SOUTH AFRICA: Pawprint Safaris Hunt 2016

[billc]

This was a hunt I have been waiting on for 2 years. It was bitter sweet as this was a hunt my son would not be joining me on. You know a 17 year old boy starts a different kind of hunting and he found him another lioness he liked. LOL

It was still going to be fun as lee was joining me again and 3 new guys. Lee has a report going also with plenty of good info to see. This will be about my hunt for the most part. This was a hunt for me but also a trip to look at pieters areas that I have not seen. I wanted to gain all the info I can so when I talk with guys I have facts. I still have more areas to see so darn I will just need to get back.

Pieter keeps adding areas to keep quality of game high as he grows paw print. The other nice thing I get to see as I meet the new landowners is they all like working with Pieter. That tells me a lot about how Pieter is doing things the right way. Have some more new areas coming up for next year and will still have all the old places as well.

I also got to meet the ph's Pieter is working with and some new guys who helped out with the group. With 5 hunters plus Charlie in camp Pieter added some ph's to help and they all did a fine job. Was great meeting Jonathon and prop as they are the main guys now who help Pieter. I was the lucky one I guess you could say and would have prop as my ph. One of the new guys going with would be going with also. My main goal was to make sure doug had a blast and hunt if I saw something I liked. After some 40 plus days in sa over the last few years I knew I did not need to rush. I do think doug thought I was crazy as I just watched him hunt a few days but he learned fast.

After a few days of hunting and watching doug take some nice trophies Prop and I made a plan to look for a giant klipspringer we both had seen over the last two years. Since we wanted to show doug the view from the top of one of the areas we hunt we would have a look and see if we could get lucky.

As we drive up the mountain Prop is ready to show me were he saw it last when I realized it was within 20 yds of were we had seen it two years ago. Just like that I see something moving and dam if it was not him. Prop could not see it and I lost sight as it moved. We move up the road some and I hear Prop say shot him it is right there. I say were and he tells me in the rocks as we are both looking at a rock mountain. LOL just as I spotted him again he moves in the bush and is gone. As we both start to laugh as we realize how dumb it was to say in the rocks as that was all that was in front of us. More on the little nightmare of an animal later on.

We make it to the top to see a herd of mtn reedbuck 17 in total but no males at all in the group. We did get to see two free range springbuck running around on top of the totally opened mtn top. Plus a group of 8 blesbuck running around with the ram in the group being 16" plus. We took some good pics which I do not have as my camera broke and I have not talked with doug about getting some from him.

 

[billc]

This was also my first time to see the flintbeck lodge and meet the family that runs it. I am not sure you could find better people or be treated better. Lodge was clean and very family like with some of the best food I have had over there. WE had beef,chicken and all kind of wild game meats. Plus some home made pizza and Mac/cheese to die for. The fires at night as we cooked out and had some drinks was amazing. Heidi and Thomas will go out of there way to make you feel at home and put on some pounds when over there. You may find fancier but hard to believe you will fine nicer people with a lodge anyone will enjoy.

I did have a few goals in mind for this trip and Pieter did go out of his way to try and make it happen. I did get one of my goals done but the 1 1/2 of rain the day before we got there and the coldest weather I have had since going to SA made bow hunting very hard for the first few days. The water was all over and animals just stopped using the waterholes like they had been. Lucky for me I am ok with using a gun or bow as I find both fun ways to hunt and have learn to roll with the punches Africa throws at you.

Then we got the bad news the bushpigs had got off the bait sites Pieter had going for me. As soon as we got the bad news pieter started trying to still find me a bushpig to hunt. More on that later as we did make a plan.I also learn some animals just need more time then what I had figured in for them on this trip. I just had to many things I wanted to do but will really focus on them next trip.

AS you can see I am all over the place as I remember all the stuff that happened but hang in there.

 

[Royal27]

Looking forward to it Bill!

 

[CAustin]

@billc is was good to finally meet you. Couldn't agree with you more about Thomas and Heidi at Flintbeck. They are great folks. I have a picture to post just need to find it!

 

[CAustin]

Here it is......you kicking back with your little pink plate ware set.

 

[billc]

Ok back to the hunting. After the almost on the kilspringer we made a plan to go look for him and maybe a mtn reedbuck. Prop wanted this one as bad as me so we both were pumped to go after him.
We drive up the mtn road and check the normal hangout spot with no luck. We decide to hunt the top and look for anything we may like. The wind had another idea and made it very tough for sure. We found the springbucks again plus the blesbuck but everything was laying tight in the rocks. We checked areas prop had never covered before and in general just having a good time hunting.

After two hours of walking and glassing we decide to walk back to we knew were the kilspringers home was. Were just walking and enjoying the view when out of the rock jumps up the ram. You can just tell how big he is with your eyes alone as he is 6 1/2 or better. prop get the sticks up as he goes running right along the top edge of the mountain. He is out to about 60 yds running and I hear prop say take the shoot. I think what the hell why not and I shoot but shoot right over him and he goes over the edge and is gone again.

Then Prop looks at me and goes why did you shoot. My heart just sank as I thought oh no what did I do. I say I heard you say shoot so thought it was the last chance before he was gone. He then tells me he said wait till he stops then shoot. With the wind and me getting on the sticks I only heard shoot. I felt so bad as he wanted this as bad as me. We just stood there and he looked at me and said who knows he may not have stopped so you did what you thought was right. I was relieved but still mad at the same time.

Then all of a sudden we see animals moving and we were back on the sticks. No not that lucky the kilspringer did not come back out but my shoot had scared 5 mtn reedbucks up and out for us to see. We glassed them and there was a small male but I passed. But then I also told prop I took the shoot to scare then out so my planned worked. He just looked at me and started to laugh and we both got over the mix up real fast. We laughed and walked back to the truck.

So we head back for lunch have a nice meal. Prop is taking doug out and now scubby gets stuck with me. Pieter tells me about a red hartebeest that I will just love as it is crazy looking as me. Oh the love I get from my friends. I am all in and we head off to the area of the ranch he normally hangs out at. We drive around and we stop to glass when I see a group down below were we had just driven 10 minutes ago.

So e drive part way and start a stalk to see if it is him. We get there see a few reds moving when in my binos I see a crazy red looking back. We move up about a 100 yds scubby gets the sticks up and he walks off. we follow and jump him again but he gives us the slip. We decide to drive the truck around to the other side of the dry creek bed. We park start walking the edge when I look up to see him standing on the other side about 250 yds away thinking he is safe. Scubby gets the sticks up again and ask if he is in my range which I say no problem. Now all he has heard all week so far is how bad a shoot I am. So we get on the sticks he moves up the hill some and he tells me 280 now. I get the 257 bee on him and take the shoot. He goes down in a heep and never moves. I was so happy and scubby was like you can shoot just fine. We get back to the truck drive around to see my crazy red beest. I can say I have a once in a lifetime red now.

 

[billc]

View attachment 158036 Here it is......you kicking back with your little pink plate ware set.

Charlie was great meeting you. Just sorry I did not get to say good bye as I thought I was going to see you when we got back from the morning hunt. Hope to see you in KC though at your local sci show.

Lucky for Pieter he found mtn dew with that pink tee set.

 

[CAustin]

That Red is going to look great on your wall bill.

 

[CAustin]

Bill hope you can make it to KC!

 

[Scott Slough]

Love the "nontypicals" ... looking forward to the rest of everybody's hunts.

 

[billc]

Well the group and I have plans to head to the area we hunt springbucks,oryx,black wildebeest and all the regular plains game. The goal was for a springbuck for a rug for me and a black if we had time. So we split up and go on are way. We find a nice springbuck ram I liked and at 80 yds thought for sure it was a done deal. He was looking straight on and I have no idea what I did but I missed. I am thinking I shot over him but have no idea really. So off we go again looking for more when I see a nice ram running away. He decides to stop and look at us as he must of heard I missed one already. Well he stopped at 300 yds and may 257 is made for that range and this time the shoot was good and he went right down never moving at all. The ranch owner was happy as he was not so sure of my shooting after the miss but was proud to say it was a great shot after he was down.

Not a giant but will make a nice skull mount and rug. I saw bigger rams after I took this one and we are just happy we can offer springbuck for guys who want them and get them on nice ones.

We are off again looking around when we see what seemed like one of hundreds of ostrich on the place. There is I would say around 50 of them running around. Well we start joking around about taking one when I get dared by lee the PH and the landowner to take one. I always did want one but never that badly. Well after seeing the nice red tail feathers and how he just walked around with no fear as he showed off I decide why not. They started to walk away and the dare was more them thinking I was going to miss or he would run away after being hit as they are tough to bring right down. Well I read enough on what shot to take. He started to move at a pretty fast walk but kind of quartering away. This time I grabbed my 300 win mag and gave him a shot right behind his wing but going away at just the right angle. He went down like a ton of bricks never moving a muscle. The landowner was in shock as it went down hard and it was walking so he thought I was going to wait for it to stop.

Yes I have issue as I am making a shoulder mount out of the giant bird. Lee took some feathers to make some wooly buggers to fly fish with also.

 

[cpr0312]

Good start, thanks for sharing! Look forward to more

 

[billc]

Well after a great lunch and meeting up with the other guys we go back out. I am looking for a black beast and there is many to pick from. We find a smaller group with 3 good solid shooters in the bunch. As they always do they never stop moving around and we wait. Then they stop and I get on one and they mix up. the guys are watching and telling me which one. I lose the one I really wanted in the group but they see another one which walks and switches places as I get on him. he is walking away and we see his hooks and he looks good. I take the shot he goes down but kicks a bit he looks like he is getting up so I give him another and then he really starts kicking so I give him one more and he is done. We get up to him the guy looks him over and goes dam you hit him all 3 times. He just laughs and said you got your shoots in on him. We then notice he is one of the younger bulls and we had all made the mistake on him. The bull has great hooks but the bosses of a young bull but shows the genes of the bulls there as they grow to shooter size.He is not the biggest and the smallest of the 4 we took there but I am happy with him. I will hunt another one but with the bow next trip. Was just to hard this time with all of us hunting there at one time. Twice we drove by the blind and they were with in 40 yds so more then in range with my compound bow.

Here you can see the quality of the bulls on the place with the others we took. Well over 4oo blacks with I would say 30 to 40 good solid bulls to hunt.

 

[cpr0312]

Love the Red!

 

[kathy]

Sounds like a fun hunt. thanks for sharing. I like the red hartebeest . Forrest

 

[cpr0312]

Some nice black wildebeest as well, high on my list for the next trip!

 

[siml]

With 5 hunters plus Charlie in camp Pieter added some ph's to help and they all did a fine job

Was Charlie the chef?

have learn to roll with the punches Africa throws at you.

Bill thats so true...learn to roll with the punches.

 

[jeff]

Absolutely love the third black down!

 

[Lee M]

Of course you do Jeff - that's my black. LOL

 

[Lee M]

Or maybe that's Dougs. I'm the last pic