Bush Breaking Newsletter No 7 of 2014 SEPTEMBER Hallo and a warm welcome to the SEVENTH newsletter for the 2014 season! We had a very busy hunting month during September and this newsletter covers most of those hunts. With no further delay, here are the reports on the exciting hunts with great people in September. Kirk Kaiser and Shawn Mosher were scheduling their hunt with Somerby Safaris for the end of August and you could sense the excitement in all their emails from the word go. Kirk was able to bring his brand new custom build rifle with on his hunt and was all eager to draw some blood with his new rifle. Shawn Mosher had his own list of animals that he wanted to take on his fist trip to Africa with Somerby Safaris.
After a few local beers and a decent meal, Kirk and Shawn were ready to go to bed and get some rest before their big hunting adventure the next morning. The men kick started their day with a big farm style breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage and after the vehicles were packed, Kirk and Shawn were ready to burn some gun powder! Kirk was privileged to use his brand new rifle, a.300 Winchester Magnum for this trip that he had specially built at Ray Lawler of Absolute Accuracy in Kansas City. Kirk had a combination of trophy and cull animals in his hunting package and both PH Andre and Kirk felt it will be best to start their hunt with a trophy Blue Wildebeest bull. Soon after seeing the hunting vehicle, the herd of Blue Wildebeest was spooked and took off into the thickets. Andre tracked them down on foot for almost a mile, at which point Kirk and Ph. PD caught up with the vehicle and Kirk was able to take a mature bull at about 130 yards. Kirk gave a follow up shot and this bull went down just before sun down! Kirk is an excellent marksman and a very patient hunter and was able with the guidance of PH Andre and PD to add these two AMAZING trophies (an Eland and Blesbuck) to his list of plains game species hunted with Somerby Safaris.
Congratulations on all your trophies Kirk! I have never seen an adult man that express his excitement so much as Shawn Mosher, he was smiling and kept the group entertained from early mornings till late! Shawn s packet included a long list of plains game species with a big Warthog high on his priority list. Warthogs tend to get quite skinny this late in the hunting season due to the long winter and urgent need of some good rain and new vegetation growth. This old boar was still in good condition and with such a pair of tusks, Ph Andre did not waste any time to get Shawn ready to make the perfect shot with his.30.06 Browning. Next on Shawn s the list was the Grey Ghost and as we all know, a big Kudu bull is one of the most difficult animals to hunt due to their skittish nature. Shawn was determined to take a big Kudu bull back home and spent many hours on foot stalking this Grey Ghost before he got the opportunity to make the perfect shot at this STUNNING animal. It was time to move south to the Free State where Shawn had his focused on this beautiful Common Springbuck.
What a super nice hunt we had with Shawn and Kirk, every day was filled with fun and laughter but when it was time for serious hunting the boys were all focused. Your Buffalo will be waiting for you Kirk! We met Dave Ratliff a couple of years back at a marketing Show in Michigan and since then he is basically part of the family. Dave visits us at least once a year and if he longs too much, even more. Dave has already hunted 4 of the Big 5 and there was only one animal left to be hunted and that was the big African Elephant. Dave described his Elephant hunt as the high light of the year and kept diary of this amazing hunt and experienced it as followed: We woke up at the dawn of light and I am almost shivering with excitement. I was looking for a 50 pounder which refer to the width of his tusk at the lip (measured in inches) x3 and then multiply this total with the length of the tusks sticking out of the lip in feet. Our game shout Zarkelly knew where the bulls would be and he directed us south throughout the burnt area near the lodge. We stopped within 50 yards of a large old bull, big body and nice ivory and both boys (Drom and PH Charles) judged his ivory at 47 to 53 pounds, which was perfect!
We snucked through the thorn tickets to within 20 yards of him but unfortunately he got spooked and fled on us. We received note that some other bulls were feeding not too far from there but when we got there it was a young bull with thin tusks. Drom gave Ph Charles the flick of the finger towards the other bull that fled on us and it was at this stage that things were getting excited as we drove towards the area where the big bull was. Charlie spotted the big bull 30 yards up the hill and we decide to drove past and parked about a quarter of a mile from the bull. As we got out, we immediately start planning our stalk and I had my.458 Lott CZ 550 safari classic rifle ready, five in the magazine and one in the camber. We had to go straight in as the wind was hitting our left shoulder and Drom did not want to swing too far to the right because the bull was facing to the right and that would only gave me a full frontal shot, which was not good. In a few more minutes of slow quiet walking, we could see him through the burnt area and I was shocked how massive he was. We all moved in very quietly and were soon stucked between the sparse trees and the burned ground. Charles was directing us to the next tree, 20 yards further, where he would put up the shooting sticks. As Charles put up the sticks, the wind swirled and the bull flung his head up and took three quick steps forward. As he quickly forward, I put my rifle on the sticks and was going to shoot the bull in the hip as we previously agreed on. This shot stopped the bull solid in his tracks, slightly quartering away broadside looking at us. Charles had to tell me three times to shoot him before I finally pulled the trigger. The gun went off and the bull turned, running away fast, faster, fastest! I quickly reloaded and found his tailbone in my site and BOOM hit him again. Charles yelled out perfect shot and as we approached the elephant, we found him down on all fours with his head up. Drom shouted to me to move to the side and gave him a final side brain shot and as I did it the bull tripped over and was done for good. This was a very old bull with huge tusks and we all knew he would be 50 pound or more. What an amazing and exciting day wow! Excellent hunting Dave! What an amazing hunt!
Dave was all smiles when he took these two BEAUTIFUL specimens of a Black Springbuck and a Copper Springbuck! Kwa-Zulu Natal is well known for its different Duiker species and Dave was all eager to add this Red Duiker to his list of all the animals that he had shot over the years in and around Africa. The Red Duiker is part of the Tiny Ten which also include the: Grey Duiker, Blue Duiker, Suni, Steenbuck, Damara Dik Dik, Cape Grysbuck, Oribi, Klipspringer and Vhaal Rhebuck! It is always a privilege to have you here with us Dave and we want to thank you for you for a wonderful hunt!
Mickey McAnally is an old friend of Somerby Safaris and has conducted several hunts in the past with us. This time he decided to invite two special friends with on his safari to experience the same excitement and memories that he had gathered on his previous hunt. We are very glad to welcome Paul Key and Will Alley on their first hunt with Somerby Safaris! Drom and Mickey agreed on a 10 day hunt and also on a specific list of animals but 2 days before Mickey arrived for this 10 day hunt, Drom phoned him with the good news that he had located a problem Lion. Mickey always had this deep secret that he would love to hunt a full mane Kalahari Lion and when Drom unknowingly describe that exact Lion, Mickey instantly knew he could not pass this opportunity! Before this exciting hunt can actually start, the three gentle men and their PH PD and Drom first had to cover the long distance of about 7 hours to the Kalahari in the North West Province where the hunt will take place. After sighting in the rifles and making sure every body was on the same page about safety and shot placement, they started to follow some fresh tracks but never located this Yellow Beast that same day. Early the next morning they started out again and two hours into the search the trackers located the Lion. Everything happened so fast and before Mickey could get a chance to get a decent shot, the Lion bolted and ran. After a short stalk they saw the Lion standing broadside about 70 yards from them and Mickey made the perfect shot with his Remington.338 Ultra Magnum rifle using 250 grain A- frame swift bullets. The Lion travelled about 20 yards where they found him dead. What a relieved to end this day on such a high note, filled with excitement and pride!
Mickey also took this AMAZING Impala and Waterbuck in the Sandveld Nature Reserve which is located in the Free State Province. Mickey, Paul and Will were very fortunate to see such a tremendous number of game and had the opportunity to pick and choose what they wanted. Paul Key, what a big gentleman! Paul is a dear friend of Mickey and Rhonda McAnally and decided to join Mickey and Will on their trip to South Africa. Paul was using a.375 HH Remington and his.7 mm Ultra Magnum to harvest all his trophies. Paul was mainly focused on Free State plains game animals and between Sandveld Nature Reserve and Clarens in the more southern part of the Free State, there were more than enough to choose from. Zebras are very family oriented and when ever you capture or move them, you have to move the whole family as a unit to prevent a new stallion to take over the herd and kill all the foals from the previous breeding stallion. The new comer will do that to prevent any competition between the foals from the previous stallion and his own offspring. Somerby Safaris is very involved with conservation and believe in ethical hunting and there fore will never take a breeding stallion out of a family herd. Paul had the choice of a few stallions in the bachelor herd when he took this BEAUTIFUL Zebra stallion with an almost perfect skin and no bite marks! Blesbuck prefer running in big herds and due to the open grass plains, limited cover for walk and stalk and windy conditions, hunting for Blesbuck normally means fast and far shooting over long distances. Paul was very familiar with his rifle and drops this Blesbuck with one shot over a distance of about 250 yards.
Will was the youngest of the group but absolutely an asset two have as a hunting buddy. This was Will s first time coming to Africa and I can almost promise you not his last time. Will took some time to think about his wish list before sending it to us and even then he knew he had to come back for the ones he did not put on there! Will s choices of rifles to bring with on safari were his.375 HH Sauer and.338 Ultra Mangum. Ph Pieter and Will spent the whole day scouting for a big Kudu bull with long ivory tips and also a long beard. The sun was starting to set in the far west when Pieter saw some movement and instinct was telling him to get ready for action. Pieter and Will immediately grabbed their rifles and start following their instinct which let them to this HUGE Kudu bull! It was exact ally what Will was dreaming of. Will made the perfect shot and only realized after he shot this animal how big it really was! This will look really nice in your lounge above the fire place Will!
PH Pieter and Will with some of the trophies that they took in the Limpopo and Free State Province! It is always sad when such an amazing hunt comes to an end but we here at Somerby believe it is just more reason to return. PH Pieter and PD want to thank you for a great hunt and hope to see you soon. We are glad to welcome back our dear friend Mike Carvelli from New York. Mike has hunted with us numerous times over the last couple of years and was determined to make his big African dream come true by hunting his ultimate animal, a Leopard. Mike Carvelli giving you his version of the most amazing hunt of his life: I have been attempting to acquire a Leopard permit for 2 years and 2014 was the year when all of this happened and I was able to accomplish my dream of a Leopard hunt!
Prior to my arrival, Andre (he is way more than my PH, he is one of my best friends) was preparing and checking baits so that with a little bit if luck, I might complete a successful hunt. The heat was more that I would have wanted for the first 9 days but Andre, Norman (my skinner) and I managed to work through it all. We worked hard at setting up the baits, dragging the bait area and building blinds. After playing cat and mouse with nice cat, we relocated our hunting to another are in the North West Province, near the town Zeerust. The activity there was much more plentiful making the hunt more exciting and intense. With an increase in sightings and the bait being hit regularly, it was only 3 more days before I was able to take a trophy Leopard measuring 7 ft long, weighing 48 lbs. With the diligent effort and knowledge of Andre along with assistance from Kasper (another PH from the concession), I was able to make a perfect 65 yd. shot with my.325 Winchester Magnum a few hours before sunrise. Thanks to heir guidance, rust and confidence in me, I was able to successfully complete my Leopard hunt along with another friendship made with Kasper in a place that I like to call my second home! Mike with two more animals, a GORGEOUS White Springbuck and a big Baboon male! What more can I say Mike: a fantastic hunt, life long memories, stunning trophies, good Vodka and Andre that is already making plans for your next trip! Hope to see you again soon in 2015!
What a nice surprise to welcome back Dennis and Sandy Butler from Joelton Tennessee on their second safari with Somerby Safaris. After a very successful bow hunt in 2013 with Somerby Safaris, Dennis decided that will be back in 2014 but this time for a non trophy Elephant hunt in Zimbabwe. After a good nights rest and a decent cup of coffee the next morning at Ndlovu guesthouse, it was time to leave for the airport to take off to the North Western side of Zimbabwe, better known as the Matetsi hunting area. Dennis is an excellent bow hunter and spent many hours practising with his recurve bow, set to 80 pounds, before he felt comfortable enough to start his big adventure. PH Charles and Dennis left early morning to start scouting for fresh tracks and signs that would indicate any movement of a herd of Elephants. Charles spotted three big herds of Elephants but unfortunately these herds were not in their hunting concession and were not allowed to be hunted. After driving around for a couple of hours, Dennis and Charles headed back to camp and while having a nice brunch, they also made use of the opportunity to scout across the boundary for any signs of wildlife. Charles spotted a herd of Elephants and within seconds everybody got their bow and rifles together and drove off to where they saw the herd came in and headed for the mountain. Charles and Dennis proceeded on foot after them but lost sight of them after a few miles. After the tracker climbed into a big Marula tree, he spotted them taking a rest in the shade of the trees and using the light breeze to try and cool them down. Charles and Dennis made their final approach from the spot where they were watching the Elephants and tried to get Dennis as close as possible. It is always necessary to get as close as possible when using a recurve bow. With the wind in their favour, they started on the left hand side of the herd which consist of about 100 Elephants. Slowly and cautiously they approached the herd, looking for an immature bull or old cow with no dependant calves.
Charles spotted a young bull and start approaching him but when they got to 27 yards of him, the Elephant could sense that something was wrong but did not know what exactly it was and Charles pushed closer to 25 yards. One of the cows picked up the movement and started to turn and walked away, alerting the others. The bull that Dennis had in mind was facing away from him but when the cow moved off, the bull turned broadside and started to walk across from them. Dennis was already at full draw and when the bull took his second step, the arrow was released and the arrow struck the Elephant behind the shoulder, penetrating both lungs! The Elephant turned and ran but went down after 150 yards. What an excellent end to an excellent day of hunting! Wow what an amazing shot!
It was not all about hunting and after Dennis was finished with the hunt, he and Sandy were also spending some quality time together by doing some tiger fishing on the Zambezi River. Sandy enjoyed every minute of the fishing and you can see the big smile on her face. They also spent some time on the Chobe River taking some excellent pictures and relax with a cold beer. What an amazing hunt Dennis! PH Charles really enjoyed spending time with you and Sandy! Hope to see you again soon! Well folks that was it for September! We have only one newsletter left till the end of the year which will cover the last couple of hunts that took place during the last part of September and October. We hope you are all enjoying the hunting season back home and getting ready for Thanks giving that is just around the corner! If you are hunting with us next year, please contact us as soon as possible so we can assist you to get your airfare booked! If you are thinking about a safari for next year, please contact us for a custom quote and to reserve your spot! We look forward to having you here