Success at Sofala Safaris

[GCook]

We had a blast with Louis and crew including plenty of animal sightings and opportunities.  The weather cooperated up until the last afternoon and morning and the skinners were busy to say the least. 
The food was delicious and the company great.  I took five animals including a nice Gemsbok the first evening.  The evening was getting late, sun had just set, when Louis said he saw one coming in about a hundred yards out.  Gemsbok wasn't on my list but a quick peek through my binoculars changed my mind.  He came in and stopped, looked around and proceeded to the water.  Louis had told me if a Gemsbok or zebra came in to stand back in the hide and between the windows.  Wait for the animal to start to drink then draw, ease into the window and take my shot.  The water was low in the trough and although I couldn't see his head, probably a good thing in retrospect,  I could see his neck go up and down.  Fairly spooky but not spooking off.  Guess I could've shot then but was heeding the experts advice.  Finally the animal knelt to drink and I eased out, drawing and aiming and dropping the string.  The arrow thumped him hard through the meat of the shoulder and buried the broadhead it the opposite shoulder bone.  He was up and over the waterhole in a heartbeat but the fetching sticking out told me I had plenty of penetration in the right spot.  However, the PH thought I might have hit a bit back.
I told him no way.   Maybe two or three inches higher than perfect but still should be a dead animal.   After a quick review of the footage Louis was up and out of the hide.  Taking to the track at a brisk walk following foot prints while I'm searching for bloodbin red sand.  Soon I realized he was out of sight and hurried to catch up.  When I did he was coming toward me a big smile on his face.  It was down hard, easy find and the relief and celebration was on.

[KAZ]

Well done On a beautiful animal

[katman]

Very nice Gemsbok, congrats and thanks for sharing. Maybe I will make it back one day.

[varmint101]

Awesome animal, congrats!

[Gun]

Congrats on a nice one and a good shot! What about the other four? Thanks for sharing

[Friend]

Wonderful harvest...Congrats!!!

[awry]

 Congrats, beautiful animal!

[JamesD]

Congratulations Gary! Can't wait to hear the about the rest of your hunt.

[Irish Archer]

Very nice! Congrats.

[Amberjack]

Beautiful, congrats!!

[Hud]

Congratulations on a fine trophy and good hunt.

[GCook]

Sorry folks.  Between church, family and jet lag yesterday was kind of a blur.  Gone that long I needed to focus on them. 
Sunday was a little slow for me although I saw game just not necessarily the type or caliber I wanted.  Young impala and smaller duiker.  We had one guy hunting with a compound he brought as a backup bow and low and behold the airline missed transferring the bag with his recurve in it so he had to wait until late in the hunt to receive it.  Although he did manage a guinea fowl with it the last day as his first traditional bow kill.  But he and some others were killing on Sunday and got some nice animals.  I know at least one us a member and hopefully he'll chime in at some point.
Monday however we went out early with the intention of sitting all day if necessary.   It wasn't.   Early I getvword someone had shot a good animal and while I'm in the blind celebrating that I see a Nyala cow enter the scene.  Next two bulls and more cows come and soon I have one bull out front, one out each window.  I'm at the right window looking at a bull that escaped last year when I made a move and a cow caught me moving and spooked them all.  In the left window a really nice animal.  The PH wanted me to shoot that one but as he went to move the camera the bull caught the movement and spooked off.  We watched him walk out of the clearing as I focused on the lucky bulk from last year.  He finally stood slightly quartering at 11 yards and I drove the Port Oxford Cedar shaft into and breaking the offside shoulder. Running off carrying his left shoulder he only made it about 40 yards and we watched him drop. 
My primary target animal was down.

[GCook]

Tuesday was not a kill day for me but the skinners were busy with others kills and tracks so I just enjoyed time in the blind seeing critters and enjoying the bush.  Wednesday however started very differently.   I decided to take my newest Primal Tech with me.  At 45lbs it might be too light for the big plains game but I figured itvwould do well on the smaller ones and warthog.  I had gotten Mike Heisler to build me a se of shafts for itvlast minute and i took six.  Three with Ace Standard broadheads on the front.
 Early a Duiker came in and got a drink.  But was soon joined by some Impala ewes.  Then they got all squirrelly  and the reason was a huge group of baboon.  They disrupted the area for a while bit as they wandered off a group of impala ram moved in with the ewe and there were definitely a couple of shooters in the group.  Soon one lined up on the left side of the waterhole and when he was calm and drinking I let one fly.  Anticipating the duck I shot for a heart shot but the duck never came. The arrow buried into the off side shoulder and blood was running as the impala sprinted off.  That's when the ph said " that was a great shot but unfortunately I had the camera on the one on the right side of the water hole.
But that was okay.  His camera caught the one I did shoot leaving and we agreed he wouldn't go far.  As a matter of fact I had seen him turn into some thick bush about 50 yards about and he had made it about 20 yards in before piling up.   But the impala were still milling around so we sat tight.

[GCook]

Soon a good ram positioned itself where the other had stood but a couple of younger rams, spikes if you will, were in and out blocking the shot. I must have drawn four times but had to let down due to flight path interference. Finally it looked clear and I drew. But just as I released I saw one of the little fellas move out of the corner of my eye and I tried to stop the release but watched horrified as the arrow went right of what I hoped and punched through at the front of the shoulder and out through the neck. The animal never moved until the arrow hit. Fortune was on my side however as it cut the main arteries and blood was pouring out like a bucket and it was a short, easy track as well.
I had a double on Impala rams with my newest Primal Tech. What a way to break her in!!

[rastaman]

Beautiful animals Gary! 

[Basinboy]

Heck of a trip! Congratulations Gary 

[GCook]

I wanted a warthog bad but unfortunately they must have gotten a BOLO from the Texas pig population and avoided me.  So I was looking for a Blesbok or Red Hartebeest.  Lewis was able to get me in a blind later Thursday morning and we hadn't been there long.  You know, take the quiver off the bow and settle bow down not long, when I see a Blesbok ram approaching.  I tell Louis and he grabs the camera as I grab an arrow anwarthog.  Like it had been scripted he came right in, squared up broadside and started to drink.  Louis indicated he had the camera rolling and I drew and took my shot.   It was an obviously great hit as the fetching disappeared into him but the blood covered arrow was hanging out the other side of the ram as he ran off sideways.  We knew he was going down as he rounded the bend in the trail and disappeared behind the brush.  We gathered our gear and Louis went to get the truck as I went after the animal.  I was amazed how beautiful the coat was on him.  Internet pictures don't do them justice and he will look great when I finally get him home.

All in all it was a great hunt for me and the four of us took 14 animals.  12 were taken by the three traditional shooters.  I couldn't have written a script any better.

Except for the dang warthogs.

[Wudstix]

Thanks for taking me with you.
 

[Bisch]

Congrats again bud!!!

You done well!!!

Bisch

[Friend]

A wonderful and quite eventful hunt.

May my own hunt with Sofala Safaris in 2025 be marked by such interesting or exciting events.