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Location: Blaauwkrantz Ranch, Eastern Cape north of Port Elizabeth, South Africa PH: Philip Dixie Tracker: Neville Dates: July 3 to 9, 2012 Rifles: Dad used his Remington Sendero 7mm STW and hand-loaded Barnes TXSs; Nick (my brother) and I used my Ruger No.1 .300H&H and hand-loaded Woodleigh PPSNs. Animals killed: Four kudu, three impala, two warthog, one zebra, one blesbok. Comments: I apologise for the brevity of this report; I would like to attempt writing a magazine article of this hunt. This was our first-ever guided hunt, and for my brother and I, our first trip overseas. Flying with SAA was a positive experience with good meals, entertainment and service. Our firearms and ammunition were taken care of and all went smoothly. We found officials in both Australia and South Africa to be very helpful. Being collected by a representative from Afton House with our permits already completed made it much less stressful than it would’ve been. Afton House provided wonderful, friendly hospitality with terrific food and lodging. The Rudman / Dixie family of Blaauwkrantz made us feel like part of their family, extending a warm welcome and beautiful hospitality. It was a pleasure to spend time with them. Their operation is first class. We also enjoyed spending time with the other clients there, two wonderful couples from Texas – Karl and Becky, and Doug and Debbie. The lodge, and over 80,000 acres of property, was more than big enough to handle us all. Our eyes were wide-open as we took-in the amazing sights and sounds of the African bush for the first time. The bush there is incredibly thick, and has to be seen to be believed. The whole experience was incredible, from the abundance of wild game to the camaraderie at the lodge. Our hosts took good care of us, especially with a couple of important items that we’d forgotten and when Dad came down with severe bronchitis – the medical care in South Africa is excellent and quick, and he was soon on the mend and enjoying walking and stalking in the bush again. Our guide, Philip, was patient and encouraging, and was as excited as we were when we enjoyed success. He and Neville worked extremely hard to give us the best opportunities. Also, the tracking dogs are simply amazing to work with, and saved us from lost animals on two occasions. That in itself was an amazing experience. The weather was mostly pleasant, although we did experience one rainy morning. Being from Australia’s north, I found the temperatures to be mostly quite cool, whereas my brother and Dad found the temperatures just fine. As well as plenty of kudu, warthog, blesbok and impala, we saw zebra, blue and black wildebeest, eland, nyala, bushbuck, duiker, steenbok, porcupine, dassies, vervet monkeys, lechwe, ostrich, and grysbok – there may’ve been others that have slipped my recollection at this hour. In addition, we saw many interesting, magnificent birds. I learned quite a bit about my own shooting limitations and am giving serious thought to how I can improve – my Dad and brother were good, and I was lucky. We also enjoyed a visit to the nearby cheetah farm that also had baby lions and leopards; and, we enjoyed a visit to Addo Elephant Park. The main objective of our hunt was to spend quality time having an adventure with our Dad, as well as to hunt kudu, an animal which has captured our imaginations. We achieved all this and more, and are truly grateful to our hosts for opening our eyes to Africa and fuelling the fire to return someday. I can’t wait to take my wife and little boy back to Blaauwkrantz! And, it’s only 11.5 hours flying time from Perth to Jo’burg, and 8.5 hours back with the prevailing winds! Darwin to Perth is almost four hours. Jo’burg to Port Elizabeth is only 1.5 hours or so. Thank you for reading. |
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G'day Ben, glad you made irt back in one piece. Sounds like you had a great time. Top photos too. good way to spend a holiday with family members. Keep us informed of ah article you write. Cheers Greg |
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Welcome home Ben, Great photos mate, well done. Sounds and looks like you had a brilliant time, and the No.1 300 H&H looks like it was a good choice too. Can't wait to go back eh? Me thinks you have been bitten......... Knew before you left that was pretty much inevitable Once again, well done Best ALEX |
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Thanks, fellows. Alex, I need your wisdom about some shooting difficulties I encountered. I'll give you a call at some stage. Cheers! |
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Hi Ben, congratulations on a successful safari. Looks like you have had fun. Due to the width of the photo collage I edited the text so it could be read more easily so added line breaks at the end of each line in the text box. Easy to scroll across to see the photo collage, harder to read scrolling across for each line. Some good additions to your trophy room there. These plain game hunts are fun. Good to see another addict. |
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Hey, thanks John! Yep, I am addicted! |
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So glad you had a wonderful time. There's nothing like your first, eh? Nice trophies. Those Cape Kude are very nice and heavy. Congratulations. |
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A different lay out of the pics,good pics too.You have had a great experience and to also note your own limitations is a good sign rather than hide them as many others do. You can only get better Ben. |
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Ben that is awesome, glad you had a great time. Some impressive photos, well done. Tony |
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Always good to see big grins on happy hunters. |
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Very nice tale Ben. BTW how did the .300 H&H perform at longer ranges? |
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Thanks, fellows. G'day, Rick: My longest shot was 220 metres on a kudu - that's a long way for me - and I pulled slightly, hitting high and smashing the spine. My brother hit his kudu through the shoulders at just over 150 metres, and as it turned and trotted away, he hit it at the back of the ribs, high but angling down due to shooting downhill - well, that second bullet made it all the way to the lungs, too. |
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Looks like a great time Ben, everyone fluffs a shot, my Sable was a nightmare till it came good....luckily ! best, Mike |
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Hey, thanks Mike! It's good to know that others are affected by nerves at times. |
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Ben, anyone who says they never have made a mistake is a liar. Anyone who has never wounded an animal hasn't hunted very much. Anyone who has never missed an animal, is probably a paper puncher only ... Ha ha. True. |
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Quote: To true. |
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Thanks Ben - no time like the present to have a hunt with Dad. I lament not doing this with my father & now it's too late. Now, that in mind, your Dad doesn't look much older than I am. HA! You've got time for many more hunts! I'm sure he's game. Best wishes for your family in the hunting fields! |
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Thanks, fellows. Yep, Daryl, already dreaming of the next trip to Africa, whenever that may be - hopefully not too many years. |
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Hey Ben, congratulations to you, Nick and Dad with all the success from a memorable African hunt. Your photo gallery presentation is superb. I’m sure you will easily overcome any shooting limitations. Your report and photos has reinvigorated my plans for Namibia. Thanks for sharing. |
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Hi Ben. First of all sorry I missed catching up with you while I was up there but you were in Africa so that will pass. Glad you and your family had a good time but you will be hooked. We all are just wondering when we can get back. sadly for me it will be awhile. Nice work and keep shooting. |
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Congratulations Ben and welcome back. I'm glad it all went well. Yes, it is different and it looks like you learnt a lot. The 2nd trip is always smoother.... now when will that be ..... |
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Congrats Ben nice way to present the hunt well done. You heading up to the station for Buffalo this year? |
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Sadly no, Mick. Our contact there was the manager, and he's moved interstate. |