Ferruccio
AH senior member
Despite the fact I had already had some great experiences in Africa, I could never imagine that I would have a girl as my PH on a safari.
It all began with a conversation on Instagram with Handrie, sharing our wonderful passion for hunting and nature.
Our conversations soon turned to planning a new african hunt (my Africa fever would be glad again), with the cape bushbuck as my main focus.
The bushbuck is one of my favorite animals, not just for its beauty but even for how brave and dangerous it is when wounded, charging dogs and people without any hesitation.
Handrie put me in contact with Johann, Almansdam Safari's owner.
We organized a 10-day safari in two new south african places for me: Kwa-Zulu Natal for the first five days and then Northern Cape.
For the first location, Handrie couldn't join us because she was busy with a safari in Eastern Cape, so Johann was my PH for the first five days.
I landed in Johannesburg and it took four and half hours of driving to reach our first hunting area in Kwa-Zulu Natal, the best one for cape bushbuck.
What surprised me a lot was how this land looked like the British countryside.
It was full of green lawns surrounded by some dense forests.
Like England, it can rain a lot here.
Indeed we had to deal with pouring rains many times.
Once we reached the lodge there were still a couple of daylight hours.
Even if it wasn't the first official safari day, we decided to not waste time and tested our luck.
We moved up at the top of a field bordering a quite large forest on the left.
We were accompanied by a Zulu tracker who spoke english very well (in Zululand, the Afrikaans language is not spoken).
During the wait, it started to rain a lot.
We were soaked, but we kept waiting until the rain stopped.
Here the luck came as quickly as lightning.
Just like roe deer after a rain, bushbucks love to come out into the fields to graze the wet grass.
A heavy-bodied ram came out from the forest.
At first glance, the unbelievable trophy's height stood out.
The horns went up straight without twisting on the top, an unusual trait.
We were all agreed that it would be foolish not to take advantage of this super chance.
That was definitely a bushbuck that you don't come across every day.
The shooting stick was very steady and I aimed at him with the 308.
When the bushbuck turned broadside, the shooting range was 240 meters with an angle from top to bottom.
Johann suggested me to aim a little bit higher on the shoulder.
At the shot, the ram collapsed on the spot.
Stunning 15.5 inches trophy with another interesting feature: I've never seen polished-whitish horns due to rubbing.
We couldn't hope any better than this start.
Bushbuck is an addiction to me, so I decided to look for another nice ram if opportunity showed itself.
In this area there is also a very big population of common reedbuck.
Also this antelope fascinates me so much and, even if I had already got a nice specimen, I said yes to the chance of a very beautiful common reedbuck too.
The common reedbuck thrives here because this antelope loves open fields with tall grass where it lies down during the day blending in perfectly with the surroundings.
A local hunter Barry (Johann's client and friend) joined us the next morning.
It was a very foggy morning, so we didn't spot anything.
In the afternoon we moved to a new area where kudus are also found.
During sunset, a reedbuck ram with a very wide trophy was feeding in a field.
It was a big pity that he was inside the neighboring property, so I could just aim at him without pulling the trigger.
The following day we scouted a new area carrying many reedbucks.
Over a hilltop, we noticed black horns sticking up in contrast with the color of the grass.
A ram was lying down at the bottom of the hill.
That reedbuck was a very nice trophy.
Johann set up the shooting stick and I got on it.
I saw the neck and the back of the reedbuck through the scope.
He was at 150 meters.
I was thinking to try shooting at the base of the neck, considering how I was steady on the stick.
Suddenly the reedbuck heard us and he turned his head towards us.
In this situation with the ram facing us, I couldn't see anymore the neck and the back properly.
So I couldn't shoot.
I kept the cross on him, ready to shoot as soon as he stood up.
My heart was beating crazily and I was afraid that the reedbuck fled without giving me a shot chance.
I saw the ram arched his back.
He was about to stand up.
As soon as the body, as big as a white-tailed deer's body, rose up I squeezed the trigger.
The reedbuck was ¾ broadside.
They told me that the bullet hit him, as he made a little leap backward.
Farther down the hill there was a little ditch with taller grass.
The reedbuck ran into it, followed by two ewes and a younger ram.
Then we saw those three reedbucks running through another field without the big ram.
We waited for a few minutes and then we found him dead.
Super thrilled hunting action with an awesome 15 inches trophy down.
In the afternoon we drove for more than two hours.
This new area hosted many nyalas and kudus.
As soon as we entered this area, we saw a group of nyala ewes.
A very good sign.
This area featured the typical Kwa-Zulu Natal environment: green hills of dense vegetation with thorny bushes.
The perfect environment for the three Tragelaphus species.
From a hilltop, we spotted a nice nyala bull browsing leaves near the Kwavoyizana Stream.
We went down the hill and, when we got the position, the bull was no longer there.
He entered inside the thick bush.
We followed the path, looking out for the thorns and we heard the nyala running on the left.
We came out from the bush, trying to cut his direction in another point.
We were about to enter inside the bush again, when unexpectedly we bumped another animal.
It was a bushbuck just 60 meters away from us.
The bushbuck was feeding, then it sensed us raising the head towards us.
It was a very old ram with worn bases.
The height of the horns was shorter compared to my previous one, but the trophy had the twisted points and still a nice length.
When I was on the stick, I thought for a few seconds that it would be foolish again if I would passed up this new awesome chance.
So I said to Johann that I was going to shoot.
Even if there were many branches on the way, I distinguished the neck's base and I shot there.
Also this bushbuck dropped straight down.
We crossed the Kwavoyizana Stream to reach him.
It was confirmed how ancient he was.
Many scars on the face, the left ear was torn apart and full of dandruff on the head and neck.
He had also an uncommon white chevron between the eyes like a kudu and nyala.
He was lighter in coloration compared to the first ram.
The longest horn (the left one) was close to 14.5 inches, another gorgeous trophy.
The reason the bushbuck hadn't fled and had given us plenty of time, was that he believed he was camouflaged and therefore unseen, thanks to the dense, overlapping bush branches between us and him.
It's even more compelling and memorable when the hunt offers something unexpected like this.
Very happy to accomplish the achievement of two very nice bushbucks in the same safari each displaying his own unique features.
We said goodbye to Barry, who could no longer join us.
It all began with a conversation on Instagram with Handrie, sharing our wonderful passion for hunting and nature.
Our conversations soon turned to planning a new african hunt (my Africa fever would be glad again), with the cape bushbuck as my main focus.
The bushbuck is one of my favorite animals, not just for its beauty but even for how brave and dangerous it is when wounded, charging dogs and people without any hesitation.
Handrie put me in contact with Johann, Almansdam Safari's owner.
We organized a 10-day safari in two new south african places for me: Kwa-Zulu Natal for the first five days and then Northern Cape.
For the first location, Handrie couldn't join us because she was busy with a safari in Eastern Cape, so Johann was my PH for the first five days.
I landed in Johannesburg and it took four and half hours of driving to reach our first hunting area in Kwa-Zulu Natal, the best one for cape bushbuck.
What surprised me a lot was how this land looked like the British countryside.
It was full of green lawns surrounded by some dense forests.
Like England, it can rain a lot here.
Indeed we had to deal with pouring rains many times.
Once we reached the lodge there were still a couple of daylight hours.
Even if it wasn't the first official safari day, we decided to not waste time and tested our luck.
We moved up at the top of a field bordering a quite large forest on the left.
We were accompanied by a Zulu tracker who spoke english very well (in Zululand, the Afrikaans language is not spoken).
During the wait, it started to rain a lot.
We were soaked, but we kept waiting until the rain stopped.
Here the luck came as quickly as lightning.
Just like roe deer after a rain, bushbucks love to come out into the fields to graze the wet grass.
A heavy-bodied ram came out from the forest.
At first glance, the unbelievable trophy's height stood out.
The horns went up straight without twisting on the top, an unusual trait.
We were all agreed that it would be foolish not to take advantage of this super chance.
That was definitely a bushbuck that you don't come across every day.
The shooting stick was very steady and I aimed at him with the 308.
When the bushbuck turned broadside, the shooting range was 240 meters with an angle from top to bottom.
Johann suggested me to aim a little bit higher on the shoulder.
At the shot, the ram collapsed on the spot.
Stunning 15.5 inches trophy with another interesting feature: I've never seen polished-whitish horns due to rubbing.
We couldn't hope any better than this start.
Bushbuck is an addiction to me, so I decided to look for another nice ram if opportunity showed itself.
In this area there is also a very big population of common reedbuck.
Also this antelope fascinates me so much and, even if I had already got a nice specimen, I said yes to the chance of a very beautiful common reedbuck too.
The common reedbuck thrives here because this antelope loves open fields with tall grass where it lies down during the day blending in perfectly with the surroundings.
A local hunter Barry (Johann's client and friend) joined us the next morning.
It was a very foggy morning, so we didn't spot anything.
In the afternoon we moved to a new area where kudus are also found.
During sunset, a reedbuck ram with a very wide trophy was feeding in a field.
It was a big pity that he was inside the neighboring property, so I could just aim at him without pulling the trigger.
The following day we scouted a new area carrying many reedbucks.
Over a hilltop, we noticed black horns sticking up in contrast with the color of the grass.
A ram was lying down at the bottom of the hill.
That reedbuck was a very nice trophy.
Johann set up the shooting stick and I got on it.
I saw the neck and the back of the reedbuck through the scope.
He was at 150 meters.
I was thinking to try shooting at the base of the neck, considering how I was steady on the stick.
Suddenly the reedbuck heard us and he turned his head towards us.
In this situation with the ram facing us, I couldn't see anymore the neck and the back properly.
So I couldn't shoot.
I kept the cross on him, ready to shoot as soon as he stood up.
My heart was beating crazily and I was afraid that the reedbuck fled without giving me a shot chance.
I saw the ram arched his back.
He was about to stand up.
As soon as the body, as big as a white-tailed deer's body, rose up I squeezed the trigger.
The reedbuck was ¾ broadside.
They told me that the bullet hit him, as he made a little leap backward.
Farther down the hill there was a little ditch with taller grass.
The reedbuck ran into it, followed by two ewes and a younger ram.
Then we saw those three reedbucks running through another field without the big ram.
We waited for a few minutes and then we found him dead.
Super thrilled hunting action with an awesome 15 inches trophy down.
In the afternoon we drove for more than two hours.
This new area hosted many nyalas and kudus.
As soon as we entered this area, we saw a group of nyala ewes.
A very good sign.
This area featured the typical Kwa-Zulu Natal environment: green hills of dense vegetation with thorny bushes.
The perfect environment for the three Tragelaphus species.
From a hilltop, we spotted a nice nyala bull browsing leaves near the Kwavoyizana Stream.
We went down the hill and, when we got the position, the bull was no longer there.
He entered inside the thick bush.
We followed the path, looking out for the thorns and we heard the nyala running on the left.
We came out from the bush, trying to cut his direction in another point.
We were about to enter inside the bush again, when unexpectedly we bumped another animal.
It was a bushbuck just 60 meters away from us.
The bushbuck was feeding, then it sensed us raising the head towards us.
It was a very old ram with worn bases.
The height of the horns was shorter compared to my previous one, but the trophy had the twisted points and still a nice length.
When I was on the stick, I thought for a few seconds that it would be foolish again if I would passed up this new awesome chance.
So I said to Johann that I was going to shoot.
Even if there were many branches on the way, I distinguished the neck's base and I shot there.
Also this bushbuck dropped straight down.
We crossed the Kwavoyizana Stream to reach him.
It was confirmed how ancient he was.
Many scars on the face, the left ear was torn apart and full of dandruff on the head and neck.
He had also an uncommon white chevron between the eyes like a kudu and nyala.
He was lighter in coloration compared to the first ram.
The longest horn (the left one) was close to 14.5 inches, another gorgeous trophy.
The reason the bushbuck hadn't fled and had given us plenty of time, was that he believed he was camouflaged and therefore unseen, thanks to the dense, overlapping bush branches between us and him.
It's even more compelling and memorable when the hunt offers something unexpected like this.
Very happy to accomplish the achievement of two very nice bushbucks in the same safari each displaying his own unique features.
We said goodbye to Barry, who could no longer join us.
