Dates: 24th March - 6th April
Areas:
• Umkomaas Valley, KwaZulu-Natal
• East Griqualand, near Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal
• Stormberg Mountains, near Molteno, Eastern Cape
• Baviaansriver Conservancy, Eastern Cape

Outfitter: Crusader Safaris
PH’s: Rad Robertson & Aramant Aucamp
Rifle: Sako 85 Synthetic Stainless in 30.06 fitted with a PES sound moderator
Bullets: Federal 180grain Barnes Triple Shock

Game seen: Nyala, Greater and Cape Kudu, Bushbuck, Zebra, Waterbuck, Impala, Porcupine, Baboon, Hartebeest, Black and Blue Wildebeest, Steenbok, Duiker, Monkeys, Dassie, Spring and Cape hare, Aardwolf, Civet, Warthog, Springbok, Mountain Rhebok, Vaal Rhebok, Common Reedbuck, Blesbok, Bush Pig, Fallow deer, Lechwe, African Wildcat, Bontebok

Game Hunted: Bushbuck, Caracal, Warthog, Blue and Black Wildebeest, Mountain Rhebok, Vaal Rhebok, Common Reedbuck, Blesbok, Springbok, Nyala, Zebra

Game Hunted but not taken: Caracal, Warthog, Nyala,

Our last two trips we had been to the Limpopo but I fancied a change of scenery for 2013; options were explored, and although I would have loved to take a trip to Zim or Mozambique with South Africa another option in the end we decided we just couldn't justify the cost this year and resolved not to go. However, at a rather late stage so we decided to hell with it and to go but with the cheaper option of South Africa. Back in late 2012 I had investigated various options with various outfitters but settled on Andrew Pringle’s Crusader Safaris. I had seen some good reports on AR and liked the fact that his three camps covered a large area of very different habitat with a big variety of species to go after – plus he had availability when we had to go, my wife is a school teacher so we are bound by term dates.



Arrival Day
We landed at OR Tambo after the 11 hr flight from London Heathrow with SAA. We were met off the flight by Henry Durrheim of riflepermits.com, who by some magic got us and my rifle onto our flight to Durban despite the far too short a connection time. Note to self and word of advice - get the preapproved permit from him well in advance! Our PH Rad Robinson was waiting for us at the firearms collection area and after a 90min drive we found ourselves in the camp in the Umkomaas with a couple of hrs of daylight to spare. Samantha elected to unpack and have a rest, whereas my excitement had kicked in and I was eager to get the rifle checked; On the range it turned out the Peli case had done its job so we decided to have a quick look round an orange plantation close to the lodge before we lost the light, it was great to be back in Africa and wildlife seem to be plentiful and we saw a group of warthog, a bushbuck ewe and a large group of Nyala ewes with calves up on a grass patch above the lodge. It seemed that we had brought the weather with us from England as it turned to quite heavy rain that evening. Very soon I was tired from the journey and we turned in very early.

Umkomaas Lodge photos







Day 1
My early bedtime backfired when I woke at half two and was unable to get back to sleep and lay impatiently waiting for kick off time. It finally came and we loaded up in the truck pre-dawn headed for a much larger orange plantation a distance from the camp; Andrew had explained before we flew out that they had had a very wet few months, and compounded by the fact they had burnt the grass after last season had meant that the bush was incredibly thick and that hunting would be very tough.







He hadn’t exaggerated and even in the grass areas that looked clear enough from a distance the game proved very hard to spot as the grass was so high. The Orange plantation at least gave us a chance to spot the game. Only a short distance from the car we saw our first animal, a Nyala Bull that had no idea of our presence, he was safe from me, however, as I was after a bushbuck, the animal that had eluded me to previous trips. Making our way slowly and quietly through the rows of orange trees we started to see more game, first a Waterbuck bull, impressive but a young animal Rad said. Next we came right up on a group of Kudu, mostly cows I think, but they busted us due the crack of a twig underfoot, not from me I might add! Luck was on our side though and they headed uphill into the thick bush and not ahead into the plantation. Walking quietly down a main ride in the plantation first we got very close to some Nyala ewes, again totally unaware of our presence, we then got our first glimpse of a bushbuck, a young spiker, walking parallel to us. Shortly afterwards he was joined by a friend who got my heart pumping but Rad said he was still young and that we could do much better, he was right of course but having watched him for 5 mins down the scope I was starting to get an itchy trigger finger! They were the last animals we saw in the Orange groves but having started early we decided to try another spot before heading back to camp, as these things tend to go it all happened in a instant, Toolbag, our tracker/ skinner (great name) made a great spot and after a short sneak I managed to squeeze the bullet through a tiny hole in the thick bush and I had the animal I had been after on the previous two trip. A fantastic start, a great old old animal, quite thin, completely bare on the neck with very worn down teeth.



Bushbuck video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q-VsCSh0bU

That afternoon we set off for a different area further up the hill, a large grassie area surrounded by Acaca thorns, Rad had seen a monster bushbuck there the season before with 1.5 horns so we went to look for him. Rad and I managed to get absolutely covered in ticks, both regular ones and the tiny pepper ticks, Samantha managed to avoid getting a single one, so we decided that they were all females ticks and we were ‘tick magnets’!! Besides a soaking from a rainstorm and a pepper tick removal session under torchlight (Rad opted for washing himself in dog shampoo?!) the rest of the day passed eventfully.


Day 2
After our early success with the Bushbuck we decided to drive down to Kokstad the next morning and try for a common reedbuck. After that hellish drive I have a new rule – no PH’s that drive diesel Landcruisers – what an amazingly gutless machine. With no crawler lanes we spent 2.5 hrs stuck behind lorries we couldn’t overtake unless we had a mile run-up……..downhill !
Finally we arrived at the farm and were met by the owner, Craig Gilson who treated us to scones and tea before we headed out. Very quickly we saw plenty, including what looked like a spread out group of eight with a couple of good rams in the distance. Irritatingly a rain squall came in and by the time we got there they had disappeared – their ability to hide in relatively modest cover is extraordinary.





A frustrating couple of hours followed as we struggled to find a single animal, and when we finally did we bumped it out of cover, it was a monster of 16”+ that ran straight over the neighbours boundary without stopping for a second. We then walked a couple of narrow valleys, hoping to find an animal in cover the we could bump and possibly get a shot at but we draw a blank in both. With the wind pounding and more foreboding clouds on the horizon I was starting to get worried as I didn’t fancy a return visit in the landcrusier much! In the next spot we settled down to glass as there was a decent amount of cover all over the face above us; I soon spotted a lone female in a gap who shortly after spotted us, Craig had barely opened his mouth to say that she wouldn’t be along when a ram appeared to her left, he was clearly spooked and headed uphill so I grabbed the rifle, extended the bipod and lay down ready to shoot while Craig and Rad judged him. I got the go ahead and he stopped right before the horizon, slightly quartering away, with a quick judge of distance taking into account the steep uphill shot I fired. It sounded like a solid hit but he disappeared over the horizon quickly and it was hard to exactly say if it was spot on or not. After a quick check of the range at 251 yards we made our way over the top I was relieved to find he had only gone about 30 yards despite the fact that the hit was a little left. He was a cracker not quite as big or as heavy as the one we had seen that morning but very nice indeed.



Craig’s wife Astrid cooked us an amazing lunch and somehow with the great food and company, a couple of beers we forgot to go out in the afternoon, plus with the prospect of a slow drive back we set off early. As it turned out the drive back seemed to go a bit quicker!


Day 3
Slept badly again and was slow to get up so it was 15mins or so after first light when we left camp. We walked the Orange grove again and saw quite a number of kudu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u69cx0uTBCY

And I very nearly stepped on this brute
https://www.youtube.com/edit?n...video_id=hCCKRYmsLes



We spent the rest of the day trying to find a Nyala Ewe as my wife has taken a major fancy to the rug on the floor of our bedroom – Murphy’s law rolled into action and suddenly they all disappeared! We saw bushbuck females round every corner plus Nyala Bulls but the ladies excused themselves for the whole afternoon despite covering a huge amount of ground. We had a short glimpse of a very large Warthog as well. The evening brought a major thunderstorm which knocked the power but that failed to spoil supper, which was the fillet off my Bushbuck from day one – delicious and not too tough despite his advanced years.


Day 4
05-30 start to find Mrs Nyala – We saw Kudu and Nyala bulls, Impala and lots more Bushbuck female but failed to find one. The shot at the Reedbck being slightly left was niggling at me and I checked the rifle on the range to find it was shooting just over an inch left at 100 yards. It normally holds it zero well so before we left I decided to check the scope and found a couple of mounts slightly loose. Somehow, like an idiot, I managed to shear one of them off completely – only to find that I had failed to pack my spare mounts and screws (sat on the kitchen table back in London) – Not happy to say the least.

Damp Morning in the Orange Groves


After a quick bite to eat, we then set off for the long drive down to the Stormberg – the first 210km in Rads Diesel land cruiser and the remaining 300km in a Hi-Lux of our second PH Aramant. Needless to say the second half of the journey was quicker!




Day 5
With a bad cold front forecast Aramant suggested we made the most of our first morning in the Stormberg so we got up while it was still dark. He knew of a old Vaalie ram that tended to feed on his ground before crossing on to his neighbours mountain to spend the day up on the top. The first job was to check the rifle and soon as we had enough light we checked it, the rifle was ok but tending to ‘creep’ a bit after each shot so I needed to make the first shot count. Soon enough we were in position to spy having crept over a small rise – using the bushes as cover. We spied for perhaps half an hour, only seeing two mountain Rhebuck bedded down, the Vaalies were not to be seen. Aramant had done his recon well and sure enough they appeared shortly after – feeding quite fast towards the boundary. We rushed fast to intercept them and in fact a couple of them saw us at the last second and they disappeared from slight below us. Joggging to the edge I lay down having already extended the bipod, they were all stationary at about 150 yards but typically the ram was at first hidden behind a bush. They set off running and I was convinced my chance was gone, however, they slowed at just over 200 yards and the ram stopped at 231 yards to do his business. I was rock steady and with the downhill shot I aimed straight at him, the Barnes entered his rear right haunch and exited on his front left shoulder and he dropped on the spot. Smiles and handshakes all round – in the coming days I was to realise how lucky I was, firstly that Aramant knew their movements so well and had got me in on these incredibly elusive animals and that we beat the weather.





Vaalie video (No shot on camera i'm afraid)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Aj_6r9zbRE

We retuned for some early lunch and to pick up Samantha and spent the afternoon chasing Springbok with no luck before turning our attentions to a Blesbok Ram that we had seen a couple of times. He was bedded down in the open so it was to be a fun stalk, a 120 yard crawl on hands and knees followed by a further 30 yards on our bellies using an ant hill as cover. Samantha made a great shot just before he was going to run at 35yards.

Blesbuck stalk and shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVCX2ynXHBI

Day 6
After a leisurely start we took a drive and decided to try for a Black Wildebeest. Plan A saw us on top of a large cliff overlooking a plain with plenty of Springbok and Black Wildebeest in evidence.



Plan C being formed


It was fun to watch the Wildebeest, they really are crazy and regularly set off running for no apparent reason, sadly they did not seem to favour anywhere within range of the cliff tops. With the property owner wanting some Springbok shot I decided to take a ram at 240 yards, with a moderated rifle the shot had very little effect on the Wildebeest but probably meant they would avoid the cliffs even more and as such Plan B was put into operation; the direct approach and we did get close enough to have a look at a couple of bulls before they spooked away but nothing that Aramant wanted to take. In our couple of hours of watching we had noticed that they seem to favour one particular area with some bare ground and some dung piles and we decided that Plan C would be to lay down hidden in the limited cover close to the area and see how things panned out. It wasn’t comfortable but it worked and we soon had a chance at another bull – stood perfectly but again Aramant said he wasn’t right, old but small. A while later we got a look at the last two bulls and Aramant said one of them was the target. They milled around for ages and the Bull we wanted was in and out of the cows but finally we got our chance and he dropped on the spot.



Black Wildebeest Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V61WYjaUUE

For the second evening in a row the poor weather meant a night trip for a Caracal was impossible.


Day 7
Tried for a Mountain Rhebuck in the morning we saw a few but they weather wasn’t great and all the Ram’s we saw were circa 6” and Aramant wanted to try for a 7”+ Ram. We did see a couple of groups of Vaalies though and I managed to get a bit of footage of these spooky animals.
In the Afternoon we visited a different farm and Samantha made had two good stalks on some Springbok females







Springbuck video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sosPR3eIjo

The evening of Day 7 finally gave us a window to get out with the lamp with a Caracal being the main target. Sadly we never saw one but we managed to bag a few Cape and Shrub hares plus the bizarre Spring Hare. Being half blind I found shooting the hares next to impossible over iron sight at night time, Samantha did not find it difficult which everyone on board seemed to find hilarious. On the predator front I got an African Wildcat and had a brief chance at a Cape Fox that wouldn't stop.







Day 8
We checked the rifle again first thing and sure enough it was starting to move again so re re-zeroed. The cold front was really causing problems now and we failed to see a single Mountain Rhebuck all morning – we took a longer lunch than usual with an hrs nap as it was blowing a gale and pouring it down. The afternoon wasn’t great weather so Sam took a female cull Blesbuck, another good stalk and a perfect heart shot at 170 yards.



After that we drove to some vantage points and spied but because of the wind and showers the Mountain Rhebuck were well and truly bedded down and invisible. Lamping was impossible again that evening due to the weather


Day 9
The weather had broken and we set off with a clear blue sky and a strong wind after a very big Mtn Rhebuck that Aramant had seen previously.



The difference with the weather change was in incredible and in 10 mins we had seen 2 groups of Vaalies and 3 lots of Mtn R – one group of which were in the area where he had seen the monster. The group was moving fast and it took us quite a while to intercept them, as it turned out it was not the big one but a nice old ram of about 6”. They had a young Vaal Rhebok ram walking with them and he whistled and spooked them on two occasions. Luckily with the exception of the Vaalie they had not seen us so we managed to get repositioned and get at shot at 260 yards, I clean missed, but the group luckily ran towards us and I redeemed myself at 190yards. Whether the miss was me or the rifle I was finding the uncertainty of a missing screw a real niggling doubt and was cursing myself for causing the problem.



After some lunch we sadly said our farewells to Aramant’s wife and kids who had been great hosts and made us so comfortable in their home and set off for the Bavvians – a bumpy ride on some pretty poor roads but fortunately a short one.

Baviaans Lodge









We checked the rifle again on our arrival and had a short drive but were driven back to the lodge by the rain.

Looks like you had a good time and a successful hunt. Congrats!

Day 10
We drove down to another of Andrew’s areas, the Cowie, in the morning as Samantha was after a Zebra. Annoyingly we were greeted by yet more rain, this time not forecasted; after tea with the farmer we set off in the drizzle with an array of borrowed raincoats. Our first spot was a massive Cape Kudu, beautiful animal but not on the menu for today. Shortly after we spotted the zebra but had our first stalk ruined by a group of Blesbuck who were travelling with them.

Zebra and Blesbuck


Re repositioned and made a fresh stalk and after waiting for the right animal to turn broadside Sam made another great shot and her Zebra was down.



Zebra stalk and shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uFjmDSf_pk

We celebrated with Sirloin steaks for lunch in Bedford before returning to the Cowie. After a good spot and a short walk we got close on a cull warthog before an Impala ram busted us. Late afternoon was upon us and we settled in to wait in the fields by the river for the evening hoping that a big bushbuck would come out – it was great fun as lots of animals to watch but not the monster I had my fingers crossed for.




We went lamping for a couple of hours after supper, with high confidence as it was the first dry evening for a few days but sadly saw no sign of a Caracal.


Day 11
Plan for day 11 was to get Samantha a shot at a management Blue Wildebeest, this was the animal that had eluded her on several occasions on previous trips. Following a tip from a goat herder we made a 10 min climb from the truck, cresting a rise we managed to walk right in on a lone bull at 35 yards, wishing he had been a suitable candidate we bypassed him to get at a herd of mixed herd of perhaps twenty to twenty-five animals; it was all going well until the wind started messing around and the herd spooked. Half a mile or so ahead they joined up with another group we had not seen of perhaps sixty animals and the whole lot disappeared out of sight. The short story is 2 miles later we caught up with them only to spook them again and for them to run all the way pretty much to where they had started!

Having a rest!


We founded them bedded down and managed to get right in to around 80 yards and were preparing for a final stalk when Sam had a coughing fit and they spooked again !!
Hot and thirsty we decided to have one last go at them as it was back towards the truck, in the heat of the day they seemed reluctant to run and after a few chances in the thick stuff Sam got a chance and took it well. We had been on them for five and a half hours.



Blue Wildebeest shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKMsQpdj414

After her exertions in the morning Sam decided to have a rest, Aramant and I had a very relaxed afternoon with no particular target in mind as we had managed to get all the main species we were after; in the end we found a Blesbuck with one horn and what looked like a growth at the base of the other and after being busted once we re positioned and I got a shot. As it turned out it wasn’t a growth it was a deformed horn, she was, however, blind it that eye.



Supper saw another guest joining us in the lodge, Phil, a Vietnam vet from Illinois. A very nice chap but fairly immobile due to his war wounds and rather deaf, It was his first trip to Africa and a dream for him since his childhood.
The evening saw us out after a Caracal with the lamp, we saw a couple of genets and a monster kudu bull but it was otherwise uneventful sadly.


Day 12
Day 12 was to be devoted to the pursuit of a monster bushbuck and the morning saw us sat on top of some large cliffs overlooking some game paths and thick bush on the slopes below us. Fairly quickly we saw bushbuck and even had a brief glimpse of a male and female Bushpig – a real rarity in daylight I am led to believe. A move further down the cliffs saw us above an area where we had been able to see three rams; one had disappeared, one was young and the third was a beautiful old male, not a monster but possibly a bit bigger than my day 1 Umkomass ram. I have fallen head over heel for bushbuck and don’t need too much of an excuse. He was bedded down in an awkward spot facing head on but I comfortable and decided to take him……. I missed, not once but three times in total. In the standard post mortem following a miss I was adamant it wasn’t my shooting as I was perfectly steady from a prone position. Sure enough when we put a target up the rifle was shooting way to the right and I cursed myself for not having checked it for the last couple of days.

After lunch Sam wanted one more Springbuck rug as a gift so we lowered the tone as it was the last day and did our one and only piece of ‘Bakkie stalking’ of the trip.


We then drove back down to the Cowie and sat on the same field hoping that the big Bushbuck the farmer had seem would appear. Again bushbuck started to appear early and we had 7 ewes and 2 rams out, one of which we decided was the Ram we had photographed and let go two evenings before. As the light started to fade on our last day and the monster stayed hidden he started to look more and more appealing and just before we lost the light we decided to put a stalk on him. We got into 25 yards before the young ram that was with him (about 15 yards from us) got nervous, sticks up his dark shape was perfectly silhouetted and I put the illuminated dot in the middle of his chest and pulled the trigger. He made it about thirty yards before disappearing into the longer grass at the edge of the field but I heard what sounded like a crash as he hit the fence and that is where we found him.
A cracking end to the trip, another old male but his cape slightly less bald so he will be the one that makes it onto the wall in London.



Departure Day
Always depressing and never fun but the start of our Journey was brightened by hearing that Phil, the Vietnam vet from had shot his dream animal, a monster 52” cape Kudu so big congratulations to him.

And home to start dreaming of the next trip - I severely doubt it will be for a while but you never know!

Congrats Gbax,

Some really nice trophies, especially the Reedbuck and the Vaalie !!

Congrats Gbax. Great hunt report with some nice trophies. Hunted with Andrew at Umkomaas myself last year and had a great trip. Met Rad as well, seemed like a great PH. The option to hunt many different areas, all free range, makes Crusader a unique operation. Well done.

Some very fine trophies indeed. The trophy photographs are excellent. Well done.

Post Mortem

Use Henry Durrheim of riflepermits.com - ideally be organised and send your documents well in advance and get a pre-approved permit - it makes life much easier

Crusader Safari's get a big big thumbs up from me so if anyone is thinking of booking a trip with Andrew then buy with confidence!
Both PH's we had were excellent and local to the areas we hunted so knew them very well indeed and I cant speak highly enough about either of them. The lodges were comfortable and we were fed and watered well at all three. And if high fences are something that bothers you then there isn't one in sight.

Umkomaas
Fairly hard hunting in very thick bush. You don't see lots of animals but you get the impression that a monster Nyala/ Kudu/ Bushbuck could appear any second. Andrew's results there speak for themselves. Shots are likely to either be very close or quite far with not too much in between. I would love to go back and spend some time hunting a big Nyala there.

Stormberg
Probably the most enjoyable part of the trip for me and not so different to hunting in Scotland. Aramant's home territory and his knowledge of the animals movements was fantastic. My big regret is that the weather didn't allow us to get out and find a Caracal - next time perhaps! I would also love to do some bird hunting there in the winter. You will get the most out of the area if you are fit and can walk. A Harris swivel series bipod will help enormously to take quick shots at the Vaalies and Mtn Rhebuck. A calibre that shoots flat will be helpful and practice shooting at 200-300yards+

East Griqualand
Great area to hunt and despite the weather I could see it held large numbers of Common Reedbuck and some excellent trophies (as well as Blesbuck, Springbuck, and Mtn Reedbuck). In normal weather I guess it should be feasible to get a good representative common reedbuck in a day but i'm sure you could get a great one if you devoted a couple of days to the task. Bipod would be useful here also plus the ability to take 2-300yard shots.

Baviaans River
Huge variety of species and different areas to hunt and different styles of hunting possible. Probably the best lodge of the three to go if you have a shorter trip or it is your first trip to Africa. Shots of all distances possible. Again a bipod will come in useful at times.

Bullets
I used the Federal 180 grain Barnes Triple Shock ammo for the second time - no complaints again and this time we didn't retrieve a single one, getting a pass through on all animals.
I was very glad I took plenty as we went through a lot of rounds due to the frequent visits to the range to check the rifle after my self created problem with the mounts (Note to self....be more careful next time)

quote:

rt with some nice trophies. Hunted with Andrew at Umkomaas myself last year and had a great trip. Met Rad as well, seemed like a great PH. The option to hunt many different areas, all free range, makes Crusader a unique operation. Well done.

Thanks - I think Rad will be hunting a bit more with Andrew for the foreseeable future due to the closure in Zambia. Nice lad and very enthusiastic.

That looks like a very good Reedbuck, what did he measure.

Well done mate!!! Awesome trophies!! Umkomaas brings back very fond memories for me. Rad is a top fellow - first class, as is Andrew.

That common Reedbuck looks a lot better than just 'nice' - looks like a monster to me along with that "Vallie".

Nice hunt - well done.

gbax...really nice trophies and report....outstanding Reedbuck and Vaalie!!
Congratulations!!

Great hntingtrip you all had. Thanks for sharing your great moments

Congratulations to your and your wife. I love seeing the ladies hunting and making great shots!

As the other said...that Reedbuck and Vaalaie are incredible.

Best regards, D. Nelson

Congratulations on a fantastic safari!
I enjoyed your report and photos looks like a super place

Well done on a great report Guy and welcome to AR.
I knew you would get the Africa bug, - trust me , it only gets worse !!!

Fantastic report Guy, great pictures and some beautiful trophies!

quote:

That common Reedbuck looks a lot better than just 'nice' - looks like a monster to me along with that "Vallie".

Thats what I was thinking. Craig Gilson is two farms up from my Western Boundary and I am pretty sure he would have been happy as a pig in sh@t to have gotten a Reedbuck like that for you.

Well done on a great hunt. And a top class hunt report.
Ian

Thanks Guy for a really comprehensive report!

Great hunt and excellent report.
JCHB

Nice report, thanks for sharing that with us. Andrew runs a first class operation.

Great report! Thanks so much for sharing. It looks like a beautiful and productive area to hunt, with outstanding accommodations and PHs.

Wonderful report and photos.

Mike

Great report.
Thanks and Congratulations

Thanks all - like you said Robert the Africa bug has got me pretty badly - I might have to start playing the lottery again !
Never measured the Reedbuck to be honest so we'll have to see when he makes it back.

Thank you for a very entertaining and detailed report. Your description on the first evening of being “back in Africa” captures exactly the thoughts and emotions that run through my head…Am I really here again!?!?! Ditto with waking up at 2am and lying in bed waiting for the sun to rise that first day!

Sorry to read of the struggles with the rifle/scope, but you did some very fine shooting especially early in the hunt.

Hunting multiple areas is where South Africa really shines. Yea there is some travel, but you get to see more of the Country and the ability to hunt different areas and out of different camps keeps it interesting.

Your common and vaal reedbucks are exceptional, made only better by the construction and quality of the trophy shots. And video clips too…I’ll need to check back and watch them all!

Just a nice job all around, congrats to your and wife (a teacher who shoots and hunts and looks great doing so…the world needs more Samantha’s!)

Cheers!

Great report. I am highly considering going with them right now. Looking at hitting three of the areas for various game.

Great trip, great photos, great trophies. Well done.

Justin