12 September 2009, 00:26
TJHFirst Safari RSA 8-14 to 8-28-09
Hunted with Cruisers Safaris. We had a wonderful time. Everything was better than expected. Used Custom Travel for Flights and Afton Reservations. All went off without any problems.
We drove from NW Kansas to Colorado Springs the morning of 8-14. Flew Delta to Atlanta then to JHB arriving on 8-15. While standing in line at the gate in Atlanta we found out that the two guys (Kenny & Larry)that had been on our flight from Colorado Springs were also going to be hunting with Cruisers. Everything arrived in JHB. I was the first in line at the SAPS Office and had my permit before my rifle arrived from the plane.
We spent the night at the Afton House where we met Rob and Leah, also hunting with Cruisers.
We were picked up at Afton by Cruisers on the 16th for the trip to the Lodge. One Stop along the way to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables for the Chef, two heaping carts full! After arriving at the lodge and meeting everyone we checked our rifles and had a wonderful meal.
We hunted Seven of our ten days days and harvested eight animals. Impala, Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Kudu, Blesbok, Jackal, Zebra, & Warthog. The other days we went to Marakele National Park. Went to see Lions, and to Ellisras to do some shopping. My PH was Jan our tracker was Caro. Jan did an outstanding job. Also, Jan can cook!!
We saw these Buffalo coming to water one morning
I would recommend Cruisers to anyone. We were able to visit with some local people and learned a lot about the country and the way they live, which is one of the things we wanted to do in addition to hunting. My Kudu was shot by the only farmstead in the area to survive the Boer War. To me a great bit of history. Pieter and the guides were all very knowledgeable about the plants, animals, & area. I hope they did not get to tired of my stupid questions. The food and accommodations were outstanding. In addition to going on the hunts with me, my wife spent some time with Tiny the chef and brought home some new recipes.
We had a wonderful trip and met some great people from the USA and Africa. We will be back.
12 September 2009, 00:40
ghostbirdCongratulations, looks like you had a good safari... nice trophies. Thanks for sharing.
Andy
What rifles did you use?
12 September 2009, 00:55
TJHI used a Ruger Model 77 Mark II in 300 Win Mag in a Hogue Stock. Ammo was my handloads, with 180 grain Barnes TSX bullets. The farthest anything went was about 40 yards, the Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra, & Jackal all dropped in their tracks. I am sure glad that I practiced using shooting sticks. I used them for six of the eight shots I took. I traded stocks with my PH Jan because they can't get them with the full length aluminum bedding block in South Africa. That is why my rifle has a Walnut stock in the Warthog pic.
12 September 2009, 01:31
D Marshallgreat post! Thanks for sharing! We had a great time there this year as well.
12 September 2009, 01:47
matt unice photos...congratulations on your tropies
12 September 2009, 09:33
SevenxbjtThanks for sharing pics from your great adventure!