Hunt Dates: June, 25th - July 5th
Outfitter: Rigby Safaris
PH: Johan Herman
Country: South Africa
Area: Mthimkulu
Nearest cities: Phalaborwa, Britt
Game taken: Buffalo, Hippo, Kudu, Waterbuck, Zebra, Impala, Bushpigs and Warthogs
Booking Agent: Global Adventures Outfitters. Greg Rodriquez and James Jeffrey
Tavel Agent: Gracy Travel. Doug Gray

The wife and I booked this hunt prior to DSC last year, I have been dying for a big Buffalo and after the Zim hunt in 2009 Greg thought this hunt with Rigby would be the one.
It worked out really well as we would be able to meet Johan, the owner and his wife Natasha at DSC in Dallas. January finally rolled around and the wife and I went to DSC as we have for the last three years and found the Rigby booth, we got to meet Johan and Natasha, this raised the comfort level extraordinarily. A nicer young couple you couldn’t expect to find. Johan and I talked hunting, the wife and Natasha talked shopping. We both felt great about spending time with these folks.

After all the prep it was getting close to time the excitement was building by the day, I was shooting and practicing with the “Big Guns” every weekend. Catastrophe struck! While walking into the house after a day at the range carrying my 416 Rigby, I dropped it, in the case, about a foot to the patio. I thought nothing of it at the time, picked it back up and carried everything into the gun room and put it down on the table. Next morning when I went to put everything into the vault I found that when I dropped the Rigby the stock had broken clean through at the wrist. Yes, I about puked. After swallowing the bile and a panicked call to the good folks at Ruger I sent it off for repair. Astonishingly enough, they had it restocked and back to me in about 10 days. No charge, no questions. Whew! Better service could not be asked for or expected.


BUSTED RIFLE

Well anyway, on to Africa!

We did the usual Delta IAH to ATL to JNB, if it wasn’t to Africa I would never put myself through that! This time we did a couple of things differently though. We did the seat upgrade to “economy comfort” in my wife’s opinion it was well worth the additional cost…………..okay I liked it too. Another thing we did this time was stay at the African Sky guest house, we really enjoyed it. I would have no reservations about staying there again and if you ever do stay there make certain to have the Beef Filet for supper, it was probably the best chunk of beef I have ever eaten and I do consider myself he “Carnivore Extraordinaire”.

Upon arrival at JNB we were met by Bruce from Afton, and Henry from Rifle Permits. Bruce is an old friend, Henry is now a new friend. Once we collected our luggage and rifles at SAPS we were escorted to the parking garage and driven to the guesthouse (African Sky) by Godfrey. We checked in and piled our things in the room after which I hit the bar for my first Castle Lager in a year. Four Castles later I started to feel human again, or at least what passes for human concerning me. Supper, another beer, and bed time. The next morning its breakfast, goodbyes and Godfrey whisks us back to the airport into the capable custody of Bruce.
Regarding African Sky, the service was very good, the room rated excellent and the food was incredible, supper and breakfast, we will be using them again.

We go to check in and SAA tries to ding us for overweight luggage ( as usual ) on our connection to Phalaborwa and as usual Bruce takes care of it for us. After that everything is uneventful until the wife sees the turbo prop we are flying on to Phalaborwa on, I don’t understand her concern after the Cessna in Zim?
The flight to Phalaborwa on this “tiny” aircraft was uneventful and we were met at the beautiful little open air Airport by Johan and Natasha. After collecting our luggage we head for camp, stopping for dinner on the way. After about a two hour drive we pulled into the neatest camp a person could wish for, paradise on the Little Letaba River.

CAMP PICTURE

While the boss lady was settling everything in, Johan and I went off to check the rifles and on that short drive we saw three Giraffe and a Bushbuck, you just know you are in Africa when you see a giraffe!
Around the fire that night Johan was explaining the procedure here at the Little Letaba. The Buff hunting routine is to ride the roads looking for tracks of bulls or herds that wander out of Kruger, most of the animals are back and forth crossing the river which is the Kruger park boundary. He explains that sometimes we might have to do quite a bit of driving to find Buffalo to track. Okay, I can deal with it.

I am SO excited to be back in Africa, a cold Castle and a Mopani fire, I am stoked.

Day One

We get up have a quick breakfast and load up. I might mention that it’s cold, low thirties cold, I didn’t bring enough clothes. Johan and Mrs. Jtex get in the cab of the cruiser while me and the guys are in the back, they are not lookin’ too sprightly. It’s amazing, Southern Africans start to freeze up at about 65 degrees and it’s in the 30’s they don’t look like they are going to enjoy this.
It’s breaking daylight pretty well when we start out of camp Johan, Mrs. Jtex, Freddie the head tracker, Axon the game scout, Elias the assistant tracker and Me. We haven’t gone a good kilometer when there are THREE DAGGA BOYS standing in the middle of the track staring at us!
Johan stops the truck as they spook off into bush and tells me to grab my gun. I am so prepared that it is still in the case, not a single round in the magazine and I can’t find my gun belt, I am just flabbergasted! Johan is not terribly impressed with the speed I am able to get all this sorted, and once I finally do, we take off. We bump the three bulls about two hundred yards from the truck, all three are huge, but one is old…old and polished…….good drop…..and wide……….

.Johan tells me: That is your Bull. I just hope that we can make it so.
After bumping them this first time Johan decides to head back to the Bakke to gather Mrs. Jtex, the trackers and get prepared for a bit of tracking. We pick up the tracks where we bumped them the first time and the guys go to work, African trackers are amazing. We follow for a bit and come up to one of the bulls in the scrub Mopani, he is big but not the old guy, finally after a bit of glassing we can make out another bull ahead, but again, not the old guy.

The wind swirls and they thunder off.

The guys go back to it like African trackers do, magicians, every once in a while I can make a bit of sign but these guys are amazing. This time we don’t even see them before we hear the thunder, but they were very close when they took off, exciting.

Johan decides that in this thick mess we are in the bulls should follow a small valley that curves between two Kopjes, he decides to leave the trackers on the trail while we take a “shortcut” over the inside Kopje so as to “head ‘em off at the pass” so to speak.

The next PH I hunt with needs to be about seventy five years old with a three pack a day habit!

This guy just runs up this enormous rock pile like a dassie ahead of a leopard. I get to the top about three days later with double vision and sweated solid, Mrs. Jtex was only breathing hard but then she didn’t have to carry a rifle, all those heavy cartridges…..anyway. We get to the top and sit down and start glassing the direction the bulls should be heading…..finally I spot two of them and the trackers are about thirty yards behind them. In that thick Mopani scrub the trackers can’t see them. I can’t find the old guy though, finally Johan finds him about 100 yards ahead of the two other bulls.

Apparently the younger bulls are running a rear guard for the old guy and when he hears them running he already has a 100 yard head start.

While we are watching, the trackers bump the bulls and as surmised the old boy wastes no time waiting on the other two he just starts trotting on the way he was headed. He is heading back toward the river and sanctuary now, and I bet he knows this, we have made a large loop I can see the river from our vantage point. Johan asks me if I can make the shot.

I wait for the bull to cross a clearing in that mess for a clear shot and when he does the rifle just goes off, honestly I don’t remember pulling the trigger. Johan hollers good F****N shot, I am trying to get the scope back on him for another shot when the wife says “he is down”!

I find him in the scope then and all I can see is legs thrashing, HE IS DOWN! We hear the death bellow I know for sure he is mine.









BUFFALO PICTURE

9:30 A.M. of the first day and I have got THE Buffalo!

Greg told me how good this place was, Johan told me but this was way above my expectations. I have been smiled upon by the Buffalo Gods. I would like to take this time to thank them. Thank you!

Tonight we celebrate! Natasha drove all the way back out to camp for the celebration. There was great food, a great fire and dancing. I think I polished off a half a bottle of Booker Bourbon all by myself! I tried to share. Really!

Day Two

Again we set off, not quite so early this morning, celebrations being what they are.

We are looking for Hippo now. I knew from the time I was a small boy I would hunt Buffalo, but now I am hunting a Hippo…….unbelievable isn't it.

We head for the Letaba River, not the Little Letaba where camp is, but the Letaba proper, where the water is. Not only is the Little Letaba little, it is also dry.

Anyway……we set off not quite so early…….me in the back of the truck again actually looking forward to freezing with the trackers. But alas, this morning the camp manager Basie, genius that he is, had outfitted me with two water bottles he had heated. With these warm water bottles inside my light jacket it made the cold much more bearable.

We drove to the convergence of the Letaba and Little Letaba, there is a large pool at the convergence, supporting a pod of Hippo, we look over the animals there and spot a shootable bull snoozing in the sun amidst his cow herd.

We crept into position and waited a bit for him to give a clean shot. I really enjoyed being this close to these amazing animals. After 45 minutes or so with a lot of looking Johan thought we ought to check some of the other Hippo pods, he thought we could find a larger more cooperative bull than this one.

We eased away from them and left ‘em snoozing, we went to look some more. I just love looking, I’m good at it too!

We checked three other pods and saw three more bulls, they all looked huge to me. All together we looked at probably 100 hippos, we saw several Crocs, the largest of them we guessed at about 14’. It was huge! Johan decided which was the biggest Hippo and we went back to put a sneak on him.

He was larger than the first, definitely not cooperative though. He or one of his girls busted us on approach and they hit the water. After they hit the water we backed off to let them settle a bit then made a stealthy re-approach. We crawled along the bank to a slightly higher spot to try for a shot, we had a great view but the Hippos weren’t showing much, just eyes, and the bull was especially cautious, not staying up long and changing position constantly.

This was a bit like “whack a mole”, we would get him identified and he would be facing the wrong way or have a cow in front of him or he would just go under and move.

Frustrating to say the least, but I did enjoy laying there like an old Croc with the warm sun on my back. Finally Johan decided to call it off until the morning.

While scouting the river bank for Hippo we spook a large group of Vultures out of some bush and find a Lion killed Kudu. A big Lion killed Kudu. We have seen several large Kudu here, we decide if we can get the Hippo sorted in a timely fashion we are going to spend some time looking for one.


LION KILLED KUDU PICTURE

We headed back to camp for another great meal and an outstanding fire. I think fires are better in Africa.

Day Three

The Boss Lady decides to sleep in this morning, I think she is feeling sorry for me freezing my but off and all.

It’s not supposed to be cold in Africa……..Tarzan never wore a coat once! I am certain of this, I have seen all his movies.

Today I feel like somebody, I actually get to ride in the front with someone who speaks and understands English, funny, English is not Johan’s first language but he speaks it much better than I do…….

We go to try and ambush the big bull we were after yesterday. Good plan. We drive until we are about a quarter of a mile from his pool, park and begin our sneak.
We have to be very careful along the river as there are animals everywhere, Giraffe, Impala, Bushbuck and Egyptian Geese, the geese give us fits down by the water, their alarm calls make everything scatter.

We finally get the Hippo pool in sight and they are all piled up on the bank snuggling to keep warm. Even the Hippos are cold it appears. We plan our stalk and try to get close for a shot on the bull, of course, he is in the middle of the pile.
We are about 30 yards from this proverbial “pile” of Hippos when the wind swirls and we have a Hippo stampede, who knew they could move like that? I didn’t! These large animals flushed like a covey of quail!

Thank goodness that they went East while we happened to be on the West…or something like that anyway. I did not get squashed or chomped by any stampeding Hippo. What a relief!

I don’t think the big bull really knew what was going on because he was acting very cheeky and didn’t take the complete plunge like the girls did, he stayed out about half way looking back to see what the deal was. Johan told me when he turned his head to paste him.

He did and I did.

Man that was intense, and fast too! At the shot the Hippo disappeared under the water, brained.
Time for recovery, what an operation, Johan stripped to his skivvies and waded into the river up to his neck, submerged and tied a rope to the hippos leg and rode It back while the guys pulled and I stood guard with the rifle. Once it was shallow, straps and the winch on the Toyota took over and my monster was beached. Damn these are big animals, I had NO IDEA!




HIPPO PICTURE

This whole operation was over by about 11:00 A.M. and Johan and I decided we might go back to camp for a siesta. I’m very good at those also, Mrs. JTEX thinks I could go pro. She is so supportive.
We arrive back in camp and don’t say anything about the Hippo, have some brunch and take a nap. African hunting can be so civilized. When we wake from our nap we decide to go out and “try for Hippo” some more. Mrs. Decided to come along this time and she rode up top with me, it was quite warm now.
Johan pulled up on the river bank overlooking the pool where our hippo was waiting on the sand bar where we beached him and she wondered why the Hippo was laying there with his mouth open. I told her he was dead, she asked what he died from, I told her I shot him.
My loving wife of 26 years immediately called me a liar, just like that, no questions, nothing just “you’re a liar”, depressing. Once she realized Johan and I had pulled a fast one on her she lightened up ( with Johan anyway, she likes him ) and we took pictures and she got to see the “River Horse” close up, she was as awed as I was.

Basie, Johan’s camp manager had made arrangements to have the local villagers there to collect the meat and help us with the trophy. When they were skinning the beast, Axon, the game scout, recovered the bullet, it had completely penetrated the skull and was embedded in the skin on the other side. (Barnes TSX)


HIPPO BUTCHERING PICTURE

The next morning we checked the sand bar and there was nothing left but a wet spot and the ashes from several large fires. The locals appeared very happy to have all this meat and left nothing to waste.

I am extremely happy to have been of service.

Johan decides that tomorrow we are going to find one of these large Kudu for me to take home, Johan is very positive like this. I decide that I am going to give the Rigby a break and use my 7mm Rem for this bit of work. I go to our room to get it ready for the morning only to find that I, in my infinite wisdom have left the bolt at home, in Texas, where there are no Kudu…..oh well the Rigby has worked well so far.
Some more celebration, another great meal an African fire then off to bed. I am suffering from a severe case of sensory overload, how a guy like me ended up in a place like this, doing things like this is beyond comprehension. I am blessed.

Day Four

The days just keep happening! Today we are to concentrate on one of these huge Kudu, we are off.

I am again in the back with some of Basie’s warm water bottles to fight the chill. We head to a spot on the Letaba where we saw a large Kudu yesterday only to find him again with several more Kudu bulls in attendance.
We begin a stalk to be busted by several Giraffe and a whole flock of Impala. The kudu all left and we tried a track on the large bull, but even the magicians we call trackers finally lost him in the Mopani scrub away from the river. Oh well, back to the truck for more “looking”, I may have mentioned earlier, I really enjoy looking.
We saw several more Kudu bulls but nothing like that first one, Johan really wanted that first one, almost as much as I.
Towards midday we decided to head back to camp for brunch and a nap, I like naps almost as much as I like “looking”. I am a pretty fair hand at brunch too.

When I woke up the Mrs. Decided to continue her nap ( trying to compete with me for the title, she hasn’t a chance, not enough practice ) so we left her. I think she just likes being Queen of the safari camp and most likely talked poor Basie to death.

Oh…yes… Kudu hunting.

We headed right for the spot we had seen Mr. Big the two previous occasions. We stopped well off and crept to the top of an embankment where we could glass the river bank from a safe distance.
He was back!
Johan backed us out and we made a large circle away from the river to get the wind in our favor and commenced our stalk. We made it to within about 250 yards when we were “made” by another group of Kudu.

This place is just lousy with Kudu.

Johan put up the sticks and asked me if I could make the shot, I thought I could, but I shot low and cut his brisket.
The Bull jumped around wildly not knowing from which direction the shot came. We were able to get behind some scrub and run towards him through the soft sugar sand, hard stuff to run through, and this is something I don’t excel at by the way, running that is.
Where we came out from behind the scrub was about 100 yards from the bull, I fired offhand and after the run I just plain missed. The bull plunged into the river and was making for the other side when I fired again braining him.
Whew, I was shaking like a leaf by now.
This time I was going to be in on the recovery.

I usually brain them with my last
round, don’t you?

Oh well we got the Kudu and no one got eaten, success!
What an adventure, swimming in a river with Hippo and Crocs to retrieve a Kudu, me?



KUDU PICTURES

Day Five

We get up late and head for the game farm near Britt. We have done all the damage we can do at the Little Letaba and the Mrs. Wanted to do some shopping.

She was looking for a Zebra, she wants a rug.

The drive from Phalborwa to Britt was a neat part of the trip, we got to see a bit of the country we wouldn’t have normally seen.
Leaving camp there where the three of us in the cruiser, the cruiser that seats two, so Johan being the consummate Gentleman that he is decided he would ride in the back and I would drive with Mrs. Jtex riding shotgun.
Oh boy! I am gonna drive a truck with the steering wheel on the wrong side, while driving on the wrong damn side of the road!!!!!! What the heck. We take off and Johan piles up in the back to take a nap. This is fundamentally wrong, I am the expert on naps and he drives trucks with the steering wheels on the wrong side, while driving on the wrong side of the road.

I am having my first doubts about my PH here, and feeling just a bit abused.
We finally make it to Phalaborwa then Johan’s home, I only screamed a couple of times, the other poor people trying to drive on the same roads???? I fear they screamed more.
Do you know that they call truck horns hooters in South Africa? I got “hooted” at a bit.
We did however arrive alive, what’s the expression? “Shaken not stirred”.
At Johan’s home we are welcomed by Natasha and Johan’s three charming daughters, these young ladies are darlings aged 9, 7 and 2 and they are happy to see their Dad. We spend a bit of time packing up Natasha’s SUV and the girls. Natasha is coming to the game farm with us and we are dropping off the girls at Oma’s house on the way.
Mrs. Jtex sees how happy the girls are to get their Father back so she invites them all to come to camp with us, I think this is a fine idea as do Johan and Natasha. Oma wants to see the girls though so we do drop them off for an overnight, once we meet Oma we invite her out too.
This is a fine family, this is just fun.
It’s dark when we arrive in camp at the game farm but the manager there a fine Gentleman Jock Joint, has a fire ready and our tent, yes, a tent ready. The Mrs. is awed by the Safari tent (I like it too).
Johan doesn’t do anything half way.
We spend some time by the fire, the African fire, then turn in. It has been yet another great day.

Day Six

THERE IS A KUDU!!!!!!! She shrieks from the bathroom. Its morning and the Mrs. Is in the attached bathroom looking out the window and yes there are several Kudu. This seems promising.
We grab a bite for breakfast and go to sight the rifle. Johan has graciously loaned the Boss lady his 30/06 since my 7mm is out of action and he wants to check the zero, I shoot it a few times, we make minimal adjustments, she shoots, it’s good and we are off.

I mentioned earlier that she wants a rug, so I go along on her shopping trip……. We ride around and look a bit (looking again! I’m good), we see Impala, Blesbok, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, more Kudu, this place is loaded with animals.
While driving along we see a Zebra cross the track way ahead of us, then another, finally a whole herd, probably twenty five or thirty zebra cross. Johan parks the truck and we bail out for a stalk, whoops, I mean we pile out to go ”rug shopping”.
I am just observing on this “shopping” trip so I dutifully assume the role of camera man, hanging back a bit from the “shopping” party.
Johan takes off so as to get ahead of the herd of “rugs” so he can set her up solid and identify a Stallion “rug”, we can see a bit of Zebra…..I mean “rug” and Johan picks a spot where they will pass about 100 yards away and sets her up. I hang back a bit and I can see them conferring as the “future rugs” pass by discussing which ”rug” she should pick.
I can tell Johan has decided upon the right “rug” for her to pick and she gets on the stick. At the report her Zebra (I mean “rug”) goes down, she has shot him perfectly, one shot and down for the count.

All silliness aside this is a beautiful Zebra she has, its skin will make striking addition to our trophy room, what a wife I have. I am proud and she is happy, this makes me happy. How can you lose?


ZEBRA PICTURE
She has been wanting a Zebra for three years, tonight it’s her turn to celebrate.

Days Seven through Eleven

The days just kind of run together now. Oma and the girls arrive in camp and liven things up a bit, she is a fine Lady and these little girls just brighten everything.

We just adopt them all. I have a new Oma, a new Niece Natasha, three new Grand Nieces, oh and that man Natasha has married……..My niece is much too good for him!
We declared war on the Warthog population, the Boss and I each shot two she got a large female and I got a large male, the other two were for meat for some locals.
She got a nice Impala ram.


IMPALA PICTURE
She sure has a Beautiful smile.

One morning we hunted doves and Guinea fowl, that was a great bit of fun and totally unexpected. That evening I shot a Waterbuck at one of the dams it was almost dark when we had the pictures finished and the carcass loaded.


WATERBUCK PICTURE

Driving back to camp after loading the Water buck it is full dark know and I can see some animals running parallel to the truck about 50 yards off.
Johan sees them about the same time I do and tells me to shoot the biggest one, they are Bush pigs.

I always follow orders!

I shoot and we see dirt kick up past the pig, it looked to me like I shot over it and from Johan’s angle it looked like I shot behind it. He stopped the truck and bailed out (Yes! I shot at the Pig from the truck, in Texas that’s kosher for pigs) and went running in the direction the piggys went after the shot.
We ran for about a hundred and fifty yards when Johan pulled up abruptly and pointed out the back of one of the pigs above the grass, I shot and we could plainly see this one go down.
Hooah! I got a Bushpig!
We whistle up the truck and begin to drive towards us, we see them stop and get out, they tell us there is a dead pig there. It appears that the first one I shot had dropped on the spot! I had TWO Bush pigs! The first was a big Boar the second a large Sow. This is way cool, I never expected this.


BUSH PIG

The next morning when we are heading out we pass the area where Mrs. shot her Ze….”rug” and I asked Johan if we could go to the spot as I had forgot in the excitement to mark the spot with the GPS. I get in the back to direct him around brush and I am watching my GPS when I notice we are right on top of where I killed the Bushpigs the night before. I look up and look around and there in the grass is a dead animal.
Johan stops the truck and we get out to investigate and damned if it isn’t another Bushpig right where the Boar was marked down.

It appears when I “missed” the boar I had actually killed him then got a small sow with the pass through. I had actually killed 3 Bushpigs with two shots! Just call me Bwana.
The Mrs. and Jock hunted together quite a bit, Jock is a great fellow and a total pleasure to be around. His patience knows no bounds and he spent a lot of time with the Mrs. pointing out animals and showing her the flora and fauna. His wife Rica spent time in camp with us and a true pleasure to spend time with.

Johan had a friend with a farm nearby that had winter wheat and arranged some Goose hunting for us, another unexpected treat.

I was able to kill several Egyptian Geese and some Spur Wing Geese, man those Spur Wings are BIG!


We did driven Guinea fowl. That was fun and they die easy, I was able to shoot several triples on Guineas.

Johan's girls tried their best to teach me Afrikaans, I fear they think Oom Jtex a tad bit slow.

We had traditional Afrikaner meals, the food was just incredible.
The accommodations where excellent, we wanted for nothing.
Sadly, every good thing must come to an end, and this was better than good so the ending was hard.

We didn’t say bye we said see ya’ later, and we will. We are already booked back for Elephant in 2013, who knows maybe another Buff’ to boot.

I can’t think of a thing that could have made this trip better. Johan and his family are just the best people you can find. They treated us like family.

We miss them already and can’t wait until 2013.
Johan you done well! Thank you for everything.

I would like to thank Greg Rodriquez for recommending this hunt and setting it up and James Jeffrey for handling the real work and silly damned questions involved.

Guys thank you all, it couldn't have been better.

GREAT hunt!!

Awesome hunt and great story.

Good report! Like you, I too save my last round for the brain shot....but i can't claim three bushpigs with two rounds...

very interesting Kudu trophy. And a great Hippo trophy! Congratulations

Great trophies, congratulations.

Like that ol' dagga boy trophy! Well done...

Great pics, and a great story! I like your style. African safaris are all about the FUN! Everything else is secondary.


Mad Dog

Fantastic report! Great pictures and write up, I enjoyed that.

Great story and pictures, thanks for sharing. Congratulations on an amazing adventure!

O

Great hunt and a fun to read story too. It points out how much fun can be packed into a short time when you are in a good spot, with good people and have a good attitude.

Thanks for sharing!
Glad you were able to get that stock fixed.

Great report, loved reading it.

Super trophies all round Tex, but now that's a dagga boy! I have a weakness for them...What character! The kudu is special too..This hunt is a fine advertisement for South African hunting, congratulations to you.

Dave

There you go...... Got me itching to get back! Congratulations on a wonderful experience.

Ski+3

Thank you for all the kind words.

This was a great trip and huge fun all the way around.

I am really pleased with that Buff, and the Kudu I thought was very unique from the moment I saw him.

Now I just have to wait about half a lifetime to get the trophies home and in the trophy room.

Thank you for the great report. Congratulations on all the fine trophies.

Your new stock is even nicer than the original! Great to hear you had good service from Ruger, that was definitely above and beyond for a gun maker.

Congrats on the hunt!

Wonderfull report of your Safari
cheers

Congrats JTEX!!

Had a lot of fun reading your article.
And that beauty old buff...

great trip, great trophies and I love that old nasty bull!

Congratulations on some excellent trophies and thanks for a great report.

Fantastic hunt and story! Love the buffalo and all the others trophies are a great bonus. Makes the bad experience of Zim pale in comparison, and these memories are the ones to remember. Tell that lovely wife of yours congratulations too. I'll make sure Paul gets to see your report. Nice shooting Bwana.

Great report and awesome bull. I have hunted with Johann several times and he and his wife are as good as they get. Great people.

Now that's one hell of a good report, and excellent trophy pics to boot!

Love that kudu.

Good hippo

Congratulations on having such a great time on your hunt! Both of those hippo trophy pictures are outstanding!

What are you going to do with that hippo? Just tusks, or...?

Blank-it made my Zim hunt just ....go away. I'll pass your congratulations to the Boss Lady and tell here you said hello. I saw your and Paul's Texas Whitetails.....WOW!

quote:

What are you going to do with that hippo? Just tusks, or...?

I think the whole skull....what a conversation piece!

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:

quote:

What are you going to do with that hippo? Just tusks, or...?

I think the whole skull....what a conversation piece!

Absolutely! I hope you'll post pics if you do that.

Fantastic hunt & trophies. That kudu in the water looks amazing with all those curls.

I am surprised that the stock is not reinforced in the wrist. So simple and easy to do - just drill a 5 mm hole from the tang and epoxy in a piece of graphite fishing rod or a metal rod.

Thanks. I enjoyed the read.

What a fun trip. You really conveyed what a good time you had. Nice trophies, too! I liked the photo of the kudu at water's edge, tells a story.

Thank you for sharing. Looks like an awesome trip. Love that Hippo.

Best Regards
Marius Goosen

I'd be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay happy with that second kudu. Starting a 4th curl! Very nice!

You mean 3rd Curl.

Lovely Kudu and very fine trophies all round.

great kudu. thanks for the report

quote:

I liked the photo of the kudu at water's edge, tells a story.

Yes, quite an adventure for a Texas boy! Swimming in an African river complete with Hippos and Crocs. I'll NEVER forget that and have no idea how I'll top it.

Every time I look at that Kudu I'll remember that day, what a bit of adventure.....


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Very well done and some super animals there.