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Main Boards => The Dark Continent => Topic started by: BTH on August 28, 2007, 03:00:00 PM
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We made it back from Visser's. We had a great time. As soon as I can I'll post some pictures and video (the video may take longer as I'm new to the camera and editing).
My wife and I took seven animals. Since Sara was shooting the unmentionable bow I can't show any of her shots, but anyone who wants to see them just let me know and I'll send a link to our Shutterfly alblum. I was very impressed with one particular kill she made with her 40lb'r...she took a huge kudu bull at 26 yards with a heavy arrow (435 grains), for a compound with her stats, tipped with a 100 grain silver flame and 100 grain brass adapter. It died within 100 yards of the shot.
I ended up taking only three animals...Blue Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, and Gemsbok. My other animals wouldn't give me a shot I was happy with, and those darned warthogs were so scared of their own shadows that they were quicker to run than I was to draw! I had some heart pounding moments lining up on Black Wildebeest, Blesbuck, Mt. Reedbuck, and Impala that I didn't drop the string on for or one reason or another. Mostly I didn't want my pass through to hit the animal on the other side or the angle wasn't acceptable for the desired outcome.
Sara, besides her Kudu, took a nice Bushbuck and two Impala.
We had a great side trip to Pilanesburg National Park and a great time at the Citadel.
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nicley well done Toby, and well done to your wife sounds like a winer shot on the kudu, looking forward to the pics
cheers Andy
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Glad you two are back safe and sound. Just what I need...another African storyline with pics! Between you and Paleface many of us are going to feel pressured to make a trip to Africa soon for a bowhunt. PLEASE twist I mean DON'T twist our arms too hard. :thumbsup:
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Good for both of you. My wife also did some damage to the wallet with her 45 pound bow. I'll take that over a wife that stays at home any day!
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Absolutely Doc! One of the videos I have of my wife after she shot her second Impala is just priceless. I know now that I have a partner in the freezer filling department for life.
It sounds like Vissers South African operation is fully booked through 2008 and well into 2009. They do have a Botswana operation and a new Namibia lease opening up.
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BTH which camp were you hunting out of? send me the link to the video clips if you don't mind...
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Rob, We were at Citadel. I haven't done anything with the video clips yet...I'm still a little screwed up from the return trip. We also hunted Smokey Mountain and our PH, Flip Nel, took us to his friend's property, LeeouFontain, for Sara's Kudu. It seems Citadel's Kudu needed a break after 18 bulls were killed before we got there. All Kudu from our trip were taken off property or at Mountain Camp. When I get the video worked out I'll let you know.
Toby
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OK, here's some pictures...
This one should be my Gemsbok. This guy came in alone and chased the Kudu, bulls and cows, off the feed. Finally shot him on the waterhole.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0510.jpg)
This one should be my Red Hartebeest...shot on Citadel the third day. Nice lone bull, not the biggest but the best that would give me a nice broadside.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0490.jpg)
This should be the final day trophy lineup. From left to right; Sara's Kudu, shot off property at LeouFontain, my blue wildebeest, Sara's second impala, my red hartebeest, Sara's first impala, Sara's bushbuck, shot at Smokey Mountain, and My Gemsbok.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8230088.jpg)
Anyone who wants to see pictures of Sara and her animals let me know and I'll send them to you via shutterfly link. Can't show them here as she shot them with the bow-that-cannot-be-named here.
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And some more...
Sara and I on the mountain overlooking Pilanesburg National Park. Our guide was Dewald Cronje, a close friend of Bennie and Heinke Lottering and friend of Small Dries. He treated us very well, kept me well fed and drunk (comfortably numb as Pink Floyd would say) on Castle and Carling Black Label. His homemade beef and blesbuck sausage was to die for as was his dried sausage made of bushbuck and beef. Think jerky, but sausage.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0440.jpg)
The next two pictures are overlooking Pilanesburg Park. We spent two days touring and saw lots of animals including white rhino (at ten yards!) Giraffe, waterbuck, lion, impala, baboons, and tons of "stupid zebra" as Dewald started to say after the 100th siting, blue wildebeest, black wildebeest, honey badger, etc...
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0439.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0438.jpg)
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We saw this lioness pick her head up from her nap. The "rocks" and "tree limbs" to the right are the other three or four lionesses. About 70 yards from the car.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8110011.jpg)
Nice bull giraffe, about 40 yards from the car. Dewald was telling us this one would yield about 1000 kilos of good meat.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8110014.jpg)
Here's the white rhino. About 10-15 yards off the side of the road...bull, cow, and calf. Pretty amazing. We saw a few others on the trip but these were the most photogenic of them all.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8110017.jpg)
Here's a shot of me, Carlings Black Label on board, awaiting the beef and blesbuck sausage off the "braai". I'm a happy man. We stopped at this picnic spot on one of the mountains in Pilanesburg. These South Africans know how to BBQ, or Braai as they say. Table cloth, real plates and silver ware, nice spread.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0457.jpg)
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Ooops...slipped this one in. No bow-that-cannot-be-named is showing. Just one nice 51"-52" Kudu bull killed by my dear, loving, meat making wife, Sara. She was absolutely ecstatic!
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0487.jpg)
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This one was from a blind on Citadel. We had this herd of Zebra come in and totally relax (this picture doesn't show relaxed) and hang out at this waterhole. The PH's couldn't believe it until we showed them the pics and video.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8140056.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8140053.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8140057.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8140054.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/P8140052.jpg)
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Check this sable out...we saw sable at Pilanesburg as well, but at 300 yards. This guy was at the Heilboom blind on Citadel. I was there for blesbuck and warthog, neither of which gave me a good shot. But we weren't bored with the other animals coming in. Once Hein heard I "shot" this guy with my cameras he couldn't wait to see. I asked him if this sable was ready for a client and he says' "oh, yes" in his Afrikans accent. I asked how much? He says "$7000 US. You can wire the money later." Needless to say, on my public employee salary, I said, thanks, but no thanks.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0546.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0545.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0544.jpg)
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c398/tfr270/IMG_0547.jpg)
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beautiful animals looks like you had an awesome time
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I saw the same Sable, from the same blind! He was fighting with 2 others. That is exactly where I shot my Eland. Glad you had a great time. We did too!
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Yeah, Marty, there are three Sable in that enclosure. That blind has a great variety of animals coming in to it. Didn't see any eland there but we had a great herd of black wildebeest with one monster who wouldn't give me a shot, blesbuck, springbok, warthog, nyala, impala...that was my favorite blind.
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Well-done! Thanks for sharing those wonderful photos!
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Great pics. Looks like an excellent hunt!
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i've only been home 2 weeks and i'm missing it already. can i go back, please.... July can't get here fast enough..
nice photos and grads on a fine hunt.
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Great photos! Thanks for the post.
Jarrod