So here is the report after a great hunting trip for me, Well doesn't count the nasty abcess on my right leg and mild (so far) case of tick bite fever. Start Doxy today and that should take care of both.


Safari Hunting Company – Rosedale Safaris and Tru-Reflections Taxidermy, Grahamstown, South Africa
May 10 – 31, 2021
Owners - Charl & Julia LeRoux
PH – Charl Leroux
Trackers – Kwir,
Travel – Airlines and Hotel booked thru Kathy Klimes, Wild Travel
Airlines – Qatar and South Africa Airlink
Meet & Greet Service – Hunters Permits Africa, Adele Janse van Rensburg, owner
Rifles used:
Mossberg Model 1500, .338 Win Mag, handloads with 300 gr. Nosler Accubonds
Ruger American Rifle w/go wild camo stock, 6.5 Creedmoor, handloads wth Nosler 140 Accybonds
A List -Cape Eland, Fallow Deer (3), Bushpig (1 +), multiplr cull Zebra, Black Impala, Golden Wildebeest, Sable, Roan
B List – Cape Bushbuck, Warthog, Impala, Mountain Reedbuck, any cull animals offered

Animals seen – Elephants, Black & White Rhinos, Giraffe, Kudu, Wildebeest, bushpig, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, fallow deer, Black, White and common impala, jackals, sable, all colors of springbok, eland, porcupine, mountain reedbuck, bontebuck, blesbuck

Animals taken - White, Black & common springbuck, White, Brown & black fallow deer, caracal, golden wildebeest, copper & common springbuck, sable, roan, zebras, eland, porcupine, bushbuck, mountain reedbuck, blesbuck, warthog, monkey

Some background on this trip includes the planning and initial deposit paid for this hunt was done in Jan. 2017 after meeting once again with Charl and Julia at their booth at the Western Washington Sportsman’s show held annually in Puyallup, WA. The drive on my part was looking for a chance to go after another Cape Eland with some age and looking specifically for one with a better, bigger, darker, hair mop on the forehead, all signs of a older and more mature bull.

This return trip for us, as my wife would once again come along,was origannly booked for the 2019 hunting season, but new house things got in the way and the trip was rescheduled for May of 2020. Well that didn't work out either thanks to the COvid 19 pandamic which created hugh problems for everyone while the world and countries had major lockdowns. The hunt was again re-scheduled, now for May of 2021. This time we were determined we would go as long as South Africa was allowing visitors once again. Of course extra things would be required with the pre and post trip testing requirements, which at first seemed daunting, but now on reflection with the trip being finished were not that hard to get done. In fact on the return trip I can't recall anyone asking about Covid testing by either the airlines ticket counter folks nor by anyone at the US entry point.

The total days that were spent with Rosedale Safaris numbered 18, several of which were spent on touring, Addo Elephant park where we were fortunate to see ofter 200 of their elephants, Kwantu Game Reserve, only saw a fe elephants but also saw a unique and rare three horned white rhino, a day of shopping in Port Elizabeth, and a day of just doing nothing.

The hunting was great even if my shooting sometimes wasn't so good but I kept with the "if its still moving, keep shooting" rule of thumb and luckily didn't lose any wounded animals. A couple times the recovery was delayed a bit but all was recoved. The best opportunity on this trip would be the ability to shoot cull zebras for less than a trophy impla fee. I couldn't resist that offer and in the end shot seven zebras, five for rugs for family, a shoulder mount and an African shiled mounted one. The zebra shots were mostly from 125 to 175 yards and some went down with one hit and thers took several shots Severl of the bullets were recovered and once back home will weigh them to check remaining weights.. All large animals were shot with the .338 Win Mag except for the second golden wildebeest. Second on the covid best deal was the pair of golden wildebeest I took for $3200.00. The second wildebeest was shot with the 6.5 CM at 146 yards of the sticks. Upon its recovery we saw that the 140 gr bullet impacted on the front right shoulder and the similiar sized exit hole was on the front left shoulder. Amazing performance of this round. A few other freebies came my way, the caracals I shot were deemed to be too small so no fee for them, plus I got a bush pig sow for free when the PH mis-called it when he thought it was the big boar coming to the bait. Also since sable and roan prices were depressed I took one of each, my second sable and first roan. I also did a repeat from 2016 and took three fallow deer, I know they are not the huge antlered ones like in Texas, Europe and New Zealand, but the prices here in South Africa for them are easy on the pocket book. Several shots were missed on baboons but they are tough targets when far away or running into the brush. The best trophy and most exciting stalk was for the eland bull. Once the herd was spotted, it was into the brush after the herd looking for the big bull. While I never saw the bulk of the herd, after the PH spotted the hind end of an eland it turned into a waiting game while he tried to determine if it was a bull and a shooter. I was after a eland with a large dark fur covered forehead, that was the "trophy" and as long as it wasn't broken horned on either size, the length of the horns weren't of major concern. Finally the PH saw all the right parts, the bull matched my desires and now to get a shot. We couldn't move so it turned out to be a kneeling shot of the sticks and after running a short distance he was down for the count. Recovery was a job but finally a success and before leaving this 100,000 acre property one more zebra was added to the trucks load.

Smaller animals I shot using my 6.5 CM. From a monkey on the last day, to bushbuck (a sudden encounter at 25 yards), both springbuck one at 200 yds and the second at about 185 yards, the mountain reedbuck, both warthogs and bush pig. I even shot two of the caracals with the 6.5 although its not real fur friendly, but enough left for some mounting purposes. The only recovered slugs were one from the first boar warthog amd from the sow bushpig. Again they will weighed once I get home and caught up in life after being gone for almost 3.5 weeks. The boar bush pig cause the most angst in recovery. At teh bait sight there is a green motion light that avtivates when the pigs get within its range and jsut as I shot this boar the light clicked off on its timer. Well we could not find any sign of a hit, no blood no nothing. Ph Charl spent a good 30 mminutes looking thoughout the area and finally it was judged to be a miss. The next moring additional searching was done by farms from the property covering a much wider area but still nothing. In the end tho, the boar was found several days later dead at a water hole outside the expanded search area, onlt because he had been out looking for some lost goats. Turns out I had gut shot the pig and it took it some time to die. So it all turned out.

The PH's farm, called Rockwood Game Reserve, was a great place, our chalet style accomodations were superb and all the meals were great, cooking done by his wife Julia and her main kitchen helper named Thabisa. After leaving for hunting my wife would often have breakfast brought to our room and enjoy eating and watching the wild animals move about in the fields below the house and chalet. With plenty of hot shower water, a huge king size bed for sleeping and daily laundry service, all amenties my wife is trying to figure out how she can get these services at home. To entertain my wife Julia would take here along on some of her daily trips into town, they also had a farm helper who took her around one day and many times she would accompany us while out hunting.

The best highlight of the trip was when my wife made the final decision she was ready to shoot an impala ram. I had been trying to convince her to do this long before we left on the trip and even took her out shooting a couple times before we left. Once in South Africa a plan was made with the PH about her shooting an impala and we just had to wait for her final decision. Once she committed it was a matter of some additional rifle shooting and she was made familiar with one of the PH's rifle in .240 Weatherby Magnum with a fitted suppresor. In the end she got her impala ram and I think that myself and the PH were more excited than she was with her success, She opted for a simple shoulder mount for the memirable animal.
After her successfull shot she turned and looked at us and asked"what's next", an excited new hunteress. In the end she did not get a real chance at anything else due mostly to a major sinus infection she contracted and spent many of our last days recovering from that.

As in all trips like this the last day arrives and there is no going back to the beginning and starting anew, only the thoughts of the "next" time. WIll there be a next time to Africa for us. Time will tell I suppose but for nownothing planned. We have other adventures to try in the coming year. The trip home was as long as the trip over and the choice we made for business class seating made the long flights more bearable. We flew with Qatar for the long legs and were on two different type aircraft, a Boeing 777-200 LR with there wonderfull Q-suites. This aircraft was used on the outbound and inbound Seattle - Doha legs, 14 hours of flight time. A Airbus A350 aircraft was used for both Doha - Johannesburg legs, still in business class but in my mind not near as fancy as the boeing aircraft.

Covid 19 testinf info - We had our outbound test done in the Arcpoint lab in Seattle on Marginal way. Appointments were booked for Mon am for our Mon pm departure. We arrived at the lab early and they immediatly started with us to process info, conduct the tests and within 90 minutes we had emails declaring negative test results. Good to go. On arrival in Joberg, it was a bit of a process, first with a forehead temp check with what looked like a speed radar gun (they use what they have) and then the next checkpoint is where we had to show our covid paperwork and then thru immigration, baggage collection and find the meet and greet (done) and thru the police station for firearms. Turns out i wasn;t the only arriving hunter and as usual it was a bit of a cluster as the security folks and SAPS sorted things out. One would think as oftern as they do this gun stuff it would be run more efficiently, but its Africa.
Outbound covid was done at a testing facility in Grahamstown, get your nose reamed out, got to second spot and pay for test and by the net morning we again both had negative results. Good to go for home. As I said earlier I do not recall anyone asking to see negative result paperwork, just some standard have you exposed or near anyone with it. Roll with the flow and don't volunteer info, aswer politly when asked even what seemed to be sensless and repeat question.

Returning with guns was pretty easy, check them in at Joberg, get bag tagged and take it to main police station for serial number check and then that its until arrival. Since we had a short layover in Doha I was a bit concerned that luggage and gun case would make it but in Seattle all showed up, Once Customs and Immigration folks knew I had guns, that became their focus and again once gun case arrived through different doorway all I had to do was had over 4457's, open case, they verified serial numbers and that was it. Easy, even after all the travelling. So we are spending a couple days in Seattle with our children and will drive back to our home in Post Falls, ID to resume normal(?) lives after our grand adventure. My PH runs a taxidermy business and he did all my trophy mounts from our 2016 trip and will again do all the assorted mounts from this trip. With good fortune the crate will arrive around the end of the year and then the work of major re-organization in the trophy room will take place.

The last is of course pictures for all to see, these are in no particular order of when taken, Hopefully I can figure that out or I can email to someone who's better at that than I am.

Congratulations on a fantastic hunt. Sorry to hear that you're unwell!! Hopefully you will have a swift recovery.