SOUTH AFRICA: 1st Time Hunting Part 1

Thanks for the report and letting us tag along on your hunt via this report, nice to have a woman's perspective on the hunt! Congrats on your hunt! Looking forward to more.
 
Welcome aboard Hunter8mm. It is easy to see that you had a lot of fun on your first African hunt. Looking forward to the next segment.
 
Congrats on your first African safari and thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the rest of the report.
 
Great report so far. Congrats on your first set of trophies. Looking forward to hearing how the adventure continues
 
Hi again all! Thanks for all the views and support! Now to fill you in further with part 3.
As was mentioned in my last post, I had taken a female impala. Later that day we made our way back to Herman's land. Unfortunately, we didn't see any baboons before leaving. However, on one of the highways back to the lodge, we saw a whole troop of baboons trying to cross the road! All I could do was laugh at the irony of it all. It was as if mother nature was having a good laugh at my expense by teasing me for a second time!

We got back to Herman's lodge around 4pm and decided to look for wildebeest on his property. We trekked for about half an hour and then Herman spotted a large herd of wildebeests. I followed his lead and stalked behind him. We took cover behind a bush and waited because there were some kudu blocking the way to the wildebeests. The kudu came so close to us that I was worried that they might walk into us! Finally they moved out of our line of sight and Herman set the sticks up for me. I placed my rifle on the sticks and waited as Herman instructed me. The wildebeest were in tight clusters; eventually we found one that was standing by its self. Herman gave the go ahead, I settled on its shoulder and pulled the trigger. As soon as it heard the crack of the rifle it turned away to the right and ran! Herman cursed and said: "what shit luck!". I franticly asked if I hit it and he said he was pretty sure I did. I felt horrible and was really worried that the same thing that had happened with the waterbuck would happen again with the wildebeest. He called his wife to bring the dogs and then he and I went with the tracker to find it. Herman found some blood and then the dogs came. The dogs seemed to lock on the trail quickly and in about 15mins they found it! When I saw it lying there (stone dead of course!) I was so relived and happy. I apologized to Herman for messing up and he said that I didn't, that since it was placed right on the shoulder that it compensated for the wildebeest turning on the bullet. The bullet went through the stomach and then into part of the lung bringing bile into it. I'm just glad that despite it turning that it seemed to die pretty quickly and didn't suffer.

That concludes part 3, stay tuned for part 4!

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We've all had animals that moved "at the shot" resulting in that bad feeling in the pit of our stomach. Thankfully you found it. BTW is your husband a member of AH?
 
Now here is a good first tale to be told around the camp fire. Thanks for sharing with us. :S Welcome::S Welcome::S Welcome:
 
Eventually Africa
Glad you’re still with us. I was starting to think she traded you in for some trophy fees. She’s stacking um up. I’m going to have my wife read this and maybe she will get the hint. Cheers
 
jacques smith said:
Eventually Africa
Glad you’re still with us. I was starting to think she traded you in for some trophy fees. She’s stacking um up. I’m going to have my wife read this and maybe she will get the hint. Cheers
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Ha, thanks! No I've been busy with a new 404 Jeffery I picked up. As soon as I get all the work done on it that I want to I'll post some pics over in the .375 and Up firearms forum :) . Also yes, she stacked them up for sure and I'm very happy she is writing this. I was there, but it's good to see things through her eyes as well.
 
Welcome to the family, thanks for the great report! So glad you had a great trip!
Cheers,
Cody
 
Hunter8mm said:
Hi all! I am new to the AH community. The following will be an account of my trip to South Africa with my husband in the fall of last year. It was an incredible experience which I am so grateful to have had. My husband and I went with Lianga Safaris and had the privilege of working with the owners Herman and Annette Scheepers. We arrived in South Africa and they picked us up from the airport as promised. They were so friendly and really made us feel at home. When we got to their lodge I was amazed at how beautiful everything was. Our room was clean and nicely decorated. Best of all was seeing their many hunting dogs! I love dogs and so it made me feel even more comfortable and at home being able to interact with their happy pack of pups!

That afternoon, Herman our PH took us out for a quick hunt before dark. My husband was able to get a shot off at a nice blesbuck and that was his first trophy. Unfortunately, after this darkness had set in and he and I were both too tired to keep trekking.

The next day we went out again. While we were riding in the back of the truck, my husband told me that we would be trying for zebra later in the trip but that Herman had another area he wanted to take us for that. He also told me that we would not be shooting any zebra on his land. A little while later, Herman stopped the truck and he and I went stocking for wildebeest. As we went along he lined me up on a zebra. I was confused because I thought I was not allowed to take one on his land. My cross hairs were spot on the shoulder; he said to take the shot and I paused to ask what the price was. Unfortunately, the zebra ran off. Herman then explained to me that if he tells me to take something not to worry about the cost and that we would work it out. To this day I am still mad at myself for being so inexperienced. A perfect line up and I blew it.
Anyway, about an hour later Herman spotted a waterbuck. I got it in my crosshairs and took the shot without hesitation. It hit but we could not find it. Herman thought that I jerked and hit it in the stomach. I am still upset at myself for this because I never wanted the animal to suffer. After searching for a long time all we had found was some stomach bile. The dogs couldn't get a lock on it and Herman said that these animals, when wounded, would generally develop a fever and we should be able to find it around one of the many watering holes on the property. Unfortunately for us a cold front moved in for the next few days and so that never happened and we ended up loosing the waterbuck. After a long while of tracking Herman spotted a herd of blesbuck off to one side. They hadn't seen us yet so we eased into positon on the sticks. I didn't want to repeat my failure so I made sure to line up on it, but as I was still nervous had a bit of hesitation. He told me which one to take and I took the shot. Finally, success! Upon further inspection, we found that I had actually shot it through the neck. While I had aimed on the shoulder, it did prove effective as it dropped on the spot. This was my first ever kill and I was so excited. From there it gave me the confidence needed to hunt the other animals on the list.
To be continued!

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Welcome to Africa Hunting.enjoy the immense experience.
 
A great report read and like the others, am looking forward to further instalments. Apreciate your concern over the lost waterbuck, as an unrecovered/lost animal is something that none of us takes lightly but unfortunatey it is sometimes the result of any number of circumstances.
Pleased to see another young hunter join the esteemed ranks that stretch back through history.
 
Great report, enjoyed reading both yours and your husbands reports. My wife and I both hunt and it is always special to share the memories you made for a lifetime.
Met Herman a couple years ago he is a gentleman and dedicated to providing a solid service and African experience to our band of gentleman and gentlewoman adventures.
 
Hi everyone, thanks for all the comments and views! Going to pick up where I left off from my last post.
After a successful hunt with the wildebeest, we set out the next day for some impala. We were fortunate enough to get in on a cull for them. The land owner that allowed us to hunt on his property said we could also include impala males on the cull for the same price as the females. He was very generous and my husband and I really appreciated him giving us such a great opportunity.

That morning, Herman and I set out stalking for a male impala that Herman had spotted a few days before. We stalked for about half an hour until Herman found him. Its amazing the amount of skill and heighted senses that a professional hunter such as Herman possesses. I have to say that before we came upon the impala, I was getting skeptical. But that just goes to show the immense talent that a great PH like Herman has.
So, Herman pointed out the big impala male to me and we ducked and stalked up closer. We got within about 19yrds and Herman had me set up for the shot. The male was facing us and behind a group of females. I don't think he knew we were there. Herman whispered for me to aim for the chest. I settled my crosshairs and squeezed the trigger. Direct hit! He jumped up and ran a few paces and fell in a heap near some bushes. We were so well hidden that after I hit him the females in the group ran closer to us and stopped. I wanted to shoot another as one female stood about 7yrds from me but I didn't have a new round chambered. I just felt such an adrenaline rush that I was shaking! When we found the dead impala I was so excited. Herman also seemed pleased. It was just a great feeling that I will never forget.
After we took pictures we set out to find some more. I shot a couple more impala females and one more male. That night, we stopped by the land owners home to say thank you again for the opportunity. He invited us in with his wife and friends for some Irish Whiskey. What a way to finish off a brilliant hunt! Suffice it to say at my size that one and a half glasses of that Whiskey knocked me literally off my feet!

Overall, that hunting trip was amazing and unforgettable. I am so glad my husband convinced me to go! On a personal note, it did wonders for me in temporarily relieving my anxiety and depression. It felt amazing to wake up in the morning and feel excitement and energy for the day instead of dread exhaustion. I mean there I was, able to hunt and experience that feeling like I was tapping into the same primal instinct that our ancestors used to survive; there were a bunch of dogs all around me at the lodge, Herman and his family were so welcoming and kind and I had my husband there by my side. It felt like a personal utopia. It was 100 times more effective than any antidepressant or anxiety medication I have ever taken! Due to all these things it was really hard to leave.
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Needless to say, I hopefully will return in 2019.

Thanks for reading and happy hunting!
 
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Nothing like a great hunting trip to lift the mood.
I wish you well and hope you stay excited about your return trip.
I'll look forward to reading about your next adventure.

Thanks for taking the time to share your excitement and experience hunting.
(y)
 
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