avon_7
AH senior member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2014
- Messages
- 58
- Reaction score
- 118
- Location
- Northern Territory
- Media
- 9
- Hunted
- NZ, Australia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, RSA
This is a bit of a review on a trip I just did with Emerald Sky Safaris in the PE region
There are so many international hunts I want to do including the Ukraine for Sika Deer, Hungary for huge Fallow, Nth America for Moose and Elk as well as Kazakhstan for Ibex but for some reason I keep returning to South Africa. It’s probably the value for money and multitude of game animals available as well as the relative safety and quality of hunting operations available.
It’s my second time with Emerald and my 3rd trip to Africa. My first trip was just ok and I went to a property in the Veld around two hours from Pretoria. Though I shot some animals I thought the hunting was a bit artificial and a bit of a ‘put and take property’ which is not what I’m used to or want. I’m an Ex Pat NZer now living in Australia and I wanted a more wilderness experience.
The property Emerald Sky has is 9,000 Ha so it’s just big enough for you to actually feel you are away from fences and that the animals there are actually wild and running free.
I prefer bow hunting but I’m not going to turn down rifle opportunities if animals are not coming into blinds.
Unfortunately conditions were the same as last year, it was a new moon and very wet and cold on the first few days. I was really after a Kudu bull with the bow but it wasn’t to be. They were just not coming into the blind though we spent the first few morning and afternoons in the blind, all I really got opportunities at were Oryx. I shot a nice Oryx bull with the bow last year so these were not on the menu this trip.
I did manage a nice Ostrich from the blind on the second day just to get off the mark so I was happy with that.
Wednesday we had planned a rifle hunt for a Duiker on a friend’s property in Port Alfred. This place is a free range cattle station and has quality Common Duiker and Bush Buck.
We had only been on the place for 20 minutes and my PH Kevin Farrell guided me onto this lovely Duiker. I used their .375 H&H Brno with a monolithic solid so as not to damage the cape.
Returning to the main property I was not happy with my bow shooting. I had actually injured my arm during the pistol club season back home and as a consequence was not grouping arrows as well as I have been able to. One morning we spotted this nice Warthog and Kevin and I got into range via a convoluted spot & stalk. I managed to down him with one arrow and so at least I had taken one animal with my compound bow.
With only 2 and half days left to the trip we decided to focus on a trophy Kudu with the rifle and so this is what we did. Typical isn’t it when you are Bow hunting we saw quite a few trophy Kudu out of bow range but when we went to the rifle we could only find non trophy versions.
I did manage this Jackal, which is one animal I’ve really been after since day one as well as a Nice Blesbok, and Springbok. I was also lucky enough to shoot only the second Bushbuck ever taken off this property.
The Kudu just were not cooperating though and it looked like I was going to go home with out one.
It was literally the last 15 minutes of light of the afternoon of the last day when we spotted this bloke. Though he’s not really a trophy I decided to try for him, as I didn’t want to go home without a Kudu again.
I took him with one shot at 209 yards with the PH’s .375 H&H and he dropped on the spot.
I had hoped for a 47" minimum Eastern Cape Kudu so he's not really a wall hanger trophy he is an animal I will cherish because of the challenge of the hunt and the pressure I was under to achieve my goal.
I’m back home now and already dreaming off taking a monster Kudu with the bow. Anyone recommend any good places for bow hunting Kudu- Greater or Eastern Cape, Steinbuck & Nyala on a decent size property please PM me?
Cheers
There are so many international hunts I want to do including the Ukraine for Sika Deer, Hungary for huge Fallow, Nth America for Moose and Elk as well as Kazakhstan for Ibex but for some reason I keep returning to South Africa. It’s probably the value for money and multitude of game animals available as well as the relative safety and quality of hunting operations available.
It’s my second time with Emerald and my 3rd trip to Africa. My first trip was just ok and I went to a property in the Veld around two hours from Pretoria. Though I shot some animals I thought the hunting was a bit artificial and a bit of a ‘put and take property’ which is not what I’m used to or want. I’m an Ex Pat NZer now living in Australia and I wanted a more wilderness experience.
The property Emerald Sky has is 9,000 Ha so it’s just big enough for you to actually feel you are away from fences and that the animals there are actually wild and running free.
I prefer bow hunting but I’m not going to turn down rifle opportunities if animals are not coming into blinds.
Unfortunately conditions were the same as last year, it was a new moon and very wet and cold on the first few days. I was really after a Kudu bull with the bow but it wasn’t to be. They were just not coming into the blind though we spent the first few morning and afternoons in the blind, all I really got opportunities at were Oryx. I shot a nice Oryx bull with the bow last year so these were not on the menu this trip.
I did manage a nice Ostrich from the blind on the second day just to get off the mark so I was happy with that.
Wednesday we had planned a rifle hunt for a Duiker on a friend’s property in Port Alfred. This place is a free range cattle station and has quality Common Duiker and Bush Buck.
We had only been on the place for 20 minutes and my PH Kevin Farrell guided me onto this lovely Duiker. I used their .375 H&H Brno with a monolithic solid so as not to damage the cape.
Returning to the main property I was not happy with my bow shooting. I had actually injured my arm during the pistol club season back home and as a consequence was not grouping arrows as well as I have been able to. One morning we spotted this nice Warthog and Kevin and I got into range via a convoluted spot & stalk. I managed to down him with one arrow and so at least I had taken one animal with my compound bow.
With only 2 and half days left to the trip we decided to focus on a trophy Kudu with the rifle and so this is what we did. Typical isn’t it when you are Bow hunting we saw quite a few trophy Kudu out of bow range but when we went to the rifle we could only find non trophy versions.
I did manage this Jackal, which is one animal I’ve really been after since day one as well as a Nice Blesbok, and Springbok. I was also lucky enough to shoot only the second Bushbuck ever taken off this property.
The Kudu just were not cooperating though and it looked like I was going to go home with out one.
It was literally the last 15 minutes of light of the afternoon of the last day when we spotted this bloke. Though he’s not really a trophy I decided to try for him, as I didn’t want to go home without a Kudu again.
I took him with one shot at 209 yards with the PH’s .375 H&H and he dropped on the spot.
I had hoped for a 47" minimum Eastern Cape Kudu so he's not really a wall hanger trophy he is an animal I will cherish because of the challenge of the hunt and the pressure I was under to achieve my goal.
I’m back home now and already dreaming off taking a monster Kudu with the bow. Anyone recommend any good places for bow hunting Kudu- Greater or Eastern Cape, Steinbuck & Nyala on a decent size property please PM me?
Cheers
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