SOUTH AFRICA: Crusader Safaris Early April Hunt

[ActionBob]

I think they will send photo's when they have something ready if you request them. But if you are going back in July, I would have them hold the mounts until then and make time to stop in and inspect them personally. PM sent as well.

What are you having done?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Well done Bob, great report! Funny how Africa gets under the skin of the wives also.

 

[ActionBob]

Hey everyone;
Thanks a bunch for all the possitive feedback on our hunt and the report... It has been very encouraging and a lot of fun to follow.

I'm really enjoying planning out the Taxidemy and in addition to some of the standard shoulder mounts, I am excited about some of the plans for group mounts, pedistal mounts and incorperating backskins, etc.

 

[Christina Nyczepir]

I am having taxidermy work completed on seven animals by AWA. Pedestal mounts done on my Gemsbok and Nyala and shoulder mounts on my two Impala, the Springbok, and Mountain Reedbuck. I only asked for the tusks on the Warthog since it was just a cull. That....and they're just so darned ugly. LOL. I also requested the backskins on all animals but the Warthog. I have decorative plans for those. I won't have time to check out how they are coming along when I'm there in July, especially since I am there to hunt with five other women. I will let you know how things progress.

 

[buchnerl]

Bob and Ann,

Your attitude and approach to the hunt/safari was undoubtedly key to the success of your whole hunt.

You both bagged extremely good trophies and what a great combination for a first timer to Africa!

Well done and hope to see you complete the Spiral and Springbok Slams now...

 

[CAustin]

Bob looks like you and the wife had a great time. Nice trophies.

 

[tarbe]

Bob

I must have my wife read your write-up....especially regarding your wife's experiences.

I am hopeful that my wife will want to fully participate. She will be shooting my rifle in the months leading up to leaving, "just in case".

Thanks for the report, and glad you had a bang-up good time.


Tim

 

[ActionBob]

Hey Thanks again all! We are still excited from our trip and looking forward to going back. Showed some neighbors pictures this weekend and I really think the one guys wife is on board to go! I don't think she is a hunter but after talking to Ann, I'm sure she would go as an observer and just might pick up a rifle herself as well. She was amazed at the pictures of the accommodations.... She said she thought it would require sleeping in a tent. That was Ann's biggest initial concern also. The wives need to know they will have a decent bathroom/shower and safe clean/comfortable place to eat and sleep.

Tim;
It sounds like your wife is prepping herself to fully participate. I had to let it happen and not push it too hard. Ann wanted to go along and just take pictures. But as the planning progressed she decided she wanted a Zebra rug and I refused (strategically) to shoot one... After a couple days she decided that "maybe" she would shoot a zebra. Well Zebra are not the cheapest thing but Blesbuck are lower priced and plentiful so I suggested she take one for practice. It took her 3 shots and she was ready to give up but she was committed to the Zebra so had to have a go at that..... That went well, she had a blast and dropped it cleanly with one shot... the rest is history.

Ann was a crack shot with an open sighted .22 as a kid... But she had not shot a gun in at least 30 years and never with a scope. Ann could not get comfortable with my guns and had trouble lining up the scopes, even though we tried several and various mounts. So we went shopping. I thought the Savage Lady hunter in a 6.5 Creedmoor with a 2.5-8 Leupold VX3 or a Swarovski Z3 3-9x36 could make a great and economical rig for a woman wanting to shoot a few smaller plains game, even up to Kudu and Zebra. But Ann wanted a 30-06 to have a classic and easily attainable caliber. After some experimenting she settled on a Ruger Guide gun with all the stock spacers removed and the little Leupold as it has great eye relief. That gun has a short barrel and is heavy for it's size but Ann is pretty strong and it seems to handle well for her and the weight of course helps control recoil. I also like that you can get that same gun in .375 Ruger if she ever decides to go after bigger critters. (she did mention Lion at one point, I can take that kind of a "cat lady"

Hope you and your wife have a great time together!

Bob

 

[ActionBob]

Loodt we need to also get a Blue Wildebeest to go towards our Beest Slam. And I have a personal desire for Common Reedbuck and Vaal Rhebuck to add to my Mountain Reedbuck. I cleanly missed a great Steenbuck so need a second go at that. And the list goes on...

Bob

 

[ActionBob]

Tim;
I should add we ran into a very helpful gun salesman who patiently attached different scopes onto different rifles for Ann to try. I'm sure it helped that we were buying a couple scopes (I needed one as well) and pairs of binos, cases, etc. Of course that works the other way as well... we bought from him because of the great service, and he was competitive on price .... And that after the last election I was in the "gun a month club" for a while! (but don't tell Ann that

Bob

 

[tarbe]

But as the planning progressed she decided she wanted a Zebra rug and I refused (strategically) to shoot one... After a couple days she decided that "maybe" she would shoot a zebra. Well Zebra are not the cheapest thing but Blesbuck are lower priced and plentiful so I suggested she take one for practice. It took her 3 shots and she was ready to give up but she was committed to the Zebra so had to have a go at that..... That went well, she had a blast and dropped it cleanly with one shot... the rest is history.

Hope you and your wife have a great time together!

Bob

My wife wants an Ostrich, of all things! I have (strategically) refused to shoot an ostrich!

Thanks for the well wishes. This is going to be our 30 years delayed honeymoon!


Tim

 

[ActionBob]

Wow! My sympathy on the Ostrich thing but hey, it's a start and one that is pretty reasonable to refuse to shoot so you have a great shot at that working out! And with that pea sized brain and evil eyes, and just being a bird, pretty hard for her to suddenly get mushy about how it is too cute or anything...

Of course I don't have that problem..... some more of my back story is we are dairy farmers and that trip (3 1/2 weeks total) was to celebrate our 30th anniversary and that we had been in business for 30 years..... But the rest of the "rest of the story" is that way back when I married that cute little 18 year old and took her from town to the farm, she was soon feeding calves... And as we were just starting our herd of Holstein milk cows and buying them here and there, we had one give birth to a very cute fuzzy black angus bull calf.... Which my sweet little wife promptly had the vet castrate and then she named him "the meat!" or just meat for short... So she petted him every day and I would hear her talking to him, "hey meat how are you doing? Be a good boy and eat some more grain." etc. Until he was about 1300 pounds and then one day she invited her father and brothers over to help put him in the freezer and she cooked him up and enjoyed him a couple times per day until he was gone!

 

[tarbe]

Bob, if your wife starts calling you "meat", you better run!!

 

[ActionBob]

Yea it's tough love.