Erny
AH enthusiast
Well I just got back from my hunt with @Leopards Valley Safaris. What a hunt and fantastic time. As a disclaimer I am not a professional writer, so let’s get started.
PH Arnold Claassen picked me up at the Port Elizabeth airport. It was raining and cold. Arnold and I hit it off right away on the drive to the lodge. When we got to the lodge it had snowed earlier in the day and there was snow on the mountains surrounding the lodge. It was way colder than I expected from my previous safaris, lucky I read the info Dave provided to me about bringing a jacket. Sighted in my rifle and we were good to go. Met with Dave and Nikki at the lodge along with another hunter Larry, from Wisconsin and his PH Craig.
I had told Arnold that I really wanted a steenbok, since on my previous safaris I have never been able to get one. So the first thing we did was head out to a nearby farm with a lot of steenbok. Arnold said that he knew where a couple of nice ones had been seen on previous hunts. We found a nice one, a quick rifle step up and shot……the first animal was in the salt.
On the way back to the lodge, we spotted a nice black wildebeest. We drove past him so as not to spook him and parked about ½ mile away and stalked up on him. He was with a young male. We managed to stalk with about 300 yards of him using the brush. Set up the sticks and took the shot and heard the hit, but he took off running. We followed him through the brush and he was traveling slow, obviously wounded, took another shot at him and hit him again. He ran a little ways and laid down. We stalked to within 150 yards of him and put the finishing shot in him and he was done. I really hate when this happens, and wish I was a much better shot, but he was dead relatively quickly. Went back to the lodge and had some lunch while the tracker skinned and caped.
After lunch we decided to try a nearby farm for bushbuck. It was still quite cold and Arnold felt that they would be out in the alfalfa fields early. When we arrived at the farm, the bush buck were out in the fields. We drove to a high point and we saw several males in a far field. A plan was quickly made to drive around the farm and stalk up on them using a brush covered dam and pond for cover. We managed to get within 200 yards of the field and there were three males in the field. Arnold voice got excited when he said the one in the middle. I set up using a bipod, Arnold said in an even more excited voice that the one in middle is very large. I told him he was making me nervous and stop telling me how big he is. A quick shot off the bipod at 200 yards and he dropped in his tracks. I started learning that Arnolds plans usually come together.
There was no road access to the field so Arnold threw the bushbuck on his shoulders and headed to the road where tracker Toto drove the truck.
Took some photos and headed out back to the lodge. On the way out we passed one of the farm workers home. We offered the grandmother living there the offal from the bushbuck. Although I do not speak or understand Afrikaans, she was very appreciative and grateful. I thanked Arnold and Toto for stopping to give that women such an appreciated gift.
We went back to lodge after a great day of hunting. Had dinner with everyone and went to bed, having experienced one of the best hunting days in my life.
PH Arnold Claassen picked me up at the Port Elizabeth airport. It was raining and cold. Arnold and I hit it off right away on the drive to the lodge. When we got to the lodge it had snowed earlier in the day and there was snow on the mountains surrounding the lodge. It was way colder than I expected from my previous safaris, lucky I read the info Dave provided to me about bringing a jacket. Sighted in my rifle and we were good to go. Met with Dave and Nikki at the lodge along with another hunter Larry, from Wisconsin and his PH Craig.
I had told Arnold that I really wanted a steenbok, since on my previous safaris I have never been able to get one. So the first thing we did was head out to a nearby farm with a lot of steenbok. Arnold said that he knew where a couple of nice ones had been seen on previous hunts. We found a nice one, a quick rifle step up and shot……the first animal was in the salt.
On the way back to the lodge, we spotted a nice black wildebeest. We drove past him so as not to spook him and parked about ½ mile away and stalked up on him. He was with a young male. We managed to stalk with about 300 yards of him using the brush. Set up the sticks and took the shot and heard the hit, but he took off running. We followed him through the brush and he was traveling slow, obviously wounded, took another shot at him and hit him again. He ran a little ways and laid down. We stalked to within 150 yards of him and put the finishing shot in him and he was done. I really hate when this happens, and wish I was a much better shot, but he was dead relatively quickly. Went back to the lodge and had some lunch while the tracker skinned and caped.
After lunch we decided to try a nearby farm for bushbuck. It was still quite cold and Arnold felt that they would be out in the alfalfa fields early. When we arrived at the farm, the bush buck were out in the fields. We drove to a high point and we saw several males in a far field. A plan was quickly made to drive around the farm and stalk up on them using a brush covered dam and pond for cover. We managed to get within 200 yards of the field and there were three males in the field. Arnold voice got excited when he said the one in the middle. I set up using a bipod, Arnold said in an even more excited voice that the one in middle is very large. I told him he was making me nervous and stop telling me how big he is. A quick shot off the bipod at 200 yards and he dropped in his tracks. I started learning that Arnolds plans usually come together.
There was no road access to the field so Arnold threw the bushbuck on his shoulders and headed to the road where tracker Toto drove the truck.
Took some photos and headed out back to the lodge. On the way out we passed one of the farm workers home. We offered the grandmother living there the offal from the bushbuck. Although I do not speak or understand Afrikaans, she was very appreciative and grateful. I thanked Arnold and Toto for stopping to give that women such an appreciated gift.
We went back to lodge after a great day of hunting. Had dinner with everyone and went to bed, having experienced one of the best hunting days in my life.
