Just got back from a 14 day safari in the limpopo of south africa. Ive been to africa so many times that i have become tired of all the sa high fence operations. Ive got my elephant and leopards and such and for some reason i only have the desire left to hunt monster kudu.

The only catch is that im tired of hunting high fence areas and tired of all the flat hunting. Im from america and i love hunting the mountains where i can glass with spotting scopes and actually have vantage points where i can see from.

Well rewind to june of this year. My good friend jimmy of jimmy van zyl hunting safaris called and let me know he had spotted a kudu well over 62” in the mountains of his free range area. I knew the area as my friend matt christmas had hiked those mountains while me wife and i were on our honey moon safari just 2 years back. Matt took a 60”+ kudu and to say i was jealous was an understatement.

Jimmy described how most of his clients arent in the shape i am in to kill this kudu and would desperately like for me to come take him. I didnt need convincing and quickly booked the first flight out.

When i had arrived i was expecting the kudu to be right where he was last seen for over a month. Well that wasnt the case. The areas jimmy hunts all have high fence. The kicker is that they havent been maintained in over 30 years. The fences are down everywhere and we spent 4 days looking for this kudu only to surmise he had left the area of abundant water and feed and moved deeper into the mountains.

Dont get me wrong. I saw kudu. Just not of the caliber i was told i was looking for. I passed a few 56” type kudu and nothing more. I have shot 4 kudu of 59” and wanted that special kudu that breaks 60”.

So day 5 had us relocating to pack in type hunting. We started staying on the mountain and patterning kudu to find where the bulls were staying. After several attempts to find water we finally struck gold and found a deep canyone away crom where the landowner had said kudu water and well off the beaten path. I found a sizeable waterfall and pools of water well back in the mountain along with tons of kudu sign.

So here the game began and i found amazing vantage points to glass from. I had 5 days left before i had to fly out and the plan was to sit on ridges and just glass. Instantly big bulls started appearing. I passed several 56-58” bulls and then on day 3 we spotted a 60”+ bull. It still wasnt the big one jimmy had seen but was good enough for me. I had him at 1458 yards and the stalk began. Somewhere in the stalk the kudu slipped off never to be seen again so we were back to square one.

Two days left and we were still passing up 58-59” bulls with no sign of the monster. Last day of the safari i was hiking out to my vantage point when i spotted a group of bulls leaving the drinking area. Range was 1600 yards and the optics showed a kudu the likes of which ive never seen before. I quickly put the scope on 30 power only for a second to verify. The kudu had great curls. Probably a 55” tip to tip spread and somehow had 4 complete curls and pointed out. Im still not sure how long he was but i know hes bigger than any kudu ive ever seen on the internet anywhere. I packed the optics and headed his way. I needed to be at least 950 yards before i felt good with a shot as the wind was bad. As with most kudu he hated the wind. He was leaving the bottoms and headed for thickets and fast. I watched as the bull headed steadily to the flat tops of thicket city knowing i would nEver be able to find him again. My safari drew to a close. I did not get my bull. Most people would say the safari was a loss but i must say it was one of my all time favorite safaris.

To see an animal of that caliber in south africa free range and not hunting the normal style of most african safaris was a hunt of a lifetimes. I will be back next year to try my luck at mr big again. Will i see him? Only time will tell. I will end this with a picture of one of the 60++ big bull i did capture a picture of through my scope.

I can say all those kudu i was offered and passed up over the years that were verified 60+ breeding bulls in small areas made this safaris so special and so worth the wait. I now have a true chess game to play over the next few years. This bull is the in his prime and hopefully provides many years of enjoyment to come.

I cant seem to figure out how to upload a picture from my iphone of the other big one that got away.
Can anyone help me upload the image?

Wow, I would like that. Never hunted RSA because I can't see flying all that way to hunt behind fences, but that sounds like a hell of a hunt.

Tony:

Good to hear from you and I am glad that you had a great hunt. It has been a while since we have last spoke (we hunted in New Mexico on the range).

I hope you are doing well!

Jason

A hunt like that takes commitment. Thanks for sharing hunt details. I'd like to one like that.
Bruce

Some of the best hunting experiences I've had, I came home empty handed.

Dave

Yeah my brother in law grew up in those mountains and we have a 20,000 acre area there we hunt. We take some extraordinary bulls there with about 1 in 20 being 60+ inches.

Beautiful place and always enjoy going there.

Hunting dreams are just that.

So far this year theyve taken a 62” and a 59. Last year jimmy killed a 61. This new bull has me dreaming daily of next may. I cant wait to get back. Jeff will be posting the pics later. I texted them To him. I remember you well jason p. Were pretty close friends. Do you remember that 36” barbary sheep i took you to and you missed? Lol that was an epic hunt lol.

quote:

Originally posted by stomper:
So far this year theyve taken a 62” and a 59. Last year jimmy killed a 61. This new bull has me dreaming daily of next may. I cant wait to get back. Jeff will be posting the pics later. I texted them To him. I remember you well jason p. Were pretty close friends. Do you remember that 36” barbary sheep i took you to and you missed? Lol that was an epic hunt lol.

Ha ha, yeah, you had to remind me. It still haunts me a bit....

Wow. Honest real hunting as it is.

Thanks for sharing

While I enjoy hunting big Kudu, I’ve never brought a tape measure in five trips to Namibia. The only reason I know the length of horns on animals I’ve shot is that Namibian law requires the PH file a report with the measurements of all trophies taken, and the hunter must also sign it. I would get the same enjoyment from bagging a 58” Kudu as I would From a 60” Kudu. They both are beautiful trophies and 2” is not a big deal to me.

quote:

Originally posted by Bud Meadows:
While I enjoy hunting big Kudu, I’ve never brought a tape measure in five trips to Namibia. The only reason I know the length of horns on animals I’ve shot is that Namibian law requires the PH file a report with the measurements of all trophies taken, and the hunter must also sign it. I would get the same enjoyment from bagging a 58” Kudu as I would From a 60” Kudu. They both are beautiful trophies and 2” is not a big deal to me.

And what on earth does that comment have to do
with his thread? He already said it was one of his best hunts and he did not shoot anything.

No wonder fewer people post hunting reports.

Jason: My posting has EVERYTHING to do with the OP’s posting. By actual count, he mentions horn length TEN times in his posting. To me, a couple of inches in horn length is immaterial, that’s why I mentioned my not bringing a measuring tape. As to your comment about people not posting Hunting Reports, that’s bullshit- my report is on Page 1 of the Hunting Reports section.

I recently met a gentleman at a SCI dinner, he showed me a photo of a 67" kudu he shot lats year in Zambia! Unbelievable!

quote:

Originally posted by Bud Meadows:
Jason: My posting has EVERYTHING to do with the OP’s posting. By actual count, he mentions horn length TEN times in his posting. To me, a couple of inches in horn length is immaterial, that’s why I mentioned my not bringing a measuring tape. As to your comment about people not posting Hunting Reports, that’s bullshit- my report is on Page 1 of the Hunting Reports section.

Bud:

So what if he “mentioned” the length. It’s HIS post!

I’d suggest that you start your own post describing the ethics of bringing or not bringing a measuring tapes on your hunt.

Regardless, I’m not commenting on this thread
after this reply. Tony’s thread is too good to have anymore of my replies.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Wow, I would like that. Never hunted RSA because I can't see flying all that way to hunt behind fences, but that sounds like a hell of a hunt.

Kudu are free range and clear fences with ease.

With Botswana now being open there will be some marvelous opportunities there now.

Ive seen a number of 60 plus Kudu, mounted, someone else has killed, but my largest is 58 plus a fraction...One thing Ive never seen and didn't know they existed is 4 curls, all the big ones I know of all had 3 curls..

quote:

One thing Ive never seen and didn't know they existed is 4 curls, all the big ones I know of all had 3 curls..

Very true ... the start of the 4th curl maybe, but certainly not what one might call "4 curls".

The 60 plus inch kudu I have only has 3 curls.

Im politely saying a 4 curl Kudu does not exist..

p. 90 of Hunting the Spiral Horns : KUDU The Top African Antelope, edited by Peter Flack shows "The Legend Of Welverdiend", a freak of 72 1/2 " (L) and 58 1/4" (R). That kudu is only beginning a third curl at 72 inches.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Im politely saying a 4 curl Kudu does not exist..

UHH... neither does a 3 curl kudu. A truly big Kudu with outward pointing tips will have made 2 complete turns, or curls. I don't think I've ever seen a true 3 curl Kudu, and doubt anyone else has, either.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Im politely saying a 4 curl Kudu does not exist..

UHH... neither does a 3 curl kudu. A truly big Kudu with outward pointing tips will have made 2 complete turns, or curls. I don't think I've ever seen a true 3 curl Kudu, and doubt anyone else has, either.

It all depends on one's definition or understanding of a "twist" or "curl"; also, there are wide ones and there are tight ones.

That may be correct, depending how you judge the hear I suppose, some see two curls and the last beginning as a curl I guess..Won't argue the point, but I am sure there is no such animal as a 3 curl Kudu.

A couple of years ago, a gent from Idaho called me and said he had a PH in So. Africa who had a 4 curl Kudu and he had seen it..I said send me a picture, He said find me a client and bring $50,000 and we can kill it on the first day..I ended the conversation with telling him he was full of bull poop..Checked him out for a scam, and found out he was wanted for murdering a PH on the PHs ranch, and a warrant existed in Idaho, contacted the officer of the case and he told me this guy had killed the PH and stuffed him in the freezer...He was wanted but no clue to where he was..I told them he was working at a tire store in Joberg, last I knew..they checked that out and found out he had moved to Vegas and gave the police his address..He is in jail for life now..Glad I didn't take a client and $50,00 to shoot that 4 curl Kudu!! It would have been pretty damn crowded in that deep freeze..