SOUTH AFRICA: A Proper Safari With Africa Anyway Safaris East Cape SA

[friendswoodmatt]

Just checking in now that hunting has stopped for a few days — full report to follow on my return to states. On day 10 or 9 not sure and have finished up hunting with Kemp of Africa Anyway and will be sight seeing for a couple days. Food is ridiculous - have gained too much weight to fit into some of the pants I brought. Animal list so far:
Baboon— me
Impala -wife -SS
Bontebuck- me
Eland - me
Lechwe - wife (Situational Shopping) SS
Bushbuck - wife SS
Blue wildebeest - wife SS
Sable Antelope - wife
Gemsbok - me
East Cape Kudu- me
Bush Buck - me
Warthog - me
Zebra— me
Passed on an absolute hammer of a waterbuck and still kicking myself for it
Also passed on a Nyala thats a stud— I have seen him a few times and I may still try and take him as we are at this property for 3 more days
Going to Elephant Park in the morning — to windy to go to Port Alfred to fish.
Then second hunt will start on 14th in Limpopo - so far thats maybe a buff if I see the absolute perfect one in the perfect siuation — but def gonna get a Southern greater kudu and maybe a few more things that look cool or challenging
All the practice on sticks has paid off in spades - wife has all one shot kills to 338yds— baboon is only thing lost (me first morning a long way away and didnt take my time as they were walking and I rushed— everything else save eland has been a bang flop. Eland ran and required 2 more shots — he just wouldn’t give up
Reports when return to states and have better WiFi in November
Am booking return trip already — this place is ridiculous and yall completely undersold it to me! You all said I would love it and I wouldn’t go just once — I thought sure sure—what you didnt convey was all the things like tortoise and the cool birds and the smells and sunsets. Was already looking at calendar second day here!

 

[Randy F]

Congratulations on your successes and best of luck with the upcoming adventures! Looking forward to your full report.

 

[cls]

Good luck on the rest of your adventure.

 

[friendswoodmatt]

Here is today’s warthog

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

Here is today’s warthog

View attachment 429686

Beautiful warthog! I’m sure you’re having a terrific hunt with Wolma

 

[Nyati]

You´re doing great, love that warthog !

Don´t worry about that baboon, took me a few safaris before I could shoot one, and then it was two within five minutes

 

[Ridgewalker]

Outstanding warthog! Oh envy!

 

[scott fairchild]

That is a stud!

 

[AZDAVE]

"Am booking return trip already — this place is ridiculous and yall completely undersold it to me! You all said I would love it and I wouldn’t go just once — I thought sure sure—what you didnt convey was all the things like tortoise and the cool birds and the smells and sunsets. Was already looking at calendar second day here!"

We could have tried to explain it better to you but you would have just gave us the crazy uncle dave look and wouldn't have believed us. You can only see why we say you will have a great time and will go back, once you have been there and experienced the sights, sounds, and smells yourself.
One of the things I enjoy most is taking folks to africa for their first time and seeing the wonderment on their faces at the end of each day.

Welcome to the refined group of people that have been bitten by the Africa bug! And this disease is a good one that lasts a lifetime!!!!


Nice warthog by the way.

 

[friendswoodmatt]

Ok I dont have time right now to post the details as our rifle season here in Texas starts tommorow, but here are some pics. Stories to follow.

 

[rinehart0050]

Sounds like a great hunt with some awesome trophies! Congrats!

 

[cpr0312]

Looks like a great hunt! Thanks for sharing!

 

[friendswoodmatt]

OK guest and wife have killed ther deer (wife killed 170 B&C on our low fence ranch this yr !! ) and purple heart recipients are gone —sooo—- we drove from Junction. TX to Houston, TX — 5.5 hours. Spent the night at a friends, and dinner with our oldest son in his early 20’s— then we showered and went to aero puerto to begin the adventure…
Booked Bus. Class on Qatar — it’s all that and a big of chips —lay down beds, private( mostly ) suite on the plane for the wife and I and and lay flat beds — ( ours made into almost a queen bed for both of us) I actually slept and I am a big fat guy who cannot sleep on planes!
So we get to Port Elizabeth — plane ran out of fuel (before take off) and we had to re-fill and were 2 hours late— NOT A BIG DEAL— TO THESE FOLKS Dont GIS no Appology necc. I was fit to be tied=— wife was “WE are here get over it” PH picked us up and head to our first camp. Doornkom —

Doornkom Lodge

The Bounty Collection – Accommodation in the Kouga Region – South Africa

www.bountycollection.co.za

It was beautiful — we arrived 2.5 hours after our schedule said and drove 45 min to the lodge (weather was crap raining and cold very cold) and had a full wonderful meal and drinks upon arrival that was five star. Un- expected — little did I know that we would travel with our own private chef for the next 2 weeks — And we would be the only hunters on site for every concession we visited during our entire 32 day stay in Africa. No sharing camps with anyone !!!!— no running into team members from another group, No drunk Guys we didnt know—any drunks in camp was us! — my beautiful wife and I— well mostly me and only a couple times— anywho. Perfect. And as we drove into the gate— on the road we saw a Cape Grace buck— apparently in short supply, we were told he was a def. shooter -but one of the tiny ten— (I have no interest at the present moment in the tiny 10) And Kemp’s our PH shared he wouldn’t shoot one at night anyway but he was a HOSS.
We started dinner with a Pinot Grigio - and seared/roasted corn chowder, the salad with Greek dressing, the impala blackstrap weigh at-gratin potatoes and a roasted vegatabable medeley, fresh baked bread and another wine — then desert — a malkva pudding— ugh I had lost 40 lbs before this trip —I would gain almost all of it back despite the walking we did.
Next morning I awoke the next mornimg at a little after day break (530-545 ish) and looked outside greeeted with Nyla’s and impalas and giraffes I woke up the bride — incredible. So we =were off to Buccara for the first part of the hunt , where we would stalk and kill and kill the first of our animals on this trip -

Home | Buccara

Travel Experience Boutique Experience Our World “A private collection of remote properties & more to make your vacation truly memorable”

www.buccara.com

 

[VertigoBE]

Looking forward to the hunting! Thanks for sharing so far!

And I saw from your last picture update that you managed to get on that waterbuck again!

 

[CBH Australia]

Any more Warthogs?
They are cool and sounds like you are having a great trip.

 

[cal pappas]

Great trophies but I could have gone home after that warthog. The pig of dreams.
Congratulations.

 

[gillettehunter]

Great start. More please
Bruce

 

[friendswoodmatt]

Ok now that stuff is starting to return to normal, I can knock out a few more parts of the trip. Once we got to Buccara we immediately went to the shooting range to sight in rifles. Because we were traveling so much on this trip we elected to use the Ph’s rifles. After send a few pills down range and verifying zeros and the fact that at least off of a bench we could shoot, We went to the camp and had lunch (kudu pizza I think). Then we loaded up and went for a drive. There was a front coming in and little did I know our primary game at this location was intended to be a Buffalo.
Side note -we saw them and they were very nice trophies— I just had a different kind of hunt in mind for the Buffalo — more vegetation and so I elected not to take the Buffalo here.
While driving around I was amazed to see the numbers of game on this place. We saw a herd of imaplla and I tools my wife that was her “break-in animal.” That herd didnt have a shooter ram - or at least one that met with Kemp’s standards so we kept going. Later that afternoon we came across a shooter— they go out and stalked in only to be busted by Baboons— I went over there thinking I would never shoot a baboon— I can honestly saw now— “Shoot them — shot them right in the face!” They are incredibly destructive to equipment, crops and the farms electrical stuff not to mention and complete tattle tail to a stalk if they see you. This happened a couple more times, but ultimately I heard the shot and Our first trophy was in the bag- She was worried she wouldn’t shoot well- -but this impala was to be a harbinger of just how well she would shoot— Her entire time in Africa — she one shot and killed everything she pointed at.
We went back to camp and had a beverage or 3 while waiting for dinner— it was getting cold at this point — wind was up and we hung out at the bar while the chef cooked up a 4 course meal — Biltong soup to start, then a salad — then a main course — tonight’s was a Eland Backstrap Broccoli Raab and pasta Alfredo dessert was peppermint crisp. Went to bed very full!
Next morning dawns very cold— and to think I was worried it would be super hot — fun fact- I didnt not bring even remotely enough clothes for cold weather and as a result— I froze my A55 off this day and a few others. Anywho — I was riding int eh back of the Baki and as we left the lodge we ran into a group of baboons — well I didnt even hesitate— as they broke and ran up the side of the mountain I fired and hit the biggest one I could see through the scope— shot his arm mostly off witht eh.223 suppressed I was using, ended up to being able to get a follow up and we elected not to try and recover— not a great start. Went looking for more buffalo today — didnt find any, saw tons of other stuff and I told Kemp — I didnt feel like this was the place for me to shoot my Buffalo as it wasn’t thick enough for what I had dreamed about. He said “Ok no problem— Buffalo was our primary quarry here and if it doesn’t fit then it doesnt fit— We will leave tommorow for the next camp”
Later that day we stalked a waterbuck but ultimately we didnt get a shot as we were busted by some other animals and he wandered off never offering a shot opportunity.
The next morning I told Kemp I wanted to shoot something at Buccara— the farm manager suggested they were trying to get rid of the Bontebuck and while not exportable nor particularly difficult to hunt we could easily find then and it was a cheap animal to start with. So thats what we did — loaded up the truck and went around the mountain behind the camp and sure enough there was a herd of maybe 15 of them — got off the truck and walked up a hill and set -up I picked out on and as they ran from my right to left — one paused and down he went 177yds is what was written down but it seemed closer— cool animal and I was officially blooded. (Didnt count the baboon as I see them as Africas feral hogs) .
Got back to camp and had lunch (Kudu Lasagna with Fresh Baked bread and salad) while the truck and trailer was being loaded for out trip to Graaff-Reinet, and then on to Cam-de-boo.
When drove to GR- and stopped by Karoo Taxidermy to look at potential mounts as well as targets for us to help our soon be be much expanded trophy list. Really nice work and the Owner Frank is a good guy— He is coming to hunt my place after they finish up at DSC. Next stop Camdeboo—