A Big Eland for the Little Lady

Over the course of the last year, we’ve had the privilege of several of our hunters submitting a number of stories and articles to various safari publications around the globe.  It has truly been an honor reading about their hunts with John X Safaris, proud of the experiences our teams are providing out in the field on a daily basis.

This week we’re sharing an article published in the May/June issue of the SCI Magazine. We hope you enjoy the read as much as we did.

A Big Eland for the Little Lady

By: Steve and Lisa Dahmer

“There’s our boy! Now that’s a trophy Eland!” Our PH, Carl Van Zijl of John X Safaris, was almost giddy as he continued to stare through the spotting scope.

“It’s the same group of six bulls I saw yesterday evening and the big one hasn’t shrunk a bit—he is truly awesome.”

The bachelor group was on a mountainside about a mile away in the midst of the Great Karoo country of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. They had chosen their midday abode wisely. Alternately snoozing and nibbling at assorted vegetation, the loosely clumped band faced every possible direction in some moderately thick Acacia and Wild Olive. They were on a small bench surrounded by much heavier brush with escape cover in three directions and were positioned high enough on the mountain to easily spot any suspicious activity in the valley below, or on the more open ridges across from them.

“Well, that’s half the battle,” Carl continued. “Now we just need to figure out how to get close enough for a shot.”

 The difficulty of the Eland’s chosen position wasn’t lost on Carl. The valley was wide and much of the lower country relatively open, making a stalk from below all but impossible. The mountain bowl rose steeply behind the Eland, and the open valley gave way to ever-thicker brush mixed with some intermittent cliffs on the higher slopes, which made a successful approach from above equally improbable. One low ridgeline splitting the wide valley seemed to offer some hope, but it still appeared too far and too open to cut the distance we needed. It seemed this group of bulls had selected a perfectly unapproachable location. While Carl and our other PH, Juan MacDonald, discussed the options, I turned to my wife, Lisa, and saw a mixture of excitement, doubt and concern in her expression.

“You ready for this?” I asked.

“Yes. I’ve just got the jitters as usual, but I’m a little nervous about this video camera business,” she confessed.

 The “video camera business” she referred to was the large professional-grade unit Carl had brought along to film this very special Eland hunt. When I began planning this mixed-bag safari with my good friend, Paul Brisso, over a year in advance, Lisa had expressed interest not only to come along, but also to do some hunting herself. Since this would be her first trip to the Dark Continent, I printed out a comprehensive photo list of the species available in the Eastern Cape and asked her to pick out two or three that most intrigued her. One quick glance through the pages and she immediately fingered a Cape Eland as her first choice. I always enjoy the irony of her selection—Lisa stands all of 5 feet tall in her boots, and she picked the largest spiral-horned antelope on the continent as her first quarry. When we arrived at camp and relayed that story to Carl, his eyes brightened and a broad smile came over his face.

“A lady after my own heart!” he beamed. “We shall try to find you a magnificent trophy bull—but I would like to make one small request.”

You see, Eland hold a special place in Carl’s heart, and he has been trying for quite some time to video a lady hunting one of these regal animals, but to date, none of his female clients had been willing to go on camera. Lisa too, was reluctant, and we had discussed Carl’s request at length, but hadn’t reached a final decision. When Carl and Paul rolled into camp the fourth evening of our hunt with news of finding an exceptional Eland, Carl reiterated his request to film the hunt. I was a bit surprised when Lisa happily nodded her agreement to go on camera without the least hesitation. That was last night. Now that she’d had time to consider her decision, and with a stalk on a trophy Eland seemingly imminent, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Her mixed emotions were expected—Lisa admittedly gets excited when hunting, particularly when she is to be the shooter. But this situation was quite a lot more. Now she would be the center of attention and expected to make a possibly long shot, not only with me watching, but with two PH’s assisting, a truck full of trackers and skinners watching from afar, and a camera rolling to show the world every detail of the events for years to come. That reality was beginning to sink in.

 “Just remember all our practice time on the range. You know what you need to do and you already know you can do it,” I offered, trying to ease her pre-game jitters. “You are an excellent shot, so just focus on the animal and put those cross-hairs on the shoulder where they showed us, and you’ll do fine. “Even as I said it, I knew my words wouldn’t belay her fears. Lisa was facing the test all hunters must face, and it was entirely up to her to control the emotions, block-out any distractions and get the job done. Having seen her at the range and on big game in our home state of Colorado, I had every confidence in her, even though she was questioning herself at the moment.

 “OK, let’s go!” Carl’s excited voice startled us both, as he grabbed the video camera and started hiking down into the small spur valley. Juan had shooting sticks in hand and explained the gist of the plan as we hiked toward the central ridge separating us from the band of Eland. The initial plan was to gain a vantage on the middle ridge to get a better look at the bulls and surrounding terrain to see if there might be a way to close the final distance. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and seemed to be the only reasonable option under the circumstances. Gaining the middle ridge was fairly easy as distance, wind and topography were in our favor to that vantage. As we wriggled to the top through a sparse patch of brush growing amid ancient, jutting bedrock protrusions that formed the spine of the ridge, we could see the bulls hadn’t moved much in the time it had taken to cross the first valley. Unfortunately, the rangefinder indicated the eland were still over 600 yards away, and our view of the vegetation and topography that remained between us was not very encouraging. The second valley was similar to the first, but deeper, a bit wider and more sparsely vegetated, and there were no more topographic anomalies to allow us to proceed. We were stuck.

While we waited for the herd to make a move, Carl took a moment to film a brief interview with Lisa, and explain the intricacies of field-judging this species. Being an Eland connoisseur, Carl feels the standard scoring systems are woefully inadequate to properly evaluate a trophy Eland.

“The record book systems place far too much emphasis on horn length, which encourages the taking of young and coming bulls,” he said. “A proper trophy should have a well-developed mop (the bushy forehead tuft), big bases with prominent ridges on the horns, a large dewlap and the distinctive blue-gray color, all of which only occur on big, fully mature males. I expect that most of the bulls you see in the record books are 7-9 year olds,” he added, “while truly mature bulls are at least 10 years old, and more usually in the 11-13 age class.”

Of the six bulls I watched through the binoculars while Carl explained all this, I could see one that had all those features in spades. At first glance, even to the untrained eye, this bull stood out among the rest. First, he was clearly larger than the others, with an enormous, swinging dewlap, deep chest, sagging belly and lumbering gate as he walked. Second, he was notably a steely, blue-gray color with black patches lining his shoulders and the back of his legs, which accentuated his distinctive appearance. The other bulls showed a hint of the bluish-gray coloration, but were generally a more creamy-tan, or dead-grass color. Third, he had a striking facial pattern owing mainly to his jet-black nose abutting the robust, rufous-colored tuft of hair covering his forehead, another feature the other bulls were beginning to show, but nowhere nearly as distinctively as our intended quarry. Finally and perhaps most notably, were his horns. They were massive. Even at 600+ yards with only field glasses I could see the ridges of his spirals, the narrow gap between the bases, and good length when compared with his cohorts. Best of all, in profile the horns curved forward, reminiscent of a Lord Derby Eland, lending unique character to this old warrior.

 Our discussions were interrupted by a shift in the winds and we decided it best to back out of our location and circle farther up the ridge to play it safe. This part of the stalk required some careful crawling in very sparse cover to avoid detection, and Lisa earned her stripes negotiating a broad stretch of rough, rocky ground strewn with an abundance of prickly vegetation. Once we had safely crossed the open ground to our new position, the Eland inexplicably shifted their feeding route and promptly reversed course, eventually crossing another of the many finger ridges to the next sub-valley in this huge basin. Once the entire herd was over the top and out of sight, we immediately lit out at a good clip to cross the broad, open valley, thankful that no Gemsbok, Baboons or other animal herds had wandered into the area to complicate things further in this game-rich area. As we scaled the final ridge, we were careful to come over the crest well-above the area where the herd had crossed, and hugging brush cover on the skyline to mask our movements. This was not the time to get careless. As we peered over the ridgeline, it took a bit of glassing to re-locate the herd, as this basin was more heavily vegetated. But we were in luck as the bulls had relaxed and were feeding intently about 200 yards below us. Once we’d picked out the old monarch, Carl got set to film as Juan settled the shooting sticks and Lisa eased into a sitting position against a large boulder.

 As I watched from a few yards behind, I could see the hours of shooting practice paying off as Lisa simply turned off the nerves and got down to business. Once seated, she had her little .260 Remington Mountain rifle on the sticks and the crosshairs settled on the bull’s shoulder in one fluid motion, and I couldn’t detect the slightest movement in her barrel.“Exactly 196 yards,” Juan whispered, looking through his rangefinder. “Take him right in the shoulder whenever you are ready.” The bull had turned slightly and was nearly broadside when Carl affirmed he had the camera rolling. With clearance from both PH’s, Lisa simply touched off her shot and quickly cycled another round.

 We all heard the clear “whuuump” of a solid hit, and the giant animal immediately leaped and reversed direction with surprising speed and dexterity. The entire band was hastily making an exit down-slope to our left, and the boss tried valiantly to keep pace with his mates, but Lisa’s perfect shot placement had deflated his lungs and put his pump out of commission. He only made it 40 yards before collapsing in a heap.

Both Carl and Juan pronounced triumphant congratulations simultaneously, and the emotion of the moment was palpable as Lisa began to literally shake with excitement. My diminutive little lady had taken a giant of an Eland, and by far the best trophy of our hunt.

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!

Anniversary Safari…

Late April saw Tom and Ellen Manning join us on their first African safari. Tom’s nephew, Pete Stout, and wife Elizabeth, were on safari with Professional Hunter, Carl van Zyl, when the Manning’s first arrived in camp. Unfortunately their schedules did not allow for both couples to be with us at the same time, but the few days shared were magical.

What made this safari even more memorable than the fact that this was their first African experience was the celebration of their 29’th wedding anniversary. Keeping that in mind the Manning’s decided on a couple of days of R&R down in Cape Town prior to their hunt.

Tom and Ellen Manning down at Cape Point.

They took full advantage of the warm weather and visited the many breath-taking beaches along the Cape coast.

Stopped off at the popular V&A Waterfront and enjoyed fun-filled days along the docks.

From Cape Town they caught the 50min connection to Port Elizabeth, where they joined up with Professional Hunter, Gary Phillips.

The plan was to spend a couple of days hunting from our coastal area before heading north. The Manning’s had no set ideas or wishes regards species, they were here to experience Africa and have a good time.

 We’d like to invite you to join them as they reminisce and share their safari album with us…

Welcome to “The Manning’s on safari”!

Not many hunters start their African career with a Waterbuck – Tom however needed no second invitation when a great Waterbuck stepped out on that first day.

The following day the hunting party headed north to the Great Karoo.

The Manning’s first experience of the Karoo opened their eyes to this arid wonderland. They soon learnt the animals preferred to keep a distance of more than 200 yards and the terrain, while at the outset looked gentle, was nothing near easy. They found their feet in navigating through the many hundreds of perfectly round boulders and rocks, earning a superb Cape Hartebeest

Tom had to work hard for his Kudu bull, trying from both our coastal and northern areas. When his luck turned, it turned in a big way. Thank goodness Tom was packing his 300 Ultra Mag, the shot was long and extremely challenging. Great shooting Tom!

When the time came, and a group of Eland had moved up into a favorable valley, Tom and Gary started the long hike. It was early morning when they’d first set out after Tom’s bull, by 10.00 am temperatures were reaching well into the 80’s.

By noon they’d earned their bull. A great old blue bull with a weathered tuft on the forehead, a real old-timer.

Having enjoyed the excitement of the hunt, it was time for the real work to start. Packing a 1600 pound Eland down a mountain is never an easy task, especially when any form of protein waste is not tolerated. Every single part of the Eland get’s utilized.

And we mean it! Even the intestines are rung out and used for tripe.

Before heading back south Tom added a Gemsbuck to what was already an impressive collection; it turned out to be one of his favorites.

Having arrived back south, it turned out to be the Stout’s last evening in camp. It was cause for celebration and a reminder of the good times!

The African dancers provided the rhythm and beat…

While the men and their hunting stories kept up the mood in the bar. It was certainly an evening to cherish.

Over the course of the hunt, Ellen was never far from the action, always at Tom’s side.

Taking pictures at every available opportunity…

Enjoying the benefits of a luxurious safari camp…

Or giving back to our local community by being part of our Humanitarian Initiative 2012.

It was therefore only fitting that she be rewarded too. Her first African trophy, a great Impala!

With their hunt drawing to a close, Tom and Ellen opted for lazy days along the coast, enjoying the last bit of relaxation before jumping back into the real world.

Tom however couldn’t be expected to be taking it that easy! One final hunt before heading home earned him a great Common Blesbuck.

And when all was said and done, there was this small matter of their 29th wedding anniversary. The greatest achievement of all!

We congratulate and salute you – until your next wedding anniversary!

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!

News from Africa…

We’re currently out on safari enjoying some fine hunting with our good friends from Sweden. Early morning success on a Warthog has given us a free minute to share some news from the field. Most importantly, we’d like to satisfy the trophy picture cravers who’ve been mailing us on a daily basis begging for more!

Andres and Marta Nunez Lagos joined Professional Hunter, Greg Hayes, on their second hunt to John X Safaris during early May.  They were after a variety of specialized East Cape species, including Cape Bushbuck, East Cape Kudu, Vaal Rhebuck, and Cape Grysbuck.

From the coastal forests to the vast plains of the Karoo, and up to the mountains – come along to our John X Safaris Facebook fan page and view their fantastic safari album.

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!

The Stout’s on Safari….

Over the course of our last safari with Pete and Elizabeth Stout, it was decided we’d keep our readers up dated on a daily basis via our John X Safaris Facebook Fan page. Elizabeth was kind enough to accept the responsibility of sharing their highlights along the way, inviting the reader along on their journey of discovery.

If you’ve been missing out on the news and would like to stay connected with us while we’re out in the field, then become a John X Fan today! It’s easy to join and you’d have front row seats to weekly trophy picture updates!

For those who have been following their safari on our John X Fan page, some of the below news may be old, but rest assured, you have not heard it all…..

Part 1 – “Working for our Kudu”

Upon the Stout’s arrival we headed north to the Great Karoo, the hunt was on for Kudu, Impala, Black Wildebeest or Gemsbuck. A number of Kudu were spotted, but nothing took our fancy. It was not until late that first afternoon that we found a small group of Gemsbuck with two great bulls accompanying five or six cows and calves. Our focus soon shifted from Kudu to Gemsbuck. A strategy of approach was discussed, before starting our stalk up a dry river bed.

We hadn’t gone 100 yards when Pete leant over and whispered to Elizabeth; “Walk like Indian.” It cracked us up! Both Zwayi and I just about fell down laughing, we’d never heard a better description for watch where you’re going and go quietly! After re-gathering ourselves I pressed on, leading the party ever closer to the un-expecting Gemsbuck.

Once in position, we waited patiently while the Gemsbuck fed into a clearing above us. At 150 yards the desired bull stepped out and Pete earned his first African trophy.

The following morning we were up at 5.30am on the lookout for East Cape Kudu.

A number of bulls were spotted, but still not quite what we were after.

We headed back to camp for brunch at eleven that morning, the sun was sitting well overhead, and the midday heat was taking its toll on both game and hunters. After brunch we headed out for Black Wildebeest, it would be Elizabeth’s one and only trophy on their safari.

After spotting a decent bull we headed up a dry ravine.

Leopard crawled into position and settled onto the sticks.

We had a herd of Zebra off to our right, Springbuck in the background, and a group of Eland feeding off to our left. The pressure was on. At the crack of the shot, the bull jumped into the air, raced around in circles and collapsed in a heap from a well placed heart/lung shot.

A proud Elizabeth pointing out her downed Black Wildebeest.

The smile says it all!

That afternoon we were determined to find a Kudu bull – the hours plotting and glassing would most certainly start tipping the scale in our favor.

That afternoon we did spot a shooter, probably too late to pursue. In the end we decided to let him go – the setting sun was way to good to pass up and the thought of a cold beer washing down the days dust seemed more rewarding than the hunt itself.

Back at camp that evening we looked at the map to determine where we hadn’t glassed for Kudu yet. While we were seeing a large number of bulls, it seemed we were missing the older bulls. I knew they were around, but where they were hanging out proved to be a mystery.

The following morning Elizabeth decided to take it easy and enjoy a relaxing morning while the men once again headed out after Kudu. That morning we finally started spotting a few shooters, not all were of the desired class or quality we were after, but things were looking up. One particular bull caught our attention more than any other, unfortunately he was bedded in a wooded thicket, an approach would be near impossible. We decided it best not to disturb him; we’d be back later that afternoon.

At midday we jumped into the truck and headed 35 miles up the road to Niel’s for Springbuck.

Another cracker of a ram provided just the opportunity we were after. It proved to be one of Pete’s favorites on their hunt.

For the remainder of the afternoon we searched high and low for the bull we’d left bedded that morning. He’d disappeared into thin air, then again what were we expecting? They are the ghosts of Africa. My frustration was starting to get the better of me, we had been hunting hard, extremely hard, we’d spent countless hours glassing, but still no reward was on the horizon. I decided the following morning would be our last in the north. I needed to make a move to improve our fortunes and get Pete closer to his dream Kudu.

While on the hunt for Kudu on our final morning in the north, we bumped into a great Impala. Pete made a telling 300 yard shot earning a super Impala.

Part 2 – “Earning our Kudu”

Up until this point Kudu had been our priority species, while it may have been our focal point, it certainly never detracted from us enjoying every minute of our safari. We had achieved great success on a number of species, which both Pete and Elizabeth could be very proud of. In the end the all important Kudu was sitting in the back of our minds bugging us.

When/ How/ Where – Would we find the desired bull? AND Could we/ Would we – Make it count when it would be most needed.

Arriving back south we were greeted by gusting stormy weather. The storm was about to break, not exactly what we were hoping for. I mentioned to Pete that it wasn’t all bad. Once the weather had set in, it would force the Kudu into selected sheltered pockets which we could then concentrate on, and once the weather had settled and returned to bright blue sunny skies, they’d all have to concentrate their feeding habits, causing a rush of activity. Maybe this was just the break we needed.

That following morning we left camp at 5am. Conditions were overcast and a moderate westerly wind was meant to pick up to gale force by midday. I remember driving out, not having the heart to tell Pete we’re wasting our time, conditions were terrible for Kudu hunting. I put the thought to the back of my mind, reasoning there’d be no Kudu spotted from the deck at camp. If we wanted a chance, we’d have to get out there.

At sunrise we found ourselves descending along a muddy ravine, carefully approaching a lookout point. We immediately started spotting Kudu, Warthog and Bushbuck. It seemed we’d found the perfect sheltered spot. By 10am we hadn’t seen a shooter yet, but our spirits were high, the sun was starting to break through the overlying cloud cover.

While glassing for Kudu a beautiful Cape Bushbuck stepped out from the shadows across the valley. Pete needed no convincing or second invitation. A lucky ram under tough conditions!

Conditions took a turn for the worst at midday. Winds had picked up to 40 miles and hour and overcast clouded conditions were closing in on us once again. We pulled up to a new glassing position and enjoyed a pick nick lunch. Quite a number of Kudu were spotted over lunch, but still nothing worth pursuing. At 15.00 I decided to make our final move of the day, the timing had to be perfect.

We pulled up to a high point, free wheeled the truck out of sight and settled in for a serious glassing session, we were desperate. We were all studying two kudu cows below our glassing position when I noticed something different in the corner of my eye. About 900 yards off to our left, I noticed something shinning, it looked big. I settled the spotting scope on the exact spot where I last saw the reflection and waited. Suddenly a big bull stepped out from behind a bush and right into my spotting scope. I waved Pete down, told him to crawl to the nearest cover, load, and wait. I gave Zwayi a few brief instructions, and then joined Pete.

The bull was feeding up towards our position along a cut line, the wind wouldn’t be in our favor, the longer we took the more chance we had of being busted, I explained to Pete. The chance of the bull feeding along the cut line for long enough while we circled around to allow for the perfect wind was very slim. The wind was blowing slightly across us, but I was sure some of it was being funneled down the cut line. It was time to gamble.

We took off at a run – call it a gallop, I told Pete;”Move as quiet as you can, but do it fast.” We hugged the cutline’s right edge for the first 100 yards before reaching some blind ground. We then sprinted the next section before hugging the right edge again. As we crested I spotted the bull once again, still 150 yards to gain, only then could we consider a shot. As we approached our predetermined spot, I gave Pete the go ahead and set up the sticks before stepping back into cover. Pete stepped out, just as he was about to touch off his 7mm, he paused and asked;”Which bull?” “What?” I asked. I stepped back out and saw how close this mix up really was.

In the few seconds it took me to set up the sticks and get out-of-the-way, another bull had stepped into the clearing between our bull and us. Luckily Pete had seen enough Kudu to realize the closest bull was not a shooter. It took us a few seconds to clear up the confusion before giving Pete the go ahead on the back bull.

And what a bull it turned out to be! Pete had hunted hard, been patient, and never lost faith along the way – He had certainly earned his 50’’ East Cape Kudu.

An overjoyed and relieved crew headed back to camp. That evening we celebrated with vigor, the only interest Pete still had was a Warthog and we had 4 days left to hunt a good pig.

The following morning we took it easy, the pressure was off, we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast before heading out after Warthog. We saw a number of pigs, but very few boars at first. As the morning grew warmer the world around us became alive with Warthogs, Impala, Red Hartebeest, Nyala, Blue Wildebeest, Bushbuck, Common Duiker, and Kudu.

We hadn’t sat glassing for an hour when out stepped a monster Kudu bull.

We were a mere 280 yards above them.

I immediately realized this bull was something special. I needed to convince Pete that Elizabeth should consider the bull. Elizabeth wanted none of it, she wanted Pete to hunt a Warthog, and it didn’t look like I’d get them to budge. After half an hour with the occasional urging from my side, Pete turned to me; “How big is he?” Right – now I was in a pickle. Pete had shot an exceptional 50’’ bull the previous day, I knew this particular bull was 50’’+, but I couldn’t dare mention it. If Elizabeth knew how big it was she’d start stressing even more, as I knew Pete was now strongly considering trading a Warthog hunt for a Kudu.

He turned to Elizabeth, whispered something in her ear. She went ghost white while Pete gave me the thumbs up – go ahead.

We stalked down to the cliff’s edge and settled into the prone position. At 250 yards the bull stepped into a clearing….

Of course she made the shot! It was her longest shot she’s ever attempted, and to date, my biggest bull with a lady. The rest is history, but the celebration will continue on for many years to come!

Our bull measured in at just over 53” – A gold medal out-and-out.

Towards the end of our safari the Stout’s took part in our John X Safaris Humanitarian Initiative 2012. We travelled into Grahamstown and visited Nomzamo Pre School. We commend and thank them for their generosity.

THANK YOU Pete, Elizabeth, Tom and Ellen! We appreciate all the supplies!

After all had settled down and we had re-gathered our emotions it only dawned on us what we had achieved. Not only had we hunted a large variety of trophies, all of a high standard, including 2 East Cape Kudu of 50”+, we had shared in the safari experience and built a camaraderie that will for long be the bond between strangers from completely opposite ends of the world.

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!

The busy season is upon us -WE CAN’T WAIT TO GET OUT THERE!

Up until this point we’ve enjoyed a number of early season safaris leading up to our main season, starting this week.

Over the course of the next 7 months we will be hunting back to back with very little available time in the office. During this time you can still reach us via email, fax or phone.

Our John X Safaris office will be managed by our latest member joining our team, Julie, who will be handling most communications during the season. Feel free to drop her a line on hunting@johnxsafaris.co.za  if you may require any information or need to reach Carl, Gary, Trish or Lee.

As per usual, Carl will be a phone call away (+27 (0) 82 700 98 66) and more than willing to assist where required. If you may require additional information via email from Carl, please be patient, as he may be hunting in areas without any internet access from time to time.

We will update you as often as possible on all the hunts, news, and reviews, keeping you in touch with what’s happening in Africa.

Regards to all – We can’t wait to get out there…

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!

A near perfect safari….

“Old Yellow Shoes” and I first met during January 2012. We had been in contact via email prior to the Dallas Safari Club Show, but had never formally met each other. I was therefore understandably caught by surprise when a big man with a wide grin and the brightest luminous yellow shoes stepped into our booth and introduced himself as the man with the “Yellow Shoes – Steve Travis”.

At first I started a bit hesitant, I had worked through our previous correspondence and his selection of species and wishes was no walk in the park. He had done his homework and had a fairly good understanding of what was required to achieve his goals. Only one snag – this Professional Hunter wasn’t overly convinced by his client’s initial appearance. Did this man realize that his goals were set EXTREMELY high and that we’d have to hunt like men possessed? Only time would tell.

Late March rolled along, with Steve arriving on the midday flight from Cape Town. He would be joining Professional Hunter, Carl van Zyl, and tracker, Swayi, together with hunting dogs, Bongo and Foxy. The idea was to concentrate our efforts along the Coastal Area, before heading north later in the week. Steve was after a selection of specialized Plains Game species, which required us to hunt both areas, at the same time keeping a beady eye on an approaching front blowing in from the west. Rain was on its way.

With the front approaching at a rapid pace the hunters took full advantage of their circumstances that first afternoon.

Steve’s Nyala was his priority on his safari. Finding a bull with this much class on that first afternoon set the hunt up for the dream start we were hoping for.

Day two saw us rise at 05.00am; it would be the start of a long day – to be exact, 22 straight hours of hunting. We set off with the hounds at first light on the hunt for Caracal. By midday still no decent scent had been located, so we called it a day, hopeful that the planned evening’s predator calling session would produce the desired results. For the remainder of the afternoon we turned our focus on Kudu, Waterbuck and Cape Bushbuck.

Numerous good Waterbuck bulls were spotted, but it wasn’t until late afternoon that we laid eyes on a monster. He was feeding along a cliff overlooking the Kariega River. We quietly stalked down from our glassing position, gained the required 600 yards, before Steve settled onto the sticks. The bull lunged backwards, away from the cliffs edge, as the shot hit low on the shoulder. Within seconds he’d disappeared into cover without any further sound or movement. We called in Bongo and Foxy.

The dogs worked their magic and Steve made a telling finishing shot as the bull broke cover. Our dream start was now well on its way with a 31’’ Waterbuck.

That evening we hunted hard. Our good friend, Sticks, joined us for the calling. To our disbelief we had no response, not even a reply from a sly Black Backed Jackal. At 03.00am we stumbled into bed, disappointed in not finding a cat, but elated with our success on Waterbuck. Our lack of success in calling should have warned us that the front was upon us, the animals’ response to our efforts was a warning of what was to come. The following morning saw us rise to dark thunderous clouds, before the heavens opened onto the plains of Africa.

The dogs tried valiantly for a second time that third day, and were rewarded with a fresh Caracal scent. They managed to tree the cat in tough circumstances, before the cat jumped. Unfortunately the dogs beat the hunters on this occasion – it was time to head north, hopefully into better conditions.

Having arrived in the north we immediately set out after Springbuck. Our hopes for calmer conditions seemed to be falling on deaf ears; the storm was building serious momentum. We joined up with our old friend from the Karoo, Niel Schoombee, and were treated to an afternoon that will long be remembered. Niel’s knowledge, experience, and passion compiled over 26 years of Springbuck management all came together on a stormy afternoon. It was a privilege sharing in this great mans passion.

Need we say more? It will be hard to top Steve’s Kalahari Springbuck during 2012. His ram may turn out to be the Springbuck of the season.

Day four saw us rise to the worst day of all. The weather gods were stacking all the odds against us, yet we continued on. No weather was going to halter or hinder our hunger for continued success. I was starting to get a better idea of the kind of hunter I was guiding.

Together with Niel we set off to a 27000 acre concession on the hunt for Black Wildebeest, Blue Wildebeest and Black Springbuck. Trying to reach the area was a daunting task in its own right, 80mm of rain had fallen the night before, and the roads were in a state of disrepair. The Toyota trudged along battling the muddy conditions. We saw a number of Wildebeest that ticked all the required boxes, but the rain never allowed us any break during the course of the morning.

When the rain did let up for an hour during midday we bumped a pair of Steenbuck. Steve needed no second invitation and took full advantage of the super opportunity.

With conditions showing no signs of improving and the mountains becoming alarmingly dangerous to navigate, we finally called it quits and decided to relocate to another area for the afternoon.

To give all perspective on the conditions we were facing, we stopped off along the way at the local farmers supply store and purchased a pair of rubber boots and dry socks for Steve. We were soaked!

Arriving at our new area we immediately started seeing more game. The terrain was more forgiving and conditions were starting to improve.

The crazy clowns of Africa gave us the first chance and run around, with Steve finally getting an opportunity at 330 yards. Steve made the shot; it would be the first of three shots over 300 yards that afternoon.

After a fun photo session with Steve’s Black Wildebeest and the improving light, we set off after a herd of 200 + Black Springbuck. It would be a daunting task getting within range with that many eyes and ears. To our luck we spotted a lone ram in a canyon away from the main herd. We started our stalk through some rocky terrain.

At the final clump of rocks before losing our cover, we ranged the ram at 317 yards. Steve settled onto the nearest boulder with his 243, squeezed the trigger, and down he went! Needless to say we were impressed!

With the fading light just about gone, Steve made the final 300 yard shot of the day, bagging a Common Springbuck to compare his breath taking Kalahari ram too.

Day five saw us back on the road, heading south again. Steve had experienced the usually arid Karoo in a different manner to most. He had seen “real” rain in the desert, when it finally does arrive, it pours with conviction.

Back on the coast and we were on the hunt for Blue Wildebeest.

After looking over numerous Blue Wildebeest we finally settled on this beauty. Another well placed shot from Steve’s 300 Weatherby dropped the old bull in his tracks.

The next morning saw us up at 5am once again. I promised Steve a good chance on a Caracal when we met in Dallas, I wasn’t about to let him down. Endless effort and perseverance would surely pay off in the long run.

That second last day of our hunt saw us rise to bright blue skies. Finding a fresh Bushbuck kill was just the start we were after.

The dogs set off in various directions from the kill; it was evident that the cat had spent a good few hours in the area. When things finally settled down, the older dogs took over. It was impressive watching the experienced heads lead the way.

Once the scent became fresher we all knew it would be a matter of time before the Caracal treed. During mid morning Steve got his cat. The entire team was elated!

We headed back to camp in the plan of relaxing for the remainder of the afternoon. It seemed our short lived blue skies were just about a distant memory once again – another storm was rolling in. It was time to bunker down.

Back at camp we found ourselves wondering around, to be quite frank, we’d been on a roller coaster ride up until this point. It felt unreal sitting around waiting for dinner. I suggested we head off to the skinning shed to check up on our tagging. All was in order and we still had 3 hours of day light left, we headed off to the neighboring concession.

We pulled up onto a slight plateau overlooking a big valley and glassed for anything interesting. A few Kudu bulls were braving the cold drizzle while not much else was willing to move an inch. An hour came and went, and not much had changed. Without realizing it, we were too busy glassing into the distance to notice the black spot right below us, a mere 300 yards away. When we finally did notice it, it was time to jump and move quickly. I needed to convince Steve that Bushbuck don’t often feed in wet conditions, and if they do, they’re usually the sneaky old rams, breaking routine to stay ahead of the game.

It may have been the best peace of convincing to date, or Steve was a good listener. Either way, not many hunters start their Bushbuck career with a 15’’.

Our last day was spent on the lookout for any opportunity that crossed our path. A Mountain Reedbuck provided a near anticlimactic end to our safari when Steve hit him too far back in windy conditions. Thank goodness we had Bongo and Foxy along, as it gave Steve the chance to experience these two terriers doing what they do best when the odds are stacked against you. They pulled us through a tight spot and earned their keep to hunt another day.

Getting back to the skinning shed, once again soaked to the bone – We called it a day. “We had achieved a near perfect safari if it weren’t for the uncommon wet conditions”, I noted to Steve on the last evening heading back to camp. Steve turned and smiled; “Now what makes you think that wasn’t the perfect safari?”

Upon Steve’s return home we received a fantastic letter…..

I just wanted to send you a note and thank you once again for such a fantastic safari. When we talked at the Dallas Safari Club Convention this last January I informed you I was fortunate enough to be traveling to Cape Town in March for a business convention and was just looking to extend the trip with a mini six day safari to relax a little after my work was done. As you know I have hunted all over the world and this was by no means my first time to Africa. I knew after talking to you in Dallas that I was going to have a good time, but what you personally, and John X Safaris gave me was beyond anything I was expecting.

This was clearly my favorite hunt of the eighteen safaris I have been on. I have never had a PH or guide anywhere I have hunted that worked harder or was more professional and dedicated than you were even when we faced some very difficult and unexpected weather in the Karoo, you are truly 100% mate!

Eleven superb animals in 6 days were unreal. My goal on this trip was to take a really nice Nyala and the elusive Caracal, and then see what other animals of exceptional quality we might run across if any. Wow did you ever deliver! A 28 and ½ inch Nyala and a 31 inch Waterbuck as well as a stud of a 17 inch Kalahari Springbuck and my long sought after Caracal. This would be enough to make any hunter happy for a long time, but then also to be able to take a Blue and Black Wildebeest, Cape Bushbuck, Steenbok, Black Springbuck, Common Springbuck and Mountain Reedbuck – all of exceptional quality!

I’m still trying to figure out how you pulled it off, I’m convinced you are part magician. Your camps and staff were truly first rate and the food and scenery exceptional. I will always remember the rain, on one occasion in the Karoo when I thought I would never see an animal, and my feet were so wet we had to drive to the nearest town to buy rubber boots and new socks, I learned an important lesson. Carl never gives up! We took five beautiful animals latter that day; you give new meaning to the phrase going above and beyond what is expected.

This Texan also greatly appreciated your warm South African hospitality in welcoming me into your home after the safari was over to see my first Rugby match. I was very happy to spend the evening with you and your lovely wife, Trish, and help you root on your Cape Town Stormers as they whipped out the Bulls!

I’m counting the days until I come back in the spring and bring my wife and son, they have heard me talk about my adventures in Africa and hunting trips around the world for years, and I can’t think of any better place to take them for their first safari than John X.

Thanks again,
Steve Travis

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!

Updates from the field continued…..

Last time we shared the adventures of the Thorpe family as they took on the East Cape with Professional Hunter, Gary Phillips.

Greg and Hunter had spent a few days hunting from our Coastal Area before heading to our Eastern Mountainous Area. Nancy on the other hand had stayed behind to enjoy the Game Reserve and the surrounding tourist activities.

This week we’re in for a day between hunts and wanted to fill you in on the remainder of their safari. The Thorpe Family wrote to us upon their return home and we felt there’s no better way than sharing it straight from the horse’s mouth.

There is no place like South Africa and certainly John X is one of the very best. We had the trip of a lifetime, but I want to get back ASAP. Exceeded our expectations…. Gary Phillips has to be one of the best professional hunting guides on the continent. Patient, hard-working and informative…he was the key to our great success. I consider him a friend and will be in close contact. WE WANT a vacation home there!!!! Lee and their beautiful children were great and meeting Carl and his wife Trish was very nice.

I don’t see how any outfit can beat the total experience we had at John X, and my wife, who came for pictures made many lifetime friends. So did I around good SA beer at the campfire…sorry for keeping the staff up late! But I think they were having as much fun as we were. Lots of BANG for the buck and unbeatable hospitality. A must do for you all out there. Hope the blogs fill you all in on what is an amazing experience. I have hunted in the US all my life – Africa is different! What an experience for my 17-year-old son Hunter, hopefully a lifelong client.

The big 5 is next on my bucket list and I am certain Gary and staff will get us there.

Cheers as they say in SA, to all!
Greg, Nancy & Hunter Thorpe

Ps. Below are a few more of our trophy pictures from the North – We had a blast!

Hunter and I with Hunter’s Blue Wildebeest. Seriously tough animals to bring down!

My Cape Hartebeest, I just love those “Harley Davidson Handlebar” shaped horns.

Hunter and I both hunted a selection of great Springbuck, here’s Hunter’s White Springbuck.

I chipped in with a super Black Springbuck.

We weren’t expecting Fallow Deer in Africa, and thought it a great idea to take two back home.

And of course, one of my favorites – my East Cape Kudu. (Check out the massive Tortoise the bull’s nose is balancing on!)

There you have it folks, straight from the horse’s mouth.

To Greg, Nancy and Hunter – It was a privilege having you join us on safari. We look forward to planning the next adventure and starting your quest in pursuit of the Big 5.

We will be loading the Thorpe Families entire Safari album to our John X Safaris Facebook page. Drop by, become a John X Fan, and see what else they got up to while on safari in South Africa.

For more information and current updates about John X Safaris; follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!