SOUTH AFRICA: First Buffalo Eastern Cape HUNTSHOEK HUNTING SAFARIS

[bashaw]

My wife and I left for South Africa on our 4th Safari together May 17 landed in Joburg went to Sun City and Pilanesburg NP to get acclimated to the 9 hour time change, the 23rd we headed for @HUNTSHOEK HUNTING SAFARIS and for the real fun to begin. My 3 animals on my list 1 Buffalo 2 Bushbuck 3 Red Lechwe. Hendrik Slabbert from main lodge & Stephanus from the Huntshoek Rockdell Lodge were both PH'ing the first 3 days, we glassed for Bushbuck the eve we got there & next morning seen some young Rams but no trophy Rams. Headed to Rockdell that afternoon to start the Buffalo Hunt. 2nd full day we started the morning glassing from Ridge tops and Rimrocks across valleys, we left one of the guys to glass an area and we went to another area to glass within minutes we spotted a lone Bull feeding in the bottom he bedded down with thick brush at his back and the wind blowing into his face, smart old Dugga Boy. Then the guy glassing the other area found a group of 4 Bulls with a dandy in the group he had been rolling in the mud and was reddish brown compared to the normal black, it was mid morning by now so we had to hustle up and try a stalk before they got to the THICK Brush, we spotted one of the 4 weren't sure where he was in group first last or in the middle. We were squatting down glassing the Bull, when this noise "snorting and barking" was coming from our right all of a sudden I had a full speed Impala heading right for me and Stephanus at the last second the Impala veered a bit and missed us I about fell over backward trying to avoid a Bad Wreck, we continued but never seen the muddy Bull agin before he got into the thickets. To be continued

 

[Firebird]

First time I ever heard impala rams I thought they were warthogs. . . Short but excellent game list, waiting patiently to see how this progresses

 

[bashaw]

First time I ever heard impala rams I thought they were warthogs. . . Short but excellent game list, waiting patiently to see how this progresses

That is the first thing I think every time I hear Impala is hog, takes a minute for brain to associate that sound

 

[bashaw]

We went in for lunch and then went back out to see if the Bull that bedded down that morning was still there. We got to the rim looked down into the valley he was there, we began making a plan A, there was a watering hole 100 yards away from where he was bedded, so we assumed he would eventually get up for a drink, plan A was to try to get around him and set up by the water and wait.

We get down in the Valley the guy on the rim let's us know that the Bull is on the move for the water, plan B is sneak down this two track as quietly as possible to maybe catch him crossing the road or see him in an open area coming back from the water. We had a elevation advantage we were sneaking down hill but the wind was swirly. This country looked very open sitting on the rim looking down, but get down to the Bull's level real thick. Stephanus spots the Bull feeding we grab the shooting sticks and sneak down the road another 10 yards, he says do you see him I said NO trying to figure out which black shadow he was looking at, then the Bull lifted his head just enough so I could put everything together. I shot at the black shadow that I thought was the Bulls shoulder he took off I put another in him he did a reversal was out of sight and I put a 3rd one in his direction, later we find out they all connected.

Now we wait for death bellow, Tikka the Jack Russel Hendrik's dog is on the trail immediately he bayed the Bull in less than a minute, the Bull was making no attempt to run so we new he was probably hurting pretty bad. We couldn't see the Bull to thick eventually we sent Stephanus's dog a Jackobea named Bushman in, Tikka had been in there for an hour already, Bushman ran in there all of sudden we thought the Bull was going to charge, not gonna lie I was getting happy feet like a quarterback looking at 3 linebackers coming at him, but Stephanus kept me in my gun with words of encouragement, I'll leave that to your imagination.

the Brush was moving we couldn't see a Bull and as fast as it started it was over whew no charge, but Tikka was silent and Bushman was with us, we all knew what probably happened. I had a videographer and like all good Americans, I called for a vote between the 2 PH's myself and Rhyss the videographer, I made a motion for Rhyss to sneak in and flush Bull out, motion carried but Rhyss didn't want to go, but it lightened the mood a bit. Eventually we had to back out, ran out of Daylight. I slept pretty good for leaving an animal out over night but since he didn't even attempt to lead us on a chase I knew he was pretty sick.

Next morning we sent one of the trackers down with backhoe he made a trail found the Bull dead as we were walking in to see the Bull up close and personal I spotted Tikka laying off to the side of trail he'd either got horn or hoof in his belly, 9 years old doing what he was put on this earth to do he went out like a ferocious warrior. We got to the Bull after the sad find, MY BULL a beautiful Bull huge bosses grown together the horns were beginning to broom a little. I hit the Bull first shot in the lungs second in the guts the the third in the hip bone, that third shot is what kept him from taking us on a chase or worse yet a charge at us. To be continued

 

[bashaw]

The 4th day we went to a Cattle farm about an hour and a half away from Rockdell to hunt Red Lechwe, different terrain and but still good country to glass for Rams. Eventually we glassed a couple of groups of Red Lechwe found what looked like a good Ram about 800 yards away. We drove around on a two track until we were about same level as the Red Lechwe. We proceeded up the hill to get above the Ram, my wife was bringing up the back of the group in very steep terrain. the group that we were looking for were about 150 yds below feeding, the Ram we were looking for came out into the open after a little bit, I got set up on the sticks one shot from the 375 H&H down went the Ram.

I always say going down in steep terrain is harder than going up. My wife and I are picking our way down through rolling rocks while my 30 year old PH takes it in minutes, I'm almost to the Ram when my wife falls down about 40 yards behind me. She whacked her eye brow on a rock, the next day she had a trophy of a black eye. To be continued

 

[bashaw]

 

[bashaw]

 

[Nyati]

Nice buff, congrats, and thanks for sharing !

 

[bashaw]

 

[bashaw]

While we are hunting, we are looking for the Bushbuck that's been eluding me for years. We had a couple from home join us about 3 days into my hunt Collin was trying to do the Spiral Slam his first Safari, he'd been on some guided hunts in North America with very little success. Collin shot an awesome Eland his first day and a good Bushbuck his second day, so of course being friends I kept hearing about his Bushbuck. We were out hunting for Bushbuck and I seen some Bontebuck, I'd never seen one before so I decide I need a Bontebuck. they were up in open country making the stalk difficult similar to hunting Pronghorn here in the West, but finally succeeded in getting a good one.

 

[bashaw]

Collins first African animal he's pretty jacked after his previous outing in North America

 

[bashaw]

The infamous Bushbuck that I kept hearing about, an awesome Trophy

 

[bashaw]

Bontebuck

 

[bashaw]

The next to the last day of my hunt we went to a guys Cattle Farm on the Indian Ocean at Port Alfred, we arrived at 7:30 like we were told but like most farmers he wanted to visit, he told us we'd be lucky to see Bushbuck before 10:00 we had a great time he showed us Nautilus shells that he'd picked up off the beach and Elephant tusks that he had plowed up over the years, being a farmer myself we enjoyed the time visiting and looking at his collections. We headed out about 9:30, right in his pasture about 150 yards away from his front door was a dandy of a Bushbuck, anything within 500 meters of his house was off limits which makes complete sense. We went out towards the Ocean drove around glassed and caught a glimpse of one Ram. After lunch things began to change and we started seeing Bushbuck females, I was starting get a bit discouraged at the same time fighting it with my Positive Mental Attitude. Around 2:00 I spotted the Ram before either my PH or Tracker did it was about 800 yards away, It looked like a good one and they agreed. We made the stalk and we got within 250 yards, one shot and my quest for a Bushbuck was complete, it was awesome even Hendrik was shaking a bit after being eluded by Bushbuck for so long. YAHOO

 

[bashaw]

 

[bashaw]

very close to the Indian Ocean, if you look closely you can see the trophy Black eye

 

[bashaw]

I almost forgot but my wife hunted this Dandy of a Black Impala on about day 8 she wouldn't let me go on the Stalk she says I make her nervous but she's an excellent shot 1 shot 1 kill

 

[bashaw]

Collins Nyala

 

[bashaw]

This was a heck of a hunt they looked over several Bulls for a few days before they found this Bull

 

[bashaw]

Collin added to his Spiral slam the Iconic Gemsbok