BOTSWANA: South Africa Trip

[bluey]

love that over the shoulder shot , cody .
congratulations on both your kudu and gemsbok

 

[ChasingHemingway]

Awesome report Cody - you are off to one hell of a hunt. I have to agree I like the Black Kudu as well

 

[Cody Malone]

We woke up this morning and went to shoot the rifles to simulate a lion hunt just for good measure. As we have no clue when the trackers will call and say they are on fresh tracks. We went through the process from start to finish in preparation. My target died all 4 shots so we all felt extremely confident. Our morning place was to go sit at a waterhole where both waterbuck and zebra frequent, Kobus and I get dropped and have a run in with a oryx cow, diker and two Steinbeck. The Steinbeck walks within 5 yards as he has no clue what we are. I got some good video of that as this was my first time to actually hunt with my camera. Suddenly the radio barks and it is Mack saying they have a lion that has made a kill and is dragging it to her area for breakfast. We rush to the border and meet up with the tracker. I see the drags and I am nervous, existed, scared and the unknown is terrifying.

We track for 45 minutes to an hour and finally spot it slipping through the thick bush, Mack whispers be prepaid to shoot through the brush bc I have to, I concur.

We loose visual and this is where it gets nerve racking. I have my 9.3X64 shoulder, loaded and ready to shoot if we are charged or she offers a shot. We track her into a creek bottom and stop to try to here her move or see her, we suddenly hear her pooping the bones of her kill, it is so thick we have to back out bc she is close and can charge any moment.

We slip around the back side of the brushy creek and I see her, I tap Mack on the shoulder and point he see her now, we adjust angles, she is laying in the creek eating her kill which turned out to be a warthog.

With her laying in the creek there is no good shot, she is broadside but laying, she slightly lift her chest up and Mack tells me shoot, I fire a center shoulder shot from 40 yards away and she jumps, I reload and fire again as she is quartered away, reload and she's laying down with two fatal shots, I change angles walking backwards keeping my crosshairs on here I case she stands up, I quickly put in the final blow and she is dead.

The rush, excitement, adrenaline, terrifying hunt has been a perfect success. Could not have preformed better, no back up shots from the PHs as they don't like to anyway unless it's a life or death situation.

We slowly approach still having my crosshairs on here for insurance, we poke her and she doesn't move, she is HUGE, dark winter skin and has huge paws and teeth. This is a native Botswana lioness.

My first big 5 is DRT and I'm still shaking with excitement

 

[Cody Malone]

Here she is, full body mount will be happening, standing over a dead warthog to simulate the actual hunt.

 

[bluey]

I remember that rush ,bloke .
you have kicked a big goal today ,my friend

 

[billc]

Your having one heck of a hunt and making one great report.You will never forget this trip of a lifetime.
That lioness sounds like a dream come true for you and you should be very proud of taking one of the big 5

 

[Cody Malone]

There are two of the three 9.3x64 rounds that came out of my lion.

 

[bluey]

at 40 yards , I would ve thought a 9.3 would pop straight through a lioness

 

[Cody Malone]

We took most of yesterday off to relax and talk about the lion hunt. We did see three 38-41" Buffalo come near camp and they stared at the fire in the pit.

We woke up this or morning and headed to sit at the waterhole where the waterbuck and zebra have been spotted a few times the last couple of days. We waffle there hours and saw two oryx, 2 warthogs, 6-7 Tsesebe, young kudu bill that's going to be a stud in two years. A big Steinbuck came in and we liked at him closely, he loled to be 4.4.5" which is huge, equivalent to a 56" kudu. I decide to take him as he's about 70 yards away and squeeze one off, feels great but he drops and pops back up and is off to the races. I was taught if anything gets up shoot again, so I did. He he's hauling balls into a brush draw, I get on him, lead a little and squeeze, he barrel rolls. We get Tobin and my first shot is a 12 ring, how that bastard got up and ran we have no idea, unfortunately my second shot was in the neck, shooting this 9.3x64 resulted in disaster.. Nearly blew his head compleatly off, this obviously sucks as I planned on full body mounting this little stud. We are either going to find a cape around here or I'll just shoot another..

We are in for a mid day break. I have a zebra or waterbuck left and two warthogs on my bag list

 

[Cody Malone]

Here is the steinbok

 

[Cody Malone]

Well we just returned to camp after our evening sit at a waterhole, we saw three large Buffalo, 7-8 Tsebee, 4 smaller Warthog, 3 sable, 7-8 Gemsbok and 2 Zebra

I was able to harvest this awesome stallion! My wife requested if I had a chance to take one so she could make a full skin rug, well baby; daddy out the whomping on it for you, didn't even take a step, DRT!

Only a few animals left to harvest; a small warthog for lioness mount, a big ole boar or two for a skull mount and the 24-26" impala we saw today as he is amazingly big!

The fellas at Hunters Creek Safaris know there stuff and have true trophy animals!! You gotta check us out at

Hunterscreek.co.za

Please ask me any questions you may have as this is the opportunity of a lifetime and is completely affordable for anyone even on a tight budget with a well thought out saving plan!

 

[Cody Malone]

at 40 yards , I would ve thought a 9.3 would pop straight through a lioness

Yea me to, center shoulder shot

 

[Cody Malone]

My lion actually killed a warthog and the trackers where out checking for just tracks and found them and the drag where she was dragging it going into a creek. After an hour we found here cruising above the creek and the wind was way wrong blowing our scent straight to here, she disappeared into the creek. We tracked her into the creek and followed her into a creek bend that was full of brush, we could here her crunching the bones of the warthog, within 30 yards but couldn't see her, we instantly backed out bc within seconds she could be on us and we wouldn't know till it was to late, someone would be being mauled. We stalked around the bend to get the wind in our favor and we spotted her laying down eating the hog. I had a 4" window to shoot, no sticks free handed and I squeezed one off, knocking both shoulders out, she jumped 10' as I chambered another round, as she landed I shot again within inches of the first round. My PHs where sighted in on her incases she charged, but bc the shots where so good there was no need as she was down. We came around with her still in my scope incase she got up, I put in a safety round between here shoulders since she was laying facing away, we approached slowly and she was done. I shook for three hours from the adrenaline

 

[tarbe]

You've got some amazing animals Cody. You have set the bar for the rest of us first-timers!

 

[billc]

Tim he is setting the bar high even if someone has been there 3 or 4 times before.You are really going to need to step it up on your hunt.LOL Go reason to start taking to your other half and tell her your list is growing fast.

Great report cody and great job on the game you have taken already

 

[ChasingHemingway]

Why not add a black monster to your list? I am sure a deal could be worked out!

 

[Cody Malone]

I'll shoot Black Death next year!

I have bumped into him twice and constipated shooting him, if I hadn't shot the lioness he would be dead, he's 41-42"

I did shoot a giant impala today!!!

 

[spike.t]

I have bumped into him twice and constipated shooting him/QUOTE]

cody you need to eat more roughage to help with that problem....

 

[Cody Malone]

Here he is boys!

 

[billc]

That is a great impala you got.