slam8031
AH fanatic
On 20 June 2017, my family, including my 9, 11, and 13 year old daughters, my 16 year old son, my wife, my mother, a hunting buddy and I boarded a Delta flight from Raleigh, NC and connected through Atlanta to Johannesburg via flight 200. The first travel tidbit that I would like to offer is this--if you travel internationally, I have found that Global Entry is a real advantage (my first available appointment was the day before we travelled through ATL, so we chose to do our interview during the layover--it took 10 min on the computer and 1o min in the airport--on our return, my number was already in the system, there were 500 plus people in line for customs when we landed in ATL on 2 July 2017, there was one person in front of me in the global entry line--well worth the $100 for the privilege). My daughters had never harvested an animal, my son and wife were repeat safari hunters, so this trip was going to be a blast!
Our first day of hunting was 22 June 2017. We checked the rifles we brought, a left handed Browning SS in 375 H and H shooting 300 grain A frames, and a cerakoted 25.06 Howa with a Silencerco suppressor. Our outfitter and PH, Tienie Bamberger, also brought along a 22 mag for my daughters to shoot as well. After a ride around, we decided we would begin with trying to get the girls on female impalas first. Two daughters sat with me and a PH in a hide over a water hole, and the youngest daughter, my son and wife sat with another PH at another hide. I cannot say that I enjoy hide sitting in Africa, but we knew for my daughters to get shots and build some confidence, this would be the best play. My oldest daughter took a nice impala ewe the first afternoon with the suppressed 25.06 using 117 grain Hornady interlock--great shot and super happy daughter. Friday my son took a great wide blue wildebeest and the middle daughter took a impala ewe with the 25.06. All three shots were one shot kills, or as the oldest daughter has learned--DRT--dead right there.
Saturday we went again for the third day to get my daughter a shot--we had a great time in the blind but nothing she could get a shot on--she was extremely frustrated. At last light, on the way out, she was able to make a great shot with the 22mag and she finally got the impala ewe. It was incredible to watch my three daughters and their responses to harvesting their first trophies--and we were able to enjoy their harvests on the braai!! During the day Saturday, the Warthog Safaris team prepared a meal for a local village school of approximately 300 students. We served the school a meal, and distributed wool socks and toothbrushes. You cannot imagine the poverty unless you have been to places like that. Only Haiti strikes me as being measurably worse! My children had only seen things like the poverty there on TV. This was a shocking truth of life that they now are beginning to understand. Warthog Safaris has been feeding and caring for this school monthly for the past few years and are looking for anyone who would like to help with this project. They are hoping to find sponsors for each class (13 in all) so that they can provide school supplies yearly and meals monthly from harvested animals. If any are interested, please PM me!
Sunday we got started chasing after my primary animal--sable. However, I am a sucker for a great impala and love getting dirty and remembering scratches from thorns as a great memory! Late Sunday afternoon, 25 June, we got to within 200 yards of a very nice isolated impala ram, and I took a shot ranged at 205 yards with the 375 H and H with 300 grain Swift A-frames--a one shot kill! Monday was another day to search out sable--we put in long hours on the truck trying to cut tracks and spent several hours in the bushveld giving chase, but no sable! There is always another day!
Tuesday, we loaded up and went to another concession in hopes of finding another hunter a blue wildebeest and Zebra and to photograph some giraffe. Our friend was successful on the wildebeest but wounded a Zebra stallion that survived the shot. They were unable to find the stallion unfortunately. However, I gave in to my impala issues and found a very nice 25 inch impala! Tuesday evening, we found a pair of sable and gave chase up and over a mountain on foot but were unable to get close enough for a shot. Dejected, we headed back to camp and happened upon a group of blesbuck. My middle daughter made a marginal shot with the 22 mag and we didn't locate the ram until the following morning. However, she was extremely excited with her ram as well.
Wednesday was family surprise day--we loaded up the family and travelled to a reserve that has elephant interaction, learning and riding the elephants as part of an educational opportunity. They were blown away!
We rushed back to try to get on the sable again. We happened upon a great sable nearly hidden in the grass while bedded. We waited what seemed like hours (it ended up being about 3 minutes) before the wind shifted and he stood to exit. The bark of the 375 H and H broke the stillness of the day and 50 yards later, the great hunt for sable was finally over--many miles on the bakkie and many miles on foot--but it was all worth it!
Thursday began with a phone call.--I will finish the report and add pictures later!! Happy fourth of July!
Our first day of hunting was 22 June 2017. We checked the rifles we brought, a left handed Browning SS in 375 H and H shooting 300 grain A frames, and a cerakoted 25.06 Howa with a Silencerco suppressor. Our outfitter and PH, Tienie Bamberger, also brought along a 22 mag for my daughters to shoot as well. After a ride around, we decided we would begin with trying to get the girls on female impalas first. Two daughters sat with me and a PH in a hide over a water hole, and the youngest daughter, my son and wife sat with another PH at another hide. I cannot say that I enjoy hide sitting in Africa, but we knew for my daughters to get shots and build some confidence, this would be the best play. My oldest daughter took a nice impala ewe the first afternoon with the suppressed 25.06 using 117 grain Hornady interlock--great shot and super happy daughter. Friday my son took a great wide blue wildebeest and the middle daughter took a impala ewe with the 25.06. All three shots were one shot kills, or as the oldest daughter has learned--DRT--dead right there.
Saturday we went again for the third day to get my daughter a shot--we had a great time in the blind but nothing she could get a shot on--she was extremely frustrated. At last light, on the way out, she was able to make a great shot with the 22mag and she finally got the impala ewe. It was incredible to watch my three daughters and their responses to harvesting their first trophies--and we were able to enjoy their harvests on the braai!! During the day Saturday, the Warthog Safaris team prepared a meal for a local village school of approximately 300 students. We served the school a meal, and distributed wool socks and toothbrushes. You cannot imagine the poverty unless you have been to places like that. Only Haiti strikes me as being measurably worse! My children had only seen things like the poverty there on TV. This was a shocking truth of life that they now are beginning to understand. Warthog Safaris has been feeding and caring for this school monthly for the past few years and are looking for anyone who would like to help with this project. They are hoping to find sponsors for each class (13 in all) so that they can provide school supplies yearly and meals monthly from harvested animals. If any are interested, please PM me!
Sunday we got started chasing after my primary animal--sable. However, I am a sucker for a great impala and love getting dirty and remembering scratches from thorns as a great memory! Late Sunday afternoon, 25 June, we got to within 200 yards of a very nice isolated impala ram, and I took a shot ranged at 205 yards with the 375 H and H with 300 grain Swift A-frames--a one shot kill! Monday was another day to search out sable--we put in long hours on the truck trying to cut tracks and spent several hours in the bushveld giving chase, but no sable! There is always another day!
Tuesday, we loaded up and went to another concession in hopes of finding another hunter a blue wildebeest and Zebra and to photograph some giraffe. Our friend was successful on the wildebeest but wounded a Zebra stallion that survived the shot. They were unable to find the stallion unfortunately. However, I gave in to my impala issues and found a very nice 25 inch impala! Tuesday evening, we found a pair of sable and gave chase up and over a mountain on foot but were unable to get close enough for a shot. Dejected, we headed back to camp and happened upon a group of blesbuck. My middle daughter made a marginal shot with the 22 mag and we didn't locate the ram until the following morning. However, she was extremely excited with her ram as well.
Wednesday was family surprise day--we loaded up the family and travelled to a reserve that has elephant interaction, learning and riding the elephants as part of an educational opportunity. They were blown away!
We rushed back to try to get on the sable again. We happened upon a great sable nearly hidden in the grass while bedded. We waited what seemed like hours (it ended up being about 3 minutes) before the wind shifted and he stood to exit. The bark of the 375 H and H broke the stillness of the day and 50 yards later, the great hunt for sable was finally over--many miles on the bakkie and many miles on foot--but it was all worth it!
Thursday began with a phone call.--I will finish the report and add pictures later!! Happy fourth of July!
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