SOUTH AFRICA: First Safari With Bos en Dal SAFARIS

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Happy Belated Birthday. Not a better place to spend it! Had my 58th birthday there with same crew. Congrats on all the animals so far.

 

[kdenn]

Day 4 continues as we drop nyala at skinning shed and head out on main property once again. Spot a sable bull for the third time but first time we’re able to do a stalk. Wind and cover in our favor. Wife is incredibly excited about this sable and is able to control her breathing when she gets on the sticks. Bull is walking away slightly turned to the right about 150 yards away when she fires. Solid sounding hit but sable moves away to the right into heavy cover. We approach cautiously but can’t see the animal. Then Rikus doffs his cap and says congratulations with a huge smile. He has spotted the sable about 20 yards away. Wife is ecstatic.

 

[kdenn]

Thanks Mark. Really appreciate your recommendation and advice. Hope you get back there soon!

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Awesome Sable! Congrats to Mrs!!

 

[kdenn]

Day 4. An epic hunting day continues after lunch break. Spot an extremely wide impala but no joy from the stalk! So it’s up to the higher part of the farm looking for kudu. Have seen lots of females and immature males but no trophy animals yet. Get up on highest point and spot a couple of shooters, not kudu but blue wildebeest! Wife is happy to get a chance and she and PH begin the hunt. After a fairly short stalk she fires a single shot and her trophy is down. Beautiful looking animal with really thick bosses! Again a very happy huntress! She is living up to her moniker so far.

 

[kdenn]

So Day 4 had to end, but three nice animals all on our favorite list. We thought we were going to get everything done early. But it’s hunting not shooting and we are about to come back down to reality.

 

[Trogon]

I'm really enjoying your report, you are both taking outstanding animals! Congratulations to both of you!

 

[pattesonfamily]

Outstanding hunt with a great crew! Well done.

 

[R.M.C.]

Sounds like a great time!! Congratulations!!

 

[mdwest]

Those are some seriously beautiful animals @kdenn ... looks like you guys had a pretty spectacular hunt..

 

[cls]

Congratulations all around, you guys did well. Thanks for posting.

 

[kdenn]

Day 5
Hunted with Gerrit, saw lots of animals but not what we’re looking to hunt. Finally after lunch see the solo male gemsbok on property make an unsuccessful stalk, they don’t get old being easy. Our first shutout day, not as easy as we thought!

 

[kdenn]

Day 6.
Out early to change our luck, see herd of blesbok with a very nice white male. Wife decided she wanted a white one to pair with my common “birthday “ blesbok. Trail the herd to a small rock covered hill, she sets up on sticks about 100 yards away. Hear a thump but off he goes running like a champion. We find small amount of blood but no blesbok.Search rest of the day both on foot and in truck without success. Scheduled to hunt offsite at property 20-30 minutes away for gemsbok the following day. Bit depressed around the fire after Days 5 and 6!

 

[kdenn]

Day 7.
The sun did come up after all. So it’s off to Iwamanzi to hunt gemsbok and maybe springbok and black wildebeest. Arrive at the hunting area and have a guide provided to assist as no one had hunted there. Begin driving around and spot a group of 4 gemsbok on a mountain. Spend 20-30 minutes climbing up to get into position. Animals are shielded by a berm, can only see tips of the horns. No shot opportunity. Decide to wait and see if they will feed to the side where might get a shot. But no they feed farther away up the mountain and out of range. The property guide then tells us of a second herd that should be on the more open flatter section. So down the mountain to the truck and search for more gemsbok. Spot herd of 6 with several nice animals. Begin stalk and animals are very alert and move away as soon as I get on the sticks. They only go a short distance so we continue the pursuit. Rikus begins to set sticks and falls partially into a hole. I grab the sticks but not able to get a solid position. Rikus up out of the hole takes the sticks and we continue after the herd. Third time sticks go up. Herd seems anxious just like I am. Know I need to get a shot as they seem ready to move again. I hear Rikus say second from the left. I’m locked on and fire. Animal reacts to the shot, dips and spins, then runs with herd around a grove of trees out of sight. See the herd continue across the plain and into cover about a mile away.
Rikus had been looking through his binoculars and asked did you hit the gemsbok. I said hell yes, saw the shot hit and animal dip then run away. Gerrit and the others came up and asked me if I had hit the animal. Again I said yes, I think it is just on the other side of the trees out of sight. They went to where the herd had stood and began looking for blood. I asked why are you looking over there? The one I shot was over here, on the Right!
Yes I had hit my target but not THE target. I had gotten locked on a gemsbok, knew I needed to make a quick shot, I did hear the instructions but had tunnel vision.
It worked out that we did find my gemsbok where I thought she’d be laying. Yes a she gemsbok but still a very nice trophy and on the way to the farm I had said I would be happy with either male or female.

 

[kdenn]

Continued hunting after lunch with wife trying for a black wildebeest. We saw why they are called the clowns. Stop, start running at high speed for no apparent reason. Then run in a great circle for minutes then start it all over again a half mile away. After multiple attempts we ended the hunt and prepared to return to our lodge. We did get a nice selfie while waiting to load the gemsbok.

 

[kdenn]

Day 8
Up and out early to search for the white blesbok. Spotted him several times but not able to get close, can’t see any visible injuries. Running with the herd seemingly without any difficulty.
See a few impala males with very wide horns, make several stalks of vary length without success.
Even see the lone gemsbok and decide to make an attempt as I’m sure I’d shoot the correct one. But he’s too crafty never presents a target except his rump.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Day 8
Up and out early to search for the white blesbok. Spotted him several times but not able to get close, can’t see any visible injuries. Running with the herd seemingly without any difficulty.
See a few impala males with very wide horns, make several stalks of vary length without success.
Even see the lone gemsbok and decide to make an attempt as I’m sure I’d shoot the correct one. But he’s too crafty never presents a target except his rump.

Really enjoying your report Ken!
Congrats on animals so far! That lone Gemsbuck l played tag with him a couple times this year myself. He is crafty

Don’t feel bad on the Gemsbuck. I did the same thing in the Kalahari last year with Gerrit and Louie. Got tunnel vision and shot the one beside the one they wanted me to shoot

 

[kdenn]

Day 9
We‘ve been invited to go to Rustenburg to attend a church festival. Gerrit and his family are members here. Lots of food, music, and dancing. They have outdoor ovens baking fresh loaves of bread. Cakes, cookies and sweet treats. Just say we helped with the fundraising.
Then off to a local gun store, I’d taken a slip on Limbsaver recoil pad that vanished in the bush. Found a screw on recoil pad that will suffice for a couple days.
Then it was off to the Predator experience, large cats, hyenas, African hunting dogs, lion cubs and lemurs. We did the full, or fool, experience and went into the pen with a cheetah. Then into an enclosure with 2 male lions before seeing the lion cubs and lemur.

 

[kdenn]

Day 9
We had some time left and decided to hunt for the white blesbok again. It had become a crusade for my wife. We finally spotted the herd before they heard or saw us. We began the stalk trying to be as quiet and stay hidden as much as possible. Like elephant Ninjas. Admit it, you’ve never seen elephant Ninjas, they are that quiet and invisible!
Anyway we went very slowly and quietly. Rikus was able to get close enough look to say this was the male we’d been looking for the past 4 days. Miranda got on the sticks and made a tougher and longer shot than the first time. Solid thump and he was down. She was elated. But now we needed to see if there was evidence of a prior shot. Rikus found a wound on the foreleg that had scabbed over but was very recent. So perseverance had paid off.

 

[kdenn]

End of Day 9
Found a nice looking impala male near spot wife took her zebra. Make a stalk, have a good look with a frontal shot. Feels good, animal reaction is good. Find lots of blood, follow the trail until it just vanished. Walk up and down, back and forth without any more blood or tracks. Darkness comes and no impala. Unable to search further because we’re heading in morning to an outside property. Feels awful to leave a wounded animal. Went from feeling ver happy Miranda was able to fi her blesbok to feeling sick about my impala.