SOUTH AFRICA: My Wonderful Safari With GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS

[PARA45]

Oh and we are not done

 

[rinehart0050]

Great report so far! Congrats on your hunt!

 

[Smitty]

I am really enjoying your report! Well written and entertaining. Thank you.

 

[AZDAVE]

Looks like a great trip, it is always nice to relax after a very successful day.

@Jaegger One to many Gin and Tonics and you will have a eland, cowbuff, sable, and roan in the salt

 

[Nyati]

Doing great so far !

 

[Ridgewalker]

Man I am intense just reading this! One fine Africa adventure!

 

[R.M.C.]

Congratulations!! Thanks for sharing and keep it coming!!

 

[Jaegger]

Looks like a great trip, it is always nice to relax after a very successful day.

@Jaegger One to many Gin and Tonics and you will have a eland, cowbuff, sable, and roan in the salt

@AZDAVE … … now, that would be a Great Trophy List & Hunt! I’m tempted to Book It & when my wife says, WHAT …. “hey, gotta blame the GT’s & by the way I am a going - thanx you!” LOL …

 

[PARA45]

1 Jun 2022.

As Wik and I sit on the dining table eating our breakfast, I ask where we are going today. I only have one animal left, and that is a Nyala. Wik tells me we are going to hunt West side of Kudu Ridge. Great, these mountains are not that as bad as the ones on Mountain Top, or so I thought.

We take off for the 5-10 min ride to this side of the property. As soon as we get in, we see some Impalas and some Kudus. Wik stops the Land Cruiser and tells me to let's go take a look. I get out, and Wik tells me to get my rifle. Oops, I thought we were just going for a look. We walk roughly a mile or so up hill, then we start going downhill and we get on the edge of some cliffs, and since my boots have not been performing great, I keep my distance from the ledge. BTW, I'm not afraid of heights, but don't want to slide and end up at the bottom of this cliff.

We haven't settled in to start glassing, and I can already see some Kudus eating on the sunny side of the opposite mountain. I get by binoculars up and now I can see more animals including some Nyala bulls and some females. The bulls to me look good, but not for Wik, he tells me that are too young. We keep looking, when Wik freezes and now he is looking into this one area. He tells me that we need to move, and to move slow. We start walking up and down this mountain to get to a better shooting area. I can see where they are but have not seen the bull we are after.

We keep walking for roughly another 400-500 yds, and then the sticks go up, and it's show time. I get behind the rifle, and Wik points to where this Nyala bull is, and I have him, range is about 190 yds. Settled behind the rifle and scope and I am rock solid. Wik tells me to shoot when I'm ready. I take two deep breaths, relax, and shoot. I see the Nyala reaction from the bullet impact, he jumps about 20 feet, runs about another 20-30 ft and stumbles down the side of this mountain. He is down for the count. Time is 0830 in the morning. Little did I know that Wik was recording this hunt with his cell phone; wow what a video.

So now, how do we get to this this animal? Well, we keep going downhill, Wik sends the drivers to go around, and then we start going uphill to where the Nyala bull was laying. We get up there, and this thing is in some deep sh*t, and I'm wondering how in the world the trackers are going to get this animal out of here. We took a couple of pictures of where he laid and waited on the trackers. Trackers got there, got the Nyala on this pole, and 45 minutes later they were loading it into the back of the Land Cruiser. It took them 45 min to get down from where we were.

Where we found the bull, I had my Nyala....success.

Trackers with Nyala.

We finally found a nice area for pictures, and my proud moment.

This was Wed, and I had every animal I had come to the Easter Cape after, plus three more. I was done with plenty of time to spare.

Dinner for that night was Red Hartebeest back straps.

I told Wik not to worry about me, that I was going to relax and sit around smoking my cigars and soaking in the beauty of Africa. Wik was worried that I'd bored and wanted to make sure that I was taken care of. I'm Africa, without stress, and nothing to worry about. Life was good.

 

[PARA45]

2 Jun 2022.

Wik gets and ask me if I want to go with him on a drive around the property, that they were going to look for gaps in the fence. I jumped at the invitation, I grab my camera and binoculars and on the way we go. We are driving around on one side of the property I had not gone to and realized how big Kudu Ridge really was.

Next to me is Wik's Sako rifle chambered in 222 Rem and this thing has a big suppressor. Very nice. Why do we have this rifle I ask? Well, just in case we come across any Jackals. Ah cool.

So, we are driving around looking for gaps or damage fence and Wik stops the Land Cruiser. He points at these two birds and said to take a shot at one of them. I'm already in the hole with three additional animals that my wife doesn't know about. I politely pass on it, but Wik insist hat I should take a shot at them. We go back and forth for a bit, and I accept. I take the shot, and miss. Actually, the trigger pull on this rifle was so good, that I basically lost he shot. They fly about 400 yds, and they stop. We followed them in the Land Cruiser, and before I can get a shot, they take off again. We follow them once again, and they stop, and we are roughly about 160 yds away. I settle behind the scope, now knowing the trigger on this rifle, and fired. I hear the thump and see one bird dead. I saw everything since there was barely any recoil on this rifle. Great shot Oscar, I hear Wik. We get there and I pick up this duck/goose looking animal. Wik tells me that it's an Egyptian goose. Just when I thought I was done hunting, here I am with one more animal to my list. What a beautiful animal. This was the end of this safari.

Some pictures of the mountains on Kudu Ridge.

 

[PARA45]

Here are some more pictures, these are from Mountain Top.

Enjoying my victory cigar on one of the last nights I was out in the bush.

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on a great hunt and thanks for sharing it all with us!

 

[PARA45]

What can I say about Game 4 Africa Safari.

Wik is an outstanding PH, with a great eyesight to spot game and to judge the quality of the animals. Wik will work his a$$ off to get you the best animal he can. His perseverance is unmatched, and he has he patience of a saint. I know it, I tested him twice and he passed with flying colors. LOL!!!!! Wik runs an amazing and tight operation, and his devotion to his job is unequaled. Wik, thank you for your hard work, and for making this safari a one in a life experience for me. You are an amazing PH, and I hope we get to hunt together again. Africa is in my heart thanks to individuals like you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for this amazing experience.

To Wik's beautiful wife Britney (I got your name right ). Thank you so much for your wonderful and one of kind hospitality. You are the heart of that operation, and your beautiful personality and devotion to running the lodge made everything run smooth and like clockwork. Enjoyed your beautiful company during dinner and after dinner. Thank you for making me feel like an old friend, and not a paying client. Thank you for what you do. You rock!

To Don. We met briefly, but you kept engaged, and your enthusiasm was contagious, and your genuine interest on knowing what I shot every day didn't go unnoticed. Your cooking in the Braai was amazing too. Thank you for being genuine, and for always ensuring we were good and well taken care of. Hope to see you again someday.

To the Coetzee family. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality. To Mr. John Coetzee, thank you sir for taking me to the range, and letting me shoot some of your rifles. I thank you for the bottom of my heart for the beautiful Cock rifle sling you gave me as a gift. Thank you sir for such a beautiful gift. It will go on a special rifle.

To the Game 4 Africa Safaris staff. Thank you for all you do, and for all your hard work. Your muscles and hard work made the recovery of some of the animals I shot look easy. Thank you!

I almost forgot Rocky and Leica. Rocky was my faithful companion while I sat outside smoking my cigars. He followed me around and sat on my lap while I relax. Leica was more reserved, but she started warming up to me towards the end. Beautiful pooches.

In closing, I'd say this is a well-run operation. Its family own, and the family is tight and together they make an amazing team. They have some great property to hunt, and your hunts will be challenging, and your skills will be tested. If you are on the fence about this outfitter, don't hesitate, you'll have the hunt of a lifetime. Ask around and you'll see.

Thank you Coetzee family. I'll see you guys again.

 

[Uncle Sauce]

Awesome report Oscar - Loved reading it and congrats again on a great trip!

 

[Ragman]

What a great hunt you had Oscar...you have me aching to get back to the Eastern Cape!!! You really summed up familiar feelings. The excitement of being there, the new sights, sounds and smells. The bond that forms between you and the PH. And one of my favourite aspects of the hunt is the dogs as I have a special place in my heart for all of them and I know you do too. One day I will return!

 

[Jaegger]

GREAT REPORT my Friend!

You truly captured your adventure in words & I was excited for you the more I read on - great adventure, no give me’s as it should be & my hats off to PH Wik’s … he kept you challenged, exhausted on hills, relaxed when shoots went astray as some do & deep in trophy’s! What more can you ask from a PH …

Plus, Game 4 Africa Safaris looks & sounds like a Top Notch Outfitter & host! I visited the nice website & bookmarked!

Ciao for Now,
Jagger

 

[Ngonyama]

Really enjoyed reading ,having farmed in the Eastern Cape ,I could feel your pain on the hills that look deceiving.Well done on your hunt .

 

[cls]

Enjoyed the read and pictures, you took some fine animals. Congratulations.

 

[Red Leg]

30 May 2022. My apologies if I'm long winded, but I like details, and I hope you guys do as well.

As I'm sitting eating my breakfast, I realize that today was my mom's birthday, and here I am in the Eastern Cape hunting. I can't call her or text her because of the difference in time. Sh*t, what should I do? Well, maybe today needs to be a special hunt, and maybe I should dedicate this hunt to my mom. Sounded like a great idea.

Wik comes in to grab his cup of coffee and to discuss where we are going today. BTW, Wik drinks coffee like drinking water, except he takes that instant coffee out in the bush. Shhhhh, don't tell him, but instant coffee, really ????? LOL!!!!!! Sorry, Wik, had to do it. LOL!!!!! He is trying to figure out a way to make better coffee out in the field.

So, Wik tells me that we are going back to Mountain Top to look for the little illusive Mr. Bushbuck . I'm like yay, and show some excitement, but deep in me I was like, oh sh*t, not there again. I could feel the pain on my knees and ankles, and we were an hour away from there. I knew we would be playing mountain goat on these mountain, and any which way I looked at it, it was going to be painful. So I told myself; hey, you are in Africa, so man up, you don't have a man bun ( I have no hair), be tough, stop your whining and get ready.

We leave the lodge in the dark for the 45 minute drive to Mountain Top. A beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky, with very little wind, and a crisp 38 degrees or so. This is going to be a good hunt, and had a good feeling about it.

So, we get there, and of course we go take a look (which means a lot of walking) on these mountains. We get to one area and we look, and we seen some really nice Kudu bulls with cows scattered all over the side of this mountain, enjoying the wonderful morning sun. Some of those Kudu were studs, even my untrained eyes could tell these guys were shooters. This is a good start, the animals are sunning themselves and this is what we need, but where is Mr. Bushbuck???

After glassing for a bit, Wik decides to move to the other side of the mountain we are at, and to see what was on the other side. Sh*t, more walking up and down. We get going and the walking is not too bad, but still it's up and down. I think Wik's wife Britney told him to take it easy on me. So, we get to the other side, and we immediately see about 8-10 female bushbucks sunning and eating. Wik knows there has to be a buck somewhere. We now pause and we look and look and look some more. Finally I see Wik's stop and look into one area, and he is using the sticks to steady himself. He whispered (like if the Bushbuck is going to hear us, we are across this mountain and 400 yds away ) that there is a nice Bushbuck in there. So, now I get excited and I'm like where???? We need to move, so more climbing followed by going down this treacherous and steep mountain. I'm trying to keep my a$$ from not rolling down to the bottom of this cliff, and Wik keeping my rifle and having to call my wife to tell her I didn't make it. But, I need to keep up with him, because we finally had a shooter Bushbuck, and it's my mom's birthday, so I need to get this done and head back to the lodge so I can call my mom.

We get to a better place, and we are literarily across the valley from this Bushbuck. The problem is, I have no clue where this animal is, I still have not seen him. We walked a little more, Wik looks some more, and whispers again, that this is our Bushbuck and smiles. Ah ok, cool! We move a little more and we are finally in a good spot, so I thought. The sticks go up, and I'm like oh sh*t, I still don't know where this little guy is. Wik points out to where he is and ask if I see him. Ah, no, where, it's a big a$$ mountain, and can't seem to see this little guy anywhere. I'm glassing, and nothing. Remember what I said about Wik being patient? Well, today was the day that I truly tested his patience.

Wik points the rifle in the general direction of where this animal is and he said right there. Ah, sorry, I see nothing. There see the white on his back? Ah no. Right there by that opening, see it? Sorry Wik, I got nothing brother. We go back and forth for what seems like hours, probably 5 min, ok, maybe 15 min and can't see sh*t. Wik gets behind my rifle and say again, right there. I get behind the rifle, and I'm looking and nothing. All of a sudden this little sh*t, takes two steps and I can see him, and tell Wik that I can see him. I'm thinking, I hope this is the one. He goes, put the cross hairs on his back and take him when you are ready. I'm solid, and do as I'm told and fired. He is hit and he takes off. We run, yes run on this mountain, and Wik wants me to shoot him again. The Bushbuck is laying down, and fire and miss, fire and miss, fire again and hit him. He moves, but we can't see him anymore.

Wik gets on the radio for the driver to come get us. Oh shit, we have to go up hill now, sh*t, not again. We get to the road, and I am truly happy to see the Land Cruiser. I'm beat up from the climbing. We drive around to the other side of the mountain, and we discuss a game plan to get this little guy out of the sh*t hole he was in. Wik suggest I stay in the Land Cruiser, and he tells me that this is very steep and difficult terrain. I say, I'm going, it's my animal, my hunt, my mess, I 'm going with you. You may have to find a way to get my sorry a$$ out of there, but I'm going.

We get going, and we start the climb down this mountain. Sh*t, I thought the other ones were rough, but this one was twice as bad as the others one. I'm carefully watching where I step, and I'm trying not to roll down this thing, fall on my a$$ a couple of times, but keep going. We get about half way, and I'm second guessing my decision, but I'm still trying to keep up the human mountain goat. Wik suggest that I wait while he gets his bearings and see where this guy is. A couple of minutes he calls me and there is my Bushbuck, and still alive but badly hurt. I hate to see animals suffer more than they should, and I am not too happy with myself. So, I put one more in him, and we have our Bushbuck. Wik congratulates me and tells me how dangerous these little guys are, specially when wounded and cornered. I had no idea, and I'm grateful no one got hurt.

View attachment 471881

Oh sh*t, what a great and beautiful animal, old with serious characters. I put my hands on him, and I thank him for being such a tough warrior, thanked God for this great hunt, and admired the beauty and the difficulty of this hunt. I looked across the valley into the other mountain where we were, and realize the difficulty and how challenging this hunt had been. This had been the most difficult and challenging hunt of my life. This hunt tested my determination on how bad I wanted a Bushbuck, tested my endurance, and my will to hunt them. In a scale of 1-10, this was a 50.

Now, how do we get this thing out of here? Wik had told the tracker to take the Land Cruiser to the bottom and to come up. Thank God we are going down hill and not up hill. Well, going down hill was not an easy job either. Wick and the tracker got the Bushbuck on a pole, and down we went. A bit over an hour, and we finally reached the Land Cruiser. I was done for the day, and popped Motrin for the muscle pain like M&Ms. LOL!!!!!

Got back to the lodge, called my mom to wish her a happy birthday, and I dedicated this hunt and this Bushbuck to her.

What a great day, and what an amazing hunt. More to come.

Love the bushbuck and love the story.

 

[Drywaller44]

Wow, congrats on a great hunt and thanks for the detailed report. Can’t wait to go hunt with them next spring and see that beautiful country for myself.