Outfitter / PH: Pieter Kriel

Dates: May 15 - May 28, 2010

Hunter: Charles

Observer: Ellice

Airline: American Airlines DFW to London, British Airways London to Johannesburg

Rifle: CZ 375 H&H, .22-250

Animals on my list are: Springbok, Nyala, Bushbuck, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok, Black Wildebeest, and Warthog

May 19th: We are up early for the long drive from Freestate to Ohrigstad. Pieter and Willie have the bakkie and trailer packed up before daylight. We have breakfast and say our goodbyes to Cecelia and Andrew and head out.

At the end of a long day we arrive at Misty Falls and are greeted by George, refreshments, and wonderful accommodations. We are treated to a steak dinner with a tuna starter, baby potatoes, baby carrots, fresh salad, bread, fruit salad, and pudding. Dinner was served in a wonderful semi-enclosed dining room with a well stocked bar and wine rack across one corner.



May 20th: Up early for a light breakfast of biscotti and coffee, meet up with Koos (the property manager), and off we go on a tour of the property and in search of a Zebra. The property is rocky and steep in some areas with areas that are almost flat and grassy. They have received more rain than normal for May and things are still very green and the grass is taller than I expected, but the area is beautiful and I am thankful for the cover.

At brunch time we head back to the lodge for eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, baked stuff mushrooms, homemade breads, muffins, and biltong. Brunch is served on a patio overlooking a watering hole. Great food and view. Each day the brunch menu varies and dinner is different but this gives you an idea of the way we are fed so I won't torture everybody with a day by day menu. Brunch is usually on the patio and dinner in usually at a table close to the fireplace.




After noon we head back out in search of Zebra. Pieter spotted a group and we had good cover to stalk up on them. I have an almost straight frontal 40 yard shot. On my first shot the Zebra is knocked backward, rolls over, and comes right back up running. My follow-up shot is high and too far back. We track him until we loose any sign of tracks or blood and it's getting late. Pieter calls Koos who brings a tracking dog. He searches until after dark, but when the trail leads into steep ravines the search is called off until the next morning. Dinner is great, but the mood is definitely down.

May 21st: Before sunrise Koos has his tracking dog out and picks up where he left off. Unfortunately the trail joins the trail of a group of Zebra. Pieter, Willie, Ellice and I spend the morning walking up and down the ravines and gullies from that point trying to find the Zebra or where it split off. I am very glad that I lost 15 pounds and walked a lot more since my 2008 safari. Koos also has some of his hands spread out combing the area and has offered a reward for my Zebra. In the afternoon Koos, Pieter, Willie, and I (in two teams) start checking out the groups of Zebra on the property looking for a wounded one. We found a group that we are sure is the right one, but there isn't a wounded Zebra with them. On the way back to camp for dinner I tell Pieter that I understand that I have bought a Zebra, it probably won't be recovered, and we need to move on. I believe the Zebra is down and it has been too warm and too long. He gives me the "there are hunters who have lost an animal and those that will" speech. I know he is trying to make me feel better, but right now I just feel bad.

At dinner we are joined by Ken, a young U.S. Army Lieutenant from Iraq, who is here on R&R. He has been doing bird hunting and Tiger fishing. Now he is looking to take a Warthog and a Blesbok. Koos will be his PH.

After dinner Koos, Pieter, Willie, and I go out hunting for Bushbuck. We don't spot any Bushbuck, but we spot a Spotted Genet.

May 22nd: I have decided to try for another Zebra so we head out after a light breakfast. We stalk upon a Zebra, but I get busted trying to maneuver for a clear shot. After brunch we sit in a hide at a water hole for a while looking for a Warthog. We get lots of photos of Impala, Kudu cows, and a small Warthog, but no shooter comes in. In the afternoon we head out looking for Zebra. The wind is strong and shifting so we never get close.

After dinner Ellice, Pieter, George, Willie, and I go out hunting of Bushbuck. No luck on Bushbuck, but we do spot an Aardvark.

May 23rd: Hunting isn't allowed on this property on Sunday. We could go to another property, but we can all use a break so we do some sightseeing. We stop for coffee in Pilgrims Rest, breakfast at Harrie's Pancakes in Graskop, God's Window, Berlyn Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes, Three Rondavels, and Echo Caves. The weather is clear and Drakensberg escarpment is absolutely beautiful.


God's Window


Three Rondavels

Back at the lodge we are greeted with yet another of George's great dinners and some bad news. Koos is ill and possibly contagious. It is short notice for Pieter to find another PH for Ken (who only has a few days here). We are going to hunt a different property tomorrow for Blue Wildebeest and Pieter asks if I would mind Ken tagging along with us. I don't mind at all as long as I get my Wildebeest first.

May 24th: We are up early for coffee and a light breakfast. George packs up snacks and food to prepare for brunch and we all head out. This property has some wide open grassy terrain, some hilly and rocky areas, ravines, and sparse brush. The second herd of Blue Wildebeest that we spot has a mature bull so we start our stalk. Between the ravines and sparse brush we are able to stalk up to within 150 yards. Pieter sets up my tripod and I ease out to setup for a shot. The bull and a couple others turn towards me. For a few minutes they just look at me but don't afford me a shot that I am comfortable taking. Then they run to my right and away from me. They stop at about 270 yard and there isn't any cover between where we are and some brush that is close to where they stopped. Pieter asks me if I'm comfortable with the distance. I try to think of the Black Wildebeest and not the Zebra. I have a very steady rest and answer yes. I keep the scope on the bull as he mingles with the herd. I briefly have a clear shot and then I don't all the time Pieter is making sure I am on the right one. After what seems like an eternity I have a clear shot and Pieter says take it. At the shot the bull spins around a couple times and falls down, but gets back up and follows the herd. He is lagging and I hit him with my follow up shot. He lags more and then goes down. Pieter is convinced that I like the 270 to 300 yard shots better than the 40 yard ones. In reality I like having the time to get steady and calm. We drop the Wildebeest at the skinning shed and head for the camp area where George is cooking up a hearty brunch.




After brunch Pieter drops us and the bakkie off in a group of trees and succulents, which looks like an oasis, surrounded by grass and scrub brush while he and Ken go for a Blesbok. I have a perfect viewing spot to watch them work for the next couple hours to get Ken's first African big game animal. We head for the skinning shed to drop off Ken's Blesbok and hang out there drinking early sundowners and trying to convince Ken that it's traditional on your first African game animal to eat the oysters. He didn't go for it.

May 25th: Light breakfast and we head out looking for a Zebra. The weather is gorgeous and I see Kudu, Impala, Ostrich, and Giraffe so I am enjoying the morning and feeling good about my odds. Pieter spots a group of Zebra grazing. The wind is right and there is some brush that allows us to stalk up to within about 80 yards. I take a quartering shot that I feel good about. I wasn't able to get a follow up shot because of the other Zebra. Fortunately he didn't go too far. We take the photos, drop him at the skinning shed and it's time for brunch.



The 200 Rand notes have been counterfeited so the government is recalling all of them. So we take the afternoon to drive to a bank in Lydenburg to exchange our Rand. After dinner we go out looking for Bushbuck but no luck.

May 26th: We go to an adjoining property that appears to be mostly steep hills or ravines and thick brush looking for Nyala. We see Nyala ewes, young Nyala bulls, tempting Kudu bulls, and Kudu cows. No mature Nyala bulls to be seen, but our guide ensures us they are here. In fact they could have been 100 yards a way and most places here we wouldn't see them.

After brunch I spot a few Warthogs are rooting around and slowly making their way across on the other side of the gully. I think one is a shooter so I watch him while George goes to disturb Pieter's lunch time reading time. We slip off the patio and head down a steep "goat trail". We have some cover, but it's not very tall so we move when they have their heads down. I keep slipping on loose rocks. In fact I think that at any moment I am going to be picking myself up at the bottom of the hill. Pieter sets my sticks up, but the downhill leg keeps slipping. I finally get it jammed against a rock and take the shot. The Warthog goes straight down.



We drop the Warthog and Willie off at the skinning shed and head back to the other property. It's a repeat of the morning except we see a couple Kudu cows that were so large that Pieter and I both kept looking for horns. It is almost sundown when our guide spots a Nyala bull back in thick brush. We continue on a ways and then stalk back. I am hoping we find a spot that I can stand up to shoot. The brush is thick and the limbs are low. We get to a small opening that is within about 50 yards of him and Pieter says to take him. Due to the thick brush I am having a difficult time determining where to place my shot. I am trying to visualize a Nyala and not think about this being the most expensive bullet I have ever fired. Pieter helps and I thread the needle into a "brown patch" that I am confident is the boiler room. The Nyala drops straight down. I cycle the bolt and watch for any movement. The Nyala is still so we move forward. When we are about 20 yards from him he jumps up and runs to my left. I swing the rifle up and over Pieter and then get my crosshairs on the Nyala. CLICK. I had put the safety on when we started moving. I fumble with the safety trying to push it forward (like my rifle) and remember to pull it back but the Nyala has disappeared. The look on Pieter's face mirrors what I am feeling. We head in the direction the Nyala ran and when we cross a road Pieter spots a track (it is too dark to see blood without a torch). I mark the spot while Pieter heads for the bakkie. By the time Pieter gets back with the bakkie the sun has set and it is dark. I tell Pieter about thrashing that I heard in the brush which sounded close, but it has stopped. We are worried that the Nyala went into the deep ravine that is close to the road. We work through the brush and spot the Nyala. He tries to get up and I give him a finishing shot. I brought my deer skinning knife and wanted to do some of the skinning on my Nyala. Willie holds a flashlight for me and I start skinning out the back legs. Willie makes a comment and starts grinning. Pieter tells me that Willie says I am good, but slow. I turn it over to the pro and go eat dinner.



After dinner we go out hunting free range Bushbuck in the orange groves and hayfields on a nearby property. We see a Bushbuck ewe with a lamb, and a Civet, and finally a Bushbuck ram.



May 27th: We get up a bit later and leisurely enjoy coffee. Pieter wants to show us something and we end up at a picturesque spot where George has setup brunch for us. It is a wonderful surprise. We have a relaxing day and end up back at the brunch spot for steak and Mampoer shots. It has been a great trip and it comes to an end all too soon tomorrow. Pieter and I discuss what I want to go for next trip. :

CONCLUSION:

What worked and what I would do differently.

1. I took almost no photos on my small digital camera. Pieter and Ellice always had there cameras handy and theirs was much better. I would still bring mine as a backup though.

2. I didn't take a rifle because of connecting through London. The momentary confusion with the safety could have cost me my Nyala.

3. I different really use my vest much this trip. I kept the items I really used in my pockets.

4. A small backpack is great for all of the gear that I wanted handy, but not carry on me. It contained pocket spiral notepad, pen, aspirin, Advil, anti-diarrhea meds, small LED flashlight, spare batteries for the flashlight, antibacterial wipes, spare reading glasses, anti-bacterial ointment, adhesive bandages, antihistamines, and toilet paper.

Very detailed report. Congrats on a great trip and welcome home.

Very nice report. That is a beautiful area with spectacular scenery and interesting history.

Sounds like a good, enjoyable hunt! Thanks for sharing. Nice report!

Congratulations. Drakensberg must be really beautiful.

Great report!!! Thanks for sharing

Charles,
What type of bullets were you using for the .375?

Thanks for the report, I love the scenery.

That Nyala looks to be 27 or better, nice!

Nice report and pics! Congrats!

Mad Dog

quote:

Originally posted by samir:
Charles,
What type of bullets were you using for the .375?

For this segment of the hunt I was using 270gr Remington Core-Lokt.

great report love your pictures

Very Nice Congrats

Nice photos in beautiful country and well done report. Congratulations on the great trophies