First deer in 2 years
- Thread starter KHornet
- Start date
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Didn't know that but not surprised. When we were in a blind waiting for a good warthog,
had a gemsbok come up at 5 yds and stay there for a while. Pregnant female. She was
clearly putting a horn tip right on a fly on her rump, just like a fast swat. Swing whole head,
and she could put that tip, maybe 30" away from the top if her head just like us putting a
fingertip. Makes sense that the kudu could see his horn tip, too. It was a bit nervous in that
blind....on the ground, buried in thornbush, not a chance of getting out quickly and she could
have run us thru repeatedly with those "swords", if she'd have taken a mind to. This is a net pic.
They do look good on the wall. Regular reminder of a really memorable visit to an interesting
place. Any hunter who can figure a way to swing about $10K for hunt pkg and travel should go and
do it while you can. A friend did his African hunt after bypass surgery, realized he needed to
do it while he could, two years later he came down with cancer, and two more years he was
gone. He often said he was so happy he had done the Africa hunt.
Ben, good choice of word. Big, tall, heavy,beautiful animals. IMO, us Americans attribute a bit too
much "magic" to African game. No doubt that a lot of them are NOT deer, although impala
blesbok, springbok and a few dozen more are not much different, some smaller. But we only
have elk and moose, and they have a whole bunch of different big ones. Also, some of them
do fight big cats and win, so tough animals. But, if you read about Roosevelt and others,
the .30-06, especially with modern quality bullets, will take almost all of them with a well
placed shot, and too many get a brand new .338 Mag that kicks them brainless and shoot
it poorly. We had some of that with the other hunters at the same lodge while we were
there, and my friend from Montana with the 7x57 had more of the same while she and her
husband were there. Better a moderate rifle you can hit with than a magnum that you'll
shoot badly. 7x57 or .30-06 will do all you need for what most of us can afford to shoot. I
used the .45-70 on wildebeest and zebra, and would have used it on an eland had I
hunted one, but I think the 7x57 would have done fine, even on eland. I just wanted to use the GG
in Africa, same with the 629 - both because "I wanted to" not because I had to.
Bill
had a gemsbok come up at 5 yds and stay there for a while. Pregnant female. She was
clearly putting a horn tip right on a fly on her rump, just like a fast swat. Swing whole head,
and she could put that tip, maybe 30" away from the top if her head just like us putting a
fingertip. Makes sense that the kudu could see his horn tip, too. It was a bit nervous in that
blind....on the ground, buried in thornbush, not a chance of getting out quickly and she could
have run us thru repeatedly with those "swords", if she'd have taken a mind to. This is a net pic.
They do look good on the wall. Regular reminder of a really memorable visit to an interesting
place. Any hunter who can figure a way to swing about $10K for hunt pkg and travel should go and
do it while you can. A friend did his African hunt after bypass surgery, realized he needed to
do it while he could, two years later he came down with cancer, and two more years he was
gone. He often said he was so happy he had done the Africa hunt.
Ben, good choice of word. Big, tall, heavy,beautiful animals. IMO, us Americans attribute a bit too
much "magic" to African game. No doubt that a lot of them are NOT deer, although impala
blesbok, springbok and a few dozen more are not much different, some smaller. But we only
have elk and moose, and they have a whole bunch of different big ones. Also, some of them
do fight big cats and win, so tough animals. But, if you read about Roosevelt and others,
the .30-06, especially with modern quality bullets, will take almost all of them with a well
placed shot, and too many get a brand new .338 Mag that kicks them brainless and shoot
it poorly. We had some of that with the other hunters at the same lodge while we were
there, and my friend from Montana with the 7x57 had more of the same while she and her
husband were there. Better a moderate rifle you can hit with than a magnum that you'll
shoot badly. 7x57 or .30-06 will do all you need for what most of us can afford to shoot. I
used the .45-70 on wildebeest and zebra, and would have used it on an eland had I
hunted one, but I think the 7x57 would have done fine, even on eland. I just wanted to use the GG
in Africa, same with the 629 - both because "I wanted to" not because I had to.
Bill
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Not Bill but we ate lots of game, every meal as a matter of fact.
Much tasted similar to American game like venison. I found the eland to to tough but it was also the way it was prepared. Warthog sausage was good for breakfast. The Impala and Kudu was good. To our knowledge we never had zebra. The ostrich was as amazingly very good.
We did have a huge T bone steak one night, and I mean huge. We also had lamb twice and it was really good.
Best part of dinner for us was the deserts. Very good soufflé a few nights.
They know how to cook, that is for certain.
Much tasted similar to American game like venison. I found the eland to to tough but it was also the way it was prepared. Warthog sausage was good for breakfast. The Impala and Kudu was good. To our knowledge we never had zebra. The ostrich was as amazingly very good.
We did have a huge T bone steak one night, and I mean huge. We also had lamb twice and it was really good.
Best part of dinner for us was the deserts. Very good soufflé a few nights.
They know how to cook, that is for certain.
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Yes, we ate game most nights. Gemsbok tenderoin grilled over coals for lunch one day
was just outstanding, excellent flavor, typical tenderloin melt in your mouth tenderness. We
had gemsbok steak, too, also very good. IMO, whitetailed deer is OK, needs to be cooked
right to be good, my wife doesn't like it at all, why I don't hunt deer so often. OTOH, elk
(cow, at least, never shot a bull) is just superb, wife likes it, too. Actually, if I could buy elk in the grocery, I
believe I would get it instead of beef. IIRC, we had kudu and impala, both good, too.
Here is a shot I took just after that BBQ lunch. The truck rig is what we moved around in,
the dog is a blood tracker hound. We rode in the back until tracks were crossed, then tracked
upwind on foot to find game. Lost a lot when the wind shifted and we heard hoofbeats
in the distance.
The meals were all very good, fancy sauces, complex meals. Our cook was just outstanding,
and that may unfairly bias me on these exotic meats. I remember kudu as excellent. But
none except the gemsbok tenderloins were just grilled, so in a complex dish, it can be more
difficult to figure out how the meat will work in general use. Our outfitter had a huge walkin
cooler and a refrigerated truck picked up half carcasses every couple of days, destined for
their grocery stores! Lots of game is turned in to biltong, basically SA jerky. We drove around
RSA for a week after hunting and stopped at a shop that had about 20 different kinds of biltong.
We bought several kinds, all were quite good, but again, dried with spices and such, hard to
be sure. At worst, they are at least decent eating. At best, they may be just wonderful all
around.
We had barbequed warthog at a friend's place in the country near Kruger, really excellent, easily as
good as the best coal braised pork that you ever had. I was warned by Americans that zebra was
horrid, but one famous friend (you would know the name) told me that he had superb zebra
steaks. My other American friend told me that perhaps the South Africans substituted some beef
or something, and that zebra is bad news. We never ate zebra, as far as I know, didn't
ask about it at the time, so don't know. Horse is supposed to be good, never tried it.
Bill
was just outstanding, excellent flavor, typical tenderloin melt in your mouth tenderness. We
had gemsbok steak, too, also very good. IMO, whitetailed deer is OK, needs to be cooked
right to be good, my wife doesn't like it at all, why I don't hunt deer so often. OTOH, elk
(cow, at least, never shot a bull) is just superb, wife likes it, too. Actually, if I could buy elk in the grocery, I
believe I would get it instead of beef. IIRC, we had kudu and impala, both good, too.
Here is a shot I took just after that BBQ lunch. The truck rig is what we moved around in,
the dog is a blood tracker hound. We rode in the back until tracks were crossed, then tracked
upwind on foot to find game. Lost a lot when the wind shifted and we heard hoofbeats
in the distance.
The meals were all very good, fancy sauces, complex meals. Our cook was just outstanding,
and that may unfairly bias me on these exotic meats. I remember kudu as excellent. But
none except the gemsbok tenderloins were just grilled, so in a complex dish, it can be more
difficult to figure out how the meat will work in general use. Our outfitter had a huge walkin
cooler and a refrigerated truck picked up half carcasses every couple of days, destined for
their grocery stores! Lots of game is turned in to biltong, basically SA jerky. We drove around
RSA for a week after hunting and stopped at a shop that had about 20 different kinds of biltong.
We bought several kinds, all were quite good, but again, dried with spices and such, hard to
be sure. At worst, they are at least decent eating. At best, they may be just wonderful all
around.
We had barbequed warthog at a friend's place in the country near Kruger, really excellent, easily as
good as the best coal braised pork that you ever had. I was warned by Americans that zebra was
horrid, but one famous friend (you would know the name) told me that he had superb zebra
steaks. My other American friend told me that perhaps the South Africans substituted some beef
or something, and that zebra is bad news. We never ate zebra, as far as I know, didn't
ask about it at the time, so don't know. Horse is supposed to be good, never tried it.
Bill
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Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Half the national debt? Hmmm. Not nearly as expensive as many folks think.
A guide elk hunt in the USA start at about $8K and go way up, for one animal. My cost was $4200 total
for 8 animals, two warthogs. All skinning, hide treatment, head stripping and boiling included.
We added $1800 RT air fare, times two. Also stayed an extra week and rented car and drove
all over NW RSA. Less the taxidermy, for 17 days vacation for two, plus 8 animals, well under
$10K. Current charges for the same package, same Safari company is $5,900 for 10 days
six animals. We added a gemsbok for the wife, and an extra warthog for me. Could have
added an extra impala for $200, had time to hunt it. Current Delta prices from KC airport to
Johannesburg are under $1500 RT. So, $5900 plus 1500 is $7400 if you go solo. Add your
wife and it is the airline fare added. They pick you up and drop you back at airport, so no extras
needed.
Not cheap, but lots of animals, and lots of luxurious accommodations. I know guys who buy a
new PU every 4 or 5 years or more frequently. Make that 6 or 7 years, bank the payments for two or three
years, and you can have it. Met several hunters on the aircraft going for 2nd or 3rd hunts. Sometimes
I have wondered myself about going again.
Bill
A guide elk hunt in the USA start at about $8K and go way up, for one animal. My cost was $4200 total
for 8 animals, two warthogs. All skinning, hide treatment, head stripping and boiling included.
We added $1800 RT air fare, times two. Also stayed an extra week and rented car and drove
all over NW RSA. Less the taxidermy, for 17 days vacation for two, plus 8 animals, well under
$10K. Current charges for the same package, same Safari company is $5,900 for 10 days
six animals. We added a gemsbok for the wife, and an extra warthog for me. Could have
added an extra impala for $200, had time to hunt it. Current Delta prices from KC airport to
Johannesburg are under $1500 RT. So, $5900 plus 1500 is $7400 if you go solo. Add your
wife and it is the airline fare added. They pick you up and drop you back at airport, so no extras
needed.
Not cheap, but lots of animals, and lots of luxurious accommodations. I know guys who buy a
new PU every 4 or 5 years or more frequently. Make that 6 or 7 years, bank the payments for two or three
years, and you can have it. Met several hunters on the aircraft going for 2nd or 3rd hunts. Sometimes
I have wondered myself about going again.
Bill
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Chris
Well-Known Member
Bill, you make a compelling argument.
You read stories about Americans that go there and either work for PH's or become one themselves. Two that come to mind, because they write, are Peter Capstick and Paco Kelley. Capstick tells a heck of a story.
So you want the real deal and can be available, how do you do it today?
You read stories about Americans that go there and either work for PH's or become one themselves. Two that come to mind, because they write, are Peter Capstick and Paco Kelley. Capstick tells a heck of a story.
So you want the real deal and can be available, how do you do it today?
Chris
Well-Known Member
Bill, Brad, anyone - don't want to interrupt replies to my previous post... I'm interested in the topic However some may not know about Capstick's books so here is a link:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...&sprefix=peter+caps,aps,264&crid=IF0S9EY7718K
If this doesn't make you want to hunt Africa then you may need to check your pulse.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...&sprefix=peter+caps,aps,264&crid=IF0S9EY7718K
If this doesn't make you want to hunt Africa then you may need to check your pulse.
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
I loved reading Capstick's books but some online folks have claimed that he didn't do what he said.
I have no idea what is true. Regardless, great stories.
As to how do you do it today, if you mean hunt there, my company was Cruiser Safaris, I can recommend
them, excellent, comprehensive web site, all truth. I would imagine that Paul and Brad could give you
their company's info, and probably recommend them, too. Cruiser Safaris has an American agent and
you can contact him for more info, very helpful guy.
If you mean go there and become a PH.......be aware that RSA has serious crime problems in the big cities,
and the government has been tightening gun laws A LOT. Most PHs were born and raised in the countryside
and have hunted for their whole lives, know the animals and area. There is a complex and comprehensive
test to become a PH, I am told. I wonder how an American would obtain the experience to pass the test?
No idea about this one, really, other than to think it would be difficult and take years.
Perhaps try to contact Ross Seyfried, he did it, and would likely know if it is even possible today.
Many things changed a LOT when they changed governments a while back.
Bill
I have no idea what is true. Regardless, great stories.
As to how do you do it today, if you mean hunt there, my company was Cruiser Safaris, I can recommend
them, excellent, comprehensive web site, all truth. I would imagine that Paul and Brad could give you
their company's info, and probably recommend them, too. Cruiser Safaris has an American agent and
you can contact him for more info, very helpful guy.
If you mean go there and become a PH.......be aware that RSA has serious crime problems in the big cities,
and the government has been tightening gun laws A LOT. Most PHs were born and raised in the countryside
and have hunted for their whole lives, know the animals and area. There is a complex and comprehensive
test to become a PH, I am told. I wonder how an American would obtain the experience to pass the test?
No idea about this one, really, other than to think it would be difficult and take years.
Perhaps try to contact Ross Seyfried, he did it, and would likely know if it is even possible today.
Many things changed a LOT when they changed governments a while back.
Bill
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I used John X Safaris. Hunted all private land off the reserve where we stayed. Each place was hunted for a species or two. The place I hunted Kudu, and never had a shootable one in sight, was around 65 K acres. Lots of cover and it was thick. Did shoot a couple warthogs there.
It is an experience. I took my wife and daughter. My daughter cried when we left.
Taxidermy and shipping trophies home is expensive. You can save money by leaving it all behind and just taking lots of photos. I couldn't imagine not having the zebra rug.
It is an experience. I took my wife and daughter. My daughter cried when we left.
Taxidermy and shipping trophies home is expensive. You can save money by leaving it all behind and just taking lots of photos. I couldn't imagine not having the zebra rug.
F
freebullet
Guest
Congratulations !!! To Paul.
Very glad to hear of you getting back afield.
For 7400 $ Paul could literally tag 200 deer right here in Ne.He would not have a zebra hide when done though.
My wife would love to go on safari, but I enjoy the challenge of walking in on public ground and taking game. I wouldn't personally call any guided trip hunting. No disrespect intended, I do/did enjoy very much of folks experience being shared.
Very glad to hear of you getting back afield.
For 7400 $ Paul could literally tag 200 deer right here in Ne.He would not have a zebra hide when done though.
My wife would love to go on safari, but I enjoy the challenge of walking in on public ground and taking game. I wouldn't personally call any guided trip hunting. No disrespect intended, I do/did enjoy very much of folks experience being shared.
KHornet
Well-Known Member
Bill, I enjoyed all of the game that I ate in Africa. I also liked very much
grilled med rare gemsbuck stakes. Springbuck cubed and in a mushroom
gravy was excellent over rice. Warthog was tasty but stringy and tough.
Kudo I found very good as a roast, my hunting partner, found it a bit to
strong for his taste. I can't remember what heartabeast tasted like, but
I ate it.
I was raised to eat what was put in front of me, and have never
been a fussy eater. I also ate what they called Kalahri Kalamari (excuse
the spelling), which was gemsbuck intestines cleaned and grilled. My
partner refused to try it. I thought it was ok, but not overly as great
as my PH, who seemed to consider it special.
I ate some jerky that I
think might have been zebra, but not positive. Whatever it was was
not bad at all. Did not have any Cape Buffalo, but I would bet it would
have tasted like beef. My bull was an old bull that had been kicked out
of the herd. I would have bet he would have been tougher than tripe.
Paul
grilled med rare gemsbuck stakes. Springbuck cubed and in a mushroom
gravy was excellent over rice. Warthog was tasty but stringy and tough.
Kudo I found very good as a roast, my hunting partner, found it a bit to
strong for his taste. I can't remember what heartabeast tasted like, but
I ate it.
I was raised to eat what was put in front of me, and have never
been a fussy eater. I also ate what they called Kalahri Kalamari (excuse
the spelling), which was gemsbuck intestines cleaned and grilled. My
partner refused to try it. I thought it was ok, but not overly as great
as my PH, who seemed to consider it special.
I ate some jerky that I
think might have been zebra, but not positive. Whatever it was was
not bad at all. Did not have any Cape Buffalo, but I would bet it would
have tasted like beef. My bull was an old bull that had been kicked out
of the herd. I would have bet he would have been tougher than tripe.
Paul
35 shooter
Well-Known Member
Congrats on this years deer. Glad to hear you got one. I feel for Brad losing his spot to hunt...i drove out to my main spot to do some scouting the other day only to find it clear cut.