Dates: July 2 - July 11, 2009
Outfitter: Russell Lovemore's Safari Trails International
Area Hunted: East Cape of the RSA
Rifles used: Hill Country Rifles .300 Weatherby and Lone Wolf custom .25-06
Ammo: Factory Weatherby 180 gr. spire points and Hornady factory 117 gr. SPBT
Weather: 40's to 70's Farenheit
Occasion: Mason's 13th birthday!
Game Hunted (Mason): Cape bushbuck, impala, springbok, warthog, common duiker, mountain reedbuck and blesbok
Game Hunted (Me): oribi, vaal rheebok, blue duiker



It was hard to believe that it had been 6 years since I was last hunting with Russell Lovemore and his family, Julie and his two boys Chad and Mitch. I have known Russell since 2000 when he was my PH with Frontier Safaris on my third trip to Africa. On that hunt he talked about starting his own company and I liked him and his style of hunting so I told him when he was organized to call me... he did. Four more times for everything from cape buff to duiker!

How time has flown and our kids have grown. I have hunted several more times with Russell and watched his business and family mature. On our last hunt together in 2003, we promised each other we would get our sons together to hunt when they were old enough to enjoy the experience and each other. As I glanced at my son on the long SAA flight to Jo'berg I thought to myself that we made good on our promise!

It ended up being the perfect 13th birthday present for my son and my chance to introduce him to my hobby turned passion. I enjoyed all the prep from getting the rifles tuned, to the shooting practice off the sticks and the constant answering of any number of questions on hunting in Africa.

And then we were off. The flights went smooth. Shawn at Gracy Travel did a fine job lining us up with the Afton House and Gracy's own gun permitting meet and greet. Bruce (Gracy's man on the ground) whisked us through the SAP two-step and then we were off to a steak and a comfortable bed at the Afton.

Russell and Chad picked us up at the airport in Port Elizabeth the next day and we had a great time catching up on the drive to Russell's Handfield Farm and his newly remodeled lodge on the property. It is truly first-class and very comfortable.



It was great to be in Africa again and after we shot our rifles in Russell drove us around his place to show us his progress over the years. With the herds of wildebeest, springbok, blesbok and glimpses of waterbuck and kudu, Mason was amazed at the variety of game... south Texas just doesn't compare. And even more surpising that years ago this was actually a dairy farm!

Mason had impressed Russell with his shooting abilities at the bench but he wanted to check him out on live game and a vervet monkey gave him his chance and Mason his first opportunity at shooting African game. He was as good on that monkey as he was on paper... and much more excited with the results.



The next day we were off to hunt for vaal rheebok. Russell, Chad, Mitch, Mason and I loaded up with guns and clothes for two days in the mountains. Russell felt the vaal rheebok would be the toughest animal to collect so we would start with this trophy and work from there. Everyone was filled with anticipation as we started on our track at 5:00 am to get to the conservancy in time to hunt at first light.

It was a beautiful high country concession and the mountain game was there! We drove higher and higher, stopping to glass and look for rheebok and mountain reedbuck on the way up.



We saw several groups of mountain reedbuck as we climbed into the mountains but they were either too far off or the ram didn't impress Russell. Then on one incredibly steep incline the tracker pounded on the roof of the truck to let us know he spotted something worth a closer look. We bailed out and the boys, who were riding in the back with the trackers whispered... actually shouted "reedbuck"! About 200 yards away a ram was herding his females higher up the hill. Out came the .25-06 and we began our stalk... all of us! I have to admit I had to choke down the urge to shush the boys and I was a bit tense with our PH, tracker, three boys, two Jack Russell's and a nervous dad making the sneak. But I reminded myself... it is the boy's hunt, old man, not yours so just chill. And I did. And Mason calmly drilled his reedbuck at 120 yards off the sticks. The ram fell at the shot and never quivered. I can't remember being that proud ... and relieved in a long time. And Mason's smile told me all I wanted. He was hooked and having a super time!




With pictures taken and the reedbuck loaded, we continued our climb up. Vaal Rhebok are known to inhabit the highest reaches of the mountains in South Africa. Russell and others like Peter Flack consider vaalies as the most challenging game in the RSA. Super eyesight, their high open habitat and their nervous attitude make long shots across the windy reaches the rule. I had spoken with a good friend of mine, Bill Bishop who is a veteran African hunter and had taken a vaalie with Russell a couple of years earlier, what gear he suggested as a must have. Without hesitation he said "mount a Harris bipod on your rifle". It turned out to be excellent advice

We finally reached the high country and begin to glass for vaal rhebok. We spotted a group with no ram. We watched them for thirty minutes before we left them... the next group we spotted had a ram but Russell felt he was too small.

At 11:00, we spotted two groups, one down low at the same level as we were. The other up at the top of the mountains to our right. Guess which group had a heavy, long-horned ram in it? That's right... the group we would have to climb for.

And so off we went. After a 10 minute climb we side-hilled and spotted the group. Of course, they had spotted us too. We were 340 yards off and Russel decided if we could leopard crawl to a ledge in front of us that offered a bit of cover, we could set up for a shot. We made it and I set the .300 up for the shot. The bipod made the gun rock solid and I silently thanked Bill for his suggestion. The rangefinder read 303 yards but the ram was facing us. We laid in place for 20 minutes... no joke... before the ram finally turned and I had a shot. But the red gods smiled and the little buck went down!



And so we finished a hunt we allocated two days for by noon on day one. This set the tone for a great hunt! And lots of fun...


In Vaalie country....


The boys, Mitch, Mason and Chad


High country stream

The second day we were back in the hills along the coast hunting the thick bush for warthog and bushbuck... and a bushpig if we got lucky. We spotted a couple of warthogs over eight hundred yards away and started the long walk to set up for a stalk and shot. We left the tracker, Mike to watch the pigs while we worked in. After thirty minutes we eased into the opening where the pigs were. There were three pigs in the clearing rooting around. After glassing them Russell said they were all female but one of them had very long tusks and we should try for her. As Mason set up for the prone shot... Russell's radio crackled and Mike informed him a nice bushbuck ram was feeding a couple of hundred yards away from us. Russell told Mason that they would get one shot at the warthog and then move to the bushbuck. Russell felt the shot shouldn't disturb the bushbuck and they would still have a chance for a two-fer.

Well, a combination of nerves, pressure and shooting from the prone position (which his old man did not practice with him) got the best of Mason and he shot right over the sow's back. As disappointed as Mason was... Russell immediately dusted him off and we headed for the bushbuck ram.

We eased into position and Russell spotted the ram with Mike walking him in by radio. As the ram fed through the thick bush Russell got Mason into position on the sticks and they patiently waited for the ram to expose himself. As the ram fed he stepped into a small clearing and Mason took him behind the shoulder. The bushbuck kicked and ran for the thick stuff but never made it... and Mason had a fine trophy. And bested his Dad's cape bushbuck trophy by almost 2 inches!


Russell Lovemore and the Mason man as Russ calls him...

And boys being boys, while we set the ram up for pictures they wasted no opportunity to throw the football around...


Or found new flora and fauna to poke around in...


Day three brought springbok and late in the afternoon, impala. Mason shot them all well, one shot with the .25-06 and down. I was impressed with the caliber and cartridge on the bok-boks.




On day four we traveled to a beautiful property near Port Alfred owned by Adrian Ford for some of the more rare trophies to be found in South Africa: blue duiker and oribi. There are only a few permits issued for these animals and Adrian gets 5 permits for blue duiker and three for oribi each year.

This had to be the most scenic property I have ever hunted in Africa... undulating hills interspersed with bands of thick bush that stretched to unspoilt white sand beaches of the Indian Ocean. Adrian's family has owned this land for several generations and I was impressed he and his wife were dedicated to keeping it in it's pristine state and resisting the offers from developers to commercialize it.




Hunting blue duiker was a unique experience and turned into a family affair. This type of hunt is a formalized beat using dogs, trackers and kids to move through the thick bush and push the duiker to the waiting gun. Shotguns are used with 4 shot as the blue duiker is quite small.

On the first drive the dogs bayed a duiker Adrian knew well and wanted badly. He was an old ram with thick bases that had been missed twice by previous hunters. But he knew the game and doubled back through the beaters and into a different patch of bush.

Once the dogs were caught and leashed and everyone collected, we headed to a new location about a half-mile away from the first drive. Russell, Adrian and I worked into a small clearing in the bush and Adrian gave the go ahead for the drive to start and in a few minutes we began to hear the yelling and beating as the party commenced. Adrian had warned that the duiker would be well ahead of the push so when the dogs struck scent and began to bark we got prepared... within minutes Adrian whispered and pointed. "Get ready he's coming". I saw a small animal scurry into a brushpile only yards away. It stopped and waited a few seconds before darting out and into the small clearing at no more than twenty yards. It was like the rabbit station in Sporting Clays swing, shoot, follow-through and the duiker went down.




It was a mature female with nice long horns. Both sexes of the blue duiker have horns... like gemsbok the females are longer with less mass while the males are usually shorter and thicker. In all it was great fun and a different hunt for a unique trophy.

The oribi lived in the open areas of the ranch and were very turned on and nervous. Even though they are lightly hunted they did not tolerate human intrusion.

We looked over several groups from a distance and then spotted a common duiker worth investigating. We stalked for Mason but he gave us the slip... however this led to spotting a nice ram with a female on a distant hillside. We made our best stalk taking us almost an hour to cover the distance but alas he and the female crossed a boundary fence into the next property.

On the way down we spotted several new groups of oribi feeding in an unseen valley pasture. Using what little cover we had we snuck to within 120 yards of the group with the best ram in it. He was an unusual ram with a non-typical bend in his thick headgear. When the females began to stand after being bedded he followed and one round from the .25-06 put him down...



I have taken oribi in Benin and took a good specimen there but the South African version looked very different in coloration, hair length, size and face. He will be a nice addition to my tiny antelope collection.

After a great lunch in the beautiful sea-side resort of Port Alfred at Guido's we headed back and spent the afternoon hunting for a duiker for Mason or a big bushbuck for me. As the sun dropped low, Russell spotted a nice duiker ram and he and Mason moved in for the shot... and another great trophy for Mason!

Congrats to you both! I have only hunted Vaal's once and didn't find a suitable ram, but it was a very challenging hunt. Yours appears to have some age on him. Mason did well too.
Good hunting,
LDK

Congrats on a great hunt. Good for you exposing your kids to hunting and how rewarding it can be. You are very lucky to get to share Africa with your sons. The only problem is a in a few years he might want Dad to spring for a Buff hunt for him!

Russel what better time then with your son on a hunting trip, Africa no less...
Tell that young hunter good shooting...

Mike

Nice Vall!!! Looks like Mason had fun!

Brett

Hey Russ
What a great time, looked like a wonderful trip for all involved! A lucky boy for sure. Good job dad!

Russel - What a great way to spend some time with your son, congratulations on a great hunt.

Well done, my friend! Looks like you had a blast! I love the smiles on the boys-that really says it all doesn't it?

Time well spent with your son...priceless!
congratulations Mason and Russell

Congrats on what I know was a very special hunt!

Russell,

Nice! Congrats to you and your son.

Mark

Awesome hunt, Russ!!

Great hunt, something your son will remember for the rest of his life. I envy you that.

Congratulations Russell on a very special and memorable hunt. Well done Mason!

Indeed a great trip for you and Mason. I love the photo of the "carry out" by the boys!

Quick question: How did you get that kitty cat to sit in you lap so pretty? Looks like the monkey wasn't the only primate with BLUE APPENDAGES!!

Congratulations to you and your son on a wonderful trip. A top quality report with great pictures. You guys shot some great animals.

Thanks,

Greg

My friend, your hunt report was great, as usual!!

BTW, Very good trophies !!

L

Great meeting you at the Afton Guest House. What a trip to spend this with your son. Lots of great animals but it looks like the experience given your pictures was what it was all about.

Larry

Congratulations to you and your son. This is what hunting is all about.

Thanks for all of the compliments and kind words, guys. Mason gets a kick out of reading about his safari...

I'll finish up quickly.

On the fifth day we traveled to a property that had been sold to the South African land trust and was to be converted to a chicory farm from a hunting ranch. All fences were coming down and the game that could be, was captured. That which couldn't was now being sold to the butchery/biltong trade. Russell had a partner who owned a butcher shop so we joined him for a day of culling. It was an interesting experience and reminded me of shooting does in south Texas for management purposes. Really a shoot not a hunt.

I ended up taking three nyala ewes and two non-trophy impala rams. Mason and Chad each took an impala ewe and Russell took a common reedbuck and impala ewe. We left the carcasses with the butchery crew in the early afternoon and headed to a different property to look for blesbok.

After arriving at the property we glassed a number of nice rams before making a stalk and taking this one.


This following day, July 8th was Mason's thirteenth birthday and the Lovemore's went all out to make sure Mason had a great one. Russell and Julie gave him a hunt for a black wildebeest on Handfield and followed it up with cake and a party at lunch and an old fashioned springhare hunt that evening. Needless to say they treated us like family and we truly appreciated all of their wonderful hospitality that made Mason's 13th memorable!







The last animal on Mason's list was a warthog. We had sevral close encounters but were always out of position or had the hog move before we could close the gap. On the next to last hunting day the red gods of the hunt smiled and everything fell into place!


Since Russell's oldest son had been with Mason every step of the way, Mason and I decided we wanted to give Chad a hunt for being such a trooper. The next day was devoted to Chad's hunt and he made the most of it by taking a nice impala!





We had a wonderful hunt with Russell and his family and I can highly recommend Safari International's services. Russell has hosted Craig and Donna Boddington several times as well as Jim Shockey and his wife and daughter. In fact you have probably caught him on "Tracks" or Shockey's "Adventures" hunting for East Cape kudu or Cape eland. Most of Russell's hunts take place on low-fenced properties. The high-fenced properties I did hunt were very large with one ranch measuring over 18,000 acres and bordering Addo Elephant Park for miles. It was fantastic EC kudu country and one of Russell's clients took a 55" bull there in June. I looked over numerous nice bulls but ended up passing waiting for a monster. Oh well I have taken alot of kudu... and I will prbably be back to hunt with Russell again. It is that good!

Addo Black Rhino

Safari at 13! This boy is ruined for life! What a great deal for father and son! Congrats on quality trophies and a great hunt.

absolutely excellent!

What a great hunt! I hunted with Russell in 2006, and this report brings back a lot of good memories! Thanks for sharing.
Adrian Fords farm along the coastline is something special for sure. And the vaalie country is very special as well! You guys did great!

I can see that this is a very special hunt, congratulations. I wish you many more hunts like this one with your son.

Wow!
Russ, your in trouble when he gets the urge for DG..

Fantastic pics and report. Thanks for sharing !!!

Russell I've looked over this report and your excellent pictures about a half-dozen times so far, and it always brings a smile to my face. What a neat experience for you guys. The Lovemore's seem like good people.

Pls congratulate Mason for me, and tell him that I love his chocolate bushbuck. That's going to look great in his room!

Oh yea, super rhebok too!

Russell- The photo of your son with the impala says it all....

Thanks again for all of the kind comments. This was one of my most enjoyable hunts and has created a bond with Mason and I that will last as long as he and I are still around to talk about it!

Russell,
That's another fine trip. Father/son trips are special.
Some of those photos are special, too-- the springbok herd with wildebeest in the background, the windmill/sky, and the one with you, Mason, and the warthog are my favorites.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
Safari at 13! This boy is ruined for life! What a great deal for father and son! Congrats on quality trophies and a great hunt.

A!+++

Great job brother. looks like it don't get no better than that.

congrats russell... you have a son to be proud of....

WTG Russell! How wonderful to share this with your family! Africa is an experience that is best shared!