The 2023 Season has kicked off with a bang. This is without a doubt the oldest Cape Bushbuck I have had the pleasure of hunting. Our motto is age over score always, and I think it could not been proven by a better example, although this old warrior was just short of 15" due to his incredible mass at the bases. He would not have made July.

great bush buck

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana338:
great bush buck

Thank you. Appreciate the comment.

Great secondary growth on this old Common Reedbuck.

Great secondary growth on this old Common Reedbuck ram.

Proper Kudu bull.

Missed this ram earlier in the season on a previous safari. Thought to just have a peep around his bedding area from over a ridge. Found him standing looking at the truck parked around 900 yards away. Ranged at a mere 49 yards, we got our hunter into position.
Just love hunting these free range mountain areas.

That Kudu bull is amazing. The mass is incredible.

What would you estimate his age to be?

quote:

Originally posted by Jason P:
That Kudu bull is amazing. The mass is incredible.

What would you estimate his age to be?

Hi Jason, I would probably estimate him in the 7-8 years old range. As you can see, he had already started brooming that right horn of his(Left to us in the photo)
Biggest bodied bull that we have ever taken. Just an absolute behemoth.

Marius,

thank you for sharing.

some nice trophies.

Looks like an old bush buck, outstanding.

Thank you sir. Try and post whenever I can in between safaris. Glad that you are enjoying the photos. I appreciate your comment.

Probably would not have made the Winter:

Hi Marius

Nice waterbuck...

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana338:
Hi Marius

Nice waterbuck...

Apologies for the late reply. Appreciate your kind words as always.

One of the collectors species of the Eastern Cape. The Eastern Cape are one of the few provinces where hunting Caracal over hounds are permitted in South Africa. If you are serious about hunting one of beautiful cats, over hounds is the only true way of increasing your chances at success.

Some of the best table fare out there. This Mountain Reedbuck ram had everything. Good length, fully mature with some great mass.

Sometimes its better to be lucky than good. Incredible Vaal Rhebuck ram hunted on a very windy day. Found this ram lying out of the wind, and managed to get a shot off at the last moment before they bolted.

An excellent Fallow taken during this past rut in one of our free range areas

Great Bushbuck ram hunted during the early season. Bushbuck have a small home range, and I have been seeing this ram in the same general area for two years. For two consecutive years, he gave us the slip. Patience was the name of the game this time around. With the heavy rains we've had this year, grass and brush was long. Shot was taken at around 15 yards.

Hounds worked tirelessly for 7 days in really tough conditions to pick up on this Caracal for our hunter's main animal of his trip. We had received reports of a sheep that had been caught and killed the previous night on one of our neighbouring properties. Next morning we collected the pack of hounds to start from the kill site. Roughly 1hr30 minutes later, the tone in the hounds changed, and we could get our hunter on to this beautiful cat.

A very nice Steenbuck taken at a mere 5 yards. This ram gave us the slip the previous evening and chose to head for the hills. The following afternoon, we decided to set up in an ambush position. Just never expected the ram to walk down the exact path we set up on. Little bit closer than we expected, but we'll take it.

Well done Marius,

Another 50" + bull taken by our hunter. As soon as this bullet hit, I might have leant over to the hunter and whispered that we've made a mistake. Roughly 5 hours later, we reached the vehicle with the bull in pieces.

Another great Nyala bull taken with us. We just love connecting on these old, past their prime bulls. Notice the polished ivory up both sides of the horns.

Beautiful Warthog hunted with us. At one stage, I thought that this was Dave's spirit animal. If I recall correctly, this was the fourth pig we had set up on, and could finally close the deal. From other animals busting us, to unexplainable phenomenons causing them to run. Finally, we managed to close the distance to roughly 40 yards on this boar. It was the only shot due to where he was feeding in a wide open space with tall grass due to the incredible amount of rain for the year.

Old, heavy Impala ram. Notice the thickness in the neck, as well as the solid bases showing that this is a fully matured ram. Chris had taken Impala with us before but wanted to add to his tally. This specific area only offers us one ram per year. The strict management in some of the areas that we hunt promises to always produce quality.

Heavy bull that we let walk. Think he can do with another year or two. What he loses out on depth, he will gain a little on the mass.

The first day of moisture, after some dry windy days, the pack of hounds managed to pick up a scent in the under growth of this nearby sheep ranch. As we were walking back to the truck, the hounds started giving tongue on the next scent using the favorable conditions. We lost communications with the hounds man, but one can only wonder if it was the other half of this pair.

Beautiful Bushbuck ram for our hunter on a steep downhill shot. Bushbuck are often considered royal game not only in the Eastern Cape, but especially in our base camp area. They are such special animals and if you want to see any of the locals eyes light up, you simply have to raise the topic of either Bushbuck or Hounds.