Here are the animals I took while on Safari in South Africa this past May.

Here are pictures of the animals I took while on Safari.

This is the 17 3/4" Blesbok I shot on the first day of my Safari.



Below is the 5" Steenbok




Below is my Springbok



Below is my 13" Bushbuck. For those that know bushbuck, check out the unusual dark coat.



Below is my Zebra



All were shot with Groove Bullets.

Don

Looks like you've had a great hunt.

Now, how about giving us some information on caliber and bullet weights you have used?

Any details would be much appreciated.

Well done there, Don!

Saeed,

Here are some addtional pictures of the lodge we were "forced" to stay at. Can you say "roughing it"?

Here I am with my PH inside the lodge.



Here is the living room inside the lodge.



Here is one of the bedrooms



Here is a picture of the outside of the lodge.



I used a 7mm mag and 127gr EXP Groove Bullets for:

Blesbok - 50 yards
Steenbok - 125 yards
Springbok - 304 yards

The 375 H&H AI was loaded with 272gr EXP Groove Bullets.
I used a 375 H&H AI for:
Bushbuck - 220 yards
Zebra - 210 yards

I was told how "tough" the animals are in Africa but I found that with Groove Bullets they weren't tough enough.

My buddy killed his 51" Kudu bull using his 7mm mag and 127gr EXP Groove Bullets at 135 yards. It was walking down a hill, broadside, at the shot. He spined it. The bullet completely busted up the spine and exited out the other side. Naturally it went down like a ton of bricks.

I used the 375 H&H AI for zebra only because I wanted to see what the 272gr bullet would do to it. I have no doubt that the 7mm mag and the 127gr EXP would of worked just fine. I shot the zebra in the "triangle" and thought it was broadside at the shot - it wasn't, it was slightly quartering away and the bullet exited just in front of the left front shoulder. If one looks closely (at the picture) they can see a red dot in front of the left front shoulder (that is the exit hole). With a broken right front leg/shoulder it ran up the hill into some real thick bush. Naturally we went in after it. My PH and myself heard it in the bush, about 100 yards in. It was bedded down. I stood on top of a termite mound and saw it about 30 feet up the hill. As I swung on it, it stood up to go further up the hill. I gave it a "Texas Heart Shot" and it dropped, never to get up again. That bullet was found lodged between 2 front ribs, just under the hide. That bullet went through 6 FEET of zebra, starting in its left right rump. That is the only Groove Bullet I have ever recovered. I hope to post a picture of it in the near future. It really didn't do a lot of damage to the bullet. It opened slightly and shredded back some. It did put that zebra down for good though. Based on what I saw the 272 EXP is to tough for plains game shot from a 375 H&H AI.

We had a great time and I can't wait to go back.

I hunted 5 days for bushbuck. I wanted a 15" or better but when this one was spotted, with the unusual dark coat we decided to go for it.

My next trip will include 2 more zebra, blue and black wildebeest and a 15" plus bushbuck.

Don

Nice Blessbuk
And the steenbuk is not bad either
Thank you for sharing.

Cheers,

Andr�

The word lodge brings images of a little log cabin with deer skulls on the walls and a smokey little stove and old men wearing long johns smoking pipes and farting....
That place looks really nice and all the kills are trophies too, good job!

From the photos it appears you were in the Eastern Cape, if this is correct the bushbuck would be an cape bushbuck which are normally a very dark brown. Nice trophies!

From what I can see you were using too much gun as the recoil kept spinning your hat around

Nice pictures. Sounds like a great hunt.

Jeff

Yes, it was a cape bushbuck. It measured 13". I was after a 15" plus since they took a nice 16" two weeks earlier but I decided after 5 days to take this one. The Steenbok was 5".

The lodge is 5 star, as all can see.

We were hunting 2 hours north of Port Elizabeth. We hunted 5 of 7 private farms.

I had to smile on the "recoil" comment.

I hate it when people take a nice animal and then have the bill of their hat shade their face. Can't tell who is in the picture.

We had a great time and I plan to go back.

Don

Hey there,
Glad your back safe and sound, did Marius give you some bullets for me? Send me some of the best photos and I will put them on my web page and attach your web page to mine if you like...Good stuff..I loaded up a box of 375s with your bullets yesterday and will be taking them to Pierre for our camp rifle and to test them on buffalo...I just got my 404 and wish I had some 380 gr. Groove bullets or close to that weight to test, but I'm leaving in three weeks, so will try the 375s....I intend to use the 338s this year also....They look good and shoot good...I think Barnes xxx pretty much copied you from just looking at the two...

Congrats on your hunt, beautiful animals you've got there. I plan to book such a trip in the next year or two with my .375 Ruger MkII - for now it's gonna have to be black bear and elk/deer in Montana.

Share any other pics you've got and of course pics of any recovered bullets. It sounds like you got excellent performance out of that .375 grooved bullet.

Yep, I had a great time and can't wait to get back. I wish I hadn't waited so long to go. I ain't gettin any younger, as the saying goes.

I "tried" the 272/375 EXP Groove Bullet out of the 375 H&H AI just to see what it would do to the zebra. Based on this one case I would say it is to much bullet for a zebra. The 338 caliber, 206gr EXP would more then likely be a better pick.

When I go back I plan to use the 300 win mag and the 159gr EXP Groove Bullet for zebra and blue wildebeest (brindled gnu).

Once you go to Africa you will go back. Many have told me that before I went and they were 100% correct.

When you go to Africa (in the next year or 2) take twice as much film as you think you need. I took 6 rolls (36 exp) of film and bought more while there. Depending on who you book with and where you go, wear camo clothing. I bought tan and OD clothing before I went and didn't have to. I have plenty of "Advantage Camo" hunting clothes and that is what I "should" of taken. Check with your outfitter ahead of time to see if camo is ok to take.

Don

Ray,

I used the 375 H&H AI on the zebra just to see what the 272/375 EXP Groove Bullet would do to it. I know it is only 1 animal and 1 case but I am thinking that the 272gr EXP is to much bullet for a zebra, shot from a 375 H&H AI at 3100 FPS. I did recover a 272gr EXP Groove Bullet from that zebra and will have to get a picture of it and post it. Marius told me where to place the shot, prior to us going after the zebra. I was so focused on "placing" the shot that I hadn't realized that the zebra was slightly quartering away - at the shot. The shot was 210 yards. If you look closely you can see a little red dot just ahead of the left front shoulder - that is the exit hole. At the shot it fell, got up and stumbled up a hill into some real thick bush (as can be seen in the photo). When Marius and myself started into the bush we went in slow to try to "hear" the animal. I should mention there were about 20 or 40 zebra in the herd and this was the best stallion. About 100 yards into the bush we both heard the zebra thrashing around on the ground. I managed to make my way on top of a termite mound and saw the zebra 30 FEET in front of me - facing up hill. At its sight I swung on it and it saw/heard me. It got up and was going to make its way up the hill. All I had was a "Texas Heart Shot" and I took it. At the shot it dropped, never to get up again. That 272gr EXP entered just to the left of the "exit" hole and was later found lodged between 2 front ribs in its chest. The bullet traveled in a straight line. There really wasn't a whole lot of damage to the bullet even though it went through 6 feet of zebra. The petals shredded back some but it didn't lose any of its weight.

On a tougher animal, such as a cape buffalo, that bullet should do very well. Let us all know your results of your buffalo hunt.

My buddy shot his 51" kudu using his 7mm mag and the 127gr EXP Groove Bullet at 135 yards. The kudu was walking broadside, down a hill and all he had to shoot at was about 12" of its back. At the shot the animal dropped, shattering the spine to bits. The bullet exited after busting the spine to peices. When he and his PH and tracker got up to it he put 2 more in it to put it out of its misery. All 3 shots went all the way through.

I sent you an envelope via US Postal Service, yesterday.

Get in touch with me when you return on the photo's. Or I can send them directly to your daughter. Let me know.

Andreis, my buddy Jims PH was very skeptical about using a 127gr bullet on Kudu. After seeing the results Jim got using the 127gr EXP Groove Bullet, he was sold. I am sending Andreis and Marius some bullets to use. Marius didn't give me anything to send to you. I wish I had known ahead of time - I would of asked him about it. I had plenty of room in my suitcase.

Don

Bog,

I hear ya on the "lodge". We had a "hunting camp" back in the 60's and 70's. It was 30 feet square and you painted a very good picture of it.

Would you hail from Scotland?

My SO is in the UK right now - she is from Stoke.

Don

Hey Don,

Congrats again on your first African hunt!! Great photos!

So........2005????

Bob

Bob,

As of now my plans are to return in May of 2006.

Don

Don, Now that you are back, how about some 458's please?

Ah yes, fine bullets those Grooves. It would be swell to have some in the .423 caliber, say a long and pointy boattail hollowpoint of 300 grains for the Chadwick Ram, African plains game, and you name it. More stuff of dreams, (sigh) ...

Good show, Don! Thanks for sharing.