SOUTH AFRICA: My First Hunt With KMG Hunting Safaris Won’t Be My Last!!!

It’s been a bit since our return from the most amazing hunting experience of my life. Sorry for the delay getting this out, work and fishing has consumed most of my time since our return the end of May.

Let me first start by explaining some background about myself and a bit about my hunting experience.

I grew up in a small town in Northern Michigan USA and started hunting and fishing at a very young age. After returning home from the Army in 1991 I moved back home for a short time until a job transfer took me to mid Michigan in 1992. Right now you are probably saying ok, what does that have to do with this hunting trip report. Let me explain my reasoning for that information. The job relocation and residence move brought the opportunity for me to meet the person I would later vow to spend the rest of my life with. When they say opposites attract Lori and I are the exact definition of that. Myself growing up in the wild outdoors and Lori the city, is about the farthest apart you can get. I am not a shopper and she is not a hunter, fisher or even much of an outdoors person. About the biggest outdoor activity she enjoys is camping and sitting around a campfire. And when I say camping I don’t mean in a tent. When we camp it’s in a 30’ travel trailer with all the luxuries. So when I was asked a year ago this last January if my wife and I were interested in joining a group on safari I was a bit hesitant to ask Lori. Little did I know her response would be so receptive and she didn’t even hesitate to say YES I want to go. Now keep in mind I have been on several hunts including, my first trip to South Africa in 2014, 3 black bear bowhunts to northwestern Ontario Canada, one to New Brunswick Canada, Caribou hunted North Eastern Quebec Canada, not to mention I am a very avid whitetail hunter. I have hunted nearly every species in Michigan including several Russian Boar with bow and arrow. In the nearly 25 years we have been together, Lori has never hunted with me. When we started planning the trip, she told me that she wanted to hunt with me every day. I explained that many of the hunts were going to be tough because i wanted to spot and stalk with my bow as much as possible. To say she was a trooper would be an understatement, as she was by my side every day and in the photos for all animals taken. The only day the entire trip she was not with me, is the day the guys went fishing, that was her “BIG” day shopping.


Before I booked the trip, Kurt “AKA Tay50” said he wanted me to talk with Marius and discuss what I would be interested in. Knowing that I hunted in 2014 and took 13 animals Kurt wanted to make sure I was comfortable with Marius and his availability to great hunting concessions. I sent Marius an email around 10:30pm our time to introduce myself and ask if we could speak briefly by phone. I received a response from Marius shortly after 5am that next morning stating he would call me at 9am our time. My first thought was wow that's great customer service… Little did i know that was only a small sample of great customer service myself and the rest of our group would receive. We spoke for a bit about my experience in 2014 and explained what my package would consist of for this trip. After speaking with Marius I could tell by his excitement that he had a passion that was very similar to mine and we would get along very well. Over the next week or so we worked out the details, made some changes to my package and a deposit was made. Now for the hard part, the 17 month wait until departure. In March we all went to Toronto to meet Marius and Kim at the outdoor show they were at. After a very short conversation, my thoughts were confirmed that Marius and I shared the same passions both in hunting and business.


I myself being a small business owner, know that outstanding customer service is key in any service based industry and it was very obvious Marius had a built his company on the same believes I have. When talking to Marius in Toronto, i told him that Lori wanted to hunt along with me as much as possible. I explained her lack of hunting experience and that I was a bit concerned how she would handle the terrain. He said no worries, he would see to it that we were in good hands and be with one of his best PH’s.

Well the wait was finally over and we were off to the dark continent. After a long flight we arrived in Johannesburg, was greeted by Mr X (the best option for getting through the SAPS office with firearms) and headed for a nights stay at the Afton House prior to our next morning flight to Port Elizabeth. Our stay was a great experience with a very nice dinner at a local steak house, followed by a night of tossing and turning and very little sleep. We were up early for a very nice breakfast and a trip back to the airport. After landing at the airport in Port Elizabeth, we were picked up by bus and headed for a 3 day 2 night stay at Schotia Safaris a private game preserve to start our trip. Once we arrived, we met our guide for the next 3 days Kurt. This young man was great at his job and took a lot of heckling from our group. The lodge, staff and food were all amazing but the game drives were simply beyond our expectations. The safari presented the opportunity to see the big 5 in their natural environment and the amount of game on the property was simply unbelievable. one of the highlights was the trip to the Addo Elephant Park where we saw well over a hundred elephants with several up close and personal encounters.

The last day at Schotia was also our first day with KMG. We were met at Schotia by Marius, Kim and the rest of the team from KMG. Lori and I met our PH for the week (and new family member) Greg and right away felt like were in great hands. Although our hunt didn't officially start until the following day, we were briefed by Marius and told we could start our hunt early if we wanted. He then explained the events for the remainder of the day which included an hour or so ride prior to getting settled in at Mpunzi Lodge for our 8 day stay. Upon or arrival we met our awesome cooks and lodge staff Nicole and Graham. After getting settled and unpacked we had some lunch, headed to the range to check our shooting abilities and off for our first hunting trip of 2017 with KMG Safaris.

I will add more photos as I work my way through the days of this trip unmatched by any of my other hunting experiences to date. This will likely be a long post with a few unexpected twists so stay tuned. More to come real soon.

Looking forward to more!

+1

Hunt Report Day 1-


We set off to a property about 30 minutes away to see what we could find. My good friend Terry was joining us as an observer on the trip and had no plane to hunt and decided to tag along with us for the afternoon. As it was a bonus day of hunting I told Greg I would like to take my bow and see if we could get close to anything that might present a good opportunity. He said the property had a lot of warthogs on it and with the heat we should be able to find them around some waterholes. Upon arrival to the property, we stop at the gate our tracker Lindile gets out to open it but finds it locked. Greg makes a call and finds out there is nobody around but was told to sit tight for a bit and they would try and find someone near with a key. The property was recently sold and the new owner is the one Greg was in contact with about hunting there for the afternoon. Somehow the message was not clear with the farm staff and they had just left for the day thinking nobody was going to be around. After about a 20 minute wait the previous owner showed up with a key to the gate but didn't act pleased we were there. After a bit of a conversation in their language the gate was opened and we proceeded to take off on our journey. We traveled for a bit and stopped to glass a hillside where there was a well known water source. As we exit the truck, Lori not having the experience hunting shuts her door with what sounded like great force. Greg and I turn and look back with the same thought running through our minds. the only difference is I spoke my mind and let her know that we are not at a shopping mall we are hunting and have to stay quiet at all times. We gave her a bit of a hard time (in a joking way) and explained noises like that would blow our cover and told her to just leave the door open next time.

We head off for the edge of the hillside to glass for a bit, not seeing much we decide to sit and wait for a bit longer. We started to see movement on the far side and noticed several groups of warthogs working through the bush. It wasn't long when Greg spotted a large boar working towards us and asked me if it would be ok to leave Lori and Terry at the top of the hill while we put a stalk on the large boar. After a short explanation Greg and I headed down the steep hillside working the wind as we made our way. As we worked our way to the bottom we lost sight of him so we stopped a few times and wait to pick up movement. Using the wind and the thick bush for cover, we finally made our way to the bottom. Suddenly Greg turned to me and made a gesture with his teeth. That was him telling me he just heard the boar on the other side of the bush about 50 yards or so in front of us. we paused for a couple minutes as the noise sounded like it was getting further away Greg said let's move to the next big bush to our left. we quickly made the move and the pig was right on the other side. I could just make him out through the thick thorny bush. I gave greg my range finder as he had a better view than i did, he ranged him and whispered to me 16 yards. with my Gopro mounted to the riser of my Hoyt and running, I got ready to draw. I saw the pig moving from my right to my left and with just a couple steps he would be in my shooting lane. Big deep breath, shaking like its my first whitetail, and my heart about to pound from my chest i'm ready. suddenly the wind shifted and the pig let out a bark and took off like he had an arrow pass through his vitals. Only problem was my Goltip was still on my rest. as we watched him run far out of sight, i turned to Greg and said WOW that was awesome… My first stalk and I was within 15 yards or so what a rush... After a long climb back to the top we gathered and talked about our encounter and a plan for the next stalk. Greg spoke with Lindile and asked him if he saw the big boar run out of the area. He said he did and that he ran over the top of the next hill. We decided to take a drive and work our way to the other side. After a bit of a drive we once again parked and talked about a plan. Greg spotted a group of pigs on the way there and felt we could again use the wind and the cover of the thick bush to our advantage. we left Terry and Lori at the truck with Lindile and headed off in search of the big boar. after we crested the top of the next hill we were barked at by a Kudu Cow that just wouldn't stop. with all the noise she was making I thought every animal around ran to the other side of the property. we walked around for nearly an hour when all the sudden Greg stopped and said pigs. We froze in our tracks as a big sow and 3 piglets walked within 15 yards of us. we waited for a bit until we realized they were alone and no boar was with them. Night time was drawing near us so we decided to call it a day and head back to the lodge for dinner and a good night's rest. At dinner we discuss the next days plan and decide we would be up early and head out in search of Nyaly or Zebra with the bow. We finish a great dinner prepared by Nicole and Graham, have a couple drinks and turn in for the evening. Sorry not many photos of today's events. If you look close at this shot from my Gopro you can see the boar straight down my arrow next to the tree as hes running away flipping us the bird...

Good stuff. Following...

Great detail, I appreciate your sharing for my first safari in 2018 your observations and sharing. Much appreciated, I'll continue to follow your adventures.

Nice

Good stuff! Looking forward to more

Waiting on the rest of the story

Day 2-

We wake at 5am to gather ourselves, have coffee, quick breakfast and prepare for an hour ride to a concession where Marius had spotted a large bull Nyala the week before we arrived. Terry would join Lori and I once again for the day in hopes to be with me for my first African trophy of the trip. We depart the lodge shortly after 6am and watch the sunrise as we traverse through the winding mountain roads in quest for the first celebration of hunting success with KMG 2017. As we enter the gate, we meet with the property manager for direction and discuss having one of the properties trackers join us.
This property is new to Greg so a familiar person is helpful to learn the lay of the land. The property is very large and is split by a major road. After a brief conversation with the property manager and Lori using the facilities, we pick up the additional tracker and head for the hunting grounds on the other side of the road. The side we entered is the high side of this section, and the back side has a very large valley, so Greg and the tracker talk about a plan once we make our way through the gate. The plan is to take a long ride around the valley so we could glass the sunny side of the mountain in search of the large Nyala Marius set eyes on a week or so ago. We slowly make our way around the backside and spot several Kudu but no Nyala. We stop many times glassing over the valley but still no signs of the Nyala.


The amount of Kudu on this property was simply amazing and a couple of them almost had me thinking of adding another animal to my list. At one point Greg and I were standing on a lookout area glassing the vast amount of Kudu and he turns to me to say “So no Kudu on the list”. It’s probably a good thing Lori was with me for this trip or my first animal would have been a very nice Kudu Bull. Once Greg is clear that I have no plans on a Kudu we head back to the truck and continue the search for this large Nyala bull we have heard is roaming this section of property. The plan now is head up the valley and cross at the end where we entered the gate. Not long after we make our turn up the steep trail Greg says, there he is. At the same time the trackers hit the roof of the truck to get our attention. I catch a quick glimpse as we pass by him standing about 60 yards off the trail. He was feeding and looked to be undisturbed by our presents. He looked to be a very nice bull with great ivory tips just what I was looking for. Greg continues to drive up the hill and doesn't even stop. The trackers again hit the roof thinking we didn't hear them. Greg leans out the window and instructs them he wants to play the wind and if we drive up the hill a ways we could make a stalk down to him with the very strong wind in our face. We stop a couple hundred yards up on top of the hill; get out making our plan. As we exit the truck I reminded Lori to leave the door open when she got out, she did and even took a photo to show me. We all gathered and talk over our plan for the stalk and decide its best to leave Lori and Terry with the trackers at the truck. Lori really wants to be with me to photo the hunts but I explained 2 people doing a stalk with a bow is 1 to many so she agrees to stay and capture photos as we head off.





As Greg and I make our way and are about 50 yards or so from the truck we hear a loud slam of the truck door. Greg turns back with a smile as Lori captures the moment; I turn back with a look of disgust shaking my head knowing that Lori just once again slammed the truck door. I make a comment to Greg something to the effect, “Damn her” as we look up to see the large Nyala bull running towards the valley bottom. Greg whispers to me this time it's not her fault; the wind gust caught the door blowing our cover. We head the direction we last saw the bull in hopes we would still have a chance. After about 2 hours of stalking the deep, thick valley we decide to head back to the truck and drive to the far side and see if we can locate him on our way. We make it back to the truck, have a quick chat about the door incident and continue our quest. After another 2 hours of searching and glassing I named this Nyala bull Houdini, as he is nowhere to be found. As we are making our way back up through the valley to see if Houdini doubled back and went to the area we first saw him, Greg stops the truck. I was thinking he or the trackers spotted him then suddenly start they to laugh. I said what's so funny? Greg replies, the property tracker just made a joke. He said there are 1.5 million Nyala across the street and we have spent half the day looking for just 1. It was then that it dawned on me that was correct we have only seen 1 Nyala all day so far. After a quick lunch break from the pack Nichole prepared for us, we headed to the other side in search of either a Nyala or Zebra. It wasn't long into our drive on that side when we started to spot Nyala and lots of them. As we crest the top of a hill Greg stops and says are you ready to take a zebra. I quickly say yes and we exit the truck making sure Lori closes the door quietly. This time I leave the bow in the truck and we all head off across the thick cover of a hillside as we try and close the gap on a herd of 8 zebra. Greg tells the trackers to stay on top of the hill to point us in the direction and we set off down the hillside.


We make it about halfway down and see the group feeding on the bottom looking like they are feeding our way. Greg sets up the sticks and I rest my 300 in preparation for my first shot. As we ready ourselves Greg asks me what I’m looking for in a Zebra. I pause for a moment and he says do you want a white zebra with black stripes or a black one with white stripes. It was then that I realized Greg had a great sense of humor and it was going to be a fun week. I replied I didn't care what color it was as long as it was black and white with stripes. We chuckled a bit then I said, on a serious note I would like one with thick black stripes with great markings on its face. Greg laughed and said ok we will get you a black one with white stripes. After about an hour of waiting for them to feed up our way we see there is a very nice looking zebra in the group that looks exactly like what I’m looking for. Unfortunately we have a group of 3 that have worked their way within 40 yards of us, but the one we wanted was 150 yards away in thick cover.


As the 3 make their way past us Greg decides we should move across the hillside and see we can get a shot on the one we like as it’s feeding away from us. We leave Terry and Lori in that spot to watch as we made our move. We made it about a hundred yards when I saw the zebra in the bottom of the valley. Greg sets up the sticks and i once again take aim. He said if it comes out on top in the opening it would be about 125 yards. Sure enough the zebra steps out and is facing straight away from us. Greg says wait for him to turn and shoot it on the shoulder. Just as he said that, the zebra turned slightly and I squeezed the trigger. The zebra flips over backwards, hoofs in the air and falls back down to the bottom of a dried up creek bed from 1 shot through the center of his heart. Greg said great shot but rack another round these animals are tough and rarely stay down. After waiting a couple minutes and watching several zebra run off we work our way to where we last saw him. As we approached I saw him lying in the same spot he fell and he was DRT (dead right there)!!! A couple high fives, handshakes and I were quickly greeted by my wife and great friend Terry for photos.






Sorry for the blurry photos they were captured from my video camera as the zebra flipped over.





While we were taking photos the farm tracker called for help to get the zebra out from the bottom of the creek bed. I was expecting a group of farm helpers to show up when I heard a sound of a tractor coming down the trail. It’s obvious these guys have done this before. They show up with a tractor with a large scoop bucket on the back. Once they got the tractor unstuck from trying to cross the ditch, they hooked a rope a tarp they had placed under the zebra and used the tractor to pull it up the hill. They then placed it in the bucket then the driver and Lindile head off to the skinning shed.




We gather up our stuff and headed back to the truck for a much needed cold drink and talk about our next plan. Greg said we can either go back to the other side and look more for Houdini or continue to look for a nice Nyala on this side. Being that it is now 2:30pm I figured we could just continue our search on this side and see if we can locate a shooter before dark. We drive around for an hour or so stopping to glass several areas. We see several nice bulls but just haven’t found the one that Greg says is a good one. We come upon a lone bull standing about a hundred yards off the road and to me it looks like a very nice bull. I ask, is that him? He replies he’s nice, very nice but only makes me half excited. We are guessing Houdini would score in the 27-28” range, we are looking for that quality and Greg believes this bull is only 25-26” range. We talk about it a bit and decide to move on and see if we can locate a bigger one knowing the area this one is in. We continue our journey making a quick stop at the skinning shack to check on the progress and give Lori to use the facilities. It was at the skinning shack that I got to see the shot placement and see firsthand why the zebra did not get back up. 1 well placed bullet destroyed the animal’s heart and I have photos to prove it. They are just a bit too messy for me to post here. After a short stop and relief for Lori, we continue to glass several areas until nearly dark.


We end the day stopping at the lodge to drop off the tracker and thank them for the great day, grab the zebra skin and drive back through the winding roads through the mountain as the sun is setting.






We arrive back at the lodge just in time to grab a quick shower, change clothes, talk about the days hunt and have an awesome dinner prepared by Graham and Nichole. After dinner we have a few drinks before we plan for the next morning’s hunt. Marius had just joined up with the rest of us after spending the first night away with another couple in our group, Greg and Carole. Greg was hunting klipspringer so they needed to travel a few hours away from camp to hunt an area Marius knew should be a good area for success. Knowing they were able to join us meant that Greg was successful so we all had some great stories to exchange. I talk with Marius about the encounter with the now named Nyala Houdini and tell him I’m not giving up on him that quickly. He tells me he’s working on details to get me onto another concession that have several of the other animals on my list but needed one more day to sort that out. Greg Marius and I get together and talk about a plan to hunt a farm close by the lodge that is a friend of Greg’s. The property has a few really nice Nyala on it so we planned to give that a try in the morning and if nothing worked out we would go back and search for Houdini in the afternoon. After a couple more drinks and an evening of laughter we call it the end of an awesome day with KMG and turned in for the night.

Congratulations! I've heard nothing but A+ from that outfit

BWH said:

Congratulations! I've heard nothing but A+ from that outfit

Click to expand...

I will second that from first hand experience!!!! KMG at it again!!!!

Gemsbok Gangsta said:

I will second that from first hand experience!!!! KMG at it again!!!!

Click to expand...

I will say, I've been to Africa 2 times now with 2 different outfitters. My first trip was awesome but WHEN I return it Will be with KMG!!!
Stay tuned to my report, you just might find out why...

Day 3

Today starts a bit later as we are only hunting about 30 minutes from the lodge. Lori and I get up and around and meet Greg for coffee and a quick bite before heading off at 6:45am. As we are eating breakfast, Greg and I discuss the plan for the property we are headed for. It’s a fairly large goat and cattle farm with lots of game animals mixed throughout. Greg tells me a couple weeks ago he was hunting there for Kudu and saw a really nice Nyala bull. We decide to hunt until around lunchtime or earlier if we are successful, then come back to the lodge and make a plan for the afternoon while grabbing a bite to eat. We load into the truck grab Lindile and head off for the morning hunt. The air was a bit brisk this morning but should work in our favor as the animals would be on the sunny side warming up from the night chill. It wasn’t long after entering the gate when Lindile taps the roof. We stop and glass the valley below to see 2 Nyala Ewes feeding in the morning sun. We decide to get out and walk to a higher level so we can glass below them and try to locate a bull. Greg, Lindile and I quickly make the climb up with Lori tagging slowly along stopping to take photos as we go. I had to explain to her she would have to keep up so we could all stay together. The climb was a bit steep but only the start to our morning. We make it to an area that was great to glass a long way. We watch the 2 females for a bit but the bull never shows up.



Greg says let’s check another spot, so we head back to the truck and drive deeper onto the property stopping briefly to glass a few areas along the way.




We make it to a spot that Greg says is one of his favorite spots on the farm to glass from. It was only a matter of seconds when we started to spot animals. The hillside was lit up with the morning sun, and just about every animal was out warming up from the night chill. Suddenly Greg opens the sticks and says get ready. My hart starts pumping as I see a dark animal in the area Greg is glassing. I place my gun on the sticks and Greg says that’s a really nice bushbuck. Lori whispers what is it? Greg replies bushbuck. Lori said in a confused voice, but you already have a bushbuck from your first trip. We watch the beautiful animal for a bit at around 130 yards. Greg is quiet for a moment, leans over and whispers how big is your bushbuck? I reply 13 ½”, that a great trophy, about the same size as the one we are looking at now. We watch him for a bit longer as he feeds with no clue we were even there, and then decide to climb on up the hillside and continue on with our quest.

As we are making our way along the top of the ridge, Lori says what is that. as Greg and I turn to say at the same time, it’s a tortoise. Seemed like it was a bit out of the area I would expect to see them as the entire are is dry due to the long drought. Greg said they use to see many more around there but they have either died off or moved on like the warthogs have.



We make it to another area overlooking a very large valley and glass for nearly an hour. Still seeing lots of game, just not what we are looking for. We did spot a very large kudu bull that Greg said he had never seen on the property before and was probably the largest one he has seen there as well. Once again if Lori was not with me this kudu might be included in my dip and pack crate. We make our way back to the truck, and head to the backside of the property where Greg has seen Nyala in the past. As we wind our way back Greg spots a bull Nyala way off in the distance. We close the gap a bit by truck and head off on foot once again. After a long walk up the hilly road to a lookout, we glass for a bit seeing more females but once again no bull. Greg tells Lori and I to stay there with Lindile and he would go get the truck. As we are waiting Lori, Lindile and I continue glassing; suddenly Lori says whats that way off in the distance. I look that way with a bit of excitement and can’t find what she sees. I ask her what it looks like and she said there are several of them and they are white and brown. I look again only to see a herd of goats walking across the hillside about a mile away. Greg makes it to pick us up and asked if we see anything, Lori quickly responds goats. I have to remind Greg that Lori is an inexperienced hunter and might mistake farm animals for game. (Jokingly of course)



A short drive more and a quick lesson on the kind of animals we are hunting for, we make it to the spot Greg is sure we will find the Nyala hanging out. On our way, we come upon a group of cattle, Greg looks at Lori in the mirror and says, Lori those are cattle we are not hunting for them… We stop at the top of one hill and glass a flat area before approaching the deep valley he expects to find them. There is nothing to been seen in the flat, so Greg asks if we are ok for a good hike. I quickly say sure but Lori looks ahead and ask where we are headed. Greg chuckles and says that way, pointing to the fence row that runs up a steep hill in front of us. She hesitates and says ok we can just take our time right. We make it to the edge of the steep drop and stop to glass. I see movement at the bottom in the thick bush. Just as I see it Greg says YES that’s a Big bush buck. I see the horns as Greg sets up the sticks. He doesn’t even have to ask me on this one, I knew when I saw the horns he was a monster. Lori is asking where it is so she can get a photo and I lose him in the bush. We wait for what seemed like forever and he simply vanished. All the sudden we hear a faint whistle from behind us. It’s Lindile and he’s pointing to the far side of the next hill. Greg and I spot him moving up about the same time, I turn to him and say let’s go. How does an animal disappear like that so quickly without making a sound…. I tell Lori we are in for a hike and ask if she’s ok to climb to the top of the next hill. She agrees to try it and we are off. Greg is making strides that Lori and I can’t keep pace with but we do our best. After Lori took a fall going down the steep dried riverbed, I asked Greg if we could slow it down just a touch so he did with no issues. The rest of the way up the hill he would stop every hundreds or so for us to catch our breath. We made it to the top only to never see the bushbuck again. It’s now nearly lunchtime, so Greg tells us to walk down and follow the road to the left at as we approach the bottom of the first hill and he would go get the truck. He turns to Lori and said you did great it’s all downhill from here. Greg makes the log hike back to get the truck in short order and we head back to have lunch with no sightings of Nyala bull.





On our short drive back to Mpunzi, we discuss the plan for the afternoon. Greg says we can either return to the same farm or head back and search for Houdini. Knowing there is 1.5 million Nyala on the other property; I say let’s give Houdini another run. After a quick bite to eat and a pit stop, we take the hour drive back through the winding mountain road. Upon our arrival we swing by and grab the same tracker that told us there was 1.5 million Nyala on the other side. Greg speaks briefly with him and jokingly said we want to give Houdini a look. I thought the poor guy was going to cry when he found out we were serious. Across the road we head. Once through the gate we take the same route as yesterday with the same results. The only difference is we never set eyes on him at all. We worked that area for an hour and a half but only saw Kudu, bushbuck and duiker. We decided that Houdini has earned his nickname and head back to the side where Nyala are plentiful. We drive around stopping to glass several areas, seeing almost all of the 1.5 million on that side but fall short of seeing one big enough that makes Greg fully excited. Before we give up hope we head to a spot that the tracker didn’t take us the day before. It’s the lodge that is used for hunting clients on the back of the property overlooking the river. We stop to glass the area, again seeing several nice looking animals just not that special one. As Greg runs down near the river bottom to look down the bank, Lori and I take a few photos of the amazing view as the sun is starting to fall to the western sky. After a few photos, we decide to call it a day and head back to Mpunzi for dinner, drinks and to hear about everyone’s successful day.




Once again we take the drive through the winding mountain road as the sun is setting headed for the lodge. Upon our arrival, everyone is back but us and the success stories began to flow. Everyone else in the group had a very successful day but I was very pleased with how our day unfolded…. Knowing we had 8 days to hunt and only 6 animals on my list I expected a couple hard hunting days with no shooting. After dinner Marius says to me he has arranged for me to go to a property back near Port Elizabeth that is a very good area to bow hunt. He says there are lots of large Nyala, Warthog and even some Mt Reedbuck. Knowing those 3 were high on my list I was excited to head out the next morning. A couple drinks to close out day 3 and it off to get some good rest for a long day stalking with my bow.

Can't wait for the rest of the story!!!

Looks like your having a great hunt and plenty of time to enjoy even more hunting. Good luck with the rest and looking forward to seeing more report

Great report so far.

I am enjoying your report and photos, looking forward to "the rest of the story," as Paul Harvey used to say.

Excellent so far !