SOUTH AFRICA: Bos en Dal SAFARIS 20 days!

[thriller]

 

[WyoBull]

Great Buffalo! Thanks for the great story this far! Very nice animals.

 

[Firebird]

Wonderful animals across the board-enjoying your report and glad Africa is putting lots of temptation in front of you!

 

[VertigoBE]

Great adventure so far Mark! Will the Lott speak again this trip?
Very nice impala btw! well done

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Great adventure so far Mark! Will the Lott speak again this trip?
Very nice impala btw! well done

Thank you!
Yes the Lott will speak again!
I have to go back to work today
Will
Be tonight before I write some more. The Lott talks!

 

[cpr0312]

Quite the start to the hunt with some fantastic trophies!

 

[mdwest]

Now you have me wanting to go chase baboons when we get there in a few weeks....

Damn you @Mark Biggerstaff !

 

[AZDAVE]

Enjoying your adventure, looking forward to the rest of the story.

 

[buck wild]

Good read. Glad to see you made it there and back . I was following on FB.

That first set of pictures at the table, looks like Jaffles !!

 

[Rickmt]

Great Hunt ! Damn nice Buffalo! Let’s hear some more!

 

[meigsbucks]

Great buff. Those BWB and impala are wide. Keep the recap coming.

 

[kudukid]

What an amazing hunt. Those 2 warthog together-wow. Your buff is a cracker. Exceptional BW and impala. You are nailing it. Would love to see a photo of narrow horn??

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

5/30
Up at 4:30am and off by 5:30am
This morning we are headed out for Buffalo again! We are headed to the same place that I took my two previous Buffalo (2019 and 2021)and @mdwest took his.
This place is mountains and valleys. About 98% rock. It is a spot and stalk hunt, no tracking in all these rocks.
When we arrived it was a cold and windy morning, mid 30s with 20 plus mile hour winds. We started driving the tops of ridges looking into the valleys figuring the Buffalo would be out of the wind. There was not much game moving at all. We stopped for a bush lunch off the tailgate of the truck about 10:30am to let it warm up.
About 11:30 we started back out of the valley we were in and noticed that the wind had died off and was warming up.
We were headed up the side of a ridge when a herd of buff was spotted going up the opposite side out of the valley.
We glassed them over and saw about 5 good hard horned bulls in the herd. Only way to them was go on up, turn around, come back down and up the other side to beat them to the top and set up and wait on them.
Well as it usually happens something went wrong with the plan. Turning around once a spot was found. Gerrit’s truck blew a tire!
Found a stump!

Was amazing to see 4 PHs change a tire that fast!

Yes I said 4 PH’s.
On this hunt I had the Bos en Dal team accompany me. Sentimental reasons.
PHs Gerrit, Frikkie, Rickus and Francois. PH Francois manages this farm and PHs for Gerrit also when needed.

Tire changed and headed back down. We see buff still going up the other side and Francois tells Gerrit how to get there.
Well we get over there and get out and start heading where we think they will come up at. Only problem is when we get there buff are already there! They made it faster than we thought would. We ease in toward them taking advantage of the bush. We stop about 50-60’yards from them as a cow spots us. There is around 35 in the herd total it looks like. They start looking at us and milling around. That’s when the bulls started working there way to the front and staring us down.
Francois knows these buff as he has been managing this place for over 10 years. He says to watch out! There are a couple of cows that have no bluff in them, they will charge! Finally a Bull is selected and agreed on as to age and requirements by owners as to a shooter. When they tell me which Bull we will be going for I am ecstatic! Never thought it would be this great of a Bull.
He finally works his way clear of others and is facing us at about 45-50 yards.
This is where I want to stress!
Make sure first shot is right and good!
The bull was quartering toward us and I miss judged the angle when I fired my first shot. (Hit looked and felt good. But later found out it was about 3 inches left of where needed to have been.)
At the shot they all broke and run about 80 yards up and over a small rise into some tall grass and a small thicket!
We gave it about 15 min and started moving in there direction. Herd was milling around, real nervous. Some cows started coming at us when they saw us. We all took up a defensive action. Francois was watching there reactions as he knows this herd better than anyone. Gerrit had me right by his side and another PHs to his other side. The cows finally turned and took the group down and over a small ridge about 150 yards away. We glassed them as they went over and out of sight. The Bull I hit was not with them.
Gerrit took the lead in the tall grass as we eased to where they had been.
All of a sudden Gerrit freezes and says “there under that tree in the brush”
About 60 yards away under a tree in thick brush you could make out a buff. Laying with its back to us, but head was up!
We ease to the left for a more clear angle at him. About that time he stood up and looked right at us! He didn’t charge but turned to run. I was already on the sticks and hear “take him”. I hit him right behind shoulder as he broke to run. I started pumping him full of 458 Lott Aframes.
(My CZ will hold 6 rounds)
I hit him 2 more behind shoulders, Gerrit hit him 1 round 500 Nitro as he started up a small rise I hit him in neck behind his horns about 8 inches driving a round into the brain(was found by skinners when caping him out). He dropped and I put two more into the spine between the shoulders
Bull was down and done at that point.
We moved in slowly and made sure he was done.
Man what a buff, 42 7/8 wide!
Set up for pics was done and recovery team called in.

The remainder of the day was spent around the skinning shed watching the skinners work. Then loading up the meat and cape to head back to main farm.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

What an amazing hunt. Those 2 warthog together-wow. Your buff is a cracker. Exceptional BW and impala. You are nailing it. Would love to see a photo of narrow horn??

You will see a photo later on with me in it

 

[shootist~]

Great story, Mark!

How is the jet lag? You are some kind of tough to be back at work already.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Great story, Mark!

How is the jet lag? You are some kind of tough to be back at work already.

Thank you !
Jet lag is not bad. I got about 8 hours sleep on the return flight. And a good nights sleep last night.

 

[Trogon]

I'm really enjoying your hunt report, Mark, these are great trophies! I'm looking forward to the remainder of your trip write-up. I'm impressed with your animal quality, they all look exceptional!

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I'm really enjoying your hunt report, Mark, these are great trophies! I'm looking forward to the remainder of your trip write-up. I'm impressed with your animal quality, they all look exceptional!

Than you!
That’s why I booked so many days so I could take my time and look for some really good animals.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

5/31
Slept in a little later this morning. Really cold this morning, winter setting in. Very windy all day, never took coats off. Gerrit is gone for a few days to attend to some family matters. Rikus and I for a few days.
We left lodge about 8am. Windy and cold. Riding and looking for Narrow Horn. Not much moving in am so we came in for lunch about 11am. Gone by noon. Riding and looking. About 3pm we came around a bend in road and there was Narrow Horn! About 150 yards coming up an open area from a water hole. Bailed out of truck and took after him. But as the gray ghost does, he vanished into the bush before we could get a shot at him.
He was on the opposite side of the property from where we had last seen him.

He travels a lot it appears.

We worked the area till dark looking for him but no luck.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Great report so far. Glad you were able to make the trip. Congrats on the great trophies, looking forward to the rest