22 August 2013, 21:37
1/2 slamAfrica 2013
Outfitter: Chamanzi Zulu Safaris, Joann MullerOwner/Operator/Johann Muller
Hunter: Rod Deighton (1/2 slam)
Hunt dates: July 15-26
Hunt Area: Kwa-Zulu Natal Province - Pongola area.
Rifle: Borrowed from Cmamanzi, CZ 30-06 with PMP 180 gr bullets
Game Taken: Kudu, Nyala, Bushbuck, Mtn Reedbuck, Warthog, Steenbok, Springbuck, Blesbok and Black Wildebeest
It was a long process to get there. A 3 hour drive from my home in Canada to Seattle. I was 3 hours early for my flight from Seattle to JFK. A 5.5 hour flight followed by a 5 hour layover then a 15.5 hour flight to Africa. A grand total of 32 hours of travelling and airports. I was met,and picked up, by Africa Sky Guesthouse. Worth every penny. After a good nights rest I was driver to the farm. Did I mention it was another 5 hours! I was like a kid on Christmas eve. I couldn't wait to get there.
I had 10 solid days of hunting. I saw more animals than I could count. We hunted hard every day. Some animals came hard and others easy.
Day 1 ended with a 53+ inch Kudu. I actually spotted it and it was bedded.When My PH got a look at it he didn't hesitate telling me to shoot it.
Day 2 was another good day. We were on our way back to the lodge when my tracker, Muzi, spotted a bushbuck. A short stalk and a 50 yard shot and it was over.
Day 3 and 4 were a bust. It rained in the morning of Day 3. This was the wettest dry season they have had in a long time. All of the water holes are still full.
Day 5 resulted in a nice Springbuck. Man are they small!
Day 6 ended on both a high and low note. The high was a very nice blesbok. The low was wounding a Black Wildebeest.I knew the moment I pulled the trigger that I'd made a terrible shot. We were never able to get close enough to the herd for a finisher. The wound was fatal but it took 3 days of looking to find him. By then it was to late for the meat. I was very upset as I'd never lost an animal in 35 years of hunting. Every time we caught up to the herd and glassed they would spook before we could locate him. That was frustrating. It turned out he was not with the herd. He had died the night I shot him.
Day 8. We had just left the lodge when Muzi spotted a very nice Nyala. Into the thick stuff we went. Forty five minuted later I could just make out enough of him for a shot.
Day 9 and I finally got a Mtn Reedbuck. those little buggers had been giving me fits. This was the 5th try for one. We slowly worked our way over a ridge and he was standing in the open at 75 yards.
Day 10 was a double day. We located a nice warthog, at a water hole, in the morning. We were taking pictures of him when we were interrupted by a herd of Cape Buffalo. I got some nice shots, at 15 yards, from the truck. In the afternoon we finally found a Steenbok. The grass was very long so locating them proved to be a challenge.
This was my second trip with Chamanzi. Both have been fantastic. I'm working on my next African trip. But aren't we all?
