SOUTH AFRICA: KMG Safaris Round 2

[Savage Hunter]

How does one celebrate their 30th anniversary?
We could have gone anywhere in the world we wanted and done almost anything we wanted.
What did we decide on?
Well, We went on safari with Marius and KMG.
My son and I hunted with Marius in 2012 and had a great trip, Lana told me I had to take her within 5 years after taking Matt, though. So 2 years later, there we go.

We started our trip at Victoria Falls and it was really good.
Then we planned to hunt 8 days.
Because of traveling from Vic, though, it'd be shortened to 7.5
We got in and sighted our rifles and Lana wanted for the 1st hunt to be mine.
Marius decided to 1st hunt a black wilderbeest that was on my list.
We got to the plateau and the wind was wrong and we started circling the mount.
On the way we saw lots of buffalo tracks. My wife was a little nervous about that.
Got a pretty long ways and wind was back and forth. We left Lana and Marius's young associate at a spot and we continued circling. A female at one point was alerted, but we backed away and circled more. Just as I was lining up for a shot, they took off away from us scared and running directly downhill at Lana. They came within 20 feet of her and she was thinking buffalo and got really scared. They turned and ran right back toward us and stopped, giving me a shot at our intended target.


end of day 1.

 

[Savage Hunter]

The Next hunt was Lana's the following morning. She was after either a blesbuck or zebra that day.
Got busted on the 1st try early, but came back to the same area late morning but came from the uphill and downwind side.
Lana has some back, nerve, feet, and leg issues along with arthritis. I was proud of her, though, she never complained.
She stooped down walking when she needed to, she duckwalked, crawled, and slid on her belly.
We got on a few zebra that were surrounded by blesbok. After a few setups, she sat down and shot off the short sticks.
The bullet thumped and everything ran except her zebra. it finally moved away before she could get a shot. we followed and
she set up on it again. it was hurting pretty good and she hit it again. after 30 seconds of just standing there, it laid down.



She really got into this trip long before we left home. It doesn't show up well in the photos, but one night I came home and she was punching holes in her sling. she fastened feathers to leather strips and tied the strips thru the holes in her slings. cute and funny.

 

[Savage Hunter]

The next morning, as we were about to leave for the morning hunt, Marius got a call from the caracal houndsmen. Marius had made an offer in the Spring for a free caracal by hound hunting, so I jumped on that. I originally wanted the caracal myself, but about a month before the trip I decided Lana should try for it if we had the chance.
The houndsmen said they had struck trail on a cat and we headed to the concession they were at. We arrived just as they were treeing the cat and briskly walked the few hundred yards to where they were.
As we arrived the cat was looking down at us and was a beauty. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera. Sticks went up and Lana shot the caracal.

 

[bluey]

great stuff Savage Hunter .
congratulations on that blb ,and to wife for tuffing it out on the zebra.
care share any details of the Victoria falls trip ,its something id love to do some day

 

[bluey]

and big hell yeah on the caracal .
you mustve been posting that as I started typing.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Well done guys... Would not have expected any less from KMG/Marius WAY TO GO!!

My best always

 

[Savage Hunter]

After the caracal hunt, we went after me a Springbuck.
very large fields with herds of springbuck in many directions.
kudu here and there. Occasional impala.
Saw a herd a long way off heading toward a waterhole a long way off.
We eased in and eventually got within 40-50 yards of the waterhole. There was a group of males on the far side and females on the near side.
the females came out, we were downwind, but they walked right past us and got downwind of us. As they smelled us, they took a little trot across the ditch that feeds
the waterhole and trotted up the hill to our right.
Marius turned us and put up sticks and told me to follow the bucks because they would assuredly follow the females out. He would try to stop him by making a sheep sound.
as the biggest entered the opening I put the crosshairs on the neck. (I generally do this on trotting animals, then let them walk into the crosshair more and squeeze the trigger as the chest comes into the crosshair). Well, when Marius bleated and the buck stopped, I didn't move the rifle and just shot him in the neck. I had a few neck shots this week, this was the first.

 

[Savage Hunter]

and big hell yeah on the caracal .
you mustve been posting that as I started typing.

the houndsmen all said that cat would easily make record book really high.
It was awesome. Happened to quickly, but, heck, if that's all I got to complain about then I should shut up.

 

[Savage Hunter]

Well, after 2.5 days of hunting, we had a black wilderbeest, a zebra, a caracal, and a springbok. Seems like a very good start.

Sunday (4th day) finds us hunting bushbuck. We cover lots of ground to no avail in the morning. Lana slept in, didn't miss anything.lol.
On the afternoon, we see lots of animals but nothing for me to shoot until very late.
Glassing for bushbuck, we spot a duiker.
At first, Marius said i see one that's really nice.
I shot the duiker. it was angling uphill and I didn't take into account the steep angle and shot him in the neck. the bullet blew out the whole side
of the neck cape on the opposite side. Will need a new cape to mount him.
He was very pretty and would love to hunt them again whenever I make my way back.

steep shot at bottom of other side of the canyon.
We drive around and find him and load him up.
Hunt is over for the day........ no, not really.
quite unexpectantly, a couple of gemsbok are in the road at twilight.
We stop and get out, make our way down the road and one of them turns and faces us.
Sticks go up. I shoot him in his front.

first shot killed him, but laid there kicking and I shot him again. guess where? neck. stupid. my taxidermist is going to hate me.

 

[Savage Hunter]

The 5th day, Monday, finds us going after a nyala that Marius has seen a few times, but I think he said he looked for him many times but saw him 3 or 4 times.
he got real excited talking about it. Mentioned the shape of the horns and said he was big, but the shape was very unusual.
We walk right past many LARGE trophy nyala going to the spot he had found him a few times.
We get there and a couple are in the saddle but not him. Then, it happened. Marius saw him on the opposite and he was looking at us. Game over.
We eased on out with Marius thinking we'd likely not get another crack at him. I told him I didn't want to shoot one of the others even if they were a little bigger because
he wanted me to get this one and I was ahead of schedule on killing animals and could invest a couple of days looking for him.
So, it's decided we go to another area and hunt a blesbok for Lana.
Stalk, stalk, stalk. crouchwalk, crawl. Lana sits with short sticks and shoots the blesbok basically center body.
Hurt, but not close to being ready to die. the others in the group leave him. We move and set up on him again but just as she was about to shoot, it ran.
We covered ground quickly and Lana is out of breath. She hands me the rifle and says "finish him".
Marius and I dead run to get to a knoll/cliff face to get a shot at him in the last open area before the bush will swallow him.
He is running, I shoot and hit him, slowing him down. He stops.
i raise the rifle again with a gimme shot....... but..... click.
One of the guys had been toting Lana's rifle and had removed bullets a couple of times and left only 2 in it without me knowing.
I said a bad word. But then got a further away shot and finished him off.
Afterwards, I apologized for the word I used. (I''m a preacher, btw)
Marius answered "You know, when I heard that I thought I must have said it. Couldn't imagine it coming from you."

Here's the team effort blesbok.

Notice the nice scar down his nose. Old boy musta been a real fighter.

 

[Savage Hunter]

While we were eating lunch, Marius called his friend and he went over and peaked at the saddle to see if that big Nyala was back there.
Marius hangs up the phone and tells me I'm the luckiest person in the world.
We slip in and see 3 bulls, He is one of them.
We set up. Steep angle. boom. 2 run, he doesn't. but......... I missed.
I quickly reload and put a shot in him and he trots across the trail and gets behind some thick bushes but doesn't run off.
We contemplate shooting thru the bush, but decide not to. If he takes off again and gets down that side of the trail, it'll be awful and an all-night ordeal.
We get his dog and he send the jack russell in and bays it. As I slip in, I have a small hole I can see thru. He is about 20 feet away. I could only see dark brown long hair (neck). Couldn't see
the chest. He starts to turn to run. I shoot him quickly and he drops right down. another neck hole.
Marius and I are both very happy.



We went home very happy that night.

 

[Savage Hunter]

6th day. Tuesday. Lana has a ladies day out with Marius's wife and Louw's wife.
We are still looking for me a bushbuck.

WARNING: IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH PLEASE LOOK AWAY.
WHAT FOLLOWS IS A PICTURE OF THE UGLIEST BUSHBUCK YOU WILL LIKELY EVER SEE.......BUT HE IS BEAUTIFUL TO ME.

We glass for a good while that morning going from spot to spot.
Finally, Marius says "I see a nice trophy bushbuck." Then He goes "Oh gosh. He's enormous. I saw he had fat horns but they are also
very long. I had first thought those long horns were branches.
We line up and make the kill.
He Had very little hair left on his face. He had no teeth. He had very long horns.



I was exhausted and didn't hunt the remainder of the day. I had killed everything on my list plus a duiker.
the rest was nice and much needed.

 

[Savage Hunter]

7th day. Lana still has impala on her list. We decide it is the last day we want to hunt. 8th day we would sightsee.
we go back to the place she killed her zebra.
hunted a few areas, actually a lot, with no luck.
then happened to see one standing near a waterhole.
Kept driving and then parked and sneaked back making a semi-circle to come up on him on the other side of the waterhole.
Lana had to crawl the last 15 yards and he was standing facing her with the front of its chest. Head way up in the air.
I wait for her shot. He starts to turn and then I hear her shot. I think "oh, no . likely a miss."
But, actually it turned just as she squeezed the trigger.
Instead of hitting it square in the chest from the front, as it turned the bullet hit a quartering just behind the front shoulder.
It went about 5 steps.

 

[Savage Hunter]

That afternoon we go to a big ridge and cut off some baboons as they made their way across.
We closed out our hunt with a 275 yard (i think) at this baboon.\

 

[Savage Hunter]

Hey Bluey, I'm need to go get some sleep. I'll post tomorrow about the Vic Falls stuff and also post a lot more photos other than kill shots.

 

[bluey]

no worries mate ,
thanks for the report ,you and lana kicked a few goals .
sleep well.

 

[Jafa]

Cogratulations for the hunt.

Very very nice bushbuck!!!!!

 

[spike.t]

sounds like you and the madam had a great time, and i agree about the bushbuck could have got a part in the walking dead !! but a very nice trophy also.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

There is no such thing as an ugly Bushbuck! What a beaut!

Well done.

My best as always

 

[BRICKBURN]

Well done, all the way around.
You both got some good trophies.
Good on Lana for sticking it out as best she could.


Shells removed from the rifle?!
I would have said a bad word too.
(The guy that had been carrying that rifle would have been able to hear it from where ever he was.)