graylake
New member
Sorry for the delay but I have been busy since I got back. Here are some of the pictures that I took from our first trip.
Graylake
Hunt Summary
Trip Dates: July 13 – August 13, 2009
Booking Agent: Wendell Reich
Location of Hunts:
PG: Tholo Safaris in Botswana
DG: Classic Safaris in the Caprivi Strip
Equipment:
Me:
Winchester Model 70 in 416 Remington Magnum topped with a 1.75-6 VX-III
Sako in 375 H&H topped with a 2.5-8 VX-III
Leica 10x42 Geovid
Erika (my wife):
Winchester Model 70 in 375 H&H topped with a 2.5-8 VX-III
Winchester Model 70 in 300 WSM topped with 4.5-14 Zeiss conquest
Leica 10x42 Ultravid
Ammunition:
All ammunition used was factory ammo
300 WSM – 180 gr. Barnes Triple shock
375 H&H – 300 gr. Barnes Triple Shock
416 REM – 400 gr. Swift A-Frames
Where to start…..
I have been working towards this trip since Jan. 2004. I won’t bore you with the details but the end/beginning was finally in site as we boarded the plane on the afternoon of July 13. After a short hop to Calgary and a plane switch we were on our way. Next stop was Frankfurt, Germany and a 10 hour layover. After that it was boarding another plane and this time it was starting to sink in. But with the lack of sleep it was still surreal. A couple of beer and a sleeping pill and when we woke up we only had a couple hours til we landed.
Holy Crap we are landing and when we step off this plane we are going to be in Windhoek, Namibia. I can’t wait to step out that door and smell Africa for the first time…the sun is shining and here we go.
And Africa smells like…..jet exhaust. Huh, not what we expected but what can you do.
After all of the formalities were taken care of we stepped out of the terminal and into a waiting vehicle for a short 5 hour trip east to Ghanzi, Botswana.
We arrived at the camp just before dark and got settled in to our chalet. We met our Ph Jaco and had a couple beer sitting around the fire getting to know each other. Eventually the talk turned to what animals were on our list and what were our trophy expectations. Neither of us are into trophy hunting. But what we wanted was old mature animals. We don’t care if the horns are short and broomed off. We didn’t bring a tape measure so it didn’t matter about length. Jaco seemed pleased with that. Supper was ready a little later and shortly after that bed, it had been a long couple days.
July 16
The next morning started with breakfast and a short trip west of camp to a neighboring property to see what we could see. We stopped along the way to check the rifles, everything was fine and we continued on our way.
Just after entering the property a Jackel was spotted and the words “shoot that thing “ were spoken. One quick shot and I had spilled the first blood our Africa adventure. And the tone was set for the rest of the trip.
After that we spotted some Zebra and we left the truck, the chase was on. I knew better, but had a moment, since Erika wanted to shoot the zebra I left my rifle in the truck and followed along. Well the zebra gave us the slip and we ended up bumping into a nice Blue Wildebeest. Now what? That was one of the animals that I wanted. No problem, I would just use Erika’s rifle. A left handed model 70 with a shortened stock. I can do this it is not much different that a right handed rifle, with a full length stock.
Wrong…the second shot of the trip was a complete miss. Lesson learned, always take your rifle even if you don’t plan on shooting.
Next up was Erika and a nice Gemsbok. We played hide and seek for a while but in the end Erika played better and we had our first big animal in the truck.
Later in the day I got my chance at another blue wildebeest. This time with my rifle and 2 quick shots(One in each shoulder) and he was on the ground. The first shot was good and Jaco was saying “it was a good hit”. But I learned a long time ago to keep shooting as long as I can see the animal.
And that ended the first day….
July 17
The next day was spent playing hide and seek with various animals. Including a nice Waterbuck that Erika just could not catch in the open.
We just can’t get over the fact that we are in Africa. The terrain and style of hunting is so close to that of where we hunt in Alberta that we keep expecting to see Mule Deer bounding away and not Kudu cows.
July 18
This day started the same as all of the others. Get up and have coffee and breakfast around the fire and then climb in the truck and take off hunting. It was decided to check out a neighboring property today. This property was located south of Tholo’s so we had to drive close to the area where that Waterbuck was spotted. Jaco had just finished saying to pay attention as we were nearing the area. When guess what crosses the road. The herd of Waterbuck, one quick shot and Erika had her animal. This was THE animal that Erika wanted on the entire trip. He is not the biggest Waterbuck but he is old and broomed off and that it what she wanted. The time was 8:02 am and we still had not left the property. So we dropped of the Waterbuck and the other hunting camp to be skinned and continued on.
We had just entered the other property when a couple of Kudu bulls were spotted off in the distance. A quick check with the binos and it was decided that we better not pass up a chance at these bulls. With the wind in our faces we took off. With the lay of the land we were able to get in front of them and they slowly fed towards us. With Erika on the sticks and the bulls unaware of our presence I knew that bull was in a world of trouble. As expected we had animal #2 down and it was only 9:30am. We loaded up and carried on.
We were looking for fresh Eland tracks when we spotted a small herd of Zebra and were able to sneak within range. I was on the sticks as the herd fed through an opening. One shot quartering away and animal #3 was on the ground. Holy crap I just shot a Zebra. It was turning out to be a great day, it was only 11:00 am. After getting the Zebra loaded we carried on looking for Eland tracks.
We were having a tough time trying to find any fresh sign to follow. As we came over a small rise we finally found fresh Eland tracks, and the best part was the Eland were still standing in tracks. There was one old blue bull in the herd. With Erika saying shoot the black one and Jaco confirming which bull I should get on. The bull offered a quartering away shot that I took. The whole herd took off over the rise and out of site. We raced up the hill and through the few trees to try and catch site of the herd. Just as we crested the hill there was my bull with a big red spot on his side going straight away. I remember Jaco saying “put another shot in him” just as I squeezed the trigger. 3 more steps and the big bull was down. By the time we got over to him he was finished. Man these things are big…… As always we checked where the shots had gone and where I thought the shots had gone. I am always glad to be able to call my shots and this time both shots were where I had called them. First shot left side forward into the lungs and off side shoulder and Second shot straight through the tail going forward.
The time was 1:05 pm, what a day. We had 4 animals down and still had not had lunch. For the next couple hours we had lunch and then wrestled the Eland into the back of another truck and then put it into/on top of the kudu and zebra that were in our truck. That was quite a load for the little Toyota. We didn’t break any speed records on the way back to camp. With the truck full we called it a day and decided to put the rifles away.
July 19
With our main animals in the salt. We felt no pressure and had a leisurely day of looking for some of the small stuff. Jaco’s wife Irene came out to camp for lunch. In the evening we shot a few doves and were treated to some doves wrapped in bacon cooked over a bed of coals for an appetizer that night. Those were good. We might have to shoot a few more of those before the end of our trip. We spotted a group of Kudu bulls that had a really wide bull in it. I had not considered shooting a Kudu since Erika had already got one. But after seeing that bull I just could not get the sight of him out of my mind. That evening I told Jaco that I wanted a kudu like the one we say today. It had to be wide.
July 20
Today was another stress free day we spent more time looking for some of the little guys. We are seeing lots but nothing big enough to shoot. We spent a few hours sleeping, I mean sitting around a spring waiting for a warthog. We saw about 20 but no shooters. Erika got a Jackel but it was covered in burrs and didn’t have a nice coat.
Graylake
Hunt Summary
Trip Dates: July 13 – August 13, 2009
Booking Agent: Wendell Reich
Location of Hunts:
PG: Tholo Safaris in Botswana
DG: Classic Safaris in the Caprivi Strip
Equipment:
Me:
Winchester Model 70 in 416 Remington Magnum topped with a 1.75-6 VX-III
Sako in 375 H&H topped with a 2.5-8 VX-III
Leica 10x42 Geovid
Erika (my wife):
Winchester Model 70 in 375 H&H topped with a 2.5-8 VX-III
Winchester Model 70 in 300 WSM topped with 4.5-14 Zeiss conquest
Leica 10x42 Ultravid
Ammunition:
All ammunition used was factory ammo
300 WSM – 180 gr. Barnes Triple shock
375 H&H – 300 gr. Barnes Triple Shock
416 REM – 400 gr. Swift A-Frames
Where to start…..
I have been working towards this trip since Jan. 2004. I won’t bore you with the details but the end/beginning was finally in site as we boarded the plane on the afternoon of July 13. After a short hop to Calgary and a plane switch we were on our way. Next stop was Frankfurt, Germany and a 10 hour layover. After that it was boarding another plane and this time it was starting to sink in. But with the lack of sleep it was still surreal. A couple of beer and a sleeping pill and when we woke up we only had a couple hours til we landed.
Holy Crap we are landing and when we step off this plane we are going to be in Windhoek, Namibia. I can’t wait to step out that door and smell Africa for the first time…the sun is shining and here we go.
And Africa smells like…..jet exhaust. Huh, not what we expected but what can you do.
After all of the formalities were taken care of we stepped out of the terminal and into a waiting vehicle for a short 5 hour trip east to Ghanzi, Botswana.
We arrived at the camp just before dark and got settled in to our chalet. We met our Ph Jaco and had a couple beer sitting around the fire getting to know each other. Eventually the talk turned to what animals were on our list and what were our trophy expectations. Neither of us are into trophy hunting. But what we wanted was old mature animals. We don’t care if the horns are short and broomed off. We didn’t bring a tape measure so it didn’t matter about length. Jaco seemed pleased with that. Supper was ready a little later and shortly after that bed, it had been a long couple days.
July 16
The next morning started with breakfast and a short trip west of camp to a neighboring property to see what we could see. We stopped along the way to check the rifles, everything was fine and we continued on our way.
Just after entering the property a Jackel was spotted and the words “shoot that thing “ were spoken. One quick shot and I had spilled the first blood our Africa adventure. And the tone was set for the rest of the trip.
After that we spotted some Zebra and we left the truck, the chase was on. I knew better, but had a moment, since Erika wanted to shoot the zebra I left my rifle in the truck and followed along. Well the zebra gave us the slip and we ended up bumping into a nice Blue Wildebeest. Now what? That was one of the animals that I wanted. No problem, I would just use Erika’s rifle. A left handed model 70 with a shortened stock. I can do this it is not much different that a right handed rifle, with a full length stock.
Wrong…the second shot of the trip was a complete miss. Lesson learned, always take your rifle even if you don’t plan on shooting.
Next up was Erika and a nice Gemsbok. We played hide and seek for a while but in the end Erika played better and we had our first big animal in the truck.
Later in the day I got my chance at another blue wildebeest. This time with my rifle and 2 quick shots(One in each shoulder) and he was on the ground. The first shot was good and Jaco was saying “it was a good hit”. But I learned a long time ago to keep shooting as long as I can see the animal.
And that ended the first day….
July 17
The next day was spent playing hide and seek with various animals. Including a nice Waterbuck that Erika just could not catch in the open.
We just can’t get over the fact that we are in Africa. The terrain and style of hunting is so close to that of where we hunt in Alberta that we keep expecting to see Mule Deer bounding away and not Kudu cows.
July 18
This day started the same as all of the others. Get up and have coffee and breakfast around the fire and then climb in the truck and take off hunting. It was decided to check out a neighboring property today. This property was located south of Tholo’s so we had to drive close to the area where that Waterbuck was spotted. Jaco had just finished saying to pay attention as we were nearing the area. When guess what crosses the road. The herd of Waterbuck, one quick shot and Erika had her animal. This was THE animal that Erika wanted on the entire trip. He is not the biggest Waterbuck but he is old and broomed off and that it what she wanted. The time was 8:02 am and we still had not left the property. So we dropped of the Waterbuck and the other hunting camp to be skinned and continued on.
We had just entered the other property when a couple of Kudu bulls were spotted off in the distance. A quick check with the binos and it was decided that we better not pass up a chance at these bulls. With the wind in our faces we took off. With the lay of the land we were able to get in front of them and they slowly fed towards us. With Erika on the sticks and the bulls unaware of our presence I knew that bull was in a world of trouble. As expected we had animal #2 down and it was only 9:30am. We loaded up and carried on.
We were looking for fresh Eland tracks when we spotted a small herd of Zebra and were able to sneak within range. I was on the sticks as the herd fed through an opening. One shot quartering away and animal #3 was on the ground. Holy crap I just shot a Zebra. It was turning out to be a great day, it was only 11:00 am. After getting the Zebra loaded we carried on looking for Eland tracks.
We were having a tough time trying to find any fresh sign to follow. As we came over a small rise we finally found fresh Eland tracks, and the best part was the Eland were still standing in tracks. There was one old blue bull in the herd. With Erika saying shoot the black one and Jaco confirming which bull I should get on. The bull offered a quartering away shot that I took. The whole herd took off over the rise and out of site. We raced up the hill and through the few trees to try and catch site of the herd. Just as we crested the hill there was my bull with a big red spot on his side going straight away. I remember Jaco saying “put another shot in him” just as I squeezed the trigger. 3 more steps and the big bull was down. By the time we got over to him he was finished. Man these things are big…… As always we checked where the shots had gone and where I thought the shots had gone. I am always glad to be able to call my shots and this time both shots were where I had called them. First shot left side forward into the lungs and off side shoulder and Second shot straight through the tail going forward.
The time was 1:05 pm, what a day. We had 4 animals down and still had not had lunch. For the next couple hours we had lunch and then wrestled the Eland into the back of another truck and then put it into/on top of the kudu and zebra that were in our truck. That was quite a load for the little Toyota. We didn’t break any speed records on the way back to camp. With the truck full we called it a day and decided to put the rifles away.
July 19
With our main animals in the salt. We felt no pressure and had a leisurely day of looking for some of the small stuff. Jaco’s wife Irene came out to camp for lunch. In the evening we shot a few doves and were treated to some doves wrapped in bacon cooked over a bed of coals for an appetizer that night. Those were good. We might have to shoot a few more of those before the end of our trip. We spotted a group of Kudu bulls that had a really wide bull in it. I had not considered shooting a Kudu since Erika had already got one. But after seeing that bull I just could not get the sight of him out of my mind. That evening I told Jaco that I wanted a kudu like the one we say today. It had to be wide.
July 20
Today was another stress free day we spent more time looking for some of the little guys. We are seeing lots but nothing big enough to shoot. We spent a few hours sleeping, I mean sitting around a spring waiting for a warthog. We saw about 20 but no shooters. Erika got a Jackel but it was covered in burrs and didn’t have a nice coat.
