DIARY OF MY FIRST SAFARI
(Thoughts on what to expect if you take the Africa plunge for the first time)

As my 50th birthday loomed in the future last year, my wonderful wife gave me a tough decision as to a possible "special" gift for that milestone of life. Lorrie offered me a choice between a Dall Sheep hunt or to take my first African safari. I don't have to mention this was a no lose proposition! Choosing a safari became easier when we realized that my non-hunter wife could accompany me on the hunt. Plans were made and we boarded our SAA flight in New York on 06/30/07 arriving 17 ½ hours later in Johannesburg, South Africa. The flight was made easier by the excellent reservations and ground assistance arranged by Shawn at Gacy Travel in Texas, and by a good nights sleep thanks to the magical sleeping pill called Ambien. Talk to your Doctor before you travel. A short flight from Jo-berg to Port Elizabeth finished our travel for the day.

We were met by Chris Brooster of Crusader Safaris, Melinda(his girlfriend), and Harry- his blood tracking, lovable, and very spoiled Jack Russell terrier. Unfortunately for Harry, (but very lucky for me), his skills were never needed over the next two weeks.

We spent our first day in Africa as a day of rest at the Brooster family beach house on the Indian Ocean. A relaxed unwind which included a massage at the spa for my wife, excellent South African wine, and a tasty barbeque of game and lamb prepared and cooked by Chris. This was a great way to transition into the African life we would live for the rest of our trip. Rested and excited we drove 3 hours to Eildon. This was the first of many wonderful places we would stay at and hunt from during the next two weeks. Chris and his partner Andrew Pringle run the kind of personal and intimate safari company that allows the hunter to individualize the details of their safari and any extra activities. Lorrie and I desired a nice mix of hunting with sightseeing, and we were blown away by the results!

Chris and I decided to concentrate on a large Kudu bull first as this majestic antelope is the embodiment of Africa to me. I came with no shopping list and shot game I never knew of before this trip. A Kudu was what I had hoped most of all to shoot. My favorite book as a child was a Jack O'Connor book with him posing with a Kudu bull on the cover. The library card inside the book had my name written on every other space. Library cards with written names(does that make me old or what?).

The first afternoon found us glassing a lush valley from a high vantage point. We saw a family of warthogs and 2 bushbuck, but no Kudu. On the way back to Eildon, a giant aardvark crossed the road in front of the truck. Seeing this rare and secretive animal shuffle along it's way let me know, "I'm not in Kansas anymore". I was continually amazed by the variety of game we saw everywhere we went. Eildon is a 30,000 acre working farm that has been in the Pringle family for generations. The setting, accommodations, service, and food were outstanding and we felt like royalty.

The Kudu bulls continued to stay hidden the next morning. I did manage to drop a warthog in his tracks. Posing next to my first African animal was quite a thrill. I was shooting a Winchester model 70 in .300 Win. Mag. The cartridge performed perfectly on every animal I would eventually shoot during my safari. Bringing a firearm to South Africa is no problem as long as you have the proper paperwork, which Gacy travel will provide for you. The ease of travel without a gun appealed to me and I opted to use Chris's gun, a decision I never regretted. We then made a long and exciting stalk on an exceptionally large bushbuck, which I shot in his late morning bed. It's hard to describe the beauty of this smallest of the spiral horned antelope, and I hadn't know I wanted one until I saw him for the first time standing proud in the bush. That afternoon the women joined us for the hunt. As we drove around Eildon's magnificent property we saw several immature kudu bulls, as well as warthogs, baboons, monkeys, diker, lechwe, springbok, fallow deer, and much to my wife's delight, zebra. We also came upon a rare aardwolf which excited even the seasoned professional in the truck. Not all great hunting outings result in a kill, and this was one of the greatest.

The next morning we headed out in search of the elusive kudu bull as a beautiful frosty morning, with a cobalt blue sky, dawned around us. Our tracker Rusty spotted several kudu cows up on a steep brush covered hill side. I then glassed a large kudu bull partially screened by the brush below them. At 360 yards, it was too far a shot for me. After some maneuvering we were 100 yards closer. The bull, sensing something was up, started to fidget. It was shoot now or never! He never took a step after my first shot but a second lung shot was good insurance on this huge antelope, as he took his time to majestically go down.

My emotions ran wild and I know there was never a happier or more grateful hunter than me as the sun rose above the rim of that beautifully scenic red rock valley we were in. I hope Jack was smiling down on me that morning. We ate lunch in town that afternoon as Chris took possession of his brand new hunting Toyota Hilux. I think he was as happy with his truck as I was with my kudu.  We watched the sun set in Addo elephant reserve after videoing herds of elephant, kudu, hartebeest, eland, warthog, zebra, and numerous other African animals. Addo is the fastest growing game park in South Africa. All of the big "5" reside in this enormous park, even great white sharks swim along it's Indian Ocean boarder to the east. The next day Lorrie and Melinda went to the Grahamstown Arts Festival, the second largest in the world. They shopped for handmade native jewelry and bead work and saw many examples of traditional African culture, song, and dance. Chris and I spent a lazy day looking at impala and sharing many laughs. We never were able to get a shot at the large ram we saw but a great time was had by all.

We next moved to the Brooster family farm located higher in the mountains, a 2 ½ hour drive from Eildon. The altitude really let us know it was winter as the temperature plunged to 10 degrees Fahrenheit that night. That afternoon, prior to the deep freeze, I was able to take a blesbuck and a springbok as the sun sank colorfully on the horizon of the windy 7000 foot high mesa we hunted upon. I expressed to Chris what a wonderful and successful afternoon it had been as he reminded me there were still 8 minutes of shooting light. Seven minutes later a mixed herd of wildebeest and zebra came charging by, what spooked them we will never know. Chris identified the last zebra in the herd as the largest with the best markings and a perfect heart shot gave my wife the new rug she hoped would highlight our living room floor.
 
We had a wonderful dinner of blesbuck with Chris's parents Cheryl and John along with 4 grouse hunters from Jo-berg John had guided the past two days. Much wine, stories, and laughter led to a very "fuzzy" morning after. We were even treated to a strange ritual involving the eating of a raw egg, shell and all, followed by a shot of Jagermeister. This ritual apparently originates in the UK, or so we were told. Some experiences are best left untried. We spent the following day videoing herds of wildebeest, blesbuck, zebra, and springbok along with dozens of very cute bat eared fox. We then photographed ancient bushmen rock paintings of the animals they harvested to survive. Each animal forever enshrined on the stonewalls of their private trophy room. These were interesting works of art from a race of people long since gone from this planet.  Lorrie and I had quite a day!!

The next day we moved to a lovely B&B in the scenic little town of Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo desert. The women lunched and shopped while Chris and I hunted gemsbuck. Blown stalks through thorn thickets with sweat pouring off our brow best describes the afternoon. As the sun was setting fast I dropped a monster of a gemsbuck with 40" horns. The celebration continued late into the night in front of a blazing fireplace at a wonderful little restaurant. We then moved to a spectacular B&B in the wine country outside Capetown. Wine tastings, fine dining, and a memorable trip to the top of Table Mountain rounded out our trip.

The end came much to soon, but we will return soon. For the record I shot 7 heads of game for much less than the Dall sheep hunt would have cost. I also lived and ate like a king, a far cry from a damp sleeping bag in a dome tent tied to a rainy Alaska cliff side, heating meals on a tiny gas stove. By North American standards the price of a South African safari is an incredible bargain. All of our hunting was done on private ranches with no high fences and was all spot and stalk. Chris and Andrew are excellent judges of African game allowing only the finest trophies to be harvested. Any North American hunter should consider the value and fun of this hunt. The variety of beautiful game adds a great touch to any North American trophy room collection.

If you're interested in hunting with Crusader Safaris you can contact Chris or Andrew at: hunt@crusadersafaris.com their excellent web site is www.crusadersafaris.com .
 
If you are interested in great travel arrangements you can email Shawn at shawn@gracytravel.com.