SOUTH AFRICA: SA Short Hunt With Game 4 Africa Safaris

K-man

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Well here comes a hunt report that like my hunt will be short and sweet. Back in June i began planning a hunt with Game4Africas safaris based on a sable/nyala special posted here on AH. My concern was with other commitments I would only have 4 days available to hunt, but Wik seemed to think it would be enough time. To be honest, I thought I might have to "settle" for a representative animal or the first one i saw. Glad to say, i was wrong.
My flight was the late flight coming in to P.E. so it was almost midnight when Lionel, my P.H. and family friend/neighbor of John and I arrived in camp. Breakfast was then a bit later the next day, and we sighted in my browning .375. One shot confirmed an inch high at 100yds, despite the best intentions of the airport handlers. I have never had a shot at a mature warthog, so about 30 minutes into the hunt we see a small group of warthogs out feeding. A good one is spotted at 180 yards, and Lionel looks at me and asks if we need to get closer. My response is to get the gun on sticks and the warthog drops in his tracks. First animal in the salt before noon. We go out for Nyala after lunch, and soon spot several. Lionel says we can do better, and an hour later we are looking at another one but before we can confirm the trophy quality he disappears.
Day 2. With an earlier start, we are into game quickly. A mature Nyala is spotted, we make a short stalk, i make what seems to be a good shot, the Nyala thinks otherwise, and they call in Rambo, the tracking dog. His races by, picks up the blood trail, loses it, and loops back to pick it up again. His bark about 50 yds later tells us where the Nyala is. When i arrive, he is down but requires a finishing shot. A great trophy with secondary growth that indicates old age.
I have looked over the trophy pricing and already decided to go after bushbuck if the opportunity arises, so after lunch we make a short drive to a neighboring property that holds bushbuck. We split up with the tracker to glass the deep canyons and cover bushbuck like to hide in, and within a half hour Lionel is motioning to me to come to him. A great mature bushbuck is standing motionless at the bottom of the canyon and we have lots of time to look him over. We range him at 160 yards and i immediately put a warning shot over his head. He doesn't move and luck wins. The next shot takes out shoulder and offside leg. Rambo tells us quickly where he is, and Mike the tracker and I hurry to the spot. Bushbuck love the thickest, nastiest thorny cover and both my ears have blood running off them when we arrive. Bushbuck are known to use their horns and we don't want any issues with dog or tracker so i take the point and finish him. By the end of day 2 i have three great animals in the salt.
Next day starts with a short drive to the property that holds the sable. John tells me there are at least three bulls but if possible we will not shoot the one that is breeding. We glass and drive and glass but have not located any sable, so we split up and begin walking. We soon spot 2 lone bulls about a hundred yards apart, and Lionel asks which one I want. One is mature, with the classic sweep to the horns, the other one is also mature but the horns have a slight skew to them. We decide this is the one and put a short stalk and shot. He disappears at the shot, but we find him soon and i finish him. I am amazed at how big the body is on a sable, and i think we have underestimated the horns. They have a great length and mass. Since this property has a large amount of springbok, i decide to take advantage after lunch. They remind me of the pronghorns here in the States, small, spooky and fast. Run first, look later attitude. We have several failed stalks with none getting closer than 300 yds, a bit of a stretch for my .375. John kindly offers me the use of his prize rifle, a supressed .270 that he says is "on" out to 300yds. I spot a lone male at 300 yds, and a single shot to the front of his chest is all it takes. End of day 3, with all of my wants filled with 3 extra animals as well.
At breakfast day 4 i tell Lionel i want a east cape Kudu. They run smaller than the southern kudu i have hunted before, and a good one is 46 to 50 inches. I tell him i want to find one that looks like a kudu skin draped over a barb wire fence, so old he won't make another season. We go to Lionel's place next door, and spot kudu immediately. None are old, mature so we keep looking. We soon find 2, one with ivory tips, and when they drop off the hill we give chase. We get to the last place we saw them, and i glance to my right and see a different kudu standing at 160 yds. Lionel puts up the sticks, and in the scope i see him standing almost broadside, head slightly down. He reminds me of the poor donkeys we see on the roadside, head down, ears drooping, just waiting. I squeeze the trigger and his nose hits the ground first. When we get over to him, i can see his coat has almost no hair, the ivory tips and his ribs showing. Almost no teeth and Lionel says he is at least 12 yrs old, and no one recognizes him. He has evaded hunters for years without being noticed. A great trophy and a great end to my hunt. John and Wik kindly recommend a different cape as his is just unusable. I resist at first, as i think the coat is part of the story, but they are right. They cull kudu regularly and have a spare cape in the salt already.
To finish, a hunt with caring, talented people that truly want you to take mature trophys. The food, accommodations and staff are excellent, with every need and want looked after. A hunt i would gladly repeat and recommend. Thanks to all who worked to make my hunt special.

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Sounds like a great hunt if short. Pics please!
 
That was a pretty intense 4 days!

Very sporting of you to give that Bushbuck a warning shot!

Oh...and while we are ok with short reports, we absolutely frown on the no pictures thing!! ;)

Pics Please...:)

Edit: I do see your new avatar. Nice!
 
Pictures on the way... Didn't download before the time expired.
 
Here you go...I know, I know, pictures or it didn't happen....

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Excellent report! Headed over to hunt with Wik in the spring these reports sure aren't making time go by any faster! You took all awesome trophies.
 
Good looking animals...thanks for posting them up.


Tim
 
Excellent hunt and I can't believe you squeezed all that in in just 4 days! Awesome! Geez I don't think I could survive Delta to Joberg for only 4 days of hunting! 10 days is tough enough!
 
Congrats and thanks for sharing! You did well for a short hunt!!
 
Looks to me like you had a very nice hunt. Congrats sir!
 
That's packing it in.

Congratulations on your success. Thanks for the report.
 
That is really getting it done in that time frame. Looks like nice quality animals to for such a short hunt.

Game 4 Africa is really getting it done down there in the east cape.
 
Thanks for the support, I believe that you should compliment a good outfit as loudly as you would complain about a bad one.
 
Thanks for the hunt report!
 
You got a lot of hunting done in four days. Congratulations on your animals K.
 
Nice job @K-man !

Knew how you started there, but great to see how you finished !
 

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