10 days in South Africa

[grayghost]

Finally, after dreaming of hunting in Africa since childhood, a good friend and I boarded South African airlines on July 11th and left Dulles Int'l airport bound for Johannesburg, South Africa. My friend and fellow Tennessean, Brad had booked us for a 10 day Plains Game hunt with Bowker Safari Company out of Grahamstown, SA. The 17 hour flight was no problem, since we met many other hunters bound for the dark continent with hunting on their agenda. We experienced a 5 hour delay due to no fuel being available at Dakar, Senegal, so we had to back track out to sea, landing on Costa del Sol Island to refuel. Our plane landed in J'burg late, and our connecting flight to Port Elizabeth had just left. However, once we were in J'burg, we were met by representatives from both Gracy Travel (out of Texas whom we booked our flight arrangements) and Hunters Support (who pre-registered our gun permits) and things went very smoothly. Gun registration was no problem and getting our next flight to P.E. had already been arranged. (The small fee Hunters Support chages to arrange gun permits and other port of entry requirements was well worth it. We will use them again.) Our layover was less than an hour. We boarded our flight down to Port Elizabeth and made the trip in about an hour and a half. If I remember correctly, it was around 11:30 pm when we landed. Once we walked off the plane, we picked up our luggage and headed for the firearms station. There we were met by Meyrick Bowker. He and his brother Denham now run the outfit as their father Frank is semi retired, taking clients on an "as needed" basis. Meyrick had been kept up to date of our delay and was waiting for us. We loaded up our guns and gear and headed off to their ranch. Best I recall it was a two and a half hour drive, which went quickly as my friend Louis and I were filled with too much excitement to be sleepy. Meyrick answered a lot of questions and by the time we left Grahamstown, we were seeing game all over the sides of the highway. Duiker's, Kudu, Spring Hare, Steenbuck and the like were taking every opportunity to grab forage under the cover of darkness. We had to slow down a number of times to avoid collisions with game. I was as fired up as a fox in the hen house! Before we knew it we had left the blacktop highway (which I must compliment South Africa for their excellent roadways) and onto the gravel roads. We arrived at the Bowkers ranch in the early morning hours and after a quick tour of our separate rooms, we were both in bed as our wake call would be 6:30 am. Neither Louis nor myself could sleep. I guess we both woke up about every hour; looked at the clock and dozed off again; only to wake up within another hour. Finally, around 5:30 am, I heard Louis stirring around outside in the courtyard so I got up and dressed. He had already been in the dining hall and coffee was ready. We fixed us some toast and cereal and within the hour Denham, then Meyrick walked in. They laughed at our excitement, and shortly thereafter, we drove off in separate trucks (Toyota 4x4s) towards the rifle range. We were introduced to our Tracker/Skinners: Jackson was to hunt with Meyrick and I; Sundelay would be with Louis and Denham.....to be continued.

[grayghost]

(Due to the length of my report, I will be posting multiple threads in order to avoid making them too long.) After checking our guns at the range (I would be using a .223 with Federal Vital Shok Premium 60gr Nosler Partitions & a .280 with Federal VS Premium loaded with 160gr Nosler Accubonds. Louis chose to use only his 7m/m Mag with 160gr Winchester Fail Safe bullets) we were off to hunt separately. Our first animal of opportunity came when we spied two separate herds of Springbok (buck). Upon glassing, we determined one was a herd of females, the other a herd of bachelor males. Several good males were spotted so we began plan A. Meyrick drove past them about a half a mile and he and I exited the truck, leaving Jackson to return to the area where we first spotted them. Meyrick and I found a large Acacia bush and set up under its thorny canopy. I adjusted my Harris Bipod and got into a comfortable shooting position. Due to a rise in front of us, we couldn't see the Springbok; nor could they see us. When Jackson returned to the original spot where we first spotted them, as planned, they became nervous and began to move in our direction. First the females, then the males. Eventually, we began to see the females. Just their heads coming over the rise, at a distance of 250 yards. However, there was an obvious herd male that didn't like other males getting mixed within the females so he began driving them away. This along with my good camo (I was wearing Spyder Oak "Diamondback") kept them preoccupied and as they passed in front of us, the average range was down to 150 yards. The females came from left to right and they never knew we were there until they got behind us and our wind. They froze no more than 60 yards away in our rear. Fortunately, there was a cluster of Acacia bushes to block their view, so they just stared. The males started to cross my front when all of a sudden Meyrick whispered "There's a very good buck third from the front buck, do you see him?" My reply was "Yes, I see him." Honestly, I wasn't looking at his horns, just his position. The large buck began running after the forward two bucks and went behind a large Acacia. He turned them both and they headed back in the direction they had come from. Suddenly, the herd buck walked out from behind the Acacia. "That's him" said Meyrick. I had him in my sights! Meyrick informed me to remain patient; "He'll stop soon." Meyrick ranged him with my Bushnell Yardage Pro 1000. "He's 138 yards." I placed the fine cross hairs of my original Weaver 4x12 scope behind his left shoulder and a little low (my point of impact was at 200 yards). The Springbok stopped; I let out a little breath; held it and slowly squeezed the trigger of my Remington 700 Varmit Special. Pow....sssssst...thump! The buck collapsed and never moved. The excitement I felt having finally taking an African animal will never leave me. It only grew as we neared the buck. Having been a professional Taxidermist for many years (I retired in 1985 to pursue another line of work) I had the opportunity to mount a good number of African animals; Springbok being one of them many times. I didn't need a book or my PH to tell me what a dandy I had just taken when I walked up on my buck, but Meyrick told me what a good trophy I had just taken regardless. All I could think was "What a high!" Bullet performance was excellent. The 60 grain Nosler Partition had passed completely through my buck. Evidently with enough shock to drop him in his tracks. He measures just over 14 inches and keeps good mass all the way to the tips. For the national animal of South Africa, I felt humbled to get such a nice one. To be continued....

[grayghost]

As we loaded up the Springbok, we headed off again to find other game. We came to an area with high ridges and deep brushed ravines. Meyrick and I headed towards one ravine (Kloof) and Jackson headed the other direction. We found a good vantage point and began glassing. Almost immediately we started to spot our first Kudu. Cow's mostly but then young to middle aged bulls. We eventually found a large, mature Cape Kudu bedded, but the wind would be wrong for a stalk. We decided to wait a while and see if he would get up later in the morning. While glassing the far hillside, Meyrick and I spotted a medium sized, dark animal. "Bushbuck" he said. We couldn't see his head for some time as he was feeding slowing around the point. Finally, he raised his head. And what an impressive head! "He'll go 14 1/2 to 15" Meyrick said. "He's in his prime, sporting his dark phase (almost black to my eyes) coat." This Bushbuck was probably 500-600 yards away but too many Kudu were between us for an attempted stalk. We decided to go back and see what Jackson had spotted. When we arrived at his position, he had been watching a Caracal Cat (African Lynx). It had just gone into the bush, and although we scanned the hillside for about half an hour, we never saw him again. We returned to the Kudu and our bull was still bedded down. We decided to try and slip into shooting range as the wind had changed direction. Although we managed to close the distance, before we could get into a clear shooting spot, a cow nearby had been disturbed by something upwind from her and she took off uphill. This got the bull up and he and a few other young bulls followed. For the rest of the day we scouted for another good Kudu and although we saw some Impala, Warthogs, Duiker, Steenbok, Vervet Monkeys, White and Black Springbok, we didn't find another trophy Kudu bull. I did take a shot at a running male Baboon...missed. I think the sight of such a huge, live Baboon had me unsettled. I never knew they could reach such a large size. The one's I had mounted years ago must have had milk on their lips...this was twice their size. Day 2; July 14th. I saw Giraffe's, Warthogs, Gemsbok and scores of other plains game. Finally managed to work within 320 yards of another trophy Kudu bull, but I shot right over his back. I should have listened to Brad and sighted my guns in for 300 yards instead of 200. As we spent all day after Kudu, I took no game on the second day. To be continued.....

[grayghost]

Day 3: July 15th. The evening before, we had spotted a nice Steenbok just at dusk. Meyrick advised me that he would most likely be with a female, and remain in the immediate area. On the morning of the 15th we returned to the area and I had just noticed the old stone fence where I had seen him the evening before when a female Steenbok jumped up out of the grass. Right after her was the same male I had seen previously. I exited the truck, pulled my .223 out of the case and bolted a round into the chamber. The Steenbok bounded uphill and stopped and a rock ledge, observing us down below. I adjusted my Bipod and centered just behind his shoulder. Range was 141 yards. I fired and zipped right over his back...he stood there. Lowering my crosshairs to the bottom of his chest, I squeezed the trigger and "Thump!" He crumpled. Again, the 60gr Nosler Partition went through this very small Antelope and did mimimal damage to the skin. I'm having him mounted lifesize; standing on a rock ledge for a wall mount. To be continued.....

[grayghost]

Day 3 continues... After a good lunch, we returned to the field. We found a herd of Red Cape Hartebeast so we attempted to slip within rifle range (I had my .280) but too many eyes so they were out of there. I saw a large male down below the ridge we were on and it appeared that his intention was to skirt around us in the heavy bush. We ran to attempt to cut off his escape but he vanished. As we started to make our way back up the ridge, I saw the lead element of the Hartebeast herd heading up the same ridge along another finger. We quickly found some brush to hide in and I readied myself. The best bull was located within the center of the herd (looks like an old Elk trick to me, I thought). When they stopped, Meyrick ranged him at 297 yards, so I held just below the top of his mid-shoulder. He stepped clear of the other Hartebeast and I squeezed off a 160gr Accubond. You could hear the distinct "hiss" of the bullet and a loud thump when it found its mark. The old bull reared up and spun. He only made it about 10 yards and collapsed. My bullet took the heart and exited on the far side, breaking the far shoulder. What a weird looking animal! I've mounted a good number of them but to see one in person is a real rush. They have their own gait when they run, man can they run. The sunlight really brings out the beauty of their coat. Strange looking yes; but a real trophy from the African Cape area. I was very pleased with the performance of Federals Vital Shok load. Even more surprised at how well the penetration was on a medium large African Antelope using the Nosler Accubond. Continued....

[grayghost]

Day 3 continues...After taking my Red Hartebeast at 1:02 PM, we were off in search of Kudu again. This took us to deep valleys and ravines, covered in bush. It's true; about everything over there vegetation wise has thorns. I only managed to get stuck once and that was on the thumb. Finding a good vantage point we glassed several cow and bull Kudu, but none of the mature bulls we were looking for. Later in the afternoon, Meyrick spotted a Bushbuck feeding in an open spot down in the valley. He said we needed to get a better look at him so we began the long hike to where we could get a better view. He set up his spotting scope again and told me although he had a beautiful "black phase coat" he was only pushing 12 1/2 or so inches in horn length. I had hoped to get one with 14 inch horns but once I began looking at that beautiful black coat dotted with white spots, stripes and chevrons, I told him: "If I can get within 200 yards, I'll take him with my .223." He gave me the OK and off I went, leaving my PH to give me hand signals if anything changed with the Bushbucks position or attention. I crept downhill until I reached the edge of the bush. It was a steep ravine and I glassed the buck feeding uphill at an angle; heading towards me. I moved down a little more and as I peeped around the right side of a large bush, the buck was staring right at me. I slowly melted behind the bush and came clear on the left side. I readied my rifle and had to stand to shoot offhand. My gun is somewhat heavy as it sports a bull barrel, but the range I estimated was only 125 yards and downhill so I aimed low at his chest. He was still staring at me. I squeezed the trigger and with the thump of the hit, the buck wheeled and dove straight downhill into the thick brush. I waited for Meyrick and although he heard the impact he asked me if I thought it was a good hit. "Yes," I replied. We carefully made our way down to the spot where the buck was standing, finding no blood. We knew about where he had gone into the brush so Meyrick had two of his Jack Russell Terriers with him and they ran into the bush and barked "Dead" within seconds. My buck had only traveled less than 40 yards. Again, the 60gr Partition gave complete pass through. It was a double lung shot and I was surprised how fast my buck expired. He measures 13 inches and is a very nice trophy with a super nice coat. As per normal, his neck is rubbed, otherwise he has a nice length mane on his neck. He will make a great shoulder mount! Three animals on my third day. This is hard to believe each morning; and the thrill is only beginning. Continued....

[grayghost]

Day 4; July 16th. The early morning started with another stalk on a good Kudu bull. Keep in mind I'm hunting the Southern Cape Kudu, not his larger relative the Greater Kudu. We worked our way to within 295 yards before he stood and stared in our direction. I was slightly elevated above him and steadied my cross hairs on his chest. Another miss. Why didn't I listen to my friend and sight in at 300 yards. It might have helped if I had not been out of breath, and had my rifle sling (I had overlooked them in my luggage and thought they were missing).No frustration however. My Kudu will come; at least I hoped so. We continued to search for Kudu, and although we found lots of other game, we kept to Kudu glassing. By lunch we had decided to drive back to the ranch and eat. After a great meal, soup, salad and Impala stew, we headed off in search of one of South Africa's rarer Antelope; the Bontebok. Bontebok were nearly extinct some decades ago, but thanks to the Bowkers, their family became instrumental in saving this species. Out of a small herd of only five animals within their care, today they number more than 6,000 and growing around the world. Other concerned ranchers and game managers became involved and now the Bontebok can be seen in zoo's and game parks around the world. There is a Bontebok National Park in RSA. Only a few are allowed to be taken out of the Bowker herd each year, and older, mature bulls are the norm. Currently, they are still a listed CITES animal and I must obtain a permit to import my Bontebok into the States. With numbers growing, it is my understanding that the Bontebok should be delisted before long. As we searched the open areas, we began to see small herds of Bontebok scattered about the ranch. Not under much hunting pressure, they are as curious as opening day Pronghorn Antelope here in the States. I managed to close the distance to 110 yards before they showed signs of moving off. I chose my .223 and one shot put him down. However, I followed with a second shot as this is a heavy built Antelope and he did not expire until the second shot. Both Partitions were recovered: one, a small copper cylinder, the other retains the base and a small amount of the nose section. It was very flattened and probably only 10 grains of lead remained. In my humble opinion, this cartridge is too light for medium sized African Antelope in the hands of most shooters. My first shot was 100% in the kill zone vitals, but this animal absorbed it and penetration was not satisfactory, and this animal could have lingered for possibly a little while without my quick follow up shot. My intention on using the .223 was to not damage the skin, as I am having a full size rug made with head mount. Similar to how we used to mount Rocky Mountain Goats. This will show the entire beauty of one of Africa's most colorful Antelope. I recommend nothing less than .270 caliber on this animal. There are a number of quality, well contructed bullets that would prevent hide damage. Just my opinion. Later, we were watching Black Springbok and Meyrick noticed a young Common Springbok running with the herd. He told me to cull that buck. One shot at 210 yards dropped the buck. He will make a nice flat rug. Continued.....

[grayghost]

Day 5; July 17th. We left the ranch very early in the morning in order to hunt Red Lechwe at Nelskraal. I had wanted a Lechwe from the first time I mounted one years ago. I know of three species: the Kafue, Black and Red. I never understood where the name "Red" came from as those I've mounted were more of a golden color with black shoulders and front legs. We arrived in the area as the sun began to rise and I saw Steenbok all over the place. What a great area to hunt them. Upon our arrival at Nelskraal, we were greeted by Dalton who is the area game manager. We discussed our quarry and soon were on the road glassing the creek bottoms and ridges rising up above. Every where I glassed there were herds of Impala, Zebra, Gemsbok, Wildebeast, Eland, Nyala and other antelopes. Finally, we spotted a fine ram bedded in one of the creek bottoms. But after staring at each other for no more than a minute, he rose out of his bed and began a curious motion that reminded me of a Whitetail buck trailing a hot doe. His head was down in a sneak position and as he walked he swung his head side to side. "That's what we call the Lechwe sneak" Meyrick commented. As soon as the ram gained some distance, he took off in a gallop, not stopping until he had put several hundred yards between us. Dalton said we would continue to drive around the country side and glass for more rams. We would look for a mature male, and patience is a virtue when hunting in Africa. Not far down the dirt road we spotted another ram bedded down. He was on my left (passengers side outside the US) and as I turned to comment to Dalton, I noticed a fine Impala ram standing skylined on the ridge. I stuck my head out the window and asked Meyrick what he thought about the ram and he immediately told me to gather my rifle. We were off and trailing the ram in a matter of minutes but he had already moved off at a fast pace. We spent the next 45 minutes trying to play catch up but this ram and picked up four mature buddies and the five of them were giving us hell. If they stopped within range: they would be standing in thick brush. If they stopped in the open, they wouldn't stand long enough for a shot: at any distance. I was heaving for air and ready to call off the race, but Meyrick insisted we stay on this ram. We were bumping all kinds of game, going up ridges and down into creek bottoms. Still the hunt continued. Finally, after crossing a high ridge clearing, the rams went through a brushy finger ridge. By the time we arrived to their exit point they had crossed another open field. But this time they had moved behind a large cluster of Acacia. I stayed directly behind my PH and we closed the distance to just over 200 yards. We could see them faintly through the brush and it appeared they would clear to our left. Meyrick set up the shooting sticks and I readied for their appearance. My eyes caught a fleeting Nyala bull out of the bush and my mind raced as this was my number one animal I came to Africa for. I wanted a good bull Nyala! "Here they come" whispered Meyrick. I snapped back into reality and focused my Redfield duplex cross hairs on the mature rams. "Which one?" I asked. "The second one, that's the one we're after" replied my PH. Just as I settled the cross hairs on the ram, the lead Impala started to bolt. I followed my ram a few steps then pulled ahead of him and stopped. As he trotted into my cross hairs, I squeezed the trigger as his shoulder moved into the X. At the moment of impact, the ram lunged forward, coming up on his hind legs. He stumbled and fell...motionless. My .280 did an excellent job once again. As I closed the 220 yards his horns kept getting larger and larger. All I could say when I walked up to him was "Damn, what a nice Impala." He measures 23.5 inches; a good ram Impala for the Cape region and a great trophy for me. I noticed how clean Impala were and this one has a great cape. Time was now 9:30 AM.....Continued....

[bsterns]

What a wonderful depiction of your experience in South Africa. I would like some help in understanding how to send pictures on this forum. Petey did not offer any solution for me. What did you do? My pictures are 512 megabytes and the the forum has a 500 megabyte limit. How do you reduce them or whatever? I would like to send pictures of my animals I recently shot in Namibia.

[grayghost]

Continued...7-17-06 Around noon we spotted a good Red Lechwe standing on a ridge within some bush. We began our stalk but something spooked him and we never saw him again. We bumped some Eland and they ran off like a herd of Buffalo alarming everything in the area. We walked some distance before Meyrick noticed a good bedded ram above us on a hillside. Problem was; he was watching us as well. We had to continue walking past him until he was completely out of sight. Then we were able to turn into the wind and try to back track out of sight. We covered a lot of ground before my PH could make him out with his Swarovski's. Now the ram stands up, and starts lifting his nose. Fortunately, he wasn't looking our way. We crept forward a little further and closed the distance to 213 yards. Meyrick set up the shooting sticks and I found him in my cross hairs. He was very nervous and about to skeedaddle when I took him in the left shoulder with the 160gr Accubond. He leapt into the air and hit the ground stumbling. He only went 10 yards at most. Complete pass through for the Accubond. I was really becoming more and more impressed with this Nosler bullet. As I approached my ram I began to understand why they are called "Red" Lechwe. The high mid day Sun was shining down on this beautiful animal and his golden shimmering hair had a coppery red tint to it. I was once again awed by one of Africa's beauties. Nice heavy bases and long forward curving horns makes him a favorite of mine. This hunting trip has already surpassed my wildest dreams. I should have been here years ago, but like most of us living in the US, the mere words "African hunting" jerks a knot in our neck and we think "There's no way I could afford a trip to Africa." Check again my wishing friends. You can hunt Africa for less than a good trophy Antelope/Mule Deer combo. Don't get me wrong: I love to hunt here at home and I've been from Canada to many western States, but price a Moose hunt in the Yukon or dare to price a Stone sheep hunt in BC or Alaska and Africa suddenly becomes the bargain of the century. I'll get off my soapbox, I'm just still excited as hell :D Continued.....

[grayghost]

Day 6; July 18th. We headed for Dikkop Flats this morning to hunt Gemsbok. The day before Louis had taken a fine 38" cow but I would be looking for a bull. We walked a long way across the plains until we found a bend in the creek Denham had told Meyrick about. This area was a bottle neck for game and the Gemsbok would most likely appear in the area sometime during the day. We saw Black Wildebeast, Blesbok and Springbok during the morning and had one Blesbok walk within 50 yards. Later a herd of Springbok came within 20 yards without noticing us. The wind was in our favor. About 10 am we saw the Gemsbok coming around a ridge to our front. We were going to have to close the distance rapidly if I were to have any chance at a shot, so when they went into a deep depression, we were up and fast walking towards them. We were almost to our predetermined spot when they suddenly appeared coming over the ridge. I immediately sat down and readied my Bipod. They were in single file and Meyrick said: "Fourth one from the back." I quickly single out the bull and let him walk into the cross hairs. At the shot he reared up and ran forward, disappearing into a deep dry creek bed. I readied another round but he never came out. We slowly went into the high brush and found him expired. My shot had passed through the inside of the right shoulder and broke the left shoulder. Top performance from the 160 gr Accubond. Range was 203 yards. Time was 10:30 am. Nice, heavy symmetrical horns measuring 35 inches. A fine bull Gemsbok. After taking some pictures, we loaded up and took my bull for skinning. This was accomplished in short order by Jackson, Meyrick and another skinner. They were finished in less than 30 minutes. We packed up and headed off to hunt Black Wildebeast and Blesbok....continued

[grayghost]

After lunch we began searching for Black Wildebeast and Blesbok. We found them out on the prairie/plains and after glassing several herds, we noticed a lone bull off by himself. He looked good to me but Meyrick said he was a real bull. We circled around and hid in some Acacia bushes. He was still coming our way so we waited. I had hoped he would stop but he didn't. Meyrick whistled at him but the wind was blowing and he didn't stop. Again, I let him walk into my cross hairs and fired. He thumped real good but mule kicked the air and kept going. A second shot put him down but it took a third to expire him. All three shots were tight in the kill zone. I had always heard they were tough, but this one was like terminating a Buff. They can really take punishment. Initial range was 220 yards, so I still had considerable foot pounds striking him from my .280. This bull turned out to be everything I could have wanted in a Black Wildebeast. Long, heavy upturned horns and massive bosses. Everyone that has seen him says he will score very high. Don't really know, but he scores high with me regardless. This will conclude my posts for today. I'll get back on it over the weekend and try to finish my report. This is old news to you guys who live and guide in Africa, and some of you that have done this many times from here at home. So please bare with my long posts. I just want some of the guys and gals who've never been to feel some of my excitement. Good hunting, grayghost

[gd357]

grayghost,

sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing pics and stories. And congrats on a safari that's been a huge success.

bsterns,
save your images as jpeg files. That should drop their size considerably.

gd

[grayghost]

July 19th. Thanks gd357, I appreciate it. We started this day later than normal, arriving in an area of the Fish River Valley to hunt Nyala. This area is known for its Pineapple orchards and looks more like jungle than the lowland plains valleys. Deep valleys and ravines make up most of the landscape with a beautiful river bottom where the Fish River winds. We found a place to park our vehicle and while I began to gather my gear, I happened to glance across a ravine to a high point above us. My eye caught movement and as I began to focus my attention on it, I thought I was looking at a Nyala bull. Meyrick, my PH was talking to the land owner when he noticed me pointing towards the point of the ridge. He quickly focused his binoculars on the animal and motioned for me to come to him ASAP. I had to go uphill towards him and by the time I arrived he had already set up the shooting sticks. "Do you see that Bushbuck standing in the bush?" he asked. He pointed up towards the ridge line and I saw a Bushbuck standing there, facing a male Impala. "Yes, I see him" I replied. He said: "Take him, now, he's 135 yards!" I settled my .280 in the shooting sticks and aimed a little low behind his right shoulder. I squeezed the trigger and at the shot, the buck leap into the air and hit the ground running; straight down hill. We waited for about five minutes then walked uphill and cut across the ridge line. It only took a few minutes to walk through the maze of brush and to the spot where the buck had been standing. I scanned the area for spoor while Meyrick studied the ground and slowly began following a narrow trail that disappeared into the dense brush. He hadn't gone far out of sight when he called out; "Found him, and what a buck!" The shot had been a good one and the Bushbuck had only gone about 40 yards. When he pulled the buck out where I could see him, I understood why I had thought I had seen a young Nyala bull. Dandy horns measuring almost 16" on one side and just an inch shorter on the other. He had been digging and gouging in the red clay and his horns were covered with it. I had been very pleased with my earlier Bushbuck but this one surpassed any expectations I ever imagined. The rest of the day was spent in search of Nyala and late in the evening we found one. He was coming out of the dense bush and feeding along the edge of the pineapple fields. I set my Bipod up for the shot. Range being 181 yards. Somehow, I again shot over this bulls back. He ran into some nearby bush and stood there for about 10 minutes. Then we saw him start to feed again. He never gave me a clear shot so we decided to try and move around him for a better shot. Just as we were nearing a clear lane of fire, an Nyala cow blew the alarm and he melted into the bush. Sunset was upon us so we left for the long drive back to the ranch. We would return in a day or two. Continued....

[fabsroman]

Great posts. Just wondering how much your taxidermy bill is going to be. Probably as much as the hunt itself cost, or maybe even more. Your taxidermist must love you right about now.

[grayghost]

True, my Taxidermist is glad to know me right now :D I've known Foster since the early 1970s when I was in the business. He's well known in my part of the country but several outdoor celebrities use him as well. He's top rate on big game; American and foreign. He just finished doing an Elephant head for a friend along with his other 36 African trophies. His work is excellent. Also, his shop is only two miles from my home. I'll be able to discuss each mount as he progresses. Probably won't receive our shipment until winter but that gives me time to think about how I want each mount to look. He takes about six months to return work so by the time I start receiving my mounts, it will be time to return to SA. Good hunting, grayghost

[grayghost]

July 20th. We started our day after first light, again searching for Kudu. We spotted a good Gray Duiker but those little speed demons would cut me no slack. Off into the bush, not to be seen again. We glassed the deep kloofs and ridges all morning but didn't see but one large bull Kudu and he was a long way off and heading into the bush. Too far to follow. I saw a number of Impala, young Warthog's, Ostrich, Zebra, Hartebeast and the like, but no large Cape Kudu bulls. We decided to go look for Blesbok out on the plains and maybe come back that afternoon if we found any worth pursuing. We saw several herds of Blesbok, Springbok and Wildebeast. One lone Blesbok ram looked very good, but he didn't give me much time to study him before he ran off across the plains. We found a suitable area that had some sparse cover, so we decided we would come back after lunch and set up a possible ambush point. We found a nice shady area on top of a ridge and ate our lunch in the noon time breeze. It can get fairly windy during this time of year so take that into consideration when sighting in your guns for longer ranges. You may need to estimate windage from time to time. After eating our lunch, we discussed our plans for the afternoon and my PH really wanted to take a little time and search for a good Warthog. Boars had been scarce all week, but with the Sun warming up the ridges, Meyrick told me this would be a great time to look for them. We headed out driving the top of a long high ridge and found a place to scan the surrounding area. It didn't take him but a minute to find a BIG hog. I took a look through his spotting scope and it looked like a hog with two cavalry sabers sticking out of his mouth. This hog was grazing on top of a ridge in a clearing, all by himself. We decided to approach the area on foot, not wanting to spook other game by vehicle, so we left Jackson (my tracker) with the truck and off we went. We closed what I guess was several thousand yards without incident. Stopping on occasion to glass the flat to insure the hog was still there. When we got to within 250 yards, a lone Hartebeast that had been hidden by the bush, trotted out onto the flat and spooked the Warthog. He wasted no time in running off into the bush. With all hope of getting a shot gone, my PH yelled for Jackson to bring the truck. He called out several times and waived his arms, feeling sure that Jackson would be observing us through his binoculars. When Jackson didn't come, Meyrick started back up the ridge for him. About this time I spotted another hog entering the flat from our left. I turned to tell Meyrick and saw Jackson walking towards us, pointing. He had already seen several hogs making their way onto the flat. Evidently, the big hog didn't like company. And with his exit, the other hogs grabbed their opportunity to feed. Meyrick found one nice boar so we began our stalk. We made our way to within 110 yards of the boar and set up the shooting sticks. I was pondering in my mind where to hold on the hog as previously mentioning; my point of impact with my .280 was 200 yards, and I had already missed two Kudu at longer ranges. The hog turned broadside and raised his head in suspicion. I lined up a little low behind his shoulder and fired. "You shot over his back" Meyrick said with disappointment on his face. As the hog spun around and took off running like a Greyhound, I racked another round into the chamber and said; "Let me..." Meyrick cut off my sentence with: "If you think you can hit him..." Bam! At the recoil of my .280 the hog rolled in the dust. I caught him behind the right shoulder. The Accubond gave complete penetration and exited behind the left shoulder, killing him instantly. Not even a squeal out of the pig. "Nice shot" Meyrick said. "I'm going to have you shoot everything running from now on." He was kidding of course but I generally do better on running game if I shoot by instinct as opposed to studying the shot. Range was 125 yards. No feat by any means, just my lucky day. For some reason, I was very proud of taking that hog. Years ago I had been a guide for wild boar hunts. I had 300 clients take a pig with me and I have never killed any type of hog. This was my first pig; and I was thrilled! Nice tusks, with a little brooming on one side. Character, I think they call it on TV nowadays. Just a cool looking critter to me! Continued.....

[grayghost]

I took my Warthog at 1:20 PM. We loaded him up and headed back out on the plains: in search of Blesbok. We saw a number of them as we made our way back to the cover we had found before lunch, but there would be no way to slip within the 200 yard range I hoped to get, so we drove on. When we arrived at our ambush site, I took my .280 out of the case and Meyrick and I got situated in the shade. Jackson would drive off and find himself a shady spot and begin skinning my Warthog. Jackson carries his skinning kit along with a large plastic tub and salt, in case he needs to begin skinning on warm days. The meat is kept clean in large plastic sheets. He does an excellent job of taking care of your trophies. I have requested him to accompany me on my return next year; he's outstanding at his job. He hadn't been gone for two minutes when a herd of Wildebeast and Blesbok came over the ridge. As Jackson drove away down the ridge, they had been crossing in front of him and the crazy Black Wildebeast took off like bee's were stinging them; Blesbok in tow. Most of them skirted behind us but a small group of Blesbok headed straight for me. I had already set up my Bipod and when they stopped, Meyrick told me the last one was a good ram. The herd spotted us and turned to face us. Range: 137 yards. The ram took two steps and cleared from the others; I fired, he fell. A good frontal, angling shot gave an instant kill. Not as colorful as their cousin Bontebok, but a beautiful antelope nonetheless. My ram has blonde horns with black vertical striping. Very unusual, as most Blesbok I have mounted had an earth green tinted horn with blonde ridges. Continued.....

[grayghost]

Evening: July 20th. It was 3pm when I took my Blesbok, so we decided to take my Warthog and Blesbok to the cooler and return for an evening Kudu hunt. It took us about an hour to get this done but by 4:15pm we were scanning the deep ravines for kudu bulls. We saw quite a few but nothing mature enough to stalk. We decided to go to another area, so we got back into the truck and headed off to check on last place. We were crossing a dry creek bed when Jackson tapped on the roof. He had been in the truck bed scanning the hills and ridges and had spotted a group of kudu, up the creek to our left. Meyrick stopped the truck and jumped up into the truck bed for a better look. "Let's go, quickly." is all he had to say to me. I didn't ask questions I just uncased my gun and we took off on foot. We covered about 150 yards before he stopped to glass. "There's a good bull up ahead feeding on those white flower tops" he said. I pulled up my bino's and took a look. Quartering away from me at about 350 yards was a nice bull. He was alone. We made our way only another 50 yards when to our left, several animals starting running through the bush. Fortunately, they didn't bark an alarm. Meyrick said they were kudu. The wind was in our favor and our intended target didn't pay any attention, he just kept on feeding. We slowly continued our sneak and finally Meyrick readied the shooting sticks, took a glance through the range finder and said: "He's 220 yards." I took a steady aim. He was quartering away, to my right. I placed the cross hairs a little low behind his right shoulder as he was slightly above us. Let out my breath and squeezed the trigger. At the shot I saw the bull leap into the air and "mule kick." A good sign. Meyrick asked me how I felt about the shot. "Good" I replied. We eased our way up to the spot where he had been standing. Light was beginning to fade. I went ahead and Meyrick scanned the ground. He found the bulls tracks and angled off to the left. I went ahead, steady and slow. "Here he is" Meyrick called. I turned around and saw Meyrick standing over my bull. He hadn't gone 35 yards. At last! My first Cape Kudu bull. I was elated! I was amazed at how well the 160gr Accubond had performed. I took out the heart and broke the left shoulder. We recovered the bullet and although I haven't weighed it yet, I guestimate it retained about 75% of its original weight. This bull has a tight curl with 48.5" horn length. I was very happy with my first Kudu. Continued....

[grayghost]

July 21st. Today would be a laid back morning. We took our time and didn't arrive in the Fish River Valley until around 9am. From my previous hunt for Nyala, it appeared that very early and late evenings were the best times to hunt them. During the day they evidently like to bed up deep in the "jungle" of heavy bush in the steep ravines that rise up from the river valley. We began spotting the usual suspects, including several trophy size Bushbuck and Impala. Lots of ducks; Cape Teal and Yellowbills mostly, but a few Spur Winged Geese and Egyptians too. Ha-Dee-DA's were making their usual racket, along with too many birds to identify. Red-eyed Doves were cooing non stop. All I needed were bongo's and we'd have a new dance record. It began to cloud up in the late afternoon and then mist rain. I put on my rain suit and Meyrick and I started walking the perimeter roads of the pineapple fields. We were hoping to find the bull I had missed a couple of days earlier. We had only gone about 1/2 a mile when we started around a wooded point. Meyrick suddenly spun around and told me to get ready to shoot. I pulled my Bipod down and as he moved to my right side I saw a mature bull Nyala, head down, feeding at the edge of the pineapple field. I quickly got in the sitting position and found my cross hairs upon his chest, just inside the left shoulder. He was facing me, quartering to my left. Suddenly the bull raised his head and looked directly at us. Meyrick said "Take him" and I fired. Range was under 50 yards, and at the shot, the bull leaped into the air and spun to his left, bounding down into the deep ravine. We waited a few minutes and then quietly proceeded to where he was standing. Meyrick slipped into the bush and I paralleled him, staying in the grass. We didn't go far; maybe 35 yards when Meyrick called to me: "Here he is!" I went into the bush like a Bush Pig. Dodging thorns and vines with each step. When I reached my bull, I was surprised at his body weight. Larger than I had expected. Having only mounted Nyala heads before, they are larger than I expected, and one of the main reasons I was wanting one. They are beautiful animals! This one will be mounted life-size, as he has a very nice coat and mane. Nice horns and ivory tips. My dreams just kept coming true. Meyrick took one fast pic for me, right where my Nyala fell...in the bush. We went and got help and four of us picked him up and carried him out of the bush. This insured we wouldn't rub off any hair since I wanted him mounted life-size. The other pics came with my disposable camera as Meyrick's digital camera had a dead battery. Once again I chose my .280 with Federal Vital Shok 160gr Nosler Accubonds. Excellent performance. Continued...

[grayghost]

July 22nd; our last day. It was cool and raining on the morning of our last day. Louis decided to hunt Mountain Reedbuck and I would pursue Duiker. We left around 7:30am and drove about 30 minutes away. It was good Duiker country (open grass areas with brushy draws and ravines nearby.) We saw several nice Mountain Reedbuck, Steenbok and Springbok. Finally, we jumped a good Gray Duiker, but as per usual, he took off in a flash and we never found him again. Meanwhile, Meyrick spotted a good Mountain Reedbuck, so we decided to pursue him. I took my .223 and we headed off. These animals are not big. Maybe half the size of a Springbok, but very wary. They were on to us every time we tried to pull a stalk. Finally, we found a small group with a nice buck. The range was 327 yards but he was in an area that we could see for a long way. I shot three times at him and he just scampered from one spot to another, offering a standing still, broadside shot each time. My .223 was shooting flatter than I anticipated, so each shot brought my point of impact lower. The fog and misting rain started up again but my next shot connected. I did not hear the shot, nor did I notice anything wrong with the buck when he ran down into a creek bottom, but Meyrick did. He calmly told me to get ready and wait; we'll see the buck again. I didn't take lens covers for my scope on this gun (don't leave home without them)! so I covered both ends with my gloves. Within 5-6 minutes, Meyrick caught movement in the bush; then I saw it. The diminutive buck was moving right to left and when he came into a clearing he stopped. I squeezed the trigger and he bolted forward. Again, I didn't hear anything other than the rifle, but Meyrick assured me is was a good hit. He went about 30 yards. Interesting animals. They remind me of Whitetail Deer and an Antelope cross. I'll hunt them again and maybe their larger cousin, the Common Reedbuck. This concluded my hunt. The time was 12:10pm and I was hunted out. I wanted to rest up before our flight out the next morning and spend some time getting to know the rest of the family. The Bowkers are some of the most friendly people you could meet anywhere. I guess years of dealing with hunters from all over the world will make you either very friendly or crazy :D My only regret is that I didn't start hunting in Africa a long time ago. But I'm going to make up for lost time. If I can help anyone pertaining to Taxidermy; rules/regulations on shipping trophies into the US, just send me an email. My direct addy is: dixiedetectors@aol.com/ Thanks to all of you for reading my posts. I know many of you have been and can laugh at my excitement, but you know where I'm coming from. Stay safe this fall and good hunting, grayghost
P.S.: My friend Louis took 12 animals: A huge Black Wildebeast, 38" Gemsbok, Impala, Black Springbok, Common Springbok (2), a big Waterbuck, Hartebeast, Blesbok, Kudu, Red Lecwhe, Bushbuck and Fallow Deer. He had a great hunt as well. We're going back next year and I'm looking forward to hunting waterfowl and upland birds in the eastern cape.

[Dom]

Great post Grayghost, and Waidmannsheil !! It'll take me a couple days to read it all but wanted to say you wrote up a bunch of good stuff. Glad you enjoyed your dream and trip, I'm packing, in a week I'll be living my dream, Dom.

BTW, excellent Impala !!

[grayghost]

Thanks Dom, and I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I take it your about to leave for the dark continent? What are you hunting if I may ask? Good hunting, grayghost

[toxic111]

I loved the write up & photos... Like just about every hunter, Africa is a dream for me.... maybe one day!

[grayghost]

Thanks toxic111. Africa is an outstanding bargin for those of us that hunt. Prices will vary from country to country, but most of us can afford to hunt over there. One thing for sure; the price won't go down, neither will airfare. If you plan ahead, you can time your deposit, airline tickets and trophy fee money well in advance. Nothing has to be one big payment. Package deals like 7 days with 3 trophies can cost less than hoping to take a whitetail deer for $2,500. I like the trophy fee scenario; no animal, no pay. You pay for what you take. I've been on enough hunts in the US & Canada where we didn't see any intended game. In Africa, you see plenty of game; at least where we were. Hope you can make it, you'll be amazed at what you see. Everyone told me I would want to go back; and I am. Good hunting, grayghost

[bsterns]

Grayghost, that was a very impressive series of posts and made me wish I had been with you. I shot my animals from the top of a 76yr. model Ford f100 pickup roof using a bipod. The only one that I shot offhand was my Kudu bull. It was hiding with two cows under a tree. One of the trackers saw them or we would have passed them by. They were off to my right, slightly in front of the truck when they spooked and ran. The bull ran to my right and away so that I had to lift my rifle to clear the bipod over the truck railings and fire offhand. I had no time to aim so it was a reaction shot using 3X power. I shot just in front of his shoulder and hit him dead center on the 3rd stripe. The shot of a lifetime. He ran maybe 25 yards. The bull was about 75 yards and moving fast when the 280rem. 162 gr. Hornady struck him. The PH was amazed as were my hunting buddies. There was a lot of whooping and hollering. He measured 52 inches. Continued...

[bsterns]

The Gemsbok I took was a really exciting hunt. We followed a rather large herd in the old ford pickup and finally cut them off. When hunting the Kalahari you can use the vehicle by hiding behind or cutting off a herd on the near side of a sand dune knowing they will probably be heading in a certain direction. That plan worked beautifully and we stopped on top of the dune and watched them pass about 150 yards in front. They stopped and looked at us. The PH said to take the big one that was broadside to us and was cooperating very well for me to get the easy shot. I squeezed off my 338-06 and "click". The firing pin did not even mark the primer. The herd moved off at a fast run. I had left my 280 at the camp so I had to borrow a 300 win mag from the PH. We found the herd again and with manuevering we got into position to shoot again at the same Gemsbok. The problem was that it was facing directly away from me. The PH told me to take a "Texas heart shot" but I told him I had never shot an animal in the butt and did not want to do it. He said we might not get another chance. I waited for it to turn as the herd began to move out.. The Gemsbok ran about 35 yds or so after I shot and was laying in the deep grass. The shot angle was perfect for the animal's position. The bullet entered just back of the rib cage and into the heart/lung area. They are magnificent animals.

[grayghost]

Thanks Bob. Very nice Kudu and Gemsbuck! What did your Gemsbuck's horns measure? They look good. We need to try and reduce the image size of your pics so they can be viewed without scrolling. I'll see if I can get one of the moderators to do this for us. Good hunting, grayghost

[Dom]

Yes Grayghost, I'm heading to the Dark Continent 7 Aug, about an hour East of Windhoek, Namibia. As I'm in Europe, it's a no brainer to hunt Africa vs. Elk or Muley's out west in NA. I'll be after normal Plains Game, Kudu, Oryx, Zebra, Impala, Warthog & maybe run across something else! At first I wasn't keen on Zebra, but once the hide is tanned and laying in your Hunting Room, there's no mistaking where that came from.

You had a great hunt and wrote up a detailed report, thanks again for sharing, great pics too!!

[bsterns]

Gemsbok was 41". I have reduced the size to enable the posting of my jpeg files but now I must figure out how to cut them to size. Any help would be appreciated. My jpg files are 627 mb in size and this forum only allows 500 mb maximum.

[grayghost]

Good hunting on your trip Dom. Let us know how it went, I'll be anxious to hear all about it. Hi Bob, all I can tell you is that you save your pics in My Documents. Then open your picture program such as Adobe Photo Shop etc and open the My Documents file. Click on any saved pic and once it opens, click on edit at the top of the menu. A drop down menu will appear and you can click on Crop. This will create the ability to crop or cut off any of the excess areas of your picture. Another solution would be to look at the top of the menu and select (or click) the % reduction icon. This will allow you to reduce the size of your pic. When you select the size percentage, click the X to close the pic. Then a window appears and you click Save. This allows your pictures to appear in a smaller format. That prevents the post from appearing so large. Some of the Moderators (Skinny Shooter or Petey/owner) can give you better info than I can. Email them or send a PM for help. Good hunting, grayghost

[fabsroman]

It looks like Petey reduced the pic size substantially, but they still require a little scrolling.

For all my huntchat pics, I have a separate folder. I never reduce the data size of an actual digital picture because I might lose some of the quality of the photo. Hence, I save every pic with a huntchat001, huntchat 002, etc name.

I use Microsoft Photo Editor to reduce my picture size. From the My Documents/My Photos folder, or whichever folder your pics are located in, open the pic with Microsoft Photo Editor so that you can edit the pic. Once the pic is opened in this software, select Image from the top menu, and then select Resize from the Image drop down menu. Depending on what size the file was orignally, you might have to reduce it significantly. With my wife's new 7.1 megapixel camera, I have to reduce photos to 30% of their original size to get them to fit on huntchat. Once you reduce the photo, select File from the top menu and then select Save As from the File drop down menu. Save the edited file as huntchat001. That way, you will always know which photo you want to post on the web and you will never edit an original photo.

As far as cropping photos is concerned, save them under a new name too if you crop them or you will lose whatever you crop. I always leave my originals as is and resave any changes to a new file. Hardrives nowadays are large enough to contain a ton of information.

[bsterns]

Fabrosman, thanks for the tips. I cropped and resized the pics and now the scrolling problem is solved.

[fabsroman]

Bstearns,

You are more than welcome. I hope the info helped. I see you decided to crop the pics, and they look pretty good cropped. Of course, it is always good to have some of that background stuff around. That is the nice thing about computers nowadays, you can edit pics and print them out whenever you want. Much easier than sending the to the photo lab all the time.

[John Duarte]

grayghost,
I just finished your story. You took some very nice animals in particular the two bushbucks. I haven't hunted them yet, but hope to next year. Did you do much traveling? It sounds like you moved around a bit to take different animals. Waidmannsheil !
John

[grayghost]

Yes, we hunted a number of places; from the coast of the Indian Ocean to 2.5 hours inland. Several places had good Bushbuck, but one ranch in particular had a great population of them, and I saw several more in the 14-15 inch class. I took my best ram there along with my Nyala. Next year we will hunt there again. My hunting buddy wants to take another one and I will as well if I find an exceptional ram; better than my best one. I love hunting them, as well as Nyala. Their alarm bark (Bushbuck) reminded me of a dog. I've only been home for a week and a half but I wish I were there now! Dang I love Africa! And I've only just begun :) When are you heading back? Thanks for reading my posts, I appreciate it. Good hunting, grayghost

[Rapier]

Great trip Grey Ghost. I bet you were as impressed as I, by how clean SA is. Probably the cleanest country I have been to hunting. I do like the family style lodges. Good folks.

Where I was in Free State was very much like the area around San Antonio, Texas. Big ranches and all.

Now, if we could get them to slide the continent over about 3,000 miles it would sure help. :D
Ed

[John Duarte]

greyghost,

I'm hoping to get there next year. My wife and I have a friend that owns a wine farm in Franchhoek. It has rooms and meals ;etc. He can arrange some hunting as well. From there I hope to access a bushbuck hunt and maybe nyala too. It might be difficult as Franchhoek in the West Cape so it may require a long ride or an overnight in the Eastern Cape.

Do you have the hunt service's contact info? It sounds like they would be handy to have in clearing customs.

I feel that bushbuck are one of the more under rated African animals and nyala are gorgeous.
John

[BradC]

Hey John,

If you've never been to Franchhoek you will love it. It is set in a U-shaped valley between the mountains of the Western Cape. A very beautiful little town with a great old town street that houses a good selection of novelty shops.

Do you have a contact in the Eastern Cape regarding Bushbuck?

Brad

[buckhunter]

Just plain awesome................Thanks for the stroy .

[grayghost]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Hey John; I think you can email Hunters Support at: Ann@air2000.co.za/ If not, let me know and I'll check into it. We will use them again next year. I sent you their physical address in SA via your PM. Good hunting, grayghost

[John Duarte]

greyghost,
Thanks for the email address.
BradC,
Thanks for the description of Franchhoek. My wife and I will be staying on a wine farm there. The owner can arrange some hunting from the farm. I think it might be at a club he is a member of. Do you know if it's feasible to hunt some of the East Cape from Franchhoek? Bush buck will be the one animal I want the most. I don't have any contacts for them right now, but would appreciate any suggestions.

Greyghost's report on his hunt has got me interested in hunting in the RSA. I've hunted in Namibia five times, but the variety of species available in the RSA is much greater so it would be a good idea to give it a try.
John

[grayghost]

Variety of game is an understatement, at least to my humble mind :D When I started my 10 day hunt, my goal was to write down all of the game animals I would see within each days hunt. After the second morning I stopped. It was overwhelming. As an example: my first morning (before lunch) I saw: Springbok (Common, White and Black), Cape Kudu, Bushbuck, Impala, Warthog, Steenbok, Duiker, Baboon & Vervet Monkeys. The afternoon repeated this but included Giraffe, Gemsbok, Zebra, Blue and Black Wildebeast, Blesbok & Hartebeast. Like I said, I stopped on the second morning. Too much writing and not enough looking. Next year I will have a video camera with me. Hopefully I will have someone using it, as I do not want to fool with a camera while hunting. My PH did an outstanding job of taking digital pictures with his camera and used up the three disposable cameras I took. I will continue to hunt Bushbuck and Nyala in the future. They're my kind of game, and if you get either, ask if you can try the meat. It is outstanding. Good hunting, grayghost

[BradC]

Hey John,

Hunting the Eastern Cape from the West is just a short flight out of Cape Town into Port Elizabeth. With Franchoek being only an hour or so from Cape Town this will not be a problem, and generally intercountry flights are fairly cheap. When I was in that area two years ago we spent four days in Cape Town and the surrounding winelands then flew on to Port Elizabeth and hunted for another 8 days.

As graygohst and I can attest, the outfitter I use and represent has all the Bushbuck and other Eastern Cape game you could ever wish to pursue.

If you would like to talk further drop me an email. bcoffey45@yahoo.com

Brad

[grayghost]

That's a great Gemsbok Bob, congrats! The area you hunted contains some of the best one could expect to find. Yours would have no problem making the SCI book. The minimum score is 81 and they are classed as the Kalihari Gemsbok. The other Gemsbok is the Angolan. Also, there are Beisa, Fringe-eared and Scimitar Oryx. I hope to take a 40" bull someday...maybe. grayghost

[hunter1993]

hey gray ghost just wondering what gun you are using

[Beeker]

ON first page , 223 and 280

[grayghost]

This time a gold class Chobe Bushbuck. I return in late May to RSA. Will post a report when I return. Most likely I'll take the same two rifles but am considering the .300RUM for Lion. grayghost

[grayghost]

fabs, after a number of safaris, I can tell you that taxidermy is expensive in Africa (shipping home trophies doubles cost) in the long run and their work isn't up to American standards. I will only use US Taxidermists in the future.