Back from Africa

[fishing4sanity]

My first trip to Africa turned out to be an amazing experience. Getting there was a bit tedious, airplane seats are not designed for that many hours of use, but once there I loved every minute of the hunt. My brother and I hunted with Kido Safaris in KwaZulu-Natal and for anyone interested in hunting South Africa I would recommend them without hesitation. After finally arriving, the rest of the first day was spent checking rifles and then just getting to know the area and seeing some African wildlife.




I knew the weather would be hot, but hey, I'm a farmer and I'm used to working in the hot summer sun. After hunting hard all day on a sunny day that reached 104 degrees I decided this farmer spends more time than he thought in a nice air conditioned John Deere on those hot summer days. On the second full day of hunting I got a shot at my first ever African animal and thought it was very fitting that it was a kudu. After deciding on this hunt I made a kudu target to practice on at home and then my kudu was the first thing I put crosshairs on in Africa. The first animal for my brother was also a kudu. The first few days were very hot, but productive.

 

[fishing4sanity]

It was surreal to be hunting these animals I had only seen pictures of and read about, now it was happening. We also had to be aware of where other animals, like elephants and rhinos, were at to avoid any unwanted run-ins.


The trackers, Elias and James, were unbelievable in their ability to spot game. One day as Elias seemed to be concentrating on the opposite side of the canyon, I spotted a group of impala and proudly blurted out "impalas!" In his unique cadence and accent Elias quietly said, "yes, 6 females." I quickly glanced back to 'my find' and sure enough, 6 females happily feeding away. I swear the guy had eyes in the front, back and sides of his head. Over the course of our trip we hunted in blistering heat, cool light rain, pounding heavy rains and loved every minute of it.






Hunting Africa is certainly different from a western DIY hunt, but by the sunset of our last day I was already planning how to get back there and hunt again.

 

[Big luke1981]

Wow, Congrats on a awesome hunt. I need to get over there one of these years.

 

[recon6036]

Sounds and looks like a great time!

 

[1_pointer]

Congrats! The more I see pics of them, the more I'd like to shoot a zebra! Great pics and thanks for sharing.

 

[kansasdad]

Beautiful photography fishing4sanity! The sounds and smells as well of the sites of Africa are amazing to behold. Looks like you and your brother were working in an all time target rich environment.

 

[WV Hunter]

Wow. Great photos from what looks to be an awesome trip. You are a blessed man!

 

[npaden]

Very cool.

It's so weird how we all associate differently with things. Seeing the zebra and giraffe is different that the horned animals for some bizarre reason to me. Maybe because we see them in a zoo? Maybe because we associate zebras with domestic horses? It's odd because I don't associate wolves or coyotes with domestic dogs, but maybe that's why some folks have such a hard time with them.

Are you going to get any or all of them mounted? European style or shoulder mounts? Tan the hide on the zebra and giraffe?

Lastly, a very personal question that I understand if you don't answer... How much did this end up costing? Airfare, the hunt itself, trophy fees, tips, etc., and how much will you have to pay to get everything tanned and mounted and shipped back? Also, was it a large high fence place or low fenced or no fenced?

Looks like a really good time, especially seeing the elephant and rhino.

 

[TheShootist.41]

Awesome pictures and trophies. Thank you for sharing.

 

[MTbowhunter84]

Amazing photos and looks like an equally amazing trip and hunt congrats and thanks for the share.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

Great photos and thanks for sharing......

 

[Rat Fink]

Awesome Safari. I need to get back over there to Namibia and hunt again. It sure gets in your blood. What are you doing with the Giraffe? i want to hunt one as well, but the tanning costs for the hide are just ridiculous.

 

[LopeHunter]

Living the dream here at my desk as I read your hunt recap. I always enjoy the rare hunt with family since the downtime is usually as entertaining as the hunting portion. I grew up on a farm in the Midwest and no a/c on our tractors so I was tough as nails in the heat but then went to college where rooms had a/c then a few decades in the NW so now any heat with humidity and I am sweating like a pig as hike. Maybe is due to not being 20 anymore but I think mild summers have changed things.

Congrats on your hunt!

 

[birddog32]

Awesome pics, thanks for sharing

 

[nbell]

Looks like fun. On my bucket list for sure. Congrats on what looks like a ton of fun.

 

[elkrchr]

Glad you had a great trip. My wife and I went to South Africa for what was supposed to be our first and only time in 2007. Yeah, right. We went back in 2009 and 2011. She's going back this summer with a group of women and to change things up a bit, I'm planning on going to Namibia in 2016. It is very addictive and I always say "Scratch the Bite, Embrace the Itch". I hope you're able to go again. What most people don't realize is how "reasonably priced" a trip over there can be. For the price of good, guided elk hunt you can easily go to Africa and squeeze the trigger time and time again!

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Looks like you guys had a grew time. Well done. Natal is a neat place to hunt and has good habitat and a diverse range of wildlife.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Wow, those are some fantastic photos. Good for you for making it happen!

 

[Sytes]

Incredible adventure!

 

[fishing4sanity]

Thanks for the comments. I am planning on shoulder mounts of everything including the giraffe, the entry way in our house has a high ceiling, so once the taxidermy is complete there will be a giraffe right in front of you when the door opens. I've got a great wife and when I told her where I was thinking of putting the giraffe she was completely in favor of the idea, now I just have to find a way to keep grandkids from climbing it.