Outfitter ~ Kei River Hunting Safaris

PH ~ Andrew Renton

Date ~ April 28 to May 6 2010


The dream of someday hunting in Africa was burned into me after reading “Death in the Long Grass” as youngster. Back then nothing was out reach and it was just a matter of time before I would be staring down the barrel at a big and bad Cape buffalo. Life happened and as I grew older I soon realized that hunting the big buffalo would be a hunt that I was going to need to save for and put Africa on the back burner and continued to hunt the states. Even though the Dark Continent hunt was on the back burner it never cooled down and when a great friend of mine (dougm58) contacted me with a plains game hunt that was being offered by Kei River Hunting Safaris in the Eastern Cape RSA it did not take long for me to be all in. This hunt was offered with Crosshair Hunting Consultants and Wade Derby was a huge help answering questions and calming our nerves about traveling with hunting handguns abroad. The hunt included a Kudu, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Blesbuck and a Springbuck. I also wanted to try for Gemsbok and a Black Wildebeest while there.

My friend Doug and I left from Dulles International on April 27th and had a long flight go by very fast with anticipation of the upcoming hunt. We were met at East London by Andrew and his lovely wife Sharyn. These two are a great couple and we were made to feel like returning friends rather than new clients. It was a late arrival at the lodge and we were showed to our rooms and around the house we would be calling home for the next week.










My room with a comfortable bed and private bathroom, NICE.

The first day I woke up waaay before I had too and the excitment of the hunt was starting to get uncontrollable. A quick breakfast and then to the range to see if the airlines had adjusted our scopes for us. My Burris 3x12 had shifted a little right, not bad for such a long trip and many hands handling the case. Andrew wanted to focus on Kudu first but stated that we would not be passing up any other great animals should we encounter them.
We stopped on the top of a hill over looking some beautiful country, thorn riddled, steep game rich beautiful country.



Over looking the Kei River valley...






I was very slow on picking up the different types of game animals on the terrain but Andrew and my tracker Sutu were so good I was starting think they where full of sh!t, but they were patient and I eventually got the Swaro's and my eyes tuned up I was enjoying all of the Kudu that were roaming the hillsides. We hunted hard all day and finally got close to a big bull that was following two cows that had passed by our set-up at less than 100 yards. The big bull was just coming in like he was on a string and I was going to getting a shot around 60 or 70 yards. However at around 80 yards with the wind in our face he snapped his head up and quickly scanned the area befroe swapping ends and running back from the direction he came from. Wow, talk about the high of highs and the low of lows. But this is hunting and the big ones don't get big by being dumb.
The next morning we were back glassing for "my" big Kudu. Spotted a smaller bull, some cows and then Andrew's excited whisper "there he is" got my adrenaline pumping. We watched him with his cows and some calves for a while trying to figure out where they might want to spend the day. Andrew and Sutu had a short conversation of which I understood absolutley nothing, and then we were off to try to cut them off. Andrew got us to a quality hide at the outer edge of a thorn thicket and then we waited. When the big bulls huge spiraling horns appared over the brush I was not sure what would expolode first my heart or my head. To say I was excited would be a serve understatement. He woved left and quickly walked thru an opening offering no shot so we quickly moved and now my rock solid sitting rest turned into a standing shot over his sticks. At 220 yards I took my shot and the tell tale "whoomp" of the 200 gr Accu-Bond told me the bull was hit solid but Andrew said a little deep and the bull was off into a jungle of thorns. With Andrew and Sutu doing a superior tracking job the bull was located in the thick thorns and a finishing shot anchored my first ever Kudu.
52" Kudu, XP-100 338 WSM, 200 Gr Accu-Bond

Here is the fog that was laying heavy in the river valley on the second morning....




Truly beautiful country

Very beautiful!

True professionals making short work of a big job.

The third day we got on a Blesbuck that gave us a 2 hour game of cat and mouse before he stopped too long to checkout some females.

After some backslapping , pictures and loading we were off again and it did not take long before a Blue Wildebeest was spotted. He ran a short distance as we appraoched but he stopped at 160 yards to confirm his need to run and that was his last mistake....


more soon......

Shawn, you and Doug really impressed everyone with those handguns. Congratulations on some wonderful trophies and thank you for allowing me to send you to Africa. All the Best, Wade

Congratulations on your hunt!

Brett

Thank you guys....


The fouth day we woke up extra early for an extended ride to an area that Andrew knew to hold some trophy Gemsbok. The Gemsbok is a magnificent animal and is one of my favorites, we had a lot of tim eto sit and watch this bunch because they had worked their way to a little over 100 yards and bedded down. That gave Andrew plenty of time glass and find me the biggest most mature animal. He directed me to a large animal that he estimated would go 40" and with a distinct flare near the top of both horns it was easy for me to stay on the correct animal as they mingled around and fed after getting up. I was blessed with a perfect quartering away shot at 180 yards and after a quick 30 yard death run I had my Gemsbok. You will notice a small bump in the skin on the front shoulder, that is the Accu-Bond at rest after working hard.


oh yeah, for the record it was 41". It is nothing short of amazing how close he got to judging all of the animals I hunted.

We took the Gemsbok to a friend of Andrews who owns a farm nearby. Sutu stayed back at the house to skin while we went out after Springbuck. These are great animals and are so much fun to watch as they take off in flight. What I forgot to add is that it had started to rain and rain and rain. I decided to switch from my pistol to my Brown Precision 7 STW rifle for the evenings hunt. The rain helped to mask our stalk but the thick brush and numbers of Springbuck made it a chore for hunter and PH to always be on the same spot or same animal. Andrew held on to his patience that I am sure I was torture testing and we finally got it together with just moments of shooting time left. 212 yards. 140 Accu-Bond = DRT

Looks like you had a great hunt-congratulations !

Great trophies- congrats!!!

Great report thus far!

But, the story continues to the impala and the black wildebeest ...

I need more! I'll be hunting with Andrew in August!!!

Congrats and beauty of a kudu!

WOW, great trophies! Keep the story comming.

Nice! Well done.

This is the magnificent piece of land where we focused on the Black Wildebeest. I love handgun hunting but I am also a long range hunting buff and this land more than all of the others made me wish I had brought along my big 338 rifle. Next time.....





It did not take long to start spotting the blacks on this terrain and soon the stalk was on. Another great stalk and set up and I had my BW.



Meet "GOTCHA" the wonder dog. If you hunt with Andrew and ever have an animal that needs tracking this little guy will quickly become your best friend.

Gotcha was quite the dog,although I am not sure he liked me as I never gave him a reason to get out of the truck! We still let him out so hone his skills.

They have a great outfit out there and I am glad you guys has a great time. I was there two days after you left.