SOUTH AFRICA: My First Safari With KMG Safaris

[tay50]

Hey everyone last time I posted I was leaving for SA in the morning to hunt with KMG Safaris, I'm here to tell you I had the best time of my life. I know now why everyone says you will want to go back again, I'm hooked on Africa and I will be back. The only thing I can say about Marius Goosen is when that man isn't hunting, he's thinking about hunting, he works hard for you and wants you to get your animals. I had a couple of must have animals on my list but ended up with a total 7, Kudu, Nyala, Warthog, Blue Wildebeest, Bushbuck, Impala, and Mt. Reedbuck.
Day 1, off to Detroit Metro airport for my 10:09am flight to Washington Dulles, next flight is at 5:40pm with SAA to JoBerg with a stop in Dakar. I was not mentally prepared for the 17 hours in a plane I think I hated myself by the time I reached JoBerg. So it was nice to see the Afton house rep. waiting for me when I arrived, off to the house a steak dinner and couple of beers and I was ready for some well deserved sleep.

Day 2, up at 7:00am for some coffee and breakfast, then back to the airport for my 10:45 flight to Port Elizabeth, when I arrive I spot my guy Marius and our friendship begins. We have to wait for the next flight which arrives at 2:00pm so Marius shows me Port Elizabeth and offers me lunch, then back to the airport. We pick up a couple from Sweden, Kent and Kari also known as roedeer hunter on the forum, once the bucky is loaded off we go to the lodge. The lodge was just built over the past several months and looks very nice, with a bar, dining area, sitting area and a large deck if you preferred to be outside. I will post some pictures along with the rest of my trip once if figure out how to add pictures?

 

[Royal27]

Can't wait!!!!

 

[Savage Hunter]

sigh. I hope you saved a big Nyala for me.
Looking forward to your report.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Look forward to the rest. (Pictures, just drag and drop into the thread.)

 

[hunting4sanity]

Looking forward to your report/pics. Was your steak in JoBerg at Jose's? I understand getting hooked on Africa that easily - it was the same for me.

 

[gutterdoc]

My dad and I will be there this time next year. Can't wait to hear and see the details!

 

[adgunner]

Tay 50, Glad you enjoyed the hunt! If your brain is hardwired for hunting, Marius is certainly the guy to hunt with! Looking forward to the pictures .... 31 days until we head back for round two at KMG!

 

[accipiter]

Glad you had a great hunt! We only hear great things about KMG and Marius the hunting machine. I look forward to the photos of your trophies.

 

[tay50]

Day 3, My first day hunting in SA, up for some coffee and breakfast and off to the hunting area about 45 minutes away, Maruis says we are going for bushbuck first. When we arrive at our hunting area we crest a hill over looking a valley and on the opposite side we spot some Waterbuck, not on my list. We sit down and glass for a bit next thing I know Marius says lets go to another spot , few minutes later there's Marius up a tree for a better view, nothing down he comes and were off still on the same hillside, but looking from different angles. Finally a bushbuck, he looks good, blink of an eye gone, I spot one, lean over to tell Marius, gone, these guys are sneaky. We spot a good ram and close in, I set up on the sticks and wait, here comes my ram he is 120 yards facing me, Marius says wait until he turns. All of the sudden all hell breaks loose above the bushbuck, dam the waterbuck are running everywhere, well mister bushbuck wants nothing to do with this gone! Next thing I hear is Marius saying KUDU! he's big take him, how far? 260 yards! I settle in and touch her off, Did I miss? Shoot again is all I hear, I aim again squeeze the trigger whop you hear the bullet hit and the Kudu go down. What the hell just happened, in a matter of 5 seconds I'm getting ready to take a bushbuck and end up with a Kudu. We sit there watching the area where the kudu went down, Marius says he's done lets go get him, off to the bucky (truck) and around the top to just above where my trophy lays. Now comes Flex the wonder dog, off we go down the hill to find my kudu a couple of minutes later Flex is barking like crazy at my first African animal. I cannot believe my eyes when we get to him, he is huge, 48 inch horns with a lot of mass going way up his horns, Marius said he is a very good bull not many like him. I check him over and find two bullet holes in him, I feel better that I didn't miss. My first day in Africa can it get any better than this? You bet it can!

 

[tay50]

Day 4, Up early again for coffee and breakfast and off for another 45 minute drive to hunt Nyala a trophy I really want. Once arrive we pick up a friend of Marius to help spot, Henrik, he tells us where to start looking. We set up with the sun at our backs and check the hillsides for Nyala sunning themselves, we spot several female and small bulls. Moving along we see several more animals, one needs a better look, we get up on him and to small needs another year. Now folks I don't know how, but Marius spots a good bull about 3 hillsides away! I hear lets go and were off. We finally get to the opposite hillside from the bull and spot him laying down, we get setup on him at 126 yards and wait and wait for what seems like forever. Of course Marius notices the end of the rifle barrel is slightly shaking, well a lot of shaking is going on, nervous? No cool as a cucumber holding out my shaking hand. After I would guess was 40 minutes, well really 10 minutes Marius says get ready he's getting up, wait until he clear of the bushes, ok, one step then two he's broadside, crosshairs are on the shoulder, boom! down the hill my bull goes rolling until the brush stops him. When we get to him Marius tells me this is one of the best bulls he has taken, 28 1/2 inch horns with a big bell and ivory tips. When checking the bull we found most of his lower teeth were missing, a very old bull! After some pictures and recovering the bull were off to the skinning shed to drop him off, Marius says lets go we are off hunting something else. We spent the day chasing warthog, Impala, Blue Wildebeest but no luck, we head back to the lodge at dark, I'm tired.

 

[tarbe]

That Nyala is a stud!

 

[CAustin]

Man I like your trophies. Like you I'm hooked on hunting in Africa. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[adgunner]

Tay 50, very nice Nyala! Henrik if your reading this see you in a month!

 

[Wheels]

Enjoying your report. You have some nice animals there. Congrats.

All the best.

 

[Nyati]

Congrats for a good hunt and nice trophies !

Thanks for sharing.

 

[enysse]

Very nice nyala!!! Beautiful cape kudu!

 

[Bobpuckett]

Awesome trophies that Nyala is a Stud! Can't wait to here the rest of the story.

 

[tay50]

Day 5, Up again at day break for the usual coffee and breakfast, we are hunting on property today looking for impala, warthog or blue wildebeest. We head out to find a nice perch to glass from, we spot several different types animals nothing of interest yet, then I hear a familiar voice saying big pig. I start looking for the warthog and of course I cannot find them, I will have better binoculars next time I go, once again I hear let's go get him. As we are working our way around the area trying to find the big one we run into a flock of sheep, then appears a female warthog. We hear a lot of grunting and squealing going on in the brush, Marius says the male is chasing the young ones, we set up on the sticks to see what happens. One by one the warthogs start appearing, finally the big guy steps out, no shot small warthogs and sheep are in the way, Marius reminds me not to shoot a sheep. Me being a smartass says you mean don't shoot the white ones right? I get the look? After a minute or so there's my shot front quartering at 40 yards, boom warthog down, wait warthog back up and running to my right, shoot again, miss. The next thing I know this warthog is running straight at me, some where between the last shot and the charge I had bolted up another round. At about the 5 foot mark I fired my third shot striking the warthog just under his right eye causing all four legs to collapse, just feet away from me. I hear great shot, as I turn to look over my shoulder with the you gotta be shitting me look on my face, did that just really happen? Africa you got to love this place.

Day 6, We hunted the morning and afternoon, saw plenty of game but nothing I was interested in, good day still, after all I had 3 in the salt, and all were outstanding animals.

 

[tay50]

Day 7, Up again early for coffee and breakfast, heading off property to hunt about 40 minutes or so away, going after blue wildebeest. We find a vantage point to glass from, and spot several blesbuck along with impala, and just past them several blue wildebeest, I hear let's go and were off through the brush. Once we reached a spot where we could access the situation, there were a bachelor herd and a herd bull with his girls. The next problem is how do we get clos enough for a shot with all the others animals surrounding the wildebeest? We stuck from bush to bush, done some crawling and finally got to within 200 yards. The wildebeest were moving in and out of the brush so it was hard to keep and eye on the bull, we spot him again now we just have to wait for him to clear the females. After several minutes I get my chance, he turns quartering away from me at 220 yards, crosshairs on target, slight trigger squeeze and down my blue goes. As I sit watching him there is still some movement, I don't want to lose him so I keep my sights on him. Next thing I hear is come quickly on the sticks? What? Marius had spotted a nice ram impala, by the time I got on the sticks he was gone. We walked over to my blue still alive, so I finished the job, these guys are tough, off to the skinning shed, once done, I hear let's go, where? back to where we seen the first bushbuck about an hour away.

 

[tay50]

Day 7, the afternoon, got my blue wildebeest in the morning, now I'm back to the property where my hunt began looking for a bushbuck. We do the same program as the first morning moving around the area looking for bushbuck, look who's up a tree again, Marius the mans hunts hard. Marius tells me the bushbuck like to come out on the grassy knoll to the left of us, sure enough about 4:30 a young male and female bushbuck come out to feed. About 20 minutes later we spot a huge bushbuck coming out to feed, I hear come quickly, be quiet, we move into position. Now I'm very nervous at this point, I want a bushbuck in the worse way, I'm on the sticks, how far? Doesn't matter just hold on him, deep breath on target, click, what did I forget to chamber a round? The bushbuck didn't run, how could they have not heard that, I pull the bolt back, hey there's the shell, I hand it back to Marius and bolt another up. Now I'm shaking like a leaf I have two male's in front of me with their heads down, did they change positions? Marius gets me on the right one, bang my bushbuck goes down, I didn't like the sound the bullet made when it hit so I kept my scope on the spot he went down. We set there a couple of minutes, Marius says let's go get him, I'm ready just incase he's not dead, not a problem one and done, just a tad bit back with the shot. He measured at 15 inches, had some battle scars on him he was a tough old boy, I'm proud he's mine.