SOUTH AFRICA: Nick BOWKER HUNTING SOUTH AFRICA Hunting April 20 To May 1

MrCreedmoor

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Got back from my first safari with Nick Bowker and had the most incredible hunt, the hunt of a lifetime. I will have to post my report over the next few days. I had 9 successful stalks, one very exciting stalk with a close encounter and near miss of a warthog, but I will get to that later. To start, I must say Nick and his staff run the most efficient and professional operation I have ever seen. The food was awesome, accommodations were very comfortable, and the hunting opportunities were unbelievable.

The hunting grounds spanned approximately 125 square miles and consisted of several connected sheep and cattle ranches. All wildlife here are free ranging with only low fences (nothing stopping the game animals from roaming). One high fence operation bordered Nick’s hunting grounds, but never did I feel we were not having a fair chase hunt. The number and diversity of game was outstanding. I saw literally several thousands of animals over my 8 days of hunting. To get an idea of what we saw on a typical day, here is a log my friend recorded. This day was towards the end of the safari with no shots fired:
Driving in search of a warthog
7:15 50 impalas
7:20 trophy kudu
7:32 3 impalas
7:35 2 spring bucks
7:36 15 springbuck
7:38 3 jr warthogs
7:39 4 male springbucks
7:40 sow warthog with 3 babies
7:41 45 springbuck
Pair of blue cranes

Stopped to glass

7:49 2 baby spring buck, 3 adults
While glassing saw
12 impalas
3 warthogs
6 kudu
3 springbucks
25 monkeys
PH saw 12 pigs,15 Impala, 6 kudo, 50 springbuck

It’s now 9:17 driving

9:21 1 springbuck
9:27 25 Impala family group
9:29 springbuck
9:30 springbuck
9:31 3 springbuck
9:34 Kori bustard bird one of the largest flying birds in the world
9:35 springbuck
9:37 9 springbuck
9:40 20 monkeys running across road
9:41 warthog
10:04 Toyota blown fan belt
10:18 spring buck

Lunch break

2:41 out to search for wart hogs again
2:50 9 spring buck
1,000,000,000 locusts
2:51 1 spring buck
3:00 1 mountain reedbuck
3:01 12 Gemsbucks & 2 warthogs, 2 bulls and 3 cows Kudu, 3 mountain reedbucks, 6 springbuck
3:12 7 monkeys
3:16 10 monkeys
3:17 4 black impalas
3:18 1 dieker & 6 gemsbok with babies
3:23 copper spring buck
3:24 1 young male warthog
3:27 5 warthogs
3:30 2 warthogs
3:33 2 steinbeck rams
3:36 2 Impala
3:37 2 monkeys 1 copper springbuck
3:39 13 Blesbok
3:48 1 black Impala, 1 common Impala
3:55 Steinbeck
3:56 jr warthog
3:59 9 springbuck and 3 warthogs
4:04 sable bull
4:07 4 kudu, 2 big bulls, 5 gems buck
4:09 1 waterbuck
4:14 spring buck
4:20 spring buck
4:21 17 Springbuck 2 Steinb
4:28 impala
4:30 springbuck
4:33 springbuck
4:34 3 pigs 4 babies
4:41 4 springbuck
4:48 10 springbuck, 2 kudu
5:01 3 spring buck, 5 warthogs
5:05 25 warthogs, 50 Impala
5:50 7 springbucks
5:56 5 spring bucks 3 blue cranes
5:59 6 spring bucks, 1 copper springbuck
6:01 almost hit a warthog with truck
6:05 1 scrub hair, 8 spring buck, 4 warthogs
6:07 nightjar bird

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I love the diversity and the numbers-looking forward to more of your report!
 
3 of us will be there on the 26th. Keep up the report. Thanks.
 
Were you on a wildlife survey or there to hunt? I hope you put pen and paper aside and did some hunting!
On a serious note, we look forward to reading about your trip.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there as well and will be there mid summer.
 
1st day of hunt: cloudy, on and off rain in morning. Cool temperature.

We drove a short distance to a good spot and got out of the truck for a first stalk for impala. We took our time walking and glassing over a distance of about 750 yards. Our tracker, Elvin stayed back as we made our final approach on a couple trophy impalas. We sneaked our way between bushes, trying not to be spotted by other game including kudu, impalas, springbok, warthog, and mountain reedbuck. There were a few springbuck we had to wait patiently to pass by between us and the impala we were after, when our target impala laid down. Nick is a master at playing the wind and knowing just when to proceed with the stalk with so many eyes watching for danger. Nick put up the shooting sticks, I placed the 300 win mag rifle on the sticks, and Nick adjusted the top scope turret for the 195 yard shot. I was using Nick’s rifle on this hunt and was super impressed with the setup. The gun had a suppressor that took almost all the recoil away. I was rock steady as I squeezed the trigger. The shot was not the best with a frontal laying down animal, but I felt good with it. We could here the bullet hit the animal and it got up and ran out of sight. Elvin radio’d over that the impala was standing not far away, so we sneaked in and got a second shot that took him down. I was happy with how this first stalk (of about 2 hour) ended.

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Day 1 Afternoon hunt: going after kudu.

We drove about 15 minutes to a neighboring cattle ranch. This property had a riverbed with a few pools of water, but it was too dry for running water. Nick stopped the truck and we started walking towards the river bed and then parallel with it, always with a favorable wind in our face. It looked like ancient bedrock in the riverbed was carved over the millenniums. After only a short walk we started seeing game including a few family groups of warthogs and a couple duikers. The cover on the far side of the river was sporadic bushes on a rising slope. We would walk slowly and stop and glass for a while, then repeat…this went on for a while until we spotted the first kudu of the afternoon. A couple cows and a nice bull were spotted out there, but well past my comfortable shooting range. I asked Nick if he was a shooter after seeing he had nice curly horns. Nick said “I promise, you will like this one.” We watched the bull melt into the brush, but the cows occasionally showed themselves. Nick briefly discussed the game plan with Elvin (the tracker)…we would leave Elvin behind to glass as we made our way back in the direction we came from, then across the riverbed, and up to where the kudu were.

We walked about 500 yards to get in close to the kudu. We were stalking with good stealth swerving around large bushes trying not to be spotted. We were getting very close and still had the wind in our face…I was seeing animal scat everywhere, plus game trails well beaten down in the grass. We slowly made our way back and forth around bushes when Nick spotted a cow kudu about 200 yards ahead, we knew the bull was well within range, now all we needed was to catch him in an open shooting lane. The gray ghost was ahead of us but in the brush, when we encountered a problem. We both were frozen behind a bush, I could hear mashing and clicking of teeth and occasionally a snort. Between us and the kudu were warthogs, very close (40 yards,) they were feeding. I was thrilled to see such animals so close. Nick slowly examined the hogs in his binoculars when he started getting excited. He whispered “big warthog, he is exceptional!” I could see white tusks pretty clearly on the one hog so I whispered back “you want me to shoot him? What about the kudu” Nick said “yes, shoot, we will find more kudu, can you shoot sitting down?” I said “yes”.

I prepared myself for the shot. I got down low sitting on the ground so I could aim through a hole in the bush in front of us. I could not see the legs of the hog to well so I guessed where the vitals were. Nick adjusted the scope for a close freehand shot. I was quite steady after practicing this shot many times at home. I squeezed the trigger - bang, and then all hell broke loose! Kudu were running around us at a distance and 3 giant warthogs broke loose and started running full speed directly at us. Instinctively I stood up, ejected the spent round, and loaded one in the chamber all in one motion. It seamed almost like in slow motion as I watched the hogs getting closer 30 yards…20 yards…10 yards..5 yards…at full all out running speed. Nick was directly to my left as 2 hogs ran past us left of him. I watched the big Tusker I shot come straight at me (later I realized I was standing on his beaten down trail, that was the hole in the bush I shot through). Nick yelled “LOOK OUT!” My adrenaline was really pumping by now, as again it seamed like things were unfolding in slow motion. I stepped closer to Nick just off the trail as the hog barreled past me to the right at a yard or two. As the hog ran away from us I fired a second shot too close to aim properly in the scope so surely I missed.

Everything went quiet. I said “that was exciting!” Not really grasping what a close call we just had. I almost got run over by a warthog! No exaggeration! Oh crap, that could have been serious. Nick said surely that would have been the end of our hunt and a trip to the hospital.

Nick said warthogs are really tough and if hit well will run 100 yards before going down, so off we followed the tracks. No blood. Tracks were easy to follow in the soft sandy soil here. Sure enough at 100 yards there he lay still kicking, so I gave him an insurance shot and he was done for. What an awesome kudu-turned-into-warthog hunt. Nick later said you can hunt on 5 safaris trying for warthog and not shoot one this big. I had no intentions of shooting a warthog the day before but now am a HUGE fan of them. I added this one to my hunt package.

2 stalks, 2 trophies down…unbelievable.
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Awesome animals thus far. Which model/magnification Leupold Binos are you using and how do you like them?
 
Awesome animals thus far. Which model/magnification Leupold Binos are you using and how do you like them?
Leupold BX-2 Acadia Binoculars - 10x42. love them. To be honest they were very cheep, on sale at sportsman’s warehouse. Work great and if they get stolen or broken during travel I am only out $128.
 
Day 2 morning hunt: going after kudu. Party cloudy and 75 degrees.

We drove back to the neighboring ranch from the day before. Elvin watched from a distance the kudu taking off from the shots fired at the warthog and saw the kudu circle around and stayed in the general area. So we would pursue the same bull we saw on day 1. Nick stopped the truck and we started walking towards the river bed and then parallel with it, always with a favorable wind in our face. After several hundred yards of slow walking and glassing we saw a bunch of kudu. In reality the kudu were watching us the entire time. We sat down for an hour or so to watch, there were about 10 cows and the big bull. I got on the sticks and got ready for the shot. The bull only showed himself for a brief moment before disappearing into brush. We waited for what seamed like another hour but only saw a couple cows and a calf poke out of the cover now and again. It was clear the bull was in there but out of sight.

It was getting late in the morning by now (approaching 10AM) so Nick decided we were going to make something happen. We knew the kudu were on the other side of the riverbed and they knew we were watching them. Things were at a stalemate. So Nick and I started walking parallel to the riverbed slowly to get a different angle on them. We only walked another 50 yards or so before things started getting interesting.

The brush came alive. Kudu started moving in the opposite direction as we were walking. And the bull was still in the group, weaving in and out of bushes. I got on the sticks. Nick adjusted the scope twice as the kudu moved away. The bull stopped at 400 yards. He was in some brush but we could see him. Nick had me wait for several minutes as the bull stood perfectly still. Several cows were watching us. I had the bull in my scope and I whispered “I have a clear shot on his front shoulder”. I had a good angle on his shoulder but could not see his head or hind quarters. Nick very calmly said “go ahead and take him”. Safety off. I squeezed the trigger - Bang! - long delay - THUD! That sound of the bullet hitting at long distance is the best sound ever.

The group of kudu ran for safety, minus 1. We sent Elvin and the dog ‘Black Jack’ across the riverbed to track the kudu. Unfortunately, my shot was 2 inches low (broken leg and fatal lung shot but not enough to kill him instantly) and the bull got up and ran towards us…2 shots later he was down for good.

This was a dream come true, what a tremendous animal! I can’t believe we passed him up the day before and were lucky enough to get another chance this day.

3 stalks, 3 trophies down…unbelievable.

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This is off to a great start @MrCreedmoor ! Well done on the impala, warthog and kudu so far! Looking forward to the rest of your adventure!
 
Awesome animals! Looking forward to reading more of your hunt report.
 
Beautiful Warthog, and those are some thick curls on the Kudu!
Nicely done!
 
Beautiful Warthog, and those are some thick curls on the Kudu!
Nicely done!
Thanks for the kind comments. I am so thrilled with the kudu, Eastern Cape kudu don’t get much bigger than this one, I consider myself very lucky to have gotten him. I am now a huge fan of warthogs, they are all beautiful and I love the way they behave. I give all the credit to Nick Bowker really, he is a master at hunting.
 
Day 2 afternoon hunt: going after gemsbok.

After asking if I could join my buddy on a hunt, we all piled into one Toyota Land Cruiser, including 2 hunters, 1 observer, 2 PHs, 3 trackers, and 3 dogs. Off we went to a new area about 20 minutes away. We drove up to a high ridge overlooking what looks like a rocky canyon. This area looks a lot like the Colorado foot hills.

As soon as we reached the peak, we spotted a bunch of gemsbok - game on! My hunting buddy and his PH jumped into action. I stayed in the truck and watched them make a short stalk to the edge of a steep drop. The gemsbok were aware of our presence but there were allot of animals down at the bottom of the canyon, 20+ or so and they were nervous but not too spooked. My buddy was directed to shoot an old bull, and with one shot it was down.

My turn.

I got out of the truck and stalked about 30 yards to the edge of the cliff. By this time there were additional gemsbok moving around down below us. They seamed confused as to ware the shot came from and why one was flopping on the ground. Nick ranged a small group that split off and were standing relatively still at 365 yards. I was on the shooting sticks again in disbelief, knowing gemsbok are very wary and difficult to hunt. Nick adjusted my scope and told me to shoot the lighter colored one in the back of the group. I put the crosshairs slightly low on the front shoulder and squeezed the trigger - Bang - long delay - Thud! Down went the gemsbok. A double on gemsbok, I could not believe it. Anyone out there experience a double on gemsbok?

4 stalks, 4 trophies down…unbelievable.

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Day 3 morning hunt: partly cloudy, windy, 50F

In search of a nyala. We drove around for 3 hours, did lots of glassing and saw lots of kudu and nyala but none were approachable.

Day 3 afternoon hunt: going for springbok.

We made 2 unsuccessful stalks on springbok, their wary eyes were too good.

On the drive back to the lodge, we came upon a small group of springbok with 2 males fighting. They were distracted long enough with chasing each other that we were given a chance to sneak out of the truck and line up a 265-yard shot. Again, Nick adjusted the scope after ranging the target. I squeezed the trigger - Bang - delay - Thud! And down went the springbok ram. One-shot, stone dead. Nick told Elvin to release Blackjack (the Jack Russell Terrier). It was quite comical seeing the dog work back and forth halfway to my springbok when he spotted the subdominant springbok ram and off to the races they went. Blackjack is a small dog with no fears and turbo charged legs. We watched as he trailed the springbok by only 20 yards behind as they ran away and away and away. I lost sight of them with my naked eyes. In 3 minutes they were well over a mile away with no end in sight. They were gone! Nick wasn’t too concerned after seeing this a few times in the past. We took pictures and loaded my ram into the truck. Just then who should reappear after his afternoon exercise, Blackjack, with no springbok but he seemed happy nevertheless.

My springbok was no record book ram but I am happy to have gotten him. My wife wants a nice flat skin and his coloration is stunning.

3 days hunting, 5 trophies down…unbelievable

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Day 4 morning hunt: sunny 65F

In search of a nyala. Hiked 3 miles, saw many nyala, no shots.

Day 4 afternoon hunt we encountered a locust plague. Hiked a mile near a dry riverbed. The locusts made so much noise we were able to walk up to within 20 yards of a group of kudu. No shots fired today. I was thrilled to have hunted nyala and will definitely add this species to my list on my 2nd safari. After negotiations with my wife and 9 year old sun, we decided to go after a zebra instead of nyala in the upcoming days. Nick had no problem with a custom package and offered several options.
 
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Day 5 morning hunt: sunny 70F

Off we drove about 15 minutes to a new ranch in search of red hartebeest. We glassed a huge valley from on top a ridge. It was rocky Terrane with a few draws with patchy bushes. Right away we spotted a large herd of hartebeest and a small bachelor group (30 total animals) about a mile away. Nick made a game plan to get in closer. We drove around the valley and made an approach from out of site. Everything seamed to be working fine right up to the point when we spotted an ostrich. That darn bird ran straight for the hartebeest and blew them right out of the country. We got out of the truck and had our tracker Elvin drive around the ranch in search of them. We stalked into a good ambush spot and waited an hour to no avail, the hartebeest vanished. After taking a hale marry shot and missing a baboon (500 yard shot, I was not steady enough and rushed it) we got picked up by the truck.

On the drive out we spotted 2 groups of hartebeest each having 10 animals. So Nick knew the main herd split up into 3 groups. Nick had the intuition that the missing group would be down in a low area with thick cover. We drove a little ways then bailed out of the truck and Elvin continued driving the truck without us. We stalked for about 10 minutes and stopped a couple hundred yards from a pond. And we waited…all of a sudden the missing group of hartebeest started passing an opening at the far side of the pond. One good bull was spotted. I got on the sticks, Nick adjusted the scope for a 235 yard shot and I waited for my opportunity. No shot, they all passed by the shooting lane. Nick whispered “just wait for them to come back”. Sure enough they did. They went back and forth a number of times until I finally got the shot. Unfortunately, it was a lung shot that took a follow up to put him down, but what a dandy red hartebeest he was!

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Day 5 afternoon hunt: going after blesbok.

We drove to new area near the kudu hunt but with a much different terrain. A group of about 100 blesbok live on the grassland (with no trees or bushes at all). It was wide open county with absolutely no cover to make a stalk. We drove to an area a pond was dug out and used the dug out dirt piles as an ambush hide. Elvin dropped us off behind a pile of dirt and drove off, circling the blesbok and pushing them in our direction. This worked fairly well but the animals would not offer me a shot the first couple passes. I wanted a common blesbok instead of a white one. There were only 2 darker colored shooters in the group which made it much more difficult. Finally on the 4th pass of the group, we got an unobstructed shooting lane at about 200 yards. My shot was a bit high, hitting him in the spine and dropping him in place.

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Day 6 morning hunt: sunny 75F

This day we drove 15 minutes to pursue zebra. We met the landowner, Mark, who took the drivers seat knowing the ranch’s roads better than anyone. He knew exactly where the zebra like to hang out. We spotted the zebra a mile out and devised a plan. Mark drove us to a dry creek bottom with lots of cover so Nick and I could bail out and make a stalk. We hiked up the creek bottom using bushes as cover for 400 hundred yards until we were within range of the zebra. I got on the sticks and waited for a clear shot at one stallion. Zebra are very unique, when they sense danger they all bunch up and stand their ground if they don’t see or smell the danger. For 20 minutes there was never a time I could shoot a stallion without hitting multiples. Finally Nick said we might be here until 3 o’clock if we don’t make a move. So we pulled back, circled around our cover and dropped low into the creek bottom. Then we moved in closer. This pushed the zebra out of their current position and out in more open territory. The bunch moved slowly up and away from us, they must have spotted our movement or heard something but never smelled us. I got on the sticks and Nick picked out a stallion at the far right side of the bunch. After several minutes, I got my clear shot. The stallion was quartering away, so I aimed slightly behind the triangle on his shoulder, squeezed the shot, and off they ran. My zebra faded behind, wobbled for a minute, and dropped dead with the one shot.

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