The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Hunting Reports - Africa Family Plains Game in Limpopo South Africa (side trip pics added Cape Town)Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Family Plains Game in Limpopo South Africa (side trip pics added Cape Town) | Login/Join |
| One of Us |
1st - THANK YOU to everyone for the help in planning and preparing for this trip. I appreciate this forum greatly. Dates: July 2-16 Outfitter: Cruiser Safaris PH: Pieter(2) Tracker: Isaac South Africa - Limpopo We arrived with great anticipation and stayed overnight in Joberg. We left for camp (3 1/2 hrs away) and were sightseeing the entire way. We arrived at camp and had lunch and headed to the rifle range to check zero on the rifles after the 15 hr flight. A restless night (just like Christmas eve as a kid) and the sun came up! Our African dream is here! Day 1 My son and I walk and stalk Impala for over 2 hrs and finally end up with a respectable representative  We Load the impala and return to camp and hurry back to a water hole to see what shows up in the heat of the day. We see in excess of 20 warthogs within the first hour. Finally this old guy shows up and my son drops him. It was a 60 yd shot and the pig never moved! My son is very excited!!  Day 2 The whole family goes hunting today and we were not disappointed. Very early we start tracking blue wildebeest and cross a herd of gemsbok. There is a very nice male and a short "cat and mouse game" later and we harvest a very nice male  On the way back to lunch we spot a herd of blesbok 600-700 yds away in the open grasslands ahead. My wife made a perfect stalk (most crawling) to get in position for a clear shot on this fine male.  After we reach the blesbok my daughter catches a great moment on film  We head back to camp for lunch and the plan is to see what approaches the open field this evening for food and water. Near the magic hour a large blue wildebeest starts moving in our direction. A decent shot and exciting tracking job and we have another beautiful animal ready for salt right before dark!  Day 3 We are trying to hunt Eland and Zebra today. It is just me and my daughter in the field today and it is great! In 3 short days I have had the opportunity to watch my wife and two kids harvest African game. My daughter's Zebra (my Eland plans aren't working out yet  ) Day 4 and 5 I chase Kudu and Eland with no luck but will never forget climbing the Waterburg mountains and having a troop of baboons blow my closest stalk on a large kudu bull. We visit the river at lunch and my son finds a termite mound. My buddy Bill and his son are with us on day 5 as his kudu is in the salt :thumbs_up:   Day 6 I skip the side trip to the Elephant back safari to chase Kudu again. The rest of my family goes on their photo safari and I try to break the kudu voodoo!! No luck however near the river I harvest a Nyala  Day 7 my son really wants a blesbok like his mother's. He has blown a few stalks in the days before and he knows this is our last day in camp as we leave for Cape Town tomorrow. He has grown up greatly on this trip as a hunter. Today he and our PH makea 2hr long stalk and only cover around 500 yds. He shows great patience and I am proud. After crawling the last 200 yds to get into position he readies for the shot  What is that on his forehead??  That's right!! He made a great shot that hit both lungs at 150yds!  Can you tell that he is happy?  We took thousands of great pictures but I have limited this post just to the hunting. I do want to share two of my most memorable photos though! Our 1st African sunset  Our last sunset in camp (for this trip --God willing) My son and daughter enjoying it together.  After the hunt we went to Cape Town and toured all of Cape. We went to Boulders Beach to see the penguins. We put our feet in the Indian Ocean. We went to the top of Table Mountain and did an elephant back tour.           | ||
|
| One of Us |
Awesome! My idea of a family vacation. ----------------------------------------- "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. -Henry David Thoreau, Walden | |||
|
One of Us |
If there is one thing that I like better than an African hunting report, it is a one where the whole family is involved. Great report and trophies. Thanks! DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
|
one of us |
You're a lucky man. Great report. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
|
One of Us |
Very cool to get to experience Africa with your entire family. Well done. | |||
|
One of Us |
You're a very lucky man. I wish I had memories of going on safari with my father or grandfather. Those are memories that your children will cherish forever. Looks like a wonderful hunt. Brett DRSS Life Member SCI Life Member NRA Life Member WSF Rhyme of the Sheep Hunter May fordings never be too deep, And alders not too thick; May rock slides never be too steep And ridges not too slick. And may your bullets shoot as swell As Fred Bear's arrow's flew; And may your nose work just as well As Jack O'Connor's too. May winds be never at your tail When stalking down the steep; May bears be never on your trail When packing out your sheep. May the hundred pounds upon you Not make you break or trip; And may the plane in which you flew Await you at the strip. -Seth Peterson | |||
|
| one of us |
D Marshall, great report, and pics!  Brings back a lot of memories, my son and I were there, the same time as you and your family, last year. Cruiser Safaris is a fabulous hunt. I assume Craig, Hans, and Johann are still there, along with Pieter? Good show all around. Mad Dog | |||
|
| One of Us |
Thanks for all of the kind words as it was truly special. I skipped a new truck over 2 years ago to save for this trip and would not trade the memories for the world let alone a new truck Mad Dog - yes they are all there and doing well. My buddy hunted with Johann. Thanks for your help in planning the hunt. | |||
|
| one of us |
D Marshall, well I guess the kudu eluded you. Oh well, now you will have to pan going back for a kudu, eland, red cape hartebeast,........  maddog | |||
|
| One of Us |
That looks like the perfect family vacation, congratulations on a great hunt. | |||
|
One of Us |
D. What a great time a family trip... Congratulations to all on good shooting... Fantastic photos... Mike | |||
|
One of Us |
 Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
|
new member |
That looks like a great trip, and my kind of family vacation! TANSTAAFL | |||
|
One of Us |
Well done  | |||
|
one of us |
Congrats on a great trip and wonderful trophies taken with your family. The memories will last a lifetime! On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Thanks for all of the kind words. I now know why everyone talks of return trips  | |||
|
One of Us |
Congratulations on a very successful and memorable family vacation of the best kind! | |||
|
| One of Us |
Perfect family vacation in my mind! Congratulations on creating such wonderful memories for your entire family! | |||
|
| one of us |
Too cool. You are a lucky man to be able to share this time and experience with your family. Happiness is a warm gun | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Hunting Reports - Africa Family Plains Game in Limpopo South Africa (side trip pics added Cape Town)
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia