SOUTH AFRICA: Better Late Than Never.....Family Trip With Tootabi 2016

Grady

AH enthusiast
Joined
Jan 5, 2013
Messages
260
Reaction score
188
Media
32
Articles
1
Hunting reports
Africa
2
Member of
SCI, NRA, IHEA
Hunted
US, Germany, RSA
My plan was to post this some time ago, as I was transcribing my diary and notes onto the computer, but someone broke into my truck and decided they wanted it all....I thought everything was lost!

About two weeks ago, I found a semi-late copy that I had printed out. I was able to scan it and edit. So here it goes..... It may take a few days to get it all online.

2016 Safari -The Family Safari
Tootabi Hunting Safari's
Eastern Cape, South Africa


The Plan

After my first Safari with lbamba Safaris in 2013, I knew the "once in a lifetime" trip would have to be at least a "twice in a lifetime" trip because I wanted to bring my family back with me. The planning started in Aug 2013 for a trip in either 2015 or 2016. I was looking for a family style safari where only two would be hunting, my youngest daughter and wife would not be hunters. The safari was not about me hunting, it was more about the family time. Between the planning and actual execution, my wife and I split and I retired from the military, but I still wanted to take the girls with me on the trip. So it was decided that my Aunt will now go and the family trip was still a go! I loved the first hunt with lbamba, but I wanted to see a different part of South Africa, so the decision was to go to the Eastern Cape.

While on-line searching many forums, I would always settle on Africa Hunting.com to do most of my research. This site provided a lot of info that was very useful during my first hunt. While on the site, a new outfitter asked if you could design a hunt, how would you design it?

My entry was simple.... A Family Safari. It was a simple concept, offer a 7 or 10 day safari for two hunters, with two observers and time for extras. The primary hunters would choose 5 animals from a list. One animal from the larger species, two from the midsized animals and two smaller ones. The package would also offer shopping, spas, local attractions and game drives. The offer also included a "Kiddie Package" that included one smaller trophy animal and two cull animals. For this hunt, I choose a nyala, red hartebeest, upgraded a kudu to a gemsbok, a springbuck and a warthog. Annie, my oldest daughter, selected a trophy impala, and cull warthog and blesbok. She also determined that she would hunt the red hartebeest and the nyala from my list. I was treating my Aunt and Haley to their own "Safari" that included a spa day, shopping, a day exploring Addo National Park, time at the Daniell Cheetah Reserve and some local game drives around the hunting concessions. Since we would also celebrate Haley's 12th birthday, we also scheduled an Elephant Back Safari at Addo Elephant Park.

With the plan set, dates selected, deposits sent and then the long wait started.


Travel (Saturday, Sunday, Monday)
May 21-23, 2016


After a year of planning and a divorce, it was time to travel on a "Family Safari" with my two daughters and my Aunt. All tickets were set and checked. The plan was to depart Tucson, fly to LAX then to JFK on Delta, and meet up with my Aunt. Change airlines over to African Airways for the trip to Johannesburg and finally to Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape. Based on previous travels with guns, we arrived at Tucson International 2 hours and 30 minutes prior to departure. To my surprise the Delta gate agent knew what she was doing! She even knew the new procedures for international travel for children traveling with a single parent. Needless to say, within about 20 minutes we were off to TSA security. This should be somewhat easy because everyone was listed as TSA pre-check, but that was not to be...

My daughters made it thru without issues, but then the bottom fell out. The trouble centered around two ink pens that I packed as gifts for the PH and outfitter. My father makes pins and fashioned two that had bullet shaped ends to them ... Can you imagine what that looked like on the X-Ray screen? To top it off, my carry-on bag was also the same bag that I used for shotgun competitions; more on that one to follow.

So, because the TSA agent manning the X-Ray screens was on his "A" game, my bag was selected for the extra look, which also meant the extra explosive screening and an extra screening for the owner... me. They dug out the pens from inside of my hunting boots and handed them over to the supervisor. Once he gave them a close inspection, and tested them, the OK was given. Then during the explosives screen, my bag came back positive, yep my shooting competition bag.... This meant a complete un-pack of the bag and a complete pat-down for me. My girls thought this was pretty funny and got a good laugh. After it was complete, we were off to eat breakfast 15 minutes later and wait at the gate for the flight.

Both flights to LAX and JFK were uneventful. In New York, we met up with my Aunt for the final legs of the trip. Then time to wait for the long 14 hour flight to J'Berg. Once we arrived, we were met at the plane by a gentleman from RiflePermits.com who escorted us thru immigration and customs. Then it was time for the weapons check process with Anna and Charles from Rifle Permits who escorted us through the South African Police area firearms reception area. Everything went without a hitch, including the re-check for the final leg of the travel to Port Elizabeth. After landing at Port Elizabeth and baggage claim, we were met by Loodt from Tootabi Hunting Safaris and escorted for the final weapons check. Again, no issues and very through.


Everyone loaded up in the Bakkie, the term the locals used for the hunting vehicle, for the trip to the lodge. But before we departed the city, we made a quick stop at the beach for ice cream at a local shop. We made two more stops for supplies then it was time to hit the road for the 1 hour 30 minute trip to the place we would call home for the next 11 days.

It was a nice drive and we discussed some of the priorities for the trip which included celebrating Haley's 12th Birthday, a spa day for the ladies, nyala for my daughter, and gemsbok for me and spending some quality time together. On the drive in, we spotted giraffe, zebra, blesbok and impala. It was a great start to a fun filled trip.

Family Room.jpg


Picture of the Family Room

Once we arrived, we were shown our rooms, introduced to some of the staff and met our Professional Hunter, Lammie and our tracker, Atti. The accommodations were very nice. I was in a single room and the ladies were in the family room. For our first dinner, we enjoyed a kudu pot roast, rice, butternut squash and spinach with an Apple Tart and cream for dessert. We also discussed the plan for the next day which was to meet in the morning, sight-in the rifles, Winchester Model 70 in .308 with a Burris Eliminator scope shooting 168 grain Barnes TTSX for Annie, and a Blaser R-93 in .375 H&H with a Leupold VX-R Hog shooting 250 grain Hornady GMX for me. Then off for Annie to hunt a red hartebeest, the first animal on her hit list.
 
Day 1
24 May 2016 (Tuesday)
Red Hartebeest


We met in the main lodge a 7:30 to go sight in the rifles. Annie and I would be hunting and Auntie and Haley would relax for the first day. We drove over to the range for a quick check. Two shots for each at 100 yards and Lammie was satisfied that we knew what we were doing. Following the confirmation shots, Lammie and Atti took us for a very short game drive in the area around the range. While on the drive, we spotted a small warthog (on the list for the both of us), kudu, zebra, more warthogs (all too small), impala (to small), and Baboons, an opportune animal if the shot was available (too far off). Then back to the lodge for a quick breakfast with everyone.

After a breakfast of eggs, pork sausage, yogurt and toast, we headed over to Carl's property to hunt the hartebeest. Upon entering the property, we immediately spotted a small herd of hartebeest with a very nice buck in the mix. After looking him over for a few minutes, Lammie decided that we should continue to look for another buck in the area that he had his eye on for some time. About 45 minutes later, we were back to find the original group and spotted them about 300 yards away. It was time for Annie's first stalk.

The four of us got out of the bakkie and the stalk was on. The wind was in our favor and we closed to 250 yards with the hartebeest up hill. Annie got on the shooting sticks and ranged the buck at 246 yards, slightly behind a bush. Lammie and I were in the binoculars trying to ensure this was the buck we wanted and not a large female. About 15 minutes later, Lammie decided this was the one we wanted and gave Annie the green light once a nice broadside shot was presented. The herd had no clue that we were in the area.

While the buck was moving around, he never presented a clear broadside shot. As he moved to his left, he stopped and decided to lie down and take a nap. Since the wind was in our favor and they did not know we were in the area, we took the opportunity to move closer and try for a better shot once he stood back up. We cautiously moved and Annie was on the sticks again at 175 yards then into 132 yards and Annie got back on the sticks for the third time just as the buck stood up. He presented a great broad side shot and as Annie was about to take the shot, when a smaller buck walked behind our target animal, then for some reason the herd moved off.... not spooked, just decided to move to a different area. We decided to back out to the bakkie and approach from a different direction hoping to get a better shot.

This time we found a different herd in an open field with no cover. We parked the bakkie and started the stalk from about 400 yards. We moved into 200 yards and the wind changed. Stalk busted ... and we moved back to the bakkie to look around again. As we were walking down the valley, we spotted the original herd moving back to the first hill that we spotted them on. On the way to the bakkie we also spotted a MONSTER impala. Both Lammie and I looked at each other, but Annie wanted the red hartebeest first. We looked one more time and decided to continue the hunt for the hartebeest. About 20 minutes later, the herd settled and continued to move. As we drove around a corner, we bumped into the heard at about 30 yards as they crossed in front of us. We bailed out of the bakkie and the third stalk was on.

We followed the herd, bumped into them a couple more times, but they didn't spook. We finally located the herd about 175 yards above us on a hill. We continued to move in and got Annie on the sticks for the fourth time. The bull moved behind a bush and we waited. While waiting for the buck to move out, Atti moved to the right to see if he could get a better view of our target. He got the better view, and we were on the move again and put Annie back on the sticks for the fifth time. She ranged the buck at 149 yards and still did not have a good clear shot. The hartebeest was standing by himself to our left with the rest of the herd to the right. The herd started moving off to the right and he started to follow.

As the buck started to come out from behind the bush, Lammie was coaching Annie on shot placement. He cleared the bush, stopped, and looked our way. Lammie gave Annie the green light for the shot. It seemed like forever for her to shoot. Then she let the Barns TTSX fly. BOOM!. .. SMACK!. .. HIT! The buck jumped and moved off to the left and went down. Annie had the first animal of the trip on the ground after about 3 hours on the first day. It was also her very first big game animal. This was where we were introduced to the "Lammie Tradition" ... every time someone shoots an animal, he plays AC/DC "Thunder Struck."
IMG_0033.JPG
IMG_0054.JPG
IMG_0072.JPG
 
Im glad to see your report. It seems we exchanged a PM or two before the hunt. Nice Hartebeest and it is good to see Lammie and Atti's faces.

Looking forward to a bit more....
Randy
 
Great to see and read about a family hunt! Awesome first big game trophy!
 
Great job. Always great to take the kids with you. They will remember it the rest of their lives. Nice trophy, especially for her first trophy animal. Congrats
Bruce
 
Always a relief to have a clean kill on that first animal.

Good job to your daughter!
 
Great start, looking forward to the rest! Congrats to your daughter on her first animal!
 
Im glad to see your report. It seems we exchanged a PM or two before the hunt. Nice Hartebeest and it is good to see Lammie and Atti's faces.

Looking forward to a bit more....
Randy
Randy, we did talk. Had a great time
 
Thank you for sharing
 
Ok, I'm ready for Part 2!
 
Sorry for the delay..... Back to the report....

Day2
25 May 2016 (Wednesday)
Nyala??? Nope, Warthog.


Today, we were targeting a nyala for Annie. The nyala was one of the animals that I wanted, but when Annie saw a picture of one, she asked or should I say demanded that this was one of her animals, what was a dad to do?

The morning weather started out very misty with a light rain and low clouds, something that was much needed in the region due to the current drought. So after a breakfast of eggs, pork sausage, yogurt and toast, we decided to stay in the lodge for the morning. But at about 11 am, things started looking better and we decided to go for a drive on some property directly behind Loodt's family home.

Just as we entered the hunting area, I spotted movement to the left and pointed it out to Lammie.... BUSHPIG! Lammie, Atti and I bailed out of the bakkie and gave chase. Annie didn't know what was going on, so she stayed in the bakkie and waited for us to return. The chase was on, up a small hill, under the brush, we were following trails. This went on for about 15 - 20 minutes before we decided that he gave us the slip. This was my second safari and the second time I had seen a bush pig during the day.... something that was not normal. Back to the bakkie, I explained to Annie the significance of seeing a bushpig during the day and continued to look for a nice nyala. Unfortunately, most likely due to the poor weather, nothing was moving around the area this morning and it was time to move to a different property.

Once we entered the new property, Atti spotted a young nyala bull that was not quite mature enough. We continued to drive the property when Lammie received a phone call from Loodt about a nice bush buck that was spotted next to the main road. Since a bush buck was on my list, we were off to take a look. We got to the area and headed into the thick bush with no luck. Since it was getting close to lunch, we decided to head back to the lodge.

The day was turning into a nice day. We had a great mushroom and bacon quiche for lunch and Annie was even able to sneak a quick nap before we headed off to the third area for the day. As we crested a small rise, Lammie shouted, "BABOONS!!!" as he spotted a troop of baboons in the distance. We were able to get out of the bakkie and take a look. They were ranged at 400 yards, time to put the hand loads for the .308 to a test. Annie got on the sticks and Lammie put her on a large male. Unfortunately he was moving, but Annie had him in the scope at 440 yards without a clear shot. She followed him, and this time he was at 480 yards, presented a good shot, but now there was a cow in the way. Then he disappeared over a hill. Lammie was able to spot 4 or 5 other baboons, but again, no clear shots, so we moved on. We parked the bakkie and started working our way to a large clearing to see what's there.

Lammie was leading Annie with me and Atti following close behind. Lammie spotted 3 medium sized warthogs at 122 yards. They didn't know that we were in the area. Annie got on the sticks and was targeting the medium sized hog on the left. She zoomed in the scope, was steady and took the shot. BOOM....nothing....

Both Lammie and I saw the dirt where the bullet hit low and behind the warthog. The warthogs took-off and we determined it was a clean miss. Annie was mad, but that is hunting, there are those who have missed a shot, and those who will miss. Sh... I mean things happen!

After the miss, there was nothing in the area, so we pack-up and headed to yet another area about 5 minutes from the lodge. Driving in we saw Duiker, but we were going to another clearing on a hill that was known to hold warthogs. Once we parked the bakkie, it was time to sneak in and take a look. Once again, it was Lammie leading Annie with me and Atti trailing. Once we got to the clearing, there were 3 warthogs feeding and one of them was defiantly a shooter cull boar. Annie was back on the sticks, and ranged the warthogs at 187 yards. She was comfortable with the setup and was waiting for a good shot.

He turned presenting a slightly front quartering shot and she took it.... BOOM... SMACK...HIT! The warthog took the shot, turned to his right and ran downhill. We gave him a few minutes and then went looking for him. We found a blood trail that anyone could follow. As Lammie, Atti and I were following the trail, Annie looked up and said, "There he is at the bottom of the hill."

Once we got to the bottom of the hill and examined the warthog, the shot was a great double lung shot. Pictures were taken and then he was loaded in the bakkie and taken back to the lodge first to show Haley and Auntie. This warthog was destined for the kids and the local school that the Tootabi Foundation supports.

IMG_0125.JPG
IMG_0144.JPG



Since it was still early, we head back to the area that we hunted earlier and saw the baboons. We spotted another warthog that was worth taking a closer look at. We parked the bakkie and started the walk in. As we were working our way in for a better look, we were almost busted by another smaller warthog about 20 yards to our left. When we finally made it to the area where we saw the larger warthog, he had moved off and we could not find him. After another scan of the area, we returned back to the bakkie to drive down to the valley for a look.

In the valley we spotted lots of young kudu and a really nice young bull that needed a year or two before he will become a trophy animal. While Lammie, Atti and I were sizing up the kudu, Annie spotted a very nice warthog. We only got a quick glance as he moved off to the bush. We kept moving and spotted even more warthogs. All of them are on the small side. We also came across four more gemsboks with one female that looked pretty good, but since I was looking for a mature male, we decided to pass on her. Since it was getting late, we headed to the skinning shed to drop off Annie's warthog.

As we crossed the top of a valley, Atti tapped on the top of the bakkie because he spotted a warthog worth taking a look at. The three of us got out of the bakkie and Annie stayed behind. Once we got the binoculars on him, he was a definite shooter. The only problem was that we would be fighting the wind to get in closer for a shot. As we worked our way down a hill, we took one more look and his tusks had a definite strong curl and were very long.... a nice shooter! He was at the bottom of the hill with 4 other warthogs. So far the wind was not causing too many problems as they continued to feed with no idea that we were in the area. Every time he put his head down, we moved closer while keeping an eye on the others. It was slow going, but the sticks finally came out at 218 yards. There was not a good shot because of the trees and other warthogs so we decided to try and work even closer. Two more stops and I was back on the sticks at 147 yards.

Finger on the trigger waiting for a clean shot, the boar moved in and out of the bushes. It seemed like every time a good broadside shot was presented, one of the other warthogs moved in the way. 15 to 20 minutes later and 6 or 7 potential spoiled shots, the wind changed and they got our scent. The stalk was busted. Lammie and I continued down the hill and Atti returned to the bakkie. On the way to the bakkie, Atti spotted the warthogs and pointed them out to us. By the time we got eyes on him, he was heading away at high speed. Atti continued to the bakkie and came down the hill to get us. As Atti and Annie approached the bottom of the hill, Lammie spotted movement in front of us. I was back on the sticks and Lammie signaled Atti to stop. It was another large warthog, but he was moving away and I could not get a clean shot. While it was not the same monster, they were surely related to each other. Yet another opportunity for me was spoiled.

So at the end of day two, Annie had two animals down, and I had not even taken a shot.... time for me to get into the game. Haley was able to finish her first of many books and spend some more quality time with Auntie and the dogs.
 
Day3
26 May 2016 (Thursday)
Birthday Girl.... No Hunting Today.


During the planning stages of the safari, Haley had a few requests, no hunting on her birthday and to ride an elephant if possible. Also, if we were close, a visit to Addo Elephant park. It turned out; we would be able to do all that and more!

The morning started with a trip to the Born Free Big Cat Sanctuaries at Shamwari Game Reserve. We were the only people there that morning so it was almost like a private tour. Once we entered the main area, we sat through an introduction then it was off to the tour. The first stop was to see the resident white lions. They are amazing creatures! As we were walking to the second lion enclosure, the lions started to roar. The sound went to our bones. This was starting out as a great birthday for Haley. After about an hour, we headed back to the Tootabi lodge for a late breakfast. But on the way out of the game reserve, we spotted a large male black rhino.

On the drive back to the lodge thru the town of Patterson, there was a stark reminder that we were in an area that most in the US cannot understand. Seeing the houses made with corrugated tin and farm animals in neighborhoods made my daughters understand the problems they encounter are small in the big scheme of things. Many of the local people that we encountered would happily pay to have the problems that we have back in the States.

Back at the lodge, we enjoyed a breakfast of African French toast (French toast with cheese and bacon), peaches and yogurt. This was definitely going to be a birthday for Haley to remember. After a short break, it was time to head to Addo Elephant Back Safaris which was about an hour away for the lodge, so we all loaded into the bakkie and off we went. During the drive to the park we were treated to many animals along the way.

Once we arrived and signed in, it was time for the girls to get on the elephants and go for a ride. The smiles on their face, said it all, it was a HUGE score for Dad! The girls were introduced to the elephants at the park, Mukwa, Duma and Thaba. Haley was on Duma in the lead followed by Annie on Mukwa and bringing up the rear was Thaba. Auntie and I stayed back at the lodge and enjoyed the amazing view and sounds of Africa.
IMG_0280.JPG


While the girls were out, they saw giraffe, zebra and wildebeest along with a few other animals. After the ride, we all walked with them through the diverse valley bushveld, ravines and forest habitat. At the conclusion of the walk the girls enjoyed rewarding the elephants with their favorite treats. Finally off to the lodge for a nice lunch that Loodt had arranged. Once lunch was finished, it was time to say goodbye to the amazing staff and head back to Tootabi for another short break.
IMG_0427.JPG

Following the break, Lammie decided to treat Haley and Auntie to a local game drive (with the idea of trying to locate some animals for the following days hunting). Before the game drive, the Chief and the kitchen ladies had another treat for Haley. They baked her a true birthday cake for her birthday. After cake, it was time for the local game drive. Annie decided to stay back and get a nap. So Auntie, Haley and I loaded back in the bakkie with Lammie for the final portion of Haley's birthday.

Once we were in the first concession, Haley and I climbed on the back of the bakkie, she took over camera duties, and we were off. As it always happens, when you don't have gun is when you see all the shooter animals. This time, was no different. In the first area that we looked, we spotted a large herd of blesbok with multiple shooters and a smaller herd of zebras with at least one nice stallion. As we continued towards the back of the property we drove down a steep trail to a water hole at the bottom (more on this hill later). This was where we spotted a very nice shooter impala, not as big as the MONSTER we saw earlier, but still a shooter. Since impala was on Annie's list, we made a note of where they were and backed out as not to spook them. We continued looking around and spotted what we thought were a small group of 4 Giraffe. After looking at them for a while, we realized that there were actually 6 in the group. They definitely blend into their surroundings very well. Around the next bend, we saw a nice nyala ... a border line shooter, made note of where he was and continued the game drive.

After taking some time to look at a group of zebras, we crossed the main road and entered another area with an old dairy farm and the remnants of an old train station. This time, we ran into a large group of warthogs, including a definite shooter with large tusks. Like the rest of the day, all we could do was make note of where he was and continue the drive with Haley and Auntie. During the drive, it became very evident that Haley has an amazing ability to pick out animals from the surrounding brush. She was the first to spot warthogs, kudu and zebra on the hill side.

Now it was time to head back to the lodge for dinner and to enjoy a few slices of that amazing birthday cake. Dinner this evening consisted of Chicken Kabobs, springbuck, potatoes, coleslaw followed by the amazing three layer chocolate cake. This was a birthday that Haley would not forget any time in the near future.

IMG_0497.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oops, Looks like the picture I tried to rotate didn't work
 
Day4
27 May 2016 (Friday)
Split Operations ... Manicures, Massages and Springbuck!


Today would be split operations. The girls plus Charlene, Loodt mother, were venturing into Kirkwood for a "Girls Day" consisting of massages, manicures, pedicures, and a relaxing lunch and of course a little shopping. While Lammie, Atti and I were off to a new property to locate a nice springbuck and hopefully a gemsbok. Today I was using both the .308 for the springbuck and the .375 for the gemsbok.

An hour and a half later after a nice drive, we arrived at the new property. We stopped at the gate to pick up Rubin, one of the farm hands, who would accompany us on this hunt. Once we entered the property, we immediately saw lots of game animals; impala, a large herd of springbuck, multiple zebras and approximately 12 giraffe of varying ages. The hunt was on. After we made the first turn, I spotted a group of 3 male gemsbok off to the left side. We stopped to evaluate, and one was a possible shooter. After about 10 minutes, we noted their location and decide to continue the hunt. Lammie wanted to look for another group of gemsbok that were known to be on the property.

About 10 minutes later we stopped to look over a group of springbuck with a possible shooter at 327 yards. We decide he was worth a closer look and the stalk was on. With minimal cover, we worked our way into 216 yards and he presented a good broad side target. Time for the sticks to come out. I put the cross hairs on just behind his shoulder about 1/3 of the way up. Took a breath, steady on the stick, squeezed the trigger, BOOM ... MISS! I pulled an "Annie". What the heck? Everything looked and felt good, but the shot went low, again. The ram departed the area, Lammie and Atti both asked what happened, and I didn't have a good answer. My pride was hurt and we headed back to the bakkie and try to find another group of springbucks. We got about 1/2 way around the property only seeing groups with small rams. We also spotted a group of black wildebeest. We took some time to look at the group and saw two possible shooters, but we were not after Wildebeest...yet.

We then made our way to the middle of the property on top of a ridge that provided a great view of the property with plenty of animals. In the distance, the giraffe were still feeding, the wildebeest were still running from their own shadows, and finally we spotted another group of springbuck. After a brief evaluation, there was a shooter that we decided was worth a closer look. We started the stalk, but this group spooked over the hill. We continued to follow, but it was clear that they were not going to stop anytime soon. We stopped and decided to regroup, but spotted another group about 400 yards away. Even at this distance, thru the binoculars we could see that there was a very nice ram worth a look. Time for stalk number three of the morning. Did I mention that there was not a lot of cover in this area? Anyway we continued. This time the group of five started to walk left to right, but at a leisurely pace. We took a cut-off angle and close to about 250-275 yards. The springbuck now realized that there was something unusual heading their way. Lammie looked at me and told me this was as close as we will be able to get without spooking them. I took a breath, and the stick came out. Another breath and it's time for possible redemption. The scope said 247 yards, the cross hairs were on his shoulder and1/2 way on down his body this time. I took my third breath and started the squeeze. BOOM!... the 168 grain Barnes TISX was on the way.... HIT!... a little lower than I was aiming, but a good hit! There was the low thing again ... Amazing that he started to run with the group. He was definitely not keeping up with the others and we continued working closer to get a finishing shot.

This time at around 127 yards, in a tail chase, I was presented with the only available shot, a "Texas Heart Shot". On the sticks again, deep breath and the round hit about 2 inches right of the "bullseye". My first animal of my "Once in a Lifetime Safari, Part 2" was down. Lammie and I continued to my buck while Atti headed back to get the bakkie. He was a nice buck, great shape to his horns, good bases and nice length. One interesting thing about springbuck is their back hairs. For about 10 to 15 minutes, the hairs stand on end similar to a Mohawk haircut, and for some reason, they smell like a loaf fresh baked bread. I was able to get some early pictures of this phenomenon with the GoPro before Atti arrived with the big camera. Before pictures, it was time for a water break and a light lunch of yogurt and fruit. Once pictures were taken, the springbuck was loaded on the bakkie and we were off to locate the gemsbok to take another look.

IMG_0684.JPG


Back to the front of the property to search for the gemsbok. We saw the black wildebeest and a heard of blue wildebeest that did not look good due to the drought condition, but could not locate the gemsbok. It was now early afternoon and if we don't find them shortly, we would have to pass on this property. About an hour later, just as we were getting ready to depart the property, Atti spotted the gemsboks, off to take a look. Once we got a better look, there was a shooter in the group, but his horns are not quite what I was looking for. Lammie thought we could do better so we passed. This would be a lesson on "Take what the bush offers". We continued to search the property for the other bachelor group that was known to be on the property. After another hour or so, we started the drive back to the lodge for the evening with my springbuck and without the gemsbok. A few days later, we learned that the drought had taken its toll on the animals and one of the farm hands located the other bachelor group... the two big bucks were dead. Back to the lodge, for the report on the girls days out.

Girls View 1.jpg

Here is the view they had at lunch

Before dinner, Lammie, Atti and I decide to take a look behind the family house to see if we could locate the nyala that we saw the day before. The plan was to get a general location of the nyala so that we could take Annie there in the morning for a hunt. Just before dark, we located one that would be worth another look if we could find him in the morning.

On the way back to the lodge, driving on the faster side on what should be the speed limit on the dirt road, we both spotted something at the same time ... it turned out to be a caracal. Lammie slammed on the breaks, I grabbed the gun, but the caracal disappeared into the brush before I could get on him. We spent about 10 minutes looking, but didn't want to be late for dinner. At dinner I hear about the "Girls Day" that consisted of manicures, pedicures, massages and a nice lunch at a restaurant on a bluff overlooking one of the local orange groves. Dinner tonight was meat pie (kudu), chicken, brown sugar carrots, rice, broccoli and cauliflower with traditional bread and ice cream. A good day for all. At the end of day 4, I was catching up to Annie. She had 2 down, and I finally had my first one down. Haley was half way thru her second book, taking lots of pictures and still enjoying herself along with Auntie.
 
Day 5
28 May 2016 (Saturday)
The "Trifecta", a Warthog, and Schocia


This morning was to be an early start. Off to the family farm to see if we can locate the nyala from the night before. The plan for the rest of the day was an impala for Annie followed by Schocia Game Reserve for a late night game drive and dinner. This would also allow Lammie and Atti the evening off to spend some time with their families.

Annie, Lammie Atti and I headed off to look for the nyala from the night before. We parked on the top of the hill that we saw the monster warthogs from the previous day and started looking thru the binoculars to try and locate the nyala. We couldn't locate him so we walked to the bottom of one hill and continued looking, still nothing. As we were walking we decided to walk over to another hill to take a look. On the way over, we spotted 3 or 4 warthogs with a nice shooter in the group. But since we were trying to locate the nyala, my chance at a warthog would have to wait ... he was nice and we considered taking him instead, but this was the day for Annie's nyala and impala if possible.

After another 45 minutes of looking for the nyala, it was time to head back for breakfast. I talked to Lammie about the warthog, and the decision was made, if they were where we saw them, I would take the shot on the big boar. Sure enough he was laying down where we saw them on the way in. At 124 yards broad side, I took the shot with the 375. BOOM....SMACK....HIT.... Perfect hit, but he got up and ran ... they are tough little animals. He didn't go far as we found him about 75 yards away. He was a nice boar with approximately 9 inch plus tusks. We dropped him off at the skinning shed and headed back to the lodge for breakfast.

IMG_0774.JPG


Once we finished breakfast with Haley and Auntie, we headed over to a property that bordered Carl's property, where Annie took her red hartebeest. This was the same property that we saw some blesbok and a shooter impala during Haley's Birthday game drive.

The plan was to try and locate the impala and possibly take another cull animal (blesbok) for Annie. Immediately after entering the concession, we spotted the shooter ' impala. Annie bailed out of the bakkie as soon as Lammie stopped. He set up the sticks and she waited until he had a chance to make sure that was the one we were looking for. Lammie told Annie to shoot, BOOM, SMACK, HIT!... and the impala was down. A perfect 84 yard double lung shot. Once congratulations and handshakes were finished, it was picture time. Heck, Annie even gave me a hug... it was turning out to be a good day. But she did remind me that she now had 3 animals to my 2.... The competition continued!

IMG_0022.JPG


Once the impala was loaded, we decided to take a look at the herd of blesbok that we passed on the way in to try and locate a nice older cull animal. If we could get that one, it would make for a nice trifecta for the both of us.

We found the heard of blesbok, but we were too far away to get a good look, so the stalk started. We had to work our way upwind to get a better look. We were almost busted by some zebra but were able to wait them out and move in behind them. As we came around the edge of a growth of trees, we spotted the herd in an open field. This was as close as we were going to get. Lammie pointed out the cull female that he wanted Annie to take, the distance was a little far, but we were not able to get any closer. Lammie asked and Annie felt she could take the shot. Once she was steady on the sticks, she took a shot at 260 yards. Unfortunately, we were still aiming to North American standards and the bullet went low, again. A clean miss. The herd spooked but did not run far so we continued the stalk. Within 30 minutes, they had moved past the parked bakkie and were heading into the thicker brush.

We loaded up in the bakkie and drove the same direction they went. Within 5 minutes at a fork in the road, we spotted the heard once again. Annie and Lammie leapt out of the bakkie and were trying to locate the specific female once again. The blesbok were on the left side of the fork milling around. Annie got on the shooting sticks, but the blesbok moved to the right side where Annie and Lammie followed. But before Annie could take a shot, the herd moved through the trees back to the left side of the fork. Once again, Annie and Lammie followed and Annie was back on the sticks. Lammie located the animal and the wait for a good shot started. This time, most of the herd moved back to the right side of the road, except the target blesbok. The blesbok decided to move down the road away from us while the others continued to the right side of the fork. Time to settle in to see what was going to happen.

Lammie and Annie moved forward following the blesbok and I jumped out of the back of the truck. Lammie set up the sticks again and Annie was rock solid watching the blesbok moved away. Then to our surprise, she stopped, turned around and started walking directly towards us bobbing her head up and down. Lammie told Annie that once she realized that we were watching her, she would stop and lift her head to look at us, this would be Annie's clue to take the shot on the middle of her chest. The first range reading Annie took was at 160 yards. The blesbok continued to move forward and Lammie kept Annie calm the whole way; 142 yards, 126 yards and she was still coming towards us. I think I was more excited than Annie was; 115 yards, 94 yards and she kept coming. Finally at 64 yards, the blesbok stopped, lifted her head to take a look, and Annie started to squeeze the trigger ... BOOM, SMACK, HIT! The blesbok turned and ran, but was down for the count at 96 yards. Another perfect shot, just left of the center of the blesbok. As we were walking to the blesbok, we found a nice rock for pictures. This time, I think Lammie and Atti had a bigger smile than I did. Annie was cool, ca lm and collected and took the perfect shot. Once we arrived at the blesbok, she was the perfect cull animal. Old, not in the best shape and well past her prime. We found the slug between her hind legs just under the skin. It was the only bullet we were able to recover on this trip. Once the pictures were taken, the blesbok was loaded and we were ready to head back to the skinning shed.

IMG_0074.JPG


We had some time before we needed to drop off the impala and blesbok so we decided we had enough time to look at the waterhole about 2 miles away to see if there was anything there before we head back for lunch and over to Schotia Game Reserve for an evening game drive and dinner.

Just in case you lost track, I was also reminded that the count was now Annie - 4, Dad - 2. Will I ever live this down?

As we got to the top of the hill and got our first look at the waterhole, Atti tapped the top of the bakkie, Lammie stopped and there they were, four nyala at the waterhole. A quick look in the binoculars and we identified two males, the almost shooter from the Haley Game Drive and a larger one that we had not seen before. The almost shooter had a set of bell shaped set of horns and the other that has started to flare out with nice white tips. He was definitely the shooter. We parked the bakkie at the crest of the hill and started working our way down the road to the bottom. About 100 yards from the truck, I asked Annie if she had reloaded after the impala and the blesbok, "Yes Dad, I reloaded after the impala, but I left the extra ammo in the truck." Everyone stopped and I immediately headed back (uphill) to the bakkie to get the ammo pouch. I am getting too old for this stuff. Once I was back with the group we continued down the hill.

At the bottom, we took a minute to make sure the wind was in our favor and to catch our breath, at least I had to catch my breath. This time there were nice mature trees and grass that we were able to use as cover. Annie and Lammie then moved forward with me and Atti trailing. One of the female nyala looked over, but did not spook. Meanwhile, the larger of the two males was showing his dominance and posturing around the smaller one. Lammie set the sticks up for Annie at 124 yards and told her to wait for the larger bull to clear the smaller one. Once he did, Annie had a nice broad side shot on his left shoulder.

After a nice squeeze of the trigger, BOOM, SMACK, HIT! The slug hit in the middle of his shoulder and we heard the tail tale thud. This time, not only did the nyala turn to run, he jumped into the waterhole. So what do you do? Shoot him again in the waterhole, and someone has to go swimming, or hope the he comes back to the shore and then shoot again.... we chose option 2. After what seemed like a few minutes in the water he made his way back to the shore and Annie put another shot into him. As it turned out, she did not need the second shot, because he was running on adrenalin. Once we were sure he was done, Annie gave both Lammie and Atti big hug ... what about me??? Time for pictures and to load him on the bakkie with her other two animals of the morning.

IMG_0138.JPG




So before noon, Annie had her own trifecta, a nice impala, a cull blesbok and a very nice nyala ... and I had a single warthog ... Annie 5, Dad 2. I was not sure I would be able to catchup at this point since there was only one animal remaining on the original hit list.

IMG_0172.JPG


Once we dropped the animals off at the skinning it was time for lunch and for Lammie to take us to Schotia for the start of the tour and a dinner at the reserve. Schotia Safaris is the oldest private game viewing reserve in the Eastern Cape, bordering the eastern side of Addo Elephant National Park, which we would visit later in the trip. Once we were checked in and assigned to a vehicle, we climbed in and it was time to head out.

Immediately after entering the park, we started seeing animals; blesbok, impala and then a large group of elephant. While everyone was taking the pictures of the elephants, Annie and I saw a very large nyala that was similar to the one she had taken earlier in the day and another monster warthog that we would have loved to take. Being the hunters that we are, we admired the elephants, but really wanted to stalk the nyala. We continued with the game drive and saw a large group of giraffe before we tried to find Bonnie and Clyde, the resident white rhinos.

The rhinos were brought to the property from another location for protection from the ongoing ivory poaching problems in Africa. Once we found them, we spent some time taking pictures before moving off to locate other animals that included blesbok, a very nice Waterbuck and multiple smaller nyala. One of the highlights was a chance for Haley to see a Hippo wallowing in the mud. This is another animal that people mistake for being very tame and lethargic. In fact, hippos kill quite a few people annually. After viewing the hippo, it was dinner time. We relocated to one of the camps on the property for a meal of impala, chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, carrots and cake for dessert. Once dinner was over, it was time to head back out for the evening drive and to try and locate the Pride of Lions that were in the reserve. Haley once again took over the camera duties for the remainder of the evening.

Within about 20 minutes, we found the lioness' but could not find the big male that ran the pride. One of the other vehicles was able to locate the male and radioed the other 2 vehicles of his location. Apparently, the pride had killed a blue wildebeest a few days earlier and he was near the kill site. Since it was getting dark and the game drive was coming to an end, it was time to exit the park, meet Lammie at the main lodge and head back to Tootabi. But we had one more surprise on the way out. We were the last vehicle to leave the area and as we were departing, we spotted Bonnie and Clyde by the park exit. The driver stopped to allow us some more pictures, but by this time, Clyde had become very agitated with his celebrity status. After about 5 minutes, he decided it was time to let everyone know this and actually charged the side of our vehicle. He came within 10 yards of us before the driver was able to speed away. What an end to another great day.

IMG_0274.JPG
 
Looks like a great time with family! Congrats to your daughter and yourself on the hunt and thanks for sharing!
 
Day 6
29 May 2016 (Sunday)
Addo National Park and Bushbuck. Surprise….Caracal!


Today was going to start as a Family day with a trip to Addo National Park for a self-game drive followed by lunch and some time spent in the local curio shops. The plan was to spend the morning at the park then back to the lodge after lunch. We started the day a usual with an amazing breakfast at around 0830. Once we were ready, Lammie loaded us in the bakkie for the one hour trip to the park entrance.

Once we entered the park, we immediately saw a very nice zebra on within 10 yards of the road. Both the girls were amazed at the size and color of this stallion. As we continued the drive it became somewhat of a spotting game. Who could spot the animals faster than Lammie? Haley was the only one who was able to truly compete with him. He even remark how good her spotting skills were. As we continued the drive, we spotted many smaller game species before we saw a large heard of approximately 30-40 water buffalo moving to a local watering hole. The heard contained animals of all ages. A few new calf's and quite a few middle aged animals and some definite "senior citizens". Finally at the rear of the heard, we spotted what looked like the number one heard bull. He was definitely the biggest one with multiple battle scars to attest to his seniority but was moving a little slower than the rest. Lammie inform us that he was probably just past his prime and was in the rear of the heard because he most likely lost his status to one of the younger bulls. After watching them for some time, we continued the drive with Lammie providing a running commentary on the park and animals.

We continued to see lots of game animal to include a few larger warthogs, eland and some younger kudu before we saw one of the resident elephant herds. Before leaving the park for lunch, Lammie spotted a very large kudu that was worth talking a look at.

Once again, the big animals come out when you are not hunting and can only admire them from a distance. Once we departed the area, we headed to one of the curio shops to pick up a few items and then over to a restaurant for lunch.

Once we were headed back to the lodge, Auntie asked Lammie if we could take a side trip to the city of Alicedale to visit the local golf course. As usual, one the way, Lammie yelled BABBONS! But with no gun all we could do was watch them as they crossed the road. After a short break in the lodge, both Lammie and I were starting to get fidgety. We looked at each other and the decision was made to go for a drive. We would go to the skinning shed first, then head over to "Hog Heaven" because he had seen a nice bushbuck that was known to hang out in the area. After leaving the skinning shed, Lammie again was doing his imitation of the "Dukes of Hazard" on the dirt road when we spotted another caracal in the same area that we spotted the first one. Lammie hit the brakes, I threw open the door and grabbed the first gun I could get my hands on ... the 375. Once the dust settled, the caracal moved to the side of the road and tried to hide the best he could facing slightly away. I put the cross hairs on him, and pulled the trigger.... BOOM, SMACK, DIRT!...the dirt over and in front of him exploded. What?! That's right, he was inside of 50 yards, and I was shooting a gun that was sighted in for 200 yards. I need to adjust and lucky for me he did not move. This time, I held about 2 inches in the dirt below him ... BOOM, SMACK, HIT...I now had a caracal. Since it was getting late, we loaded the cat in the bakkie and headed to "Hog Heaven".

IMG_0736.JPG


Once again, we spotted many animals on the way in, just nothing on the remaining hit list. We were looking for the bushbuck that had been seen in the area. We got to the area and it was still a little early for the bush buck, so we parked and decided to take a look where we spotted all the warthogs from the last trip. There were a lot of warthogs in the area, but one in particular caught our eye. He was a big bodied bore. We worked our way into to about 75 yards without spooking any of the warthogs in the area and watched him for about 10 minutes before he gave us a look at his tusks. He was definitely a shooter and the thought did cross my mind, but I did not want to spoil the chance at a bush buck. After about 15 more minute of watching this bruiser and looking over a few more, we headed back to the bakkie where we could glass the opposite hill side for the bush buck.

Once we started glassing, we spotted two female bush buck at 250 yards and were certain that the buck was close by, so we decided to wait and see if he would come out. While we were waiting, a very nice kudu made an appearance. While I was not in the market for one, I did take a look thru the scope at him and ranged him at 698 yards. Lammie also spotted an even bigger warthog on another hill. Again temped to take him, but I wanted to holdout for the possibility at a bushbuck. With light fading and dinner time approaching, we decided to look at one more area before calling it quits for the evening.

One the way, a large male baboon ran across the road and as usual, Lammie yelled BABOON! And I reached for the rifle. Either he was very fast, or I was too slow and I did not get a shot at him. There was nothing in the in the new area so we headed back to the lodge for dinner of chicken casserole, salad and fudge brownies.

At the end of day 6, it was Annie - 5 and Dad - 3. Maybe I would start to get a little respect…. Then again, maybe not.
 
Day 7
30 May 2016 (Monday)
Range Check, Daniell Cheetah Sanctuary and Dads Impala


Time to take a little break today. We had decided that today would be a trip to Daniell Cheetah Sanctuary in the morning and the afternoon would be decided later. Also, since the 308 had been hitting low for the last few days, we decided it was time for a range check. So after sleeping in a little longer this morning and before departing to the sanctuary, Lammie and I headed over to the range to check things out. The first shot at 100 yards was about one inch to the right, second shot was dead on. We then moved back to 170 yards. Two more shots, both off to the right. Slight adjustments made and back to the lodge too pick up the ladies and head to Daniell Cheetah Sanctuary. About 1 hour later we were at the sanctuary which was pretty close to the property that I shot my springbuck on.

Based on the lack of mature gemsbuck in the area, I talked with Loodt and made a trade. I would now hunt another impala and either a black wildebeest or another bush buck for Annie. So after lunch, Lammie, Atti and I headed out to try and find the MONSTER impala that we spotted during Annie's red hartebeest hunt. So we departed back to Carl's concession at around 2:15. On the way to the hunting area we pickup up on of the farm hands, John, to help us out.

About 20 minutes after entering the concession, we spotted him at 303 yards, and it seemed like he was bigger this time! His name was now "Lonesome Charlie". Where he was standing and with the winds, he was a little too far away for a clean ethical shot, so the stalk started.

The plan was to let him walk over the hill, and we would reposition based on the wind for a better stalk. As we were moving into position, be bumped into a smaller herd of impala and had to wait a few minutes to continue. In the herd, there was another possible shooter, but we could not get a good look at him, so we let them pass. A few minutes later, we found Charlie, but again we could not get into a position for a clean shot. After 20-30 minutes of cat and mouse, we backed out to the bakkie and moved again. As we were heading back to that bakkie, we saw the small herd again and were able to get a good look at the possible shooter. It turned out, this must have be Charlie's twin brother, because he was just as big. Unfortunately, the herd spooked and there were heading out of the area. Now the hunt was for either "Lonesome Charlie" or the "Ladies Man."

We followed the herd for a while, but every time we thought we were in the area for a shot, they moved. We continue over a hill, spot them again, but a shot was not available. After another 30 minutes of cat and mouse, we head back to the bakkie once again. As we got close to the bakkie, we spotted the herd in front of us. On the sticks, but again no a good shots. Off and on the sticks three times, with no good shots. We finally spotted them again and the Ladies Man was behind a small tree. On the sticks one more time at 198 yards. He started moving and I followed him with the scope as he kept moving. Once he finally stopped, he was at 212 yards. I pulled the trigger ... BOOM!... NOTHING... A clean miss! I pulled another “Annie”. We watched the herd with the Ladies Man high-tail it over the hill and split-up. The ladies went right, and he went left. Now the chase was on. As we followed the Ladies Man, we bumped into a small bachelor group of six rams. Then we spotted a large herd of Impala, the largest that I have seen, well over 50 animals. For the next hour and a half, we continued to look for either Lonesome Charlie or the Ladies Man with no luck. We spotted the large herd again and it split-up into 5 or 6 smaller herds making the search for our targets even harder. During the search, we spotted a few kudu, some blesbok, hartebeests and the occasional impala ram.

We continued the stalk and started to see more females that were starting to group together. As we were watching one group of females, we spotted the Ladies Man to the right with 6 or 7 females heading our way. We moved a few yards over to the right and Lammie set the sticks up. Right as the Ladies Man came out for the brush, I was on the sticks, but I could not find him in the scope. Lammie talked me onto him and told me to put the shot on his front shoulder. I now had him and start to breathe slow and try to control my shot placement. Check the distance, 267 yards. I am steady and start the squeeze ... NOTHING!... Damn safety! I flicked the safety off and started the squeeze again, BOOM!... SMACK!... HIT! He ran off to the right. I know I had a good hit, maybe a little further back, but not a gut shot. The rest of the ladies ran off, but he was not with them. It was starting to get late and we only had about 45 minutes of good light left. We started to track the ram. John joined in and we fanned out looking for good sign. After about 5 minutes, John bumped him and he ran from my left to right. Not enough time for a shot. We continued to walk around the brush, and Lammie started to backtrack looking for better sign. We also sent Atti on a wide loop to look just in case the ram came out again. Nothing was moving. We figured he was in the deep brush. After we joined up again, Atti and I continued around a dense tree and John went around the other side and met up with Lammie. As we continued the search, I looked low and noticed something that did not look right. I looked again and there he was, lying next to a tree trunk. I pointed him out to Atti and he followed me under the canopy. We were both watching for movement and we could not tell if there was movement. A little closer, and we confirmed that he is down for the count. Atti came over and shook my hand. We let John and Lammie know that we found him and they start over towards us. We told them not to come and Atti and I pulled him out into to the open. Lammie and John backed out and came around to meet us. Handshakes all around and time for some quick pictures and the light was fading fast.

IMG_0559.JPG
IMG_0546.JPG


Once the picture we completed, it was time to head back to Carl's skinning shed where Atti did his magic in a short time and the Impala was ready for a wall pedestal mount. Back to the lodge for story time, a quick drink and another amazing dinner. The next day was a shopping day in Port Elizabeth with a trip to a local school.
 
Your having a good trip. That looks like a fine Impala. Congrats
Bruce
 
Day8
30 May 2016 (Tuesday)
Port Elizabeth Shopping and Tootabi Foundation


Since today was focused on shopping and a trip a local school we slept in a little. Breakfast was complete and we were on the road by 8:15. The first stop was at one of the local schools in Patterson. Before we left the states, the girls and I made a few trip to the local stores to pick up some supplies that included pens, pencils, paper, soccer balls, glues sticks, flashlights and we also brought over some shirts, shoes and clothes that we had out grown. And of course some candy for all the kids.

IMG_0613.JPG


We also had arranged with Loodt to donate the meat from Annie's blesbok or warthog to the school. After the kids sang us a song and we passed out some of the goodies, it was time to head outside for recces. Once we left the school, it was time for a drive to Port Elizabeth for some time off and some promised shopping. Our first stop was the local beach front shopping area. More like a local flea market, it had all of the local artist trying to sell what they had. Each of us found something that we were interested in and purchased a few items. Then it was off to a nice local shop that again had the tourist items for sale.

Both Annie and Haley again found a few items to buy for the grandparents and friends. The next stop was the Boardwalk for more shopping and a light lunch. After lunch we had one final stopped at a local fabric store for Nana and Jackie. Each one wanted some local fabric for quilts and sewing projects. Fabric in hand, everyone was happy and it was time to head back to the lodge to relax for the rest of the day ... at least for the girls.

Before heading back we also stopped that one of the local taxidermy shops (Relive Taxidermy) to look at the quality of work.

Back to the lodge, while the girls took a break, Lammie, Atti and I went to look for my slug from the warthog. After about 15 minutes of looking, we did not find it. While we were still out and there was good daylight, we decided to drive over to the old dairy farm to look around again and look at the gemsbok. We found the gemsbok, but I made the decision to pass on them and go for the black wildebeest or a bush buck for Annie.

So at the end of day 8, with two more hunting days, the score was Annie - 5, Dad - 3 with only two more animals on the list: a bush buck for either me or Annie and a black wildebeest for either me or Annie. After some discussion at dinner and a little arm twisting, thankfully Annie decided that she would "let" me have the wildebeest.... What a nice daughter.
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
53,617
Messages
1,131,242
Members
92,672
Latest member
LuciaWains
 

 

 

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Impact shots from the last hunt

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top