Africa 2.0

Nice!
Great milestone gift!(y) Congrats! I hope you have another great adventure!
Don't forget your Lechwe!

Perhaps, we can meet up in Joburg on our trips, if the timing works, and share adventures and pics in person. (Our tentative dates in Johannesburg for arrival on May 10, with travel out for first hunt May 11, between hunts looks like May 17/18 of 2026, and May 25 for the trip home)

A Greater kudu would be awesome! But for now I am happy with my Cape kudu and I was happy to get that!. Perhaps on a third trip...although I think this is why I want to hunt a different area with Allan this trip, so I have a chance at the Livingstones eland just in case I only get one of the subspecies. (The Cape is a stunning animal, but as previously mentioned, the stripes on the Livingstones adds to its appeal for me.) And the chance for a second subspecies of bushbuck. (He has over 60 species available to hunt between his 3 areas in SA.) And the bushbuck is such a challenging hunt, and the differences in the spots and markings on the various subspecies adds to their appeal.

While it is going to be another great adventure to hunt with Deon at Koranna, there is something nice about going back to see our friends at Allan's for another adventure with him and his staff! I'm sure you feel that way about going back to hunt with Andrew. I hear and read about how many people want to go back to hunt with their new friends after their trips to Africa! (Not to mention many of the other great outfitters around the world.)
It really goes to show you that the hunt is not only the adventure, the new placeres, and the experiences of the hunt, but the great relationships we develop on these memorable occasions!

Funny, on the drive home from my mother's Easter dinner yesterday, Susan and I were talking about future hunts, and I mentioned that I would like my 65th birthday (and hopefully retirement) gift (when I reach that milestone), to be our trip to Argentina, for axis deer, blackbuck, fallow deer, and mouflon.
While I have a fallow already, and hope to return to New Zealand in 2027 for another, I look forward to it in Argentina as part of that whole experience. And that I really did find the fallow to be the most fun and challenging part of our experience in New Zealand in 2023. And like caribou and large red stag, no two animals have the exact same antler configuration; they are all unique individuals which adds to their appeal. And the fallow has such a wide variety in their coat colours. I am hoping for a lighter, or white, fallow with the the more contrasting spots and dark line down their back,on my next one. Beautiful animals!
 
salmonchaser said:
Catherine asked what I wanted for my 70th Birthday, it is this November. I want to go back to Africa in the spring I said. “ok, you better call Andrew”. It’s looking like May but still need to Iron out the dates on my end. 10 days to two weeks. Andrew owns or has control over a million acres, all free range hunting. Did run into one six foot tall fence that boarders a neighbors property. Andrew has 30 + species available. Waterbuck, Gemsbok, Springbok, he has all four available and Greaterkudu, will be top targets. I’ve got a couple of Nyala and bushbucks so I’d need to see a real giant to take another. Same with Eland. I’ll take another warthog and Impala If I see a good one.
I’ll take the 300 HH for sure and perhaps the 275 Rigby.
Crusader Safaris; Eastern Cape South Africa.
Click to expand...
Awesome Don! I need to show this thread to Sue.

JD338
 
salmonchaser said:
Catherine asked what I wanted for my 70th Birthday, it is this November. I want to go back to Africa in the spring I said. “ok, you better call Andrew”. It’s looking like May but still need to Iron out the dates on my end. 10 days to two weeks. Andrew owns or has control over a million acres, all free range hunting. Did run into one six foot tall fence that boarders a neighbors property. Andrew has 30 + species available. Waterbuck, Gemsbok, Springbok, he has all four available and Greaterkudu, will be top targets. I’ve got a couple of Nyala and bushbucks so I’d need to see a real giant to take another. Same with Eland. I’ll take another warthog and Impala If I see a good one.
I’ll take the 300 HH for sure and perhaps the 275 Rigby.
Crusader Safaris; Eastern Cape South Africa.
Click to expand...
Don,
I just visited Crusader Safaris website and looked at their brochure.
Very nice!
I can see why you booked with them, and are going back! They have some awesome areas!
Which area did you hunt with them?
And are you planning to hunt the same area, or another one?

The free range aspect adds a nice touch to their hunts.
Was cool to see that Andrew is based out of Bedford; Allan Schenk Safaris is less than a half hour from Bedford.

His (Allan's) concessions are only low fenced, for the sheep and goat herds, as were his neighbours where we hunted the nyala, springbok, impala, kudu, bushbuck, and warthog. Where we hunted for Susan's sable, the only high fence was along the highway through their huge property, as all the other fences we saw were low, for the livestock (sheep and goats), as the plains game could clear these and go where they wanted. The concession where we hunted my kudu and bushbuck, only had high fence for their small herd of cape buffalo that they are breeding, close to the main farming operation. The rest of the concession was low fence, even along the highway.
While we were there, there were reports of escaped cape buffalo on his properties, although we did not see any. While not a rare event, he did say that it wasn't very common. He has had this occur a few times over the years.

Taking the HH and Rigby rifles would just add an extra nice touch to the safari!
 
Andrew asked if I was still a strong walker as he has picked up a new property that is short on tracks. I still walk five to eight miles a day with a minimum of 1000 vertical, so still doing good. He wants me to spend three days on his new property as it holds great game but walking needed. I hunted three areas last time, will focus on his new place and Bavians river this time.
 
Catherine and I started in Unkomass Valley. A mix of thick and open country and very steep. Never found a Kudu over fifty inches but two good Nyala. Saw good bulls for five days and a lot of other game. My guide wanted to know if I'd ever killed a 400 inch elk, we should look for that in an equivalent Kudu. Five days there and could easily have shot 10 or 15 different animals.
Spent two days in the Stormberg mountain ranch looking for an eland. Great hunt focused on getting the eland. Saw quite a few of the tiny antelope there.
Then we went to the home ranch, Bavianns River. Been in the family since 1820. Very similar to the mountain west country I like to hunt. Four days there, kudu, Bushbuck, wart hog, Impala and Black Wildebest and Blessbok.
Next trip will be Bavianns River and the new Property, Kei River.
 
So, did your guide equate a 400" elk to a 60" kudu? (Both would be outstanding animals!)
So nice that one can see so much game that it doesn't put a lot of pressure on you to pass up some in hopes of finding that outstanding specimen!
I wish you all the best on your next adventure! Can't wait to hear about it and see the pics!

While shooting the big ones is very cool, I have always tended towards the experience and a representative animal.
Although I have been blessed with a 204" mule deer and a 10 1/2" mountain goat! And a 7x7 elk (even if he is only just over 300")!
The animals I know that I want to improve on are the bushbuck and the fallow buck. I got good representatives of each (still don't know what either scores) but will definitely recognize a larger one when I see one. But mostly want a bushbuck without a broken horn, and a fallow with a prettier cape. Bigger ones would be a bonus, but not a necessity for me.
Plus they were just such a fun and challenging hunt! I want more of that!!!
A Southern Greater Kudu would be fun, just because I have a Cape kudu, and the SG would be another subspecies!
 
I'm going to hold out for a good southern greater. As you do, I have a cape Kudu and the others are good representatives. I'm fine with that. If I see an ordinary SG I'll probably leave him for seed.
56 inches the magic number! Andrew has imported fallow deer, he might talk me into one😁
 
Thanks, nice to know. I have read a 50" is a good trophy, and that 60" is the Holy Grail.
Likening a 56" kudu to a 400" elk, puts it in a perspective that is perhaps easier for us North Americans to relate to.
Hope you find a good one!

As for a fallow buck, they might not get as large in Africa as they do in other areas around the world, but the one I missed (my fault on rushing the shot when he stopped briefly; at least it was a clean miss!) in the Eastern Cape last year was wide and tall, if not as deep in the paddles. Would have been larger than the one I got (apparently silver medal) in New Zealand in 2023. Still, it was a fun hunt! And they are definitely less expensive in SA than elsewhere!
(And I vindicated myself about an hour later on my warthog, with a heart shot.)
 
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