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Main Boards => The Dark Continent => Topic started by: Jeff Sample on July 02, 2008, 12:17:00 PM
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My buddy and I leave in 2 weeks. Anybody who has been to Melorani this season want to tell us about your hunt?
Thanks!
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Jeff,
Please be sure to post your pictures and story, I am going in June of next year and am anxious to hear how every thing goes this year.
Good luck and shoot straight.
Pip
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Good luck with your hunt, Jeff!
I'm leaving for SA in just over 2 weeks! I'll be there for 2 months! ;) Have fun and be sure to share with us when you're back! :D
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Jeff, looks like there will be lots left for us! :)
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Jeff,
Make sure you let us know how things are at Melorani.
I am planning a 2010 ten day trip with Melorani.
I do know that they come very highly recommended if you want to spot n stalk. This is why I will book my next Africa hunt with them.
John III
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I was at Melorani exactly one year ago and it was fantastic! They had an exceptionally dry season last year and it was tough on the animals. However, Stewart reports that with the exception of warthog that the animals did very well. I emailed Stewart just a short time ago and he had just had his first group go through. He stated that the hunting had been excellent(what a surprise!). Make sure to give us a report when you return. Have a safe trip and make sure to ask Stewart and PH Neil about their new concession. It's a relatively short trip from Melorani and is "covered" with Kudu. Good Huntin'!
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Back from Melorani. I had a great trip, and it would be an understatement to say that it was the hunt of a lifetime - and we had a slow week according to Stewart! On one or two days I saw more animals within 20 yards than in 10 years of whitetail hunting in NY State. I'll start posting a day-by-day account of my hunt, with pics, in the next couple of days. I took 4 animals: impala, kudu, nyala and warthog. I had great shots at a big eland and a waterbuck, but these species didn't really appeal to me, at least that early in the hunt when I was hell bent on nyala and kudu!
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Here are a few teasers!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0079.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0116.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0093.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0127.jpg)
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Come on, Jeff! That's bordering on the illegal and immoral side of things - it's been four days since you posted! I can't wait to read your story and see more photos! Well done, anyway!
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OK, here it goes!
Following is a brief account of my 10-day plains game hunt at Melorani Safaris, operated by Stewart Dorrington and located in the Northwest Province of South Africa. Hope you enjoy.
My partner Terry Receveur, his wife Tina and I arrived in Johannesburg around 6 PM on Wednesday, July 16th, on Delta’s 19-hr flight from Atlanta to Jo’Burg, which makes a one-hour or so stop in Dakar, Senegal (total travel time was 28 hrs from my home outside of Harrisburg, PA). My luggage - with my 2 prized Schafer Silvertips - was MIA for a few hours (talk about severe depression). Fortunately, it had made the trip, but was mistakenly sent to the airport “Police Station”, presumably because a baggage handler believed it contained a firearm (firearms are not put onto the general-luggage carousel). We were met outside of Customs by the driver for Afton Guest House, a nearby B&B where we spent the next 2 nights, getting adjusted to the 6-hr time change (which wasn’t that bad) and doing a little sightseeing. About 1 on Friday, Stewart picked us up for the 3-hr drive to the hunting concession, formally a cattle ranch established by Stewart’s grandfather in 1918, but which was converted by Stewart to a game preserve in the early 80s.
As we drove onto Melorani, where Stewart, his wife and 2 young boys and mother Bea also make their homes, we immediately started seeing game: ever abundant impala (some very impressive rams), nyala, warthog, eland, and probably other species that I don’t recall at the moment. I was particularly excited about all of the nyala “just standing around”, as this was the #1 animal on my list, and Stewart has an excellent nyala herd, with some very nice bulls, as I was now witnessing! After meeting some of the staff and depositing our gear in our rooms (thatched-roof rondavels complete with private bathrooms, including showers – see below), we were taken for a short drive in the back of the Land Cruiser by Stewart and our PH, Neil. Again, we were immediately into game, including kudu and waterbuck, in addition to those mentioned above. Then, back to “camp” for drinks around the campfire, followed by an incredible dinner (wildebeest, if I remember correctly), and then some more time around the fire getting acquainted.
My quarters:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0130.jpg)
The view from my rondavel door:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0132.jpg)
The mess building:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0128.jpg)
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Our days started each morning with a few practice arrows into the sand pit behind our rondavels, followed by a simple breakfast from 7:15-7:45. After packing our lunch, it was into the back of the Land Cruiser for the ride to our blind, where we would sit all day, unless a change in wind direction dictated a move to a new blind. The drive out was one of the highlights of each day, as game was everywhere! On the first day we saw just about everything Stewart has on the concession, including white rhino (cow and calf) and an impressive heard of sable, which we were told is the largest free-ranging sable herd in the country. We’d typically get to our blind between 7:45 and 8:15, but animals didn’t come in usually until at least after 9:30, presumably because it takes until 10 or so for the wind direction to settle down. Most blinds, either grass huts (a few elevated 12 or so feet) or miniature cement-and-clay buildings that often looked like termite mounds, were usually at the edge of a pond or small man-made waterhole. Each blind had a salt block, and some a Game Block that the kudu really go crazy for, but most other species pretty much ignore, except for warthog and nyala which sometimes gave it a few licks. Shooting holes were about 8” wide, 18” high, with shots anywhere from 10-20 yards – though through these holes things appear closer than they actually are. Pick-up was around 6 PM, followed by the nightly recap of the day’s happenings around the campfire, and gourmet dinners that included wildebeest, impala, eland, kudu and zebra (which by the way is the best meat I’ve ever tasted!).
Typical scenes on the drive out:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0020.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0019.jpg)
Day one to follow later today.
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DAY ONE
The trip out was unbelievable. Without having set foot in a blind yet, I knew that I would be back here some day. After dropping Terry and Tina off at their blind, we continued a mile or so more to mine: a grass & stick hut on the edge of an old road, lined with trees on both sides, and fields beyond. This was one of the few blinds that I hunted that was not next to a waterhole, but I had the salt block and what was left of a Game Block in front of me (given the chance, the kudu will devour one of these in little more than a day). A group of kudu cows were the first to show, followed by a group of bulls. While none of the bulls was a shooter, I could actually feel (honestly) the presence of another animal just out of my line of sight to the left. Peeking through the side window, which I had covered with black netting to keep as much sunlight out as possible, I could see a huge kudu bull, just standing on the road, refusing to come closer (the wind was perfect too). Over the next few hours, he did move back and forth out in front of me at 40 yards, in the trees, but he never would come in with the others. Then, finally, he came in and briefly stood broadside at 21 yards, which was beyond the 15 or so yards I was most comfortable with, in light of the less than full confidence I had shooting at that distance through the 8x18” hole; the wounding rule also added to the intimidation I felt, especially on the front end of the hunt. They eventually moved off, and then returned once or twice, without another shot opportunity.
Except for the bird life (including a mature male ostrich) and a few small warthogs moving through the area, things were pretty quiet until the last 45 minutes of the day, when a very nice (i.e., monstrous) eland bull wandered in and stood broadside at 15 yards. If you have never seen one of these beasts in the flesh, think Brahman bull! Unfortunately, I just couldn’t bring myself to drop the string on an animal that looks more like he belongs in the barnyard. He was soon followed by the return of the kudu cows and a couple other animals that (when they finally walked into my line of sight) turned out to be a zebra mare and what was probably her foal from the previous year. No shot though.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0016.jpg)
The other main event of the day was my introduction to the kudu “bark”. After I thought they had moved off, I snuck a granola bar out of my pack. What I did not realize was that a lone cow was standing unseen off to my left, and when I snapped off a bite, I got the shock of my life when she barked a warning. Actually, I would not describe it as a bark at all, but a very deep guttural growl – the kind you might imagine a big hungry leopard would make!!! Made the hair on the back of my neck stand up for sure. As I was to find out later, when a kudu cow barks (the bulls actually do it too), no one questions the reason, and every species around you will flat out disappear in a hurry, leaving you very alone, despite the fact that only a moment before you where surrounded by 20-40 animals!
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Thanks, Jeff! That's better! I haven't had a good read yet, as I need to hurry off to work, but I will as soon as I can! Keep it coming! Cheers, Ben
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Keep it coming Jeff! I remember the blind you were in on your first day. I saw a huge warthog from that hide but I'd already shot one.
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P.S. - How was the warthog population? I heard many left Stewart's place last year due to drought and were shot by farmers.
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Well, an exciting read so far!
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Tilzbow,
You are correct. The drought in '07 was particularly good for the hunters, but tough on the warthogs: they either starved, or were shot when they went off the property to feed on the neighbor's crops, as they are the one animal that can get through the fence, by going under it. I only saw two shooters, one of which I was lucky enough to take on the last day.
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DAY TWO
Sunday found me sitting in a blind next to a small waterhole, which was to be a hotbed of activity. Things got started with a breeding herd of impala, with a really nice ram that ran himself ragged running off nearby bulls attempting to drink, and keeping his ewes in line. The first of two times that he gave me a shot was when he initially came in for a brief drink; unfortunately, he was standing in front of several ewes. Later, he chose to offer me a 10-yard shot, but just as what would turn out to be the biggest nyala bull I would see during my hunt was coming straight to the water. No way was I going to blow a shot at the nyala, but unfortunately he drank quartering towards me, and then left promptly afterwards with his nose buried in the rear end of an nyala ewe. No shot. What a bull!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0023.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0024.jpg)
At one time I had kudu, nyala, waterbuck, a herd of tsessebe cows (who actually bedded down), ostrich, warthog and impala surrounding me at this blind, all at the same time! The highlight of the day was certainly the big nyala bull, as well as a large one-horned waterbuck that was taking forever to come in, but once a group of kudu cows showed up, he came in at a trot. The warthogs were an interesting study. Despite their relative abundance and relatively low trophy fee, taking a decent boar is not a given, as many who have hunted them will probably confirm. They are especially nervous, and are very, very suspicious of the blinds, with their little black holes. When drinking, they will almost invariably do so facing the blind from the farthest point possible (the reason for the brush piled at the far end of the small waterholes we hunted over), always keeping their eyes peeled on the blind. Their hearing is something to behold as well, as once while a sow and little one drank at 18 yards, my stomach made a low growl that I could barely hear – they turned inside-out getting out of there! Also, once they have finished drinking, 9 times out of 10 they will bolt, running off with their tails straight in the air, so you had better take the very first shot offered! They are also notorious for jumping-the-string, so longer shots are not advisable given their relatively small “kill zone”.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0026.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0027.jpg)
The day ended with a small group of impala rams coming in (2 of which were real dandies), but I never had a clear shot.
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OK, here is what I know you're all waiting for! Story of Day 3 to follow.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0032.jpg)
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Nice wavey Silvertip, Jeff! A beaut animal, too.
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DAY THREE
Monday’s blind backed onto the edge of a large waterhole (what I would call a good-sized pond), with salt and game blocks set in front at about 16-18 yards.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0031.jpg)
Things were slow at first. About 10:30 I noticed a heard of impala in the brush off to my right. At 11, the ewes and small rams crossed in front and stopped to lick the salt. Unfortunately, the 2 nice rams within the group just walked past and down to drink on my left, out of range. As the rest of the herd joined them, I kept hoping that they would return. Finally, the rams continued away from me down the bank. There were a few ewes and a small ram hanging around the salt block. I kept looking back and forth checking on them and the position of the two rams, but it was clear my window of opportunity had passed. Then, as I started to take my arrow off of the string, I looked back at the salt block: a nice ram that I had not seen had wandered in and was busy licking away. As I drew, a small ram moved in broadside behind him. I let down, and then drew again as he moved away, picked a spot and released. My footed, 725-gr Woodsman-tipped arrow zipped completely through him! I thought whitetails could clear the area fast at the twang of a bowstring, but my arrow was still twirling in the air when they were no longer in sight. He went 65 yards before piling up, which couldn’t have taken more than 3 seconds! Typical double-lung/Woodsman blood trail, too ;>)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0093.jpg)
After Neil and the trackers picked up my ram, it was back into the blind. Throughout the day I would see waterbuck, warthogs, nyala, a nice wildebeest bull, a herd of 5 or 6 tsessebe bulls, kudu – including a group of 6 bulls that came into drink, two of which were real trophy class, but unfortunately a shift in wind direction drove them off before they could wander over to the salt block. The highlight of the day (after my impala and the cardiac arrest I nearly suffered as the large kudu bulls approached) was when a heard of about 2 dozen sable, with Stewart’s large herd bull, came to drink. The day ended with “my wildebeest” standing broadside at the salt block at 16 yards; unfortunately, a group of kudu cows and a young bull or two were busy working over the game block now at 12 yards (they shove it all around as they compete for it), blocking any shot I would have at the wildebeest.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0038-1.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0039.jpg)
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DAY FOUR
Day four was spent on Stewart’s new lease a couple of properties over from Melorani. This concession (“Mr. Kruger’s Park”) has a good kudu population, in addition to wildebeest, zebra, red hartebeest, warthog, impala and blesbok. The latter species is not maintained on Melorani, we were told, because they will crossbreed with the tsessebe. Actually, tsessebe are so ugly, I think it is the tsessebe, wishing to dip into a better-looking gene pool, that are the problem! This concession is used to take some of the pressure off of the fantastic Melorani kudu herd, and Stewart will accommodate some rifle hunters there as well.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0040.jpg)
This would actually turn out to be a frustrating day, as the wind, about 10 mph, would never blow from the same direction for more than 5 or 10 minutes, and it came from just about every point on the compass! I saw warthog, impala and kudu, including the immature bull pictured below. Unfortunately, everything was winding me, so Neil moved me to another blind for the final two hours of the day. There I saw kudu and warthog (winded by both), and at the end of the day a waterbuck bull. Though not particularly appealing to me and thus not on my original list, this bull had very nice markings. I drew on him several times, getting some pick-a-spot practice and deciding whether to take him or not. I finally decided to take the shot, but as I was about to draw I could hear the vehicle approaching to pick me up. Thinking that he would bolt at any moment, I passed on the shot. Turns out waterbuck are not very prevalent on this property, and this was the first bull spotted, so it was best that I did not remove him.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0041.jpg)
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Keep the story flowing, Jeff (please)! Inspirational stuff!
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DAY FIVE
Wednesday was spent in the “Mushroom Blind”. A nice impala ram come in early with his herd. I had decided to shoot another later in the hunt if the opportunity presented itself; now I had the opportunity, but it was still early in the day and hunt, and I was hoping for that nyala. By the time I decided to go for it, it was too late. As you can see from the picture below, he was a beaut!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0042.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0043.jpg)
Had a nice warthog boar come in, but he covered his vitals while he drank by keeping his front leg back. The other highlights of the day were a great gemsbok cow (off limits) and a bull, but one of his horns was broken off about a foot from the tip. Mute point anyway, as neither came closer than 30 or so yards.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0045.jpg)
A herd of several young eland bulls came in at last light (notice the twinkle in their eyes? forgot to turn the flash off on my camera).
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0046.jpg)
Hunt is now half over and I’m getting a bit apprehensive, with only one animal crossed off of my list, and that an impala, one of the most common and probably easiest to take.
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Thanks Jeff! Did the eland spook with the flash?
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Ben,
Very little, they then just settled into their routine again. Of all the animals that came into the blinds, they were the least cautious - just marched right in, even the big lone bull I saw on the 1st day. I think that is another reason I did not shoot, it really seemed too easy. Other animals were nervous and moving around, and you never knew if you where going to get a shot. Of course, if I go back with the objective of taking an eland, you can bet that it will be a different story.
Will post Day 6 later - twas a good one!!!
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DAY SIX
My blind sits partially in a tree on the bank of a large waterhole. There is a salt block on the bank below and to my left outside of the back of the blind (the side towards the water), and at the top of the bank, on which the road runs along, is a game block, which I can see through a hole in the other side of the blind. Across the bank is a relatively large open area with trees, but little or no grass. Shortly after getting situated, a cow and calf waterbuck enter the water on the far side of the waterhole to drink. A nice sable bull somehow has snuck in and is now bedded in the open area, next to the brush on the far side from me. A big wildebeest bull wanders by the sable, continuing on to the waterhole and a mud wallow about 100 yards down the shore from the blind. After about 15 minutes of rolling in the mud, he walks off directly away from me.
Shortly thereafter, a herd of at least 10 Cape buffalo pass along the far side of the open area, pushing the sable out of his bed, and down to the waterhole. While I’m sticking my camera out of the back hole of the blind to get the following picture of him, I see that the wildebeest has circled back around and is now staring at me! Oh well. He decides to go back to his mud hole.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0047.jpg)
A group of kudu cows, calves and young bulls show up and start working over the game block. Eventually a cow barks, and the place is empty! They return about 40 minutes later, and another group joins them. There are at least 18 or 20 now, pushing, shoving and horning each other for a turn at the game block; at times it got pretty physical. All this time there have been warthogs coming and going, as well as a trio of red hartebeests. One of the warthogs is a monster of a boar – the biggest I would see at Melorani - with very long, heavy tusks that made almost a full half circle. He is rooting around in the open area across the road after drinking out of range from me.
All of a sudden the young kudu bull that had current possession of the block, as well as the surrounding cows, quickly backed away. A nice bull walks up to the block from out of my sight to the right. He is not as big as those I saw on days 1 and 3, but a good representative of the species, and he has a really nice cape, with long manes, particularly below his neck, with red coloring, and a dark muzzle that really showed off his white chin and chevron. I decide that he is for me. The problem, however, is that the cows have pushed the block down the bank, so all I see is the bull’s head and neck as he works on it facing uphill. Every 5 minutes or so he returns to the top of the bank to have a look around and check the wind. Although he is broadside to me at these times, the cows move in closer for a shot at the block and ruin any opportunity for a shot.
THIS GOES ON FOR NEARLY 3 HOURS!!!!
During this time the big warthog (remember him) has come back for a drink and is standing 10 yards outside of the back window. However, I am now too far from the window for a shot at him, because I have been moving up to keep the game block in sight out of the front window. The bull kudu eventually has had enough and moves 50 yards down the road, and the other kudu begin to move off.
Seemingly out of nowhere the wildebeest is back, this time at the salt block outside of the back window. I’m still hoping to get a shot at the bull kudu now that the cows have mostly left, so I pass. He moves off, but a short while later is back at the salt block. I figure a sure shot at him is better than waiting for an unlikely-to-happen-now shot at the kudu. I had a 750-gr footed arrow on the string tipped with a 160-gr STOS BH that I had reserved for my kudu. It was now on its way towards the wildebeest. To my horror, the arrow catapulted into the air and back at me the instant it struck. The bull wildebeest charged off, and I couldn’t believe my eyes as I could see that the arrow had broken off an inch behind the BH. Upon examination of the arrow it was clear that it had gotten no more than 2” of penetration. So much for footed arrows being able to take a beating!
After Stewart came by to have a look, it was clear that the bull was not mortally injured by any stretch of the imagination. Instead of moving, I elected to sit at this blind for the rest of the day. When I finally got settled down and was able to put the $850 or so that I had just wasted out of my mind, I caught a movement out of the back window – the kudu bull was back!
He drank, but then moved along the far side of the waterhole, back to the area he had originally approached from, and down wind of me as well. I figured that was that! Within a few minutes, however, a group of 5 smaller kudu bulls showed up at the game block (which I had moved back up the bank before getting back into the blind). About 10 minutes later they scattered, as “my” bull approached along the same path as before. Now, the whole scenario I had with the kudu cows before was repeated, with the younger bulls now blocking my shots! This went on for about an hour. As I sat waiting for my opportunity, I began to lose some confidence as a stared back and forth between the kudu and the 2-bladed STOS-tipped arrow I had on the string – just like the one I had fired off at the wildebeest! I finally said to myself “screw it”, and slowly reached over and pulled a Woodsman-tipped arrow out of my quiver (this is the BH I use exclusively in the U.S., but I was swayed by all of the 2-bladed hype, and so equipped half of my Africa arrows with STOS heads). Not long afterwards my time came.
I watched the arrow strike a few inches low, at what would be a broadside heart shot on a deer. As he began to run, I watched in what seemed like slow motion as the shaft cracked and broke as his front leg moved back. Unfortunately, as I looked (again in horror) at the length of the arrow shaft on the ground, it did not look like I had gotten enough penetration. At 60 yards he stopped, standing broadside to me, and I could see the wound, but no blood! Thinking I had hit his front leg bone and only inflicted a $1500 flesh wound, I almost flipped when he tipped over, flopped several times, and then lay still. As I examined the arrow shaft afterwards, it was clear that, as the bull started to run, the arrow had been pushed most of the way back out before being broken, after going through the chest cavity, hitting heart and lung. A 21-yard shot – the same distance I had passed on at the big kudu bull on day 1!
Crime scene photos:
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0049.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0051.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0054.jpg)
I was happy!
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Good read! Doesn't it seem like time stands still while you are waiting for the shot you want :thumbsup: Thanks for sharing. Joseph
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My sincere condolences for the wildebeest; but that's a flamin' nice kudu! Well done!
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Great read Jeff, really nice photos too. It is a wonderful ride to sit in a blind and have to decide, will I won't I?!! I think the one thing that unsettles people is the constant movement of animals at a waterhole or salt block, they don't just stand there waiting for the shot, you have to relax and start to 'read' them until you are sure of your shot. Patience pays off. Well done on the kudu he is a nice one good eating too. Wildebeest are harder than they look but a great trophy, sorry your shot hit the bone, Ouch! Twice over - your pocket and his elbow!! Pretty arrows you have, is that purple heart footing? Gives you cause to return eh?
Thanks for the read.
chrisg
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Perhaps a little off thread but for folks reading this thread the photos give a very good idea of the 'look' of the bushveld out west and all around in a big arc through the North west province up to northern Limpopo. Sometimes more open and into the hills it gets thicker with taller trees. In the Eastern regions the bush is often thicker and the trees are taller, same for northern Kwazulu-Natal. This a very good sample of it. Another thread was robtattoo's on his Namibia hunt, a different area completely but also a good idea of the 'look'. I guess I am saying it is worth taking more scenery and general views on your trips to show people at home, that and a good notebook.
Unfortunately if you want to hear the birds, insects and animal sounds you will have to come out in person! That goes for the smell of the earth and all the other aromas...
chrisg
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Chris,
I made my own arrows with hexpine shafts that I got from Bob Burton at Whispering Wind Arrows. They are footed with what he calls packawood [sp], a resin-impregnated poplar. The footing is stained cocabola color. I've found this footing to be on the brittle side, not just from my experience with the wildebeest shoulder.
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Those pakkawood footings are too brittle, they snap a pretty easily behind the point.
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I have a knife with pakkawood scales, it seems to be made in many colour varieties, I guess even the resin won't make it tough enough as a footing, you need a fibrous robust wood to take shock. Still very nice looking arrows though. I have a few of those hex pines and I like them a lot, they take punishment and are very consistent.
The ones I got were 8 out of 12 exactly on the same weight with no more than 4 gr difference for the rest. I have also thought of footing them, I would like to use one of our many local woods, this will be a summer project!
chrisg
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Jeff,
I've got some arrows earlier this year I bought from Bob and they're footed with diamond wood. Is this the same as the pakkawood you're describing?
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Tilzbow,
Bob offers two footing materials. On his website, the one I used for my African arrpws is alternately listed as pakkawood or dymondwood- don't know if there is a difference. The other is actionwood, a resin-impregnated laminated maple. I have a few practice arrows made up with what I think is actionwood footings that were sent to me in error, instead of pakkawood. These seem to be tougher than the pakkawood footings.
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Jeff,
Really enjoyed your hunt. Thanks for posting the story/photos.
Bill
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More to come. Lots at work to get caught up on.
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DAY SEVEN
After my kudu I was now very pumped for a chance at one of Stewart’s big nyala bulls – the animal at the top of my list. The wind was expected to change before noon, and at 11 AM it did so by 180 degrees. Stewart and Neil Summers of Bowhunting Safari Consultants, who handles the bookings for Melorani and was visiting for a few days, picked me up and moved me to a new blind frequented by nyala. I didn’t have to wait long before a lone nyala ewe wandered in to drink. She left, and then returned later (or maybe it was a different ewe), again alone.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/37.jpg)
A herd of at least 30 impala with one ram came in, but the ram had only a single horn; the other had been broken off about 3 or 4 inches above his skull. He was very battle scarred, so even his hide wasn’t worth taking for a rug (impala and warthogs are the only animals you can generally take two of).
About two-ish I spotted a couple nyala cows coming in to drink from the same direction as the ewes had earlier, but I could see two bulls following, in single file. The first marched in behind the ewes and drank. He offered a nice shot, but he was a youngster compared to his big brother waiting in the brush, who definitely WAS a shooter! He finally made his way to the waterhole to drink. Unfortunately, he was quartering slightly towards me, and he held his front leg back, covering his vitals, for the entire time he drank. No shot. He then briefly turned to face me, and then turned and walked off into the bush. DAMN!!!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0100.jpg)
That afternoon, in addition to warthogs (no shooters), I was visited by kudu cows and a few young bulls, a monkey, and was surrounded by the abundant birdlife at Melorani, including a couple francolin I thought were going to hop into the blind. The highlight, after my close call with the nyala bull, was when a small herd of about a half-dozen wildebeest came to drink. One nicely marked bull in the group offered a great broadside shot as he drank on his front knees, as if he knew that (because of the wounding rules) I could not shoot him.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0075.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0078.jpg)
Three more days to go.
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What a great story Jeff !!!! Thanks
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DAY EIGHT
After playing musical blinds – in the first I was unable to shoot (cant) my 62” recurve because the shooting windows were located at the corners, and in the second nothing showed for the morning – at noon I am now in the adobe termite hill-like blind that I shot my impala from on day three. With the large waterhole behind me, a number of warthogs, a medium-ish nyala bull and a few waterbuck come to drink. The big excitement was the appearance of two absolutely huge waterbuck bulls. I first spotted them while they were nearly 200 yards from the waterhole, which they took what seemed like forever to approach. I had been vacillating on whether to shoot a waterbuck if the opportunity presented itself, but the sight of these two made up my mind – waterbuck was now on the menu! Unfortunately, after drinking, they did not head to the salt block, but returned instead to the bush in the direction they had approached from.
The other big excitement of the day came when 3 giraffe, two of which were large bulls, came to the waterhole. After drinking they came to sample the salt block and fed in front of me for nearly an hour. It’s amazing how something so large can virtually disappear when they stand still among the trees!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0084.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0087.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/giraffe.jpg)
At the end of the day the large sable herd came to drink, as did a big kudu bull.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0095.jpg)
Steaks from Terry’s zebra that he shot yesterday are on tonight’s menu.
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PS - I learned from Stewart that one of the hunters in the group that followed us shot a world record class waterbuck bull. I would not be surprised if it was one of the bulls that I saw on this day!
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DAY NINE
Back in the same blind I sat on day 2, hoping to get a shot at the big nyala bull I saw there. Not as much activity this morning, and the wind is starting to shift back and forth. A beautiful bull sable comes to drink, standing broadside/slightly quartering away at 10 yards! Sights like these have me thinking about sable on my next hunt.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0097.jpg)
CLICK!!!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0098.jpg)
The wind now is getting crazy, and more often than not it is blowing from the blind to the waterhole. I catch a movement 100 or so yards out in front of an animal moving from my right to left. It is the big nyala bull! He eventually stops and stares directly at the blind, and to my amazement, turns and starts heading straight towards me!!! There are no other animals at the waterhole or salt block to interfere with a shot, either. My heart is about to pound through my chest as I turn and reach for an arrow; after nocking it I look out the window to see my prize stop at 50 yards. All of a sudden he turns to his left and bolts – returning to the cover he came from. I don’t know if the wind screwed me over, or if it was the sound of my fletching brushing against the blind wall as a reached for the arrow (which I doubt). Regardless, he was gone and obviously would not be back shortly. This was the only time during my hunt that I felt such depression as I was now experiencing at this lost opportunity. With only another day to hunt, things were not looking good for taking an nyala.
Neil moved me to the “nyala blind” I sat on day 7 - the one where I was unable to get a shot at the big bull as he drank. That bull had come in at 1:40, and it was now 2:10, causing me to wonder if I had missed him. If he did come in that day, I indeed missed him as the sunset without any nyala sighting.
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Day 10
Monday, July 28th. Last day. Trying to keep a positive attitude. I’m satisfied with the two animals that I have, but yesterday’s depressing experience with the bull nyala was still heavy on my mind. Terry and Tina had earlier sat in the blind that I was going to occupy today - an elevated stand (about 12 ft) overlooking a small waterhole - and they assured me that they had seen a lot of animals, including nyala. As we drove out, the fields off to our left were absolutely lousy with impala, all racing around and crossing the road in front of us. Many very nice rams!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0101.jpg)
Once again, the wind started out variable. The first animals to appear were a sow warthog, followed by 5 or so gemsbok, slowly heading towards the waterhole in single file. Maybe my luck was about to change! The first 3 or 4 were clearly cows (thus off limits), but the 4th animal in line was a nice bull. Unfortunately, as this species (like zebra) is known to do, they all stopped and appeared to rethink the whole matter of continuing on to water. Don’t know if they winded me or not, but after 30 or so minutes, they drifted back into the bush. Hopefully they would return. Warthogs were continually approaching, including one very nice boar, however they would spook, circle, spook again, then leave. Although they were not necessarily coming in from downwind, if the wind shifted at all as they approached (which it did), they got very nervous and refused to come closer. After circling to approach from another direction, the whole process would repeat itself. Frustrating!
About 11:30 a big cow eland with one ear missing (ticks) and one deformed horn came to drink. After she left I sat back in my chair and started enjoying the moment. High noon, an nyala bull appeared almost as out of nowhere from beyond the far end of the waterhole. It took only a brief glance to confirm that he was a shooter! As I nocked an arrow and moved to the shooting window on the other side of the blind, he began to drink broadside at 18 yards. The arrow zipped through him in what was clearly a double-lung shot, hitting a rock and bouncing back under the bull towards the blind. He was gone in a split second. I could see that the arrow was covered in bright pink blood, and realized that I finally had my nyala. He went approximately 200 yards.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0104.jpg)
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0112.jpg)
I climbed back into the blind around 12:50, after Neil and the tracker left with my nyala. I hear zebra braying in the distance behind me. These never showed, but shortly afterwards a large warthog approached from my right, but got nervous and left as the others had all done earlier. He repeated this a time or two. Looked like a warthog was not in my immediate future. A few kudu cows and a young bull visited the salt block, and warthogs continued to spook. At 2:20 a movement to the right caught my eye: it was the big warthog, and this time he was marching straight in. He stopped once or twice briefly in front of the blind, then proceeded to the waterhole to drink, not at the farthest point from the blind, but at the front of the waterhole and broadside to me! I got to the shooting window on the other side of the blind at about the same time that he started to drink. The 14-yard shoot looked low, and in fact I thought I missed him with all of the noise of arrow hitting rock and stone. He was gone in a flash. The arrow was laying several feet beyond where he had stood, and was covered with blood. I assumed that I had pierced his brisket, but upon examination of the arrow it was clear that it had passed through his lungs! The blood trail was immediate and profuse – gotta love those Woodsman BHs!!!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0116-1.jpg)
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When I had radioed Stewart after the shot, I was not so sure that I had made a good hit, so when he arrived it was a relief to inform him that there most likely was a dead warthog at the end of the blood trail. And so there was! Unbelievably, he too went about 200 yards.
[img]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/Warthog.jpg)
The last thing Stewart said to me before I climbed back into the blind - AGAIN - was that gemsbok often will return. However, with the exception of the return of the kudu cows and bull that had hit the salt block earlier, and a sow warthog with 3 little ones, the rest of the afternoon was quiet. At 5:15 I heard (big) animals approaching from behind me. Thinking that it might be the zebras I had heard earlier, I got ready. To my surprise, I was soon surrounded by at least 15 Cape buffalo. They entertained me for the next 40 minutes, leaving as the sun set and the sound of the approaching Land Cruiser grew louder.
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0121.jpg)
What a day, and what a way to end a hunt of a lifetime!
(http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/jtsample/Hunt%20Album/Africa/IMG_0124.jpg)
Hope you all enjoyed.
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Jeff,
I am sure I echo the sentiments of all who read this thread when I say thank you for sharing you hunt, your pictures and your trophies with us. Congratulations on a very successful hunt with several very beautiful animals and yes, even the one you wanted. I will be going with my friends next June to Stewarts place and can only hope I can do half as well.
Again thanks and congratulations!
Pip
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Thanks Jeff, and well done on the pictures and trophies!
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Jeff,
I really enjoyed the story of your hunt. Very well done and well told!
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Beautiful and descriptive writing and just the right photos to make it extra fun to read. Thank you for the time and effort that you put in to share this adventure with us. I have had the pleasure to hunt RSA and it will be Namibia next year, so I will tell you that what I just read was very real and conveyed the excitement, the emotional highs and lows, and the unpredictabilty of hunting there.
I hope that anyone who plans on going gets a chance to read this.
steve
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Amazing job Jeff and your shooting was fantastic! You couldn't have anticipated the arrow failure. Your aim was excellent! Wonderful trophies that will fill your apartment! : )
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well done Jeff, lovely pictures and a great read, just goes to show that patience is the key. You have to love those bright pink arrows laying in the dirt! Good shooting!I wonder how our friends Vince and Kevin are doing, they were pumped when I met them at the airport even after the long flight!
Chrisg
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Thanks for all the kind words. If anyone wants more info on hunting at Melorani, please don't hesitate to send me a PM.
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Thanks for sharing Jeff.
It was a pleasant story for a great bowhunter.
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great stuff Jeff thanks for sharing! some nice animals you got there :thumbsup:
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Great pics.. Did you try to stalk any game?? Neil recommended Melorani for me knowing I want to get out of a blind.
John III
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John,
We were there the second half of July, and between being mid winter and the drought last year, the cover was really knocked back. Thus, stalking would have been pretty futile in my opinion (a lot of eyes and noses to fool). Of course, we never requested to get out and stalk, so there may have been some areas better suited for stalking that we would have been taken to. I did see some thicker cover on Stewart's new lease.
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Thanks Jeff. Looks like you had a superb trip. How did you handle the plane ride? I am worried about being stuck on a tube for 20+ hours... This misery (esp. trying to get home)is the only thing that worries me about going.
John III
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Congrats on a great hunt and a very well told story with awesome pic's. Thanks for sharing.
CS
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John,
I dreaded the flight to Jo'Burg as well, but it was actually not that bad. We took Delta's "direct" flight to Jo'Burg, which makes a 1-hr or so stop in Dakar (about half way) to exchange about a dozen passengers, restock the galley, refuel (I assume) and change their flight crew. You don't even get off the plane. Don't recall the airplane make and model, but it had the 2-3-2 seat format. Plenty of food and drink, and there was a movie monitor on the back of each seat with plenty of material to watch. I think my buddy and his wife watched all of the movies they had to offer on the trip over. Unfortunately, they have the same ones on the return flight! Between the movies, a book and my iPOD I did fine. I don't think I slept more than 20 minutes on the return trip, but somehhow time passed.
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PS - The Delta flight to Jo'Burg (#34) originates in Atlanta.
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Thank again, Jeff. I know I will have to get through a long flight if I make the trip to Africa. I really hate being in a blind, I feel like I'm in a "cell" and not in the wild when inside a man-made blind. I also know that stalking over there will be a TEST (lol) but I want to try... Of course I will sit a blind if need be. Hunting both methods is a bonus.
John III
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JDS3,
Melorani has plenty of suitable stalking terrain and cover so if that’s what you want to do they can accommodate you. It may not be the same cover they have around the blinds but there are several large plots that are so thick I can't imagine a short term lack of rain would have an impact since the cover is very thick tree and brush.
I plan to stalk most of the time I’m there next year; although I may sit in a blind for at least one species. Certain animals may be tough to take via stalking (such as zebra) but IMO warthog, red hartebeest and nyala are some of the species (there are more I’m sure…) that you’ll have a reasonable shot at taking while stalking when you’re at Melorani. It’s a great experience you’ll never forget so do if you’re able!!!
Jeff,
Thanks for the posts and reviving old memories!
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JDS3,
I didn't hunt in a blind at all on my trip to RSA. Yes stalking is a HUGE challange over there but I felt the rewards of seeing the country & all the personal experience I got crawling through the African bush far out-weighed the negatives. You can always comprimise & sit in hang-on tree stand, I enjoyed that. I will tell you that if you think whitetails are wary & will bust you in a tree, try a Kudu! Or a Zebra! I got a real education in my 10 days, & loved every minute of it! I never got to full draw on a Zebra stalking, but I got inside 20 yds a couple times. If my checkbook would've allowed it I could've taken Gemsbok, Red hartabeest, Blesbok, & Nyala while stalking, & I'm no Apache indian! Bottom line is if you want to stalk, DO IT! I was like you, I didn't want to sit in a "cell".
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Jeff Great story man, well written and detailed. great pictures as well ..... congratulations
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I just found these thread , Its great Jeff nice JOB!!!!!!