Testing my Journalistic abilities in South Africa

My South African Journal

Three members of the Alamo Chapter - Safari Club International thought it a good idea to travel to South Africa for a combination plains game and bird hunt. The three were Charlie Brame, my son Ed Allred and myself, Ray Allred. Arrangements for the hunt were made with a professional hunter named Mof Venter. Mof is a native of South Africa and has been in the outfitting business about 10 years. Prior to this time he earned fame as a rugby player. I understand that he was named to the Professional National Team as the #1 player.

We agreed on a seven day hunt and selected the seven animals and birds that we wanted on this hunt. Then Mof put a deal together to accommodate that selection. That was it. We knew what and how we were going to hunt and the timeframe was programmed. We departed San Antonio on the morning of July 2nd for Johannesburg, South Africa. The hunt started on July 5th.

Ed and I headed out with Mof and Charlie went with Chicken, also known as J.P. Murray. The first day was a real experience. We first spotted a Zebra. He was a fully developed stallion about 11 years old and a real trophy. Ed dispatched him at about 120 yards. That .300 Weatherby did the trick.

That afternoon we spotted a magnificent bull Kudu. It was large and had very long horns. With one shot from the .300 Weatherby Ed dispatched this animal. His horns measured 57 inches.

On the next day Ed and I head off with Louie and Charlie with Chicken. Louie, Ed and I hunted hard that day and finally turned up a beautiful Impala. He was standing at about 200 yards behind a large thorn bush; only his head and neck were exposed. Ed again made a great shot and down went the Impala. This was also a fine trophy.

Meanwhile Charlie and Chicken had a full day. First Charlie collected a Blesbuck then a Zebra. I understand that the Zebra took them on a foot chase that covered several miles. Charlie told us that by the time they finally got close enough, 200 plus yards, to take a second shot that he was breathing so hard that he could hardly hold the sight picture. The Zebra was quartering away from Charlie when he made this off hand shot. As a result the bullet hit just behind his last rib on the left side and traveled forward through his heart and lungs and out the front of his chest near the shoulder. He went down on the spot. As Charlie would say "A perfect (but damned lucky) shot, especially considering the amount of wind that he was sucking." It was an interesting morning for those two.

That afternoon, Charlie collected an outstanding Kudu. He was on the run and dodging trees but the bullet found its mark. This handsome fellow measured 55 inches. What a day! They had collected three real trophies that any hunter would be proud to posses.

I did not tell either Ed or Charlie that I had bought three Aggie raincoats for this hunt. I packed them away without saying a word. On the second or third day of the hunt I issued them to the trackers and skinners. I thought that it would be nice to capture them on film wearing those Aggie coats with this caption - "This Is What We Do After Graduation." That effort brought some serious comments.

While Charlie and Chicken were busy with the Wildebeest, Louie put me on a nice Warthog. This big fellow was looking me in the eye. I discharged a round from the .300 that went thought the left eye and into the shoulder. Let no one question the authority that the .300 packs.

The following day was the highlight of the trip for me. On this day Ed and I were hunting with Mof who had located a handsome Blesbuck. He was standing away from the others so I could easily identify him. Ed ranged him at 232 yards, judged the wind at five miles per hour and suggested that I hold in the kill area. With that information dialed in the .300 again roared and that handsome fellow was down.

That afternoon Mof spotted a Blue Wildebeest. He was a big fellow and I guess king of the herd. He was standing behind a large thorn bush and from where I was shooting I could only see his horns and the sun's reflection. That bullet had to travel almost 300 yards and through some very heavy brush before making contact and doing the trick.

The next day was the bird hunt. Several lessons were learned from this venture. First, never go to Africa without a shotgun. The bird hunting is something that one should experience. We collected five species of birds during that hunt. They were Dove, Guinea Fowl, Francolins, San Grouse and the Egyptian Geese. Hunting the Egyptian Geese is most tricky because those birds mate for life. So if you fail to get second on a pair you have really done a dirty deed. Accordingly, you shoot the singles or double up on a pair. As the natives would say, it is not cricket to take one of a pair. It was a fun event with much action.

The next day Charlie collected a Gemsbuck and an Impala, both handsome trophies. After a miss on a handsome Gemsbuck I got another shot at one running and hit it high. We spent several hours tracking it and when darkness set in we had to stop the search.

The final day of the hunt we all searched to recover the Gemsbuck. While we spotted it several times I never got in a position to take another shot. Mof and his trackers later recovered and delivered him to the taxidermy for mounting.

While returning to the camp, Mof spotted an African Wildcat. They are unprotected animals in South Africa. They are similar to our Bobcat. Ed took the .257 and quickly dispatched this handsome guy.

The next day was a day of leisure. We slept in, paid our bills, packed our bags, said our goodbyes and departed the lodge.

Mof suggested that we use Nylstroom Taxidermy for our mounting work. I believe that he or someone else said that it is perhaps one of the fastest growing taxidermy studios in the world. It takes about a year to have them mounted and shipped to USA via boat.

July is the winter season in South Africa. It got cold at night, down to 31 degrees, but warmed up quickly when the sun came up and then cooled down as the sunset. During our stay we did not have one bad weather day. The weather was simply beautiful and could not have been better. I will never forget the terrain and the lay of the land. Africa is a beautiful country and much of it is still unspoiled by urban development.

Our chalets were well done with single beds, private bathrooms, closet space, and heavy blankets to ward off the cold. It should be noted that there was no heat but we were prepared for that so there was really no inconvenience. We dressed warm to accommodate the night chill and slept very comfortable after a day of hard hunting and collecting memorable experiences.

Should anyone be thinking of making a similar trip to Africa I suggest that you give serious consideration to employing Adansonia Safaris. They generally book hunts from March to September. I am almost certain that special arrangements can be made for the period September thru February. Their web site is www.adansonia.co.za and their e-mail address is adansona@lantic.net. Should you wish to give them a call, their telephone number is +27 1476 60112. Adansonia Lodge is located just a rocks throw from Steenbokpan, South Africa.

What you are going to do with the trophies is one of the items on the checklist that should be addressed when planning the hunt. So you do a lot of measuring and planning before the hunt so when it comes time to mount the animals you will not only have the place for them but most importantly the mounts will complement the place where they will be displayed, i.e., looking right or left – high or low mounts, etc. My wife Lenore does not let any of this stuff make it inside her house. Luckily, I have an office off of the backyard and pool that accommodates my hunting paraphernalia and trophies.

I am planning another safari for lion and Cape buffalo. So if you don’t hear from me again you will know who came out on top.

Ray, Ed & Kudu

Saturday, September 2, 2006

Testing my Journalistic abilities in South Africa