Report on African hunting trip June 30 to July 12, 2002.

Pictures: http://www.villagephotos.com/pubgallery.asp?id_=34864

The hunt was booked with Uhuru Safaris (www.wildgamesafari.com). Uhuru, which means "freedom", is located between Thabazimbi, South Africa and the Limpopo River, which is the border with Botswana. It is in the southwestern part of Limpopo Province. The hunting area is 4,500 acres and has plenty of Greater Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog. There are also Red Hartebeest, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Red Duiker, Steenbok, all manner of game birds, and a few Cheetah.

Uhuru is a family operation owned by Richard and Isabelle Kearney. Three daughters take care of various aspects of the business, and two sons-in-law are the professional hunters. They are delightful people with whom I became fast friends. I was treated like royalty and family at the same time, and could not have been made to feel more at home and well cared for. The accommodations were luxurious and the food was spectacular. I asked for African food, and was treated to all manner of new and delicious dishes, including all of the game animals.

The hunt was a ten day package including Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Blesbok, Springbok and Warthog. There were no additional costs, and I did not even need to exchange money. They would not let me spend any until we got to the souvenir shops, which generally take American Express.

Hunting for Blesbok and Springbok were in different areas. All transportation, hotels and meals were provided for these trips. We also had time for an off site bird hunt, where everything including shotgun and ammunition was provided.

My professional hunter was Morne Coetzer, a young and very capable native South African who was fine company and a superb hunter. His ability to judge trophies was uncanny, and he was able to adapt to changing conditions to put me in the right spot every time. In our dealing with other people at off site hunts, it was always clear that Morne was on my side and taking care of my interests. I had no need to be concerned about anything.

Morne's lovely wife Janine saw to the accommodations and meals with perfection. Her bright, cheerful presence made the experience delightful and more than just a hunt. She may look like a sweet young thing, but she ran that camp with authority and kept the staff on its toes. Janine is a marvelous cook, and provided wonderful meals of African fare and game. In addition to providing for every necessity, she always had some little gift or treat to make each day special -- flowers, exotic fruits, decorated bags of various types of biltong, an Uhuru shirt, Kudu cut glasses the night of the Kudu, and a beautiful carved wood scrapbook of trophy pictures on the last night.

The hunting area consisted primarily of dense brush and trees with an incredible array of thorns. The weather was beautiful for people but not so much for hunting. Bright, clear skies, bone dry conditions and light, variable winds made still hunting and stalking in the bush difficult. The ground was covered by red leaf tree leaves which sounded like Rice Crispies when walked on, and the wind would shift to spoil our stalks. Hunting from blinds was more productive, though we had to frequently change blinds or build new ones to stay downwind of the game. However, Morne adapted and put the game in my sights.

On the first day of the hunt, we saw Kudu and Impala, but could not get in range. Toward sunset, we got within range of about twenty Blue Wildebeest. I was in a comfortable sitting position in a blind, but it took some time to find the right bull and get a shot with no other animals in front of or behind him. Using a .308 Savage scout rifle with 180 grain Failsafe bullets at 2550 f.p.s., I took a shot from about 100 yards at about 70 degree aspect angle. The bull stumbled about ten yards and fell. We gave him time to expire. Morne was not anxious to tangle with a wounded Wildebeest, and was in no hurry.

Morne called in the cavalry, including the game truck and staff to lift the 500 plus pound bull. The shot had broken the near shoulder, split the bottom half of the heart in two, and exited just behind the off shoulder. The Failsafe bullet performed so well that Morne said he had never seen anything like it. He had never seen any bullet from any caliber, including the .375, hit the near shoulder of a Wildebeest and still exit the far side. My face was painted with blood from the first kill, and pictures were taken as the African sun faded into the cold winter night. What a day!

Day two was spent with tantalizing glimpses of Kudu and Impala, and a number of unsuccessful stalks and other tricks. The shifting wind was frustrating, sending our scent to the game just before we could get into range. I passed on a shot at a Kudu of about 45", and came close to a shot at one of about 50" which I would have taken. It felt like we walked a hundred miles. I got my first glimpse of the spectacular Gemsbok, and decided I had to add him to my list. Any animal could be added for an additional trophy fee, so the Gemsbok became our new goal. We also saw Zebra, Red Hartebeest, Steenbok, Waterbuck and Velvet monkeys

Day three was much the same, until near sunset when the wind gave us a break and a half dozen Gemsbok came within range of our blind. Suddenly everything came out. We saw Gemsbok, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Warthog, Francolin and Guinea fowl all at the same time. We chose the Gemsbok. Determining which animal was a bull was not easy, but we finally got it sorted out. From sitting in the blind, I took a shoulder shot at about 90 yards and perhaps 80 degree aspect angle. The Gemsbok darted into the bush, and we waited for the crew again. I was advised that you definitely do not want to go running up to a mad Gemsbok, whose horns have killed many a lion.

We found the bull 80 yards away. The shot had broken the near shoulder, taken the plumbing off the top of the heart, and exited behind the off shoulder. The blood trail was waist high on the trees along the bull's path. The Failsafe's performance was excellent through the tough Gemsbok hide, which was � to �" thick.

Camp was happy again, and dinner of Blue Wildebeest tenderloin was superb.

Day four began early as we traveled several hours to the south for Blesbok and Springbok. We spent four hours with the land owner driving us around in the back of a truck over volcanic rock. It was freezing cold, and the rocky terrain made for a most unpleasant ride. We could not get close enough for a shot, and the owner would not let us out of the truck for a stalk. This was not the way it had been done in Morne's previous hunts there, and he called a halt to this foolishness about 2:00. He got on the phone to make other arrangements. We drove another few hours to a game area belonging to a friend of his, where we started hunting late in the day. We got within range of a Blesbok toward sunset. His lower body was obscured by brush, but it had been a frustrating day and I decided to take a high shot. The high lung/spine shot anchored him in place, but was not as quick a kill as I would have liked. I do not think I will take that shot again. In the truck on the way back, I noticed my scope was loose, which may have made the shot slightly higher than planned. We also saw large Leopard tracks as well as a troop of the Leopard's favorite food, Baboons.

Before dinner, the appetizer of Blesbok testicles was interesting.

We had seen lots of nice Impala that evening, so we spent the night in a nearby motel which had previously been one of President Kruger's residences, and went back in the morning of day five. I switched to my back-up Ruger 30-06 with 180 grain Nosler Partition Protected Point bullets at 2875 f.p.s., and we went out under a spectacular African sunrise. During the day, the Impala kept to the bush. We stalked one nice ram to about 80 yards, but there was much intervening brush and we could not get closer. I tried to weave a shot though the brush, and got a nice kill on a tree limb about half way to the Impala.

Continuing the hunt, we found a nice ram in a group of Impala spread though the bush and moving steadily in one direction. We found a narrow gap in the undergrowth ahead of them and waited for the ram to reach the opening. He got there but turned to about 130 degree aspect at about 110 yards. Trusting the Nosler, I took the shot, and the ram went down. He got up and ran off, but I felt the shot was good, so we waited a while. We found him nearly 100 yards away. The Nosler had gone through an enormous stomach full of grass into the heart and then broke the far shoulder. The bullet did not exit, but we could not find it when the ram was field dressed. The shoulder was shattered, and Morne suspected the bullet may have lodged inside bone. We asked to have the bullet recovered when the animal was butchered, but have heard nothing yet.

We went back to Uhuru that afternoon intent on Kudu. Several attempted blinds and stalks were foiled by shifting wind. Near sunset, we built a new blind downwind of an area near camp where we had seen Kudu several times. A big bull came out of the brush into the open, and Morne got excited. "He's huge; he's the one." But the bull moved back into the brush before I could shoot. I kicked myself for waiting for him to stop, because I could have taken a shot when he was moving slowly but had waited for a perfect shot. As I was regretting this decision, he came back into the open and stopped at about 100 yards and 90 degree angle. I let the Nosler fly and the bull tore off into the brush. There was a loud crash as we heard him fall into a pile of dead tree limbs about 40 yards away. The quick opening Nosler had slipped in behind the shoulder, destroyed the heart and a lot of lung tissue, and exited behind the far shoulder. Impala and Kudu on the same day! There were lots of smiles around the campfire that night. Discussing the shot placement, Morne told the group that he had pointed out a tick just behind the Kudu's shoulder, and had told me to take a head shot on the tick. I guess a bit of exaggeration around the campfire is a world-wide thing.

Day six was Sunday, and we took it easy. We got into the field late in the morning looking for Warthog, but saw nothing we wanted. Watching Warthogs get on their knees and root around is interesting, though, and it was a nice day in the bush. Rare Kudu tenderloin steaks for dinner were the highlight of the day. Or maybe it was Warthog sausage for midnight snack. Hard to tell.

Day seven was in earnest for Warthog, as I pondered whether to add a Zebra or Red Hartebeest to the list. I decided that some self-control would be nice, and stuck with the plan. We had not seen any suitable boars, but had seen one very large old sow past her breeding age. She had nice ivory, and we set out for her. At the most likely place, a grey go-away bird did its duty and warned all the game of our presence. I was told that I was not the first to contemplate shooting one of these birds. We switched blinds several times and finally found the old pig late in the day. I was now back with the .308, and a neck shot dropped it in its tracks. This left all the considerable amount of meat for sausage. I brought the tusks back with me in checked baggage, with no complaint from Customs or Agriculture people.

On day eight we were ahead of schedule, and decided to take in a bird shoot. The winds were fierce in the open terrain of sunflower farms near Rustenberg, and the shooting was sporty. We got Rock pigeons and several varieties of doves. Flying with the wind, the doves were supersonic, and flying upwind, the Rock pigeons were barely moving. Interesting shooting. I shot at two Rock pigeons, watched them fly away, and busied myself reloading and looking for new targets. Morne later brought me both pigeons, which had gone down after flying a while. Even the pigeons are hard to kill in Africa!

Day nine found us off early to Rhino Lodge about three hours southeast. This huge open area has thousands of Black Wildebeest, Blesbok, White Blesbok and Springbok, as well as White Rhino and Hippo. We drove around for a while and then decided on a blind where Springbok were in the area. It was bitter cold on the high plains with howling winds. Fortunately, it did not take too long before Springbok started our way. Picking a nice ram and getting a clear shot was not easy, but the opportunity came at about 200 yards and 90 degree aspect. The quick opening Nosler demolished the heart, and the ram went down within a few yards.

With my bag complete, we went to the game preserve at Pilanesberg for day ten. We had a marvelous time watching elephant and rhino and eland and giraffe and dozens of others. With Morne and Janine and a basket full of wonderful things to eat, it was the perfect end to the trip of a lifetime. Gemsbok tenderloin and gravy for dinner was perhaps the best yet, and was even better for breakfast the next morning on buttered slices of homemade bread.

The next day brought sad farewells at the airport, and promises to be together again soon.

Keith Neal
July 15, 2002

Pictures: http://www.villagephotos.com/pubgallery.asp?id_=34864

The trophy room at www.uhurusafaris.com is sometimes a bit slow. It is apparently a South African web site. The hunt package descriptions at www.wildgamesafari.com are from a U.S. site and are more reliable.

[ 11-23-2002, 13:12: Message edited by: KLN ]

Keith

Absolutely great report and photos. Tell me though, no vacilating, were you really happy?????

Jim B.

Apparently I missed this the first time around. Great trophies and stories!

My PH from Uhuru, Morne Coetzer, is touring the U.S. going to sports shows for the next few weeks. If anyone sees him, I suggest you take the opportunity to say hello. He is a very knowledgeable young fellow you will enjoy talking to.

The trophies are in, five months from the hunt. Excellent job by Kwik Tan in RSA. Picture of the trophy wall at:
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubgallery.asp?id_=34864


Costs outlined at:
http://www.serveroptions.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005644#000002

[ 03-25-2003, 14:24: Message edited by: KLN ]