SOUTH AFRICA: Back From Dinkwe safaris

Bigry

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We got back the other day from our hunt in South Africa at Dinkwe safaris. This trip has been about 5 years in the making. We were planning on going in 2019 but our daughter got in a really bad car wreck and the wife had to quit work for a bit over a year to help her recoup. Then of course Covid hit, so in Jan of 2022 we started planning again. After going to a few sportsman shows we met a lot of outfitters from South Africa and we had made a decision on who we were going with and booked our first trip.

Starting the details I decided I wanted to take my browning hells canyon in 280 ackley. I have a really nice load worked up for it with 150 grain Barnes ttsx and of course I started to doubt if that was going to be enough. Let me tell you what, that is an absolute hammer on all the animals we harvested. We then started the planning of the flights. We had decided we wanted to fly Lufthansa through Germany for the long layover and be able to go to town and check things out. We booked the flight directly through Lufthansa and then called them to add my rifle to the ticket. No issues at all. They said there would be an $80 charge upon return from SA for the gun but no fees were ever charged at all. I had to get a transit permit for Frankfurt which was very easy to do and it cost about $30.

Getting things started we headed to the airport on the morning of May 12 and flew to Denver with a long layover all of our bags were checked all the way through. At 5 pm we boarded to Frankfurt and enjoyed a nice long 10 hr flight. So far so good. We jumped on the train from the airport to down town and enjoyed some nice sights and some beers. After a nice dinner we headed back and caught our last flight to Johannesburg. We landed and collected our luggage then headed to the gun room. Our outfitter met us there and assisted with the paperwork which I already had filled out. After about 20 min I was on my way but not after a great laugh for another guy getting there with no stamp on his 4457. $200 later he was on his way as well.

We get to the lodge 2 1/2 hrs later at around noon, this place is absolutely beautiful. We head to the chalet and get un packed then go have a few beers and meet everyone.
After a while we head out for a game drive and man is there a lot of nice animals. We head back to the lodge early due to a proper thunderstorm rolling through and have a wonderful dinner and off to bed. In the morning we meet at the lodge for some coffee and fruit to discuss the days plans. We headed to the range and get the rifle sighted in and then off for the nitty gritty. We drive around for a while and find a nice Impala ram jump off the truck and the stalk is on. We stalked him for about 30 min and he finally made a fatal mistake by standing still for too long. Got some pictures and took him to the skinning shed. After brunch it was a time. At about 3 we head back out our ph kept talking about a big sable he kept seeing in one area so we take off after him but of course we didn’t see him around. So we go driving to what the gods want to offer us. While driving me and th ph are bull shitting and not really paying attention then all the sudden my wife yells ”sable” and we start looking for it. There he is behind a bush about 30 yards away. Ph says shoot if you can so sitting in the seat I lean back to clear the tree right beside us and let one fly. He hit the ground right where he stood. Absolutely beautiful 43 1/8” sable in the salt. Oh yeah happy birthday to me today as well.
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Day 2 of hunting consisted of the same thing of coffee and fruit. I added some toast today. Headed out for the morning hunt and didn’t see anything that peaked my interest and we called it early due to more thunderstorms. That afternoon between storms we head out and find a nice kudu and take off after him. After getting closer I decide he wasn’t what I was looking for so we move on. Headed back to the truck we jump ”the“ kudu I was after so the hunt was on. we got about 150 yards from him and the sticks went up and that 280 ackley struck again. He went about 10 feet and did the wobble dance then fell over. another animal in the salt. Measured him at just shy of 55”
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day 3 we didn’t get out due to the rain.
 
Congrats and thanks for sharing!
 
Great write-up and animals- thanks for sharing. The 150 grain Barnes seems to be just the ticket for the 280 AI.
 
Beautiful animals! Your sable is off the charts! Well done!
 
Day 4 my wife decided she wanted a zebra so we head up on the mountain. We get to the top and find them. After about a 400 yard stalk the sticks go up and she starts second guessing her capabilities. I talked her through it and she made a perfect 200 yard strait on shot. That beautiful stallion hit the ground in his tracks. I am beyond extatic and super proud of her and her abilities. Japie our ph/ owner got on the radio and called in reinforcements. 9 guys showed up out of nowhere with a drag and drug her zebra to the truck and loaded him up. Back to the skinning shed to drop off.
day 5 we go out for some relaxation and a massage
day 6 we head out for a common duiker or what ever and we seen a couple but no shot opportunity. We ended up spotting a good blue wildebeest and put the stalk on. Up go the sticks and another bites the dust.
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day 7 I had no intentions on shooting a warthog on this trip. We had seen a bunch of them throughout the time already and then all of the sudden there was this one about 150 yards away. There he was standing tall and proud with his huge tusks gleaming in the sun light. There was no question about it and the ph said to shoot him from the truck as the grass was so high in that area so I put that 150 ttsx to work again. Once again it was a bang flop.
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Day 8 we went out again for a duiker and after all day we finally found the one just before dark, the sticks go up and I shoot. The little bugger takes off running we tracked him until we couldn’t see anymore. It was a long night waiting for daylight to go out looking for him. The tracker had went out at daylight and found him, he calls Japie on the radio and away we go to meet up with him. Agrippa the tracker left him where he was until we got there and pointed him out. This little guy had crawled deep into a nasty thorn bush. How he ever seen it I have no idea as I never seen it until they got in there and grabbed ahold of him. This duiker measured 5 1/2 inches.
Day 9 we tracked down the duiker and then off to find a steenbuck. Towards the end of the day we finally found a ram that would stand still long enough to let me get a shot. As I am pulling the trigger he turns. I hear the bullet smack and he jumps about 4’ in the air then turns and takes off. Away we go tracking him and find very little blood after about 100 yards we jump him he takes off like a rocket strait to the fence. Through the fence he goes and we are done. My heart sinks, Japie proceeds to tell me he thinks this guy will be top 10 sci gold And they will continue to look for him.
The rest of the time we had to excursions planned to Kruger park and other sight seeing. They take us back to the airport to check in. Everything goes well. At the counter they asked which bag has my ammo so I point to my suitcase and they put a tag on it then off it goes.
all in all we had an absolutely amazing experience all of the food was wonderful the accommodations were great and the people there are now family.
 
Congrats for a great hunt and thanks for sharing !
 
Congratulations on a great adventure. Really good trophies all around! Hope your family continues to do well-
 
Congratulations on a successful safari, thanks for posting.
 
Beautiful animals! Looks & sounds like a wonderful trip!
 
Congratulations
 
Really nice duiker. Congrats
Bruce
 

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