Bowbenderjp
New member
The words stung like a slap from a woman scorned. Because they were true. The late shift conversation at work between my partner and I drifted to dream hunts and places we would like to go to someday. Bowhunting in Africa has always been a childhood dream since I watched some old vhs tapes of Pete Sheply, the founder of PSE Archery, living the life of adventure with bow in hand. Big name writers tackling dangerous game with big bore revolvers and rifles I could never afford have keep the dream alive through their writings and video productions. “If you really wanted to do it you’d have done it by now.” Such is true in so many aspects in life….
DISCLAIMER: I’m no expert in anything. Armed hiker best describes my hunting experience, many of you have harvested more game than I’ve seen in the wild. This is a brief write up of my 2025 South Africa trip, 14 years after my coworkers words of wisdom and decades in waiting. Not
one and done but more to come lord willing.
Outfit: Rust De Winters Safaris
When: September (7 days) 2025
Species: Cull/Management animals
Weapon: Mathews Halon X/ Camp rifle 3006
Method: Blinds and walk and stalk
Life is full of curveballs and doesn’t always go as planned. Family matters and unexpected events has led to me living overseas in a country where heavy regulations and non existent opportunities suppress a hunters soul. With the realization that tomorrow is promised to no one, and at the CFO’s urging, researching various outfits began with earnestness. Apologies to those who reached out if I did not reply. With the desires of a king but the assets of a peasant the deposit was made, tickets purchased and the preparations were made. Despite the best efforts of customs and the criminal fees associated with overseas shipping of archery equipment to derail my trip, come hell or high water I was going bowhunting in Africa!
Sorry to disappoint, but no story of buffaloes charging or anything remotely close to being dangerous in nature transpired. The long flights and extended layovers concluded with an early am arrival where Mr Xander met me with a white board with my name on it….just like I read about before, just this time it was mine. Dream came true, this is really happening. I spent my arrival day shooting and resharpening each broadhead, and being introduced to Mr K who was my guide for most of the week. A quick trip around the property in the side by side led to a variety of game encounters with impala, kudu, giraffes, buffalo and other animals only led to increased levels of excitement for the next day’s adventures. Sleep didn’t come easy…
The first morning saw us sitting in a large blind consisting of hay bales and burlap materials, quiet and comfortable. Great weather, animals in the vicinity and a restless hunter inside bouncing from viewing hole to viewing hole smiling from ear to ear with excitement. Problem is when you’re on a happy meal budget only Big Macs become available. Gemsbuck and kudu came in, standing broadside well within my predetermined range finder distances. Magnificent! Blesbuck passed by offering shots farther than my at the moment comfort zone. The morning hunt ended without an arrow being shot, back to the lodge for another awesome meal and a short rest before heading to another blind for the remainder of the day. The afternoon hunt had Gemsbuck, Zebra, and Wildebeest appearing in our vicinity. The slightest movement of the blinds burlap window spooked the Wildebeest into flight. Kneeling with bow in hand, arrow knocked and decades of waiting for this very moment, the cat and mouse game continued to play out. Several times they came in close only to spook and run off. A better shot plan was required in order to pull this off. Finally after waiting for what seemed an eternity, they came back. Drawing my bow before Mr K slid the burlap covering aside gave me time adjust my sight picture and place my pin directly up the leg of the large bull standing broadside. A quick prayer to the hunting gods for a strait shot was made before the finger pressure on my release sent the arrow on its course. The arrow covered the 36 yards in a flash impacting with a loud crack resonating in the calm air. With a bucking action that would make any PBR fan proud the bull ran breaking the remaining portion of my arrow off. Was the hit good? Did I get enough penetration? Was my equipment choice adequate? Excitement turned to concern. After taking some time to calm the nerves, Mr K and I departed the blind and took up the track. Well he did, I tried to follow along but had no clue what he was following. Retrieving my arrow revealed little over half of the arrow penetrated, with no immediate signs of a blood trail to be found. Continuing to follow the trail Mr K had taken spots of blood began to appear. After walking a distance that began to appear concerning, Mr K had found the bull under a large tree expired. My bull, a large hulking mass of muscle, the 2 blade Stinger broadhead had struck the meaty portion of the shoulder just above the leg for what appears to be a heart shot. Hunting prayer answered…..my dream of bowhunting in Africa has come true.
I spent my days alternating between blinds in the morning and walk and stalks in the afternoon, some with my bow and other days with the camp rifle. The second morning in the blind had a herd of buffalo make their appearance. As with others, the mighty Cape Buffalo has been my dream animal. Bulls and cows came into eat and water just mere yards from the blind. Peeking out of the window of the blind had me staring face to face with a large cow with nothing between us but burlap and hay bales. Several times I drew my bow, placing my sight pin on the vitals of several buffalo…not this bow and not this time were my thoughts. Someday….The afternoon hunt saw me and Mr K hiking thru the bush with rifle in hand. With episodes of the world’s deadliest snakes still fresh in my mind, each footstep was taken with care, even though I was assured they would not be a concern. Shortly after we began our hike Mr K setup the sticks. I learned to trust his instincts and got settled in for a shot on a large (to me) warthog. At around 80 meters the shot was good, no tracking required. Camp staff arrived and retrieved the warthog, leaving several hours of hunting time left. We continued on covering more area, eventually making our way to a rendezvous spot for pickup. Along the way a female impala was spotted crossing the road about 200 meters away, fair game but not an ideal shot. Slipping into the brush we saw an impala ram slip across and browse in the bushes about 100 meters away. The sticks were set up and I quickly settled in for the shot. Carefully placing the crosshair on the vitals, quick prayer again to the hunting gods was made and the trigger was squeezed. At the shot the ram made a large leap out of sight. We quickly made our way to the where the ram was standing and found him lying only a few feet away. Another dream animal taken. Mr K seemed a little more excited than usual. Radio contact was made and the staff arrived with Mr Xander. The ram taped an impressive 25” and from my understanding is outstanding. With the obligatory pictures completed it was off to the lodge for another gut busting dinner and celebratory beverage. A fine day of hunting for sure.
The next few days were spent trying to get a shot at a one-horned previously injured (not by me) waterbuck who despite our best efforts remained at large. We tried to get within range of Blesbuck, both with bow and rifle, but the super dry conditions prevented that from happening. I concluded my hunt by harvesting two impala ewes followed by a complementary game drive in a neighboring game park. Overall the trip was awesome, the food was excellent as was the accommodations. The Rust de Winters outfit meet my expectations for my first trip and would consider them again. Now that I’ve made my first trip I’m already looking to expand my travels further across the region. I normally don’t post anything on any forums and don’t have any social media presence, but I felt this experience was worth sharing. Thanks for reading and best of luck in your future endeavors….
Regards,
BowbenderJP
DISCLAIMER: I’m no expert in anything. Armed hiker best describes my hunting experience, many of you have harvested more game than I’ve seen in the wild. This is a brief write up of my 2025 South Africa trip, 14 years after my coworkers words of wisdom and decades in waiting. Not
Outfit: Rust De Winters Safaris
When: September (7 days) 2025
Species: Cull/Management animals
Weapon: Mathews Halon X/ Camp rifle 3006
Method: Blinds and walk and stalk
Life is full of curveballs and doesn’t always go as planned. Family matters and unexpected events has led to me living overseas in a country where heavy regulations and non existent opportunities suppress a hunters soul. With the realization that tomorrow is promised to no one, and at the CFO’s urging, researching various outfits began with earnestness. Apologies to those who reached out if I did not reply. With the desires of a king but the assets of a peasant the deposit was made, tickets purchased and the preparations were made. Despite the best efforts of customs and the criminal fees associated with overseas shipping of archery equipment to derail my trip, come hell or high water I was going bowhunting in Africa!
Sorry to disappoint, but no story of buffaloes charging or anything remotely close to being dangerous in nature transpired. The long flights and extended layovers concluded with an early am arrival where Mr Xander met me with a white board with my name on it….just like I read about before, just this time it was mine. Dream came true, this is really happening. I spent my arrival day shooting and resharpening each broadhead, and being introduced to Mr K who was my guide for most of the week. A quick trip around the property in the side by side led to a variety of game encounters with impala, kudu, giraffes, buffalo and other animals only led to increased levels of excitement for the next day’s adventures. Sleep didn’t come easy…
The first morning saw us sitting in a large blind consisting of hay bales and burlap materials, quiet and comfortable. Great weather, animals in the vicinity and a restless hunter inside bouncing from viewing hole to viewing hole smiling from ear to ear with excitement. Problem is when you’re on a happy meal budget only Big Macs become available. Gemsbuck and kudu came in, standing broadside well within my predetermined range finder distances. Magnificent! Blesbuck passed by offering shots farther than my at the moment comfort zone. The morning hunt ended without an arrow being shot, back to the lodge for another awesome meal and a short rest before heading to another blind for the remainder of the day. The afternoon hunt had Gemsbuck, Zebra, and Wildebeest appearing in our vicinity. The slightest movement of the blinds burlap window spooked the Wildebeest into flight. Kneeling with bow in hand, arrow knocked and decades of waiting for this very moment, the cat and mouse game continued to play out. Several times they came in close only to spook and run off. A better shot plan was required in order to pull this off. Finally after waiting for what seemed an eternity, they came back. Drawing my bow before Mr K slid the burlap covering aside gave me time adjust my sight picture and place my pin directly up the leg of the large bull standing broadside. A quick prayer to the hunting gods for a strait shot was made before the finger pressure on my release sent the arrow on its course. The arrow covered the 36 yards in a flash impacting with a loud crack resonating in the calm air. With a bucking action that would make any PBR fan proud the bull ran breaking the remaining portion of my arrow off. Was the hit good? Did I get enough penetration? Was my equipment choice adequate? Excitement turned to concern. After taking some time to calm the nerves, Mr K and I departed the blind and took up the track. Well he did, I tried to follow along but had no clue what he was following. Retrieving my arrow revealed little over half of the arrow penetrated, with no immediate signs of a blood trail to be found. Continuing to follow the trail Mr K had taken spots of blood began to appear. After walking a distance that began to appear concerning, Mr K had found the bull under a large tree expired. My bull, a large hulking mass of muscle, the 2 blade Stinger broadhead had struck the meaty portion of the shoulder just above the leg for what appears to be a heart shot. Hunting prayer answered…..my dream of bowhunting in Africa has come true.
I spent my days alternating between blinds in the morning and walk and stalks in the afternoon, some with my bow and other days with the camp rifle. The second morning in the blind had a herd of buffalo make their appearance. As with others, the mighty Cape Buffalo has been my dream animal. Bulls and cows came into eat and water just mere yards from the blind. Peeking out of the window of the blind had me staring face to face with a large cow with nothing between us but burlap and hay bales. Several times I drew my bow, placing my sight pin on the vitals of several buffalo…not this bow and not this time were my thoughts. Someday….The afternoon hunt saw me and Mr K hiking thru the bush with rifle in hand. With episodes of the world’s deadliest snakes still fresh in my mind, each footstep was taken with care, even though I was assured they would not be a concern. Shortly after we began our hike Mr K setup the sticks. I learned to trust his instincts and got settled in for a shot on a large (to me) warthog. At around 80 meters the shot was good, no tracking required. Camp staff arrived and retrieved the warthog, leaving several hours of hunting time left. We continued on covering more area, eventually making our way to a rendezvous spot for pickup. Along the way a female impala was spotted crossing the road about 200 meters away, fair game but not an ideal shot. Slipping into the brush we saw an impala ram slip across and browse in the bushes about 100 meters away. The sticks were set up and I quickly settled in for the shot. Carefully placing the crosshair on the vitals, quick prayer again to the hunting gods was made and the trigger was squeezed. At the shot the ram made a large leap out of sight. We quickly made our way to the where the ram was standing and found him lying only a few feet away. Another dream animal taken. Mr K seemed a little more excited than usual. Radio contact was made and the staff arrived with Mr Xander. The ram taped an impressive 25” and from my understanding is outstanding. With the obligatory pictures completed it was off to the lodge for another gut busting dinner and celebratory beverage. A fine day of hunting for sure.
The next few days were spent trying to get a shot at a one-horned previously injured (not by me) waterbuck who despite our best efforts remained at large. We tried to get within range of Blesbuck, both with bow and rifle, but the super dry conditions prevented that from happening. I concluded my hunt by harvesting two impala ewes followed by a complementary game drive in a neighboring game park. Overall the trip was awesome, the food was excellent as was the accommodations. The Rust de Winters outfit meet my expectations for my first trip and would consider them again. Now that I’ve made my first trip I’m already looking to expand my travels further across the region. I normally don’t post anything on any forums and don’t have any social media presence, but I felt this experience was worth sharing. Thanks for reading and best of luck in your future endeavors….
Regards,
BowbenderJP
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