Hunt Report

Area Hunted: Vivo, Limpopo Province, South Africa
Outfitter: Rod Cockerill Mukiwa Safari Company www.mukiwasafaris.com
Concession: Chinaka Lodge
Professional Hunters: Rod Cockerill, David Botha, Xander Grobler, Hugo du Plessis
Dates: S. Huettner and K.Sellner May 25th thru June 2nd, Zimmers and Franks May 25th thru June 9th

Firearms Used:
Steve Huettner Browning A-Bolt .300 wsm 180 gr Winchester Fail Safe
Keith Sellner Browning A-Bolt 30-06 180 gr Winchester Fail Safe
Ed Zimmer- Remington 7mm 175gr Trophy Bond ; TC 375 JDJ 270 gr Trophy Bond
Jane Zimmer: Remington 7mm 175 gr Trophy Bond
Paul Frank: Remington 7mm mag 175 gr Trophy Bond

Travel Arrangements: Kathi Klimes from Wild Travel. Kathi did a wonderful job, so well in fact that I used her to handle arrangements for a trip with my wife and friends to Italy in October.

Day 1 Friday
Travel SAA from Dulles to Johannesburg. Being that we live outside Baltimore it was a quick one hour ride to Dulles via car service. Check in at Dulles was easy and painless. Whole process took less then 10 minutes. TSA agents were friendly and had no problems scanning the guns. Security check took no more then 15 minutes from beginning to end. Great job by Kathi in booking us upstairs on the 747. ¾ of the upstairs were all hunters which made things that much more fun. No problems on the flight, service was good, stop in Dakar, Senegal was less then 50 minutes.

Arrival in South Africa- took about 15-20 minutes to clear customs where we then headed off to the new SAPS office. We were one of the first one’s there and the first 3 cases came off the plane and paperwork was done and processed in less then 20 minutes. Two of the other cases had not been brought up by SAA and resulted in a delay of about 30 minutes. In all, about an hour for us to clear all five gun cases. As long as your paperwork was in order things went well.

All 4 PH’s were there to greet us and form a caravan to take us to the concession. Each hunter rode with their PH on the ride up to get to know them a bit better. Rod has plenty of food and drink for us and we stopped about an hour outside of Joberg to eat, drink, and stretch the legs. Arrived at the Concession around 3pm where we were greeted by Pete the Lodge Manager and assigned our respective chalets. Each person has their own chalet, and I had a roommate, a rather large Gecko.

After a few minutes we loaded up the rifle and headed to make sure they were sighted in. All five hunters (one non-hunter) sighted in their guns from the bench and then took several shots at 2 liter water bottles from the sticks to make sure the sticks were set accordingly and people were comfortable.

Day 2 Saturday
Bit of a late start for day, as every one is excited but a bit lagged from the travel and trying to sort out logistics in the morning. I finally hit the field with my PH Xander and Tracker Freddy. Hunting an area comprised of waist high grass inter-mixed with acacia bushes and mopane trees, ground is fine, red sand which makes walking a bit more challenging. Get within 60 yards of a nice herd of Gemsbok (2- 36 inch or better), several blue wildebeest, and several slammer red hartebeest. Unfortunately I already have gotten Gemsbok and Wildebeest, and Hartebeest is not high on my list to start. Head back for lunch around 12 to see how everyone else did. Keith had set up a monster Red Hartebeest that was bedded down and never gave a shot.

Ed is on the board with his first African animal an old 32†gemsbok, 1 shot from the 7mm and it went 10 yards. Jane missed a nice Impala ram to start the morning. Paul and Linda (non-hunter) had seen plenty of game but Paul is after Kudu and Nyala.



Afternoon- Decide to hunt a dry river bed since bushbuck and waterbuck are high on my list. While the farm has some good bushbuck only one has been taken the last two years. We see several cow waterbucks, get within 10 yds of a young waterbuck bull bedded down, and see several young Nyala. As we get into thicker bushbuck cover, the wind changes and a bushbuck scents us and begins to bark letting all know we are there. So much for the bushbuck. Upon return to camp that evening Ed scored on a monster warthog, 12 inch tusks and 225 pds. One shot at 60 yds between the eyes from the 7mm took care of the pig. I asked Ed if he gave him a cigarette and blindfold.



Total Miles walked 5.6 (I brought a pedometer with me to keep track).

Day 3 Sunday
Slow morning, not much game seen with the exception of some small herds of Wildebeest and Red Hartebeest and once again very good Gemsbok. When out walking did hear a shot around 8:45 in the area where we had dropped Keith and his PH Hugo. Upon return to the car around 11:30 we drive down and see Keith and Hugo who inform us that Keith was on the board with his first African animal, a nice Zebra stallion. They had set up on 4 zebra for about a half hour to determine which one was a stallion. The concession has STRICT rules about shooting stallions only. If one shoots a mare, not only does the hunter have to pay his trophy fee, so does the PH. After determining which one was the stallion, Keith took the shot, at which time the bush erupted with Zebra that had been bedded down in the ground. Zebra were running every which way not knowing where the shot had come from. Upon getting to the zebra, it was minus a tail which for a stallion is quite odd apparently.



After lunch, headed over to a thick area along the river that is good kudu habitat. To say it was thick was an understatement. We entered the thick brush and after about an hour the tracker stopped and said there’s a kudu bull with a cow about 60 yards away. Both the PH and I could not see the Kudu. After about 2 minutes I saw the brush move and then saw the kudu. He was directly walking towards us as I raised the gun the wind shifted I caught a glimpse of the Kudu moving through the brush. According to the tracker he was 54-56 inch. How an animal that big can move so quick and make no noise will never cease to amaze me. We hunted for Kudu for another hour to no avail. Upon coming out of the brush I saw a small Nyala cow along a small dirt road. She was looking behind her much like a whitetail doe does. We decided to hang tight and see what was behind the bush. After about 10 minutes another cow came out followed by a very nice Nyala bull. The PH said he was the shooter and that’s all I needed. About 110 yd shot. I wait about 2 minutes for the proper shot, ease the safety off, pull the trigger and CLICK. At this time the Nyala who was smelling a cow, stops, and looks directly at us. I have a million things going through my mind all at once. My PH looks at me, says rack another round and takes the shot as the Nyala won’t be there all day. I rack another round, (no round in the chamber) find the vital and take the shot. The Nyala kicks his hind legs in the air and heads into the brush. We walk to the spot, find some blood, and find him 30 yds from where I shot. A solid heart shot on a beautiful 29†and 8 “ bases on the Nyala.

As for my missing round, upon getting out the truck my PH always asks, “ Do you have one in the round and is the safety on?â€. I usually load the magazine and then cycle a bullet. I must have short shucked the bolt and not loaded the round. Shame on me.



Total Miles Walked 6.6

Day 4 Monday Turkey Tactics for Zebra.

Start off the morning on some Zebra spoor. Zebra along with Kudu have eluded me on this hunt and a prior hunt in South Africa. While following the spoor we once again bump two separate herds of Gemsbok with some monsters in there. This is starting to become a common occurrence. After about a 2 miles walk to no avail, we circle back to a small opening where we see a Black Back Jackal drinking from a small water hole. I have a permit and it’s a 140 yd shot. A take the shot and drop him in his tracks. As we walk up and admire the jackal we hear Zebra stallion calling. We put the jackal in the shade, and head off the races after the Zebra.



We are using turkey tactics listening for the stallion and trying to intercept them. One time we are working into range and were busted by a herd of Wildebeest traveling with the Zebra. They snort and all disappear in a cloud of dust. Freddy the Tracker has an idea where the might be heading and says we need to pick up the pace if we want a chance at them. After about 40 minutes when we think we lost them we here the stallion and we continue on. On the walk pass up a Monster Eland 37-38 inch that stands there looking at us.

After about 2 hours of round about walking we finally sight the zebra. We have to crawl about 60 yds to get into a better shooting/sighting position. Do the crawl and set up behind a bush and spend the next 20 minutes looking for plumbing on a Zebra. During this time I have the crosshairs on 9 different Zebra at least 3 times and cannot see any Stallions. A herd of red hartebeest decide to join the zebra and bed down less the 40 yds from us. The wind swirls a bit, the hartebeest bolt and then the zebra. Frustration at it’s finest. Since it’s now 12:30 we decided to head back for cold beer and lunch. On the way back to the truck we spot this steenbok that looks a bit too long. While he is not the biggest (3 3/4 inches), I am damn proud to take him at 80 yds in the grass. I have always wanted one, and you need to start the Tiny 10 collection somewhere.



Head out in the afternoon and it’s a slow pm hunt. The only excitement comes when we walk past a puff adder lying in the grass 12 inches away. The tracker and I walk by it, our PH stops to look at something and I see him jump to the right. I turn around and see about a 6 foot puff adder curled up outside its nest getting the last few rays of sun. 12 inches to the left and we would have walked right on it. Upon getting back to camp my friend Keith is on the board with a very nice 34†gemsbok. After parking the truck and heading out he and his PH Hugo came up on him after 20 minutes of walking. Waited him out to make sure he was a male and took the shot.



Total Miles Walked: 9.6

Day 5- Tuesday

Started the morning walking up some zebra spoor. Came up on a nice herd about 50 minutes into the hunt. Set up was perfect, wind in the face, sun at our back and the animals had no idea we were there. We sat behind some bushes and watched the herd pass by at 30 yds all without seeing being able to tell which one was the stallion. After having the herd mill around for 40 minutes they decided to pick up and move onto greener pastures. Missed a massive pig running away from me. Had the crosshairs on him for a Texas heart shot but the PH and tracker were whistling at the pig to try and get him to stop. The pig was having no one it and as he was going down a ridge and took a shot that was over his back and to the right. On the way back for lunch we stopped off at the skinning shed and saw the tractor was out so we knew someone had gotten something. We walked into the shed to see an impressive Nyala that Ed had taken with his .375 JDJ. It measured 28 ½ and 29 inches and was an old mature bull. To make his day that much better on his way back to the truck he saw a jackal moving across a road and made a snap shop and nailed the jackal. While hearing Ed retell his story the tractor pulled back into the shed with Paul on the trailer. Paul had connected on a great Kudu that went 55†and 56â€. They had spotted him with a bunch of cows in some extremely thick bush and waited him out for 35 minutes until he stepped out and gave him the shot.







Afternoon hunt was slow with the exception of Jane getting on the board with her first African animal a nice Blue Wildebeest.



Total Miles Walked 10.3


Day 6 Wednesday

Over breakfast in the morning, Pete the lodge manager mentioned that if one of us saw a wart hog to shoot it because they wanted to cook one for us. The asked we try and shoot a smaller one for the spit if possible. Heading out in the morning in search of waterbuck. Saw a nice herd and spent the better part of the morning trying to track them down in some thick cover to see if there was a mature bull in the bunch. Mid Morning we spotted a slammer Red Hartebeest that caught our attention. We tried setting up on him on 3 different occasions, all with no luck. The afternoon saw us back on the track looking for my elusive Kudu. Around 2pm, Freddy spotted a family of warthogs rooting around a tree. Set up the sticks and picked out one of the pigs and was able to take this guy. A bit big for the spit, but Patrick the cook did an excellent job on him none the less and he made for excellent table fare. When heading back to the skinning shed at the end of the day, we came upon my buddy Keith who had taken this impressive Nyala. They were actually hunting Kudu when a Nyala cow wandered out into an opening in the bush with this Nyala bull in tow. One shot for the 30-06 and Keith has an awesome Nyala to go along with his Gemsbok and Zebra.



Total Miles walked 9.2

Day 7 Thursday

Today unfortunately was to be the last day of the hunt for Keith and myself, while the other 4 were staying another week. Being it was my last day we headed out extremely early to try and catch a bushbuck heading back to his bed in the morning. We had an idea where he was traveling and sat behind a berm on the very cold ground waiting for him to appear. Alas, he never did. Around 9am when walking through a dry river bed, Freddy picked up the tracks of waterbuck and we were going to slowly follow them. The tracks led us into a huge patch of Acacia bushes. To make things a bit more interesting, my PH had left his sticks in one of the other trucks. Our tracker was able to fasten a home made stick out of two branches and two pieces of wire, and it was a perfect height to boot. After about 40 minutes of stalking Freddy pointed to a bull that was in a thick tangle of Acacia. I got the rifle on the homemade sticks and picked out a small triangle of about 3 inches in the bush. The bull was facing us dead on at about 100 yds. I waited about 1 minute for the PH to give me the green light that he was a mature bull. Once he did I took the shot, and nailed it. The bull went 30 yds after being shot through the heart and lungs. Once the PH got up to the bull I could sense something was wrong. It wound up being a young, immature bull, something we were not after. I was not upset. It was a great stalk, and tough well made shot, on a set of homemade sticks. The PH was not happy with his call on the animal. Upon getting back to camp I was informed that it was a wrong call by the PH, and they are paid for their judgment, and since it was not a mature bull I would not be asked to pay for it. I did not ask for a pass or freebie, or protest. I thought this speaks volumes about the PH and outfitter.



Head out after lunch for another shot a Kudu. In the end it seemed I was going to be on the only one destined not to get a Kudu. About 30 minutes into the hunt we bumped a large mature Kudu bull and got on spoor right away. We spent the next 3 ½ hours trying to track him down and figure out where he was headed. In the end we ran out of daylight and the grey ghost of Africa had once again eluded me. On our drive back to camp we saw the lights on at the skinning shed and stopped in to see Ed with a very nice 54-55 in Kudu that he had taken. He was with some cows and Ed shot him as he was jumping over a sheep fence in mid air. Both the tracker and PH thought that Ed had missed him since he was in mid air. Being an excellent wing shot, Ed replied there was no damn way he had missed and they found this guy 30 yds from where he was shot.



As we were all heading back to the lodge for a cold beer, the radio cracked asking for the tractor as Keith had also gotten a Kudu. We were all excited about the prospect of another Kudu coming in, especially since it was Keith’s last day of hunting. When he got back in he relayed the story. They had hunted all day and had not seen a Kudu. They had called it a day, were on the way back to the truck, and Keith was thanking everyone for a great hunt. As they stepped out of some bush, Hugo the PH said shooter Kudu and set up the sticks. Keith set the scope on the Kudu and pulled the trigger. The kudu went 20 yds and crashed into a tree. A 220 yd heart shot and Keith had his Kudu on the last minute of the last day. When they put the tape to him we were amazed as he went 59-60â€, with 12†bases, torn ears, and scars on his forehead.



Total Miles walked 3.6

Needless to say Keith and I had a great adventure as evident by the photo below.



Day 8
Reality was setting in as Keith and I were set to fly back home. As all hunters know leaving is depressing. While packing up the car we heard a shot from the far end of the concession as our friends were staying. It was Jane who had taken a nice 27†waterbuck at 120 yds with a 7mm magnum.



Right before we were to leave the concession we were witness to 2 massive warthogs having quite a tussle and completely oblivious to us parked not more then 100 yds from them. Truly a great sight to see before leaving. On the way back to Joberg we were able to stop in Pokolwane to do some shopping and then to the Taxidermist to drop off hides and horns. No more problems at the airport and it was a quiet, uneventful flight back to the states for the two of us.


Day 9 and 10
Mashatu Game Reserve – Our outfitter had arranged for a two day photo safari across the border in Botswana and Mashatu Game Reserve http://www.mashatu.com
Tented camps were excellent, service was impeccable, and the game viewing was top notch with leopard, elephant, lion, plains game and plenty of birds. Below are some photos captured by the group.















Day 11 Wingshooting
Saw our group head a bit north towards Kruger Park near the town of Messina for a day on wing shooting with Ivy Safaris. www.ivysafaris.com Once again the accommodations and food were superb and the wing shooting behind a group of German Short Haired Pointers was enjoyable and challenging. In all, Ed and Paul were able to take over 20 birds including 4 species of Francolin and guinea fowl.











Days 12-14

Saw the foursome return back to Chinaka for three more days of plains game hunting. Paul spent those days putting in the miles for a Nyala. While he was able to several, they never were able to find the one mature, old bull they were looking for. He did come across two more kudu that were 60†+ and he was quite tempted to take a second.

Jane was able to finally connect on an impala (she had missed two earlier), and an exceptional 35†bull gemsbok with a very wide spread and sharp points.





Ed was able on his last day to take an impala, a second wart hog, and a massive Gold medal red Hartebeest. One heck of a way to end a two week hunt.





Conclusion: If you are looking for a challenging plains game hunt in South Africa I would highly suggest Rod Cockerill and Mukiwa Safaris. The only time you are in the car is heading out to hunt or coming back. I can guarantee this is not road hunt, as I walked well over 43 miles in 6 days of hunting.

The concession at Chinaka is large, 18,000 acres which means you will be hunting on only that concession. Accommodations at the camp are excellent, and Pete the lodge manager is outgoing, friendly and works to ensure your time in camp is enjoyable. Quality of the game seen was excellent. The concession has excellent wart hogs, kudu, hartebeest, gemsbok, nyala, and eland. The trackers know every inch of the farm, and are not afraid to spend the entire day walking.

Rod and his staff of PH’s handled all logistics from pick up, hunting, shopping, taxidermy, side trips, and return trip in a professional and efficient manner. While I hope to explore and hunt more of Africa, I am going to head back to Mukiwa next season to take another crack at the grey ghost of Africa.

Thanks for the great report! The pictures are excellent, especially the first leopard picture!

Congratulations! While the scenery and animals were beautiful, I really enjoyed seeing the huge smiles on all of your faces. That in itself is proof positive you had a Fantastic time.

Great report, thank for sharing the pictures.

L

Fantastic report, thanks a lot!

Great report on a hunt done the right way. Congratulations

Great report and excellent pictures. Thanks for sharing.

You clearly all had a great time. Excellent photos. Congratulations! Start planning on the big stuff for next year.

Nice Kieler,

I would kill to shoot a warthog like that!

cool

They have some incredible hogs there. The soft sand allows the tusks not to get torn up that bad. I missed a monster hog and saw another that would have gone 12-13".

I am thinking another plains game hunt to SA and then a buff hunt in either Zim or Mozambique, then I would love to check out Namibia.

What caliber was the T/C Encore your friend Ed was shooting? I'm planning on using mine, which is chambered for 300 Win Mag in 2007. I have pretty much given up shooting the bolts, pumps, and levers. Seems that the single shots force you to take your time and place your shots much better.

Devildawg- He was using a 375 JDJ for the TC and it was a sledgehammer. Your 300 win mag will be more then ample to handle anything plains game wise.

Great report on a great and challanging hunt. Nothing beats walking for your trophies.

JPK

Nice trophies!
The two nyala are particularly impressive.

I am glad to hear the PH had the integrity not to make you pay for mistake made on the waterbuck.

Anything in particular you will be pursuing next time?

HUTTY,

You know what I think of Rod and Mukiwa Safari's - Top Notch. Great report and great pictures. I am probably at least another two years before heading back.

Fred

Thanks for taking the trouble to provide the miles walked. It is sometimes discouraging to see so many disparaging remarks about hunting in South Africa as something people do out of trucks. Bravo.

Boghossian- Yes the two Nyala were extremely impressive. I was very fortunate that mine was almost 30 inches and was quite an old bull with the scars to match.


Fred- Not sure if I could wait another two years to get back over. Going to see if I can slide back over next summer. Have to see what the wife says.

Thanks to all for the positive comments.

Hutty,
I am glad that you had an excellent hunting trip in South Africa and that you took a few great species for trophies. There are just a few points that I need to ask about and clear some things up a bit. You write "I waited about 1 minute for the PH to give me the green light that he was a mature bull. Once he did I took the shot, and nailed it. The bull went 30 yds after being shot through the heart and lungs. Once the PH got up to the bull I could sense something was wrong. It wound up being a young, immature bull, something we were not after. I was not upset. It was a great stalk, and tough well made shot, on a set of homemade sticks. The PH was not happy with his call on the animal. Upon getting back to camp I was informed that it was a wrong call by the PH, and they are paid for their judgment, and since it was not a mature bull I would not be asked to pay for it. I did not ask for a pass or freebie, or protest. I thought this speaks volumes about the PH and outfitter."
I am glad that your PH said that he will pay for the animal because he made a wrong call BUT, did your outfitter not inform you, or gave you a document that said that even if the PH make a call to go, the ULTIMATE CALL still lie with you, the Hunter. You are after all the one who make the shot and it is your duty, as a hunter, to make sure that the animal you are about to shoot, is actually what you as the hunter want and if it is not to inform your PH accordingly.
I think it was unfair that the PH had to carry the blame for everything and that you, the hunter walk away without any blame, that after you have posed for pictures of an excellent sample and representative of that species. If I was the Hunter and I was so disgusted because the animal was too small, I would not pose for a picture with it. In my opinion, if it was me, the least you could have done was to offer to pay for your shot (which was also a mistake in my opinion)
Another thing, you had such a good time (by your own words) and you do not even know your PH’s name. How would you feel, if I do not acknowledge you, if the shoe were on the other foot. We are all human and we all like to be praised when we are successful (and you were successful if you read this article). Please let me have the PH's name if you do not mind because I think I will make use of him for a hunting trip.
Thanks for the opportunity to add my penny’s worth?

Big Hunter-

Took the time to read your comments, and I appreciate them. My PH was Xander Grobler. I listed all of the PH's at the beginning of the hunt report, I used PH's throughout the report for space and time.

As for the waterbuck, I did offer to pay for the entire animal. As far as the ultimte responsibility about making the call, I believe that the hunter is suppose to make the shot and work in concert with the PH. We were after a mature waterbuck. While I have hunted Africa 2 other times I am by no means an expert on judging trophies. During the time we were on the waterbuck we did not take the shot because Xander wanted to make sure it was a mature animal, not one of the young bulls on the farm.

My focus was on the vitals and making a clean shot, I was not looking at the horns, that is what the Professional Hunters are hired to do, to inform the client if the animal is what the client is looking for.

As for posing for a picture with the animal, as I stated is was an awesome stalk, a tough shot made and well placed, on a homemade set of sticks. I was proud of the entire hunt and thought it would be disservice to the animal becuase his horns did not measure up. I am not a hunter that is concerned with horn. I am enjoy taking an older mature animal, which this one was not.

Cheers

Hutty,

Point taken on the names of the PH’s, I just wanted to know who your personal PH was.

Point taken on the payment, it was not clear in the report but now it is,

however,

the PH are there to assist you in finding the animals for you and to make sure you do not get hurt by dangerous and wounded animals (because you were only there twice before), that I think is his main role.
I still feel that it’s the HUNTERS duty to make the call if the animal is the correct one, the correct size and the correct trophy to his taste and, not that of the PH’s.
If it is the PH’s call then you might as well call you a shooter instead of a HUNTER and we all want to be called HUNTERS.
Why I am pointing this out is that anyone can shoot but not anyone can HUNT and I think you are a Hunter and not a shooter, so therefore take the responsibilities of the Hunter. Kill the animal as HUMANE and QUICKLY as possible and make sure that what you shoot at is what YOU WANT, and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.( I feel really strong about this point).

Bighunter,
I see that you are a new poster to AR - welcome. I see also that you are from RSA - always glad to have input from people that have first hand, on the ground insight.

Your comments on "hunter responsibility" are interesting. I have had the privilege of hunting in your country as well as Zim with PH's. I found the PH's in both places to be very good and excellent judges of trophy quality. Part of the PH's job is to advise the hunter on the issue of trophy quality as the hunter is usually not the best judge due to lack of exposure to the various game animals.

I am an experienced hunter in the US, but am not an experienced judge of size in all animals. On my hunts, I relied on the PH to tell me what he thought about a particular animal. We had discussed trophy quality and expectations beforehand. I told my PH's that I would shoot on their recommendation - and I did.

I respectfully disagree with your statement that - "I still feel that it’s the HUNTERS duty to make the call if the animal is the correct one, the correct size and the correct trophy to his taste and, not that of the PH’s."

As a hunter, not a shooter, I rely on the PH's expertise to guide my decision. The PH is a key part of the hunting experience and his advice is much needed and used.

Dogcat,
Thanks for your input; it is good to see various points of view.
I agree with you that the PH’s are very good and excellent judges of trophy quality and they do not mind giving their experience to you as the hunter, and they will try and help you, but we are all human, we can all make mistakes sometimes (should the PH then be punished for his call), and as Hutty will tell you (and you can read it in his article “After about 40 minutes of stalking Freddy pointed to a bull that was in a thick tangle of Acacia. I got the rifle on the homemade sticks and picked out a small triangle of about 3 inches in the bushâ€) the bush is very dense this year. (So why did he take the shot)
Now if you as the hunter are not prepared to make a decision in these circumstances, why do you expect it from the PH? But some of the PH’s will make the call for you, the hunter, but then you will have to live with the consequences.
I made a call on a Kudu once for a Hunter, and I was short by a quarter of an inch (once in a twenty year hunting career), why should I pay for this because the Hunter was too afraid to make the call? It was still an excellent trophy and a very excellent representative of the Kudu species (Something that I will put on my wall anytime and I have an excellent story on how we actually stalked it and then eventually hunt it down).
But then after all of this, it’s just my opinion and I as a fellow hunter myself, will never place this burden on the PH.
Hope that all of you guys have a very good hunting trip wherever you might go.

Hutty,

Nice repot and trophes.
Thanks for sharing.


Hamdeni

Oh, Just an quick reply to Wink's statement "It is sometimes discouraging to see so many disparaging remarks about hunting in South Africa as something people do out of trucks."
Yes I have seen hunting trips where people hunt from trucks, but I can assure you that you will be unable to walk that terrain. One such an area is the desert, also known as the “sandveldâ€. Here a hunter of average build will walk in loose sand (and most of the time there is little or NO vegetation)up to his knees and I can tell you, that there is no way that you as a human, will keep up to the animals (Gemsbuck or also known as Oryx and Springbuck). Even the real Bushman find it hard.
There is also savanna areas that is so vast that you will have to shoot at 300 meters plus, and unfortunately we get a lot of Hunters that are not willing to take such a long shot.
Given this information, you must ask yourself now, do I as an Outfitter or PH, let the overseas Hunter (they paid a lot for their hunting trip) go home empty handed or do we try and let them still experience their hunt? And , if you, the hunter feel that you want to walk these conditions, then by all means say so, and we will let you walk and try and hunt in these situations or areas.
But the ultimate hunt is the one that Hutty described and I agree that you should hunt like this if it is the correct area.

Fantastic report & pictures.

I love the idea of adding a wingshooting day to the hunt.

Thanks for sharing them here.

Congrats on a great hunt