Cheetah Safaris Newsletter 2012 Cheetah Safaris can look back on a busy and very successful year. The year brought challenges in many ways but we thank God for keeping us safe and carrying us through difficult times. Charles Blankenship With sadness we have to announce the passing of our dear friend and client Charles Blankenship. Charles started hunting with Sable Safaris in 2004, returned again in 2005 and also came to Cheetah in 2010. His wife Liz an avid hunter herself always accompanied Charles on his adventures. Charles was a gracious and kind gentleman, his special way of telling stories and his laughter will always be remembered. Mr. B you will be sorely missed. Our prayers remain with Liz and the family. In Memory Matt Cormado Matt Cormado also a long time client from CS passed away in December. Matt was a great shot and enthusiastic hunter and was always joined by his wife Catherine. Our prayers and condolences to Catherine and the family. Then on a lighter note Cory Kruse eventually managed to get Catharine Arrighi to marry him, congratulations to Mr. and Mss. Kruse we at CS wish you a wonderful life together. Cory won the Nationals again which didn t surprise us at all, well done Cory this is an amazing achievement and we are very proud of you. Wyatt Beauchamp son of (Steve and Michelle Crawford) after only shooting for 5 months punched into Master Class and end up the year being the All American Sub Junior Team Captain. Congratulations Wyatt. Also Wyatt, thanks for helping Steve to make the 2012 newsletterj. For those of you who haven t been back since 2011, Robert Robberts is now heading our editing and camerawork, we are very fortunate to have him on board as can be seen by the great quality of the dvds.
KRUSE SAFARI First up was bow hunter Cory Kruse. He just couldn t stay away from Africa, and this time he brought his fiancé (now wife) Catherine along. The animals could not resist her and she charmed in a beautiful 58 Kudu on her first hunting day in Africa. There was no stopping the appetite for hunting in this Texas girl, waterbuck, warthog and impala followed shortly all one shot kills. Cory eventually got a few shots in and like always made it look way to easy. He got the Eland he was looking for so badly and impala, gemsbuck and wildebeest followed. They then moved camp where he shot a bush pig, porcupine, baboon and donkey. They also got really close to the white lions. Congratulations to Pieter and team and for the Kruse s for another unforgettable hunt. The Kruse s plan was to hunt New Zeeland in 2013 but after Catherine experienced Africa they decided to come back in April next year. We are looking forward to another great hunt with you guys. Thanks for your loyal support. What a trophy 58 Kudu 29 old heavy Waterbuck Bushpig and porcupine in one go The fence was photoshoped! SKY-HIGH GROUP HUNT Last year Pieter donated a hunt to www.skyhighshoot.org. Sky-high is a charity started and presidented by Britney Hebert. Britney is a extraordinary professional young women who in her very limited spare time and with the help of a dedicated team of ladies through skeet shooting sponsor terminal children at the St. Judes Hospital. Three gentlemen from Lafayette Louisiana bought the hunt. Britt accompanied the swamp people on their hunting trip. It was her 2nd trip with CS and she had a few scores to settle with species she didn t get on her first trip. What followed was 10 days of great people, great hunting and lots of laughter.
Gerard hunted with PH Leon. Gerard was out to have a great time and maybe take a few animals home. The first two days turned out to be very slow but on day three G-Money was ready. He shot a Waterbuck, Impala, Wildebeest and Hartebeest all great shots and in the same day. Gerard thanks for being such a pleasure to hunt with, long live the swamp rapper Gerard Ballanco Richard Feught PH Hendrik Liebenberg hunted with Richard Feught. From day 1 we could see that this was going to be a fun hunt and that Ricky wasn t going to hold back. The team stalked up on a sleeping waterbuck and Ricky downed him with a perfect shot from his.338 Lapua. That same afternoon he shot a exceptional shaped Impala measuring 25 and 2/8. The 338 also accounted for a Red Hartebeest and a zebra. On day 3 they picked up on Ricky s bow skills. Rick has shot a bow before but has never taken an animal. Ricky shot an old warthog that morning and another one late that afternoon. The swamp people also did some night hunting (funny enough) Ricky shot a Porcupine with the.22, which also turned into a lot of fun after the torch failed us at the wrong moment. Ricky shot another Impala and Wildebeest and eventually on day seven a beautiful 55 Kudu with the bow. We at Cheetah safaris were very fortunate to get to know Ricky and we are looking forward to hunting with you again. Rick the news is out. you got a new bow, next time its game on, looking forward to your next visit Lance hunted with Pieter. They also mixed it up between riffle and bow. Lance turned out to be a hell of a riffle shot. He shot Zebra, Warthog, Gemsbuck and Impala with riffle and Blue Wildebeest and Kudu with bow. Unfortunately the shot on the huge kudu was to high in the hump and after hour s of tracking we could not find the animal.
Lances huge Wildebeest Finally Britt, the elusive donkey Britney hunted with PH Dirk : Britney was after Zebra and like most things in life, the more you want it the more it just evades you. After a few days in the blind with no luck on donkey PH Leon took over as Dirk had to go. When a very nice Impala presented a shot Britney didn t hesitate and made the perfect shot. Zebras showed up but never gave her a shot. Eventually a beautiful stallion made a mistake and he received a pink arrow straight through the heart and it wasn t cupid. She also shot a nice old warthog. We want to thank this great group of people and CS are very proud to know that hunting can make a difference in children s lives. REARICK SAFARI Old friend Lawrence Rearick from Houston on his 2 nd trip came back to collect a few species and spend some good time in Africa. Pieter Lawrence and cameraman Robert was soon in the bush. First question Pieter asked Lawrence was if he would like to shoot a BIG bushbuck a previous client has passed up. It took him ½ a second and the hunt for a needle in a haystack was on. Pieter pulled it of and found the bb, Lawrence pulled off a great shot in thick bush and bagged himself the 2 nd biggest BB we have shot in 23 years, well done Lawrence you deserve every inch of him. Pieter then decided that animals had no change with Lawrence sniper ability and decided to let him try out bow hunting and did he do well. He bagged Kudu, Waterbuck and finished the spiral horns of SA with and Eland (he shot Nyala on his previous trip with us). Well done Lawrence its was great to spend time with you old friend, see you and the family next year in Zambia for another memorable safari.
Lawrence Rearick 19 Limpopo Bushbuck WOMBWELL AND BURKE FAMILY SAFARI Walter Burke hunted with us way back in 20?? And this time came back with his whole family wife. Also accompanying the Burkes were long time friends, John Wombwell and family. PH Hendrik, Franco and Stephan shared hunting with John, Burkley and Steward Wombwell. Burkley was up first and from her shooting on the range we knew she was a great shot. We stalked up to a very nice old 52 kudu bull and as expected Burkley downed him first shot with the.308. Later that afternoon she shot a 23 impala2. John,impala,steenbuck shot a 55 kudu bull with his 300 Blaser and that afternoon Burkley followed up with a warthog. John worked hard for his Zebra and had no problem putting it down when he got the chance. Hendrik talked Stewart into Bow hunting and after a few practice sessions the hunt was on. Again the assassin did the job and Steward downed a very nice 12.5 warthog within sight of the blind, needless to say he was hooked on the bow-hunting thing. On the last day John took up the crossbow and killed a great warthog. Steward did not want to be left behind and made 2 great shots within half an hour off each other, taking a nice old impala and another 12,5 warthog. Burkley also shot a beautiful Sable and another Impala. Steward also accounted for kudu, impala, Zebra and Hartebeest with his rifle. Thanks for making our jobs so easy, we had lots of fun together, with the youngsters setting the pace. They took some exceptional trophies with in the group, including a 43.5 Sable, 32 Wildebees and 58 Kudu. Well done you guys.
Thomas Burke Walter jnr. With Sable and Burke family Stewart Wombwell Burkley Wombwell Walter Burke Snr. John and Burkley Wombwell
Schaefer family safari Rob, Eve, Luke, Hailey and Michael (kids) from Houston TX took a 7 day safari with CS. PH Hendrik hunted with Rob. It did not take a lot of convincing to get Robby to hunt with the TAC-15 Crossbow and on the very first day a big Kudu bull was in the bag. Next to go down were a very old 27 wildebeest and Impala. Rob and the Tac-15 proved to be a deadly combination. Rob wanted a Gemsbuck so bad, but as Gemsbuck hunting at Cheetah safaris goes Its never a given that you will take one home. After several missed opportunity s on gemsbuck, they were getting frustrated and worried. The team worked harder and harder, getting close, but never getting a shot. They stalked a thicket of acacias and as luck would have it, there was a gemsbuck. Rob made a very good quick shot from Hendrik s shoulder. The next moment all hell broke loose as a Rhino cow and calf nearly ran over them. That gave Rob good memories about his Gemsbuck hunt. He also shot a waterbuck and took up the bow and finish with an old Warthog. Well done Michael on his first African Kill. Thanks you guys for visiting us,lets do this again. Rob Schaefer Michael Schaefer Family
MCELVAIN SAFARI Father Will and son Zachary Mcelvain hunted with PH Hendrik Will told me in the states that his son Zach can really shoot, well he was not joking. Will has hunted in Africa before so he brought Zach out to experience it. Zach s 7-08 dropped the biggest of 2 warthogs fighting on the first day. Showing his versatility with weapons he took up the Tac-15 crossbow shot a kudu bull, Zebra, Impala and wildebeest all one shot shots. Zach shot a great hartebeest and beautiful 15 bushbuck with the 7-08. Will couldn t resist the urge and took up the bow and shot a Waterbuck. He also made a great shot on a 25 Impala and on a running Warthog. Will thanks so much for bringing Zach and congratulations he is a great little hunter. Will with Zach s first Kudu Zach s Warthog Zach s Collection Will couldn t resist his trigger finger
BAKKEN GROUP HUNT Shawn Bakken for his second Safari brought along Justin Johnson, Dick Rouloff and Grandson Richard Skic all from Menneapolis. Shawn was out to get a few species which he didn t get on his previous safari. Eland, steenbuck, Gemsbuck and Warthog all fell to his rifle fairly easy. Seeing a beautiful old dark Giraffe bull he just had to have him. Justin was ready to take everything home Africa had to offer. His rifle barrel got really hot during the next seven days. He shot Warthog, Kudu, Impala, Steenbuck, Zebra, Porcupine, Redhartebeest and a Wildebeest. Great shooting you guys. Dick only bought his bow last year and was keen to shoot something with it. He is 62 years old, but by the way he shoots his Mathews, nobody will be able to tell. His Grandson shoots a bowtech.dick brought a 300 short mag along, Just for in case. First to go down to Dicks bow hunting skills was a beautiful shaped old kudu bull well in his prime. He got a perfect heart shot from grandpa and was down within sight of the blind. Dick s prime animal was an Eland, after botching a shot to low on the eland, the same bull came back a hour later and this time he made no mistake. Dick also shot an Impala and waterbuck. Next it was Richards turn, and he downed a nice old worn down Hartebees bull. The team had some great stalks with the highlights been a 5.5 Steinbuck and a 25 Impala. He also shot a Gemsbuck, Warthog and Wildebeest.The one thing that stands out from this trip was the way that Rage broad heads performed less than satisfactory on African animals, these animals are tough. Well done guys, and especially to grandpa, lets do this again before I get to old. Shawn Bakken Justin Johnson Richard Skic Dick Rouloff
BERNARD SAFARIS Bowtech Guardian guys Mark Bernard and son Carson was in next. They were also entrusted into the special hands of PH. Hendrik. From the outset it was clear that these guys practiced before hand, they were very accomplished shooters. First morning Carson shot a nice old wildebeest bull straight through the heart. While waiting for the truck a nice old warthog showed up and Carson shot it as well. Kudu was on the menu next and a well placed shot put a really wide old kudu bull on the ground. Carson shot an eland next with the Guardian, a very nice trophy with a bow. Next was a very nice 4.5 Steenbuck as well as a 23.5 impala. First African animal for Mark was an impala, he was also very fortunate to shoot a 14.5 bushbuck followed with a grand old warthog, as well as a one horned impala for a rug. Carson could not get enough of the warthogs and shot another one. He was also fortunate enough to get a 4.5 duiker. Mark concluded the safari with a perfect heart shot on another impala. Both hunters showed amazing skill with their bow s and they took opportunities when it came along. Well done you guys. Hopefully we will see you back in Africa soon. Carson Bernard Mark Bernard LAWYER SAFARI Father Keith Lawyer and 14 year old son Luke was up next. Both on their first African safari hunted with PH.Hendrik. As usual we mixed it up between crossbow and rifle. First morning Luke shot a nice impala at around the 23 mark. On our way back to camp we ambushed some gemsbuck and a big old bull fell to Luke s.270. Keith took a nice old wide kudu bull with the crossbow and Luke made a good shot on a very nice 4.5 Steenbuck.
Next up was eland and Luke shot a magnificent 39 bull with the crossbow. A very old 13 warthog and another big impala were on there way to the skinning shed soon. Early morning saw us on the trail of a nice bushbuck and Luke shot a beautiful old ram. Keith took n very nice old Red hartebeest bull and a wide impala with the.300. After seeing a Roan Antelope for the first time in the wild Keith had sleepless nights about the beauty of the animal, it took the team a few days to get a change at an old bull, well done Kieth. Luke then shot 2 old wildebeest bulls to end the safari. Well done guys. Luke Lawyer Keith Lawyer Combat Marine Outdoor Safaris Pieter and long time friend Ron Oliver donated a 7day hunt and sightseeing trip to CS, after a short meeting with..in Houston all plans were made for the Safari. Pieter came back from Zambia to guide the Marines Art Garcia and Chris Bride and on their first safari. What a special time we had, Pieter soon realized that its was going to be toooooo easy for the marines and again we tried to give the animals a fair chance. Out came the trusted Tac 15. Nothing changed and the animals still died at will with precision shooting. Art jumped to the opportunity to shoot a old giraffe that broke out to the next-door neighbour. The team tracked it for quite sometime before Art made the perfect brain shot at 123 yards. Chris could not hold himself back and did extremely well he shot Impala, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest and Jackal. Chris s biggest desire was to shoot a big baboon, Pieter took the marines to the hill country and Chris s dream came true, he pulled of an amazing running shot at 160 yards on an big old alpha male. CS would like to thank Ron Oliver for all his organization and help. CMO are an amazing organization and we at CS are proud to be part of it. Art and Chris thank you so much for making our job easy, hopefully we will see you guy s again back in Africa.
Chris Bryde Art Garcia IANDOLI SAFARIS Last but not least was old friend Al Iandoli and his girlfriend Sarah Ruiz. Al booked a Leopard hunt with us. This was Mr Iandoli s 2 nd trip with CS. Pieter was back from Zambia to guide Al on his quest. We started pre-baiting long before Al s arrival and had several big Tom s on bait. Al arrived and we soon had refreshed most of the baits and the hunt was on. There was also a few more animals on Al s wish list so the team started collecting, zebra, baboon, warthog, klipspringer and reedbuck. Knowing Al s sharpshooter ability with the thunder stick from his previous hunt Pieter tried to even the playing field by handing Al the trusted Tag 15. Bait was put out for bushpig and we soon was awarded with an exceptional white old male, well done AL. Luck just never seemed to shift our way while hunting leopard, Big Toms fed but never consecutively leaving the hunters with no sure bait to sit on. Females regularly fed and entertained us on the trailcams. Time eventually ran out with no big Leopard in the bag. We wanna thank Al for his patience and excepting that the challenge of hunting are not always measured by harvesting an animal. Al s Zebra Extraordinary Bushpig
We at CS want to thank all our esteemed clients and friends for yet another wonderful year filled with adventures. We trust that we made your African dreams and expectations come true. We are looking forward to have you back in the near future. We just want to thank all our staff for your hard work and dedication. CS are looking forward the the next season of 2013 with great expectations. Visit us in Dallas at the annual convention from 3-6 January booth no. 838 and 839. We will also be at the Houston Safaris Show from 11-13 January booth no.401 and 402. Please come and join us at the annual Skyhigh for st jude clay shoot at the Westside Sporting Grounds in Katy Tx on 9February 2013 at 9am. GOD BLESS PS: Pieter and Carina got married: FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!