SOUTH AFRICA: Symbol Safaris, Above & Beyond

Bsto270

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Well I figured I had best get started on this. Pictures will have to follow in a bit as I am writing this remotely from Southern NJ where I am currently working.

First a quick summary, then later will get to some daily breakdown info.
The planning on this trip started about 2 years back. I had looked around, and eventually, after talking with a friend who had been over with them twice, settled on Symbol Safaris, along with 4 other folks we knew.

I can say that the lodging, food, and hospitality were way beyond what I could have hoped for. Will and his wife Tanya, who run the business, absolutely went out of their way to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves.

The hunting was more than I could have hoped for as well. Trophy quality, amount of game, access to various properties, all were top notch. We had a younger PH named Pierre who hunted with my wife and I for the 7 days. I was really impressed with his drive, eye for trophy quality, and demeanor (I must have asked a thousand questions about plants, birds, etc and he never blinked to answer in a friendly manner). We had several other PH's in camp, Lammi (spelling likely off on this one) and Christof. Group members that hunted with them spoke highly of them as well.

At the weeks end, our 5 species original package ended up as 7 species, 10 total animals hunted with 8 trophies and 2 cull animals. My wife got a nice Kudu, warthog, and impala. I finished the week with a bushbuck, bushpig, mountain reedbuck, blesbok, waterbuck (one of those give you what the bush offers sort of moments) , an impala ewe (planning to mount with the ram) and a cull warthog. I will start to write out a daily summary and put some pictures on as I can (I plan to put mine on, my wife however, I do not want to put her face on the internet with some of the people out there who pull pics of trophies).

After the long plane ride home, I couldn't believe it when my wife said "I think we should plan a return trip in a few years."

kudu1.JPG
 
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Look forward to it!
 
Sounds like you had a great trip....looking forward to hearing more about it and seeing some pics!!!
 
Glad your trip went well. I know it was a long wait but they all end up being worth it. Looking forward to seeing the pictures.
 
Day 1- arrival
Usually not an eventful day, but this was an exception. We arrived in Port Elizabeth, bleary eyed from overall lack of sleep, dehydration, and airline food. Pierre was a sight for sore eyes when he met us at the gate. As we rode to Wycombevale, the main lodge and property, I suddenly got a third or fourth wind. I was exhilarated to see it all.

We arrive, and after we unpack and shower, Will comes to us and asks if we would like to hunt the first afternoon, as we had 3 different species that would best be hunted in the evening hours and only 7 days. Apparently the group prior to ours worked hard for kudu, so they asked if we would like to look for Kudu after our trip to the range. We decided to cowboy up and give it a whack.

We drove, spotted, glassed. Saw tons of different species. I was pumped. It came to the last half hour of daylight. We had our tracker watching a clearing and suddenly got word a big bull they knew was around but hadn't seen in some time was in the area. We got there, and there was just enough time for my wife and the PH to hop out, grab the sticks, and give a short stalk to a shooting position. I didn't have time to jump out, but saw the bull in the distance. She got a good shot in at about 80 yards , and when I saw the bull kick his back legs out and his whole shoulder shudder, I knew we were in business.

Brought out Buddy, our tracking dog (border collie I think). After a few minutes, 50 yards away, there he laid. First trophy, and a tough one, first day, before our first day of hunting. It was an omen for how well this hunt would go. After pictures and congratulations, all four of us (our tracker Ricardo and took the back legs) loaded the kudu up. When we came in to the skinning shed, it was another round of congrats and a fine dinner of ribs off the brai, pap and sous and a salad, followed by a lovely dessert. Sleep never seemed so good after it (the gin and tonics really helped as well).
 
Good start!
 
Waiting for pics of kudu :A Popcorn:
 
.................
After the long plane ride home, I couldn't believe it when my wife said "I think we should plan a return trip in a few years."

There is a trophy comment if you ever heard one.

Look forward to a blow by blow when you get around to it.
 
Great start (y) Looking forward to more of the details!
A lot of people are turning green (with envy) right now. Bush Pig on your first trip over...
You might consider putting your wife in charge of some of the planning for your return trip immediately! Trust me ;) Lock it in!
 
I agree great start! Keep it coming!
 
Congrats to your wife!
 
Dang, way to go!
 
Day 2- actually day 1 of hunting for the full day. After breakfast of some toast, homemade salami and cape delights cheese spread, fully caffeinated and ready we headed out to spot for bushbuck.

The morning proved a bit slower, with one ewe spotted and of course some other species, including a rather large group of vervet monkey. It still amazes me that they run around in numbers like we have squirrels in the US.

As the morning progressed, we spotted a herd of 5 warthog. They were tops on the wife's list as well. We made a fairly long stalk, putting a small hill in an open field between us and them. She got up on the sticks and at about 80 yards or so put one round right to the shoulder. The boar was dead where he stood. A lot of congrats and pictures, then in for lunch. Can't beat a full on homemade lasagna and fresh bread, green salad.
warthog1.JPG

That afternoon, back out on the prowl for bushbuck, young ram but nothing else promising. We headed over to sit in the blind for bushpig (that will be the next post, it warrants a whole one).
 
Look forward to the bushpig post :A Popcorn:
 
Day 1, night sit for bushpig-

We got into our blind around 5:00pm. Will has quite a system worked out on bushpig. I can say he was prepared to put us on a good bait with pigs hitting it. We took a rifle with a new night sight fitted (more on that later) and the 300 wm. we used the rest of the week as well.

At 5:30, feeder goes, and as the sun sank, light came on. We had checked the night sight once, seemed ok. Then the long sit. The trail cam showed usual activity at 6-7pm. That would not be the case that evening. At around 8, the first dark shadow. The pig took three tries to settle in. Finally 3 smaller ones wandered in. At that point Pierre is trying to judge the larger pig.

We try to look through the night sight. Uh oh. Washout of picture. We aren't sure why, if it was moon, the light on the bait, or what. We slowly maneuver to switch rifles. Right as we get it back on sticks (and I am using the smaller light out there to find the crosshairs), pigs take off. Pierre assures me to sit tight, give it time. It's 8:50 or so when a big lone pig wanders in. We watch it for a bit, as it proceeds to chase small pigs and even a larger one (not as big but bigger) off the bait site. Pierre motions for me to get on that one. I use the post the feeder is on as a light colored backdrop and find the pig as it steps further into the light. He quietly asked if I had it. I confirmed. He said "Drop that one". Squeeze, hear the thud then the bang. A slight squeal. It's 9pm and as cold as we saw it that week.

We come out of the blind and I'm shaking life a leaf (not to mention I had to pee like a race horse). Pierre gets a shotgun, 2 loads of SSG out of the truck when the tracker arrives on the scene. He and Ricardo start looking, and come up on blood right where I shot. Drop, drop, drop, then , to my relief, 30 yards away the pig was down. It turned out to be a big, very old, very dry sow, but I was pumped and happy. She had scars down her face from fighting. Teats were nowhere to be seen. Her cutters were worn. She was the sort of trophy I really like. A lot of character. I was planning on a skull mount anyway, and was thrilled. Also ended up having the flat skin done. First full day, 2 pigs, 2 species. A banner sort of day. We found out later the night sight was just fine, but we didn't have the thing pushed on the scope far enough. In the heat of the moment, we didn't mess with it.


bushpig 2.JPG
bushpig1.JPG
 
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Day 3- 2nd full day to hunt

The morning was another one up driving and spotting for bushbuck. Finally saw a ram that morning, but it was a fleeting glimpse as he crossed a bushroad in the distance. I was amazed how dark they get.

Afternoon was more of the same, saw a young ram and a ewe that evening, as well as more warthog. The whole day though, we spotted wildlife (I am gonna type some sort of species list here at the end). We finalized our plans that evening to drive an hour and a bit further north to the Cradock area to hunt mountain reedbuck, and while there, bushbuck as the property ended up being full of them.
 
Day 4- Early up in the morning. Breakfast with the group. We would be heading north towards Cradock, some other folks would be heading to another property an hour plus away and overnight there to look for kudu and whatever else came along. We hopped into the landcruiser,radio on and off we went. Up over some mountains, and suddenly offroad. The property was owned by an older gent named Corbus (certain I am misspelling that). It was rocky ground with a riverbed (all but totally dry), small pans, and ringed by rocky mountains and hills. Saw tons of steenbok and duiker (I almost regret not taking a crack at a duiker, we saw some great ones up there). The morning found us putting on several small drives for bushbuck. Missed one shot I hurriedly made, almost got a second shot, when all of a sudden, I see our bakkie pull into my line of sight. Seems the landowner thought I had made a shot, and pulled forward, right as the ram stopped. No shot, clean miss, so there it was. My PH was not pleased with the landowners indiscretion, but we moved on.

As we worked our way near the hills, spotted a small herd of reedbuck. Glassed, no rams. Went a bit further, about a half mile away, all of a sudden, there he was. An animal I heard can be super tough. Bedded down maybe 85 to 90 yards out. It was wide open between us and seemed like an opportunity I did not want to pass up. One shot, base of the neck as he was slightly turned to anchor him. I knew he looked good in the scope, but when I got to him, was tickled pink with his size and horn curve. We had gotten word the dry weather had pushed them down a bit in elevation. This certainly seemed to be true.
reedbuck.JPG


Spent the remainder of the day being after lunch being deviled by bushbuck. Missed a shot over the back shooting hard downhill into a valley, thought it was over as the sun was setting. Then, out of nowhere, 30 minutes later, another ram stood up. On the sticks, shot with lower aim. Put it abit far back angling forward. Saw him stumble down. The tracker, with shotgun in hand and Buddy our faithful tracking dog in tow, headed down. He staggered up when they got close. Buddy got him bayed up in about 30 yards in a small pond in the valley. I heard one shot, and my bushbuck was in the salt. The shot I hit him with angled up through the liver, but missed the off shoulder. It was hard won, and I was excited and a bit relieved the tracking went well. Not my biggest trophy, but the hardest to ultimately get.

bushbuck.JPG
 

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