SOUTH AFRICA: Bushbuck Redemption With KMG Hunting Safaris

[Sand Rat]

Day 6 July 14, well the weather cooperated today and we had a great morning aboard the “Blackfish “ a very large twin outboard sea cat type hulled boat. Leaving through the Port Alfred jetty’s is nothing short of a bitch! The slot is very narrow and the rollers are huge! We made it through safely and head to our first drop point. We’re bottom fishing today and the hardhead catfish are eating us alive at the first spot so off to the next reef we go. The fishing quality seems to get better at each spot. Sorry to say I was so concentrated on fishing that I forgot to take any pics. Hopefully @Dudders or Luis snapped some and will attach later. Species landed were cape salmon, kob, wagon wheels, soldiers, french lady, Roman, pajama shark, mussel crackers and a bunch more I can’t remember. We even had humpback whales close enough to see and here at one of our stops as well. This is a great trip, if you hunt with @KMG Hunting Safaris don’t miss out. Just let Marius know to book a trip and he’ll work with the captain to schedule the calmest day possible. Once we returned back to port Martin, Marius his wife Kim and my wife were waiting and we all enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the waterfront. After lunch Martin informed me if we wanted to try for bushbuck that evening we better hit the road. We pulled into a new property a couple hours before dark that was new to me and immediately started spotting bushbuck ewes. After parking the truck we unload and grab the 243 and the spotting scope. We maneuver through the brush and reach a good vantage point where a large hillside is visible with spotted brush. After a quick scan we see exactly what we’ve been searching for all week a good mature bushbuck ram and ewe. The only problem is there is a Kudu cow close by in the wide open that we’ll have to careful of. At this point we’re over 500 yards out and don’t have a lot of cover to work with. After a careful stalk that includes a lot of crawling we close the distance to 240 yards and set up the short sticks. Tandy gives me a rest for my elbow to steady the shot and at the shot he lurches forward for a few yards and is down. The bushbuck curse is over and I can relax. We set up for for pics and head to the skinning shed at dark. It’s been a long fun day.

 

[cpr0312]

Awesome, congrats on the bushbuck!!! Sounds like a good day of fishing also!

 

[kgesch]

Martin does it again.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Oh my! A fun diverse trip! How grand! And fine animals hard won!

 

[meigsbucks]

What a great trip! Seeing those fantastic sites and then taking those wonderful trophies.

 

[gillettehunter]

Bushbuck are a lot of fun to hunt. Sounds like a great trip. Congrats
Bruce

 

[BRICKBURN]

Going out that slot in Port Alfred on any day but one of perfection is insane.
Glad you got some fishing in.

Finally got him! Congratulations.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

Awesome mate congrats. Nobody gets as excited by Bushbuck as Martin, a top man for the job

 

[Sand Rat]

Day 7 July 15, with the bushbuck finally out of the way today we’re concentrating on common reedbuck. This particular animal was very high on my list. Something to do with the horn shape and the rarity makes this a special hunt in my opinion. Today we are hunting a very large open parcel with very limited cover. It will be almost impossible to have the opportunity for anything at close range. We spot several young rams as we drive from pasture to pasture along with lots of bushbuck and the occasional duiker. Mid morning we spot a good ram with a ewe that deserves a better look through the spotting scope. He’s about 300 yards from us and on high alert. This guy doesn’t look like he'll hang around very long. Martin confirms this is the one but he’s already on the move. The 300 WSM comes out and I try to get comfortable on the ground shooting from the bipod. Martin is constantly ranging him and making elevation adjustments to the scope turret. Once he finally stops Martin tells me to take him dead on the shoulder. He’s moved quite a bit further than his original location and I’m pretty sure Martin is not telling me how far he is on purpose. I’ve already made several shots farther than I ever made before but this is way farther than those. The rifle is steady as a rock and at the shot he drops. I ask how far and Martin responds 460 yards. Once we get to the ram it’s obvious he’s got it all, length, mass, width and hooks. He’s a Cracker Jack for sure.

On the way to the skinning shed we play tag with a common duiker that’s a definite upgrade to the one taken earlier in the week. He a sneaky little bastard and keeps giving us the slip and we finally lose him for good. The afternoon turns off extremely windy and shuts down most of the game movement. We’re trying to locate the duiker again and or another opportunity on a second bushbuck. We hunt till sundown with no further luck but I’m please and very content with the reedbuck.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Great adventure and report, thanks!

 

[Gemsbok Gangsta]

Some great animals and that Bushbuck is a stud!!!!

 

[cpr0312]

Nice reedbuck!!!

 

[Sand Rat]

Last hunt day July 16, plan today is look for a better duiker from and move to a different property mid-morning that has some super Blesbuck. The weather this morning is a carryover from yesterday evening. It’s windy, cool and overcast. We’re seeing very little game movement, the bushbuck are nowhere to be seen and what few duiker we’ve spotted aren’t the one we want. About three quarters of the way through the property we spot a large herd of blesbok and after a quick scan Martin determines there’s a super ram in the group and we won’t need to move to the other place if we can score here. They are pretty nervous and on high alert as we move the bakkie behind a hill and make a plan. There’s very little cover in this particular pasture and we approach low using a small tank dam for cover. Before the dam is reach the herd runs straight for us at full speed splitting into two groups and pass forty yards to either side of us. They join back into one group and circle back in front of us 5-600 yards out. We make the cover of the dam and the herd is slightly angling towards our position but won’t pass any closer than around 250 yards. Martin confirms the right ram through the spotting scope and the 243 is ready on the short sticks. At 260 yards the big ram stops and gives us a broadside shot. The hit looks good, he lowers his head and breaks into a short 40 yard run and somersaults as he hooks the ground with his horns. In the process of the somersault he broke the tip of his right horn, looks like a repair job for @The Artistry of Wildlife is in order. He’s a hell of a ram at over 17.5” of length and large ivory growth rings. It’s been a great eight days and except for a porcupine my list is complete.

 

[TheoR8]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing.

 

[harden]

We got repair skills. No worries. Great safari!

 

[cpr0312]

Nice blesbok! Congrats on a wonderful hunt with lots of nice trophies!