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Main Boards => The Dark Continent => Topic started by: paleFace on July 11, 2006, 08:56:00 AM
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just returned home from 14 days in south africa and i'm wishing is was back there already. i hunted with Dries Visser in their mountain camp outside of Thabazimbi. the landscape there is beautiful and game is abundant. my PH, Gerhard Van Vuuren, was excellent as was the entire staff there. since i could write a book about my hunt i will take it day by day if anyone is interested in reading it?
Day 1: the hunt begins. after spending 17 plus hours on a plane it was nice to just sit with my legs stratched out gazing out into the african bush. the morning sun was not long above the horizon and the temp was a cool 40 degrees. being able to see my breath in june was something i had not had the pleasure of doing prior to this hunt. the native people said it was cold, but to me it was like sitting in my tree stand on a brisk fall morning back at home waiting for whitetails. heaven!
after getting everything ready in blind my PH pulled out a plastic bag of zebra dung and situated enough pieces in a line to last several hours. i had not be warned of this tactic to mask human scent but became familure with it real quick. if you have not sat in an enclosed blind whith zebra dung burning, it's a real treat. NOT!
after several hours in the blind the PH said that things were really slow most likely due to the heavy rains the previous month and the very cold temps. if this was slow he could have fooled me. being used to seeing one or two deer a day back home this was non stop action. we had already seen 3 eland to include a very nice bull. i had not had eland on my wish list for my first trip so i opted to pass on a 10 yard shot on this huge animal.
day 1 of the hunt ended with no arrows loosed, but with lots of game observed. the day was capped off with an outstanding dinner of african fare and i drifted off to sleep with dreams of the morrow.
Day 2 arrived early, especially with the 6 hour time difference that i had not fully adjusted to at this point. not long after sunrise i found myself sitting in a tree stand overlooking a water hole. the sweet aroma of zebra dung was already filling the inside of the tree house.
it didn't take long for the first animals to show. a tribe of baboons were making their way back into the mountains after raiding the alfalfa fields during the night. quick tip: when baboons are with in your sight don't even blink an eye. they will see you and they don't mind letting every other animal for miles know that you are there.
the sun was well above the tree tops and the baboons had moved out of the area when i spotted movement well out in front of the blind. before i could even point out the location of the movement my PH informend me that it was a herd of blue wildebeest heading out way. since this was one of the animals that i had on my wish list and dreamed about taking my heart rate increased right away.
the cows appeared first and took their sweet time making their way towards the water. 30 minuted had passed since i first spotted them and they were still a 100 yards out and in no hurry to drink. i was so focused on watching them that i had not noticed the 5 warthogs that had made their way into the water from behind the blind. a sow and 4 little pigs. mamma pig watched as the 4 little ones kneeled on their front legs to drink.
this must have eased the minds of the wildebeest as they began to filter in 1 by 1. the 4th animal to come in looked like a huge bull to me, but i was quickly schooled on the difference as my PH spotted a very nice bull standing in the shadows out about 150 yards. what i had thought was a nice bull was actually a cow. thank goodness for my PH because i would have shot this animal for sure as it was much bigger than any whitetail i had taken.
the big bull started in and my heart kicked it up a few beats. at 50 yards he decided he didn't like something and made a U-turn. this bull could just not make up his mind and came in only to turn and go back out no less than 4 times before finally making the decision to drink. this was his fatal mistake as he came in and gave me a perfect 15 yard broadside shot.
my 56# morrison made it to full draw effortlessly and no sooner had the PH said take him the arrow was on it's way. the shot looked perfect to me hitting right in the crease behind the shoulder. the white feathers disapeared as the bull lunged and left in a cloud of dust a long with the rest of the herd of 15-20 animals. using my binocs i could see my arrow sticking in the ground where the bull had been standing and the once white feathers were now bright red signifying a good hit.
to me the hit was perfect, but to vetran african hunters you know how tough the game is here. we or should i say the trackers followed this animal for 5+ hours before giving up the track due to darkness. back at camp we made the plan for the following moring. the trackers and PH were huddled in conference while i sat back and re lived the shot over and over in my mind trying to figure out what i had done wrong.
Day 3 shortly after a hardy breakfast of bacon and eggs we headed out to once again take up the track. i must say at this point i was feeling really down and didn't have a good feeling about this animal much less my hunt. loosing my very first animal was just not an option i wanted to deal with. after two hours of beating the bush i had sunk into a real funk. i was about to tell the PH that i would walk every inch of bush until i found this animal, even if it took my entire hunt, when i heard the radio crack with an excited voice. not understanding any words other that "dankie" (thank you) i was an excited wreck waiting to get the translation from my PH. "they have him" "they found your wildebeest". after some hoops and high fives we made our way to the trackers.
i was all smiles sitting by this awesome animal. my first african hunt and i was going hime successful even if i didn't see another animal. not likely but at this point it would not have mattered. i was on cloud nine. after photos and giving the trackers my appreciation we headed back to the skinning shed to see what went wrong with the shot.
i was using a 56# morrison longbow, carbon express arrows tipped with a wensel woodsman. the arrow entered 1/3 up and right in the crease behind the shoulder and passed through both lungs exiting out the opposite side. this animal had traveled close to a mile before expiring. are african animals tough with a strong will to live. you bet!
the best thing about this hunt was that i was joined by my 10 year old son. he was getting to experience the safari with his dad and that all by itself was worth the cost of the trip and now we had our first african trophy to add to the lifetime of memories this hunt would create.
(http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/africasafari06/wildebeast03w.jpg)
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Good story. More installments coming?
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I'm getting the bug again, badly. There is no such thing as a once in a lifetime trip to Africa. It's kind of like eating a dorito, one is never enough!
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Vissers do make your experience magical!! I was there last summer and have been longing to go back ever since I returned. Right now it looks like it will be 2009 as I have another new love in my life called Australia!! Life is tough some times :bigsmyl: how does one decide where to go next. Joseph
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i will be adding my day 3 hunt details a little later. Joseph i read your thread last year and i couldn't wait to go afterwards. Australia will be on the horizon after a few more trips to africa.
Rob
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Day 3: after lunch, wildebeest burgers, we decided to try for a nice impala ram. i'm sure it sounds crazy to say that i was going to try for a specific animal. especially since you never know what might show up in front of you when hunting africa. impala was on my wish list and my PH said that he knew where some very nice rams had been spending a lot of time, so that was the plan. a short drive to a near by concession and we had arrived at the blind.
it was a beautiful day with a bright blue african sky. the temp was around 65 degrees and there was a light breeze blowing in my face. good for me, bad for any critters that happened to stop by.
the smoke from burning zebra dung was filling the blind quicky as i sat back and began the wait that wouldn't be that long. within 10 minutes the first visitors of the day had arrived. the sounds made by these african birds was unmistakeable. they remind me of turkey our turkey, not in size but the way they act and fly. i was told that when you have guinea fowl around it's a good thing and i'm a believer.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/fowls.jpg)
it wasn't long after they arrived that a herd of impala started heading my way and there were at least 3 nice rams in the group. as quiet as possible i moved into shooting position and made ready for the shot.
for some reason time is next to impossible to keep track of when you are watching an animal that you intend to kill. it seemed like an hour had passed since i first spotted the impala and they were still slowly making their way to my location. finally after probably only 5-10 minutes they were coming in. first the youngest animals and then the ewe's followed by a few smaller rams. the big boys were haning out 50-75 yards whatching the other enjoy a cool drink.
before i knew it a nice ram had slipped in and was sucking up water. i got the nod from my PH and the arrow was on it's way. the entire herd bolted in a cloud of dust and i found it hard to stay focused on the ram that i had shot. the hit was back thanks to a leg on one of the chairs we had in the blind. i heard the crack when i released but wasn't sure what had happened until reviewing the video taken by the PH. fortunately for me the shot hit one of the main arteries and the ram went down for good after only 35 yards.
talking about a high tension hunt, my heart was still pounding even after walking up to the expired animal. he was beautiful with long curving horns and a golden hide.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/africasafari06/impala03w.jpg)
day 3 ended with my second african animal and more fond memories to cherish for the rest of my life. the red heart flowed around the camp fire that night while we shared stories from past hunts and talked of future adventure.
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Day 4: day 3 was awesome, no way could it be topped or so i thought. we had decided the night before while sitting around the camp fire that we would give the blesbok we had seen on day one a try. this would be mostly a spot and stalk day and with the think fog and steady breeze i had a very good feeling about the outcome.
it wasn't long after arriving at the concession that we had spotted some really nice wildebeest. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/sunrisewildebeast.jpg)
the herd crossed the red dirt road in front of the vehicle and spead apart as they moved into some flat brushy terrain that reminded me of a hog hunt in south texas a few years ago. we stopped the vehicle and watched as the last of the herd made their way across and into the thick brush.
i had already taken my wildebeest so these animals were safe from this hunter. i was much more interested in the group of blesbok standing off in the distance seemingly unaware of our presence. after looking the group over with the binos we decided that there were at least 3 nice bucks in the bunch and the hunt was on.
the fog was a plus but these animals were not going to be a push over. after about 30 minutes of playing hide and seek i had moved into about 75 yards from the closest buck. this would be as close as i could get. the alarm sounded and the entire herd was off and running. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/blesbok02.jpg)
this group had run off but there were blesbok every were and i was still very positive about the outcome.
for this hunt i had grabbed my 66# silver tip TD recurve knowing that the shot might be a little father out than what the shots from the blind tend to be. i had been shooting almost every day since march and felt confident that i could make the shot if it presented itself.
two more stalks were attempted with similar results. these animals reminded me a lot of the pronghorn that i had hunted in colorado a few years ago. they use their eyes and trust what they see. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/blesbok03.jpg)
the fog was gone, the sun had cleared the horizon a few hours before and the temperature was climbing when we spotted another group of nice bucks. there were 7 in this group with 3 very nice animals. they were working their way towards a water tank according to my PH so we decided to get in front of them and set up in hopes they would wander by in route to drink.
we hunkered down in some thick brush, thorn tangles is more like it. i had a good shooting hole to my left and straight out in front. now all that was left to do was sit, wait and hope. it wasn't long before my PH spotted the first blesbok headed our way. things were looking good so i readied myself in the event i was presented a shot.
the first 3 filed by just out of range. i was beginning to think we were going to be close but not close enough. should i chance an attempt at moving with the last 4 bucks no where in sight. nope sit tight and be patient. it's a good thing i didn't move as the rest of the group were only about 50 yards away and headed straight for us.
my palms were getting sweaty and my mouth was dry as they came ever closer. i was thinking to myself if they keep on the same course they will walk by only a few feet away. as they approached from behind they had veered off slightly and were now about 20 yards off to my left. just about 10 more yards and they would be in my shooting lane.
i very slowly raised my bow and prepared for the shot. my PH wispered to take the last buck as he was the biggest by far. at 25 yards they all stopped and looked my way. the last buck was standing perfectly broadside in the clear. it was now or never. i picked a hair, came to full draw and then the arrow was gone.
i watched as the arrow disapeared right behind the bucks front shoulder. it was like someone yelled fire in the middle of the movie theater as the bucks bolted in different directions. with in seconds they were all out of sight. we waited a few more minutes and walked to where the buck was standing at the shot.
it didn't take long to locate my crimson red arrow in the broom straw and the blood trail was so obvious even i could follow it. even with a perfect hit this animal traveled a good distance. just more proof of the will to live and the toughness of african game.
at the end of the blood trail we found my buck. what a beautiful animal the blesbok. my PH was beside himself after getting his hands on this bucks horns. i'm not a trophy hunter by any means, but when my PH pulled out his tape and started reading the tape i knew this buck was special.
after stretching the tape out on both horns my PH smiled at me and said "you have one hell of a buck here". all i knew was that he was a beautiful animal and that he would become a fixture in my brain for a long long time. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/africasafari06/blesbokw.jpg)
four days of hunting in africa had ended with three awesome animals to my credit and many fond memories to share with my family and friends.
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My God, those are some beautiful pictures!!!! Nice camera work!!!!
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That Blesbuck really is something. By far the best set of horns I've ever seen. Congratulations.
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Incredible... Can't waite for my day!
The best part is that you shared it with your son!!!
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Day 5: this day i decided to take a break from hunting, i know, why would you travel that far and spend that kind of money and not hunt. truth is i wanted to make my hunt last and i didn't want to empty my account with more than half of my hunt still to come. also i was wanted to get in some more time behind my camera and as i am sure you know trying to hunt and photograph is hard.
so we took the day off from hunting and played golf. my son is an avid golfer and i knew this would be a high light of his trip. (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/sports/photos/golf/golfinafrica01w.jpg)
the golf course was pretty nice as a golf course, but the sceenery was great. while looking for one of my balls on the back nine we had a nice warthog run out on to the course. (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/africasafari06/golfinafrica03w.jpg)
after the golf match, which i must say we won a little money back from my PH thanks to a little side betting. i think we ended 4 up thanks to a birdie on the last hole.
Day 6: saturday morning we slept in, then ate a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon with some other extras to round things off. after breakfast i headed out with my son to do a little work with my camera and to see some of the country side around our camp. (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/landscape07.jpg)
some of the views were spectacular despite it being their winter time. the game was also plentiful offering many photo opporunities.
(http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/warthog01.jpg)
i probably should have carried my bow with me on this outing, but i had fun just clicking the shutter while my son and i explored our surroundings. (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/zebra04.jpg)
the day ended with lots of images to edit and many more memories to take home. africa is some very beautiful country even when most everything is brown. thanks to a very wet fall there was still lots of green vegitation. (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/landscape06.jpg)
next the hunt continues!
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Great pictures and story. Makes me dream about going back to Africa...
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when you hear someone say "expect the unexpected", or "it will happen when you least expect it". this could not have been more true for the next part of my hunt. during lunch my PH mentioned that he needed to cull out an impala ewe for the trackers and their familys at some point in the next day.
with 3 great animals and still 4 days of hunting left i told my PH that i would enjoy going with him to take this impala especially since he planned to take it with his bow. my PH and i would be chaning roles for this hunt. of course i am no PH, but i do know how to run a video camera and i am pretty good at spotting game.
after lunch we gathered our gear, the PH my son Wes and i and then we headed to a spot where we had been seeing a lot of impala. the plan was for my PH to take the first mature ewe impala that entered his range. to honest we hadn't expected it to be a long hunt, and figured we would be back in camp well before dark.
minutes clicked by and then hours. still no impala showed. we had some visitors to the water hole, but that consisted of a sow and 3 piglets, a large flock of guenia fowl and some partridge. o' and the daily visit from mrs. ostrich.
an hour before dark we caught movement coming in from behind the blind. it was a troop of baboons. to me these are the sentries of africa. it was time to sit perfectly still, don't even blink an eye because if they see you the deal is up. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/baboon01.jpg)
the troop came in a few at a time with the big males waiting until last to make their appearence. survival of the fittest or in my opinion just plain smart. they remind me of old whitetail bucks, letting the younger animals make the first move to ensure things are safe.
45 minutes had gone by and we were down to the last 15 minutes of daylight. still no impala. i looked at Gerhard and we both nodded as if to say let's call it a day. this is where the phrase "it happens when you least expect it" comes into the equation. just as we started to pack our gear my PH took one more look out at the surroundings and said in a low wisper, "don't move". he slowly turned his head towards me and said "huge kudu bull, and he is coming in".
up until now i had not seen a mature kudu bull, only cows and a small bull. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/kuducows01.jpg)
to say i was excited would be a real undestatement.
he would move 10 yards and stop, scan he surroundings and then move a little closer. he was still 75 yards away as the last bit of daylight was vanishing in a hurry. would it happen or would darkness give winning hand to the big kudu. hands sweaty, and heart pounding, i took deep gulps of air in attempts to control my breathing. the bull was now only 35 yards and closing. just 10 more yards and he would be in range. he turned and walked to his left circling our position.
at this point my PH wispered again that this was a huge bull and that they had been seeing this bull for several years but had not been able to get a shot at him. he was identified by his right ear that hung down instead of being errect. with only a few minutes of daylight left he was finally standing broadside at 20 yards, but didn't have a shot. his right leg was back blocking the vitals. he then stepped back and turned as if he was going to walk away. that's when i noticed the cows coming in. i had been so focused on the bull i had not seen the cows coming in.
now there where at least 6 animals standing at the water and the big bull was again broadside. still no shot available. i was just about to let out a sigh an fold my hand when he stepped back once more giving me the perfect shot. instinct took over at this point and without a second thought the arrow was gone. the bull bucked and ran back in the direction from which he had come.
(http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/africasafari06/kuduw.jpg)
the unexpected had happened and i had my kudu. my hunt was complete, kudu had been the top prize on my wish list of african animals. i still had a few days left of my hunt, but i was content to just enjoy the rest of my trip and if i was given the chance at another animal it would be a bonus. the sun had set on another day in the dark continent, but it was anything but dark to me. africa would burned into my mind forever. (http://www.burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/africansunset02.jpg)
the final days of the hunt coming soon.
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i'm home sick!
you'l prob here this a many times but "you'v got some awesome animals there!"
WELL DONE! sir
good to see you took your son with you!
Andy
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This may sound strange but I’m home sick too. Our family had several farms in the Thabazimbi area. I haven’t been there in years.
Andy, are you in England permanently or just for a few years?
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Rob,
I need to talk you into hunting with me next year. I need someone to take pictures like that! Fantastic camera work man. Are you that good with a video camera? Great stuff. God bless, Brady
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i have an idea, let's have a reunion in Thabazimbi. pick a date, not to long off though. the weather here is the pits. 100 degrees and 100% humidity. i think i will probably brush up on my africans before i go back though.
i will be adding my last 2 days of the hunt later today as well as a few more photos to help you guys miss it even more.
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doctorbrady, that's what i do for a living, click the shutter. i do ok with the video camera as well. just give me the dates and i'm there. i have as much fun behind the camera as i do with the stick in my hand.
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Rob,
Your professional ability shows through. I am trying to get something set up for around August or September of '07. I will probably be shooting some video with my friend Rick Welch. My oldest son, who is currently 7 will hopefully be tagging along as well. Would love to share a camp with you and your son. Brady
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send me some details Doc, you never know what i might be able to work out. with over a year i have some time.
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Thanks for taking the time to post your trip results and the great photographs. I'm leaving for Vissers in 5 days and your report adds to the excitement. This is my first trip to Africa and I'll be happy to just make it there and back. Any of the animals that you were able to take would make the trip a huge success for me. Thanks again
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ncsturkey you will have a great time i can tell. you will get some shots on ncie animals. i was only hoping to take one nice animal to remember my trip by and i just kept being in the right place at the right time. make sure to post your trip when you get back. i saw Josephs post last year when he was talking about his trip with Dries. take lots of photos you won't regret it. they video all of your hunts so you don't need to worry about that part.
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Rob,
I too thank you for posting this great thread. My wife and I are going to Visser's in August 07; we booked a few months back. We enjoy seeing these threads as they keep the excitement up for the long wait. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your story.
Toby
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Rob,
I am going to bowhunt in South Africa July, 2007. What GREAT pictures !! I need to jump into the 21 century and buy a new camera.
Will you recommend a quality digital camera? Do I have to spend $500 for a good camera?
John III
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BTH & JDS3, glad you are enjoying the trip. i found reading these before my trip really added to the excitement. i was x'ing off the days for almost an entire year waiting for this trip.
John as for cameras, there are some really good cameras out there that will create fine images for less than a $1000. if you will send me a pm i will see if i can't help point you in the right direction.
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well my last few days of the hunt were upon me. with the kudu still showing on the backs of my eye lids i didn't see how it could be topped. i had 4 awesome animals and memories that would last a life time. sitting around the camp fire monday night we re lived those first few days and talked about the other animals that i might be interested in taking on this trip.
i told Gerhard that honestly i had taken more animals then i ever thought i would and that my trip had been complete after the first arrow left the bow. don't get me wrong i was thrilled for all of the animals that i had taken, but from the very beginning i just wanted to return home with one african animal and it didn't even need to be a trophy.
i have never been a trophy hunter and will never be. i love to hunt with my bow as much as the next trad guy, but just being out there in the bush seeing the wild animals of africa as they have been for millions of years was a dream i had had since a little boy playing in the woods behind my grandmothers house.
we decided that i would go out one more day and try for another nice impala or possibly a zebra if the opportunity presented itself. of course there were many other animals that i had not taken, but i had made it clear from the beginning that i wanted to have something to return for. gemsbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck, eland, hartebeest and nyala just to mention a few. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/bushbuck0591.jpg)
this trip had been everything and more for both of us. i knew this trip would be something my son Wes would talk about to his grandkids long after i'm a fixture in the happy hunting grounds we had seen wild animals that most kids only get to see on tv or in the zoo. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/cheetadesktop.jpg)
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/elephant02.jpg)
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/giraffe04jpg.jpg)
still my son was hoping for one animal that we had seen almost everytime we ventured in to the bush. he had wanted a warthog, especially since i had mentioned that if we were successful in getting one that he could put the trophy in his room. we had seen probably 20-30 different warthogs since day one but they were all sows with little ones.
i can hear Wes now, "dad here comes another warthog""is this one big enough"? the day i killed the kudu a sow had appeared from his side of the blind and he said, "dad get ready here comes a huge warthog". i could see his disapointment when my PH said, "that's a little pig" "not a shooter". he wanted a hog and some kind of bad. it just didn't seem to be in the cards. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/warthog04.jpg)
the final time in the blind had come and the visitors arrived soon after daylight. first a few small impala came into drink and they were followed by a large herd of blesbok. i watched a nice impala ram off in the distance and hoped he would make the mistake of coming in for a drink. his little brother didn't waste any time. (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/impala07.jpg)
ten minutes went by and finally the big ram started to make his moved so i got into position for the shot. he circled around the blind and came in from the right giving me a perfect broadside shot at 12 yards. just as the bow came up my PH said wait, huge hog! i lowered the bow, looking in the direction were Gerhard's eyes were focused. i could see the big pig making his way through the bush .
Gerhard looked at me and said to ready myself for a shot and that if the hog presented a shot to take it right away as he was not likely to stick around long.
at first he came in to the back side of the water trough and it looked as if we wouldn't get the shot, but then for some unknown reason he walked around in front of us giving me a 15 yard broad side shot. he stopped perfect looking in the opposite direction with his front leg forward leaving me with a golden shot.
i didn't need any coaching on this one the arrow was gone as soon as i hit anchor and the hog went down immediately. the arrow had entered right in the shoulder and deflected off bone causing it to strike the spine putting the big boar down for good. i was all smiles as this was the cherry on top of the already over iced cake. Wes had his warthog. it was meant to be. this was his hog.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/events/photos/africasafari06/weswarthogw.jpg)
this was the trip of a lifetime for the both of us. what really made this trip so special for me was that i was able to share it with my son. i wouldn't trade one minute of it for all the world records out there. we are already talking about our return, the only difference will be next time hopefully he will be the one hunting.
our first african safari will live in our minds forever. the sun rises, sun sets, beautiful landscapes, amazing animals and the friendly people that we meet. new friends and the longing for a land far away will keep us in thought dreaming of our return some day. hopefully sooner than later.
(http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/photos/africa2006/sunset01.jpg)
the sun has set on this adventure, but a new day will rise when we again return to the dark continent that for this father and son was anything but dark. god bless!
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Priceless , thanks for sharing.
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Bob; thanks for taking the time to share this, and absolutely great pictures,good stuff.Again thanks a bunch help get me my much needed daily dose of africa..........
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glad i could share it with the tradgang community. thanks for all the kind words, hope i will be able to share another hunt soon. my son is chomping at the bits to hunt, he actually bought a new bow sunday in hopes of hunting this year. he has been shooting a longbow since he was 3 years old, but i told him he would need to be able to pull at least 35-40 pounds before he could hunt. we decided to start with a compound for hunting since it's easier for him to get the pounds needed to hunt.
thanks again for reading about my hunt. i can't wait to hear about some of your hunts coming up.
>~feathers in the wind~>
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Wow! That's what dreams are made of! Thanks for sharing your story and photos, it was like I was right there with y'all.
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glad i could share it with everyone. if anyone would like to see some more photos from the trip you can go to my web site @ this address africa 2006 (http://burnhamphotography.com/galleries/nature/galleries/africa2006.shtml)
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I'm sure you'll get lots of hits to that link! Thanks a lot Rob! I've been thinking of nothing but Africa and getting my wife and I ready for the trip. A year seems like a long time but I'm sure it will fly by!
I'm gonna go look at your pictures now!
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great pics !
when we go over we are going to film with a canon gl2, im hoping 60 hrs of tape is enough
for 10 days. 1 year,52 days until we go.
not that i'm counting.
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Hey Rob,
Nicely done. Can't wait to hear all the details. Thanks for all the Pics. Hope to see you at the Dixie shoot in Aug. Jeff
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Beautiful photographs, Rob. Its always inspiring to see the work of someone that loves what they do and is especially good at it as well!
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Congrats Rob! My wife and I will be heading over in July 2008. Missed seeing you at PBS in Salt Lake. Thanks for sharing! Terry
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Jeff i may or may not make it on saturday, but i'm going to try. let's catch up before hunting season, i may have some really good spots for you to hunt this year if all goes well. on the Rivana River..
Terry, sorry i couldn't make it to salt lake, not sure if you heard but my grandmother passed away the day my wife and i were leaving for the airport.
Ray thanks for the kind words also. it really helps when you love what you do. i hope to post some photos from Colorado & Wyoming this fall..
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Rob, my condolences. Family first. See you next time. Also, thinking of returning to Rob's in Feb. Interested?
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Simply incredible photos Rob! Definitely brought back fond memories of being there. You captured the visual essense of Africa!
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Sounds like you had a great time! The pictures are awesome! hey I didn't know you golfed? We will have to get together so I can take some money from you on the golf course! HAHA Keep in touch!
MOBO
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Man all this is making me real itchy. I leave 6/18 for SA and can't wait. Congrats on your great hunt.
Bisch
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It's been almost 6 years since I was on my last hunt in Africa, and I've missed it ever since.
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Awesome Topic, Thanks for sharing.
There are no trophy pictures in the topic, but i had a great time !!! thanks Paleface
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Jerome , take lots of pics!
Can't wait for ya to share your adventures when ya get back.
have a great hunt,
sammy