SOUTH AFRICA: Tsala Hunt

[jeff]

Got back two weeks ago from a ten day bow hunt with Tsala. Rouan the PH/owner was a great guy and did not pressure me, the food was great and the accommodations very good, the hunting was slow at the hides. The first day we had 2 blesbok come in and one was a nice ram but I already have one. The next 2 days were pretty uneventful except for a very large blue wildebeest that we thought I shouldn't take because we didn't want to ruin it for the sable, if we had only known that they weren't using that place I would have taken him. I feel we were fortunate to get the sable on day four from a pop up blind over bait as they had quit coming to water or feed at the permanent hides. Day 5 I had a chance at the impala, two rams came in I shot the shorter of the two but he was heavier and wider. Days 6 and 7 we spent till 1:00pm on another property hoping for bushbuck or mountain reedbuck and warthog, we saw two immature male reedbucks and some female bushbuck but no shooters and a nice kudu bull but I already have taken a 58 bull so I didn't have a kudu on my list. We also saw some baboons but no mature males or I would taken one. Just before dark on day 7 we had a duiker show and Rouan said it wasn't very big but I thought it was good enough for me, didn't recover him till the next morning. The last 3 days were uneventful. We had swirling winds everyday, if something start to come in the wind screwed us. He had 4 bowhunters the week before and I think the animals were hide shy also, he also had local bowhunters about three weeks before, next year he says he is not going to have locals so I think that will help. His game numbers were good and the trophy quality good as we saw a lot of game just not at the hides. We had zebra wildabeest, waterbuck, eland, and impala that started to come in but for whatever reason decided not to. I would have added zebra, bushbuck , wildebeest, nyala but they didn't want to cooperate. He has 3 permanent hides so I think it is easy to over hunt them. I had a warthog on the package but we didn't see any decent hogs male or female although we saw numerous young hogs. The value of the hunt was very good as the sable package was priced so low and the added days were only $120 a day, it gave a poor working man a chance to hunt sable which I never thought I would get.

 

[flatwater bill]

Great report. It would have been nice to have a little more action, but you had a Sable hunt, and got one..........so congrats! I have only bowhunted Africa once, and would like another crack at it. Would you suggest, maybe 6 weeks earlier? .......................FWB

 

[CAustin]

Jeff the picture of your Sable bull looks great! Will you give us a detailed report on that experience? How big us he?

 

[jeff]

Hi CAustin, we had seen a sable twice at a place where they were putting out alfalfa and the afternoon of day three we put up a popup blind and sat it day four early afternoon and the bull came walking in after about three hours, he was quartering towards me so I waited about five minutes and he finally presented a shot. we were worried that the wind would swirl as it had been very shifty. This was probably the same bull that we had saw earlier although there were a few others around. Hunting had been slow and I wasn't going to pass the chance as I think I might have went home without one. He is 33 inches, not very long but quite heavy with 9.5 bases. He was mature as I looked at his lower teeth and he looked like he was in the prime of life.

 

[jeff]

p:s the shot was 25 yards

 

[CAustin]

Wow Jeff! I want one of those bad boys one day. The outfitter I have used advertises sable regular price $10,000 and special for 37 to 40 inch for $8,000. I have seen one one here for $7,900. Would you PM me what you paid for your bull? You can tell his bases are big but I would have thought he was longer. Big big body on him. Thanks Charlie

 

[jeff]

PM sent

 

[Wheels]

Jeff,

Congratulations on your hunt. Glad you got your sable. Wish things had worked a little better for you. Thanks for sharing your memories and photos.

All the best.

 

[jeff]

Even when hunting is slow it's a whole lot better than going to work, and hey I got a sable the holy grail of plains game!

 

[hunting4sanity]

Congrats on the sable, definitely a bucket list animal for me and with a bow is always worth bonus points. That photo of your duiker is a really great photo.

 

[Nyati]

Congrats on your hunt, Jeff , and thanks for sharing !

 

[Royal27]

Awesome.... Sable is def on the list for someday!

 

[harden]

Congratulations on your GREAT bowhunting Safari, thanks for the report and pics !

 

[Bobpuckett]

Jeff Congrats on your hunt those are some fine trophies. Thanks for sharing.

 

[enysse]

Congrats Jeff, great hunting report! Thanks for all the emails over the last 2 months.

 

[ROCKET]

Jeff.....very good hunt and a great report to be readed.....very well done.....I wish to have the chance to afford some day to a sable.......!!!!!

Congrats.....!!!!!