SOUTH AFRICA: Bos en Dal Safaris 2019 Great Hunt!!

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

8 full days on the ground with 4 great trophys!!! And some new friends made along the way.

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

We can start with the great line of communication along the way with Gerrit. Darn near 2 years in the planning and not a hiccup 1 along the way. Typical long flights Seattle to Joberg plus some extra goodies besides my bags. Land in Joberg and everything made it unscathed. This is my 3rd Safari and I decided to use a camp rifle for the first time a suppressed 7x57 heavy bugga but a straight shooter for sure!! Once off the plane I wait for bags and blinds and head to the greeting area and meet Gerrit and Frikkie. We became FB friends during the planning process so they were easy to spot.Gentlemen for sure and I had the easy feeling I was in good hands right away. A couple hour drive with a couple stops and some story and we have arrived at the lodge where I was greeted with one of several wonderful meals(actually) every meal planned ,cooked and served by Gerrit’s mother in law Elna a heck of a cook and a wonderful lady for sure!! Well off to shower and bed let’s get this started. Typical of me zero sleep and my internal clock is screwy plus visions of Nyala are buzzing around in this head of mine!! We get up and running about 6 with a lite breakfast and off to shoot the rifle 2 shots and were done. I like this little 7 and this suppressor is very nice on my damaged ears. Well it is raining and I feel like I’m home in Western Wa sunshine please prevail Looking for a Nyala and of course we see everything but in the am. Blue Wildebeast, Impala big rams and big Kudu everyday. Well we headed in for lunch and dry socks. A great lunch and a little nap and we’re off again.This being my 3rd Safari put me in a different place yes I had a list but I was just gonna let it happen and relax without putting any pressure on myself or my PH. Have I mentioned Frikkie Snyman was my PH and a great gentleman on top of that. He is Gerrit’s brother in law and this is a very family oriented outfit. We went to the main house and swapped the cruiser for a side by side Polaris diesel 4x4 yes the roads were pretty greasy and know body wanted me to miss a minute getting a rig unstuck so we swapped. More time in the bush and more wet feet and finally the sun came out. We were leaving one area of the farm heading for another and low and behold a Nyala bull appears. Well we glassed him up and we saw he was flared out so here we go. What a neat animal. We jumped off the rig and got to the point where he stepped into the bush and Frikkie spotted him immediately. After several minutes of is he the one and slowly following him the sticks go up. More looking and decision making this is the first day after all we decide he is the one. The little seven sends that 140 grain Barnes on its way. The Nyala drops where he stood. A quartering away shot at maybe 30 meters. One more Spiralhorn down and headed to the salt!! Conditions were tough all day but persistent attitudes won out on this day!! Did I mention this is Day 1 and my main target animal is down!! Well Day 1 is not over yet but it’s gonna have to wait #bosendalsafaris

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Congratulations Brad! Cant wait to read more!!

 

[BenKK]

Sounds awesome! Nice nyala!

 

[CAustin]

Congrats sir!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Glad you enjoyed yourself.

 

[flatwater bill]

That Nyala is a toad. Congrats. I still haven't gotten used to hunting with a truck muffler welded on the front of my rifle. But it worked well for you. Looking forward to the rest of the story. Thanks for posting...........FWB

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on the nyala! Look forward to more!

 

[IA diver]

Great review...keep it coming! Only 357 more days until our family safari with Gerrit et al.

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Great review...keep it coming! Only 357 more days until our family safari with Gerrit et al.

You will truly enjoy your time at Bosendal!!

 

[cls]

Congrats on a great Nyala, waiting on more of the report.

 

[buck wild]

Bos En Dal was one of my finalist during my last trip. I will try to get there one day.

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Well here it goes.Gerrit and his Dad show up where Frikkie and I are taking pics of my Nyala and help the team with pics and loading before sending the Nyala to the salt. I was and still am very happy with the bull sturdy and worn tips with the flare hell what's not to love I’m in SA hunting!! Well this leaves me and Frikkie free to keep hunting. Well my PH had an idea and off we go. Well before you know it we have a blue beast in front in front of us and I’m ready to go. He has a goofy horn and that’s OK with me let’s do this. Some maneuvering and I’m off with Frikkie.Before you know it I’m on the sticks and this guy is broadside,I settle in on the sticks and let it rip a solid thwack and a very up and down beast. Of course I figure a little follow up and recovery easy right? Not so quick we can’t find blood it’s late and I’m getting that feeling. Well the entire team shows back up including Gerrit still in his work duds and shoes to help,that’s commitment right there. I try my best to keep my spirts up I’m tired haven’t slept in over 24 hours and the best decision is made leave him overnight and get after it in the am. I slept well considering had a great meal and Frikkie was nothing shy of positive. I learned a lesson here putting bullets into a blue beast is like giving them a vitamin shot!! We started early and did our best till 11:00am to no avail I just shot and did not recover a beautiful animal and inside Im disappointed and mad at myself. This has only happened to me twice in 47 years of hunting. I know it’s part of the game but dam it hurts. Frikkie and Gerrit were pretty easy on me but that doesn’t help when your own self doubt sets in. I contemplated leaving this out but thought about it and decided with my brothers on AH was probably the best place to shed some light on one of the things we fear the most losing an animal. Believe me when I tell you it’s not about the trophy fee but a plethora of other feelings we all know the drill. On our way to the lodge I got to witness 2 Impala rams hard at a good tussle what a sight!! We worked our way onto the sticks for a crack at a very wide flared out ram but the wind jammed us up but one heck of a show for sure. A great lunch and off again but no blood was drawn today. Rainy and chilly and a great day afield with a fun PH. As an added bonus Frikkie got to watch me slip and fall into the mud today and didn’t laugh at least out loud A lot of different emotions today up and down but we stayed on the up hill side. I know after a couple safaris it’s not about how many trophy’s but the quality of the hunt and the people you are with and this is a great place to be even on a less than stellar day. The effort was tall results were short my shooting huh but that’s a part of the experience...so far a fantastic time on the ground with Bosendal and it’s gonna ramp up I promise you that!!!

 

[BRICKBURN]

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Well now here is some good news sleep pattern back to normal and feeling good!!! The start to another glorious day!! Looking for Steenbok and or Duiker today. The sun is up the grass is tall and wet but here we go.After some sneaking around we do get real close to a steenbok actually a little to close if I could have pulled off the shot it would have been about 10 feet. We spent the day snooping and glassing but to no avail on the tinys. These buggahs gonna be tough. Again one more time big Kudu everyday!! I believe today the animals seen were. Steenbok Kudu Zebra Impala Springbuck Red Hartebeast and he was an absolute stud!!! Today is a great day good sleep great meals making some new friends and all is well. After dinner we took out the new toy a foxpro call to give the jackals a go. We set up within 15 minutes of the lodge and not 2 minutes eye balls are a coming. Well sure enough shooting behind the red light for the first time is not easy. The 7x57 has a great piece of swaro glass on her and after some getting used to here we go. The Jackal kind of cooperated but stopped behind a tree. I tried to slip it right past the tree and into the intended target but killed one heck of a tree SCI bronze we figured. Well we moved around the farm using this new toy and had a blast. We even caught a Caracal later in the evening but no shooting. A great time today and tonight. Gotta tell ya Frikkie and I need some sleep. Tomorrow going after Blackspring buck and Im stoked.. more to come.

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Well Saturday comes with a beautiful sunrise and no rain in sight!! We had to meet another PH and head to another farm to hunt this morning those Black springbuck dont grow on trees. So after a little poking around the springbuck were spotted and a plan is put in motion. We had to slip into a swale to get some cover and within 30 minutes Gerrit has us in a pretty darn good position and there he is but with plenty of his buddys around to keep us from a shot. Well you know the routine here they go wind, blesbok or whatever some how some way they spook off. Now here comes the next move off again....busted again. This goes on until about 11 and we started at 7 ish. Well for some reason these springbuck spook off and then run back toward us and stop across a little canyon about 200 yards out on the sticks we go. Well that black springbuck was broadside with a common behind him for several minutes and then the green light comes and all clear. I let that 140 grain barnes out of the 7x57 and he crumples so quick I didnt even see him drop out of the scope!! I ask Gerrit and he says he dropped got up and ran off. What the heck that little critter jumped up after I creamed him? Well Gerrit heads to get the cruiser and I head to see whats up. I found blood straight away and followed it for a bit and waited for Gerrit. Well now were together poking around looking and there he is 50 yds or so from where he stood with a perfect pump room shot clean through!! He is a stud for sure all I can think is look at those hooks!!

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Im betting the admin can fix this silly upside down pic.. Thanks gents. We spent the rest of the day on Bosendal walk and stalk and again there are some big kudu!! Maybe I should put one of these bulls on my hit list stay focused Brad... Jumped duiker,saw Impala right now the grass and bush is tall lush and thick so sight is pretty limited. We went to another piece of ground in the late afternoon and again big Kudu bull. Really looking for the tinys and a big warthog so staying off the trigger. What an afternoon animals everywhere just not quite what Im looking for. We had a dinner date at Gerrits folks place for some fun at the braai. What an evening as I was treated to some great barbecue and met the entire family. Met Gerrits folks and in laws and all the kids and on top of that I got to meet my PH's wife and new baby quite a treat and a great end to a great day. So far the animals Im focused on are kind of cooperating but maybe just maybe we might veer off that list a little. A much needed nights sleep and I do something tomorrow I have never done before..gee I wonder what that is?

 

[jeff]

Gerrit and Frikkie, are both top notch guys and run a very good outfit !!

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

There will be no more out of me until I find out what is going on with Johnnyblues and that cat...stay tuned!!