505ED
AH veteran
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2010
- Messages
- 173
- Reaction score
- 79
- Media
- 18
- Member of
- SCI,DSC,NRA,DRSS
- Hunted
- North America, South America, South Africa
This hunt was conceived the when I got on the plane to come home from my 2010 hunt with Louis!
My friend Prentiss and I had a wornderful time, hunting and relaxing at Spiral Horn. I have been talking to my wife about taking her on safari. She went thru breast cancer in 2009-2010-- in short it sucked:vomit:. She has been doing awesome. Her last 3 scans have been good and clean, and she has been coming out of her shell. She told me at christmas that she wanted to hunt! You could have almost nocked me over.
We hunted a little in fall, and found a suitable big game rifle she liked ( a blaser r93 257 wby mag). She shoots it like a dream--most of the time--more on that later.
After a 7 hr delay in ATL we were on our way to Joburg. We arrived at 1:30 am and Louis was there to pick us up! Man what a guy!!!! Louis drove us all night to the ranch and we arrived at sun up. After a quick nap-- and some breakfast we were off for our first game drive.
The landscape is just how I remember. I love it--its like west Texas with a little more of an accent and more thorns!
Right before 4pm Louis jumps out of the bakkie and says to my wife--"grab our rifle Audra". She said do you see a Kudu-- Louis said "no an impala". My wife had come for a kudu, but Louis eyes were as big as silver dollars so she got her gun.
A few min later and a boom! Audra had her first African animal in the salt-- a 25 1/2 in impala--what a way to start off:
A proud lady
A few pic's later and night was coming on fast. We made it back to camp for a sun downer or two--its a hard life!
The next couple of days we spent looking for Giraffe and Blue Wildebeest for me. Blue wildebeest have always been tough for me. They like to hold up in the brush and clear shots on Louis place are few and far between. On the 3rd day Louis and I find a herd working thru the brush. We work into position and get a shot at them. He was a nice hard headed ol bull.
Hunting Blue Wildebeest Video
We drove around the rest of the eve looking for bull Giraffe--nothing! Right before dusk I see something rustling in the brush. David ( Louis appy and board member here) jumps off the cruiser and nabs a pangolian-- It blessed our hunt. What a neat animal:
David:
The next morning we look for Giraffe again--and low and behold we run into the bull we had been looking for we put the sneek on him ( hard for a animal that can see two stories up). I wacked him with a 416 Rigby and put him down with one shot. Giraffe are tough--and Louis has had them run for a couple of days with holes put in them--when they were not placed right the first time. I was glad to see him go down!
Hunting Giraffe Video
With the Giraffe off our back we could focus on Gemsbok, Waterbuck and Audra's Kudu. We spent the next day just stalking and looking. Audra had looks at bulls in the 55 to 58in range on Louis place and just could not get on them. on The 6th day we run into a really nice bull-- Audra got into position and Louis walked her thru the shot. She had a long time( a little too long) and hit the Kudu a little far back. We let it stiffen a bit and went to find it. After about an hr we recovered the Kudu and all was saved. Audra felt terriable--but hey thats hunting-- sometimes it does not run smooth. She got her nice 51 in Kudu none the less:
Hunting Kudu Video
On the finial day we found me a nice Gemsbok: Made a good stalk--and I put the hammer on him. It was a great way to end a hunt:
Hunting Gemsbuck Video
My friend Tip Burns also hunted with us and he took a nice warthog, Blue Wildebeest, and Impala. Louis runs a good camp--and you will have a great time. A few last pics:
Breathtaking sunsets
Great food:
Neat animals
A little danger ( Leopard track outside of camp)
Treating my wife so good she did not want to leave
And a satisfied customer--Louis I will be back my friend!
If any of you guys out there are thinking about taking your wife-- there are too sides to the tale. On the good side you will never have to hide your hunting fund again. The bad part is the hunting fund--just got cut in half! Louis because of you I will need a wallet transplant soon!
Cheers,
Ed
My friend Prentiss and I had a wornderful time, hunting and relaxing at Spiral Horn. I have been talking to my wife about taking her on safari. She went thru breast cancer in 2009-2010-- in short it sucked:vomit:. She has been doing awesome. Her last 3 scans have been good and clean, and she has been coming out of her shell. She told me at christmas that she wanted to hunt! You could have almost nocked me over.
We hunted a little in fall, and found a suitable big game rifle she liked ( a blaser r93 257 wby mag). She shoots it like a dream--most of the time--more on that later.
After a 7 hr delay in ATL we were on our way to Joburg. We arrived at 1:30 am and Louis was there to pick us up! Man what a guy!!!! Louis drove us all night to the ranch and we arrived at sun up. After a quick nap-- and some breakfast we were off for our first game drive.
The landscape is just how I remember. I love it--its like west Texas with a little more of an accent and more thorns!
Right before 4pm Louis jumps out of the bakkie and says to my wife--"grab our rifle Audra". She said do you see a Kudu-- Louis said "no an impala". My wife had come for a kudu, but Louis eyes were as big as silver dollars so she got her gun.
A few min later and a boom! Audra had her first African animal in the salt-- a 25 1/2 in impala--what a way to start off:
A proud lady
A few pic's later and night was coming on fast. We made it back to camp for a sun downer or two--its a hard life!
The next couple of days we spent looking for Giraffe and Blue Wildebeest for me. Blue wildebeest have always been tough for me. They like to hold up in the brush and clear shots on Louis place are few and far between. On the 3rd day Louis and I find a herd working thru the brush. We work into position and get a shot at them. He was a nice hard headed ol bull.
Hunting Blue Wildebeest Video
We drove around the rest of the eve looking for bull Giraffe--nothing! Right before dusk I see something rustling in the brush. David ( Louis appy and board member here) jumps off the cruiser and nabs a pangolian-- It blessed our hunt. What a neat animal:
David:
The next morning we look for Giraffe again--and low and behold we run into the bull we had been looking for we put the sneek on him ( hard for a animal that can see two stories up). I wacked him with a 416 Rigby and put him down with one shot. Giraffe are tough--and Louis has had them run for a couple of days with holes put in them--when they were not placed right the first time. I was glad to see him go down!
Hunting Giraffe Video
With the Giraffe off our back we could focus on Gemsbok, Waterbuck and Audra's Kudu. We spent the next day just stalking and looking. Audra had looks at bulls in the 55 to 58in range on Louis place and just could not get on them. on The 6th day we run into a really nice bull-- Audra got into position and Louis walked her thru the shot. She had a long time( a little too long) and hit the Kudu a little far back. We let it stiffen a bit and went to find it. After about an hr we recovered the Kudu and all was saved. Audra felt terriable--but hey thats hunting-- sometimes it does not run smooth. She got her nice 51 in Kudu none the less:
Hunting Kudu Video
On the finial day we found me a nice Gemsbok: Made a good stalk--and I put the hammer on him. It was a great way to end a hunt:
Hunting Gemsbuck Video
My friend Tip Burns also hunted with us and he took a nice warthog, Blue Wildebeest, and Impala. Louis runs a good camp--and you will have a great time. A few last pics:
Breathtaking sunsets
Great food:
Neat animals
A little danger ( Leopard track outside of camp)
Treating my wife so good she did not want to leave
And a satisfied customer--Louis I will be back my friend!
If any of you guys out there are thinking about taking your wife-- there are too sides to the tale. On the good side you will never have to hide your hunting fund again. The bad part is the hunting fund--just got cut in half! Louis because of you I will need a wallet transplant soon!
Cheers,
Ed
