Bob O
AH member
My wife and I just returned from a 15-day trip to South Africa last month. It was one of the best experiences of my life. We were part of a group of 20 family and friends, which included 15 hunters. It was so spectacular! After two days of flying, and four days of touring, we were getting antsy to go hunting. But we had seen some very beautiful scenery and animals at the Sudwala Caves, Kruger National Park, Skyway Trails zip-line, the Elephant Whisperer, Graskop, the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, and HBSC Habitat for animals. After we had seen spectacular beauty and many amazing animals for a few days, we were ready to hunt.
Day 7 of the journey we woke up early at 5:30 to go hunting at Motshwere Safaris! We got up at 5:30 on time for 6:30 breakfast. Everyone was dressed in camo today, finally! My wife and I wore matching camo outfits. Anyhow, we had a good breakfast, then I spent too much time getting my ammo belt situated, and made us 5 minutes late. So I had to hurry and get my gun sighted in with my PH. I brought my gun case to the shooting range, so Kim took it back for me. Werner asked me what was going on, so it was kind of embarrassing. Oh well. Then we loaded onto the hunting vehicles to go hunt. My mother-in-law, my wife, and I got one with Tina and John. On the way to our spot, we heard a gun shot, and saw Mike shoot an Impala from the vehicle in front of us! We then got off at a water hole. Werner noticed a fresh Leopard track as we were driving, right by our blind. Our tracker was David, and he set us up in the blind, about 40 yards from the water hole. So we all sat in the blind quietly for the next eight hours or so. First we saw some Guinea hens, then a Mongoose, and then other birds. Then bigger game started coming in. Groups of Warthogs, Baboons, then Warthogs again. We saw Nyala cows, Bushbucks, Kudu cows, Baboons, etc. My mother-in-law dozed off to sleep, a few times, but never snored. What a relief! It was an active water hole.
My wife was set up to shoot looking through the main opening, as she was trying to get a Waterbuck. All day she sat at the shooter's spot, with the 300 RUM Sendero, trying. At about 4:00, David turns around and whispers slowly " K U D U " very quietly, with big eyes. I was to hunt the Kudu, by prior agreement. I asked him "Is it a big one?" and he says " YES, BIG." Okay, this is a shooter! My wife immediately jumps up, moved over quietly, and I said thanks, took one knee, tried to aim but was looking in the sun and had to suppress a cough (I had caught a cold). My whole body quaked as I held back the cough, but my mother-in-law thought I was shaking from being nervous! It was hard to get a good aim.
The Kudu was about 90 yards away, and I waited for him to straighten up from drinking. He was quartered toward me, so I shot for the front shoulder. I thought I took a good shot, but when we got to where I had shot him, there was no blood. He had jumped and kicked, and almost tipped over running away, after I had shot him. David couldn't find him. My mother-in-law told me I should have shot better. Then David retraced the tracks, found him, and came back smiling and told me we got him!! He had run back about another 50 yards. He was a huge Kudu, much bigger than I expected! I was so excited when I saw that I had got him with a nicely placed shoulder shot. Everyone back at camp that night was talking about my Kudu bull, and congratulating me! It was the first Kudu taken in our group. Brett just kept saying "What a stud Kudu."
It was a great day!
Day 7 of the journey we woke up early at 5:30 to go hunting at Motshwere Safaris! We got up at 5:30 on time for 6:30 breakfast. Everyone was dressed in camo today, finally! My wife and I wore matching camo outfits. Anyhow, we had a good breakfast, then I spent too much time getting my ammo belt situated, and made us 5 minutes late. So I had to hurry and get my gun sighted in with my PH. I brought my gun case to the shooting range, so Kim took it back for me. Werner asked me what was going on, so it was kind of embarrassing. Oh well. Then we loaded onto the hunting vehicles to go hunt. My mother-in-law, my wife, and I got one with Tina and John. On the way to our spot, we heard a gun shot, and saw Mike shoot an Impala from the vehicle in front of us! We then got off at a water hole. Werner noticed a fresh Leopard track as we were driving, right by our blind. Our tracker was David, and he set us up in the blind, about 40 yards from the water hole. So we all sat in the blind quietly for the next eight hours or so. First we saw some Guinea hens, then a Mongoose, and then other birds. Then bigger game started coming in. Groups of Warthogs, Baboons, then Warthogs again. We saw Nyala cows, Bushbucks, Kudu cows, Baboons, etc. My mother-in-law dozed off to sleep, a few times, but never snored. What a relief! It was an active water hole.
My wife was set up to shoot looking through the main opening, as she was trying to get a Waterbuck. All day she sat at the shooter's spot, with the 300 RUM Sendero, trying. At about 4:00, David turns around and whispers slowly " K U D U " very quietly, with big eyes. I was to hunt the Kudu, by prior agreement. I asked him "Is it a big one?" and he says " YES, BIG." Okay, this is a shooter! My wife immediately jumps up, moved over quietly, and I said thanks, took one knee, tried to aim but was looking in the sun and had to suppress a cough (I had caught a cold). My whole body quaked as I held back the cough, but my mother-in-law thought I was shaking from being nervous! It was hard to get a good aim.
The Kudu was about 90 yards away, and I waited for him to straighten up from drinking. He was quartered toward me, so I shot for the front shoulder. I thought I took a good shot, but when we got to where I had shot him, there was no blood. He had jumped and kicked, and almost tipped over running away, after I had shot him. David couldn't find him. My mother-in-law told me I should have shot better. Then David retraced the tracks, found him, and came back smiling and told me we got him!! He had run back about another 50 yards. He was a huge Kudu, much bigger than I expected! I was so excited when I saw that I had got him with a nicely placed shoulder shot. Everyone back at camp that night was talking about my Kudu bull, and congratulating me! It was the first Kudu taken in our group. Brett just kept saying "What a stud Kudu."
It was a great day!
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