Brewster6514
AH member
Just got back from our 3rd trip to South Africa, our second with hercules safaris.
We went over for cape buffalo for me and a gemsbok for my wife.
Our first day after shooting the rifles to make sure they hit right for us we went out looking for gemsbok. We spent the whole day looking for tracks and stalking them with no shots. Everytime we'd spot them they would take off running, so off to a different block and back on the tracks.
Day 2 we started all over again and by 2:30 in the afternoon she finally got the one we was trying for on the ground.
Day 3 we had decided to add a baboon to our list so we went and sat in a blind the concession owner had overlooking a water hole. 5 hours later the baboon troop came in and our ph Abel told me to shoot the one that was fighting off all the others and preventing them from feeding. One 150gr. .308 bullet ended his reign.
Day 4 buffalo!
We started out on the concession driving around looking for tracks or buff. After figuring out where they were probably heading to we got the wind right and headed towards a water hole.
After a little bit of sneaking into the water hole we spotted them leaving. Could have ended it right there but we were after a specific bull and didnt see him in the opening we had. Soon after spitting them they spooked and took off running to the thick cover. We tracked them and bumped them several times that day, getting on the sticks a couple times but never getting a shot at my bull. By late afternoon we we decided to sit by the one water hole they kept heading to and never saw them. try again tomorrow.
Day 5
Drove around the concession looking for tracks to start our stalks again and found where a leopard had killed a young red hartebeest bull.
We saw that young guy on our sit the evening before and Abel said that he wouldn't last long by himself. Boy was he right!
Ok off to look for buffalo again.
After finding the tracks again we stayed on them getting close several times again, a couple of times it was pretty thick and all we could see was their legs through the trees only to hear them running off crashing through the bush.
Finally after chasing them around for approximately 5 miles (according to my phone step counter) we had them standing in a somewhat open spot in some shade with a good wind.
We got within about 60-70 yards and got on the sticks. Now we had to determine which one was the one we was supposed to shoot as the owner had one that was going to be a breeder bull and we was not to shoot him!
After looking them over and determining which one was mine we had to wait for him to clear the others.
After what seamed like hours he finally cleared the others just as he was starting to run. My first shot was a little high and spined him and he dropped on the spot. Then he bellowed and started to try and get back up, second shot hit him about the liver area and he went down again only to get up again. 3rd shot hit him between the nexk and shoulder as he was quartering towards me and down he goes again. Back up he comes and 4th shot hit him in neck close to the back of his head and that knocked him down pretty hard. As we were walking closer to him he tries to get up again and i hit him in the shoulder and then Abel gave me a solid and i put it through both his shoulders and into the dirt then off to who knows where. Lol
After a few seconds he gave his death bellow and Abel checked him and it was over. Holy cow they are tough!
Finally after reading peter capstick and Robert Rourke books all those years ago i had my buffalo!
he measures 40½ inches wide with hard bosses and everyone there was very impressed with him. The concession owner said he was bigger than he thought.
5 days into a 10 day hunt and we are done. Seems to be a reoccurring problem at hercules safaris (we was done on day 3 last time lol)
Day 6 we just hung out and thought about what we wanted to do for the rest of our trip. We decided to add a warthog for my wife and i was going to go after steenbok.
Day 7
we went back to where i shot my baboon and sat in a blind for 6½ hours waiting for a warthog or baboon to come in since the owner said we could shoot another baboon too if we wanted to help thin them out since they were destroying his water tanks and lines. Nothing showed so try again tomorrow.
Day 8
Sat in blind again but got there earlier, around 11 the baboon showed up but they didnt go to the water trough they went to his water tanks. My wife was on the sticks but couldnt get turned enough to get on the baboons so she handed me the rifle and by shooting left handed i was finally able to pick one to shoot. Abel was trying to pick the right one and describe to me for 1½ hours which was the biggest and finally said they were leaving and to pick a male (white butt) and shoot before they left since it was just population control at this point it didn't matter. The one i hit was a med sized one and the owner was happy we got another one out of the troop.
Off to go to another spot and sot till dark. We saw a couple of warthog sows but no boars so we moved to where we heard some more baboons,
Had a huge male run out in front of us and my wife took a shot but we found no blood or signs of a hit.
By then it was getting dark and Hercules planned a cook out on top of the cliffs we were hunt near so we watched the sun set on top of a mountain and ate like kings!
Day 9
Drove around looking for a steenbok.
After a few hours Abel saw one and i grabbed the shotgun but he quickly ran off into the bush so i switched to the .308, after a little bit of maneuvering i saw his rear end and back and aimed where his chest should be.
As you can see i picked the right spot and this nice 4½ long steenbok is my first of the tiny ten.
The rains finally came and the hunting really changed so sitting over waterholes wasn't working so we drove around till our final day looking but not finding any. No worries warthog was added so we had something to do after filling our list.
This trip was our best trip yet, the ph Abel, his wife ph and cook Petro, the tracker Samora, camp mechanic and do all helper PJ, and all Hercules other employees made it such a pleasure to be there. The food was amazing, the comradery was as well.
They were like family by the end of the first day.
We were so sad to leave and can't wait to go back and see our great friends at hercules safaris.
We went over for cape buffalo for me and a gemsbok for my wife.
Our first day after shooting the rifles to make sure they hit right for us we went out looking for gemsbok. We spent the whole day looking for tracks and stalking them with no shots. Everytime we'd spot them they would take off running, so off to a different block and back on the tracks.
Day 2 we started all over again and by 2:30 in the afternoon she finally got the one we was trying for on the ground.
Day 3 we had decided to add a baboon to our list so we went and sat in a blind the concession owner had overlooking a water hole. 5 hours later the baboon troop came in and our ph Abel told me to shoot the one that was fighting off all the others and preventing them from feeding. One 150gr. .308 bullet ended his reign.
Day 4 buffalo!
We started out on the concession driving around looking for tracks or buff. After figuring out where they were probably heading to we got the wind right and headed towards a water hole.
After a little bit of sneaking into the water hole we spotted them leaving. Could have ended it right there but we were after a specific bull and didnt see him in the opening we had. Soon after spitting them they spooked and took off running to the thick cover. We tracked them and bumped them several times that day, getting on the sticks a couple times but never getting a shot at my bull. By late afternoon we we decided to sit by the one water hole they kept heading to and never saw them. try again tomorrow.
Day 5
Drove around the concession looking for tracks to start our stalks again and found where a leopard had killed a young red hartebeest bull.
We saw that young guy on our sit the evening before and Abel said that he wouldn't last long by himself. Boy was he right!
Ok off to look for buffalo again.
After finding the tracks again we stayed on them getting close several times again, a couple of times it was pretty thick and all we could see was their legs through the trees only to hear them running off crashing through the bush.
Finally after chasing them around for approximately 5 miles (according to my phone step counter) we had them standing in a somewhat open spot in some shade with a good wind.
We got within about 60-70 yards and got on the sticks. Now we had to determine which one was the one we was supposed to shoot as the owner had one that was going to be a breeder bull and we was not to shoot him!
After looking them over and determining which one was mine we had to wait for him to clear the others.
After what seamed like hours he finally cleared the others just as he was starting to run. My first shot was a little high and spined him and he dropped on the spot. Then he bellowed and started to try and get back up, second shot hit him about the liver area and he went down again only to get up again. 3rd shot hit him between the nexk and shoulder as he was quartering towards me and down he goes again. Back up he comes and 4th shot hit him in neck close to the back of his head and that knocked him down pretty hard. As we were walking closer to him he tries to get up again and i hit him in the shoulder and then Abel gave me a solid and i put it through both his shoulders and into the dirt then off to who knows where. Lol
After a few seconds he gave his death bellow and Abel checked him and it was over. Holy cow they are tough!
Finally after reading peter capstick and Robert Rourke books all those years ago i had my buffalo!
he measures 40½ inches wide with hard bosses and everyone there was very impressed with him. The concession owner said he was bigger than he thought.
5 days into a 10 day hunt and we are done. Seems to be a reoccurring problem at hercules safaris (we was done on day 3 last time lol)
Day 6 we just hung out and thought about what we wanted to do for the rest of our trip. We decided to add a warthog for my wife and i was going to go after steenbok.
Day 7
we went back to where i shot my baboon and sat in a blind for 6½ hours waiting for a warthog or baboon to come in since the owner said we could shoot another baboon too if we wanted to help thin them out since they were destroying his water tanks and lines. Nothing showed so try again tomorrow.
Day 8
Sat in blind again but got there earlier, around 11 the baboon showed up but they didnt go to the water trough they went to his water tanks. My wife was on the sticks but couldnt get turned enough to get on the baboons so she handed me the rifle and by shooting left handed i was finally able to pick one to shoot. Abel was trying to pick the right one and describe to me for 1½ hours which was the biggest and finally said they were leaving and to pick a male (white butt) and shoot before they left since it was just population control at this point it didn't matter. The one i hit was a med sized one and the owner was happy we got another one out of the troop.
Off to go to another spot and sot till dark. We saw a couple of warthog sows but no boars so we moved to where we heard some more baboons,
Had a huge male run out in front of us and my wife took a shot but we found no blood or signs of a hit.
By then it was getting dark and Hercules planned a cook out on top of the cliffs we were hunt near so we watched the sun set on top of a mountain and ate like kings!
Day 9
Drove around looking for a steenbok.
After a few hours Abel saw one and i grabbed the shotgun but he quickly ran off into the bush so i switched to the .308, after a little bit of maneuvering i saw his rear end and back and aimed where his chest should be.
As you can see i picked the right spot and this nice 4½ long steenbok is my first of the tiny ten.
The rains finally came and the hunting really changed so sitting over waterholes wasn't working so we drove around till our final day looking but not finding any. No worries warthog was added so we had something to do after filling our list.
This trip was our best trip yet, the ph Abel, his wife ph and cook Petro, the tracker Samora, camp mechanic and do all helper PJ, and all Hercules other employees made it such a pleasure to be there. The food was amazing, the comradery was as well.
They were like family by the end of the first day.
We were so sad to leave and can't wait to go back and see our great friends at hercules safaris.
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