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I have final had a chance to wire up a little report about my hunt experience from the first of the month with Steve Robinson and Kuduland Safaris.

First off I now know of the attraction to Africa first hand, I have dreamed of hunting DG in Africa for as long as I can remember and though few things in life in reality meet up to the expectation this trip delivered more then expected.

To start off my excursion I had a four day wing shoot in Free State SA with one of kudulands other PHs Jason Van Ared . Jason was a excellent PH and I now consider him a good friend as well. The lodge was much nicer event then expected and Michelle Jason’s lovely wife put out a five star spread every evening beyond belief. The bird shooting was great I have never shot over so many species in one day as that and the landscape was truly breath taking. I am a avid bird shooter here in GA for our local quail and pheasant but I must say Guinea fowl may be the most exciting bird hunting I have done to date. I had the opportunity to meet and shoot with another AR member in the driven Guinea hunts .500NITRO and his son Colin both were a pleaser to hunt and dine with.

While in SA we took Guinea fowl though most allude my shotgun the group had daily totals in the 35 bird range, Franklin, Spur wing geese, yellow bill duck, Quail, Dove and gray wing. The shooting was faster then you could reload at times and hunting with both pointers and beaters gave a good overall feel of different types of African bird hunting.

I was then off to joberg for the trip to Dar were I would over night and fly into the Selous from. Let me take a moment to say Steve and his wife Susan had this trip planned down to the last detail, I was never uncertain about the travel or accommodations my firearms paper work was handled and waiting on my arrival this was so obvious as I saw others wandering without a clue, waiting in long lines, Uncertain of who was meeting them or were, or simply nervous as to what next, I noticed and truly appreciated the logistics put into my trip to make it seamless.

Upon arrival in the Selous and a funny situation with some Impala on the runway AKA a dirt strip hacked in the bush I felt like a kid who had returned home though I have never been there. The true vastness of the area along with the game sights, sounds and just the feel of a truly wild area sends chills up your spine.

We got straight into it on the day of our arrival sighting my rifles in were we found my scope on the Dakota 7mag to be way off and the foresight on my custom Lott to be bent. I was of course a bit rattled feeling I let everyone down not being able to hit much of anything at 25yards but some quick work by Steve had the Lott grouping in no time and we decide to go after some buff soon after that the trackers had seen on the 1.5 hour drive to the airstrip and leave the scope issues for latter.

We quickly got onto the buff and within a few hours of being in the Selous I found myself leopard crawling across a open patch getting in close for a look see. Steve brought us up close then we left the trackers and the sticks for a close creep for a free hand shot , one of my requirements to Steve was the buff hunting be up close that was the trophy I wanted a 50yard or under bull of good size. He did not disappoint as we crept within 20yards of the close buff and about 40yards form a good size heard. We glassed for sometime and I must say I have never seen one in person till then the pictures don’t do them justice that is one big animal. With the wind to our advantage we had time and though there were some bulls none we deemed what I wanted so we backed off.

That night at the camp Steve sorted out the scope and the next morning we headed way out to another location, that afternoon in four shots Steve had the rifle shooting straight and in six we were ready to go. That afternoon after taking a meat animal we found a nice heartbeast and a fairly long shot confirmed the rifle was dead on.

The next two days provide some of the most incredible stalks I could imagine. A lot of walking paid off on one stalk were the buff brought us right into a heard of two family groups of Elephant. Steve is glassing the buff with one eye and watching the elephants all around us with the other. In the end one group got behind us and winded running off while the other to our front had a young bull that wanted to show who was boss, after a exciting stand off he though better of it and we backed out for some way. It’s a bit exciting when your PH tells you don’t fire until I tell you. I tell you I truly cannot wait to hunt elephant and next year may be the time.

The next morning we took a very good warthog they had been trying to out smart for some time and the next day took what I think was a outstanding Impala, very old with very heavy thick horns. Form there after quite some time and many stalks on buff were we would either not find bulls or not the one I was looking for we decide to take some time and look for a wildebeest. I took a very nice one that would go into the SCI book if I were so inclined. This same day we came around a corner on the road and almost had a read end collision with a elephant bull in the road, some quick thinking by our driver backed us off in time I still can see that big tail hanging right in front of the truck LOL. On the next day we had a black mamba strike at the truck a very quick trackers reactions saved a bad situation there.

In the mean time I had the time of my life looking and learning about the trees, birds, plant life etc… Steve made a excellent tour guide answering questions I am sure he has been asked a million times with the excited enthusiasm as if were the first, he truly loves hunting and Africa and he made it a pleasure. I cannot imagine being able to be around that environment all season I enjoyed the quite rides back to camp in the dark after hunting till last light as much as the rides out in the morning in the twilight watching the rising sun come up over the bush that doesn’t seam to notice or event care that you are there.
On another note I heard all the rumors how the testes would carry me off in the Selous this time of year I had a total of two bites the whole 10 days I was there and one mosquito bite. The insects were not to be found save the one night after a rain that the flying ants came out in force for a few hours.

On the last day I though we were going to pull off one of those last stalk glory stories. After hunting hard and seeing buff many times every day and getting within shooting rage on many I simply passed on we were onto a new heard and the tracks looked good. I spotted them on a hill and the stalk began the wind was all over the place and it was getting late so we opted to give it a go. They pushed off once not from us but some unknown reason so we stalked back up close and as they stared to walk off the sticks came up we had a good bull estimated at 38” or more with huge hard boss I put the bead on the shoulder safety off but with a cow behind him almost touching his body and another in front with one coming up behind and closing and all of them slowly walking I didn’t feel good about the shot and passed. I feel bad for Steve as I broke his record of never having come to the Selous without a buff being taken and though we could have taken many I simply wanted my buff in a certain way open sights up close and of decent size and that never presented itself. For me it is not a issue, I had the trip of my life and though I came prepared to take the two buff I would rather have the experience of hunting and the incredible stalks under my belt and come back next year then compromise how I wanted it.

The entire trip the level of service provide by Kuduland was excellent Steve, Susan and Jason all were excellent companions and the utmost of professional and ethical operators. I cannot recommend them highly enough the level of service the quality and detail of operation and the shear enjoyment in there work along with the recognition that for the money spent you should receive a product with no compromise was refreshing and much appreciated.

I will hunt with kuduland next year we have but to decide the time and length of the hunt and I can assure you it will be hard to wait that long. I look forward to hunting with the friends I have made there and it will not be much longer until I am sharing a conversation in the back of a hunting truck with Steve not knowing what lies around the next turn and dreaming of getting up close to a big buff or elephant for that perfect shot.

James F. Nixon III

P.S this will be updated with pics soon I have to scan them in and upload them.

Edited by NONE (20/10/04 11:18 AM)