Kudu in the Waterburg Mountains

[Hntnhrd]

been a really busy summer so i haven't been around here since spring. Squeezed in some time for a little hunting in South Africa. Here is my favorite.



I will try to upload some more photos and the hole story in the next couple days. 8 animals in 10 days. The taxidermy bill is going to be the killer!!!!!

 

[Moosie]

That bull doesn't suck one bit !!!! Kudos on the Kudo's

 

[Bambistew]

Looking forward to the pictures.

 

[Hntnhrd]

my goal was a kudu bull that didn't suck!!!!

Anyway here are some pictures and a little blurb about the trip.



As far as the hunting WOW. I felt that I lived in some of the best hunting country in the world. Western Montana is loaded with numerous wild game. But I was blown away with the amounts and quality of game on cruisers’ concessions. My first afternoon I was paired with Johan. In my opinion I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect hunting companion. We spent the afternoon riding around in the truck and he listened very intently to what I was hoping to experience on my first safari. I explained that I was in Africa for the experience, not to pull the trigger on my rifle as many times as I could. I wanted to harvest old mature animals (past their prime was ok) and experience the thrill of the hunt more then the shooting. I have my own record book and didn’t care about SCI minimums or Rowland Ward. I would be looking at these trophies the rest of my life and wanted to remember great memories associated with each one.

The first afternoon the only shots fired by me were on the rifle range. But I did see a monster warthog, Steenbok, some huge impala that were off limits , zebra, kudu, red hartebeest and waterbuck.

The next morning my wife and daughter decided to get up early and come with us for the day. The were treated to the sight of giraffes, and white rhinos before the sun had even fully woken up for the day. Johan and I made a morning of tracking a lone wildebeest bull. Though we caught up with him a few times it was always in a spot that did not give us a clean shot. We finally stopped in the heat of the day and met up with Warren and Gloria, a great couple from British Columbia, for a bush veldt barbecue. Tanya (the chef) packed us ribs and impala sausage along with potato salad. Cooked over coals it was probably my favorite meal of the trip.

We split up after lunch still looking for that bull wildebeest. When we found a pair of zebras our game plan quickly changed. They parallel the road for awhile and finally gave us an opportunity for a shot. My first African trophy was a Beautiful Zebra stallion.



We didn't need him because the second shot dumped him on the spot but since RICO was in trainning we let him try the short blood trail from the first shot. Here is a dog that really gets into his work!!!!



I would have been happy to have ended the day on that note, but more was to come. Johan and I decided to go for a quick hunt before dark. We saw gemsbok , eland and kudu. But, with only 5 minutes of shooting light left Johan yelled” BIG WHARTHOG get off the truck“. We scrambled through the brush and grass and were rewarded with a 30 yard off hand shot a big OLD bruiser. After a short dash I had my second trophy. A 12 ½ inch warthog with huge mass and the rest of his teeth worn below the gum line.



The second day again dawned early. The girls decided to sleep in and Johan and I decided to go for impala and blesbuck. WE found a heard of blesbuck and after watching them found one bedded between us and the main herd. After glassing him Johan set up the sticks and told me to shoot him when he stood up. It was an animal that had been wounded by one of the other hunters hunting with us on the first afternoon. One shot and he went down. Since Rick, the first hunter to get a bullet into him already had to pay for him it was a freebie shoot for me. Rick was very happy that we had found his blesbuck. It was also my birthday so it was my gift of the safari. We met Rick and his wife and transferred over his trophy and went back to hunting. By noon we had snuck through the brush and took an old impala with great mass and worn down tips.



The afternoon hunt was my biggest disappointment of the trip. I thought I had a great shot on a wildebeest bull. After blood trailing for 3 hours I found out otherwise. The next day we spent most of the morning looking before finally taking a second bull. I wounded the second bull also. I was really getting down on myself. But the tracking skills of my PH and tracker really saved the day. Johan was able to get another round into him. Finally after another hour we trailed the bull to his bed. Johan and the tracker were on the track when I saw the bull get up from his bed. I tried to mumble something and raised my rifle Suddenly I saw the tracker running in the other direction and the bull coming towards us. I was waiting for some guidance from Johan and saw him raise his rifle. As soon as he shot I shot also. We dropped the bull 10 paces from us. Definitely the poor mans buffalo.



The 4th day was set aside to go shoot a blesbuck. After missing a 250 yard shot at daylight we spent the whole day blowing stalks at the last minute till we put it all together late in the afternoon.



That left me 6 days to pursue my dream animal, a big Kudu bull. We headed to the Waterburg Mountains to hunt for my bull. After rolling rocks and seeing Reedbuck Klipspringer and baboons, we rounded a corner in the truck and there was the bull of my dreams. High and wide with a huge body. I had a 40 yard offhand shot and have no idea how I did it but I missed him clean. The miss kicked off the two best days of hunting I have ever had. We searched high a low, saw small bulls, eland, giraffes a record class klipspringer and it all ended with a fabulous stalk and a cross canyon shot at the same bull I had missed the day before.



In 6 days I had taken all the animals in my package. That left me 4 days . I hadn’t thought of taking a waterbuck until after watching this majestic animals almost everyday . I thought, well 4 days left lets try to find a big old massive bull. Well 2 hours into our search we found an old warrior all scarred up with huge mass and worn down horns. So much for stretching that trophy fee out.



I spent the next couple days goofing off with my wife and daughter, checking out the locale and Lesidi cultural village. The last day of our safari came and it just didn’t feel right to not be in the land cruiser with a rifle in the rack. I decided to keep the trophy fee low and just enjoy the day. We had seen two huge steenbok over the trip and I thought would be nice to add one to the trophy room. We weren’t on the hunting property more then 10 minutes when we had a real nice male just off the road in the cross hairs. Johan said he was really good about ear length horns. I think he could tell the day really wasn’t about killing as just enjoying what Africa had in store for us. I took my eye off the scope and he just smiled and said lets go find something else. We did just that. Looking at more warthogs, more steenboks, gemsbok, a really fast jackal, monkeys, zebra , eland, kudu and waterbuck. We stalked another steenbok and decided it just didn’t measure up. We were headed to another part of the property to look for a one tusked warthog that was really large. We hadn’t gone very far when Johan slammed the brakes on and hollered for me to “shoot that warthog“. I put the scope on him and couldn’t believe the size of his tusks. His one tusk was covering the front of his shoulder so I moved the cross hairs back a little and pulled the trigger. The warthog took all 220 grains of bullet and dashed off. It was just about dark and we followed blood for 2 hours. I couldn’t believe I had wounded another animal.

We had to leave the next morning at 5 am for our flights back to the states. While We were at Highveld Taxidermy there was a call there for Johan who was driving us back to Joberg. When he got off the phone he asked me how I would like to have my second warthog mounted. I was very happy that the other PH’s spent time on their day off to go look for my pig. He had only gone another 150 yards and they found him dead. Really wide with symmetrical tusk both well over 12 inches. The “ugly” thing will be preserved as a shoulder mount.
I can’t wait to go back. It will take at least a year or so (probably closer to three) to pay off the taxidermy bill. But there is an eland bull in my future and I know cruisers has a couple that will fit my criteria just perfect.

 

[Oak]

Excellent! You've got some great looking animals there. Thanks for sharing.

So I assume you had all of your taxidermy done over there? I'd be curious to hear a breakdown of the cost.

 

[Bambistew]

Great pictures and nice write-up.

Who did you hunt with? Cursier Safaris?

What rifle/bullets did you use? Any side trips?

Thats crazy about the charge!

I agree just being there even if you're not killing something is worth it. I enjoyed my second trip as much or more than my first. There was no pressure on anyone to kill anything, and I know my PH really enjoyed that fact. We took animals as they came if we wanted them. We had a goal for a 'nice' warthog and eland just so we had some direction as to what/where to hunt every day.

So when are you going back?

 

[Hntnhrd]

Oak, I did decide to have everything mounted there. I had my Oryx from the whitesands missle range mounted here and it looks nice but have noticed a few things that weren't done right. Also as a pedestal it cost 1450.00 ( Very well known taxidermist in the area and numerous african mounts in his show room.)
So we went to Highveld north of Joberg. The must have had close to 500 mounts in various stages of completion. Very impressive. Quality and detail look great. Pedestal mount of zebra is 1029.00 us. For all my trophies it is 810.00 to crate and I just got my shipping qoute of 1700 to get them home. If I wanted them mounted in the states, I would have about 200. each into dipping and packing and probably at least a 100 each into shipping plus 1000.00 to 1400 into mounting. I think money wise and quality wise I made the right decision. I know their can be problems and I took that into consideration when making the choice to have it all done there.

BS, We hunted with Cruiser Safaris. Check out www.cruisersafaris.com
Shot a 300 wtherby with 220 grain noslers. Had a friend that went with us load these up. Shot sub one inch groups but since I only shot them out to 150 yards before leaving I was not use to the drop at 200 plus yards. I think next time I would stick with my 180's as I am more used to the trajectory and therefore more comfortable and confident.

We went to Lesedi cultural villiage we though it was very interesting, and my wife and daughter went to Mirakeli Park. They enjoyed that also. We spent the first day in Jo Berg and found that the flea market across from the east rand mall had the cheapest Souveniers by far. Ostrich eggs and Lead wood carvings cost us any where from 17 to 20 bucks US after bargaining with them.
Hopefully I will get to go back in 2011, one way or another I will be going back!!!!!!!!

 

[Hntnhrd]

If anyone that hasn't been is interested in where the meat goes here it is. This truck showed up at the end of the 10 days. Not a bad haul for 4 hunters. They said it was just over 3 tons.



Here are the skulls from everyones animals (minus the warthogs and the dead Kudu I found).

 

[Bambistew]

There are some nice animals in that bunch. Any feild photos of anyone elses critters?

 

[TOM IN TENNESSEE]

Great animals! Great story! Great time!
Thanks for sharing!
2011 before you go again? I can't stay away that long! Back next year!
Even tho air freight has gone up significantly recently with fuel surcharges, I still save up to 40% by having my taxidermy done in Africa.