Hunting News for August/September 2010

Clients: Ed Bredemyer and Prentiss Burt
Dates of Hunt: 31 August-9 September

Ed and Prentiss jumped on me with this hunt, at first it would have just been Ed but Prentiss decided he would like to come along just a week before the hunt was due. Talk about cutting things fine LOL.

After picking Ed and Prentiss up at OR Thambo International we headed to Dudu Lodge to drop off their luggage and take a shower, after which we went out for dinner.

It was an early start to the day as we met Pieter my brother (commercial pilot) at Wonderboom Airport. We took a quick tour around and Pieter showed Ed some of the planes that the big boys fly. They proceeded to talk in some funny language called pilot jabber LOL. There after we flew up to my place.



Prentiss and I where quite content just to follow instructions and listen to the two pilots exchanging terminology. The flight was smooth as it was still cold with no turbulence. We arrived with a soft landing and started to load all the gear on the truck with which Juan was waiting.

Once we got settled in and had a nice breakfast it was time to go sight the rifles and head out on the first days hunt.

We headed out, looking for nothing in particular but after spotting a nice Gemsbuck bull Prentiss and I where off the truck and headed in to the bush after him. We bumped in to a small herd of Impala in some thick bush and caught a few glimpses of a herd of Gemsbuck but they where one step ahead of us the whole time.

The sun was setting and we knew that this is the hour of magic. First Ed and Juan spotted a very nice Impala but he just snorted once and disappeared. The day was drawing to an end when we spotted 4 Kudu bulls grazing in the distance. I looked them over and told Prentiss to take the one furthest to the right. He was using a 7mm built for this exact situation.

It must have been a 180 yard shot with very little light and I don't think I was ever so happy to see a Kudu bull drop right in his tracks as the shot went off. Well done Prentiss what an opening day!



As we got back to camp a new tradition started “it is what I would call celebrating as the wise men did in the old days' Prentiss and Ed where both kind enough to bring a bottle of whiskey each and some really good cigars with them when they took on the flight to South Africa.

We sat around the fire and shared the days experiences with each other while sipping some good whisky and smoking cigars. What more can a guy ask for?

The following morning Prentiss and I headed out in search of Gemsbuck, we found a bull standing in the soft morning light and put a quick stalk on him. Prentiss dropped him on the spot another well placed shot! This is two in a row.



After getting back to the skinning shed a call came in over the radio, it was Ed and Juan. They were on the way back with a beautiful Tessebe bull. Ed made a very well placed frontal shot on the old warn down bull. Great shooting Ed! What a opening animal to your hunt.



We spent the remainder of the day just having a look around and came close but could just not get a shot off.

The following morning Ed and Juan headed out early even before sun rise, they were in search of Impala while Prentiss and I would go off to look for a Sable bull that Prentiss wanted badly. We were still in camp when a shot went off, it was not long before I got a call on the radio, Juan just said they shot an Impala. When I asked how big it was the reply was "well it is something you will have to see for yourself".

We had time on our side and where heading in the same direction that Ed and Juan were, so I could not resist going to take a look at this impala.



As the story goes they where feeding in an open grass plain and the herd consisted of males only and Juan picked out the best one, Ed took a quick shot and the impala ran 40 yards before going down. Ed that was a very well placed shot right on the shoulder, congratulations on taking the best looking impala for the season!

Prentiss and I went to look at a Sable shortly after congratulating Ed on his massive impala male. We where very fortunate that morning and saw a great deal of game including some very nice Sable bulls but unfortunately not the bull we were looking for.

After a good lunch we headed back out in search of that Sable bull, we soon got off the truck and started walking again. It was not long till we spotted a big bull he was old and looked to be at least a 40 incher.

We had one problem, the wind was terrible, blowing straight toward the bull and I just knew that we had to get around him to be able to get a good shot. It was too late, and the bull already smelled us and moved off. Now we had to track him up again.
The bull gave us the run around for another two hours staying one step ahead of us for most of the time.

Finally we got a shot at him the sticks came up and Prentiss put down his 7mm. It was a perfect shot right trough the neck, that magnificent Sable bull dropped right there. Prentiss really showed some remarkable skill under pressure. Congratulations on a beautiful and well deserved Sable bull Prentiss!



That night celebrations were surely in order with Prentiss sharing his sable experience with everyone in camp.

We got out early the next morning in search of a blue wildebeest bull. There is an open area where some bulls have been spotted early mornings so we headed straight there and sure enough there they were.

The herd started to cross in to some thick stuff when a big bull at the back of the herd stopped and tried to make out what we were. I told Prentiss to shoot and down went the bull this was the forth animal he dropped in a row and it was surely great to see a client shooting so well.



Prentiss went on to take a very nice impala male he shot in the head. Not the recommended shot if you want a trophy made out of it but luckily Prentiss used good bullets and there was no damage to the impala except for its brain.



Ed and Juan were to be the ones who will end the hunt on a very exciting note, Ed was looking for a zebra and they sure found one. Prentiss and I were in the area when we just herd one loud bang. You could tell by the sound that the bullet hit and it hit hard, we walked out and down to the block from where we heard the shot. It was suddenly followed by another shot and then another. We thought that they were busy hunting a buffalo but as we got to Ed there was a beautiful stallion, they did not need to shoot him after the first shot. It was placed perfectly behind the shoulder but as African game is one can never be sure so it served as a very exciting hunt and involved some running around.



Well done Ed and congratulations on your Zebra!

I would like to thank both Prentiss and Ed for a wonderful hunt and a truly exciting time spent out in the bush a joke was always just around the corner you guys are real gentlemen.

Best Regards
Louis van Bergen




Hunting News for August 2010

I would like to first and foremost welcome you to the Spiral Horn Safaris website and thank you for taking the time out to read our August news letter.

Client: Lynn and Chris Rogers
Date: 22-31 August 2010

Lynn and Chris where to be the first female hunters that we would have for the season. Usually most ladies will accompany their husbands on hunts, some hunt with their men, but this was a whole different matter. Two ladies that are not only coming over to Africa without their men, but two ladies that take their hunting very seriously.

After meeting both Lynn and Chris at the airport and spending the night at the guest house, we got up nice and early the next morning to head up to Buffelsvlei.

Lynn and Chris wanted to do some shopping on the way up so we stopped at Bela Bela for some curio shopping. As in most cases when shopping is involved I found myself manning the truck and sending emails to kill some time LOL.

Both ladies went all out and supported the locals to the point where we actually had to leave or the whole market would have been on the back of the truck. They did not skip one local store, literally buying something at each of the little stalls.



After the long drive up it was time to get settled in and show the ladies their room and get them to unpack and relax for a bit.

We established early on that Lynn would be hunting with me and Chris with Juan so it was just a case of getting the rifles checked and then showing the ladies the wonders of Africa.

I knew that Lynn's priority was Kudu and our main focus was on getting her a nice bull. We headed out early the following morning in search of the grey ghost.

We went to an area where I have been seeing some nice bulls and sure enough I saw some horns glistening in the early morning sun.

The bulls where grazing in an open area with some acacia trees, they where clearly not aware of us and the wind was very much in our favor, we moved around some bushes to get a better angle and we could see one really nice wide old bull.

I told Lynn to put it right on the shoulder and sure enough the bull took a few steps and down he went.
Well done Lynn!



In the meantime Juan and Chris were busy with a task of their own.

Chris shot this nice warthog. It was her first African animal. He was a tough old guy and gave them a good
run around before they got him.

Congratulations Chris!



The next one on the list for Lynn was to be a Gemsbuck. As most people who hunt know the later it gets the better the hunting gets but the risk of a poor shot is always there and with hyenas around that is the last thing one needs but Lynn took this very nice cow at last light; the shot was nothing short of perfect. We only got back to camp at 8pm and celebrations where surely in the order.



We spent the rest of the night around the fire and introduced Lynn and Chris to the sounds of the African bush.

The following morning it was an early start. We got out in to the bush before sunrise. The plan was to get a Blue Wildebeest but as things are in Africa you just never know what you are going to walk into. Lynn took this very nice impala male on a frontal shot.



Chris was feeling a bit sick in the middle of our hunt but being a real trooper and not wanting to let her time in Africa go to waste, she got back out there.

Chris and Juan then tried for the elusive Zebra but had a couple of failed attempts, during the search they stumbled upon four blue wildebeest bulls and we decided to go for one of them. They were very wary and knew something was going on.

They were standing behind a big bush and Juan knew they only had one chance at them. They got into position when the one bull stepped out and Chris displayed some precision shooting. The bull ran a few yards and then fell over. It was a good shot on a nice bull.



During the hunt there was also a very special event, Lynn's birthday, so we took a day off and went to a near by koppie that looks right in to Botswana and spent the day there celebrating this very special birthday with Lynn.

   

The following day it would become clear to me that Zebra was high on the priority list, after a few stalks and coming up empty handed, luck smiled on us again.

We were stalking in the middle of the day and stubbed up on a herd of blue wildebeest resting in the shade of some acacia trees.

There must have been around 30 in the herd and there was a tense silence in the air. Since we knew one broken twig and it's over, we crawled up to the herd but could not see a shootable bull. We had to angle around once again and finally we spotted an old bull. He was worn down and had some battle scars, a clear sign that the bull was mature. Lynn took up the Weatherby and placed the bullet perfectly right on the shoulder well done Lynn.



Chris enjoyed the Warthogs and took this nice boar when he presented himself. He was standing in a dried up natural water hole as Chris and Juan snuck up towards him they got up close and Chris once again made a perfect shot and dropped the boar in his tracks.

Lynn and I were fortunate enough to watch the entire stalk take place. It was really fun.

Well done Chris on your second warthog with a perfect shot.



Chris and Juan were working really hard on getting an Impala male. They proved to be elusive and did not allow much time. A shot had to be taken quickly since there is sometimes more than 50 eyes looking at you.

We took some time out and just drove around to see what we could bump into since Lynn and Chris wanted to spend a bit more time hunting together, being good friends and not seeing each other on a regular basis.

As luck would have it we bumped in to a herd of Zebra at last light. We quickly got of the truck and pursued the herd that was working its way further in to the bush.

I put Lynn on the sticks and pointed a Zebra out for her to take. After the shot went off I asked Lynn how it felt and the replay was not confident. We found some blood but not enough to be sure that the zebra was down. We had to make a call: either follow the zebra up in the dark and maybe spook it, or leave it overnight to go down and follow it up in the morning with the dogs.



Once again I was humbled at how tough Africa's stripped donkey's are and unfortunately the cards fell wrong for us this time.

We all got out early the next morning to look for the wounded zebra. The dogs were on the trail with Juan and Gustav, and Lynn and I waited on the other side of the block to see if the Zebra crossed out of the woods. It was not long before we got the radio call that they found the zebra.

We were all very relieved and pleased that the animal did not go that far before it went down and died. It is never any hunter's intention to wound an animal, but that is hunting. Show me a person who has not wounded an animal and I will show you someone who has not hunted enough.



After some really hard work it was Chris's time to shine, she and Juan went out that afternoon and stumbled upon a big herd of Impala Juan knew there had to be a nice male in a herd of 60+ and patiently waited for him to present himself.

Chris made good shot on the male and shortly after hearing the bang we were called in to come and help them get the ram out of some thick brush.



Well done to both Chris and Juan. It just goes to show that there is no substitute for hard work!

Today was to be the last of the hunting days and we headed back to camp with high spirits. Lynn and Chris had somewhat of a feminine evening planned. It was to be called "pink night" and defiantly a first for us LOL.

Luckily Frikkie (my taxidermist) was on his way up to my place to ensure that the guy's were not outnumbered. The night turned out to be a ball and a great time was had by all.

We spent the following day showing the ladies around and just relaxing, followed by and afternoon bird hunt.

Thank you Lynn and Chris for a wonderful time, I learnt a lot out of this hunt and it was truly a pleasure having you ladies in camp.

You did very well and have got every reason to be proud of the animals you took!

Yours sincerely

Louis van Bergen.




Hunting News July 2010

I would like to first and foremost welcome you to the Spiral Horn Safaris web site and thank you for taking the time to read our April-May news letter.

Client: Chris Mundy
Dates of Hunt: 23 July-31 July

As most of you know the Wold Cup Soccer was on during June/ July this year it hampered the hunting because of the cost of flying to South Africa a lot of people preferred to come over later in the season.

Chris decided to come over in late July since it is most probably one of the best times of year to be in South Africa climate wise and obviously the hunting is very good during June/July.

We flew out to Buffelsvlei the very morning that Chris arrived; after landing and getting settled in we went to the range just to check the rifles. Chris brought along a 375 H&H as well as a 458 for this hunt.

We went out the afternoon to look at some game and to let Chris familiarize himself with my property. We quickly bumped in to some impala and zebra and shortly afterwards giraffe.

The following morning we went out on a walk the plan was to get Chris on to a nice impala male but the wonderful thing about Africa is that you never know what you're going to bump in to.

I heard something snort and sure enough there it was again, it was a lone blue wildebeest bull standing under some trees, he was directly down wind from us and surely smelled us but could not make out what we where, the shooting sticks came out and I told Chris to shoot him right in the chest. The shot went off with a loud thunk noise echoing back to us and the bull sprinted forward head down and front legs wide open.

After following the blood trail for about 60 yards we found the bull, good shooting Chris a 375 right in the chest, there are few animals that will make it far with that kind of a shot!


That afternoon we went out looking for the grey ghost, we saw some nice bulls but it was still early days and we decided to be patient and see if we can't get a very nice bull.

Chris took this very nice impala the following morning it was a perfect stalk and we had all the time in the world and Chris dropped him right on the spot.


After the impala we went out again looking for kudu, we saw a bull standing underneath an acacia tree he was clearly unaware of our presence so we worked our way trough the bush to get an open shot.

We could only see his neck and I told Chris to shoot him right in the middle of his neck.

Sure enough that is exactly what he did the bull went down without even giving another stride well done Chris this was a tough shot but you sure did a good job.


We took the bull back to the skinning shed after taking some nice photo's and decided to just relax for the rest of the day and share some of our tales with the rest of the guy's in camp.

The following day was to be Giraffe day and we had to get out early to make sure that we have enough time to get the giraffe and skin it before dark.

Chris brought along his 458 for the giraffe I told him about giraffe hunting and about how tough they are funny most people think of them as calm and slow moving gentle creatures now that might be true in a sense but ask any person who has hunted one they are anything but slow and gentle. Giraffe are some of the toughest animals in Africa and I would have to say that when a giraffe hunt goes wrong it can go terribly wrong.

After driving around we spotted the bull that we were after, we then got out of the truck and tried to put a stalk on him but unfortunately there was just no way to get a good shot in we tried angling around him but the big bull was too smart and shortly after spotting us he moved off. Now we have to follow his tracks and get up to him again, finally we spotted the bull feeding on a Matopi tree and then hiding behind bushes we sneaked in closer to get an opportunity.

We got around one of the dense bushes and then the bull saw us. He stopped feeding and faced us, Chris took up the 458. I told him to take the bull in the chest right between the two breast bones. After the shot went off Chris followed it up with another back up shot, we tracked the bull for some time and then got him again it was clear that this old guy did not want to go down without a fight, I told Chris to keep putting lead in to him. After another two shots the bull went down. It was a lot of running and truly an exciting hunt.



hands dirty as well. This is one part of Giraffe hunting that every client should experience. It's only when you start cutting into that skin that you realize the magnitude of this graceful animal.

I can truly say that Chris took a great interest in the animal and the skinning process and that is very important for me on a personal lever. Thank you Chris for sharing that experience with us!

After we finished skinning the Giraffe (2 hours 15min), we headed back to camp to have a very welcome break and to get the meat in to the cooler.

We took the rest of the day off and spent the night discussing the hunt in great detail around the camp fire.

Chris took this gemsbuck bull the next morning and it was to be the last animal he would take on this trip. It was a perfect shot! The bull dropped right there.


With time to spare, we showed Chris around, exploring the area. He even got a lift from one of the locals!

Chris, thank you for showing me that what I would regard as a common rock has a story to it and that if you know where to look you will always find something interesting.

I hope that we will have many hunts together in the years to come!

Thank you so much for your loyalty and support to Spiral Horn Safaris, it is much appreciated.

Best Regards
Louis van Bergen




Hunting News for April-May 2010 I would like to first and foremost welcome you to the Spiral Horn Safaris web site and thank you for taking the time to read our April-May news letter.

Client: Thomas Beaham
Dates of Hunt: 25 April- 5 May 2010

The first hunt of the season would be with client Thomas Beaham or as his friends refer to him Ty.

We were fortunate enough to get a lot of rain late in the season and it made for tough hunting conditions but Ty took it in his stride.

Ty opted to fly in with our private plane witch saved a lot of travelling time and also ensured that we arrived at camp relaxed and well rested.


We headed out to the target range soon after arriving in camp and then we were off on our first day of hunting!

Ty took this very nice impala ram after quite a few stalks and some very wet clothes:


It would soon become clear to me that this hunt will be different to any hunt I have done in the past. The conditions were not exactly what one would expect as typical South African weather.

Ty and myself spent a lot of time tracking trough mud that stuck to the soles of your shoes making it feel like you are carrying another person along with you .The striped donkey's of Africa captured Ty's interest early on in the hunt but kept on eluding us and proved that they are everything but donkey's.

Later that very afternoon we stumbled up on a herd of Eland feeding in the open field, we got off the truck and started stalking. We had Giraffe to the right of us that might spook the Eland so it was slow going but we finally got in to a position where a shot can be taken. Ty waited for the bull to turn broad side and sure enough hit him right on the shoulder. The bull leaped up onto its hind legs like a stallion, it was truly an impressive sight. The bull ran straight towards us not knowing where the shot came from. I told Ty to put another one in him and sure enough it was followed by a loud bang and thump, the majestic bull went down. Ty ended this day of hunting with a big congratulations and high spirits.


The following morning we woke to find the land covered in mist, it was truly a new experience and something that very few people have seen in the South African bushveld. We got on the truck and headed out, it was not long when I spotted the silhouette of a blue wildebeest grazing in the distance. We got off the truck and started stalking. The bull kept moving off the road and then back into it. We knew that he was busy feeding on the side of the road so all we had to do is get in close and determine whether he is a shoot able bull. The mist made things particularly tough since you could just see his outline for a long period of time. He moved off the road again and we sat tight to wait for the silhouette to reappear, sure enough he did. I took a quick look and then told Ty to put it right on the shoulder, when the shot hit the bull turned around and ran off in to some really thick stuff, we where dazed.

We called the truck in and gave the bull time to go down and die, after about a 15 minute wait we got on his blood spoor and started tracking in very thick bush. He was bleeding a lot and for many hunters it's always a good sign, suddenly we could hear heavy breathing Ty moved in front of me and I told him that the bull is straight ahead of us. As we got around the next bush the bull staggered on to its feet and appeared like a ghost out of the tall grass. Shoot! Shoot! Followed by a loud roar from the Weatherby the bull went down about 10 yards from us.

Blue Wildebeest is known as the poor mans buffalo and I can truly say that it lived up to its reputation!

Well done Ty that was one of the most exciting hunts of the year.


During the hunt we saw numerous other species and Ty was a man on a mission. He was still to get his giraffe bull and zebra.

Giraffe are tough animals with big bones and an extremely thick hide. This leads to them not bleeding unless you hit heart or lungs.

After some careful planning and going over shot placement photos it was time to go after the tallest of them all. We got onto one of the old giraffe bulls that I wanted to hunt for the year. The bull was facing us presenting a perfect frontal shot. I put the shooting sticks down and told Ty to put one right in his chest, having full confidence in his shooting abilities. Ty took his time and hit the bull right where he had to in typical giraffe fashion the bull just rocked on to his hind legs, turned and ran off disappearing in to the thick bush.

We got his track and soon found blood and a lot of it. What a relief! Luckily the fact that they leave tracks the size of dinner plates makes it easy to track. After following the blood spoor for about 400 yards we found Ty's bull. Now the real work of giraffe hunting starts.


After numerous stalks and failed attempts I was beginning to think that I might be the bad luck that was contributing to Ty not getting his Zebra. So I decided to let Juan and Ty have a go at hunting these elusive striped donkeys of Africa.

It was early morning and Juan had a plan. Something that a wise man once told me no man should be without. There was a particular area where a herd of Zebra have been congregating over the last few days. The plan was simple Ty and Juan would be dropped off at the 1st watering hole and from there work, their way up in the block where the herd has been spotted early mornings and late afternoons, for a change I was left manning the truck.

About an hour later I heard a shot. It sounded like a hit, but one can never be 100% sure with all the brush in the way. Juan radioed me and asked whether it sounded like a hit, my reply was a simple yes. They got onto the stallion's track and found blood. It was not long before they got him again and put in an insurance shot to take the old guy down. Finally Ty got his Zebra and a beautiful old stallion it was. Well done to both Ty and Juan!


We even had enough time to go out and do a bit of bird hunting where Ty took some Crested Francolin and Swanson's Francolin.


I would like to thank Ty for a great hunting experience it was truly a pleasure to have you in camp, all the talks around the bush TV (the fire) whilst having some Zulu Coke (locally produced beer, Black Label) made for some awesome memories. Your support and loyalty to Spiral Horn Safaris is greatly appreciated!

Written by:
Louis van Bergen
(Owner of Spiral Horn Safaris)