On Wednesday, I returned home from my first trip to Africa.

I had a truely magnificent time, and the experience was far better than my wildest imagination could have hoped for!

At last year's Jackson Hole RMEF banquet, my wife purchased a donated 7 day, 2 species hunt from Gem Safaris in Eastern Cape of South Africa. I extended the hunt to 10 days and added several animals, along with taking my wife along... How could I not???

We arrived at the farm late in the evening on the 29th of April, after a few days of travel. Gosh, that part sucked! The lady who checked us in at Jackson Hole Airport didn't seem to have a clue as to what she was doing, so I was very worried that things would work out. Fortunately, a few phone conversations with Kathi calmed me down a bit.

My first animal came on the second day of hunting. We chased blue wildebeeste around for the past day and a half and finally got a shot worked out. Hit him with a 300 gn Horn RN out of my Model 70 Safari 375 H&H. He seperated from the herd and we followed up on him. He got a little far ahead of us, so I took another shot at over 300 yards. First one missed, low, but the second follow up put him down.



Later that day we went after common springbok. Again, the 375 did well and I got a nice ram. The shot was about 80 yards, and I hit him a little far back as he was walking and I failed to take that into account. My PH said I had to shoot NOW, so I forgot to switch from "tracking" mode, to "leading" mode to make a shot at a walking target. The big 300 RN hit him hard enough that following him up was a very short task.



Day three, we went after gemsbok, a few hours north of my PH's place. I was able to take a nice bull with a Winchester 1895 in .405 Winchester. My first shot at about 150 yards wasn't too good, but a follow up at a little over 200 yards put him down.



Didn't take anything on Day four... But I could have cared less!

Day five, we went after impala and kudu. We were unsuccessful on kudu early in the day, so switched to impala in late morning. We made a nice stalk and I took a nice ram at close to 200 yards with the 375.



That evening, I got my kudu! A nice kudu was the top on my list and I really wanted a nice one. We were hunting Cape Kudu, not the Greater Southern, so I knew that a 50"+ wasn't going to happen. We spotted a real beauty of a bull from the truck and we took out after him hard and heavy. After about a 1/4 mile, my PH looked back at me and said "I'm excited about this bull." so I knew he was as good as he looked to me. We went after him very hard and got ourselves into a great position. The kudu worked his way back in our direction and when he cleared a rock at 308 yards, I made my shot! I gotta say I almost blew the shot, as I felt myself getting ready to jerk the trigger, so I relaxed a few seconds, took a few deep breaths, and got back on him. I placed the crosshairs right at the top of his back and squeezed. A terrific echo ROARED thru the box canyon and my PH said "Shoot again... Don't bother, bloods pouring out his mouth." At that instant, while looking thru my scope at him, he went down... probably four steps from where he was when I took the shot!

There are three times in a man's life when he has a right to howl at the moon. When he gets married, when his children are born, and when he fulfills a LIFETIME dream. I let out a hoop that echoed almost like the shot did. I have never reacted in such a way while hunting, and likely never will again. I waited my whole life for my first kudu, and I got a wonderful one!!

I really could care less what any of my trophies measure and even told the PH to not even worry about measuring, as it wasn't important. That night, he told me that the average kudu bull they take is 42-44" and the biggest he ever took was 48". He then said mine measured a little over 46" and that he knew I wasn't concerned with the numbers, but he wanted me to know just how good of a bull I got. I was glad he told me the number, but he could have said 40" and I would still have been ecstatic! He was a very old bull and probably only had another year or two, my PH said, so I felt good to take such a regal animal. His face and neck are very dark and his horns are very wide for a Cape Kudu, and he is just perfect in my book!



My wife was down at the bottom of the valley where the bakkie was, a good long ways away, and one of the trackers went to fetch her and the camera. He said "John killed big kudu bull! He wants you to come see." She asked where and he pointed us out to her... Her reaction was "Aw, f*ck!" She aint as gung ho about this stuff as I am, but she came anyway! She knew this one was MY number one.

The next day we went after zebra. The .405 did well again! He was a pretty young stallion, and I asked my PH to get me one with no or few shadow stripes. I wanted the stark black against white. Ultimately, I think we took the perfect one out of the herd! He will be very pretty on the wall!



Later that day, I took a second impala at about 150 yards as he was standing facing directly at me. The 375 300 RN bullet went perfectly and he went right down. He is virtually identical to the first.



We then went after Mountain Reedbuck, which wasn't on my list initally, but we ran into a very good one, so I was ready and willing! Nice shot at about 160 yards.



A little earlier in the day, we went on a short cull hunt for mountain reedbuck and my PH killed a nice little female with my .405 and I made a great running shot on a small ram. He was going with afterburners kicked on, but a sigle shot out of the 375 rolled him.

We then traveled down near the coast for cape bushbuck and warthog. I made a poor shot on the bushbuck, the evening after we arrived and at the very last moment, he broke out of the brush about 50 yards ahead of us. My PH was in front and he hit the ground and I swung on the wounded ram and rolled him... If I'd have missed this shot, we would have lost him for sure as it was minutes before dark. I have to credit my PH as he didn't give up and stuck with me until the last minute. I was feeling very bad for a few hours knowing I screwed the pooch on the shot, but thankfully, we were able to finish it properly.





The next day and final day we went after warthog. In the last hour on the last day, we finally ran into a shootable boar. We popped up over a small hilltop and there he was, about 60 yards away. The PH said shoot, so I threw the .405 up and nailed him. What a great ending to a great hunt!



Now, I'm back at work and dreaming of a way to get back... soon!

Paul, my PH did a magnificent job making this such a wonderful experience. He knew I wanted to take as many animals as I could with the .405 over the .375 so we tried very hard to make it work that way. Fortunately, I was able to use it on few. I had a perfect "arsenal" for hunting in Africa in my opinion. How does it get any better than to use a .375 H&H and TR's "Big Medicine" in Africa?

There are "better" rifles out there for Africa in many men's opinion, but I did this one the way that I wanted to, and it all went great!

Nice trophies and great photos. Sounds like you had quite a trip. Now the bug has bit you and you will be going for Buffalo soon! As great as your first trip was, the second, third and fourth will get even better! Thanks for posting your experience.

Congratulations on a fine bag of game. Nothing quite like your first trip to Africa and they seem to get betterwith every trip back. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Good job!Take your pictures to work.The minute work gets you down look at your pictures.

Looks like you had a great trip and took some very nice animals.

Thanks for sharing your experience!! Nice pix!!

A wife that buys you a hunting trip, and goes along, and (from the pix) enjoys it!! A real treat!!!

It looks you two had a great time! Congratulations!

Soooooo, when are you going back?

George

Thanks all for the comments!

Pictures are at work... need them for therapy!

George,
I tried to talk my wife into letting me put a deposit down for next year... She said NO, she wants to go to Hawaii. She did make me a deal tho that if she goes to Hawaii, I could go back!!!!

Now I need to save up, again!

I will go back! I want to go back and hunt again with this PH, and I also have to go for buffalo! And everything else!

I can see myself being broke for the rest of my life!!

Trapdoor,

Thanks for the African fix for the day. I went last year for the first time too and already planning the return trip.

I'm one step ahead of ya though. I already took the girlfriend to Hawaii in February. So, that trip has already been checked off the to-do-list!

Also, I didn't get my kudu but my girl wants me to go back after one for the trophy room. Isn't great to have someone by your side to support you and your bad habits!!

Congrats,

Graybird

Trapdoor,

Thanks for the great description and pictures. Congratulations on a great safari, you really took some nice animals. Glad to hear your wife enjoyed herself.

I know your excited, but before you put down a deposit for your next safari with the same outfitter, look at some of the other options. Think about buffalo in another country or perhaps plains game in Namibia, etc. I wish that I had spent my money for my second safari expanding my safari experience as opposed to hunting with the same outfitter from my first safari.

Regards,

Terry

I like a guy who hunts with iron sights.

Trapdoor,

When you have time give us some descriptions of the food, accommodations and weather. Pics of camp, etc. also if you have them.

Thanks,

Terry

T.Carr,

I have full intentions of buffalo!!! It will be a hard decision on whether to make the next trip with this PH or go for the buff! Since hunting with Gem Safaris, I have come to have a real fondness for some of the species I hadn't given much thought to. Their specialty is klipspringer and Vaal Rhebuck, and I am beginning an obsession with the little stuff... maybe a lot of it has to do with how great a guy my PH (Paul) was!!!

500grains,

I was hoping to hear that very thing from you!!! I'm an iron sight shooter, and if it weren't for my passion for varmint shooting, I'd probably never use a scope!

Greybird,

I wish I had Hawaii out of the way!!!

I will start looking for good photos of the lodge!

And the food was most excellent!

Thanks all for the comments... as you may be able to tell, I am still on an adrenaline rush!

Trapdoor,

Welcome home. You went nuts! This is great. Starting off with a two animal hunt to collecting all the great trophies you did is just wonderfull. It is nice to see someone take the time to set up their trophy photos, well done. T. Carr gives you good advise, there is so much more to see and hunt on the continent. Can't wait to get together to talk. Hope to see you this Saturday at the RMEF banquet.

Trapdoor,

I wish I would have been able to go over there on pleasure but as it was I was there on business and wasn't able to get out of Honolulu much.

If you ever make it into Honolulu, you need to take your wife to Jon Dominus (spelling?). It is a very nice place right by the harbor entrance. At sunset all the fishing boats are returning and the sunsetting on the water is a great site. Plus, they have all kinds of little canals flowing through the restuarant with fish swimming around. Quite a place to eat supper but don't go without expecting to drop at least a $150 bill.

graybird

quote:

Originally posted by Trapdoor:
I can see myself being broke for the rest of my life!!

Welcome to my world

Congratulations on a great trip! Terry's advice is sound. Try Zimbabwe before it disappears. My wife has been with me a 10 trips to Africa every step of the way. It is really special when your wife is also your best friend! You're a lucky guy and you should tell her that!

Congratulations on your great looking trophies!
Looks like y'all had a great time. Glad you took your wife. I took mine and we had a great time! Africa is an experience that is best shared!

Trapdoor,

Great hunt pics and write up! I really enjoyed that read.

Regards,
Dave

Trapdoor

You're a very lucky man with a wife who'd buy you a good African hunt. I guess hunting in SA isn't so bad as some have lead us to believe. Looks like you still had to work for your trophies. Of course, you had to have her along for the fun anyways. BTW, what kind of loads were you using in your two toys?

Trapdoor,
Nice hunt, nice trophies, nice rifles, NICE Wife.
What more can I say.
Next thing you know she will be buying you a Double Rifle and booking you a Buff, Elephant hunt.

Way to go, Trapdoor!
Not only do you have some nice trophies coming in about 6-9 months but you've got a trophy wife, too! I got me a keeper, too (this time)! Wife, I mean.
I was in RSA and Botswana last September and haven't been able to think about anything except going back since then. I know how you feel. Congrat's again.

Great pics and report. Lovely trophy list for a first time.

Is good to start young. Gives you some years to work out the finances for the buff trip. I envy you the time to do that.

Nice to have a fix ... needed it. Thanks!

Taking on plains game with iron sights is not only a classy way to hunt, but it is also more of a challenge because it puts stalking skills to a greater test. It is the mark of a true hunter who has a sense of fair play and doesn't mind a little work.

Trapdoor: Congratulations on your hunt. You took great trophies.

Trapdoor,
It looks like you had a fantastic hunt. What more can a man asked than to have a great hunting trip with a wife that supports him and cares for him. The first Kudu will always stay with you, it is a prized trophy. I still remember my first Kudu after many years.

Enjoy the memories.

Trapdoor, Congratulations!
Alittle more on the 1895. Did you use factory or handloads? Stock iron sights, or a receiver? What did your PH think of the rifle?

Mad Dog

Trapdoor:

It's obvious you had a great time and congrats on some fine trophies. Even better that your wife went with you to share it. You can relive the memories with her for the rest of your lives together.

Wow! Thanks all for the great words!!!

The wife is truely a blessing! Not only did she buy the trip in the first place, but she didn't say a word as I was spending money on animals!!! And when I told her I was contemplating leaving the trophies there as the expenses would likely pay for my next trip, she insisted that tehy were coming back and that they were all going on the walls of the living room.... Now that's support!!!

Of course, she said if I get a shoulder mount of the warthog it has to go in the basement..... BOO!

So, I'm just going to do a skull and set it in the middle of the dining table!

The only downside that I am working on now is that she has a list of things she wants! Stuff like new car, new washer/dryer, new bed....baby! That sure puts a crimp on returning soon! Oh well!

The 1895 was a last minute addition to the trip, and a worthy one! We were walking thru Sportsmans Warehouse in Idaho Falls about a month before the trip and low and behold, they had one! Now, I have been lusting for one since Win announced them 3 years ago, but finding one was like finding hen's teeth! I begged and pleaded with her for an hour trying to convince her that I had to take it to Africa with me, but no dice. A few days later, I sent an email to my father telling him that I found one, and that I was bummed with the timming. He asked how much, I replied, and he sent back an email saying to call them up and tell them I'd be in that evening to pick it up. Terms of the deal were that he would buy the rifle, I would buy the dies, brass, etc, and do load work-up, I would kill something in Africa with it, I would kill and elk with it, and in a few years, I'd turn it over to him so he could play with it! I couldn't have asked for a better "deal" so that's how the story goes!

It is incredibly accurate and I'm getting 2250 fps with the Hornady 300 gr FP and IMR3031 out of Hornady brass. I'm also getting 1" 5-shot groups at 50 yards, over and over again! It doesn't get any better than that.... period! I have yet to try any other powders or bullets.. Do I really need to other than just to satisfy my curiosity???? I don't see why...

I have yet to shoot any factory loads out of it... and likely never will. I reload everything. Always have, always will!

I'm just shooting the stock iron sights that came on the rifle. I doubt we will ever put a reciever sight on it, but that would not be a "bad" thing, in my opinion.

And what did the PH think about it???? Well, he liked it enough that he killed a mountain reedbuck with it, himself! He was very pleased with the rifle and he made it a point to try to get on as many animals as we could using the 405 first. He thought it was very cool and I think it was the first time a hunter of his brought something like that. We both liked hunting with that rifle!


I'm working right now on adding more photos of the accomodations, etc... so expect a few more things to look at!

More to come! And the adrenaline is still flowing!

Here are some landscapes for your enjoyment! I know there are many who need their daily Africa fix!

I'm going crazy here!

This is the farm house where we stayed the first week or so of the trip. This is a working farmhouse as well as hunting lodge.



This was the room we stayed in:



This was the bar area where we were "entertained":



This is me eating my first African game animal, blue wildebeeste. Wow, was it fantastic!

Somebody stop me!











8 week old lion cubs at a lion park near Addo Elephant Park:

Trapdoor

Boy, you're incorrigible! There's no stopping you now, you're on a roll. I see you subscribe to the Saeed method of picture taking. BTW, where's the pics of the snakes and insects, huh?
Nice pics all the way around.

SBT,

Yep, I'll be at the RMEF banquet! They asked me to get up in front of everybody and give a little talk... try to get another donated hunt sold!

I'll likely have more pictures to show if you want to see 'em!

Other than that, I'm willing to get together anytime and dream of Africa!

475... I didn't get any snakes or insects... evertime I saw a neat insect, I was too busy chasing something bigger!

Trapdoor,
Congrats on a great hunt, great photos. You will start your 2nd trip saving fund.

Trapdoor,
I took the night off and am anxious to hear and see more of your hunt. Please bring more photos! With your presentation, the hunt is sure to sell for more than you paid for it last year.

Trapdoor,
Those are some great pictures, thanks for posting them. I'll have to make sure my girlfriend doesn't see the pictures of the baby lions, or I'll have another cat in my future.

Don't you just love this time of year, when the stories and pics come rolling in.
Wonderful pics, Thank You for sharing.
Dulcinea