I looked at other guys reports and decided to rewrite mine Here is the improved version.

This journey was a gift for my 50th birthday (to myself).
About a year ago I asked myself a question: You always dreamed about African safari, so you may continue to do it, or make it happened! Instead of making all the arrangements for a Big Birthday Party I’ve started to brows the Web for available African hunts, gathered information on outfitters in different countries, and saved few dollars for the trip. Some how I run into this website: www.affordableafricanhunting.com , sent an e-mail, got a positive reply, contacted guys who have hunted with this outfitter before, and finally here we are – I and my wife just came back from RSA. I can tell you in advance that it was the Best Birthday Gift I have ever dreamed about!
We took off from Chicago on April, 12 and arrived at JNB next day via SAA. It was an average flight. Just OK. A few shots of whiskey helped a lot.
Lochi Lochner (freelance outfitter and PH) met us at the airport and took us to the Chocolate Guesthouse in Henley village. Next day he took us to a local taxidermist, and gave us a tour at a Game park, just to take a look at the animals. Early morning next day Lieb van Rooyen (PH) with Ukufa Safaris picked us up and we took off to Limpopo Province. About three hours later we arrived at Tom and Dalen Laas’s privet hunting preserve. (~9km from Roedtan). It is quite a nice farm
After a quick lunch we took a ride to the hunting area, spotted a wildebeest bull and started to track it. That day HM Fortune was showing us her behind. Well, there is another day to come.
Next morning we went to the hunting zone ( about 14 square kilometers) and started our hunt. After three+ hours walk in the bushes we spotted a small herd of impalas. Our stalk was not successful, they just vanished. Suddenly, Lieb whispered to me: Warthog there. Shoot him now. Well, I put the crosshair on it and pulled the trigger. The wart took off, and the fun began. We found blood spots with some lung tissue. So, the hit was not too bad. We have tracked the blood drops for 0.5 km and then it just disappeared. Chrystal (our tracker) and Lieb tried to find them with now results. To say that I was disappointed means to say nothing. Lieb looked at me and offered me to sit down, have a cigarette and relax. I took a smoke and walked looking for blood in different direction that Chrystal and Lieb went. I lighted another cigarette, set down on the grass and told myself: well, it is a good beginning – you’ve just screwed the opportunity to take a warthog. Then I raised my eyes and sow a little stain of blood on the grass. The bustard made 90 degrees turn on his run. I whistled to my guides and in few minutes the story was over.
I have never hunted a warthog before, but I have a good experience in shooting wild boars in Russia. So, when I saw that warthog I thought that it is a piglet (body size wise). Then Lieb came and told me that that is the biggest warthog he had ever seen. I saw the only one in my life through the scope and it looks nice to me.

During the rest of the day we saw several waterbucks, a herd of blue wildebeest with no good bulls, impalas with no opportunity to take a shot, blesbucks in the middle of a field.
Here another day to come.
We took off the farm at sunrise. Drove about 20 minutes and spotted a wildebeest herd few hundred meters away. The stalk began. We walked about a kilometer though the bushes and finally we saw it. A good bull was quartering away (about 100 meters). I took an aim at the far front leg and pulled the trigger. In US I hunt with 338 RUM and here I shot PH’s 308. There is a big difference. Usually after 338 hit there is no need to call an ambulance. A coroner is more appropriate. With 308 it is a little bit different. The bull looked around after the hit, walked about 10-15 meters and then went down. We were lucky. It was a smart bull. He went toward the road and felt on it. Easy loading… We radio to the camp, the truck came, the bull was loaded and we drove for 5 minutes and: STOP! There are zebras about 200 meters in the bushes. We got off the truck and tried to stalk them. At about 100-120 meters I got an opportunity to shoot. Bam! Two front legs are broken a little bit lower the elbow. Zebra is down and a control kiss through the ear finished the job. Wow! Two good animals within half an hour were taken!
The rest of the day did not bring any results. After dinner we wend calling jackals. A day before when we have turned on our electronic caller, and a dozen jackals answered right away. But we did not hunt and they new that. So, tonight there were no answers what so ever. We drove around; saw a lot of animals, but no jackals. And suddenly – here he is. Straight through the heart at 100 meter at running jackal. Good beginning! Well, kkh..kh…, not so fast. The second took 3 rounds 308 and was finished by the host's 9mm Glock.
The Limpopo session was over. Thanks to Tom Laas for his hospitality and Dalen for a Mom-like care and a wonderful food. We enjoyed your company, I hope you too...
The next day we drove back to Jobg., picked up Lochi and headed to Free state to "Heelbo" privet nature reserve, located between Senekal and Rosendal
There with two PHs – Lieb and Lochi we did different hunts.
We walked a lot. Climbed mountains. Spot and stalked, drove around and stalked. And shot, shot, shot… I took several animals you see below.
This gemsbok was a Birthday gift from my wife.
and red hartebeest a dominant buck in the herd. Lieb posted those trophies here http://www.trophygallery.net/hunTer/I.php
Overall we had absolutely wonderful time and I got nice trophies. Thanks to Lieb van Rooyen ( mathildavr@sbv.co.za ) and Lochi Lochner www.affordableafricanhunting.com
After safari we spent another week in Cape Town and Vic. Falls. I did not have an opportunity to take a kudu, so now I have a good excuse to go to Africa again.

Congrats on your hunt. Your warthog is a toad! Looks like you did very well. Welcome to AR.
Good hunting, David

aholz,

What do you mean nice warthog ??? A bloody big one chnaces are very slimm to ever bag one like that again. That is the holy grail of warties. Congrats.

Was your Free State hunt conducted at Moreson in Vrede ?
It looks very similar to it ?

quote:

Was your Free State hunt conducted at Moreson in Vrede ?
It looks very similar to it ?

In Freestate - "Heelbo" privet nature reserve, located between Senekal and Rosendal.

In Limpopo it was "Jag Natuurlewe Bosveld Ontspanning" and the owners are Tom and Dalena Laas - a very nice family. 9km from Roedtan.

Hell, even the warts are huge!!!!!

Dulcinea

The Warthog is HUGE . Great report.