The hunting dates were July 7 to 17, 2008. Harry Claassens was the outfitter and Christo Van Deventer was the PH. South Africa, NW Province. Molopo Game Reserve.
________________________________________________________________________


I don't know if you ever hunted with Harry Claassens but if you haven't
you missed a pleasant experience. A very gracious man and a very good ,
low key hunter. Never gets excited and seems to effortlessly find what
you want without really looking.

We got to "Camp Mata Mata" near Vorstershoop after an 8 hour minibus
ride from Pretoria, the last 100km of which was over clay roads. In fact
I saw a sign saying Vryberg 212 km where we turned at Vorstershoop.
Christo Van Deventer was our PH and a very good one too. A young man,
but energetic and capable. Very pleasant and not given to BS about the
trophies. We told him what we wanted and he set out to find them. We
elected to walk and stalk not shoot off the truck and he later told us
that they had reservations initially about "old men" being able to do
that. That notion was dispelled after the first day.

The accommodations were very comfortable and the food plentiful and
good. Traditional South African fare very well prepared. The only
exception to that was lack of heat and that was a minor inconvenience
even though the temp got below freezing several nights. Amazing how you
get used to showering in 38 deg quarters without discomfort. At 50 it
seems balmy after a few days.

Our first day of hunting was in the Molopo Reserve (in fact it all was)
and the game was plentiful. I didn't know there were that many oryx in
South Africa. I had set my lower limit on 38" but if I had wanted a 36"
the hunt would have been over in 30 minutes. I also had set out for an old
eland similar to one I saw years ago. His horns were worn down with huge
bases and he was so old he was blue. I kicked myself for not shooting
him ever since and now sought to make up for past mistakes. Neither of
us was reluctant to hunt for 10 days without killing anything rather
than shoot something we didn't want. Simply being on the ground in
Africa is adventure enough. The day passed with several stalks on large
oryx but they proved fractious or short and I didn't get a shot. (I'm
used to hunting with Don. We get our priorities sorted out so we know
what each wants and there is no bickering about who's shot it is). I was
1st in order so we were hunting oryx. If an eland like Don had wanted
turned up he would have gotten his shot.

On the 2nd day we had several stalks on large groups but the day ended
with an hour wait to get a shot at an old bull with very large horns. He
might have been just 38 but the horns were very big in diameter all the
way up. He was in a herd of oryx, eland zebra and wildebeest. Just before
dark they all decided they wanted to rapidly be someplace else and they
left for Botswana. I have never seen so many large eland. 34 and 35"
were very common with larger bulls observed frequently.

The 3rd day we rode out to the reserve (40km from camp) and began to
hunt at daylight. We searched for several hours until Christo spotted a
herd of oryx with 2 of particular note. We began the stalk and worked
our way as quietly as old men can go through the thorns. After about 20
min we came on 5 bulls looking carefully about and just about to
decide to head for Botswana. Christo said "The one on the left is 38" or
more if you like him". I usually take a professionals opinion so when the
sticks went up the rifle followed and I shot quickly. Later I was teased:
"I asked him if he liked it and 'Bam" it was on the ground". It was a
quartering shot, through the chest, just behind the shoulder at about
150 yards. It broke the shoulder and took out the great vessels at the base
the base of the heart. I put another one in him for good measure just
before he fell. He was breathing his last when we got to him. I was using
a 9.3x62 CZ with 286 gr. Nosler Partitions. He measured 39" on both horns.
The bullet penetrated completely and was not recovered. The load was
Nosler custom ammo.



We loaded up and started back to the skinning shed when Christo spotted
some blue wildebeest. One of them was over 28" so he gave chase. I had
mentioned a wildebeest but not as a priority but he thought these were
good enough to take. We followed at at trot (difficult for an old man in
sand) and they soon eluded us. We followed on for about 15 minutes and
found them again. Suddenly Christo said "Ben, your eland!" There was an
old eland just getting up with that 'What the hell is going on' look
about him. I said "Is he good enough?" though he looked very good to me,
Christo said "I'd be proud to have him. He's my idea of a great trophyâ€.
This conversation took 5 seconds, the sticks went up and I shot just behind
the shoulder. He went down and tried to get up. I put another shot 2" from the
first. When we got to him he wasn't quite gone so I put another in his spine.
This eland was very, very nice. Horns measured 30" on both sides with 14" bases.
The top half was ivory. He was so old he was blue with no hair on his shoulders or dewlap. All his hair was on his face and between his horns. The tracker looked at
him and said "Old gray men shoot old gray animals." I took that as a compliment.



We loaded up the eland on top of the oryx and headed for the skinning shed.
By the time everything was done it was 9pm and very cold.
I figured we would be getting leftovers for supper but everyone was
waiting and wanted to hear the tales of the day. There were 2 other PH's
visiting Harry and another Aussie hunter about my age. We had a great
dinner amid jovial banter about "Quick Draw" and we went to bed by 10:30.
The next day Don was determined to find his eland. We looked all
morning with no success but about 2 pm we spotted a large herd of eland
bulls… most of them with good size. We tracked them with 2 fleeting
chances at a shot until 5:30 when Don finally got a chance a "Texas
heart shot" at 200 yards. He was using a .338 Win Mag with 250 gr Nosler
partitions. He took the shot and the bull ran bleeding from the left
rear leg. About 10 min later he got almost the identical shot from 150
yards -it was almost dark. We tracked the bull until dark and called off
the search until morning. That night everyone was somewhat subdued. The
shot was not one Don likes but Christo said "Put one in his leg and he'll
be slowed at worst and we'll get him". Well 2 shots didn't slow him much
and what was lost in the translation was "Break his hip". I felt sure
that he had an abdominal wound since we had found rumen contents on the
track and I felt sure we would find him dead in the morning. The track
had showed him dragging his left leg. I did not see how he could have
not had an abdominal wound from that angle. A .338 should have given good
penetration with that bullet and range.

In the morning, we started at first light. It became obvious that the eland
was not mortally wounded. He continued with the herd, slowly but
steadily and was bleeding and dragging his left leg. We tracked until
noon when Christo decided he and the trackers would continue and we
would hunt elsewhere with Harry. I was reminded of the scene in "Butch
Cassidy" where Butch looks up at the guys on his trail and says "Who are
those guys anyway?" I have never seen better trackers. I'm convinced
these guys could track a spider across a mirror. They continued that day
and we joined them in the morning. Harry had a fresh tracker with us and
he soon picked up the track of an eland dragging his left foot. Christo
and Musa were still following the original track a few miles away. Harry
had gone to move the vehicle and we followed on foot. Suddenly the
tracker pointed and said "Wounded eland … shoot!", pointing to an eland in
a clearing about 225 yards. off, facing us. Don put his rifle on the sticks
determined not to miss again. He didn't and the shot put him down instantly.
Now when we saw this animal something in my brain said "This ain't the
same animal. The horns are wrong the color is wrong but I'm not a PH".
When we got to him it was a nice eland but it was not the right eland.
"Damn Boys you done shot another eland!"



About that time Harry got there and looked at Jacob and said "Jacob, who
will pay for this eland?" The look he got was priceless.
Don had no compunction about the fee but Harry graciously discounted it
by the cost of a wildebeest (basically half price eland). The hunt was
still on.

On the way to the skinning shed Harry and I were in conversation when
he said "Ben, look at he wildebeest". In the thorn bushes looking at us
was a very large wildebeest. Harry said "He's very big". We went after
him, stalking quickly to about 145 yards. He was facing us and Harry
placed the sticks. I sighted on the thoracic inlet and pulled the trigger.
The bull stumbled and then ran. "I don’t' think I hit him hard enough Harryâ€
I said. The bull ran 200 yards to the right and then ran back about 200 yards
to the left and stopped in the thorn bushes. Harry said "Shoot behind the shoulder".
I did and put him down. He didn't need a 3rd shot. When we measured him he was
30", with an overall of 53". Harry proclaimed him a SCI Gold Medal animal.
In any case he was a very nice old wildebeest. "Gray men shoot gray animals".



Christo and Musa stayed on the track until late in the afternoon of the
3rd day. By this time the animal had quit limping and was drinking with
the herd. How they tracked him I'll never know but they found him laying
down and shot him before he got more than one step. When all was said
and done it was a "lifetime trophy" measuring 37" with wide horns and
very large bases. Harry remarked he would never have been better than at
that age. Everything worked out and the camp was relieved. On examination,
both shots had gone up the muscles of the backstrap and one bullet was
recovered under the skin of the left shoulder. The meat was pulverized
from the rump to the shoulder on the left. The recovered bullet weighed 204
grains, with the front mushroomed and the rear intact. If he had tried a thousand
shots to duplicate those 2 shots he could not have done it.



With all this done we took a day off and went bird shooting. We had
excellent luck with sand grouse and quickly shot what we thought was
"enough" on 2 mornings.



Now it was back on the oryx trail with Don looking for something "over
38". Christo felt badly about the eland and suggested we hunt with Harry
but we felt he had done just fine and continued with him that day. Don
shot another wildebeest but it was not quite 28". Nice shape and large
bases but short of what he wanted by half an inch.



On 9th day Don still had not found his oryx and decided to go with
Harry while I went to a farm, waaaay out toward Botswana, for a Springbok
or Blesbuck. Christo and I found a nice Blesbuck early and shot him from
204 yards. He measured 15.7". We searched the rest of the day for a
Springbok but had no luck.



When we got back to camp there was a nice oryx skinned out with the
head sitting there. It looked very big … -38" was the comment. It turned
out Don and Harry decided to play a little joke on Christo to see if he
would know the size. It was really 42". Not a bad Oryx bull.



On the last day we went to Christo's family farm near Bray and had a
morning of shooting. 104 sand grouse in less than an hour.



It was the perfect ending to a wonderful hunt. All that remained was
packing and the terrible ordeal of contemporary air travel-38 hours home.
Harry and his wife and staff are very gracious, courteous outfitters and
I would love to hunt with them again. It was so good I'm considering
going back in 2 years with youngest son. The memory of the plane ride
should be past by then.

Some very nice trophies. Congrats

Great story and even better pictures thanks for scharing

Great trophies Sir.

Great job, Dr.Duc! You look pretty dapper there with that CZ.

DR DUC,

I would be proud to have an Eland like that!!!

For me that Eland has exactly what I like in an Eland.

Congrats on a great hunt.

Thanks for sharing

Great report Doc! Beautiful animals, you've got me pawing the ground for my trip.

Good report Doc!

Thank you for sharing!

BEAUTIFUL TROPHIES!

Very nice!
A beautiful oryx. 42" is a record in "everyones" book! Congrats..