Hello again and happy weekend to everyone! Wow! The month of May sure went by at the speed of light. And what an exciting month it was…
From the 1st through the 11th of May, we enjoyed the company of our new friends from Canada, Melvin, and his partner. He took some great trophies and she took some amazing pictures. At the same time, we had some of our “old” friends from the US here – Matt and Jim. It’s been 7 years since their first trip here and we are so glad they finally returned. They too had a very successful hunt, taking down some beautiful trophies – Matt with his bow and Jim with his rifle.
On May 12th, Zander and three PH’s, also known as guides, set out to welcome the new arrivals at OR Tambo International Airport. The plan was to pick up this group of five and head directly to the Free State province to hunt some species that are not indigenous to our area. This list includes Black Wildebeest and Springbuck – South Africa’s National animal. They spent two full days there, taking down various animals, from a Four-Horned Sheep, Springbuck, Black Wildebeest, and Blesbuck, to Gemsbuck, Red Lechwe, Red Hartebeest, and Zebra. From there, it was back to the Bushveld, a term used to described the beautiful area where our lodge is located. They spent seven more days here and, needless to say, enjoyed more great hunting.
They headed out on May 23rd, which was the same day our next client arrived. This gentleman, Mr. Dave Toussaint, traveled by himself across the globe to hunt the infamous “Black Death” aka. Cape Buffalo. The Cape Buffalo are indigenous to the African continent and are the largest and most common Buffalo in Africa. They are not to be confused with the Water Buffalo, which is a different species found in Asia. Cape Buffalo bulls can weigh between 1100 and 2000 pounds and are known for their aggression, which is what makes this hunt so thrilling.
It’s been a very long time since I had gone along on a hunt, but I finally had the chance, and this was the perfect hunt to join in on. We hunted hard for four days before taking down a beautiful old bull. Every day started with cold, early mornings and beautiful sunrises. We would drive around for a while before getting on some tracks and then follow those. On the first day, we got close to a herd on several occasions, but unfortunately, the wind kept swirling and gave away our position each time. By the end of day one, right at last light, was the first time the wind died down and we almost got a shot. Days two and three were filled with miles of walking and tracking, getting close to some herds but then noticing that there wasn’t a good trophy bull to shoot.
On day four we got on a fresh set of tracks pretty early on. We followed these tracks and noticed that this herd was on the move. Picking up the pace, we literally followed them for miles. At times we found dung so fresh, you’d think they would be standing right behind the next bush just grazing but then, nothing. This went on until the afternoon when we finally caught up with them. The wind was perfectly in our favor and the Buffalo had no idea that we were about 50 yards from them. We waited patiently for the right bull to step into an opening and Dave made the perfect shot. The herd took off and so did the bull Dave shot, but he didn’t go far. It took some time to get the other Buffalos to back off from that bull, but they finally did and then the real work started – loading that giant onto the truck! No easy task, but one every South African guide could probably do with their eyes closed. On Dave’s last evening with us, he got to enjoy the fillet from his own Buffalo, followed by some good whisky and a cigar. I think it’s more than safe to say that he was happy!
I’m excited to see what June will bring, and of course, I will keep you posted.
Until next time – happy hunting!
