffee. Man did it bring back memories…. I’m very happy with my decision to use Paul after seeing the work.

And @billc that lioness of Dakota’s looks even better in person! Man this that mount going to be great! Nancy even though so and saw it before she almost lost her lunch. J

 

[CAustin]

Nice buff. I like the worn left side. Now I understand your reference to left sided stuff.

 

[Warbird782]

Interestingly enough, my two favorite animals to hunt on this trip were Kudu and warthog.

Royal the Kudu gets into your blood

This is why is created a post called "Kudu only hunt. I could go to Africa and focus a hunt totally on kudu. Sure I would shoot a snorter of another species if I crossed paths with one but the hunt would only focus on kudu. When I do my family hunt with Loodt in 2017 I plan on letting my daughter shoot a springbuck slam along with a mix bag of other critters. For me I plan on just hunting kudu.

 

[Royal27]

I do plan on writing a summary of reflections at some point, but this is just about it for the report.

It was a really great time with the wife, Loodt and family, Lammie, and of course Tim and Kathy. I'll admit that I'm sad as I type this, knowing it will probably be 2018 at best before we make it back, but make it back we will.

I do have one final picture to post. I saved the best for last.