SOUTH AFRICA: LJ Safaris Cull Hunt Part One - Inland Lodge

Odinsraven

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The Prelude


Around Sept 2016 started chatting with Juan and Lauren on Africa Hunting


Found them to be very knowledge and quickly established what we wanted


Yes guys the Blonde was coming ……..


A busy 8 day cull hunt - inland then down to the shore - so 2 hunts in one with very different terrain


The pricing was fair actually better than fair - and plans were set dates agreed


Then a mention of a Giraffe that had to come off one of the properties ….a very fair price was agreed -


Then what to do with the skin - living as we do in Iceland in Igloos (apartments but don't tell the tourists ) of a massive 100m2 with the love of my life - and the Blonde !!!!!! (Husky comes first )


Anyhow what to do with the skin - carpet a bedroom - this was left to be decided




The Pickup


As we were finishing up some other business we decided to meet in Grahamstown at a certain butchers - where I have been asked to leave because of my consumption of Biltong ….. Yep I can live on that stuff !



Lauren and Juan arrived at 11am depriving me of my usual biltong thefts


After a short 2 hr drive much discussion about Africa and hunting etc


We arrive at the amazing lodge - this place is off the register - it is a primary breeding farm of 40k hectares with the usual accompaniment of all the African species - and some very special cape buff bulls - why I cannot tell exactly where it is ! But suffice to say the level of trust they have in Juan and Lauren is amazing

Again the level of trust they placed in The Blonde and myself - respect


Also some White or vied Rhino on the estate which made stalking more interesting !


Zero the Rifles​


Rifles worked - the Blonde shot better than me - but moving swiftly along


As the day was still young - let's try a few Impala - our list was extensive for cull animals


So off we went - The Blonde claimed first blood 180 m dropped to the shot with her Swedish Varberger 7x64 -


So I am up next another easy shot at 150 in the fridge


The Blonde finished the day @ 200 on an Impala


Off to dinner


Dinner was amazing cooked by one of the lodge managers - Kim also a qualified PH


After one two three - whatever beers - we slept in the lodge which could be described as palicial …



Well living in an igloo ….. It was amazing



Breakfast the next morning was the usual fare - rusks coffee and lets go hunting - back on Impala detail a busy morning saw 5 in the fridge - we split up so became a boys against the girls team


We were doomed to failure ……… but optimistically believed we would win ,


On our way back to the lodge Juan spotted a old bushbuck - he was on the way out - skinny and the flies already put the word out -


So a quick stalk and relieved him of his troubles !


My first bushbuck



Afternoon was back on Impala with success - OK the girls won - even with the bushbuck which as an act of kindness rather than hunting


HONOUR had to be restored - after another amazing dinner and beer plans were laid for the Giraffe .


My first actually- how hard can it be ? they are six metres tall and and and and



The morning - I must admit I was slightly nervous - I have culled maybe 250 African plains game ,,, but never a giraffe - plus my 8mm was playing up and my double 318 WR were both out of commission one requiring a new barrel the other the scope mounts had come loose before the trip .



So as I was using a 7mm rem mag - thought a little underpowered for Giraffe


Anyhow borrowed a 300 win mag and after a zero check let's drop a giraffe !


Now as Stefanno was the lodge manager a professional hunter sometime the previous night after the beer and the Klipdrift (brandy) it was decided he would guide me as he knew access roads and the estate intimately, having been manager there for five years


So a 27 year old is looking at old grey beard with 50 within a year thinking he is drinking like an Irishman should and we are walking after a Giraffe... Tomorrow will be interesting


Well after two hours I am bumping him up the hill towards the giraffe

Husky walking - makes you tough !!!!!!!!

- trying to get him on an access road - finally a shot on his neck @ 200 m I Missed - I don't know but a miss


The bull moved and offered a perfect frontal chest shot facing me so I took it dropping two bullets in there … that had an effect


He wheeled and after a spirited walk up another hill … had a perfect neck shot as he slowed - with suppressor on the rifle I could maintain sight picture - as I was gripping that rifle like the holy grail !!!!!!!!


Guys seriously you have to do this - it's like dynamiting a building straight down -



The Blonde who was up the valley on the bakkie with the rest of the crew had a side on view


Juan later said his legs were in the air his ass on the ground before his head hit the ground


A quick 200m trot and we were where he fell dead as hope !


After a couple of pictures the recovery crew came in 700kgs of meat and the skin - more about the skin later



We decided to take an early one after that ….. So over a beer - not only had I completely won Stefannos respect as I could walk - 17km as the counter would tell later …….. Well the Love of my life we walk 10k each and every day !!!!!!!! (Husky )


Juan had done a deal on the skin to a taxidermist for a full body mount for a client - He was an amazing bull..


Juan told me what he would receive and removed that from the trophy price - as I had told him I did not want the skin - a honesty I appreciated ……..


And have been promised photos of the finished mount !!!!! AMAZING



I did however keep the forelegs (shins ) for knife handles so he will always be with me !!!!!



So an amazing day - one I hope to repeat again with the double rifle !!!!!!




The last day before the move to the coast



Sometime in the previous night Zebra were mentioned ….I had a vague memory the next morning over rusks and coffee …. Then let's go hunt Zebra apparently the owner had promised some skins from the very overpopulated herd of Zebra to a friend - as we had (the boys) lost on the numbers but won on the kgs of meat we got !!!!!!! a final day for a Zebra each would work -


A difficult stalk and the dominant stallion quartering on … it did the Zebra sneer “take him “ was all I heard … With Juan’s excellent advice on shot placement the 7mm rem mag barked and he thumped …. A 10m run and he was down and gone.


The Blonde pulled an amazing shot on a quartering away zebra and our cull was finished - time to move to the coast !!!!!!!






Well what a suprise dinner was Giraffe fillet and some Buff on the same plate -


A fitting end to the first half of the hunt


To be continued
 
Sounds like a great start to a trip.
well the Blonde will be posting no doubt - so you will hear a very different account - All I can say is Lauren and Juan are two of the best PH's I have hunted with - and that is 9 trips six years and I used to be a hunting guide back in the old days in Scotland !!!!
 
Sounds like you were knocking them down pretty good. That Bushbuck is nice. Congrats and thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the rest of this. Bruce
 
Sounds like you were knocking them down pretty good. That Bushbuck is nice. Congrats and thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the rest of this. Bruce
yes indeed it gets better one of the best experiences to date -

Indeed the culling was intense always making sure the bullet was where it should be as no time for mistakes
 
@Odinsraven I always enjoy your stories, and your writing style. It has a certain lilt to it, I can always feel the pauses. Makes it very enjoyable.

And @The Blonde , she needs to post more. So can't wait to hear from her.

And this,

Rifles worked - the Blonde shot better than me - but moving swiftly along

No surprise. I recall targets she put up from sighting that 7x64 I believe? It also seems that you owned that rifle at one point, then it was commandeered.

Waiting patiently for the next part of the story, and for the Blonde.

Royal
 
Great report so far- your stories are always entertaining! Looking forward to the second half.

Congrats on your giraffe- I'm seriously considering hunting one on our next safari.
 
Nice trophy giraffe and a great start to your report sir. Thank you for sharing .
 
Good hunt so far, looking forward to the rest of the story. Are you sure the Blond is going to post her version?
 
Keep on hunting, congrats on the giraffe!
 
@Odinsraven I always enjoy your stories, and your writing style. It has a certain lilt to it, I can always feel the pauses. Makes it very enjoyable.

And @The Blonde , she needs to post more. So can't wait to hear from her.

And this,



No surprise. I recall targets she put up from sighting that 7x64 I believe? It also seems that you owned that rifle at one point, then it was commandeered.

Waiting patiently for the next part of the story, and for the Blonde.

Royal
How eloquently you describe thieft both of my heart ...no big deal ....but the rifle ......each day that hurts a little more .....
 
@Odinsraven I always enjoy your stories, and your writing style. It has a certain lilt to it, I can always feel the pauses. Makes it very enjoyable.

And @The Blonde , she needs to post more. So can't wait to hear from her.

And this,



No surprise. I recall targets she put up from sighting that 7x64 I believe? It also seems that you owned that rifle at one point, then it was commandeered.

Waiting patiently for the next part of the story, and for the Blonde.

Royal
Was going to report your post for the mental anguish of what I lost ...what a rifle. .....sometime when you are old ebough I will tell you how little I paid for it and how amazing a rifle.it is

Pro am 139gr and 170 gr vertical inch between ...we don't even bother bringing ammo down for it ...as not needed ...the local stuff works ...indeed there is 5 years supply bought and paid for on the shelf
 
Good hunt so far, looking forward to the rest of the story. Are you sure the Blond is going to post her version?
Yep despite it being her second language. ..she is more eloquent thanot I could possibly be ...worth the wait
 
seer enjoyment,more,more.
 
Was going to report your post for the mental anguish of what I lost ...what a rifle. .....sometime when you are old ebough I will tell you how little I paid for it and how amazing a rifle.it is

Pro am 139gr and 170 gr vertical inch between ...we don't even bother bringing ammo down for it ...as not needed ...the local stuff works ...indeed there is 5 years supply bought and paid for on the shelf

I do seem to get in trouble with you more often than not... :D

Would love to hear the story of the rifle someday.
 
Sounds like you were knocking them down pretty good. That Bushbuck is nice. Congrats and thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the rest of this. Bruce
The bushbuck was older than sin ...with well worn horns ....probably ..actually no probably about it ...he would have been an amazing trophy in his prime ....but glad to relieve him of his troubles before the jakals and suchlike troubled him
 

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