I just got back from another wonderful trip to the Dark Continent. I took a group of 10 on this trip and everyone had the time of their life. In all, my group took 40 animals of 20 different species. That is a new record for any of my trips in both specie count and body count.

The entire group was supposed to leave on June 18 and arrive into Johannesburg on June 19 and then hunt for 8 days and return on June 29. All was going as planned until my PH called me and said that he had acquired me a leopard tag for a problem leopard and asked if there was any way that I could come earlier. I called Delta and to my surprise they were able to change my flight to June 14. I rescheduled a lot of things and was able to leave without much trouble.

My PH hung 5 blesbok on different locations on Sunday June 12 and by Tuesday June 14, we had one huge leopard on one bait and two big females on another bait. I got there on Wednesday June 15 and we drove to the area where the problem leopard was and spent the night. The next day we checked the baits and the big cat had not come back but we set up the blind anyway in hopes that he would return. The first night, Thursday June 16, we stayed in the blind from 5pm until 9pm and the cat didn't show for us. The next day we went to another area that we had a few baits hung and I shot this vervet monkey, also called a blue ball monkey. Vervet and baboons are a real problem in Africa. They destroy crops about like our pigs do here.



That night we decided to spend the night. We got in the blind and stayed from 5pm until 4:45 am. We had a brown Hyena come to the bait about 10:30 and that was the only visitor that we had that night. At one time, the hyena was close enough to the blind that I heard his stomach growling.

That day we slept late because we didn't get any sleep in the blind. When we woke up we went up into the cliffs around the farm and we spotted this giant klipspringer. I shot him at 156 yards and about a 50 degree up hill angle.



That night we stayed from 4:45 until 1:00 and the cat didn't show again. We had to leave the next day to go to the airport and get my group from the airport.

We left the airport and headed to another area about 3 ½ North of the airport. After a good night sleep we went out looking for plains game and hung 3 baits in this area and hoped that one of the 8 baits we had out would hit.

I have been looking for a female warthog with nicely curved tusks to shoot for my wife. She has been wanting a bracelet made out of the tusks for a few years and I just haven't seen the right one that had good tusks. We spotted this female so I shot her and now I can get my wife a bracelet made.



My lovely wife has always liked the odd animals. She deciced that she wanted an ostrich. You would think that these birds would be easy to hunt and easy to kill but it is just the opposite. We chased these birds around and we finally got to within 100 yards and she was able to make a good shot. She is wanting a purse made from the back hide and I might have a pair of boots made.



The next day we headed to another concession for giraffe for Elaine. Like I said, she always likes the odd stuff. While looking for a mature dark bull we bumped into this big warthog boar. The shot was about 150 yards and at the shot he left and ran about 150 yards. Elaine was able to take his picture before I shot him.




After pictures we left headed out again in search of her giraffe. We were making a stalk and we came up on this huge dead buffalo. He was missing a front hoof from hoof rot and we imagined that he had a slow and painful death. I would have hated to bump into him while he was alive and pissed off.



It was getting a little late in the day to deal with a giraffe when we finally spotted a big mature bull. We made a good stalk through some very thick country and got her to within about 75 yards before he spotted us. I got her set up on the sticks and she made a beautiful shot and the bull stumbled about 40 yards before he fell.



It is a real chore to load a 2500 pound animal with 4 legs that are 8' long each and a neck that is 10'+ long but it can be done. If you take enough blacks, a winch, and a little smarts, you can make it look easy.




The next day we did some spot and stalk on rhino with archery tackle. I decided long ago that I wanted to take the Big 5 and I am trying to do it. I also know that I will never be able to afford to actually kill a rhino ($50,000+) so I figured I would just dart one. That cost about $6000 and I then decided that I just didn't see spending that kind of money just to be able to take a picture with an animal so I decided to just bounce an arrow off of one. We took a flu-flu arrow with a blunt tip and went on a stalk.

We stalked a bull, cow, and calf for over an hour before I finally go to within 35 yards. The bull knew something was up but before he could leave I hit him a little low on the shoulder and he was off with nothing more than a little sting from the blunt tip.



We still hadn't had a leopard hit any of ours baits but we did have a civet on one of them so we decided to try and get him. We got set up and only had to wait a very short time we he came in and I made the shot.



The next day we spent checking baits and looking for a big impala. I have been to Africa several times and I still hadn't been able to connect with a good impala. We spotted this one and we tried several stalks to get him and he kept giving us the slip. We finally got around in front of him and I was able to make the shot.



That night when we were heading in the caracal crossed the road. This cat is extremely elusive and hard to get. I was very lucky to get to see him much less get a shot off at him. The ranchers hate them because they are so hard on the game. This cat is about the size of our bobcat and it regularly takes down impala and blesbok.



The time was winding down and finally the ranch owner where the problem cat was called us and told us that the bait had been hit again. He heard a troop of baboons and several bushbuck raising cane one night. He went the next morning and the bait had been hit. We loaded up and drove the 5 hours back to the farm where the cat was hitting the bait and hoped for the best. Once we got there we looked at the camera and noticed that it was a male and female that was on the bait and it was not the huge male that had hit from 12 days ago but the male cat was still a mature cat.

The camera showed us that the cat was coming in before sunset and that is almost unheard of. Typically, leopard feed from 7pm-12pm on bait. This cat was coming around 5pm or so.

We quickly got the blind ready and setup. We were in the blind by 4:20 and at 5:35 my PH hit my leg and said the cat was on the bait. I have been blessed to look through the scope and numerous animals in my life but I can say with certainty, there is none that compare to looking a spotted cat in a tree on your bait. When I squeezed the trigger the cat went limp and pilled up under the tree.




This is the view that I had through the scope at the bait.

What a klipspringer! You really took quite an unusual variety of game on your hunt.

Good looking hunt. Care to say where that was? Excellent variety of good trophies.

+1 on that klippie - he's a brute.

check out that Klippy

Congratulations on your successful hunt.

Congratulations! Well done

Congratulations on a great hunt, with some unusual trophies...and I love that signature line!

The hunt was with an outfitter that I do a lot of booking for.

The leopard and the Klippy where taken near Lydenburg and the other game was taking close to Thabazimbi at the foot hills of the Waterberg Mountains.

Well done... some excellent trophies! Nice ol' spots and a super wartie!

An earless buff?

I looked at your website but couldn't find any africa outfitters listed.

By the way, I love the flu flu arrow with a blunt for the Rhino. Might have to do that myself.

BGH,
What a hunt!!!! I would love to get a Civet and a Caracal. I've always had my eye's open for them and seen some but I've never been able to connect. I just love to hunt the minitures and what most people think of as add ons.
Thanks so much for sharing.

SilentT,

My website is under construction.

Truthfully, I have never seen much reason for a website but one of my pro-staff guys is a computer nerd and insisted on building me one and that is what he has so far.

99% of my business is word of mouth and people book with me because of my Reputation, not my web-site.

If you are looking for a great outfitter in RSA, Zim, or Mozambique, this guy is the guy.

If things go well for us, we will have an elephant/buffalo combo hunt in Northern Mozambique next spring for $15,000 +/- for a 10 day hunt. The elephant will be a PAC animal but the buffalo will be exportable.

If you are interested I will be happy to get him in touch with you.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Big Game Hunter:
SilentT,


If things go well for us, we will have an elephant/buffalo combo hunt in Northern Mozambique next spring for $15,000 +/- for a 10 day hunt. The elephant will be a PAC animal but the buffalo will be exportable.

QUOTE]



PAC hunt in Mozambique including an extended stay on Government expenses?

Great pics and trophies there!

quote:

An earless buff?

And "Bubba Teeth" to boot!

Did he have any visible tattoos?

What a find!

Great thread. Thanks.

SFH

Thanks for sharing the great hunt. Congratulations on a great mix of interesting animals - leopard, giraffe, caracal, civet, klipspringer, warthog....wow! And add the super green rhino to it....

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
check out that Klippy

a truly lekker klippy.

Very nice hunt, thanks for sharing.

well done.thanks for sharing.