What was your first African Animal?

A Burchells Zebra with beautiful back markings for a fine rug!
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My first African animal was an Impala.
It was at Game4Africa when n January 2020.
I had a hire rifle that was the owners suppressed 7mmRm. A nice Sako with a Swarovski scope.

We went to the farm range that morning and after 2 or 3 shots the PH was happy the rifle was sighted and that I was on target.

We travelled around the property for a bit and went up on a vantage point where we could overlook a clearing. There were several animals on the clearing and the PH identified the first cull for the trip.

He offered me short or long sticks so I went with short sticks and seated. Once in position I was comfortable and on target when the PH ranges it at 235, a long shot for me on game for what I am used to. He said it’s downhill hold on where you intend to hit

I steadied and squeezed the trigger and the Impala went down cleanly. The dart on the next 7 days with a few other species to pursue. Every animal was taken for processing, nothing went to waste.

For those who have taken Oryx I am envious. We are Gemsbok backstrap and it was the standout to me. Something about the straight horn animals appeals to me.
 
Mark458 said:
Beautiful buffalo. So much for starting small and working your way up.
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Thank you! I booked my “Once in a lifetime” trip so I went big off the jump. Now (as many predicted) I’m planning my second “once in a lifetime” trip for next year.
 
etsonaut said:
Cape Buffalo - Greater Kruger - Spear Safaris - Ju
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etsonaut said:
Thank you! I booked my “Once in a lifetime” trip so I went big off the jump. Now (as many predicted) I’m planning my second “once in a lifetime” trip for next year.
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Africa is definitely an addiction. I leave Sunday for my 13th trip. Already have plans for next year with a group I'm taking over and a double buffalo hunt in 2028.
 
Zebra, or as my PH said Zeebraah!
150ish yards.
308 Winchester loaded with Barnes TTSX.
One shot slightly quartering away.
Limpopo region.
My PH saw them a long way off. So we drove on past them on into the tree line. We stoped a couple of hundred yards into the bush and stalked back cutting the angle.
Set up the edge of the trees with a rest on a tree and waited for the go ahead and then shot. At the shot the darn thing turned back to wards us went about 50 to 60 yards and flopped.


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The dry mountain air carried the weight of three empty days, each sunset chipping away at my confidence until I truly wondered where my luck had gone. Everything changed when the PH on a distant overlook spotted a lone Nyala bull ghosting through a dry, sandy creek bed far below.
My PH and I dropped elevation quickly, cutting the distance to slip into the tangled, wooded draw where the bull was traveling. We moved like shadows, stepping over loose rocks and dry leaves until we were right on top of him.
"There he is," my PH whispered, his voice tense with urgency. "Right there."
I stared into the dappled light and thick brush, but my eyes found nothing. For the life of me, the bush was empty. Then, the bull took a single, deliberate step forward, and reality shifted. He appeared magically out of thin air just 30 yards away—his spiral horns gleaming, his dark coat and vivid white stripes separating themselves from the bark and branches.
I brought the .375 H&H to my shoulder, settled the crosshairs, and squeezed. The ghost of the thicket was mine.
A suffocating silence fell over me. I stood over the beautiful animal, completely paralyzed by the sheer emotion of the hunt and the sudden realization of a lifelong dream come true. I was so utterly speechless and overwhelmed that my PH finally looked at me and asked, "Are you okay?"
I was never better!
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Blesbuck, 2019. Three big herds were visible in a large wide valley, each with very fine rams. No hope of getting close to any of them though as we had been spotted and they were wary. Fortunately, a group of three rams was moving around between the herds hoping to find a stray girlfriend. We ran to the top of a low ridge in between and intercepted them walking below on the other side at about 150 yards. I put the best one down with a single 165 Partition from my WWII 30-06 Springfield. Before noon an impala, blue wildebeest, and warthog were stacked on top of it in the truck. It measures silver medal SCI.
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My first was a huge Gemsbok in Limpopo in 2012. We were driving around and as we were to make a turn, the Land Cruiser came to a stop, and my PH jumped and said come on. I saw the Gemsbok, and my PH was excitingly saying it's a monster, it's a monster. We closed the distance of about 250 yds, and when we looked again, the Gemsbok had moved from the road. My PH said not to worry, they sometimes move just a bit, and sure enough the Gemsbok was just 35 yds away, quartering away, looking back at us. The PH place the barrel over his shoulder and told me to shoot. I did, and the Gemsbok ran 35 yds. The PH was jumping of joy exclaiming "it's a monster, it's a monster". My wife joined us, and I lost is when I hugged her. My dream to hunt Africa had become a reality with the first animal on the ground.

The owner greeted us when we arrived, and he was super excited, but I still didn't realize how big this Gemsbok was. He said to me, "You don't have a clue how big this animal is, do you?" I said, no, not really. Then he said, "I've owned this property for 20 years, and this is the second biggest one taken". I then realize how big it was.
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Mountain Reedbuck in the Karaoo.... in 2003!
That started my addiction....
 
DPHunter4570 said:
Black Wildebeest, RSA May 2024. Eastern Cape at Frontier Safaris.

Nice and wide bull, he is now shoulder-mounted in my office.

I made a horrible shot thanks to some faulty scope mounts and we tracked that fellow all day long.

View attachment 778759
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Not often you can find one of those with long horns AND big bosses. That is an exceptional specimen!
 
Ryan said:
Gemsbok, in Namibia, which is almost a given there. View attachment 778756
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Very nice. A cow I presume? My first gemsbuck was a quite nice cow taken on the second day of my first safari. We spent half a day pursuing a lone bull that had escaped a breeding operation five years before. Cagey bugger eluded me, PH, tracker, property owner, and three of his ranch hands. Cat and mouse in thick stuff and only saw his tracks on mine. As we were leaving PH mentioned a cow had also escaped onto another property nearby. I suggested we should give her a shot (pun intended) as she wasn't doing anything but wasting range in the middle of a drought. I wound up shooting her to avoid being run over/impaled! Twice through the heart incoming at less than thirty yards. Not only wasting range on the wrong side of the fence but so old I don't think she would have been good for anything but target practice if she'd stayed put with the herd. Almost two inches of compression rings at base of her horns and only a couple of incisor teeth left on bottom jaw.
2019-08-24_gemsbuck[1].jpg

Judging by the rings at horn bases I would guess your gemsbuck was a much younger animal but nevertheless very impressive horns.
 
A blesbuck on a small property in South Africa. Not something I wanted to do again .
Now I hunt in Africa on a minimum of 25000 acres and next year Botswana on 300,000 acres
 
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