Okay got it figured out, scroll down to read.

I am not sure where the problems is, because I do that many times, and have no problems copy/paste on here.

It might be due to some peculiar formating in Word.

Make a copy of your report, and save it somewhere else.

Open the copy, then save it as plain text.

Copy that and paste it here.

I have never had to go through these steps, as normally anything text I copy pastes on teh forums just fine.

Okay got the report in here with pictures.


2010 South Africa Hunting Trip Report with Infinito Safaris.
Hunt Dates: September 10-17, 2010
PH’s: Charl von Rooyen
Frederik Cocquyt

Lodge Manager (@Mugaba lodge): Erika

Main tracker and assistants: Solly, Philemon, Richard

Hunt Location: Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, South Africa

Game Hunted: nyala, Limpopo bushbuck, Mountain reedbuck, warthog, zebra,impala.

Game taken: nyala, Limpopo bushbuck, Burchell’s zebra.

Game seen but not hunted: kudu, giraffe, duiker, steenbok, blue wildebeest, baboon, gemsbok, waterbok, blesbok, vervet monkeys, hippos, various birds, and NO snakes.

Rifles Used:
Mossberg Model 1500 in .338 Win Mag with Barnes 250 TSX bullets (none recovered)
Ruger 77 Hawkeye in .270 Win. With Nosler 150 Partition bullets (non recovered)

This hunt came about as a cancellation carryover from 2008 in which the principles of Infinito Safaris (Charl & Frederick) agreed to carry over for me a makeup hunt to be taken no later than 2010. Earlier in this year dates were agreed upon and I finally made the trip starting on Sept. 8, 2010 flying from Seattle, WA via London to Johannesburg using British Airways. My only complaint with travel arrangements (which I did myself via the internet) would be that BA never made it possible for me to upgrade my class of travel on the flights using my air miles I had with them, thus rendering all the air miles I diligently collected to be of little value. The flights themselves were fine and the gun handling process (and I only had to pay their $80.00 gun handling fee one time out of 4 flight segments), while adding a few steps, was also good, in fact I never once in all the flying on this trip “lost” any guns or luggage since BA goes to what seems like extra steps to keep track of firearms and ammo they are carrying for a passenger.
Upon arrival in Joberg on Fri. Sept. 10, 2010 I was first met by a representative from Air 2000, gent named Maxwell, with whom I had contracted meet and greet and pre-approved firearms permits. In my opinion, money well spent for the help (thanks Anne and to your staff) they provided in getting thru all the various lines and getting out of the SAPS office quicker. The SAPS office is where Frederik met me and we were soon in the truck he had and on our way towards Groblersdal where the first part of the hunting (for nyala) would take place. The accommodations were at a place called Thaba Nkwe Lodge (Mountain of the Leopard) owned by Willi and Gerda Roux where I had a private room to myself. I ended up staying here for the first 1 ½ days of the hunt. The actual nyala hunting was done on a farm about 15 minutes or so away from this lodge, a farm called Diep Kloop or Deep Valley owned by a Dries Olivier who is known to Charl and had an abundance of nyala that they wanted thinned out a bit. After arriving at the lodge further introductions were done with my meeting Charl, his trackers and the Roux’s, the lodge owners. In the end, my daily journals are much longer than this hunt report will be, but then a lot of what I wrote is for my own memories and events but I’ll give a rundown that I hope will please the pickiest of AR’s readers. Anyway, after getting settled in a short nap was in order as we would leave about four pm on this first day already and hunt the nyala. First order of business on the Diep Kloop ranch was a short sight in session with the .270 Winchester and see if sight adjustments were needed. Everything was true with the scope and rifle so it was off hunting. While there were hills on either side of this ranch, no real mountains, at least not to my eye, and certainly not compared to where I would hunt later in the week. Many African animals were seen the first night, including nyala, good ones too, but in the end it was not to be. Back to the other lodge for dinner and rest. This was my first night in South Africa, and would be the first of several where the jet lag and the travel would play havoc and cause consternation on this hunt. Next morning was up early, quick breakfast of cereal, the standard breakfast fare throughout the hunting days, and then back to the DK ranch for more nyala stalking. The morning was a bust too, although animals were seen, mostly fleeting glances thru the thorn brush and acacia trees. On this farm is where I saw the hippos in a lake that was formed by damning of a river than ran thru this property.
On the second afternoon we changed our game plan on the DK farm. Instead of stalking we decided to try an ambush of sorts and made a plan to watch an edge area of the open filed the nyala were known to be using in the evening to come out and feed. I really have no idea how many nyala were on this farm, but enough that this strategy had a good chance of success. Settling into position in a make shift blind of some cut limbs placed in front of an old irrigation pipe carrying wagon, Charl and I settled in for the wait. Got pretty hot too when the sun broke free of the clouds. Wait and wait, while the trackers and Frederik also waited in the truck out of sight but nearby. Animal movement spotted, but turns out it’s a sow warty and some of her young, false alarm, but hey this might really work. After some 90 minutes, another animal shape is seen approaching and I get Charl’s attention and he takes a look and sure enough it’s a nyala bull, just what we are looking for. A good one he tells me, take the shot when you can. Well that’s easy to say, the only angle I have is strongly facing me, not what I want to shoot at, but I’m ready. Finally the bull turns and presents a better shot, broadside at what later is paced off at about 100 steps from our makeshift blind. I rest my rifle across the wagon bed. Anyway, when the first shot breaks, I can see the bull hunch up and then he runs to the right, wheels and turns to run back into the brush he came from. This is an expensive trophy and I do not hesitate to get a second round into him as soon as he has turned and is moving to the left. Now we wait. Finally Charl says lets go look and we walk down to where the bull was standing at when I shot, looking for spoor or blood. Care full looking and following spoor and knowing the general area the bull ran too quickly results in Charl finding it lying up under some thick brush, but this boy still has his head up, he’s hurt but not dead. Finally I too see the bull and get into position for a third and final shot and I have my first African trophy of this trip. The truck is called on the radio and as the trackers gather grasses to cushion the bed of the truck before we load the nyala bull. Frederik takes charge to get the pictures lined up right and taken to everyone’s satisfaction. Even as I write this, I still don’t know what this bulls horns measure, don’t care either, it’s a great trophy and I’m glad I got this one. Photos done and we load up and head back to the other lodge to get the bull skinned (possible full mount here), bags packed and ready for the 2 hour or so drive to the next hunting lodge called Mugaba located in the Steenkamp Mountains near a town called Lydenburg. This new lodge straddles the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.







After a late dinner at the new lodge, called M from now on, I head for bed and this is where my real trouble with the jet lag reared its head. This issue of jet lag and no real decent sleep for the past 3-4 days caused a good bit of concern and issues not only with me but also the PH’s and wonder and bewilderment in the trackers. In the end the issues were resolved I believe to everyone’s satisfaction and the hunting went on. Not much fun there for a day or two. Anyway since a zebra was added to the list here I switched rifles wanting to use my heavier caliber for the bigger animal so a stop at the sight in range was done, sights checked good and so the hunting began again. Every trip out from the lodge saw many animals seen, not always the same species or in the same places, but seen never the less. This area was much, much hillier with fewer roads to cruise, but still plenty of challenge and excitement in waiting to see what might lie around the next corner.
Bushbuck was on the list here and while a couple was seen, either they were too quick into the brush or were ewes. Charl having gotten some intel on some sightings of bushbuck from the permanent black staff here decided that we should stalk thru the area on foot where a good ram had been spotted often. With him in the lead, we eased in and amongst the brush, paralleling a road on our left and a dry streambed on our right. Earlier that morning we had done some foot stalking along another riverbed (real water in it too) and had come away from that without success. This other river required quite the drive on a pretty rough 4 wheel track to get too, several times I wondered how we made it there, but all part of the adventure. Back on the afternoon stalk, didn’t take long and Charl spots an animal, and yes it’s a bush buck. (Speaking of animal spotting, these guys, Ph’s and trackers sure had the ability and training and experience to see animals in the brush, sometimes at incredible distances, long before I even had a clue). Asked if I could see the ram, of course not, I’m looking to high and in the wrong spots. But then eventually I do see it and by now Charl who has gotten a good long look at it and is pretty excited about this ram. Must be good one I think, and it was. Okay here I have to admit that my first glance of the ram in scope got me unsettled, I thought this was a waterbok, don’t ask me why, Charl strongly asserting it’s a bush buck and saying shoot the damn thing. The bush buck is moving downhill from left to right and I’m on the sticks waiting for a shot opportunity. He finally stops, but has his head behind one tree and his shoulder behind another so I only have a V-shaped window view of his neck between the two trees. Finally the shot breaks (.338 here) and the ram disappears from my sight. I quickly get reloaded and wonder now what, a hit or miss. Charl says I got him and so it’s true. He practically dropped on the spot with the neck shot. Distance was maybe 35-45 yards, never knew we were there or what slammed him down. Animal number two in the books. Also to be skinned for a possible full mount. Some quick photos at the kill site then get it loaded into the truck, drive down to an open area for some better photos. Wow, what a gorgeous creature and again I don’t have horn length numbers, don’t care, knowing it must be pretty good for a Limpopo Bush buck as excited as Charl got over it and later Frederik when he saw it








More days of hunting, now for a mountain reedbuck and a zebra. In the end I never got a reedbuck, although one morning we did see a good ram in a relaxed position, but the distance (no idea really how far it was) was my undoing as the shot was called high over its back when I fired. We kept looking and hunting for one, but never again saw that particular ram again, even though some others, male and female were seen. Next up was to be my zebra. I saw quite a few of these, in fact almost every morning or afternoon out, zebras were seen. Sometimes a few, sometimes more, near and far and in places we didn’t want to have to retrieve one from. Keep looking and when it was least expected the opportunity was there. Late in the morning of my second to last day of hunting as we are getting close to the lodge area and after having driven across the airstrip (didn’t talk about that yet, but it’s not active, was only for light planes, built by the previous white owner of the lodge and is slowly being reclaimed by the bush) see some giraffes off a ways to our right. Another side note here is that by this time there are two other hunters in camp with me now, one each from Australia and New Zealand, friends it seems, overlapping their time with mine for 3 days here. Each of us has our own PH, Charl for me, Frederik and a new PH named Rudi for the Aussie and the Kiwi. Nice guys and we made good company around the nightly fire and meal times. Anyway, we hear over the radio that zebras are with these giraffes we have spotted so it’s off the truck and start stalking in. Charl is pretty meticulous on how he makes his approaches, just the two of us, his job to find the best path and get the sticks set and my job to get on the sticks, safety off and be ready once the call is made for which one to take. Tense moments as the mixed group of animals can sense something, but they are not sure what, and those giraffes can look over everything. Finally we are set and I am ready, look for and shoot at that upside down sergeant’s stripes on that front foreleg. I wait for the back animal to clear and take the shot and pandemonium breaks out. I don’t know where the giraffes went, I was trying to watch “my” zebra, I think I heard the hit and then it’s the pounding hooves of the herd running off to our right. After a few seconds we hear some brush crashing and Charl turns and smiles at me, asking do you know what that was? I hope so as I answer, one down and dead zebra. Calling in the truck, Charl gets his backup rifle out, makes sure I’m reloaded and Solly and Philemon join us and off we go, not to where we heard the crash, but where it was standing when I shot it. Sure enough we fine blood fast, good blood, plenty of blood and start trailing at a fast pace and within a short distance find the piled up zebra. One shot, .338 Win Mag, just behind the front shoulder and thru the lungs. Dead! Of course this zebra got his revenge; he piled into the thickest piece of brush he could find, quite the time in getting it out to where we could get pictures. After that, load him up, took lots of hands, and back to the lodge. Lunch and rest break ended this morning’s hunting. Three trophies now and the worrying begins on where everything will go once its home in the USA, the zebra especially as this will be another full flat skin for another rug. Makes my third zebra in three trips. I think I could shoot one of these every time!






The last day and a half spent here hunting with Infinito for me are more relaxed now. Still looking for the ever elusive reedbuck, warthog (plenty seen, just not boars or boars with a high speed destination in mind and no shot opportunities) and an impala which have seem to become scarce now that they are targeted too. But in the end it doesn’t matter. My main goal of a nyala and bush buck has been realized, I got a great zebra, and I had fun and enjoyed the stay. A few final words about the lodge, built of local stone and timbers, private rooms with each its own bath, superb food, dined on many new wild game meats, including fillet steaks from my zebra on the last night. The jet lag thing and lack of sleep in the beginning caused some problems, but those were worked thru and the hunting was successful and I’m grate full for the understanding and generosities of Charl and Frederik in letting me carry over this hunt from before. Sharing the fire at night with Nic from new Zealand and Nathan from Australia for the three days was also good, I know Nathan shot a good kudu bull the same afternoon I got my zebra, and while Nic’s bag was still empty when I left, I’m sure in the end he did well too as they both still had a week to go. Erika was a fabulous camp manager and her helper Stephanie (I hope that is right) who worked in the kitchen and did our laundry was great. On my last morning, Rudi the extra PH drove me back to the Joberg airport, he was full of jokes and clichés and kept us all laughing at night around the fire, helped with the check in process for my flight to Namibia for the second part of my adventure, 5 days of non-trophy hunting there, but that will be a separate report. I hope those of you who read this, get a flavor for what I experienced, if you want more details, of which there are many unwritten here, pm me and we can figure out how to do that exchange on the phone.
Best regards to the AR family,
Willi

Here ya go Bisonhunter1

How to post pictures

Bisonhunter1,

I thought that was a very well written report and I much enjoyed your down to earth attitude to hunting. look forward to seeing the pictures of your animals. You could email them to another member who can post them for you?

Well done on Infinito to carry over the safari and they sound like a classy operation.

quote:

Well done on Infinito to carry over the safari and they sound like a classy operation.

Very good report, I enjoyed reading it. Anxious to see pictures.
You should have seen Stephanie last year in the Camp Shootoff shoot my .416 Rem. Mag.

Thanks for sharing your report. I look forward to the pictures.

PHOTOS ADDED

Thanks for the help

Look for the Namibia report next week sometime.

Great report, I'm glad that you got it straightened out.

Congratulations on a successful and fun safari. Charl and Frederik are the best!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Thanks for sharing .

South africa is a great place to hunt.

J

hey Bison! Sorry i missed you in London. Looks like you had a great hunt too! Glad to see some of your pictures.

Very nice! Congratulations!

Liked your write up! Nice animals too1 thanks for posting!