SOUTH AFRICA: Plains Game Hunt With Induna Safaris

[James2018]

July 2 2017

The Curse Of The Impala

Since the day I arrived we had been on the lookout for a nice mature Impala ram we saw many animals within a short distance of the lodge. There were large groups of females and young with dominant males and smaller herds along with bachelor groups. We spent several days climbing up to the top of ridges and glassing the opposite ridges and below in the valleys. We made numerous stalks but for whatever reason luck was not one my side, each time we got close either their was a shift in the wind or just too many eyes, despite the fact we moved quietly and used brush to conceal our approach. During this time we were on the lookout for other animals such as warthog, kudu and blesbok in the area, we continued to attempt to get within range of a mature ram. We started to think I had the"Curse of the Impala" because they seemed to have my number and I was not getting a break. Finally on July 2 we were able to stalk within range of a nice ram travelling with a group of females, we closed the gap and the females took off up and over the rocky cliff, The ram headed to our right along the hillside and we continued to stalk closer finally he stopped momentarily and was quartering sharply away and slightly downhill. I quickly got the rifle up on the sticks and chambered a round and lowered the bolt, I took the shot and missed shooting slightly under the animal. To this point I had made basically one shot kills and all I can say is it was operator error and I misjudged the downhill quartering away angle and possibly a bit of the impala curse.

Later in the day we moved up to a higher area and we were looking out over to an opposite ridge we could see a small bachelor group moving slowly and feeding. We spent quite a bit of time looking at him through binoculars and the spotting scope, but due to the distance and the fact it was very hot the heat mirage made it tough to really see all the detail. We could tell he was an old mature ram and that his tips pointed out, so we decided to go after him. After descending down the ridge and using the brush to conceal our presence and not skyline, we made it to the bottom of the valley. The wind was right and we had lots of brush so we could move along to our right and get closer to the ram, he was probably 600 yards to our right. Their was a red clay washout all along the bottom of this valley we climbed down into it and walked along as far as we could. The tracker got us to where we spotted the ram feeding with the others he was approximately 180-200 yards away but the brush was very thick. I was able to get set up on the shooting sticks and the Impala was facing right, I could not see all of his body and did not want to shoot through any brush and have a deflection or end up wounding him then watching him go over the top of the mountain. I decided to shoot him in the spine/neck are and took the shot. He dropped immediately and we walked down the washout and up the steep rocky hill, when I walked up to him I could see the very small hole in his neck and could tell he was a very old ram. From the great distance across the valley you could not tell that he had worn off several inches of the tips of his horns. He was battle scarred and old and was a great animal to take , with the harsh conditions it was not likely he would have survived too much longer.

We had a long walk back to our vehicle and drove to the point where we could recover him and carried him out of the valley and the steep rocks cliffs. The curse had been lifted and I said to Kelvin how can this be the least expensive animal to hunt it took more effort than most of the others and that was saying a lot. I can honestly say I loved hunting the Impala almost more than any other animal, they are so graceful and alert and once I herd them rutting and roaring I was hooked. There are several sounds in Africa that if I hear them I immediately think of being their one is that roar and the other is the doves which call non stop.

While I waited for my trophies to arrive I made up a bit of a display of sand and some plants/thorns for the Impala.
I have attached a photo of him on the wall.

 

[cpr0312]

Really cool flare to the impala, congrats!

 

[James2018]

JUNE 26Th 2018

OFF TO A GREAT START

After how well my hunting went and how much I enjoyed this area and hunting with Induna Safaris I returned on the same dates this year. I ended up spending a day unwinding from 37 hours of travel and waiting for some fog to lift then we headed to the range and spend most of the day fine tuning and sighting in a 243 CZ rifle I would use for all the animals taken from the Steenbok to the Lechwe and Hartebeest, I wanted to have the rifle dialled in so I knew exactly where I would hit out to 400 yards if I did my job and I was not in a severe crosswind. Also many of the animals were smaller and I did not want to use a larger caliber and potentially cause more damage to the capes. By the time I had spent a few hours shooting from 50-200+ yards I was satisfied and we left early in the morning after having breakfast and coffee. We drove a short distance over to Kelvin's father in law's property and were going to look to see if we could find a really good Common Springbok. In 2017 I managed to take a great Copper Springbok so the Common was high on my list and because there were so many to look at on the property and the fact that the Common Springbok tends to have larger horns than the other color phases, I was going to take my time and be picky. We spent the morning glassing and spotting and saw many animals and as any knows these animals tend to be constantly alert and running. At times it seems they never stop running and the area we hunted was vast and more open, although there was still some cover that could be used when needed. After seeing a number of different rams that we decided to pass on, we noticed one off by itself and it immediately stood out from all the other ones we had seen, he just looked big and his horns hooked back much more. We decided to take a closer look with the spotting scope and binoculars and we immediately agreed this was the one I was looking for. So we came up with a plan to wait for a bit as he was feeding on the edge of a small ridge and was moving away from us at a distance of several hundred yards. We hoped he would move over the top slightly so we could start to stalk and use the available cover, also there was a small group of females some distance away from him to the right that could potentially bust us. Once we felt comfortable that he was out of sight and the other group had moved on we slowly moved in his direction, the tracker made a path using the larger trees as cover and we eventually came up to the edge of the ridge at which point we stayed very low. We started to glass and look for him we could see the small group to the right but much further away now, then all of a sudden we spotted him. He was bedded down in some taller grass off to our left and no more than 75 years away, luckily the wind was right and he had no idea we were there. Kelvin got the sticks ready and I chambered a round and got ready to shoot. All we could do at this point was sit and wait, after some time he got up and stood broadside, I lowered the bolt and took the shot. He dropped immediately as he was hit in the heart. When I walked up to him I could not believe how nice he was, he was exactly what I was looking for and ended up being one of the largest ever taken on the property. I said immediately that this is going to be a tough act to follow and its sets the bar high for the rest of the trip which would last another 10 days.
His horns hooked back so much and up close he was just exceptional, I certainly felt lucky and said this is a Great Start! After spending so much time last year trying to get close one and many failed stalks I knew how hard they can be to hunt.

 

[James2018]

June 29th 2018

RED LECHWE HONEY HOLE

We left the lodge early after breakfast and packed a lunch for the day as we were going to be travelling to an area in the
Cockscomb mountains. Once we arrived we picked up a local tracker who knew the area well, the land had many steep hills and mountains as well as valleys and more open areas. We started out by glassing from several high vantage points and during this time and throughout the day many other animals were seen such as Vaal Rhebok , Gemsbok, Giraffe, Warthog, Wildebeest and Sable. Early in the day we located a small group of Red Lechwe feeding in some deep brush, we had a close look at the ram and he was certainly a nice animal. I was after a Lechwe in the 26+ inch range and he looked to be close, but we decided as this was early in the day and there were many animals in the area we would keep looking. We spent the next several hours walking and glassing from high ridges, we spotted many animals and took a close look at some in the valleys from long distance with the spotting scope, a nice ram had been moving across from the other side towards us. After looking at the ram for some time we still thought the one we saw earlier was longer and a bit wider. So we pressed on and moved down to another area while we were moving to this area we noticed a small group feeding along a ridge off to our right , they were half way up the steep hill above us. We had a much closer look and could see some smaller rams and some females. Then suddenly we saw a nice ram he had been hidden by some brush to this point and he turned sharply and was looking straight at us, due to the way he stood you could just tell he was very wide and long, once he turned more broadside you could get a better idea of his length and curve. He started to move to our right and more up hill and was getting nervous. We immediately decided this was the type of ram I was after and Kelvin and I started to stalk within range, the two trackers stayed at a lower elevation as the brush was high and it would be difficult to spot him if he decided to run up after being shot. After stalking to within range and getting in position to shoot I had to wait for a short time for him to show enough of a broadside opportunity to take the shot. He took a few steps out at a distance of about 175 yards and I took the shot, I missed him and shot under him slightly and at the say time he turned sharply and headed up and made a 180 degree turn, I repositioned and placed the crosshairs on his shoulder and could hear a distinct thump. I knew I hit him and thought it was a good shot placement. In ether case he ran about 100 years and went into some deep bush. We climbed up after him and cautiously got closer , we finally got a glimpse of him and he was hit and lying down. Once we came up closer I was ready to make a follow-up shot but could not get a clear shot in the bush. At this point he stood up and ran limping down the hill, fortunately he decided not go up and over or it would have been a challenge to find him. He went downhill and into another even thicker bush. We went down to where he was and I approached slowly and ready to make another shot, I was able to see enough of him this time to take another shot and fortunately he went down. When we approached we could see the first shot hit him right on the shoulder and was perfect, it just goes to show how tough some of these animals are and sometimes it juts does not go the way you plan. He was a magnificent animal with wide sweeping horns that were 27 inches and all I can say about the clean miss is maybe it was Lechwe fever.

 

[James2018]

June 30th 2018

THE SPEEDY STEENBOK

We had been trying to get a steenbok almost daily since I arrived, it certainly was not because we had not seen them. They were literally everywhere. The problem was usually when you saw them early and late in the day they were running at warp speed and zig zagging. We tried several times to get close to one we had seen on Kelvin's property in an area with thick brush and this involved sitting and remaining dead quiet. Each time we spotted him along with the female they would not offer any kind of a chance to get either within range or out in a open are. We decided to head to another area nearby that had many Steenbok and it had a few more open areas. I was after one that would hopefully make the SCI book and Rowland Ward , this meant being patient and relying on Kelvin and Alton to make the judgment on the size of the horns in relation to the ears. This proved difficult from a distance even with a spotting scope as they rarely stop for long. We did notice ram feeding alone at one point and spent quite a bit of time stalking and staying low in a washout to get within range, but after we got closer we could see he was decent but not what I was looking for. After spending several hours glassing and walking and looking we saw many groups of male and female steenbok, we noticed one in particular that had a large body and his horns looked like a mature ram. We spent quite a bit of time looking at him from a distance of more than 400 yards. He was feeding along a small crest of grass and brush with the female nearby as they usually are in pairs. Kelvin was sure this was a good mature male so we got our rifle and gear ready and started off by heading to our far right and into low draw that would allow us to get closer without being seen. We eventually made it to an area where the field opened up to more grass and low brush and their were two or three larges trees we could hide behind and conceal our profile. Kelvin and Alton began glassing and trying to find where they had disappeared to, after a short time they spotted the female and she moved a short ways and bedded down , it was getting hotter and towards mid day. Then they spotted the ram he was bedded down about 250 yards away and all you could see what his black horn tips. It took some time for me to finally find him in my binoculars, so we set up the sticks and I got ready. As he was resting all we could do was wait for him to stand up and hopefully give us a shot. We waited for a almost 90 minutes and by this time I was getting somewhat stiff from standing holding the gun in a ready position with a shell chambered but the bolt raised in a safe position. He finally stood up and started to feed in the direction of where the female played down, he was feeding around a bush where she laid down and simply would not give me any kind of a decent shot. It was at this time the female raised he head and her ears and started to look directly at where we were hiding behind the tree. Anyone who has hunted these animals knows how keen their senses are they have huge satellite dish sized ears and keep eyes and sense of smell. She knew something was not right. I slowly raised my binoculars several times to see where he was in relation to her and could see she was literally locked on to our location. All three of us were more or less frozen, I now concentrated on the ram hoping he would just take a few steps out of a bush. Very suddenly the female stood up and bolted at light speed to our right and away from us. The ram was startled and ran off to our left, we had no choice but to move quickly and left to get the sticks repositioned for a shot at that angle. At this point the ram stopped at a distance of 200+ yards facing us with his ears up, I knew I had but seconds to take a shot or he was gone. I lowered the bolt and aimed for his opposite shoulder due to the way he stoop facing at an angle. The bullet hit him and he dropped, this may he been the best shot I made while in Africa, maybe luck was on my side too as this is a small animal and I had little or not time to think.
Either way he turned out to be a mature ram and did in fact make both the SCI and Rowland Ward minimums

 

[James2018]

July 1 2018 Canada Day

MAKING HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES

As Mountain Reedbuck and Vaal Rhebok were two other animals I wanted to pursue, we had been discussing for several days some of the mountainous areas we could travel to , there were several options for each but to get a good animal, we would have to climb and work hard. I had been hiking and walking all year and I knew I was not getting any younger but knew I could handle the physical challenge. There were areas we could go that the reedbuck were plentiful but the problem was they were not necessarily as large as the ones that were at the top of a very steep mountain. So after much discussion and the fact Kelvin said "You have to make hay when the sun shines" and given the fact so far I had some great success. we headed out early to a nearby mountain area of the concession to look for Mountain Reedbuck. While hiking up a very steep ridge we spotted a Mountain Reedbuck ram and several females on a steep outcropping, after climbing up to within shooting distance we realized that they had fled due to swirling gale force winds. We then hiked to the top of the mountain which took about an hour of vertical climbing, where we traversed across the top of the mountain into the wind, the brush was very thick, making it difficult to spot any animals. We continued across the top of the mountain for about 9-10 km at which point we spotted another group of Reedbuck feeding in the distance. We stalked along towards them for several miles, but due to the height of the brush it was very difficult to keep them in sight. At one point Alton our tracker separated from us and went to a bit higher elevation but parallel to our position we heard the sound of baboons screaming, at this point Alton was not anxious to go further due to the fact the large male was acting aggressively and showing his teeth. Alton returned down the hill towards us. As we continued to stalk along the top of the steep mountain the brush was thick and high and many times we lost sight of the group. The wind was so strong it concealed our scent and the noise from the brush and the loose rocks. We finally were able to spot the Reedbuck ram in an open patch, which was at the end of the concession there was a brief chance to take a shot as the ram was walking away and in seconds he would be gone for good. Kelvin quickly set up the sticks and I got the scope on the ram, I could see I had little time and he was walking slowly and quartering away. I took the shot and heard the hit and thought it was good . We decided at this point to just hold back and sit for a bit, because if he was wounded and ran we would probably not find him. Also to be honest we had been walking in heat and gale force winds up the ridge for hours and now far from where we began, so we needed to get a drink of water and we had a quick snack. After 25 mins or so we walked slowly to the location we had marked with a huge Aloe tree, there was the Mountain Reedbuck just steps from were he was shot. He was a magnificent ram and as much as I had been fortunate to have taken many great trophies , he proved to be if not the best in the top 2. His one tip was worn from fighting and he was a very mature dominant ram just passing his prime. Alton tried to travel down the hill where we were with the ram on his back but after several attempts the hills were so rocky and steep that we had to slide on our rear ends at one point. Kelvin and I just felt it was safer to cape the animal and quarter him out and split the load. We also decided we must head long the top of the mountain all the way back to where we started then head down hill where we knew it was not as treacherous. While descending back down the mountain again, we spotted a large Duiker feeding at about 175 yards. At first I thought Kelvin was kidding because we had tried and tried to get one to stop and so far it was proving even harder that the Steenbok. I had a look and could see he had decent horns. So somehow with the cape on my back pack I got up on the sticks and took the shot at 175 yards straight down hill. The Duiker dropped where it stood and we descended slowly due to the load and the loose rocks and crevices between them. When we came up to the duiker it was laying on its side and had a nice set of horns, I cannot describe the reaction we had when we tried to pick the duiker up we noticed as it rolled over it was a female with horns. Lets just say I had a few laughs and this made for a unique African experience. We picked up the duiker and packed it the rest of the way down the mountain and back to our vehicle.I made the horns into a skull mount on pedestal, to go near the male duiker find later in the trip.

By this point Kelvin, Alton and I were exhausted from the whole day of hiking the gruelling mountainous terrain we had literally walked and hiked up and down and across the mountain from sun up until late in the day. However whilst on the drive back to the lodge, we spotted a Red Hartebeest Bull. I had wanted to go after one in 2017 and also in 2018 but so far was not able to get close to one. After looking at him quickly we decided he was a decent bull and also he appeared to be older and was somewhat slow in the way he moved. We quickly moved out towards him to a distance of 100 years and behind some brush , I chambered a round in the 243 and took the shot hitting him directly in the heart.
He dropped immediately. At this time due to the size of the animal we needed to go back to the lodge area and get a game cart to get him out of the area and so he was a closer to a road.

What a good day we had! It was a day of challenges, and great success, a really memorable day hunting! To say that we were tired when we got finished unloading was an understatement. Talk about "making hay when the sun shines"
Later that evening after dinner my legs were so stiff they buckled when I walked up the front steps of the lodge. The next day Alton our tracker was walking like the hartebeest was.

 

[James2018]

July 5, 2018 and July 6, 2018

THE SPEED GOAT- THE BEST FOR LAST

5th July 2018

After a bit of recovery from the Reedbuck hunt and a very successful hunt for a duiker ram we left very early to go hunt on a concession in the Swartberg Mountains. We glassed from several high points throughout the day over the entire area, we were able to locate several groups of Vaal Rhebuck feeding and resting in the distance. We attempted numerous stalks up this steep and mountainous terrain throughout the day and several times after a long hard steep hike we came within 500-600 metres of them only to have them bust us and take off. They would go up and over a ridge and you would expect to see them down in a valley below, but by the time you arrived at the top they were over the next ridge. This animals have some of the keenest senses of any antelope and can run so fast its unbelievable. I could not believe how they could know we were there, as the wind was in our favour and we were quiet and stayed low or behind cover. It was a long hard day and I could see how this was going to be the most challenging hunt , luck simply was not on our side today. So we headed home and had a long drive of several hours through some beautiful country. The last hour of the trip we had to be careful as the roadsides had thick brush and there were many kudu in the area, it would be easy to hit one as it jumped on to the road. While on route we discussed the fact I wanted to return to attempt to locate the ram again the following day. We made some inquiries in the area about potentially staying overnight at a bed and breakfast should we need to stay an extra day, either way I was hooked on hunting this animal and it was not going to be easy. Fortunately due to very cold evening prior to the hunt there was snow up top of the mountain which drove the animals down to a lower elevation. However today the weather got hot during the day which made hiking tougher. Once we arrived home late we were so tired we went directly to sleep to get rest for another early day.

July 6th , 2018

Another early start we headed back to see if we could get within shooting distance of the Vaal Rhebok Ram. When we arrived we noticed a small group of Vaal Rhebuck led by a large ram, feeding and laying down several kilometers away. We decided due to the windy conditions to move further down wind of the group this would enable us to stalk within shooting distance of the ram. We stalked up a rocky ridge to conceal our presence, once we reached the top of the hill we were able to locate the group, they were feeding down below us and we could barely see them through the brush.
We stayed low and waited for them to move across where I could get in a position to shoot. We had set up the sticks so that I could stand for the shot all of a sudden the female and younger animals ran to a distance of 400m to our left and then kept running to the next valley. The male stopped briefly to look at us and offer a frontal shot at 350 yards, I was able to take a shot but it was a bit low, a second shot was needed at a further distance to take one of the most challenging African Trophies. We were thankful that we managed to stalk within range as the day heated up quickly and it was going to be very warm. I was so glad and felt very lucky to have taken this fine ram, you could easily hunt them every day all day for a week and not get one. You could also walk many many miles up very steep mountains to get close, either way they rarely stop or get within range, they blend in and are very tough to spot. Throughout the two days I had seen other rams which were all decent but I had my mind set on this particular animal and persistence paid off. I will never forget this hunt or any of the others. I certainly appreciate the extra effort, attention to detail and the team effort from Kelvin, Denise and staff. It is a team effort and I certainly will return soon to Induna Safaris to hunt other animals like Sable , Zebra and Klipspringer in the near future, I would not even consider going anywhere else to hunt. The overall experience from the accommodation , scenic lands that they own, number/variety of animals, quiet and peaceful surroundings, incredible food and the experience of the PH -Kelvin and Tracker- Alton in getting close enough to some great trophies is second to none!

 

[Ridgewalker]

That is definitely some rugged country! What fine trophies! Congratulations on the good shooting.
What ammo did you use in the 243? It seemed to work very well from steenbuck to Red heartebeest.

 

[James2018]

The ammo was just standard soft point lead ammo made by PRVI found at local shops in SA. I used the PH-Kelvin's CZ 243 and we used that ammo to sight it in, it was 90 grain and in this gun lethally accurate out to 300 yds and more. Kelvin prefers this lead soft point type ammo, some clients have used tipped bullets and they exploded or separated and I can attest to the fact that most animals just dropped or went a short distance. Granted lots of the animals were smaller, but it still did a number on the Hartebeest and Lechwe. I think the PRVI may be called PPU in the USA . I used the same type in the 30-06 but 180 grain in 2017 when I went after mostly large animals like Kudu and had the same results most dropped immediately. Have said all that as I am sure you know shot placement is key.

I would have loved to have taken one of my rifles but the hassle as I like to travel really light and amount of paperwork and transferring through several countries was just too aggravating , you even had to fill out export permits for the scope. So I just spent a lot of time shooting the rifles I used and was confident where they would hit at what distance.

 

[gillettehunter]

Nice Vaalie. I have heard them described as having the eyes of a pronghorn with the attitude of a spooky whitetail.
Bruce

 

[James2018]

They have the eyes of an eagle, fur of a rabbit and ears like a bat eared fox! I would say for me they had the best senses of any animal I have pursued and when spooked they just put as much distance as possible between you and them. Similar to elk they seem to have a older female acting as a sentry. Keep in mind that that was in an area that has not seen much hunting pressure for them at all due to the rugged terrain, I cannot imagine going to an area where they have been disturbed often.

 

[Ridgewalker]

The ammo was just standard soft point lead ammo made by PRVI found at local shops in SA. I used the PH-Kelvin's CZ 243 and we used that ammo to sight it in, it was 90 grain and in this gun lethally accurate out to 300 yds and more. Kelvin prefers this lead soft point type ammo, some clients have used tipped bullets and they exploded or separated and I can attest to the fact that most animals just dropped or went a short distance. Granted lots of the animals were smaller, but it still did a number on the Hartebeest and Lechwe. I think the PRVI may be called PPU in the USA . I used the same type in the 30-06 but 180 grain in 2017 when I went after mostly large animals like Kudu and had the same results most dropped immediately. Have said all that as I am sure you know shot placement is key.

I would have loved to have taken one of my rifles but the hassle as I like to travel really light and amount of paperwork and transferring through several countries was just too aggravating , you even had to fill out export permits for the scope. So I just spent a lot of time shooting the rifles I used and was confident where they would hit at what distance.

Thanks James! Good information to know and that’s my opinion about the paperwork pain as well.
All a great report! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Chris M.]

Thanks James for the info, particularly about the Mountain Reedbuck which will be pursuing in a month's time at Induna. Good information to know what to expect. I liked Induna Safaris so much that returning again on July 11th with my wife; was there in end-September 2018.