Well after a year and a half of planning, our first trip to Africa was becoming a reality.
Myself and two friends Larry Collins and Mike Show left Fort Myers, Florida on May 3rd. heading to Atlanta then on the Airbus from hell to Johannesburg South Africa. Arriving in jberg we exited the plane and got on a shuttle that took us to the terminal. When we arrived at the terminal there was a terrific jolt and a very loud grinding sound. A baggage tractor that was following the shuttle rear ended us. As we exited the shuttle the driver of the baggage tractor looked at the damage to his tractor the damage to the shuttle laughed, waved goodbye and drove off. Welcome to Africa. On entering the terminal we were greeted by a young black man in a leather trench coat. He asked if we were hunters and did we have rifles to declare. We advised him that we did and he said to follow him. With great apprehension we did as told. He told us to collect our checked baggage and meet him next to a large baggage cart at one end of the terminal. We got our luggage and found him, by then he had our gun cases. He checked our SAPS form, and then had us sign a book. He then said to follow him to customs. There was a line of people waiting to get thru the customs line, he walked up to it then turned left and went around all of the people in line. We just followed and went around everyone. So much for customs. When we exited customs we were met by a fellow with a Gracey travel luggage tag hanging from his backpack. He saw the tags we had and advised us he was there to meet us and help us along. This guy was absolutely fantastic. He took us to the SAPS office, got all of our paperwork, talked to the SAPS officers and thirty minutes later we walked out permits in hand. He then got porters to load all of our stuff onto carts and proceeded to take us to domestic for our connecting flight to Port Elizabeth. He got us checked into domestic and we had some time to kill so we all went to get something to eat. After lunch he made sure we were on the correct flight and asked when we would return and what flight we would be on, he would meet us and help with the return flight. Like I said this guy was great. Made the flight to Port Elizabeth and our PH’s were waiting on our arrival. A hunting we will go.

Outfitter: Ray Atkinson

Safari Company: Africa Bushveld Safaris

Ph’s: Marius Van Deventer, Andries Nesenberend and Laumy Ferreira

Location: Addo, Eastern Cape South Africa

After greetings and all of our gear loaded we drove aprox. One and a half hours north of Port Elizabeth to the little town of Addo. I guess the towns claim to fame is the Addo National Elephant Park. This park is almost 300 thousand acres and has about 600 elephants and assorted animals in its boundaries. We hunted several Farms, the smallest was 3,000 hectares and the largest was 53,000 hectares. This was all high fence, but you could not prove it by me. Except for the entrances, I never seen another fence that I could not step over. My first impression of South Africa was nothing like I thought it would be. I was looking at high desert like Northern New Mexico and Arizona. The only difference was that every blade of grass, bush and tree had the nastiest looking thorns I have ever encountered. Everything would stab, stick or scratch you and we got it all. Nothing is level, you are either going up or down a mountain. Being from Florida I thought I was in pretty good walking shape, these guys proved me very wrong. They really watched us to make sure we didn’t get to worn out but they worked our butts. The first morning we all got our rifles out and shot the proverbial cardboard box. I had brought some stick on targets so we had something to shoot at that was familiar. My rifles were a Winchester Model 70 Safari express in 375 H&H. I know it was a little much for plains game but who could go to Africa without a .375. Loads were my own, 260 grain Nosler Partitions at 2,728 fps. My second rifle was a Winchester stainless classic in 30-06. loads were 180 grain Nosler Accubond loaded to 2,786. Both rifles had almost the same trajectory 2 inches high at 100, dead on at 200 and 9 inches low at 300 hundred. After making sure the scopes were still shooting in the same zip code the PH’s decided to wet our appetites on Impala.

It was a classic stalk, me hung over with jet lag, my head about six sizes larger with a headache and my PH telling me to shoot, shoot and me telling him shoot what? Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then. I finally see what he wants me to shoot and at about 75 yards my first African animal is in the salt.
Next day it is spitting rain and a cold front is coming through. We are going to hunt Bushbuck but the PH’s are saying this is not a good bushbuck day. We head out any how and two hours later after glassing across a canyon a 150 yard shot and my Bushbuck is down.

The 375 is working really good. Two shots, two animals down. The other guys got their Impalas but after two days, no more Bushbucks. I know we had to walk at least 300 miles and all up hill. I was just carrying a video camera and I thought they would have to bury me on that mountain.
On the next day another hunter and his wife came to our camp. When he introduced himself I almost dropped my teeth. This world is truly a small place. The other hunter was Terry Blauwkamp and his wife Joann. Having talked to Terry on Accurate I felt I knew him already. Those two are the perfect safari camp couple. Terry knows absolutely everything about guns and loads and his wife Joann is an absolute hoot. Both of them treat you as if they have known you forever. Great People. The next day we all packed up to drive to a ranch about two hours north to hunt Kudu. We stayed in a farm house that was about 150 years old with no electricity. We had a generator about three hours a day. The house was beautiful and it was a great experience staying there. This is the ranch that is aprox. 53,000 hectares, it is huge. We never seen most of it. On our first morning hunting there I had the good fortune to have a tremendous Blesbuck step out in front of me. I know it was tremendous because my PH said it was and to shoot!, Shoot!

Later the next day I got my Kudu.

Everybody got the Kudu they wanted so we loaded up and back to Addo.
The next few days are almost a blur of hunting this and that. Still no more Bushbucks they have gotten the word and are eluding us.

Got my Gemsbuck. This is the only animal that I had to shoot more than once. They are some kind of tough. Three shots all in the boiler room with the 375 before he gave up and rolled over. My Spring buck was very old and his horns were worn. He had been kicked out of the herd and was all by himself. The PH thought I should take him because he would not last much longer and he wanted to see if I could make the shot that was presented. One shot with the 30-06 at a lasered 349 yards. I guess I showed him!!HaHa. Not bad for an old guy.

I also ended up with a much larger Impala than the first one.

My last animal taken was a Warthog. I really wanted a warthog because I felt that is the animal everybody who ever watches TV about Africa knows what it is.

On our last full day We went to the Elephant park for a couple of hours playing tourist. That place is remarkable. There were animals everywhere. It was a great experience and a trip not to be missed. While we were enjoying the park the other PH and the trackers were building a blind in the middle of a corn field. Blind built decoys placed at about 3.00 in the afternoon we were ready for some goose shooting. We had set up before our trip that they would have shotguns for us and ammo. After only about a half hour in the blind the Egyptian geese started coming When darkness called a halt to the shooting 79 geese and 3 white face whistling ducks had hit the ground. It was not that we were shooting that good (we fired almost 300 rounds) there were that many geese. I think it was the most out and out fun we had on the whole trip. Everyone was laughing and shooting. When we had a small break the trackers and PH’s would go out to retrieve birds and turn them over to make more decoys. Every time they would leave the blind more birds would come and they would have to either run for the blind or lay flat on the ground and try to hide. It was one thrill packed afternoon.

The next day it was time to come home. I really did not want to leave. All I can think about now is planning the next trip back.

Great report! Congratulations on your succesful hunt and thanks for sharing.

Great post! Now ya got the bug for sure and you'll be looking for any way possible to go back ASAP!! looks like you had a good time and took some really nice animals while down there.. Congrats..

All of these safari reports are makin it hard for me to wait the one more month I have till I get to go on my own!! Its getting to be SAFARI TIME!!

Congratulations and thanks for the report and photos.

Regards,

Terry

thanks for the report, we were hunting close to you (about 1/2hr north, near Alicedale) the week before. It was our first trip as well, looks like you had just as good of time

Where are you having your taxidermy done?

All of the Taxidermy is being done in SA at Karoo Taxidermy. They are in Port Elizabeth.

Congratulations on a GREAT hunt Mr. Bob!!

Your animals are beautiful. There's something about your bushbuck, he seems perfection.

I really enjoyed your photos with all the scenery in the background.

Bob,
Great. Your report is a good reminder of how much fun it can be to hunt with some friends in South Africa.

It is all too easy to get into a frame of mind of taking safaris too seriously and passing up the game parks and goose shooting.

Great report
Great pictures
Fantastic Trophies.
Sounds like a truly memorable trip

Great report on a super hunt.

Thanks for posting it.

JPK

Bob posted some more photos here Part 2 of the Report

Regards,

Terry

Great report Bob. Excellent trophies as well.


Phil