I did a short report on this safari when I got home but it did not do it justice and I hope to rectify that over the next while as I write a complete report on my safari. My first to the dark continent and I was planning my return trip before I had even left.

July 1st - 11th, 2011

Blaauwkrantz Safaris

Just north of Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Animals taken: Warthog, Black Wildebeest, Impala, Blesbok, Nyala, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra (2), Mtn Reedbuck, Vaal Rhebok, Cape Bushbuck, Cape Springbuck, Brown Bush Duiker, Kudu (2), Cape Grysbok.

Animals seen but not taken: Aardwolf, Bat Eared Fox, White Blesbok, Bontebok, Giraffe, and Eland.

PH Barry Long, Tracker Benji Matutu, Cameraman Benji Joubert.



I went with my good friend Jef on this trip and it was our first time to Africa. I had planned this trip a couple of years in advance and half of those hunters going were not able to go due to the ecomony.

We traveled from Salt Lake City to Washington DC then after a couple of hours took the (17) hour flight via Dakar, Senegal to Joburg.

Now for the worst part of the entire trip. We arrive in Joburg and neither gun case, mine or Jef's and all four duffel bags did not arrive. What a headache! We tried to get some help and filed reports, etc. but they had no idea where our stuff was and told us to check in the morning before we boarded a flight to Port Elizabeth.

So in the morning we checked and no news. I was quite depressed honestly and not sure how things were going to play out. After the couple of hour flight to P.E. we were greeted at the airport by Puren & Janine Joubert (www.igalaproductions.com) as they would be our camera people for the safari and they were picking us up in route to Blaauwkrantz.

We checked on the luggage again and no news. They said to call the P.E. airport in 48 hours. Really, 48 hours. Not good. So with only our carry on luggage we headed for the lodge. At least my binocs and camera were in my carry on stuff.

Within a couple of hours we arrived at the lodge and I saw my first African animal along the way, an Impala.

We were each shown our own room and introduced to our PH's, mine, Barry Long and Jef's, Paul Smith.

Barry is a citrus farmer and very dedicated PH. I would hunt with him anywhere, anytime.

Paul is a taxidermist in P.E. by trade and Jef told me several times he would hunt with him again without question. His work is great and can be viewed on Facebook at Relive Africa.

Barry and myself immediately hit it off. He informed me that his style was to not shoot anything little, young or average. If I did not like that I would need another PH. I immediately knew this was the right person for me.

Barry informed me that I could use Arthur's Sako 30.06 with a Zeiss scope. Paul told Jef he could use his personal rifle so off to the range to shoot we went.

Arthur and Trinette Rudman, the owners of Blaauwkrantz Safaris.



Blaauwkrantz translates to Blue Cliff.

Barry informed me that he did not watch where I was shooting at the range he wanted to know how I handled the rifle and cared for it. I found that interesting.

He said that there were two choices to be made. We could sit back and pout and not have a good trip due to the luggage debacle or we could go and enjoy.

So started the Dr. Marten, Eddie Bauer shirt and Levi safari.

Puren borrowed me a coat and I took Arthur's rifle and we were going hunting on the evening of Day Zero.

I asked him what we were pursuing and it would be the sound I would hear for the duration of the safari. Kudu, Kudu, Kudu.

We were driving up the road when Benji stopped the truck. They could see a couple of cows and a yearling and eventually they found the bull not far away. It was so thick that it took me a minute to locate him but he was magnificent even though he was to small. My first Kudu bull.

We continued up the road and came to a cross roads where we could go left or right. Almost immediately we all saw a Warthog boar on the ridge line above us to the left. I was thinking wow, he looks good to me. Barry immediately said it was an animal we needed try and take. Out of the vehicle and on the stalk of my first African animal.

I don't know if it was the fear of missing, excitement or adrenaline but I was so excited to be on the stalk. Barry told me that if we got a shot he wanted it directly through the shoulders.

We closed to within what we figured was a hundred yards and could see a Warthog but not sure what it was as it was in the brush. Immediately the long sticks went up and Barry took me two steps to the left and told me to get ready.

The Warthog was feeding to the left at a slow walk and Barry told me to take him as soon as he cleared the bushveld. I settled my nerves and touched the trigger. On the shot up came his head and he came running towards us about 10 yards and then took off to the right into the deep cover. I was nervous. I am used to stuff going right down and this cover is thick, thick, thick.

I was off the sticks and we were in pursuit. We got to the spot of the shot and could see blood and within 70 yards or so we could see him laying there.

I was extremely relieved as I spotted my first Africa trophy. A whole lot of skin, very little hair and a face only a mother could love and I was ecstatic. Barry gave me the customary hand shake and I was immediately thanked Benji and Puren as well.

Great footage of the harvest.

I could not wait to get my hands on those tusks. The feeling of lost luggage was gone and I had a huge smile.

We carried the big boar back up to the top of the ridge for a picture session.

One big surprise that I had was how impressed I was by the time that was taken to arrange for pictures and clean up. There was very little to any blood, it was washed away, the animal positioned properly and dozens of photos taken.

I felt a little bit of remorse as my best friend, Cody, was not able to make it on this trip and the Warthog was at the top of his list. It was a little bitter sweet in that regard but I was very proud as well.





There was still some light and we were again in pursuit of Kudu.

We went on a walk about and did not find anything and went to another area. Immediately we saw a Kudu cow and smaller Kudu bull. It was the first time that I would hear the blowing noise of a Kudu bull.

We also snuck in on another larger Kudu bull but still not big enough and had an average Cape Bushbuck walk within 30 yards. I thought he looked good and wanted to shoot him but Barry said no way. He was just average.

I was able to snap a couple of pictures of three Impala rams as they crested the ridgeline after dark.



Upon getting back to the lodge that evening I was greated with many pats on the back and congrats. That was quite neat. We talked to a couple of other hunters that were just finishing their safaris and they would depart the following day.

Jef had located a trophy bushbuck and they watched him until dark hoping he would get in a position for a shot but it never happened.

What an ending to Day Zero. Even though we were without clean clothes I slept with a smile at how things had transpired during the afternoon hunt.

Day 1 to follow.....

Day 1 of 10 hunting days.

Saturday, July 2nd

Barry said we would be heading in the opposite direction of the evening hunt in search of Impala and Blesbok.

As we ambled down the road I saw three female Giraffe and Barry informed me that they were on the neighboring concession but still way cool to see how tall they are above the trees and everything else.

We crested the ridgeline and there were Blesbok everywhere and a few Impala. We were off on foot and headed toward an abandoned water tank to use as cover. We got inside and had Blesbok in all directions and a few scattered Impala around. We also had a Black Wildebeest bull a few hundred yards away and Barry immediately said he was to small. I thought he looked good but Barry just laughed and said to focus on all of the Blesbok.

A Blesbok reminds me a lot of our Pronghorn. They are running all the time for no apparent reason.

We put on a few stalks over the next couple of hours but there were to many eyes watching and we kept getting busted.

Barry thought we should make our way to a different area where there was almost always a small herd of Black Wildebeest with a good bull.

We took a couple of hours and made it to this area and immediately we spotted a few cows and a bull. I was awestruck with how different looking these clowns of the savannah looked.

Over the course of the safari they reminded me alot of a bucking horse. They would run and kick and jump and had a tail just like a horse.

We closed to within a mile or so in the truck and Barry said the rest of the way would be on foot.

Over the course of the next hour we used the valley bushveld to close to within 224 yards.

Barry got me on the long sticks while he surveyed the scene. We were still in thick cover and Barry was confirming whether the bull was big enough or not. He gave me the go ahead and told me to take him when I was comfortable.

Eventually they spotted us and the bull was facing us head on. Barry did not like the angle and told me to wait. They were not nervous but knew something was there and finally the bull turned to his left.

He took one step and I touched the trigger. He collapsed on the shot.

The cows ran out about a hundred yards and milled around for a little while before moving on.

We made our way to him and I was immediately shocked at his color. I don't know why but I always thought they were completely black. I could not have been more wrong.

They are amazing, hair on their nose that is always sticking up. A mane on their neck like a horse, a tail like a horse. Lighter brown body. White eye lashes and white nose whiskers. Once again; only a face a mother could love.





That would conclude our morning hunt as it was late morning and we wanted to get the bull back to the skinning shed.

The evening hunt consisted of chasing Impala and Blesbok again and we did see a lone Kudu bull work a ridge line but no matter how hard we tried we could not seal the deal or even get in range of a shooter Blesbok. Just when we thought we were getting close they would just run off.

We did locate a super Impala ram with a group of about 100 other rams and ewes. He was the king and knew it and they spotted us and our every move. Barry was quite confident he knew where they would be in the morning so we let them be and backed out for the evening.

Jef's day one consisted of taking a beautiful Impala ram in the morning and an old Blesbok in the afternoon.

A pic of the lay of the land. Much much thicker than I expected. I would pursue Zebra and Nyala at the base of those mountains later in the safari.




Day 2 to follow....

Benj (tracker) has gone full-grown since 2007. Sweet guy, and Barry seemed nice when Philip dropped us by to try for bushbuck and borrow Benj up at the conservancy.

Glad to see Arthur and Trinette looking well. (Hope the bullet thing stays right.)

That's quite a pig!

I've walked just about every foot of that ranch. The Rudmans are great folks.

Sunday, July 3rd

Day 2 of 10 hunting days

Barry wanted to pursue that big Impala ram again and wanted to be to the edge of a big valley at light. So off we headed in the dark and parked the truck a mile or so away from the big valley floor below. The valley was surrounded on the edges by the valley bushveld. We used it as cover and got within 50 yards of the edge and Barry had as all stop and wait while he glassed the big opening in front us. There were Impala everywhere from 200 yards to a half mile away.

Barry finally told me to carefully sneak up to him and he got the sticks up and ready. He said that the big ram we were after was about 200 yards below us with a lone ewe and they were being blocked by a big tree.

I got on the long sticks and the waiting game began. Finally the ewe fed out but not the ram; yet.

Barry said he could see the legs of the big ram and he was still feeding.

Eventually the big ram fed out and Barry ranged him at just over 200 yards. He told me to take him when I could.

He took a couple of steps and stopped; he was facing left to right. I touched the trigger and the silence of the morning calm was broken.

We worked our way down to him and he was exceptionally beautiful. It is almost like you have taken a paint brush and painted from light on their bellies to dark on their back. Absolutely gorgeous and he was a trophy to boot.

I will never forget what Barry told me as we stared at the big ram. He said "As long as you continue to shoot like that we will always be mates."





Three great animals and we were only (1) and first thing into the second morning into it.

Barry said there was plenty of time to pursue Blesbok for the rest of the morning.

We were working our way into another area and ran into this herd of Blesbok. It was the only group on the entire trip that was not on the move. Unfortunately, there were not any big rams in the group.



Eventually we spotted a very large herd of Blesbok on a far away ridge but there were a lot of Impala and a few Black Wildebeest between them and us.

Barry figured we may as well try a stalk as the worst thing that could happen would be that they are spooked and run away.

We tried to use the bushveld as cover to skirt around the Black Wildebeest and Impala. We got around the Wildebeest with no issue but had Impala skattering all around us but we kept going hoping the Blesbok would continue to feed and not see us.

Eventually we spotted a few trees in front of us and they were the last line of defense between us and the Blesbok.

We slowly worked our way to the edge of the trees and there were a few dozen Blesbok in front of us. I have to admit, I could not judge a trophy Blesbok at that point or even now and I literally saw thousands of them.

Barry indicated that one of them was big and we needed to take him. They must have caught our wind or something and all but about a dozen took off on the run to the left.

Barry indicated the ram I was after was on the far left. I had the long sticks up but needed to take a few steps to the right to clear the big tree. Immediately they were all on us and started walking to the left.

On the shot; the ram hunched up and just kept walking. Almost instantly I put another one in him and somehow he just kept walking. I put a third one in him and he took off on the dead run to the left.

I was nervous. How could an animal like this take all that punishment and just keep going. I felt really good about the shots.

We took off in hot pursuit and just as we crested the ridge line we spotted him piled up about 20 yards away.

What an interesting animal. Very large scent glands below the eyes. A little white streak between the horns and a big white blaze face.

Interestingly enough I would shoot this ram more times than any other animal on the trip.



Jef would have another good day. He would take a very nice Nyala bull with one shot at about 150 yards.

Still no luggage or news of luggage. How can (2) gun cases and (4) duffel bags be lost and nobody has any idea whether they are in the U.S. or Africa. Needless to say the hunting was great but the customer service with the airline was less than to be desired.

Day 3 to follow...

Little Joe
It looks like you got the picture thing figured out pretty well. good job

Little Joe,

Thanks for the report and photos. I was starting to go through hunt report withdraws. That is a great impala, congratulations. Looking forward to the rest of the report.

Day 3 of 10 hunting days

Monday, July 4th

We got word the previous day that all of our gear had arrived in P.E. and that they would not deliver it to us because we needed to clear our guns at the airport. I was very skeptical that everything had arrived when the previous day they could find nothing. We decided to hunt until noon and then head to town to gather our belongings.

I went out and looked for Kudu, Kudu, Kudu and we found a lot of bulls but nothing that was big enough.

Jef had a very successful morning. They located a very nice Kudu bull right off the bat but unfortunately his shot was not good and the country was so thick that the decision to go and get the tracking dogs was made.

On the way back to get the dogs; they came across a very good bull with a super tight curl and this time the shot was true and they had a big bull.

They got him taken care of and went back and got the two tracking dogs. After following him for what Paul said was around four or five miles they caught up with him crossing a river and were able to seal the deal.

Later in the afternoon we made it to the airport and found out that only one bag had arrived and no guns. I was furious we had lost an afternoon of hunting as we were told our stuff was there. Then to add more salt to the wound they told us they quit looking for the rest of the stuff as they thought we only had one bad. Go figure!

Since the day was pretty much shot we made the decision to go and try and find me some clothes. After going to several places we were able to find me some stuff. I found out that I am just to big I guess, XXL stuff is not popular; mostly XL is available.

I am not one that is into giving blood; much rather see blood from everyone but myself but I definitely gave blood in RSA as every time we were going through the cover I was getting poked by this lovely bush.



One day when we were heading to the skinning shed around lunch time Paul locked up the brakes on his truck and we can to an immediate halt. He got out and showed us what has to be the world's largest earthworm. It is huge as you can see.



He carefully curled up this bad boy and put him on the side of the road. Good thing my kids were not there as it would have been smashed all over my driveway.

One night at dusk I was able to take this pic and for some reason it is one of my favorite.



The next day would at least be with a second set of clothes and even though I was irked about the luggage debacle the trip was going great.

Day 4 to follow....

Day 4 of 10

Tuesday, July 5th

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of hard rain. I had purposely booked these days of the year as they are always dry. For the first time in 35 years or so it was raining on this day. Go figure. I had knots in my stomach as I tried to sleep. Not good; I thought.

We got up at the normal time and had breakfast and listened to the rain.

Barry said that Zebra and Nyala would still be out in this weather and we could go after them if I wanted too. I said absolutely; let's do it.

We got a few miles down the road and it turned to sheets of rain; so we turned back.

A couple of hours later it turned to a light mist and Barry said it was time to go.

I must admit that next to the Kudu; the Nyala was next highest on my list. I think they are beautiful and had told Barry I wanted one that I could life size mount for everyone to appreciate their beauty.

We parked on the top of a plateau and headed off through the very wet bushveld.

Almost immediately we saw my first Nyala bull down at the river below us. He immediately had us pegged but we sat down and watched him. He was amazing. Barry said just average but I thought he looked great.

After watching him for 10 minutes or so we walked another couple of hundred yards and less than 100 yards below us were two Nyala bulls feeding on the same side of the river as us. We sat down without spooking them and watched them feed. They were younger bulls but I was in awe as I watched them below us. Way cool. Just neat to sit in the mist and watch such a majestic animal.

While sitting there and glassing a far away ridge Benji spotted a big bull in a very very small clearing. Barry said let's go and we immediately went down and crossed the river. We had cut the distance in half and the bull was still in the small opening but still way beyond shooting range.

Eventually the bull took a few steps and was gone. Barry told me that he thought the top of the hill had less cover and we should hike up there and see if he made his way to the top. After a couple of hours of looking around we were never able to find him.

Barry said not a problem; back to the Landcruiser and onto a new area. He told me that the area we were headed to was a big long valley and there were almost always Nyala in that area and the conditions were perfect.

We parked at the top of the valley and started to work our way along the opposite ridge line that Barry expected the Nyala to be feeding on.

Within an hour or so we had located seven Nyala bulls and a few cows but none of them were of the trophy caliber that we were after.

We got set up again and were glassing several different bulls again to confirm their trophy status when an ancient old bull walked out. Within a few seconds; Barry told me that was the bull we were after. He was magnificent. His horns were old and worn but had very good mass. We watched him approach another bull and he was much much larger.

Barry had Benji give me the short sticks; and told me to get ready. The moment of truth on an animal that I wanted so bad I could taste it.

We watched him feed for a bit and Barry told me to be patient he would not go anywhere and we wanted to wait for the perfect shot. He walked out into an opening where his entire body was exposed.

Barry ranged him at 254 yards and told me to take him when I was ready.

On the shot; the bull was obviously hit and started walking backwards slowly. Immediately; I put another one in him and on the second shot he took off on the run into the thick bushveld and we could see him here and there and then it went silent.

We gathered our gear and were in hot pursuit of what we thought was a downed bull.

We got up to the area of the first shot and found his tracks and some blood.

It took us around 150 yards or so and we finally found him piled up under a tree.

My heart was about beating out of my chest. I was so full of adrenaline and so happy I could hardly contain myself.

Barry grabbed his horns and told me that he was an ancient old bull and was past his prime. I was ecstatic to hear that.

Now for something that I was not expecting. Benji headed back to the truck and within an hour or so was back up to us with a tarp looking thing. We completely wrapped the old bull in this drag tarp to protect every inch of him and slowly worked him down off the mountain to the valley floor. Not an inch of him was spoiled or damaged. We positioned him for the pictures and just about this time the sun came out. It was perfect and I was on cloud nine.





Both shots had been perfect and were within an inch and a half of each other.

A new set of clothes and a very old Nyala bull; does not get much better than that.

Jef had another successful day and took a very nice Black Wildebeest and a White Blesbok.

Day 5 to follow....

The smile in the photo above says it all!
A friend of mine & I plan on taking our wives to Blaauwkrant July 2013.
You've stirred my passion up considerably.

I have heard nothing but good reports on Blauwkrantz... your report keeps the string going. Well done.

Excellent shooting, especially considering using a loaner gun/scope. The trophy Picts are very nicely staged. Congrats on the nyala, he will make a great full mount. I look fwd to the rest of the story!

I did not take my wife but there were others there and they loved it. They went to the Daniel Cheetah Farm one day, the national park one day for a photo safari, had manicures and pedicures one day, went shopping another day and then everyone met again at night for dinner.

Thanks for the comments. I will continue on with the story.

Day 5 of 10

July 6th

Jef took a fabulous Eland bull in the morning and Paul enlisted the help of the other workers in the area and in all there were 16 people that helped to get Jef's eland bull out of the field.

I pursued Kudu again and we found a tremendous bull but could not close the distance. We did several walk abouts and found some Kudu but not another large bull.

We did find an old Eland bull that Barry told me he had seen on and off over the last few years. It is a big bodied bull with small horns so we just took some pics and moved on.

This next scenario was just dreadful. We were headed to an area to glass for Kudu in the late afternoon whe we spotted some on the ride above us. We could see there were several cows and bulls but were not in a good position.

The wind was wrong so we continued down the road and then stopped and worked our way up to the top and back towards the feeding Kudu. We were right on the ridge top and if we did not belly crawl we would be exposed for sure. Barry crawled about 10 yards in front of us to get a good look and then motioned for us to join him. He said there was a good bull in the group.

Here is where I think I screwed up but still not sure. We could not get on any of the sticks so I was using some flimsy valley bushveld to rest the gun on. The full was feeding uphill at just a slight angle. Barry confirmed which one he was as there was quite a herd just a couple of hundred yards in front of us. I honestly don't know what else to say other than I missed. One the shot everything exploded and they ran in all directions not knowing where the shot had come from.

I have replayed that scenario in my mind 1,000 times and still don't know what went wrong but it was obvious that I had missed and we confirmed it by not finding blood and watching the video footage. A miss. I felt absolutely miserable. The one animal that I wanted more than anything and I totally screwed it up. Everyone else did their job except me and I screwed it up. I was just absolutely sick to my stomach. It was an incredibly long ride back to the lodge and a feeling I did not want to experience again on this trip.

We would be departing from Blaauwkrantz to the Springvale Lodge in the morning and hunting for zebra, blue wildebeest, bushbuck, springbuck, mtn reedbuck and hopefully a vaal rhebok.

So closed hunting day 5.

Day 6 to follow....

Day 6

Thursday, July 7th

We were up well before light and packed and ready to head to Springvale for a couple of days.

Barry informed me that rather than spending the time to go directly to the lodge we would be going to an area to hunt for Blue Wildebeest and Burchell's Zebra for the day.

After about three hours of driving we arrived at an area we would be hunting for the day. It was different than where we came from. It was a big valley with mountains on all sides. Lots of trees and grass but the valley bushveld was pretty much gone.

Immediately we spotted a group of over 20 giraffe cows and youngsters. I was shocked to see them almost at the top of the mountain.

We drove to a good vantage point and immediately I spotted a herd of Zebra.

We watched them feed from a far distance anad eventually found a few scattered herds of Blue Wildebeest as well.

Barry made a plan to drive back down into the valley floor and locate a herd and then pursue it on foot.

We spotted a group of Blue's and the stalk was on. We used the trees as cover and kept glassing the Blue's as we approached the top of the mountain they were located on.

They were feeding up towards a mountain pass.

Barry left all of us to try and glass for a shooter bull from a different view. We all eventually followed him and then I got a thumbs up. I assumed Blue's but was in for a surprise.

Barry took the long sticks and spread them out like short sticks. He motioned for me to crawl over towards him. When I got to him; he told me there were Blue's and Zebra in the mtn pass right in front of us.

He told me he was going to set the sticks a little higher and I needed to get on them and shoot the Zebra that was broad side.

I got ready and as soon as I settled on the sticks the stallion looked around the tree he was behind with enough of his body showing and on the shot he collapsed to the ground.

I was in disbelief of what just happened. On the shot all of the blue's took off into the canyon to our right and the zebra into the canyon to our left.

We walked up to the Zebra and I was very impressed and appreciative.

Not until reviewing the pictures later on did I realize how white he really is. Much more white than black for sure.







Quite a few people said the could not believe that I shot a horse. I told them they just don't understand. I would shoot one every time I went to Africa. I am very proud to have taken my first Burchell's Zebra.

We took care of the Zebra and then started glassing for Blue's. We were now just off the top of the mountains and there were small herds of Blue's everywhere below us.

Barry wanted to make a big loop down through the valley and see how things played out.

We got into range of the first group and there were not any quality bulls in the herd.

We pursued another couple of small groups and there were not any shooters there easier.

We got in the truck and headed to the other end of the valley when a herd of over 100 ran across the road a few hundred yards in front of us. There was one bull that was exceedingly darker than the rest and the pursuit was on again.

We snuck into shooting position and had some cows and young bulls feed out in front of us at a walk and then the wind must have swirled and the entire herd was on the run with the dark colored bull bucking and kicking and running at full speed.

He finally stopped at a considerable distance and was behind a tree and did not offer a good shot.

The pursuit was on again. After an hour or so we closed into shooting distance again. They got into a position where they were feeding and walking from right to left. The bull was not anywhere to be found.

Eventually we picked up the dark bull as he walked along behind the cows that were in view. Finally he made it all the way to the end of the herd and stopped behind a big v-shaped tree.

Barry got me on the sticks and told me that he was an old bull with great bosses but would not score great but it was my decision. I told him that I wanted to take him.

At this point all I could see was his left shoulder and a part of his neck. Barry asked if I could thread the needle and put the bullet through the left shoulder as close to the tree as I could without hitting the tree.

It was amazing to hear the blowing and making a noise only a wildebeest can make.

I steadied myself and on the shot he jumped straight in the air and took off to the left with all of the rest of the heard behind him.

We got to the area of the shot and there was not a drop of blood. Around 100 blue's had just covered all the tracks. We started tracking the group and there was nothing.

At almost the same time all of us got that sick feeling in our stomachs of what had just gone wrong and should have been done different.

We spread out in a fan type area and with some help from above I was able to find the old bull piled up under a cactus.

I cannot describe the feeling of relief that swept over me. I absolutely did not want to lose an animal.

We pulled him out and he is an ancient old dark bull. He has really good bosses but he is not very wide. His bosses and extremely dark hide are good enough for me and I am happy to have taken him.

We also noticed a big white spot on his back by his spine and all of the guys commented they had never seen anything like that before.





What a day it turned out to be. A great stallion zebra and an old past his prime wildebeest.

A view of the area we were hunting. I took the Zebra just off of the top of the peak on the left mtn and the Blue in the valley floor.



Jef was not as lucky and was not able to connect on anything for the day. They made several stalks but just could not seal the deal.

We then loaded everything up and headed to the Springvale lodge for the evening.

The Springvale Lodge.



We did get word that both gun cases were in P.E. but it did not do us any good as the ammo was in the duffel bags that had yet to arrive.

Day 7 to follow....

Day 7 of 10

Friday, July 8th

We stayed our first night at the Springvale lodge the previous evening. Philip and Zani Dixie run the Springvale Lodge. Zani is the Rudman's daughter.

We woke up to freezing conditions and there was quite a bit of frost on the ground.

Barry told me that the plan was to hunt for Mountain Reedbuck and Vaal Rhebok until later in the afternoon and then for Cape Bushbuck in the evening.

This area was totally different than the Blaauwrantz lodge area. It was mountains with very little cover and lots of grass.

Totally different than anything that I had expected to see.

Immediately we spotted several small groups of Mtn. Reedbuck but no shooters but it was still very early.

Barry told me that he expected to see alot of Mtn. Reedbuck but there were not a lot of Vaal Rhebok around and that would be a challenge for sure.

We got to an area about 3/4 the way up the mountain and started glassing. There were little herds of Reedbuck everywhere. There were some ewes just around the hill from us and Barry wanted to go on a walk about to try and see what else might be there.

We had only walked a few hundred yards and there was a Reedbuck above us 50 yards or so facing away from us feeding. I immediately got on the long sticks; just in case.

Finally the Mtn. Reedbuck raised his head and it was a ram. Barry told me to wait while he judged him and he got nervous and ran out to about 70 yards and stopped broadside. Barry gave me the go ahead and just like that my first trophy of the day was down.

They have horns like a Mtn Goat and a tail like a whitetail deer that is in the air when they run away. They also have a very unique hair.





It was still very early in the morning and we now could focus on the very elusive Vaal Rhebok.

Benji spotted a group a long ways away and we could tell there was a ram in the group but we were not sure how big. We made a game plan and the stalk was on. Needless to say, after two hours of walking to get to the area we had last seen them; they were gone. I don't know where they went but we never found any of them.

We then started going back to where I shot the Mtn. Reedbuck and spotted a couple of ewes and a small ram.

Onto another area where we located a lone ewe and a lone ram.

We took some time for lunch and Barry told me that he wanted to check one more area and then we would start making our way back to the lower ground to hunt Cape Bushbuck for the evening.

Pretty soon I spotted a group of Baboons single filing it along a bare ridge headed for a big canyon with lots of trees.

There was over one hundred in the group and finally I spotted the big male. They got down in the trees and for about thirty minutes we listened to them yell and scream at each other. Very interesting is all that I can say.

We proceeded to the next area and found a lone Vaal Rhebok ewe. Weird. Then I spotted an ancient old male Baboon that had been kicked out and was on his own. He was about 700 yards away and I was sure wishing I had my rifle as that is a shot that gun can make but with the borrowed rifle I did not even think about it. Ugh!

We were starting to amble slowy down the road and after a half hour or so we spotted a group of Vaal's on the edge of a cliff about the time they spotted us. In the blink of an eye they bailed off the edge and were gone.

It was about 300 yards to the edge of the cliff and we were in hot pursuit. Barry had us stop about 20 yards from the edge and told us that he wanted to peer over and see where they were at or if they were gone.

Barry snuck back from the edge and had us all crawl up to him.

He told me that they were a couple of hundred yards below the cliff ledge feeding and that the ram was on the far left with his head down.

Barry told me that their eye sight is amazing and from the time I put the gun over the edge until he would take off running would be just a second.

I gathered my nerves and told the rest of the team that I was ready. I swung the rifle over the edge and searched for the far left animal. As if on cue he lifted his head just as I gathered him in my scope and it was to late for him. He was down before he had a chance to move.

I knew this was something really special as they were all high fiving and patting each other on the back. Barry then informed me that if I had missed that shot on that animal I would have been in the dog house for sure.

I knew it was special but based on how they were acting I knew he was really special. We made our way down to him and he is incredible.

I honestly did not expect to get one on this trip and to just have the opportunity was amazing.

Barry informed me that the Vaal Rhebok is the only antelope species in the world that has fur.

It was thick and soft; just like a rabbit. No question he has to be displayed in my house as a life size.





I forgot to mention earlier that I was shocked when we saw the Winterberg mountains and they were covered with snow. Snow in Africa; just did not expect to see it.



What different areas we had hunted in just a few days.

Another view of the area we were hunting.



Still trying to recover from the shock of taking the Mtn Reedbuck and especially the Vaal Rhebok it was time to head to the bottom of the valley to look for Cape Bushbuck.

We reached the valley floor and headed to another area. The plan was to have Benji take us to the top of the canyon and we would hike out with the intent being to glass the shady hillside and then reach the valley floor before dusk to hopefully catch a bushbuck coming out of the dark cover to feed for the evening.

On the walk out we did not see any bushbuck but we did see some kudu cows, and mtn reedbuck.

We reached the valley floor not long before sun down and before long we spotted a lone bushbuck ram on the edge of a far away meadow. We could not tell how big he was and wanted to get closer. We closed to within a couple of hundred yards and saw some ewes feeding out as well.

Barry got me on the long sticks and told me to be ready. Pretty soon a significantly bigger bodied one fed out with its head down and in the fading light we could tell it was a good ram.

I prepared for the shot as I needed him to clear away from the younger ram.

More to follow.....

Shazaam! Okay, I can't stand it any longer -- waar is die koedoe?

Little Joe
You are a very good story teller.
Keep it coming!

Great story And Great hunt Joe.

Puren Joubert was the the first African PH I hunted with on my first trip in 2007 he and Janine weren't married yet. He iand Janine are great kids.

Keep it comming.


.

I prepared for the shot as I needed him to clear away from the younger ram.

The young ram was on the left and the old ram on the right. The young ram kept feeding to the left and cleared of the old ram.

I prepared for the shot and touched the trigger. Needless to say, I have no idea what happened but the shot must have not been close as they all just went on alert and could not really tell where the noise had come from.

One area that I have always been fortunate is in that I can cycle in a new shell and be on target very quickly. I had the old ram back in the scope before he realized what we going on and the second shot was on the way and the ram was hit hard and made it to the edge of the meadow and collapsed.

What a relief. Still not sure what happened on the first shot but the second shot was true and I guess that is all that matters.

Luckily for me this would be the last miss of the safari which was fine by me.

By the time we got to the ancient old ram it was dark. He is an old warrior. Very few teeth, torn ears, the majority of the hair gone on his face, hooves worn done and all of his spots gone. He was at the end of his life cycle and I felt very fortunate to have taken him.





What an ending to what I think have probably been the two greatest hunting days of my life. They were absolutely incredible; magic in a lot of ways.

Jef had a successful day as well and took an old Mtn Reedbuck ram that had an exceptional amount of mass but unfortunately had broken the tip off of one side but still big none the less.

Day 8 to follow.....

Great story and some lovely trophies. That Vaalie especially.

Pictures of Jef's trophies taken to this point in the safari.

My wife and I will be making our 8th trip to Blaauwkrantz this June-July....really a great place to hunt and the Rudman's are first class people.

Well, Jef has a kudu anyway. LOVE the bushbuck. Good to see Apie's smile (with eland, between horns) and Manietjie behind him. Little Joe, I had a blue baseball jacket made up as well as blue scrubs with BLAAUWKRANTZ across the back. Wanted to sing the Tchotcholosa song (like on "Kudu and Caracals" video at Arthur's) while carrying out kudu by stretcher/"sail" my second trip -- wound up too winded to sing, but it was fun! I carried Apie a Xhosa Bible in 2007, having met him in 2005 hunting on my own, hunting with Phillip Dixie both trips. Love the Springvale house and Zanie learned chicken-fried venison from Pamela.

Great report LittleJoe. I am seriously thinking about booking with these folks. Did you see any Gemsbok ?

swaincreek, I did not see any Gemsbok as they are in the Karoo area and I did not get a chance to go there. In hindsight, I should have booked 12 hunting days and gone down there for 2 of them. Hunted Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok and all of the different colored Springbuck.

BNagel, it is neat to know where the scrubs and stuff came from. I saw quite a few guys wearing them especially at the skinning shed.

Thanks for the comments, I will write more when I have time and can do it justice.

Hurry Up!
I'm enjoying this thread.

Swaincreek. I absolutely without a shadow of doubt would go withe the Rudman's again. We are top notch in every way. Salt of the earth people for sure. The luggage was a disaster but that had nothing to do with them. There was not one thing they do that I would change. Highly highly recommend.

I will continue on with the post later this evening.

Day 8 of 10.

Saturday, July 9th

The plan was to get up early in the morning and leave Springvale and head back to the main lodge to pursue Kudu, Kudu, Kudu as so far they were my biggest nemesis.

Barry told me he knew of an area that had a few Sprinbuck and we could look around for a few hours in the early morning and then get back to the main lodge for an evening Kudu hunt.

We did finally get word that the last three duffel bags had arrived and so had the gun cases. It would not do us any good today as we were a long ways from them and I was not willing to give up a day of hunting at this point. We were rolling and smiling and enjoying and I was not about to change that if I could help it.

We arrived at the area in pursuit of springbuck. Immediately we spotted several Zebra, a few herds of Eland cows, a few Springbuck, some Blesbok and hundreds and hundreds of Bontebok.

The Bontebok were like cattle at home and just stood there while we drove within 10 yards of them. Glad they were not on my list as I would have passed. There was just not any sport in it at this place and I would not have been able to pull the trigger.

Bontebok



We spotted a small group of Springbuck here and there and pursued a few but always got busted by something; mostly Bontebok.

The plan was to leave this area no later than lunch time so we would have time to pursue Kudu in the evening.

We did several stalks and it was getting later in the morning when we spotted a great ram at a considerable distance; probably a mile or so.

Barry wanted to make the stalk on foot from here and I said let's do it. This would be our last chance for a Springbuck so it was game on.

A few hundred yards into our stalk we spotted some Springbuck about 200 yards in front of us and they were walking along single file.

I got on the long sticks; just in case there was a big ram.

Before long Barry told me he picked out a ram in the trees but he needed to come into the clear to judge him accurately.

I was ready and the ram was the last one; reminded me of a big bull elk. He walked out into the open and stopped and turned broadside as if on que. I settled the crosshair and he was down.

Barry told me to get ready for a scene that he could not explain. We quickly got to the ram and propped him up.

Now for something that you have to see to believe. Barry told me to watch the hair on his back as when they passed on the hair would stand up on their back for a period of time and then settle back down. Just like he said it would do it did it; I was amazed by it. There was a smell of honey as well and I cannot explain it but I was there and saw it and smelled it. It was the real deal.

This old warrior had broken the tip off of one side but Barry said he was to big to pass. With the broken tip he still scored silver medal class. He was a gold medal ram for sure.

I am very appreciative to have taken the national animal of South Africa; the Cape Springbuck.





Jef pursued Vaal Rhebok throughout the day but could never seal the deal. He did take a great bushbuck at dusk however.

We got back to the main lodge and unloaded our gear and immediately headed out looking for my nemesis; the Kudu.

Barry wanted to go to a big area that overlooked a big pond. We would be sitting in what was left of a hundred year old wood stand. It just broke up our siloutte more than anything.

We saw a few Kudu and a couple of young bulls but nothing of note. We did see monkeys, monkeys and more monkeys. In hindsight I should have lowered the hammer but I was just praying for that big old majestic Kudu to come out and it did not happen but it did not matter.

I had just experienced the three most incredible hunting days of my life and still had two more to go. I had perma-grin as we drove back to the lodge in the dark.

It was nice to see my gun case and duffel bags that evening, even though 80% of the trip was complete.

I knew that I had to break out the 300RUM in the morning even though Arthur's 30.06 had more than taken care of me. Thank you Arthur and your Sako 30.06!

I knew a quick shot in the morning from the rifle and it was show time with all of my own gear. Just felt good to have my own stuff but I cannot express my appreciation enough to those that let me use their stuff. They were life/safari savers.

Jef decided to stay at Springvale for one more day and hunt what would be his nemesis the Vaal Rhebok.

When the dust all settled; he used his rifle for one day and I used mine for two days.

Once again; we would pursue Kudu, Kudu, Kudu in the morning.

The entrance to Arthur's residence and the skinning area.



On another note; I have to say that we tried several different types of meats while we were there and the Kudu was as good as any meat I have ever eaten in my life. Now Warthog on the other hand; if I don't eat it ever again; that will be okay. I am used to losing weight on hunting trips but definitely not on this safari. We ate good for breakfast and lunch but like king's for dinner.

Day 9 to follow.....

Day 9 of 10

Sunday, July 10th

With a kick shot at the range to get rid of the morning quiet my gun was still good to go and we were back in the pursuit of Kudu, Kudu, Kudu.

I have to admit; I was getting nervous at this point. The trip was amazing; we had seen over 100 different Kudu bulls but just not the right one. I was thinking more of the ones we had not found than the ones that we had seen. The Rudman's are known for their Kudu hunting but I was on day 9 of 10 and there was a little inkling of doubt.

We loaded up and it was time to go. We saw several more bulls and cows in the morning but not one quite big enough. Barry reinforced several times that we still had a lot of time and we would get it done. He was so great to hunt with!

Barry parked at the top of a ridge and told me there were usually some Kudu in the a thick bushveld bowl below us. We would walk 10 yards and glass; and keep doing it. Barry told us to hang on he wanted to check one more area but for us to stay put.

No sooner than he pulled up his glasses than was he motioning for us to get to him and I could see the long sticks going up. Kudu; I thought! I got to him and got on the sticks and for the love of Pete; I could not see any Kudu.

Barry kept telling me below us, below us. Finally, I said "I don't see a Kudu anywhere!" and he grabbed me by the arm and turned me and said, "No, it is a huge duiker down there; shoot it!"

I finally found the duiker working his way a couple of hundred yards below us through the bushveld and was waiting for him to hit one of the many openings. Finally he stopped and lifted his head to either feed or listen but it was too late. He was down.

My first African animal with my own rifle.

As a cautionary tale; I did learn on this trip when possible leave the muzzle brake at home. All PH's hate them! Up to this point; Barry was glassing the animal the entire time I was getting ready; pulled the trigger, etc. but no longer. With the noise monster in my hands he needed to save his hearing and I don't blame him. I love the rifle and won't trade it for anything but as my ear doctor says; I have hunter's ear.

It was quite a steep slope to get down to the duiker but we were there in a hurry and found he had collapsed right on the spot of the shot.

Barry picked up the small trophy and immediately commented that he was a tremendous Brown Bush Duiker and would not have made it through the winter. He was pretty much skin and bones, his hair was in poor condition, he had very few teeth and we he did have were worn to the gum line, his legs were hair less and he was at the end of the road but he did have a tremendous set of horns. What a small animal and such a large trophy.

We were so lucky on this one. I am frantically looking for Kudu, Barry is watching this big Duiker and he is on the move 200 yards or so away in the thick stuff. Better to be lucky than good.





A view of the area we were hunting.



More to follow....

We got the Duiker taken care of and it was still quite early in the morning so we were off in pursuit of Kudu again.

We were slowly creeping down a road when Puren signaled to stop. He asked us to back up a few yards and said he could see a Kudu horn in the thick bushveld. We all got in a position to glass and sure enough we could make out the two horns of a Kudu bull. He was in the thick bushveld and we could not get a good look at him.

Barry told me to get on the long sticks and be ready; just in case. The bull was in the ultimate stare down and would not do anything other than stare at us and periodically flick his ears.

Barry kept taking a step one way or the other trying to get a different view of the bull as we could never get a good look at his horns.

After about 10 minutes he finally turned his head to the right and we got a good look. After another few minutes he finally turned and looked the other way and gave us a good look.

Barry gave me some music to my ears. He was good enough to take. He was not in a position for a current shot so we would just wait and see what he would do.

I had now been on the long sticks for over 15 minutes and was quite nervous for some reason. I am sure it had to do with it being day 9 and the Kudu was the absolute top of my list.

We watched and waited; we watched and waited in return. Finally after almost a half an hour he had enough and it was time to go.

He turned to his left and took two steps before I touched off the first shot, he ran about 10 yards and stopped and I put one more in him which caused him to start running through the bushveld to the right. After just a few seconds; it was quiet. I was praying he was down.

Barry grabbed the sticks and we immediately headed to where I had shot. We easily found the fresh tracks and some blood. We started in pursuit and within a hundred yards; there he was.

He was magnificent. I don't remember exactly what I was thinking but know that I was overcome with emotion. The animal that had consumed my dreams lay before us. I know I should stood there and stared at him for a couple of minutes. Barry pulled his horns from the dirt and told me to grab them; they were mine.

I remember tracing the length of the horns in my hands and just soaking in the moment. He was gorgeous, amazing, awe inspiring to me to say the least.

Barry told me to stay there and enjoy the moment while they looked for the best route to get him out of the bushveld and for Benji to get the drag sack out of the LandCruiser.

I just sat there and smiled; thinking of how amazing this trip had been. What an incredible few days.

He was an old warrior. His hide was not in the greatest condition and his ribs were easily seen and he had a big sway back. Did not matter; I was ecstatic he was down and headed back to Utah.

My first Kudu bull in the drag sack as we got him down to the truck from the bushveld.



My first Eastern Cape Kudu.





I do have to say that I was surprised about how many ticks were on the Kudu, they were everywhere from top to bottom, from head to toe.

Jef told me that the only animal he saw with more ticks; was his Eland.

What a morning and we still had the afternoon hunt to go.

More to follow....

For the afternoon hunt we were back after Kudu as I was really consumed by finding another even bigger one. We saw several smaller bulls and cows but nothing to get excited about.

On the way back to the lodge, Barry asked if I was up for some night hunting. I said absolutely.

One night earlier in the safari we had hunted one night for Steenbuck, Duiker and Cape Grysbok but only saw some female Grysbok and a couple of Duiker.

Barry called up another fellow PH, Eric, who had access to a great Cape Grysbok area. Eric said he was game and the plans were made.

I did not realize it but there would be seven of us out looking for this very tiny nocturnal animal.

Almost immediately we were seeing a Grysbok here and there and the anticipation was growing as I knew one of them would be of trophy caliber.

We finally stopped and Barry and Eric were jabbering back and forth about one they could see about 75 yards or so away. I am glad they were making the call on this little animal as the diffence between trophy and average is parts of an inch.

Finally the Grysbok could not take it anymore and was ready to flee from his cover when Barry told me to take him. He was on the move and made about two bounds when I touched the trigger and immediately it was quiet and everything still.

What a tiny animal but a great trophy. I honestly did not think we would get one of these little nocturnal animals. Hoped but definitely not planned on.

Since this safari I am now very much wanting to pursue all of the Tiny 10.



Jef arrived back at the main lodge and had chased around a Vaal Rhebok for a while but could never seal the deal. In the early afternooon they went Springbuck hunting and he took a very fine ram.

Hard to believe that 9 of 10 days were now complete. Time had flown by and I was already planning my return trip before I had even finished the first trip.

Day 10 to follow....

Some very nice trophies. Congratulations!

I took this pic at the main lodge.

It is a Blue & Black Wildebeest cross.

I was told by Arthur he had only seen this happen once and this was the result.

Ag, ja! Daai ou koedoe uitstekend is! (as my eerste koedoe op Spitskop, miskien 45" ?) Pragtig! Jy's die een.

Pamela is GREEN with envy at your zebra.

Day 10 of 10.

A happy but sad day. The last day of a safari is always bittersweet.

Barry asked what I wanted to do for the last day and I told him that looking for a big Kudu bull or Eland bull would be great.

He said he knew the exact area to go as we could hopefully catch the Kudu transitioning from their bedding area to a feeding area. He said there was almost always a few scattered Eland in this area as well.

Immediately we were seeing a lot of young Kudu bulls and several cows. I had perma-grin and it did not matter if we took anything else or not as I was just happy to be there.

We looked at a lot of different bulls over the course of the morning and went on a walk about to try and find some when one of the coolest experiences of my life occured.

We were slowly working our way through the bushveld when we spotted the horns of a Kudu bull coming toward us. We instantly froze and got the glasses on him. He was a younger bull but he was feeding and just kept coming our way.

Barry said to just stay frozen and let's see what happens. He was now at less than 50 yards and just kept coming. Eventually he got to within about 10 yards and started feeding on a tree in front of us. We all just stood there frozen and watched him for about ten minutes before the wind must have swirled and he let out a bark and was gone. It was an amazing scene to watch play out right before us. I am thankful that I was able to capture a few pictures of that moment.









Way cool and something very neat to experience.

More about the morning hunt to follow...

Been typing for a while and just hit Post Now and my entire last post is gone, frozen, so I guess I will start over.

We proceeded to look for a big Kudu bull and came across three Eland working their way through the bushveld. One had a great big tuff of black on his face but we could only see his face.

Barry wanted to continue on looking for Kudu as he was confident we could find the Eland again later in the day. Hard to keep going but I absolutely trust Barry so away we went.

We were slowly working our way down the road and just pulled over a ridge line when we saw the next ridgeline in front of us explode with Kudu. There were cows and calves and bulls running in all directions but one held his ground.

We all pulled our our binocs and immediately Barry told me to get out and on the sticks.

I could tell by Barry's demeanor there was something different about this bull.

I was on the sticks and Barry quietly whispered he was 304 yards.

He asked my what I thought about the shot as the big bull was facing us head on. I told him I was dead solid and could make it. He told me when I was comfortable to take the shot.

I was very thankful that I had earned Barry's trust over the 10 days with a rifle and that he would allow me to take this shot.

I settled my nerves while the big bull continued to give us the stare down. I touched the trigger and it was just like a rug had been pulled from under him. He collapsed on the spot.

Barry did not say a word and grabbed the sticks before I could even put in another shell and we were in pursuit through the bushveld.

It did not take us long to cover the 304 yards and I knew by the feeling with the other guys this bull was special. They did not say anything but I could tell. It was almost at a running pace to get to him.

We found him right where he collapsed and he was magnificent. The other bull I had taken was big. This bull was bigger.

He had a huge body, his coat was in perfect condition and he had the most magnificent pair of Kudu horns I had ever laid my eyes on. He was awe inspiring.

I did not say anything but just stood there and felt those big dark horns in my hands.

I don't remember exactly what Barry said but it was something along the line of this is why you come to Blaauwkrantz. He was right; when they say they have the best Kudu hunting in the world they do for sure. I saw well over 100 bulls before I ever shot the first one.





What a bull!

What a morning. It was still mid morning and we went back in pursuit of that black faced Eland bull but they gave us the slip and we were never able to relocate them. While looking for the Eland we came across another big Kudu bull and I was ready to take him but Barry told me he was just a tiny bit smaller than this big bull and where we already had one on the salt for the morning we were going to let him walk. I was perfectly fine with that. I had two on the salt and was having the trip of a lifetime.

Couple of comments before I go into the afternoon hunt.

Jef and myself had Puren and Janine Joubert film our safari. I cannot express enough how much joy and excitement that video has brought to me, my family and my friends that could not be there. It is worth its weight in gold and I would not trade for anything.

I will post some pictures later of all of my trophies on the hoof. I was able to take the video footage and stop it and pull a picture off of each species right before I pulled the trigger. You will be able to see exactly what I was looking at right before the shot. I thought some might like seeing this.

A picture looking down through the big bulls horns. Great curl.




More to follow....

A few views from within the main lodge at Blaauwkrantz. As you can see; we were really roughing it.

That is my bull that you can just see the bottom part of the face and the left shoulder behind the tree with the "V" shape.



My Black Wildebeest is on the right. This is just a couple of seconds before he turns to his left to start walking.



My Impala just after he walked out from behind that bush to the right.