If you haven't read part 1, go find it first. A few days at Mashatu had us all fired up to start hunting. A couple of plane rides and a short truck ride had us at the Manketti Game Reserve where we'd be hunting with Quagga Safaris. This was my first safari so to be perfectly honest, I didn't know what to expect with any of it. I'd been told good things and met the PH's I'd be hunting with at the Dallas Safari Club Convention but it's still a new experience in a new country on a new continent. It ended up surpassing all my expectations. The facilities, food and lodging were great, the people incredible, the hunting was tough and the animals were huge.
Chalet #4 would be my home for the week. I didn't spend much time there but I slept good when I did.
I did spend a lot of time around this fire pit. That was one of the best parts of the day, debriefing after a day of hunting and hearing about everyone else and their exploits from the day. It was winter down there in Africa so the fire felt good and beat back the chill of the evening.
Speaking of that chill, the pool was cold, it looked nice though.
Our first afternoon there consisted of making sure our rifles were on and a short drive around the lodge before dark just to see the country. The brush there is incredibly thick and it seems like every bit of it has a thorn or spike of some kind. You don't walk very far without something trying to grab you. I had questions on how we'd ever get anything killed.
My fears were put to rest over the next 9 days. We ended up knocking down some animals. I took a 300 win mag and it proved to work just fine. I had a 4x14 power scope and I don't think it ever left the 4 power setting. The thick brush just didn't present many opportunities for long shots. Our hunting tactics mainly consisted of walking into water holes, open feeding areas in the brush or natural salt licks. If we saw something cross the road, we'd jump out and go after it if the PH thought we had a chance. We walked a ton in the sandy soil and I was glad I took my good walking shoes.
My chariot for the hunt.
My first animal in the salt was a big gemsbok bull that we caught in the shade during the heat of the day. One shot and he was down. There was a small moment of panic when the PH looked at me and said 'you missed" after I pulled the trigger. He was lying and the tracker couldn't hold his laughter after i started cussing ... I caught on pretty quick. He didn't go far.
His horns ended up measuring 38 inches long, gonna need some space on the wall for that.
The property we were hunting is huge so it's not convenient to drive all the way back to the lodge every time you pull the trigger. A quick call to the meat wagon would have them headed our way. The skinning crew would usually be there by the time we got done taking pictures and celebrating and we'd be on our way.
We'd eat lunch out in the field most days. I never knew what to expect in my lunch box but it was always good. Menu options ranged from chicken mayo sandwiches to gemsbok sausage dogs. These guys also use MSG as a condiment alongside salt and pepper. I'm sure there's a reason our food manufacturers go out of their way to describe things as MSG free ... but I found it to be delicious and brought a bunch home.
I swore when I went that I wouldn't shoot any of the "Tiny Ten." It took me about 3 days to change my mind. We found a steenbok ram near a salt lick and the PH kept going on and on about how big he was. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around an animal that doesn't weigh 30 lbs or stand 2 feet tall being huge ... but he convinced me that I'd never find one bigger.
Here's a picture of him with me in it for comparison's sake. He's a giant.
Kudu and sable were my top 2 desires when I started this safari. I got the chance to fulfill one of them on the 5th day of the hunt. We walked into a waterhole around 10 am just hoping to catch something there taking a drink. We passed on a small warthog on the way in and got there to see 2 kudu cows drinking, undisturbed, The PH wanted to wait a bit and see if a bull came along ... and it took about 10 minutes before he looked like a genius. A big bull came walking out of the brush and started tending to his cows. I waited for him to clear some brush, pulled the trigger and then gave him one more as he was staggering around. Big kudu bull down.
Those spiral horns are something to see. 53 inch horns on a old bull make for one heck of a trophy. That was a good day.
Kudu and sable were high on my list, waterbuck wasn't. Nothing against the waterbuck, I just hadn't given them a ton of thought when I went over. That changed the minute I saw one. They're huge animals and have a cool look to them. I saw my first big bull after sneaking into a waterhole late one evening.
One shot later, we had a big waterbuck down. The only problem was we were a long way from any kind of road and we were going to have to carry it out. We were tired afterwards but it was worth it. Once again, the skinners and trackers were lifesavers.
Kudu had been knocked off the list and now the biggest desire was a sable. I'd decided that I'd shoot the first sable I saw, I wasn't picky and the hunting was tough. I just wanted a good representation of the species. I got more than I bargained for. For anyone planning on going on a safari, be warned that your PH won't be happy if you try and take a picture of a sable of this magnitude before you grab your gun. See if you can spot the sable.
I did snap a quick pic, then shot a giant sable. The PH said I'd never shoot one bigger and I believe him.
Trip made, expectations met and dream achieved. Excited doesn't begin to describe it.
The last animal I sent to the skinning shed was a big wildebeest bull. A little backstory ,,, I'd walked approximately 1,000 miles chasing these things and it usually resulted in seeing a sight like this.
Opportunity presents itself in unlikely places. In this case it was going to look for a track on a road while a buddy was chasing after a different animal. We saw a wildebeest cross the road and the PH said "I think we can make a play on that one." 300 yards later, we did.
To be honest ... I couldn't see the thing. The PH said he's standing behind this tree and wanted me to shoot at a spot between the forks of a branch. He hadn't let me down the whole trip so I did. A wildebeest bull fires out of the brush after I pulled the trigger and we chase after. He runs about 30 yards, then starts walking, bad move on his part. One more shot and he was done. He was dead on his feet after the first one but they're quick to give a follow up if necessary. We bushwhacked a road into him and away we went.
I wasn't the only one who had success. My buddies were hunting the same time I was and I got to see plenty of action with them as well. Nyala, eland, cape buffalo, zebra and several other species were hunted. We kept the skinning shack busy.
There's a lot of work that goes into making an operation like that work. The PH's are incredible. I'd best describe them as a hunting guide, safety guy, photographer, bartender and tour guide all rolled into one. They can make or break the trip. They also wear shorts the whole time, regardless of the weather.
The trackers are something to behold as well. If I hadn't witnessed their work so many times, I'd say they were lying when we took off after a single track. I don't know how they see the things they see ... but they're good. We left some Aggie gear with ours as something to remember us by.
This has gone on long enough I guess. Long story short .... incredible place, incredible experience, trip of a lifetime. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Chalet #4 would be my home for the week. I didn't spend much time there but I slept good when I did.
I did spend a lot of time around this fire pit. That was one of the best parts of the day, debriefing after a day of hunting and hearing about everyone else and their exploits from the day. It was winter down there in Africa so the fire felt good and beat back the chill of the evening.
Speaking of that chill, the pool was cold, it looked nice though.
Our first afternoon there consisted of making sure our rifles were on and a short drive around the lodge before dark just to see the country. The brush there is incredibly thick and it seems like every bit of it has a thorn or spike of some kind. You don't walk very far without something trying to grab you. I had questions on how we'd ever get anything killed.
My fears were put to rest over the next 9 days. We ended up knocking down some animals. I took a 300 win mag and it proved to work just fine. I had a 4x14 power scope and I don't think it ever left the 4 power setting. The thick brush just didn't present many opportunities for long shots. Our hunting tactics mainly consisted of walking into water holes, open feeding areas in the brush or natural salt licks. If we saw something cross the road, we'd jump out and go after it if the PH thought we had a chance. We walked a ton in the sandy soil and I was glad I took my good walking shoes.
My chariot for the hunt.
My first animal in the salt was a big gemsbok bull that we caught in the shade during the heat of the day. One shot and he was down. There was a small moment of panic when the PH looked at me and said 'you missed" after I pulled the trigger. He was lying and the tracker couldn't hold his laughter after i started cussing ... I caught on pretty quick. He didn't go far.
His horns ended up measuring 38 inches long, gonna need some space on the wall for that.
The property we were hunting is huge so it's not convenient to drive all the way back to the lodge every time you pull the trigger. A quick call to the meat wagon would have them headed our way. The skinning crew would usually be there by the time we got done taking pictures and celebrating and we'd be on our way.
We'd eat lunch out in the field most days. I never knew what to expect in my lunch box but it was always good. Menu options ranged from chicken mayo sandwiches to gemsbok sausage dogs. These guys also use MSG as a condiment alongside salt and pepper. I'm sure there's a reason our food manufacturers go out of their way to describe things as MSG free ... but I found it to be delicious and brought a bunch home.
I swore when I went that I wouldn't shoot any of the "Tiny Ten." It took me about 3 days to change my mind. We found a steenbok ram near a salt lick and the PH kept going on and on about how big he was. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around an animal that doesn't weigh 30 lbs or stand 2 feet tall being huge ... but he convinced me that I'd never find one bigger.
Here's a picture of him with me in it for comparison's sake. He's a giant.
Kudu and sable were my top 2 desires when I started this safari. I got the chance to fulfill one of them on the 5th day of the hunt. We walked into a waterhole around 10 am just hoping to catch something there taking a drink. We passed on a small warthog on the way in and got there to see 2 kudu cows drinking, undisturbed, The PH wanted to wait a bit and see if a bull came along ... and it took about 10 minutes before he looked like a genius. A big bull came walking out of the brush and started tending to his cows. I waited for him to clear some brush, pulled the trigger and then gave him one more as he was staggering around. Big kudu bull down.
Those spiral horns are something to see. 53 inch horns on a old bull make for one heck of a trophy. That was a good day.
Kudu and sable were high on my list, waterbuck wasn't. Nothing against the waterbuck, I just hadn't given them a ton of thought when I went over. That changed the minute I saw one. They're huge animals and have a cool look to them. I saw my first big bull after sneaking into a waterhole late one evening.
One shot later, we had a big waterbuck down. The only problem was we were a long way from any kind of road and we were going to have to carry it out. We were tired afterwards but it was worth it. Once again, the skinners and trackers were lifesavers.
Kudu had been knocked off the list and now the biggest desire was a sable. I'd decided that I'd shoot the first sable I saw, I wasn't picky and the hunting was tough. I just wanted a good representation of the species. I got more than I bargained for. For anyone planning on going on a safari, be warned that your PH won't be happy if you try and take a picture of a sable of this magnitude before you grab your gun. See if you can spot the sable.
I did snap a quick pic, then shot a giant sable. The PH said I'd never shoot one bigger and I believe him.
Trip made, expectations met and dream achieved. Excited doesn't begin to describe it.
The last animal I sent to the skinning shed was a big wildebeest bull. A little backstory ,,, I'd walked approximately 1,000 miles chasing these things and it usually resulted in seeing a sight like this.
Opportunity presents itself in unlikely places. In this case it was going to look for a track on a road while a buddy was chasing after a different animal. We saw a wildebeest cross the road and the PH said "I think we can make a play on that one." 300 yards later, we did.
To be honest ... I couldn't see the thing. The PH said he's standing behind this tree and wanted me to shoot at a spot between the forks of a branch. He hadn't let me down the whole trip so I did. A wildebeest bull fires out of the brush after I pulled the trigger and we chase after. He runs about 30 yards, then starts walking, bad move on his part. One more shot and he was done. He was dead on his feet after the first one but they're quick to give a follow up if necessary. We bushwhacked a road into him and away we went.
I wasn't the only one who had success. My buddies were hunting the same time I was and I got to see plenty of action with them as well. Nyala, eland, cape buffalo, zebra and several other species were hunted. We kept the skinning shack busy.
There's a lot of work that goes into making an operation like that work. The PH's are incredible. I'd best describe them as a hunting guide, safety guy, photographer, bartender and tour guide all rolled into one. They can make or break the trip. They also wear shorts the whole time, regardless of the weather.
The trackers are something to behold as well. If I hadn't witnessed their work so many times, I'd say they were lying when we took off after a single track. I don't know how they see the things they see ... but they're good. We left some Aggie gear with ours as something to remember us by.
This has gone on long enough I guess. Long story short .... incredible place, incredible experience, trip of a lifetime. I'd recommend it to anyone.
