Hi everyone

Tom Derbyshire who hunted with me recently, asked me if I could post his hunt report for him, as he has difficulties uploading to the forum site. This is a copy and past from what Tom sent me.

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Tomas Derbyshire

Dates: May 1-10, 2017
Hunt Area: Northern Limpopo Province/Soutpansberg Mountains
Safari Outfitter: Bossie Mostert - Limpopo Big Game Safaris / Freddie Van Zyl - African Trophy Pursuit
Rifle: 300 Jarrett using 200 grain Nosler partition bullets
Optics:
Scope - Swarovski 4-16 TDS
Binos - Swarovski 10 X 42 with rangefinder


I spend a lot of time on the website ACCURATE RELOADING reading about stories that hunters have written about their most recent hunting adventures throughout the world.

Last year on discounted hunts I read about an outfitter Limpopo Big Game Safaris who was advertising hunting kudu that push 58" and up. I knew that this was a possibility and there are no sure things in hunting. I e-mailed Bossie Mostert and asked if he had any openings in May. Kudu rut in the month of May. The first ten days of May were open so I booked those days for my kudu hunt. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy hunt as we would be hunting up in the mountains in northern South Africa out of Louis Trichardt. Kudu are my favorite animal in Africa to hunt. A 60" kudu is comparable to a 400" bull elk, or a 200" mule deer. Not many hunters have been lucky enough to have any of the three.

I arrived in camp the last day of April.


Little did I know that I would be the only hunter in camp for the entire hunt. Freddie Van Zyl of African Trophy Pursuit would be my PH for the first part of the week. We would be hunting in the mountains near Louis Trichardt for big kudu. In order to shoot an exceptional bull you must be willing to pass on smaller bulls. With so much rain that this area had had over the previous months, the bush was very dense and green. These bulls like very rocky areas so the hunter must be very careful not to fall and get hurt. The second morning we were tracking a big kudu track. We jumped him in some thick bush but by the time that I found him with the sun in my face and scope my two shots weren't good. On the way back to the rig I fell and cut my right knee about an inch below the knee cap. I sliced open my pants and my leg. Freddie took me to his doctor in town and I received four stitches. My bill came to $85. The rest of the day was spent back in camp taking it easy.





The next couple of days we hunted some other areas that weren't so rugged and rocky. We were seeing from five to six bulls everyday but not the real big one that I was looking for.
Bossie Mostert of Limpopo Big Game Safaris arrived in camp on the fifth or sixth day of the hunt. My knee was much better so we traveled about three hours from camp and spent two days hunting kudu in another area. We saw a couple of 55" kudu but passed on them as we still had a few days left in the hunt.



During the time I had two PH's with me, Freddie and Bossie. We then went back of our regular camp and spent the remaining day hunting the mountains near Louis Trichardt.





On the last day I shot a very old bull who had worn off all his ivories. His right ear had a hole in it from fighting and it was festered up. This bull was 52".





In the ten days of our hunting we saw over sixty kudu bulls. Most of them were in the 250-400 yard range. Of those sixty I could have shot twenty to twenty-five of them. Again I was looking for something in the high fifties. The bull that I missed the second day was in that category. This was my sixth trip to Africa hunting. I can say that this was my best hunting trip ever in Africa. Both PH's were very knowledgeable about the game that we saw. We saw lots of animals besides just kudu. The accommodations were outstanding. The food was five star. You couldn't have gone to a restaurant and ordered off the menu and have gotten better food. Being the only hunter in camp for the entire hunt, I was spoiled rotten. I have just booked another trip for the last ten days of May in 2018 for big mountain kudu with the same outfitters. Everyone in camp spoke good English. Freddie and Bossie were always looking after me not only in camp but out on the hunt. They were very funny and we all shared lots of laughs. We were all up at dark and came back at dark. They gave the hunter the full meal deal. If you are looking for a great hunt check out LIMPOPO BIG GAME SAFARIS or AFRICAN TROPHY PURSUIT.

Great Kudu and report. Hope the knee heals well.

I just love hunting kudu, and know what it's like to be haunted by the one that got away! Thanks for sharing your adventure.

Nice trophy all the same.

Good job, hunting Kudu isn't supposed to be easy. The hunter earned this one.

Well done. Super kudu!

This was one of those hunts that I actually shed my blood on. This was a trip of a lifetime and I got to experience hunting kudu in the mountains. For a hunter who is seventy-one years old it was a real challenge and very rewarding. For being on the down hill slide in my hunting career it will be one that i will remember for a long time. I also got to with two great PH's who have become friends for life. What more can you ask for?

proper.

Well earned Kudu bull. Nicely done sir. Bruce

You are so much more restrained than I could ever be in Africa. One species on a safari. Wow! I could not do it.

Great report, congrats a great Kudu bull and best of luck next year.

The reason that I'm a little restrained is that this was my sixth trip hunting to Africa. I've hunted Zimbabwe three times and South Africa three times. A really big kudu has always been a dream of mine. Maybe next May.

WOW thats quite the gash!!! Glad your OK.congrats on the Hunt.

Nice report and pics! Years ago, I had a similar experience in getting a large gash in my lip from a thorn while riding in the back of the truck looking for Mountain Reedbuck. Required 8 stitches from the PH's local 'house doctor', a very respectable, successful, middle aged and married white professional. The cut in my lip healed up very nice with no scar. Asked the Dr. what I owed him and he requested a nice folding knife, which I purchased in Kimberley and had the PH deliver to him. Three months later he committed suicide by shooting himself.

Congrats! Thanks for posting.

Excellent report and thank you for sharing.
Spent last weekend hunting on the Sand River below the mountains. Spent quite a bit of my time gazing at the the mountains and thinking of the monster kudu that must be up there.
Maybe next year.....

Well done!

Nice kudu. I love big kudu, but I've run out of room at our condo and our son's house to put the European mounts.

That's a trophy kudu and hunt anywhere.

That is a great report.

Sounds like a great place to hunt, have been wondering where to find really big kudu and have a good opportunity for real stalking (not a small game ranch).

Awesome Kudu!!

Beautiful old kudu bull. Well done.