I have a great amount of respect for PH's who still enjoy hunting themselves, and especially those who involve the family.

Adam Clements has posted numerous hunt reports on the forum over the years, and clearly enjoys hunting as much as any of us mere mortals. Any of you other Pro's have some pict's you'd like to share?


Here's a hippo shot by Martin Pieters wife (Candy) along Lake Kariba in his Omay North concession, pictured with their children. A good looking family. And I never saw "scope bite" look so cute!



Candy with her first elephant, shot this past October...a side brain shot no less.






This is PH Ernst Ludwig Kramer with a meat quota elephant hunted in Namibia. Last year he hunted buffalo and plainsgame in northern Cameroon with a few friends on a self-guided trip.

Nice!

That's awesome. Hunting is too enjoyable an activity to not share it with the ones we love.

I really love hunting myself, and has always found it strange that some Ph's do not do some hunting themselfs, not even meat hunting, never mind trophy hunting.

Here are a couple of pics:

Problem leopard a shot a while back:


Springbok my son shot:


Not my biggest kudu, but the one that made it on my wall:


My first buffalo:


Recent hippo:

Tried to shoot shome bushpigs this year but wasnt succesfull. Otherwise I shot a nice springbuck and red hartebeest last year while hunting with Karl in Namibia.

PH's who enjoy hunting? Sure! I hunt and still enjoy every moment. These days I shoot mostly cull animals, like "sopkoppie" springbuck rams. Mostly it is stalk, shoot, walk up to animal, degut, pick up and walk to road. No photos!

But the hunt that really stand out as well enjoyed and well remembered was for this young blesbuck ewe.




The short story is: This was the longest duration and most crawling involved ever stalk. The full story was told here: https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...53?r=4691053#4691053

Thinking back now I realize that, for me, real stalking hunting is really the second most enjoyed activity in life! No, beer drinking is not the top of the list!

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Taking my nephew with on a wildebeest hunt


my monster waterbuck while we were culling zebra


Zebra


who says a 243 is to small

I enjoy hunting myself and am grateful for having the opportunity to do so fairly often - whether that involves shooting the odd warthog or impala as staff rations, whether it involves "poaching" one of the bushbuck on "her" part of the ranch or whether it involves hunting with friends or family.

Here are some of the animals that my family and I had the privilege of hunting... They do bring back rather fond memories:


My daughter's Kudu taken here on Sabrisa and which I posted about some time ago.


Went hunting with friends in the Free State and bagged this Springbok.


My Black Wildebeest


And this year, while hunting in Natal with a client I shot another Zebra for the living room floor. Thanks again Paul!

Chris: I enjoy that picture of your daughter and her first Kudu every time that I see it!

BillC

You have a good point. PH's often fall into the trap of working so much and letting clients do all the hunting – even those that have the opportunity to hunt whatever they want! Like me. In similar fashion, I ended up also becoming a spectator - only shooting the odd baboon or two and maybe a reedbuck every season. No good. No sir. Not the conduct of a dedicated sportsman. That has changed. I consciously plan a little hunting for myself as well now - every year.

Amongst other things, I hunted a nice Buffalo earlier this year. As it was early in the season, the whole crowd in Bahati camp decided to go with. My son was also in camp at that time, taking a break from his final stretch as med school. As your kids grow older, these moments become precious as they become few and far in between, so cherish them when you have the chance.

So there we were ... my son and his buddy Werner, two trackers and four PH's - all armed and ready. Since I got my new 470 double rifle a few weeks earlier, that was obviously my weapon of choice and I could not wait. We set course for the Coutada 10 floodplains, where the Buffalo herds live. For those that have been there - to a place called Chirundi. Chirundi has good Buffalo, but they are alert, skittish and sometimes very hard to hunt. Early in the season the place is lush, beautiful and green - with lots of grass. I mean lots. And bad papyrus thickets. And razor grass. And some water in places. And lots of water in other places. It is a wild place.


[When I say wild & thick - I mean wild & thick...]

We traveled by vehicle up to a point where we found some good tracks and set off on foot from there. The trackers – Bichote and Marco - in the lead, Mara next with me playing client for the day. The rest of the entourage all followed in quiet single file behind me. We must have covered about 2 miles or so but it took almost 2 hours as it is very heavy going following in the Buffalo tracks through the marshes. Buffalo love water and mud and move well in there. We don’t. Walking sometimes hip deep in the swamp and trying not to drop your precious new double rifle in the muck while trying to be quiet, makes for some interesting footwork at times, I'll tell you! I heard a few subtle curses as we moved along – for some reason, mostly four letter words. At long last, Bichote (tracker) turned around and his face gave it away as he whispered “Nyati!” while pointing over the next clump of reeds and grass. Mara and I moved forward to have a look. The Buffalo were resting on an island just up ahead. That initial glimpse of the black bodies is something else. It is always exciting and your world suddenly becomes very small. Heartbeat up, check the rifle, recheck the wind, make sure extra ammo is where I want it, safety off and the party is on …

Mara and I crept forward on all fours, taking cover behind some small reeds. We took a while glassing them over – quickly taking stock. It is a small herd of about 50 animals with a bunch of bulls on the right, about 70 yards away. As usual, there is this stupid cow with a calf on the left looking straight at us from about 40 yards away. We must watch her as she can fuck it all up for us at any moment and I really don't feel like another 2 hour stalk. Mara being the salted and experienced PH that he is, saw him first - a big, very black bull covered in mud standing out in the group of bulls on the right. As Mara turns to me, I nod in quiet agreement. He's the one. I put myself up on the (short) sticks while on my knees and wait for a good shot – at the same time keeping an eye on the cow on the left. I want a nice broadside shot - as doing the "open sight" thing takes a little extra attention. The bull is strutting around, oblivious of us. Then he turns …

The safety is off and I drop the bead into the sights, and realize that this is that special moment where time seems to stand still. I let rip with one barrel on the shoulder. The shot is a little high on the left shoulder, damn it! I should have taken it much finer, I knew it. The herd started milling around not knowing where we are and what is going on. This is very dangerous shit and we are all on full alert. About four bulls trotted past the cow on our left and turned towards us, heads up looking straight us. That’s my chance. Second shot coming up. Finer this time, on the nose, “one thousand, two thousand” … and I squeeze number two. The bull took it just below his left eye and he went spinning backwards, head over heels. He ended up in a heap croaking out his death bellow. What a sensation! The 470 really hit him hard and beat him back. He’s down and Mara smiles at me, holding out his hand. I shake his hand, smile back and point at a lone young bull about 20 yards away looking at us while I reloaded quickly. This is right down the centerline of adrenaline alley. The bull is on the verge of very serious trouble – as he’s deciding whether we’re in his “comfort zone” or not. We sit tight and stay low, very low for what seems an eternity. For a moment there, I kind’a hoped he would charge as the devil in me wanted to see what would happen if he got hit by a 470, a 458, a 416 and a 375 – ‘cause that is what would have happened as that is what we carried. He snorted and turned, and galloped away after the rest of the herd as they were crashing away through the papyrus and reeds and away from us.

I approached my Buffalo to make sure he’s dead and that it is safe. You cannot be too careful with this. When I’m about 15 yards away, he starts getting up! The next 10 seconds pass in slow motion as you border on sensory overload. My immediate reaction is to spine him as I’m approaching him from the back. I put a shot through his spine and he jolted and stopped, half way up on his front legs with his hind quarters down, turning towards me with bloodied nose and in those split seconds with what seemed like red eyes of a demon. His expression personified what a Cape Buffalo is all about – he was ready to kill us all, if only he could. I was contemplating where to place my next shot – and I went for his neck/chest area again. He collapsed again and a second death bellow followed. I quickly reloaded again. Man, these ejectors help a lot to speed things up at a time like this!

I shot him twice more – but that was primarily because I enjoy shooting the 470 at a real target worthy of such a magnificent rifle. I gave him a little while, that moment of dignity that such a superb animal deserves. The bull was down and all rifles were made safe while there were smiles all ‘round. Hunting Buffalo is special. Hunting Buffalo over open sights with an English double is very special. Having your son there to share the moment makes it extremely special.

No wonder people pay us to do this!


[That special moment in time. Mara, Coera, my son Eben, Me, Francois, Marco and Bichote in front.]

And I still got may usual good Baboon anyway ...

Yeah but I have also seen so many PH'S not even interested in animals/nature for more than the dollards that it brings, I hunt as much as I can, and most of our holidays are spent in the wilds of Africa or USA

So here is a couple of my pictures











Sorry too bore you with a couple, just for interest sake the springbok were hunted on foot in the Kalahari, my favourite place in the world

Bahati and Kwan: Great pics! Bahati: Tell us a little more about the new double rifle that you used.

I did not get to guide clients this year working in Dubai.

Heading for Angola early next year so that might change....

But I did get to hunt the two times I went home.

I did get to do some jackal culling in May.



Hunted this Kudu Cow with the bow..



In August spent time relaxing in a tree




and I hunted

a Blue Wildebeest


and my 1st Zebra

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Bahati and Kwan: Great pics! Bahati: Tell us a little more about the new double rifle that you used.

UEG

It is a William Douglas 470NE with ejectors. It is "new" for me, but has had 2 previous owners. Lovely to handle and to shoot and makes a nice backup firearm. It gets used a lot ...



Here Coera carried it with while hunting this very old Hippo bull recently.

Nice pics, guys, good to see a lot of family participation too.

Great pictures guys, nice to hear that you find the time to hunt, and that being in the industry has not sucked all the fun out of it! You are obviously making a living doing what you love to do, may we all be as lucky.

And thank you for taking the time to post your picts.

quote:

Candy with her first elephant, shot this past October...a side brain shot no less.

Not only a wife that hunts, but a wife that hunts elephants! Talk about "be careful what you wish for"!

Kwan, is that Andre van der Merwe with you in the Kalahari?

Hello Karl

Ja, that is Andre, I intoduced him too the Kalahari, and now he is a goner, we are goingback in May next year, wehunt on foot and camp in the veldt, absolutely marvelosu for te soul

Some pics from this year, wish I had more time to hunt myself:







A mornings fun with me and Gaylon is my 2 girls: Alexandra and Georgia



Shot my first ever Gemsbok with a grand old rifle M98 with long barrel (open sight) made around 1930 belonged to my wife's Grandfather. When we came home Amelia's Grandfather asked the old bushman that went with how I handled the gun he just shaked his head, mumbling something about shooting with the wrong hand (I am left handed)

A photo of the PH Herve Houdebine with his Argentinian wife and her 5 days old baby girl Bria. Bria sounds weird as a Chritian Name. In fact it’s the name of the little town close to the hunting zone.
Guest star, an indisputable fenced canned lion.
And the legendary baby bitch Veni, which I use as alias when adorned with leopardlike doodled spots.

quote:

Originally posted by nampom:
Some pics from this year, wish I had more time to hunt myself:







A mornings fun with me and Gaylon is my 2 girls: Alexandra and Georgia



Shot my first ever Gemsbok with a grand old rifle M98 with long barrel (open sight) made around 1930 belonged to my wife's Grandfather. When we came home Amelia's Grandfather asked the old bushman that went with how I handled the gun he just shaked his head, mumbling something about shooting with the wrong hand (I am left handed)

Glad there is another bow hunter here.

Great photo of the kudu