Outfitter: Kanana Safaris – Kalahari Desert - Ghanzi, Botswana (www.kanana.info)
PH: Jason Bridger (Jason@kanana.info)
Logistics: Claire Bridger (Claire@kanana.info)
Trackers: Happy & Morlen
Driver: Will Armitage (British college student doing his internship at Kanana)

Hunt Dates: September 13 – 23, 2012, 11 hunting days.

Hunters: Justin Lewis (crossbow, rifle), Jef Hoggan (rifle), Erick Glass (bow) and Cody Stokes (bow, rifle)

Travel Arrangements: Gracy Travel - Shawn Kennedy (www.gracytravel.com)

Rifles: Christensen Arms Remington 300 Ultra Mag, Leopold 4.5 x 14 x 40
H S Precision 375 H&H, Swarovski Z3 4 x 12 x 50

Crossbow: Horton Fury
Shwacker Broadhead

Ammunition: 300RUM, Nosler Custom Trophy 180 Grain Accubond
375H&H, Federal Premium 300 Grain Barnes TSX

Animals seen: Greater Kudu, Cape Eland, Steenbok, Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Burchell’s Zebra, Ostrich, Gemsbok, Waterbuck, Impala, Warthog, Giraffe, Black Back Jackal, Kalahari Springbuck, Black Mamba Snake, and Brown Bush Duiker.

Animals taken: Greater Kudu (3), Cape Eland, Steenbok, Blue Wildebeest (2), Red Hartebeest (2), Burchell’s Zebra (2), Ostrich, Gemsbok (3), Waterbuck, Impala (3), Warthog, Giraffe, and Black Back Jackal (2).

I could have taken both a trophy Black Wildebeest and a Kalahari Springbuck but chose not to.

Videographer: Fluid Peak Films, David Page (www.fluidpeakfilms.com)
Gettin Stoked Outdoors, Cody Stokes (www.gettinstokedoutdoors.com)

This safari was totally unplanned and by some fortunate circumstances all came together in about a six week period of time. Jason went well above and beyond what he needed to do to make this safari a reality. Kanana has not been commercially hunted since 2005 as there was significant eco-tourism during that period of time. Jason and Claire were hired to oversee the hunting and logistics of the camp and in a short amount of time this year have made it a premier destination for plains game. It is unbelievable currently but they are not done and making significant improvements to the already very cozy accommodations, skinning shed facility, waterhole blinds and many other hunting related areas. In short, it is totally amazing and will only get better with time.

I did get an English lesson while I was there on pronunciation:

Gemsbok is actually pronounced correctly as “hemsbuck”.

Wildebeest means wild cow and should be pronounced as vildebees. The “W” sounds like a “V” and remove the “T” in the pronunciation.

The local currency is the Pula and the conversion rate is about 7 to 8 for $1.00 American dollar.



(Left) Jason, (Center) Happy, (Right) Morlen

Accommodations:

The camp and tents were much better than expected. There is a big main kitchen area where meals are prepared and a place to charge cell phones, iPads, etc.

There is a big main lodge area that has a very nice thatched roof and a dining room table and sitting area. It also has a bar area. There is a pan right behind this area and we would always see warthogs or some type of other species coming in to drink.



There is a big rock circular enclosure that has a big fire pit in the middle, chairs to lounge in down the one side and tables and chairs for dinner down the other side. In the evening when we would come back we could chat with the others to see how their day was and then have dinner.





There are four big tents that each contain two beds and a full bathroom; sink, flush toilet and shower. They have heated water for each shower and it was very nice after a long day in the dust.



Interesting to listen at night as there was almost always some type of animal roaming and feeding around the tents after dark.

The safari started on Monday, September 10th as we departed from home in Richmond, Utah to Salt Lake City. The first leg of the trip was the flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta. A three hour layover and then 16 ½ hours from Atlanta directly to Johannesburg. We had a 10 hour layover there and elected to stay at the City Lodge. The following morning we took the 1 hour 40 minute flight from Johannesburg to Maun, Botswana. Jason and Will Armitage met us at the airport and then there was a 3 ½ hour drive from Maun to camp via Ghanzi. We finally arrived at camp on Wednesday afternoon; Botswana time. What a long and draining trip but we arrived and thankfully this year we had our duffel bags and rifles. Last year in RSA we did not get our belongings until hunting day 8 of 10.

A couple of items of note: We flew Delta from Salt Lake City to Johannesburg and Air Botswana from Johannesburg to Maun. I was surprised when checking in at the airport to learn that Delta only allowed for one bag free of charge, the second bag was $75 and the third bag was $200. I was also unaware of the significant cost of paying a duty at the Maun airport for the ammunition to be allowed into the country. It was a couple of hundred dollars for both mine and Jef’s ammunition. Hunters are only allowed to transport 11 pounds of ammunition and the weight includes the case the ammo is travelling in as well.

Chris, Jef’s PH, also informed me that a resident of Botswana can only have three rifles in their possession and no more than 100 rounds of ammunition. They are allowed to purchase only 100 rounds of ammunition each calendar year for each rifle as well. The taxes and fees to purchase a rifle in Botswana are in the thousands of dollars.

Hunting Day 1, Thursday, September 13th

Back to the Dark Continent and that in itself just brings a smile to the face. Through the course of the day we would see every species that Kanana has to offer except for Red Hartebeest. There are many different water holes located throughout Kanana and we would park at a distance and then sneak in to see what was on the water as it was very dry and hot. We saw a lot of Blue Wildebeest and Oryx, some Kudu and a few of everything else. I was pleasantly surprised to see a significant amount of Giraffes. We did see one old stink bull that was very dark in color but Jason said he was still a few years away from being old enough to take so the only thing I did was snap some pictures.



We were headed down the road in the early afternoon and spotted a herd of Zebra and the stalk was on. In hindsight this would be the first of many times where we would start out in pursuit of Zebra and end up bumping into something else that was bigger and better and end up taking it. The herds of Zebra ended up leading to the demise of several other trophies over the course of eleven days. We were on foot and in pursuit when we spotted two Kudu bulls to the right of the zebra. Immediately I could tell the one bull had the most mass I had ever seen on a Kudu. Jason said he was dang big and the stalk was on. They did not know we were there and they kept feeding to the right away from us at a very brisk pace. Eventually, we closed the distance and I got on the sticks as the big bull faced from left to right. He finally realized we were there about the time I pulled the trigger. He immediately whirled and took off running to our right. This is the part that I hate the most. The time right after the shot when they don’t go immediately down. In Africa, it is very rare they drop on sight from what I have seen and been involved in. We ran up to the area and could not see him so Happy and Morlen found the tracks and the stalk was on. We found a significant amount of blood but he was gone. Finally after ten minutes or so we found him. What a relief! An ancient old bull with about 2” of ivory and very worn. It looked like he had tree trunks growing out of his head. His mass was every bit as impressive even when we could inspect it up close. The bull ended up taping at 11 ¾” bases. The most mass of any kudu I have seen and he was by far the most massive of all the Kudu taken by anyone during the safari. I had previously taken two Eastern Cape Kudu and the greater Kudu is significantly bigger in horn size and body size. I would compare them in body size to our elk.

I was originally not pleased with my shot when I saw the entrance wound being further back than I expected but the exit wound was perfect. He was on a greater angle than I had anticipated and the shot had ended up being perfect even though he ran for a considerable distance.

Happy retrieved the Toyota Landcruiser and I got to see the winch in action as they backed up and loaded him with the help of the winch. Off to the skinning shed.





I have to comment on the skinning shed setup. It is extremely nice. They have a full size walk in cooler. They have a big area for the skinning and Stone was to oversee the skinning for the four hunters for the week. They were in tune the entire time and had stuff processed immediately and with great care. The current skinning shed is at least a 15 minute drive from the main camp and Jason is having a new one built a short walk from the main camp. It is almost complete and will be very nice and has a huge area that can easily accommodate a giraffe sized hide with no problem.

Right after the animals’ heads are skinned they go into a barrel to be boiled. We could see the clean skulls within 24 to 48.

All of the meat is utilized at camp or sold to a local restaurant in Ghanzi.

The weather is quite a bit above average for this time of year and nothing ever seemed to be moving between 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. each day. We decided after going to the skinning shed we would go back to camp and have lunch since it was in the hottest, slowest time of the day.

After a short break we were back in pursuit of Zebra and had several chances at mares but I told Jason my preference was a battle scarred stallion. We saw several but just never got the right opportunity during the day. We saw some Eland, Black Wildebeest and Waterbuck to end the day. Fantastic start to the safari.

Jef shot a Blue Wildebeest and a Zebra and saw nine Cheetahs but unfortunately left his camera in camp by mistake.

Erick shot a Warthog with his bow but it was not recovered.

Cody shot a 23” Impala and a very nice Black Wildebeest bull with his bow.

Great Impala!

Now you have a real kudu -- jealous.

Congrats to all of you on a great hunt. Can't wait for more pics to look at. Talked with David last night, and sounded like you all had a ton of fun.

Job well done. Like the pics.


Mike

David is top notch in every way. I am very thankful we were able to work it out where he could go with us. He is an amazing photographer and I learned a lot from him in regards to filming and taking photos.

We had a lot of laughs and a great trip.

Could not have had a better group of guys to be with. Tremendous group that made the safari that much better.

Awesome kudu. Reminds me a lot of the 55" bull I shot in Namibia this year;

Hunting Day 2, Friday, September 14th

Once again we started out in pursuit of Zebra. For those that have made comments about shooting a Zebra is like shooting a horse; they have obviously never pursued this extremely wary quarry. They are not an easy animal to hunt and they are always on the alert and in a herd. I have never seen an animal more cautious around water and coming into water.

We found a herd of Zebra and the pursuit was on. After pursuing over the brow of a small hill we located a very large group of Eland bulls and two very large shooter bulls were spotted; they were both too big to pass up. The Zebra would have to wait; we were now pursuing Eland. I had not taken an Eland in RSA and this very large sized animal was very high on my list. I tell people that they remind me of a Brahma bull with horns.

They were looking and grazing in all directions and one of the very large bulls was looking in our direction. After a cat and mouse game of trying to get closer without blowing them out of the country we were finally able to cut the distance to just over 200 yards after about an hour. The bull we were after was looking what seemed right at us and his body was facing us head on. Jason asked me what I thought and how confident I would be with that shot. I told him that I could make the shot. The sticks came up and now it was my time to shine; I hoped.

I centered the 200 yard cross hair in the center of his chest and settled in for the shot. The shot felt good, sounded good and in the blink of an eye the bull whirled and was gone and running with the rest of the herd to the right. Once again, the uncertainty of how hard was he hit? Was it lethal? And all the other emotions that go into the second’s right after the shot.

We immediately found blood and lots of it. The stalk was on but I was still extremely nervous. After a couple of hundred yards we found him. I was in awe of the size of the horns and the sheer size of the bull. He was huge, old and perfect. He had it all; length, mass and big distinct ridges on his horns. He was everything you could ask for in a Cape Eland anywhere and immediately I knew that I would have a hard time getting a bigger one ever again. What a trophy!





Thank heavens for the Landcruiser; what a machine. I was shocked to learn that the average cost of a Landcruiser set up for safari hunting is $80,000 to $90,000. They are worth their weight in gold. What a truck; they will go anywhere and over anything.



For the afternoon/evening hunt we headed to an elevated rifle blind known as the Hippo Pool. I had never hunted with a rifle from a blind; something new and exciting for sure. We had some Oryx and Waterbuck come in and could make out the legs of some approaching Zebras. As they approached we heard the Zebras sound off, a very distinct noise that does not sound like a horse, and in a cloud of dust and hooves they were gone. There was not one thing that approached the water the rest of the evening; not sure how to explain it or why but it was weird that nothing else came in.

Cody shot a Warthog and was asked to put a very sick Oryx out of its misery; both taken with his bow.





Erick shot a warthog with his bow.



Jef shot a very old and worn down Eland bull and a very large Oryx bull.

Incredible trophies!!
Congratulations

Hunting Day 3, Saturday, September 15th

We started off the day in pursuit of Kudu. It did not take long and we located a very wide bull that we guessed was around 54”. Jason asked my thoughts and I told him that I really liked the width and would like to pursue him. The stalk was on in some of the thickest country I have seen yet. We eventually cut the distance to a couple of hundred yards and I got on the sticks. I knew it was thick, very thick and that should have told me something. I kept following him in the scope and thought I could thread the needle through all this black thorn; not a good idea in hindsight. On the shot the bull was off like a shot, full run and no looking back. Jason and the trackers both said they heard the ricochet. I had heard it as well and was shaking my head in disgust. The trackers, who are so amazing, found the track and we pursued him for a few hundred yards and as expected there was not any blood. Jason thought they would be headed for water as it was extremely warm and had never cooled off from the previous day. Jason asked my thoughts and I told him that sitting on water while it was so hot was fine with me.

There was not any action for about an hour and then all at once it got busy; really busy. There were six different species at the waterhole all at once. There were Warthogs, Impala, a Black Wildebeest bull with very large bosses, Waterbuck cows, Oryx and some Kudu cows. I talked to Jason about the Black Wildebeest bull and we decided he was a very worthwhile trophy and we should take him. I took a few pics and was waiting for him to clear some of the other species when out of nowhere came a herd of Zebra in a hurry.



There were ten total and one stallion. It was neat to watch them all line up in the water side by side. I took some pictures and waited for the stallion to leave the water and to clear all the other animals at 54 yards and on the shot all heck broke loose, there were animals running in all directions. Jason said the shot was perfect and he could see the blood pumping as the stallion raced to catch up with the herd. We stayed in the blind for a few minutes and could hear the other Zebra calling for their leader. I knew that was a good sound.



The Stallion that I shoot is the Zebra with his head up in the water with his nose to the farthest right. He was out of the water and separated from the herd when I took the shot.



We were in pursuit and there was a very large path of blood to follow. He had gone less than a hundred yards before expiring.





The bullet made a complete pass through. At 54 yards the shot better have been perfect or I would have been extremely disappointed in myself. We took some pictures and Happy and Morlen loaded the stallion and Jason thought it would be a good idea to sit a while more in the blind as it was still relatively early in the day.

As a side note, Morlen is 42 and Happy’s age is unknown. Very few people in this area know their birthdate or year. It is just not an important thing. Will was 21 and would turn 22 in a day or two; his nickname is Trudy and I still never got to the bottom of where this came from.

Back to the blind and the waiting game. It was not thirty minutes and I noticed a Warthog boar coming into drink from the right at 24 yards. I thought he was big enough but wanted Jason sized him up and he finally gave me the thumbs up. I pulled the trigger and on the shot the boar was off like a shot and I could see blood pumping from the exit wound. Jason watched him from the back of the blind and he collapsed less than a hundred yards from the waterhole. We decided to leave him and see if anything else came in. It proved to be a wise decision.





It was not long and an Impala ram came working his way in from the right. Jason carefully evaluated him from every angle and told me that we should take him. I got in position and waited for him to turn and leave the water. Eventually at just under 50 yards he turned quartering away and I touched the trigger for the third time that day. The ram took off and it got really quiet in a hurry. We had done enough damage in this area for the day and it was time to go and look for the downed animals. We knew the Warthog was down so we went to check on the Impala. There was not a drop of blood anywhere; I was shocked. In less than a hundred yards we found the downed ram. The shot was perfect and there was a pencil sized entrance hole and exit hole and not one drop of blood anywhere. I thought that was very interesting.







The Impala ram came into the water and then exited up behind the area in the picture and I was able to take him.

I should have had the crossbow today but had no idea we would be headed to a blind and neither did Jason. It just worked out that way.

We went and found the Warthog and eventually got both trophies together for a photo session. I was surprised at the size of the Warthog body; it was significantly smaller in size than my RSA boar but I was also told that boar had an exceptionally large body. About the same size tusks but a big difference in body size. The body size does not matter but I thought it was interesting to compare the two.

We dropped the animals at the skinning shed and eventually ended up pursuing a Waterbuck bull but the wrong one presented himself for the shot and they were gone.

We drove a lot of miles in a new area for several hours and did not see much of anything. About thirty minutes before dark we spotted a lone Kudu bull. He was very wide and long. Jason told me he was in well into the 50’s and asked my thoughts. I really liked him where he was wide and long. Jason asked me if I could make the shot where he was about 200 yards away and looking at us head on. I felt confident in the shot and got on the sticks. I centered the crosshair and touched the trigger for the fourth time that day. The bull took off to his right on the shot and I thought I could see him collapse behind some brush but it was dark enough it was hard to tell. The pursuit was on and we found him where I thought I saw him go down. Big beautiful old bull. The perfect way to end an unbelievable day. The guys were patient with me and we took some pictures in the dark; the pictures mean everything to me and Jason and his crew were great to help prepare the area and arrange the animals for the trophy shots.





Just a few more random thoughts. Jason told me that the wage for an uneducated farm worker was $60 per month but if the employer supplied room and board as well as meat the wage was then $30 per month.

I was shocked to see so many people with cell phones; everyone had a cell phone. I learned that they do not have monthly plans like most of us in the states but do the prepay program. Vodacom is the big service provider in Africa and it appears to me that they offer a great service. We are out in the middle of nowhere with great coverage but at home in a certain areas we have no coverage. Go figure.

Erick was one again in the bow blind and shot an Impala that was not recovered but he did shot a 43” Oryx cow.



Cody shot a Blue Wildebeest with his bow.



Jef had a day that dreams are made of. He shot a 54” and 57” Kudu, Springbuck, Impala and Zebra.

Thanks for the entertainment this morning.
Again, you are in the process of writing a very good report.

Congartulations! Kanana is just an amazing place for hunting The trophies are many and good. Keep it copming

***Having some picture difficulties with Day 4 so I will post later***


Hunting Day 5, Monday, September 17th

We decided to change things up for the day and Cody came with me and Jason for the day as he wanted a change of scenery from sitting in the blind for the first four days. We immediately found a group of Blue Wildebeest and the stalk was on. Cody gave me the rifle as he knew that I wanted a really good blue bull and he had already taken one a couple of days earlier. We never did locate them but decided to continue down through this area and have Will pick us up on the road below which was a few miles away. Pretty soon we located a couple of Oryx and one had what I would call a skewed horn. The horn was long and straight but bent backwards towards the body a little bit. Cody was kind enough to give me the rifle and I gave him the camera back and the stalk was on. I finally got on the sticks and took the shot. I thought it was a big Oryx but not nearly as big as what I found when we walked up on her. The Oryx cow was huge! We pulled out the tape and she was over 44 1/2” in length. Unreal! The biggest Oryx taken this year at Kanana. The Oryx population at Kanana is unreal. They are everywhere and the goal is to not shoot any bull under 38” and any cow under 40”.





Cody really wanted to get a Zebra and Jason thought the Hippo Pool was as good a bet as any. We got situated and for the first couple of hours it was very quiet. Then in came a herd of Eland cows and their babies, a lone Blue Wildebeest bull and a Kudu cow and her baby. Pretty soon in came a herd of Zebra with one stallion and then a group of Zebra stallions. We filmed them and took a few pictures while Jason and Cody discussed which one to take. The big stallion of the group finally cleared from the group and Cody touched the trigger. All heck broke loose and animals were running everywhere. We were in pursuit of the Zebra and he had gone a lot further than any of us expected but we eventually located him and Cody had his first Zebra. Cody was beaming from ear to ear. We stopped at the camp to get more video camera batteries and were back on the go.

We were headed to look for Kudu when a herd of Waterbuck bulls was spotted. The stalk was on. Cody had the rifle and I could see the bulls at less than a hundred yards and they had no idea we were there. Jason told Cody which one to take and Cody was on the sticks and on the shot the bull collapsed. The bulls were running in all directions and the other big bull showed himself for a second but I was not able to get him. I am sure it is the same group of seven Waterbuck bulls we had seen the previous day but they had given us the slip.

On the way to the skinning shed when we came across two jackals and Cody was able to get both of them.

For the evening hunt we would be pursuing Kudu. Cody had perma-grin and the day was not over. Finally about 30 minutes before dark we located a very wide bull. Cody liked what he saw and the pursuit was on. We were able to close the distance and get two quick shots and the bull was on the run. We tracked him for quite a while and then finally Happy and Morlen spotted him in front of us. He was still going strong; not good as darkness approached. Cody, Morlen and Happy began what I would call the marathon run to catch up to him before complete darkness. They were on the run as fast as they could go and I could not keep up with them. Finally at the last possible second before complete dark they caught up with him and were able to put him down. He is a very pretty bull, wide and mid-50's long. What a day for Cody. I am thankful I was there to spend the time with him. It is something I will never forget and thankful to be part of.

Erick shot an Impala and a cull Kudu bull.





Jef shot a Black Wildebeest.

Cody had one of those amazing days, he shot a Zebra, Waterbuck, Kudu and (2) Jackals.

One day when we were out and about we came across this Ostrich on its nest just off the road. As we approached he finally got up and tried to get us to follow him and leave the nest.

I was excited to get a couple of pictures.

Good on you, Joe!

I hunted with Jason at Kanana the last 10 days in August. This was my 9th trip to Africa, which I put together at the last minute in the hope of simply having a relaxing safari to a country I had not visited. It turned out to be my best PG safari.

Kanana is a fantastic PG property for either the first timer or an experienced PG enthusiast. The accommodations, food, equipment and infrastructure are all very good. A client will see game literally every few minutes and have the opportunity to develop and improve his bush craft. Jason, Happy and Mullen are a skilled team and great guys to hunt with. Jason is extremely knowledgable about the local wildlife and flora. Claire does a great job with the logistics.

I am not in the business and have no $$ interest in Kanana, yet I cannot recommend them enough. I encourage anyone interested in a PG hunt to contact them. They will be at Dallas and Reno. Look them up!

I am sorry, Little Joe, that I did not warn you about the duty charged for ammo upon arrival at the airport when we traded emails. But, here's a clue to others. The duty you pay is based upon the dollar value YOU declare on your ammo. When I got the question from the customs officer, who obviously didn't have a clue, I declared my 60 rounds of rifle ammo to be worth $50USD. After some calculations, I was charged the Bots equivalent of $20USD.

Congratulations Joe!

Hunting Day 4, Sunday, September 16th

When Jef and his crew were headed back to camp the previous evening they had spotted one of the big black Giraffe bulls we were after but it was so late in the day that they had to let him walk. Jason informed me that we would pursue him first thing in the morning. It did not take long and we were able to locate him about a mile from where Jef and Chris had seen him the previous evening. The stalk was on. Eventually we noticed there were four total Giraffe and it did not take long for them to see us and they were gone. They are big and run in a very awkward motion but they ran several miles before stopping. We finally relocated them and the stalk was on again when Jason got a call that Jef had just shot a big Giraffe bull and that was our sign that we were done hunting Giraffe for the day. It is hard enough having one to deal with but having two Giraffe bulls down would not be a good situation. We backed out and found out the location of where Jef was and went and saw the downed bull and joined in the picture session. I have never seen anything that big on the ground and it was huge.

We continued on looking for whatever we might found and did not see anything for about an hour and a half when a herd of Red Hartebeest was located and the stalk was on. We closed to within a couple of hundred yards and I was on the sticks. The bull finally presented himself and was facing to the left on the shot the bull was off and running to our right. We started to pursue and he was still up and going strong so I shot a couple of more times and you could tell he was hit again but he just kept going. Finally, I was able to get one more in him that anchored him. His stamina was unreal and he was like the energizer bunny and just kept going and going. He is an old bull. Slightly broken off on the one horn but lots of mass and length and an excellent bull for my first Red Hartebeest.





We were on the move again and headed to the Waterbuck blind to see what was out and about when we came across a Waterbuck bull and some cows. The stalk was on and they saw us and were gone, a herd of Impala noticed us as well and blew out of the area. Then out of nowhere an old Blue Wildebeest bull came out and Jason asked me to take him. He was at about 150 yards and going from right to left. On the shot, he was gone. The pursuit was on and we found him within about 100 yards. He is an old bull that had been kicked out of the herd. He is old with average sized horns and Jason informed me that he would be considered a cull bull and he was thankful that I had taken him out. He wanted him out of the gene pool as his horn growth for an old bull was not great. We took some pictures and headed to the skinning shed.


We were making our way back to the skinning shed when we came across four Kudu bulls. Immediately, I noticed one that was very narrow but had the best and biggest curl I had seen yet. Jason evaluated each one of them and said we should take the big curl bull as he was exceptional. After a short stalk we closed to within 50 yards and on the shot they all took off running to our left. I felt good about the shot but they were running and running. After a few hundred yards we found him. He is extremely narrow but amazing and big. Really long from what I have seen. He has some very nice ivory on both sides but we guessed he was broken off by at least two to three inches. We put the tape to him and he was 57 ½”. What a bull. If a significant portion had not broken off of both tips he was a legitimate 60” bull. They don’t get any better than that in my book. It had been an amazing few hours and we for sure had to just keep our eyes closed now as we headed to the skinning shed; the truck was more than full now.





For the late afternoon/evening hunt I decided I wanted to get out the Horton crossbow and head to a waterhole. We headed to waterhole #1 where Cody had shot his Impala and Black Wildebeest. We got situated in the blind and the first hour was quite slow. Then a Black Back Jackal sneakily made his way into the waterhole. He was at 24 yards and there were no other animals in sight so I decided to give it a try. I got ready and released the safety. I pulled the trigger on the Horton Fury and the bolt hit the jackal just perfect and he did not flinch or move a muscle. We decided to let him lay and see what else might come in. It was getting to prime time as the day drew to an end. We had several Eland come in and one old bull that had a big growth on the right side of his belly where we were assuming he had been gouged by another bull. In hindsight, I should have shot him but just kept waiting for something bigger. Right at dark a lone Eland bull and two Blue Wildebeest bulls came in. I prepared for the shot on the Eland bull and was just getting situated and about to release the safety and within a couple of seconds of releasing the bolt from the crossbow when all their heads went up and they were gone. I then heard the faint noise of the truck coming to get us. I needed just a couple of more seconds but it had been an amazing day and did not matter. What a day!
The Jackal is about the size of a fox and has the coloring of a fox and a coyote with a black back in my opinion.

Cody shot a Black Back Jackal and an Eland with his bow.



Jef got his big dark stink bull. He was able to close the distance to within 70 yards and made the perfect shot. There were 28 people that helped to take care of the bull and they had it completely processed with three hours. What an amazing task considering the size of such a big trophy.

Hunting Day 6, Tuesday, September 18th

I had asked Jason if we could go to the south for the day to look for Red Hartebeest as they seemed to like that more open area better. The plan was to circle up and around the area that Cody had shot his Kudu as Morlen had spotted a very dark giraffe bull right before dusk when they were bringing in the Landcruiser to get Cody’s Kudu.

Not far from camp we spotted a lone Waterbuck bull in the black thorn with his head hidden. After carefully evaluating him, Jason said we needed to take him. I got ready in a hurry and pulled the trigger. The bull took off running to our right and collapsed less than a hundred yards from the shot. I was not sure what to expect but he was magnificent. A huge bull with sweeping horns. Everything that anyone could want in a Waterbuck bull. Upon closer inspection we realized that his right front hoof was broken and Jason told me this was the big bull that he had seen previously but they had never been able to take. I was very thankful for this opportunity. The Waterbuck is quite different than the other African species, it has hair that is like fur, and they are the only animal in that area with hair like it.





David was going with Jef for the day but Happy went back to the lodge and grabbed him to come and take some trophy photos as we brought the Waterbuck back to the pan behind camp for the photos. He would end up staying with us for the day and it would change our plan of attack. I really wanted David with us when we pursued a Giraffe and now he was with us for the day we would look for an old dark bull. We went in pursuit of the bull that Morlen spotted the previous evening and wanted to check him out as Jason had not seen the bull.

Finally we spotted the head of the big bull a couple of miles away. Upon closer inspection we discovered there were some cows in the area as well; we had hoped he was alone. I really wanted to do the brain/spine shot and knew that we needed to close within 100 yards for me to feel confident in the shot. We closed to within a mile or so in the truck and the stalk was on. Jason pulled out his 416 Rigby as backup as they are such a big powerful animal and with such a big animal we did not want to take any chances.

We were closing the distance when one of the cows a few hundred yards to our left did not like it anymore and took off on the run. We all looked at each other and figured the stalk was over and I got on the sticks at 200 yards as we were not sure what the rest of the group would do. I told Jason and David that I wanted to give the neck shot a chance as they were still quite settled and then from there I would go to the body; if needed.

On the first shot, there was not a reaction from the big bull. I would later discover I had missed the intended mark by about two inches. I put shots two, three and four into the body and the big bull took off running away from us and we were in pursuit. I was so focused on the bull that I have no idea where the cows went. I put in the second clip on the run which contained three more. They can cover so much more ground when running than we could running that we knew he was hit hard as he finally slowed. We closed to within 200 yards or so and I put a couple more into the body. He just kept on going on the run straight away from us. The shots sounded good and I knew that I was hitting him but he just kept on lumbering away from us. We again closed to within a couple hundred yards and I put a couple more into the body. Jason handed me his 416 and told me to put a couple of the bigger bullets into him. It has open sights but I did not care or was worried at this point, we needed to seal the deal and quickly. We again closed the gap as he was now slowing down but still going. I shot a couple more from Jason’s gun and he still kept on going. We reloaded were in pursuit again. Once again within a couple hundred yards and back on the sticks. A couple more shots to the body and he was still moving. Unreal! There was not a question that he was being hit each time and it was easily noticeable in his body language but he just kept on going. Now I was sweating bullets as he was still going. We closed to within 150 yards this time and I got on the sticks again and just settled the open sights on him when he started to sway and his legs buckled. He was done and collapsed to the ground.

The bull is big, old and amazing; he was much bigger in body size than I had ever imagined. Jason said he was well beyond his breeding years and probably 25-30 years old. It was quite a bittersweet moment for me as I sat and reflected on the events of the morning and the life that this bull had led. I cannot imagine what he must have seen in his life's journey. I felt so thankful and fortunate to have taken such a trophy. I was short of words as I sat and admired such a magnificent animal.

It took the Landcruiser to pull the big bull up on his knees for the trophy pictures. The head itself weighs enough it took three people to lift it in the back of the truck. Jason made the call and within an hour over 20 people arrived to help process the big bull. It was amazing to watch them work and get the job done but not be in the way of the guy standing next to them. It took about three hours to process the big bull and when the hide was finally off it took all of them to lift the gigantic hide into the back of the truck. I was shocked to see the size and weight of the hide. Jason stated it would take around 1,000 lbs. of salt to dry the hide out correctly. That is a staggering statistic in my mind. Upon close inspection we did find eleven bullet holes. He has hit twice in the neck, within two inches of the drop dead zone, and nine more times in the body.

We figured that we covered approximately a mile from the time of the first shots until the point when he finally went down. What a tough old warrior. Every portion of him but the leg bones and spine will be turned into biltong or Africa jerky.





For the afternoon hunt we decided to take the crossbow and go to Blind #1. We saw a few dozen Eland and one bull that I wanted to shoot but Jason thought I should hold off to see if the herd of Red Hartebeest would come in as they frequented this waterhole. We finally had a few cows approach and could see the bull hold up behind us. He finally decided to come in and I prepared for the shot which would be around thirty yards and I just waited for him to stop; however, he just kept walking and I kept waiting and he walked right out of sight. We had a jackal come in and start drinking at about three yards and watched him for a while but I did not want to shoot him when we had so many other animals coming and going. There were several Blue Wildebeest coming and going and right at dark a very large old bull came in and I wanted to take him but Jason thought it was a bit too dark and I did not shoot. On the way back to camp we spotted a jackal and I was able to take him. He had the mange very bad like several of the others that we took.

Jef shot a very large Waterbuck.



Erick shot a Kudu with his bow.



Cody shot a Kudu, Oryx bull and Jackal with his bow.





Hard to believe but we were past the halfway point in the safari; it seemed like we had just arrived.

You folks were having a TIME for sure...

Here's a TROPHY SHOT that I couldn't help myself from enhancing for Cody...The original was just a super Primo shot but a little contrast and pop adds a bit to this already impressive shot...

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Tough giraffe!

Late-Bloomer, amazing what a little touch up did to that pic. I wish I knew how to do things like that. Very nice.

Hunting Day 7, Wednesday, September 19th

We headed to the south area today and it is known to the locals as “Under the Camel Thorn”. It was actually quite slow overall in number of animals seen but still a fantastic morning. We were lumbering down the road and laughing at and with Will when a Steenbok ram took off running to the right of us. I grabbed the gun and was trying to follow him in the scope through the tall grass and finally he stopped and I touched the trigger. Nobody else in the group had seen him while he was running and I was not sure if I had got him. We walked over to the area of the shot and there he was; such a small animal and such a great trophy. He was high on my list even though he is the smallest of all the available trophies at Kanana. The ram was an old warrior and all the hair was missing off of his neck. I love pursuing the animals that make up the Tiny 10 and hope to someday take them all.





As we continued on we noticed a group of vultures so we went to investigate. We found a Blue Wildebeest bull that had been dead for a couple of days. Not sure what had led to his demise but he was a large bull, great width, big bosses, length and he was part of the cycle of life at Kanana; something must die for others to survive.

We continued on and spotted a lone Red Hartebeest bull headed to a waterhole and Jason wanted to sit there and see if he would come in. There were not any chairs in the elevated blind so we were going to head to another blind to get some chairs and then come back. Of course we would continue glassing and looking as we moved along.

Not far down the road we spotted three Impala Rams and the chase was on as the one ram appeared to be over 24”. The stalk was on. I knew it was a big ram and was in too big of a hurry. The sticks went down but only two of the three legs hit the ground. As I got on the sticks they started to fall to the left and rather than take a second and stop everything and get set properly for some reason I stayed on and in what seemed like slow motion they were falling to the ground and I was falling with them as I pulled the trigger; this all happened in less than a second. I knew before I heard the shot that it was not good. I was shaking my head and kicking myself as we went to check for blood even though I was 100% sure I had missed and could not believe I did not take that extra second.

As we approached the spot of the shot out of nowhere a Red Hartebeest bull came running right past us; I knew the trackers and cameraman was behind me so I was clear; and I shouldered the rifle and in the blink of an eye I followed him free hand and touched the trigger. The bull instantly collapsed. I think we were all kind of in shock as to what had just happened. We walked over to the downed bull and he is huge. Very very massive and long. Dark hide and perfect in every way. He is the type of bull that will be hard to beat any place anywhere. The miss of an Impala had sent this Red Hartebeest to his death bed. Huge bull; I was very fortunate to take and he is an amazing trophy. They have a very long face and when mature their horns almost make a 90 degree turn towards their back.





As we headed back towards the skinning shed we spotted a big male Ostrich about a half mile ahead. I know an Ostrich, who would want to shoot an Ostrich?! Never in a million years did I think I would pursue one of these but after seeing watching them, seeing dozens of them over the course of the week and seeing how big and powerful their feet are the hunt was on. We stalked within a couple of hundred yards and got on the sticks again. On the shot this prehistoric bird was on the run. He was going as fast as an Ostrich could go and that is fast. They can cover the ground in a hurry. He eventually stopped and laid down. We snuck within range and put him down for good. What a huge bird with just a tiny head. Their feet could definitely kill a human or other animal with no problem. Their feathers are extremely soft and without question they have to have the largest chicken leg in the world. A unique trophy for sure and I am glad that I took one.





It was the hottest day yet, well over 100 degrees. For the afternoon, I wanted to give the crossbow a try again so we headed back to a blind for the evening hunt. On the way to the blind we bumped some Eland and Zebra but did not disturb them much and figured they would still come in when things settled down. It was not long and all of the Eland cows and calves came in but they did not drink they just wandered through; very weird.

It was not long and a very nice lone Waterbuck bull came in within bow range. I asked Jason how big he was and he stated he was not as big as the one that I had already shot but was a very nice bull. We were still discussing it when David mentioned that some Zebra were coming in. The stallion was in the lead and they headed right for the water. I ranged the stallion at 35.4 yards and set up for the shot. The conditions were perfect. I pushed the safety forward and settled the crosshair on the bottom third of the stallion’s right shoulder. On the shot, I remember saying “High, way high!” and they were gone in a cloud of dust and hooves. I could tell that the penetration was not good either. Ideally we would like to have waited an hour or two but darkness was closing in. We watched the video several times and the shot was not high but the stallion had dropped down on the noise of the crossbow and when he dropped it caused the shot to be high in the shoulder. Jason called in Happy and Morlen and the stalk was on as darkness approached. We found the remains of the bolt within 50 yards of the shot and there was quite a bit of blood. That was good but I was very worried that the shot was too high and did not do any damage as I wondered if the broad head made it through the shoulder blade. There was good blood for the first 150 yards and then a spot here and there. Happy and Morlen are amazing and followed the track at a brisk pace but the Zebra was on the move as well. We tracked him for several miles and finally well after dark we had to give up until morning. I was sick. There is not a worse feeling in the world than wounding an animal and not finding him. It was a sleepless night and I replayed it thousands of times but bottom line he ducked the string and I did not get the bolt where it should have been. I have got to find out if there is a way to make the crossbow quieter. It is way too noisy as it currently sits. I am not sure if the shot is lethal or not but based on the amount broken off of the bolt we suspect that the broad head did not make it through the shoulder and that he will have a limp but will live. We pursued him first thing the following morning.

Cody and Erick each shot a Warthog with their bows.



Jef shot a sick Kudu, sick Oryx and trophy Kudu.

Had some down time...Here's one with a bit more POP

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Very nice. Do you mind emailing me the touched up pics? I would love to switch them in my album.

Justin

LJ....just SAVE IMAGE from here....same-same

Hunting Day 8, Thursday, September 20th

We immediately went back to tracking the wounded Zebra and followed his track for what we estimated was eight to nine miles over the course of several hours. He had never laid down like we had hoped. He was not bleeding at all and we were all convinced that the shot was not lethal. I was still down mentally as things like this really bother me. We decided to take a break for about ten minutes and Happy and Morlen were still checking some tracks when Morlen came running back and said that Happy had seen some Zebra and we needed to get up there. We gathered our gear and the pursuit was on once again; it had to be him. It was not long and we got into position to see a lone Zebra about 200 yards away feeding. He was unaware of our presence and after some discussion with Jason we decided to take him. On the shot he took off to the left and then we realized there were three or four more in the herd. We all ran up to the area where the shot was and the stallion I had just shot was less than 100 yards away collapsed but we decided to follow up on the tracks of the others that had run away to make sure the wounded stallion was not with them. We followed the tracks for quite a while and determined he was not in the herd so we went back to the downed stallion. Big, old stallion. A great trophy. I wished it was the wounded stallion but I guess not getting or finding him was meant to be. We had tracked him well over 15 miles over two days and could never close in on him or the mare and foal that were with him. It was very bittersweet to take this trophy but know the other stallion was still out there.



For the afternoon we decided to go back to the area of the wounded Zebra and look for a big Blue Wildebeest bull as well. On the way we spotted a very big Impala ram and a couple of smaller ones. The stalk was on and we were able to close within a hundred yards and get on the sticks. On the shot he took off running to the left but only made it about 20 yards before collapsing. Another very large Impala ram and I am very thankful to have taken another very large trophy.



We were headed back to look for Zebras and Blue Wildebeest when we came upon on of Chris’s assistant trackers. Chris is Jef’s PH. They had spotted the wounded Zebra and the stalk was on again. It took a while but we were able to close within 300 to 400 yards but there were several Zebra in front of us. It was so thick that we could not clearly identify the wounded stallion and so we waited and darkness approached without ever being able to identify him. We were not even sure if he was even in this herd or if this was a different herd.

Jef saw a lot of animals but nothing he wanted to pursue.

Erick shot a Warthog with his bow.



Cody shot a Zebra with his bow and missed an Impala with his bow; his only miss of the entire safari.

Hunting Day 9, Friday, September 21st

I told Jason that I would not mind going back to the waterhole where we thought the wounded Zebra might water at and we knew there would be several other species that would come in as well. We saw some Impala, a Giraffe, a lone Blue Wildebeest bull about the size of the one I have already shot, a herd of Eland cows and calves, a long horned Gemsbok cow and then a herd of eight Waterbuck bulls. I sat in awe watching the group of Waterbuck bulls. What a sight to behold. We were enjoying watching them when two Oryx bulls came in as well.



I thought the one Gemsbok bull had very heavy and long horns but I am not the best judge of African species still. Jason sized them both up and after a few minutes of careful evaluation from all angles he said that I could take the heavier bull if I wanted since it met the criteria of what I hoped to take. I had told him all along that I did not want a bull under 38” since we had seen so many big Oryx during the safari and this bull would meet my criteria.

I waited for him to clear the other Oryx bull and when he finally turned broadside I put the crosshair in the bottom third of the right shoulder and pulled the trigger. He took off running straight away and collapsed not fifty yards from the shot. He is an old old bull, lots of mass and length. Everything that I could have hoped for in an Oryx bull.





For the evening hunt we decided to go look for a big Blue Wildebeest bull when we got a call that Patrick and Erick could use our assistance if we were in the area. We slowly made our way over to the area they were located and Erick had shot a very nice Zebra with his bow. For four days he had passed up multiple opportunities at different species just waiting for his chance at a Zebra. The long several day wait had paid off. The Zebra was at just over 45 yards and the shot from Erick's bow had been perfect. The recovery was less than 70 yards. We helped him with a picture session and then got the Zebra loaded and by the time we headed back to the skinning shed the night was over.

Cody shot two Warthogs with his bow within a span of ten minutes and just about had a triple header with a very large Blue Wildebeest bull when as darkness approached the Landcruiser was coming to get him and Will the same time the Blue Wildebeest bull was coming to the water and the herd of Wildebeest spooked.



Erick and Patrick.



Jef shot another huge Kudu; his biggest.



As a surprise, Claire had arranged for the local bushmen to come and perform one of their ceremonial dances. They performed what is called the “Trance Dance” and it went on for hours and was amazing to watch. The leader of the group has healing powers and offered what I would call a special healing prayer on everyone that was there. It was very interesting to watch as this ritual has been done for thousands of years and is done the same way now as back then.

I'm truly enjoying your safari and you're doing a fantastic job!

Had so more down time so here's another quickie...

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Thanks for the touch up work. All the modified ones look much better.

No problem LJ... been having some down time..so why not help a fellow hunter

LB: Thanks again. Are you using Photoshop or what program? Just curious.

Wow! The photoshop photos are fantastic!

Outstanding report, Justin...keep it coming.

Hunting Day 10, Saturday, September 22nd

Jef and Chris had spotted what they thought was a 60” Kudu bull the evening before but did not pursue as it was right before dark. I told Jason we needed to go and check it out. We worked our way to the south end of the property and eventually found three really big Kudu bulls together. We looked them all over and they were all trophies. They would all go 55” or better for sure and we knew one of them was over 58” but I was not 100% sure he was 60” and neither was Jason or David. I watched them feed from a distance for half an hour and something just told me to take some photos and let them walk. They were so peaceful and amazing to watch. I cannot believe that I let all of them walk away but was very comfortable with my decision. Back to the search for a big Blue Wildebeest.

We were looking for quite a while and not seeing anything when we came around a turn in the road and there was a Blue Wildebeest bull standing in the road 100 yards away facing away from us. The wind was blowing hard and he was not aware of our presence. I got ready and was on the sticks while Jason tried to evaluate him and then low and behold he laid down. Unreal, he just lays down facing away from us. I was shocked to say the least. There was one big thicket of black thorn between us and the bull and it blocked all of his vitals. I finally had enough after ten minutes and walked ten yards closer; still nothing. Then ten yards closer and he finally heard us and was on his feet. Once again, his vitals were blocked by the black thorn. Finally after another 10 minutes the bull had enough and took two steps to the left and I put the cross hair in the bottom third of the shoulder and pulled the trigger. I was shocked; he just collapsed. No running away, no nothing, just stone dead. When we walked up to him we were all in awe. He was amazingly huge. Wide, monster bosses and mass from the bottom to the top. He is the biggest Blue Wildebeest taken at Kanana in a very long time and I won’t ever be able to shoot a bigger one. He reminds me of a miniature Cape Buffalo. What a warrior, what a trophy, what a bull. We all were ecstatic and admired this old magnificent warrior. I was now convinced that not shooting the Kudu in the morning had paid off.

The pictures don't do him justice. He is significantly bigger than the others taken and is much larger than he appears in the pictures.





Jason got a call from Chris and they asked us to come and help them with a cow Oryx they had just shot. We knew something was up as they had the people to take care of her without problem. As we approached we could tell she was huge. The horns never quit; she ended up taping at just over 45 ½” and is the biggest Oryx ever taken at Kanana.



Cody shot another Warthog and a bull Oryx with his bow.



Erick shot a Blue Wildebeest with his bow.

quote:

Originally posted by LittleJoe:
LB: Thanks again. Are you using Photoshop or what program? Just curious.

Yes, I'm using PhotoShop CS4...But just about any digital enhancing software would do...just remember LESS is more and knowing your tools and learning when enough is enough...I still struggle with that often

If you'd like some help in understanding what techniques/tools I'm using...shoot me a PM I'll be more than happy to help you...Again, I got some down time before a new gig buckles loose!

The enhanced images I posted would be way better if I had the native img file, but the ones I posted would be good enough for web-viewing however not print.

I see the time and care you took in capturing the images and the investment of going on safari; I just thought I could lend a small hand in helping you get the most out of some of these Trophy Shots.

My advice is not to PUSH your shadows up too high so that you don't introduce MORE noise.,,The IMAGE already captured is what it is...so work with it and massage it gently

Again, PM me if you need some suggestions.

LB:

PM sent.

Thanks,

Justin

No problem buddy...
Here's another for ya and I can walk you through the steps/process/techniques...

I'm an extremist by nature but its best to approach digital enhancements with much subtlety
and finesse

Glad to help

PM coming back at ya!


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