Limpopo Family & Friends hunt

[Geno]

Hi guys.
I am sitting in my office this morning, but am longing to be back in the bushveld on a hunt with my father and some good friends.
Since last week Wednesday we were on a farm between Ellisras and Grobersbrug, right on the Limpopo river.

Our group consisted of my father and I, Ge and his father, Ge's nephew Kyle, Adrian and his lovely wife Sheila.
My father and I used my 6mm Dasher (75gr V-Max@3400fps),Ge used his Ruger 30-06(150gr Barnes TSX@2800fps),his father his Browning X-bolt 30-06 with the same ammo as his son's, Adrian had his Rem-700 7mm Rem.Mag (175gr@2800fps) and Kyle a Sako lever action .308 (220gr@2250fps).


The chaps from Pretoria left on Wednesday during the course of the day. I left at Brits at 18h30 and collected my father in Rooiberg. We were meant to leave at around 03h00 the next morning but my ass was itchy so I forced my poor father out of his pyjamas and into the Isuzu. We were on the road again at 21h00 and arrived on the farm a little after midnight. Upon arrival Ge had just returned to camp with three jackal and three porcupine.


Thursday morning saw all of us heading into the bush in different camps. My father and I headed down to the river and after about 1,5km we saw some nice bushbuck and little further on some impala. I left my father and crept a little closer on my stomach. Some blesbuck about 80m from me started to become uneasy which prompted me to use the option of a long range shot.440 Yards. I adjusted the turret and squeezed the trigger. Missed by a fraction and the impala are none the wiser. After seeing that I canted the rifle a little, the next shot took the same impala female in the chest and it dropped where it stood.


I collected the bakkie and we loaded and headed back to camp where I gutted the impala.
Look at how fat she was:

The carcass weight including the skin was 34kg meaning the carcass alone was about 30-31kg. Incredibly big for Impala females.


We then headed back to the same area and located a herd of impala rams. The biggest one offered my father no shot so he shot a younger ram behind the front leg. 40 Yards later it was dead.


We all had brunch back at the camp around midday.
Uncle Renier (Ge's father) made his famous potbread which was supplemented with sweetcorn fritters and eggs. Fit for a king!



Sheila teaching Ge a few tips on cooking eggs and fritters.


After lunch uncle Renier, my dad and myself headed back to the river area.
We came across two warthog boars that were trotting away from us. I shot one on the move at 50yards and initially took it as a miss however we found it a while later lying dead in a road close by with a lung-shot doing the damage.

Just a little further on uncle Renier got his first kill with his new 30-06.


That night we ate rump steaks, potatoes and veggies. Rump cooked as only Ge can .




The following day Adrian and Sheila went down to the river area and I took my father and uncle Renier to the top part of the farm.
Here I shot this impala ewe at a mere 60 yards.


Adrian shot a really nice bushbuck ram next to the river. It measured 16,5"!


Kyle wounded an impala ewe and tracked it for the rest of the afternoon and also for a few hours the next morn before managing the kills hot. Great perseverance!



Gé let us know that he needed assistance to help load his eland bull. He gave us GPS co-ordinates and we met him there with the TLB. He managed to walk and stalk this bull to within 40 meters and dispatched it with a neat shot to the brain. It seems I try to stalk away from the quarry whilst Ge tries to touch them first before shooting them :)


Loading it was a walk in the park....luckily!



Later on I went to the river alone and heard some impala rams fighting one another. I stalked through the bush and had the ewes at 150yards but I wanted a ram. I evaded the monkeys and guineafowl somehow and found a decent place to observe the buck from.


Using the power lines close by I estimated the range to be 300yards.
Watching the buck through my scope I saw a ram walk into the open.
My breathing slowed down, set the turrets and relaxed then the trigger was squeezed.
In slow motion I recovered from the slight recoil and regained sight picture only to see some dust coming off the impalas shoulder. It dropped and gave three kicks. The other buck looked at him curiously and moved off at a slow walk. Long distance hunting always leaves the remaining animals very calm.
I collected the bakkie and then ranged the shot at 335yards.
The big boy fell like this:

To take a photo of myself by my self was a challenge! I used my Foxpro bag as a rest and timer function on my phone.

This buck was heavy! I pulled it into a nearby tree using my bakkie then tied it off and reversed the bakkie under it.

On the way back I spotted another ram and drove past, got out and back tracked, set the scope to 260yards. He was dead before hitting the ground


Ge's father also shot a nice waterbuck bull. The sun set whilst tracking the blood spoor. Ge and uncle Renier decided to take a chance and leave it overnight for fear of a bad shot. They found it early the next morning about 600m away with a good shot through the vital triangle. However a caracal had discovered it before them and took his share that night.



I also shot a warthog boar that session with "Cyclops" the guide assisting me. Even with one eye he tracks really well. The boar was fast asleep when the 75 V-max entered it's skull from 80 yards away.


I took Kyle to the river that afternoon to find him a decent impala ram

A little walking and stalking saw him take this good sized impala with his .308.




To be continued...

[Geno]

On our way back I shot my last impala for the trip.
At about 350yards I slotted the V-max in under her chin with the POI taking her an inch lower than what I aimed. The little bullet removed some vertebra upon exiting her neck.
I ranged it at 382yards after the shot.


Adrian also shot a gemsbok(no photo) and uncle Renier a nice kudu cow.


Here are some random pics:

Trophy mynah:


Fat pig on the right :)







I am very pleased with my performance of 8 shots with seven kills. Ranges from 50yards-440yards. Average distance being 230yards.
After 350 shots with my Dasher I seem to have gelled nicely with it.
What a great trip and if the good Lord spares us we will see the banks of the Limpopo in 2015 again!
Cheers
Eugene

Here are some random pics:

Trophy mynah:


Fat pig on the right :)







I am very pleased with my performance of 8 shots with seven kills. Ranges from 50yards-440yards. Average distance being 230yards.
After 350 shots with my Dasher I seem to have gelled nicely with it.
What a great trip and if the good Lord spares us we will see the banks of the Limpopo in 2015 again!
Cheers
Eugene

[Proudprado]

Great report. Sounds like an awesome experience.

[pdh]

Thanks for the write up

[Geno]

Thanks guys.

Fixed some IMG links now.

[Bubezi]

What a lovely read. Makes me look forward to my first hunt in July.

[Andrew Leigh]

Hi Geno,

did not realise you were a member here as well. A rather belated welcome .

Nice write up by the way.

[dbndude]

awesome read.

thanks for the time and pics.
don't think i'd ever get out hunting so i enjoy write ups like this.

niec work dude!!

[Rigby]

[Reggie Gerber]

Well done Geno. Good story with great pics