SOUTH AFRICA: What Side Of The Fence Are You On??

[jacques smith]

Seems like the budget plan might be going down the hole in the outhousenice pair of kudu

 

[jacques smith]

Oops wrong post. Brent C had the duo on kudu. Carry On

 

[blkbearklr]

DAY 3 Well today was the day we go after a couple of the bigger animals on my list. Got up nice and early had a huge breakfast and loaded up to take a nice drive to the location where we would hunt kudu. As we were getting loaded up another truck came up to meet us and there were four additional trackers in the truck. I asked what they were for? Was told we get one down we will need every one there to help pack it out. I was surprised at the professionalism on how well everything was a like a well oiled machine. Was explained that we would be in the mountains doing a lot of glassing and that the remainder of the trackers would be on stand by. So we get to where we are going and I actually picture Idaho elk hunting in my mind. Large wooded brushy moutains and a ton of up and down. We park truck at top and our plan is to walk down in to the valley and then have truck meet us. Our first stop was a rather large canyon where we watched some eland for a while. But no Kudu. We then get up and move to our second location. We are starting to glass and our tracker Mike calls on the radio. He is about 250 yards away on a bend. We move over to him and observe a nice kudu farther down in the canyon. As we are developing a plan directly across the canyon another kudu pops out. It is approx 280 yards almost even with us across the canyon. Colin looks it over and says that is a nice mature bull. What do you think. Well I think you should put your fingers in your ears shit is about to get real right now. Down behind the sticks we go. My love hate relationship starts again. This side down to far, this side up to far. We adjust sticks and I finally get comfortable. Colin tells me two things. No shooting it in the chest and re load as fast as I can and hit it until it is down. Ok here we go. First shot looks great a loud whoop at that end it stumbles I am already reloading and hitting it again. Second shot looks good. I am reloading it is turning to face up the hill. Third shot to the back of the neck KUDU down. Holy crap thing absorbed some lead. We stay there and observe for at least ten minutes making sure it is not going anywheres. Then Colin sends the tracker over to it. Down the canyon he goes about 35 minutes later we see him working his way up the other side. He gets to it and gives us the big smile and the thumbs up. We then decide no way in hell am I dropping off this canyon to come up the other side. We are going to go around the back side and work our way in that way. So we move to new position, and call other remaining trackers. We then move in about 3/4 mile across top to start dropping down. We get to my kudu about the same time the trackers to. And I just sit there look up thank god for the good shots and then admire such a majestic animal. All is done now except the pictures!!!!

 

[blkbearklr]

Ok everyone sorry about not posting the last day or two had some things on my plate that had to get taken care of. So on day 3 after taken my Kudu we decided to go and look for the mighty elusive blue wildebeest. They travel alone and hide deep in the mountains past the great falls. So as I was approx 12 miles into my 28 mile forced march I began to think I would never catch up to them. HAHAHAHAHA Who am I kidding. So Colin and I dropped down the mountain on the come flats, I really truly do not know what to call them the fricken cactus was about 10 feet high and thick. He said we are going to go this way and I was like yea ok you take the lead. So we started moving through and came up on a nice group of blues. And we started looking them over real well Colin for size and me for the cape. We both agreed on one real nice one and made a plan. And then it started again. Trying to crawl on our hands and knees. I said to Colin my famous quote of WTF. And so we crouched down and made our way to the opposite side of the wildebeest. I distinctly remember Colin say to me, Joe make this shot count, if he moves he is in that thick shit. SO I watched him for about 15 minutes he was kind of bedded down watching his portion for danger. I would say he was roughly around the 120 yard mark. One well placed shot to the heart. He jumped started to run and then he started doing the drunken sailor walk and 5 seconds later he was DITD. This is truly one of the animals I wanted to have a nice cape on for mounting and I looked him over well before pulling the trigger. I can say I am absolutely ecstatic of his cape. One more off the list.

 

[ActionBob]

Wow that is a nice cape on the Blue Wildebeest. Enjoying the report

 

[Ridgewalker]

Oh yes, some more fine trophies! The only blue to date I have taken had a beautiful cape I use for a rug. Wish I would have padded and edged it in black leather like my zebra. They are just as beautiful IMO!

 

[blkbearklr]

Sorry everyone has been a couple of days, I am back in the states now and the taxidermy business has me going crazy. Will add some more citters to the story. One of my animals I wanted was a gemsbok. I talked with Colin the night before we were supposed to hunt them and I told him I want some extra long horns. At that time he informed me that the females will have the longer horns but the males will have the larger diameter horns. So we agreed then that we would look them over and I could decide on what I wanted to take and we could go from there. So getting out to the area we were going to hunt we started the walk. Not a bad walk just one down through an old creek bed. My infantry back does not do well with uneven terrain any longer so I kept it slow. After walking for approx 30-45 minutes we were on to a nice herd of gemsbok. I sat down and Colin and I started glassing after glassing approx 30 different animals I told him which one I was thinking. We both agreed on it. And both agreed it had some long horns which is what I was looking for. So we then got setup on those god awful cursing sticks. And we sat and then we sat some more and then we sat some more. She would just not come out of the herd to get a well placed shot on her. So we sat some more. About an hour into this I am thinking ok my ass is cramped, my leg is going numb and my eye sight is getting blurry. And then it happened they start moving from right to left. I crack up when this happens one I am thinking where I am going to shoot it at, which spot on the body, where are my shooting lanes. Things of that nature. Colin well he gets excited. Get ready get ready, they are moving there, get ready. In my mind I am giggling like a teenager. I usually ask Colin about this time should I get ready? So anyways there was a slight rise coming out of the creek bed and I knew that was where they were going to pile up a little, and guess what they piled up a little right there. I waited for the one that I had chosen to step up out of the creek bed, the distance was about 120 yards. Everything was perfect the 7mm barked one time, heard the whoop of the bullet and next thing you know it was DITD. well on this one technically we can not say DITD so we will just leave it at that. Another excellent hunt, another great trophy, and another memory forever etched in my mind!!!!!

 

[blkbearklr]

Oh yes, some more fine trophies! The only blue to date I have taken had a beautiful cape I use for a rug. Wish I would have padded and edged it in black leather like my zebra. They are just as beautiful IMO!

Yes I agree with you the blue wildebeest is a beautiful animal and will look awesome as a pedestal mount next to my zebra pedestal mount.

 

[cpr0312]

Nice WB and gemsbok!!! Oh yeah and kudu, congrats!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Taxidermy is stacking up on your trip, never mind work.
Congratulations on your success.

 

[blkbearklr]

Well everyone I will end this story now and get back to the grind to save more and go back again. It was a great time hunting Africa. We met some great honest people at Game 4 Africa. They are very conservative in the way they manage their animals. I cannot say enough great things about them, John, Amanda, Colin and Wik went out of their way each and every day to make sure as they call it our Holiday was all that we had dreamed about. If you are on the side of the fence where you don't know to go or not to go, where you don't know who to go with I highly recommend Game 4 Africa. If you ever have any questions that you would like answered then feel free to send me a message and I will answer them until you have a full understanding. Take care everyone, shoot straight listen to your PH and learn to love/hate your sticks.

 

[jacques smith]

Thanks for report. Nicely done

 

[Philip Glass]

DAY 3 Well today was the day we go after a couple of the bigger animals on my list. Got up nice and early had a huge breakfast and loaded up to take a nice drive to the location where we would hunt kudu. As we were getting loaded up another truck came up to meet us and there were four additional trackers in the truck. I asked what they were for? Was told we get one down we will need every one there to help pack it out. I was surprised at the professionalism on how well everything was a like a well oiled machine. Was explained that we would be in the mountains doing a lot of glassing and that the remainder of the trackers would be on stand by. So we get to where we are going and I actually picture Idaho elk hunting in my mind. Large wooded brushy moutains and a ton of up and down. We park truck at top and our plan is to walk down in to the valley and then have truck meet us. Our first stop was a rather large canyon where we watched some eland for a while. But no Kudu. We then get up and move to our second location. We are starting to glass and our tracker Mike calls on the radio. He is about 250 yards away on a bend. We move over to him and observe a nice kudu farther down in the canyon. As we are developing a plan directly across the canyon another kudu pops out. It is approx 280 yards almost even with us across the canyon. Colin looks it over and says that is a nice mature bull. What do you think. Well I think you should put your fingers in your ears shit is about to get real right now. Down behind the sticks we go. My love hate relationship starts again. This side down to far, this side up to far. We adjust sticks and I finally get comfortable. Colin tells me two things. No shooting it in the chest and re load as fast as I can and hit it until it is down. Ok here we go. First shot looks great a loud whoop at that end it stumbles I am already reloading and hitting it again. Second shot looks good. I am reloading it is turning to face up the hill. Third shot to the back of the neck KUDU down. Holy crap thing absorbed some lead. We stay there and observe for at least ten minutes making sure it is not going anywheres. Then Colin sends the tracker over to it. Down the canyon he goes about 35 minutes later we see him working his way up the other side. He gets to it and gives us the big smile and the thumbs up. We then decide no way in hell am I dropping off this canyon to come up the other side. We are going to go around the back side and work our way in that way. So we move to new position, and call other remaining trackers. We then move in about 3/4 mile across top to start dropping down. We get to my kudu about the same time the trackers to. And I just sit there look up thank god for the good shots and then admire such a majestic animal. All is done now except the pictures!!!!

View attachment 237105

Yes African animals are tough and can take some lead!

 

[Edge]

Thanks for sharing your experience and some great trophies!

 

[flatwater bill]

I enjoyed the logistic details of your trip and the planning......thanks for posting and well done.....................FWB