Starting our hunting season for 2004 was GIL TAYLOR, from Canada who along with his wife ANNE, arrived the end of March.  I normally don't have the pleasure to meet many of our guests, but it turns out that a surprise visit to Cruisers early this year put me in camp during their arrival.  As I'm sure it happens every evening that new clients arrive, there were many questions and stores about hunting in Africa as everyone gets to know each other.  This particular evening the conversation lasted late into the night as the Amarula flowed freely and even though they have forgotten or have wanted to forget some of them, I was able to relate humorous stories about the staff that have happened

over the years.  Retiring that night I was confident that I would get a good nights sleep as I didn't have to leave for the airport until later in the day, however somehow I forgot to factor in that this was a hunting camp and very early the next morning I wads startle out of my sound sleep by gunshots.  Gil was sighting in his rifle prior to starting his hunt.  Ann had lived in South Africa for a while when she was younger, and for her it wasn't just a holiday but also a walk down memory lane.  During his safari, Gil took a Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Impala, Red Hartebeest, Warthog and a Blesbok

Click HERE to see photos of Gil's hunt.

Also joining us the end of March was KENDALL PLAUTZ from Illinois.  Kendall was amazed at the tracking skill of his PH Hans and remarked later, "Hans could track a housecat three miles down an asphalt road and not even slow down to do it!"  Kendall's most memorable stalk came in hunting Kudu in the mountain camp area.  They finally saw a great bull but he was at least 400 yards away near the top of a mountain.  They decided to go around the other side of the mountain and try to approach him from the back.  The jumped several smaller bulls in route, but not the one they were after.  They spent considerable time tracking their particular bull only to discover that he had gone back down the mountain and was making his way up the next when they spotted him.  Fortunately for him the big bull stopped to look back at them and that was the opportunity that they were waiting for.  A single shot put him down for good within a short distance from where he had

stopped to look back.  Getting a huge Kudu out of the mountains can be difficult at times, but again Hans came to the rescue and came back with 12 helpers to carry the trophy out.  During the hunting period our PH's really don't have time to hunt for themselves and one day Kendall asked Hans if he would like the opportunity to obtain a trophy of his own.  With Kendall's kindness and generosity the roles were reversed and Kendall was able to take pictures of Han's record book Impala.  Thanks so much Kendall and the joy seen on Han's face is a memory that all of us will share forever.  At his 25th class reunion this year, Kendall was the hit of the party as it seems that somehow he happened to take along his African pictures.  Kendall also took a Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok, Waterbuck, Impala, Red Hartebeest and 2 Gemsbok.

Click HERE to see photos of Kendall's hunt.

The first week of April saw the return of one of our hunters from last year.  JOHN KALINOWSKY, from South Carolina, hunted with us last October and couldn't wait to come back.  He said that walking back into the lappa felt like returning home after being away for far too long.  John couldn't wait to get back out in the bush and headed out as soon as he arrived and was surprised what a contrast it was to arrive early in the year after the rains compared to the dry and sparse conditions when he was there in October and even with the lush vegetation, the first animal that they spotted was a Rhino.  Jacques, his PH, found a small bird that was unable to fly after the morning rains and decided to dry him off in the bakkie.  It didn't take long until the bird let Jacques know that it really didn't appreciate the effort and proceeded to attack him.  After being saved from a mauling by a tiny little bird they headed back to camp where by this time the bird was dry enough to take flight away from Jacques.  Jon started the next day by taking a Jackal with an excellent shot, however a Gemsbok gave him a tracking job that wore everyone out that day.  Hunting with Hans the next day for a Zebra became very frustrating when every time they got in position

for a shot, a group of Impala's wandered in the way.  After several attempts John got his "rug".  Next came a Red Hartebeest he stalked with only a small tree as cover.  Trying a slow stalk and playing nonchalant about the Hartebeest's location during the stalk worked perfectly as the Hartebeest thought it was in perfect cover and it was too late when John brought his rifle up.  Having hunted Africa before and knowing what can go wrong during a stalk on these antelopes must have surely helped, as they were later able to stalk within an extremely close distance to a Blue Wildebeest giving John a "hat trick" for that day.  Hunting for Klipspringer the next day proved to be quite different form the bush stalking that he was used to.  Even though they finally were able to get close enough for a shot, it was a marginal trophy and he passed.  Taking a Baboon later that day made for an exciting trophy though.  With the grass so high this time of year, the hunting for Steenbok or Duiker was extremely difficult, however they finally took a nice Steenbok although a Duiker evaded him this trop.  John was also able to get a Porcupine and 2 more Jackals.

Click HERE to see photos of John's hunt.

A business trip to South Africa brought MARK GROUDAS and his wife MAUREEN, from Massachusetts, in mid-April.  To make the most of this opportunity, they added a few days to their trip to include a short safari with us.  As often happens, while there to observe Mark's hunts, Maureen made the transition from an observer to a hunter on the last day of the safari and as Mark said, "This was one of the best experiences of the safari".  During the last hour of the last day, Maureen showed everyone up by making a spectacular 175 yard shot on an Impala that turned

out to be bigger than Mark's.  Mark also said, "I couldn't have been more proud.  Maureen had the experience of a lifetime and in the most beautiful setting you could ask for".  We hope to see them another time and I'm sure when that happens they both will be booked as hunters!  During his short safari, Mark took a Gemsbok, Blesbok and an Impala.

Click HERE to view photos of Mark & Maureen's hunt.

Also joining us in mid-April brought GARY and GREG ACORD, two brothers from Arkansas.  They experienced one of the most exciting stories of the entire year.  It seems that in the early morning one day, Gary shot a Blue Wildebeest.  As sometimes happens, it was not a good shot and they tracked it until 2:00 when they lost the trail.  Realizing that they could use more help, they called in our PH Hans to help.  They tracked it several more miles and saw him twice.  Greg and Hans, following the tracks, thought that the Wildebeest was going to cross one of the roads and radioed to Jacques and Gary to cut him off.  The Wildebeest did go up to the road but did not cross.  Greg and Hans doubled back on the trail and that is when Hans told Greg that the Wildebeest was getting tired and he might charge.  Even though the Blue Wildebeest is called the "poor mans buffalo", it can be extremely dangerous and at the point Greg was wondering to himself what the heck he was doing there.  Suddenly after going another 200 yards more in thick bush, Hans jumped back and yelled, "He's coming, shoot him!"  Looking up, Greg saw the Wildebeest coming straight for them at about 20 feet.  Not even trying to get him in the scope, he just pointed and shot.

This first shot skipped down his right side going in and out of his shoulder and back into his rib cage.  The Wildebeest then started turning round and round and was kicking like a rodeo bull.  Greg shot him 2 more times before he finally fell.  When it was over, Greg admitted that he was shaking even down to this toes, but he has a great story to tell his grandchildren.  During the safari, Gary was amazed at how many times they crawled and even belly crawled up to some of the game, to have the PH whisper whether to shoot or not.  He said that many times he would have shot the animal in a heartbeat only to have his PH explain to him that is was not of the quality that they were looking for and they backed off four pursuit of a better trophy.  They both ended up taking some exceptional trophies.  They both took Kudu's over 53".  Greg also took a Blesbok, 2 Gemsbok's, a Waterbuck, Impala, Zebra, 2 Jackals and a Blue Wildebeest.  Gary took 2 Impala's (one close to 25"), a Gemsbok, Blesbok, Duiker, Waterbuck, Jackal and the now famous Blue Wildebeest (with a little help form his brother).

Click HERE to see Gary & Greg's photos.

Knowing the importance of family hunting, we are overjoyed when we are able provide this experience.  The special bond between Father and Son when they are able to share these moments, knowing that these are memories of a lifetime, not only enriches their lives but ours as well.  This is the exact type of safari that BRIAN McLAUGHLIN had in mind when he booked for he and his Father, KEN McLAUGHLIN, both from New Hampshire.  Prior to arriving the 3rd week of April, Brian had indicated that his father, who is 74 years old, may want to choose to sleep in and just relax around the camp on some days.  Upon arriving, Brian was surprised and pleased that his father spent all day and everyday in the field with him.  They never even touched the books that they brought along for those relaxing moments.  Even though Ken mainly came along as an observer and a cameraman, the best experience of Brian's entire safari was when he was able to be with his father as he took a very nice Blue Wildebeest.  Grandpa, as the nickname that Ken used while there, said upon his return, "(This was) a wonderful trip and a most memorable experience and I do hope to repeat it!"

One day they hunted Kudu in the mountains when they spotted what appeared to be a very nice one but he was standing behind a tree and they couldn't see the head or the shoulder area.  They waited and waited for an opportunity to get a better view, but the Kudu just didn't move.  With the long wait, Brian started to get nervous and when it finally moved so they could see it's horns clearly Pieter said it was a very, very good one.  Now Brian said, "Don't say that as now I'm really nervous.", so Pieter replied, "It's not really that good." which relaxed Brian somewhat.  After about an hour the Kudu finally moved enough for a shot and Brian took a very, very good Kudu.  We can't wait until their return and I think that maybe next time, Brian will be doing a little more of the camera work and for sure he will want to plan some more of our picnics, which he couldn't get enough of.  Beside Ken's Blue Wildebeest they took a Kudu, 2 Impalas, Blesbok, Steenbok, 2 Gemsboks, a Warthog, Waterbuck, Zebra and a Black Backed Jackal.

Click HERE to view photos of Brian & Ken's hunt.

Every year, DAVE BROWN, from Colorado travels somewhere new in the world.  Having been to Russia, China, Europe, Thailand and others previously, Dave was looking forward to his ultimate trip to Africa.  Arriving the end of April was also the perfect time for Dave to be able to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes, bird watching.  Having Jacques (who we had previously nicknamed "Birdie") as his PH gave Dave an excellent source for the varied species that they did see.  Even though Dave took some beautiful animals, including one of the largest Warthogs taken all year, it seems that his catching of a monitor lizard by hand was one of his best

experiences  of the safari.  I must include an analogy that he used, "...the guides could've tracked a flea across a sheet of glass", indicating his pleasure in choosing Cruiser's as his African destination.  Upon his return he state, "With all of the varied places that I have traveled, I have never enjoyed a trip and a group of people as much as I did with Cruiser Safaris in South Africa."  Dave also took a Kudu, Gemsbok and a record book Impala.

Click HERE to view photos of Dave's hunt. 

Arriving the last day of April was DAN ADKINS, from Ohio.  Dan's safari had been planned for a year and it seemed to him that the actual date would never arrive.  After waiting all of that time his first day turned out to be one mistake after another on his part which made for a lot of blown opportunities.  We'll just blame the first day on excitement and jet lag because after that it was his dream come true.  The second day started out with a perfect stalk to 50 yards of a record book Impala which in the confusion after the shot made Dan think that he had missed.  Actually the Impala had only gone 20 yards and Dan had his first African animal!  During his hunt for a Gemsbok he learned about the most hated bird to any African hunter, the Grey Lourie or the Go-Away-Bird (which we have a special name for).  Finally when non of these birds were around to give away their presence, Dan took the largest Gemsbok so far in the season and another record book animal.  Dan also learned that the Zebra can be one of the hardest animals to bring down as they had to track it for over 2 miles.  Hunting in the mountains for his Kudu, Dan found

out that even though it was during the rut, these animals are much more wary than our US Whitetails during their season.  He observed some of these bulls sticking their heads into the trees and thrashing them enough to make the whole tree shake.  Dan ended up taking his (another record book) Kudu from probably the closest distance that anyone has ever done at Cruiser's.  Stalking through the thick brush this time of year they often hear the animals close by but can't see them.  Finally, Hans his PH, froze and Dan knew that the animal was very close.  At only 15 yards distance he was finally able to see enough of the massive Kudu to make a good shot.  After the shot he heard the Kudu crash right by him through the thick brush.  As they came to a clearing they found his trophy, down and out.  His horns were very close to 53 inches.  Dan told me after he returned that he was a picky eater, however while he was there he ate things that he had never eaten before.  The downside to this story is that now his wife insists that he must eat whatever she cooks!

Click HERE to view photos of Dan's hunt.

The second week of May we were joined by JOHN WARDSWORTH from North Carolina.  John had planned an extra day for his safari for a little extra hunting and was extremely pleased about exceeding all of his expectations and he ended up taking 12 very nice trophy animals.  He thoroughly enjoyed his driver, Joh and said that he kept them laughing every day during his safari and gives him all the credit for spotting the beautiful Zebra he took.  He gave Hans a rating of 15 on a scale of 1-10 as his PH and by looking at the photos of his animals we can see why.  His most exciting hunting story was about his stalk to within 25 yards of a herd of Blue Wildebeest.  As another hunter learned earlier this year, the Blue Wildebeest can be a very dangerous animals when wounded.  Being so close to the animals didn't give John much time in the event that it charged and that's exactly what happened.  I know that finally putting the animal down just a few feet from him, mad for a very exciting moment.  Even with all of the great hunts that he was on, John says that one memory, more than the other, stands out for him and that was lunch on the day he left.  Pieter and Lizelle's family joined him for that occasion and the opportunity to meet and talk with them was a high point of the whole safari.  John is planning on returning as soon as possible and we are looking forward to seeing him again.  Among the other animals John took were a Kudu, Impala, Steenbok and a Blesbok

Click HERE to see photos of John's hunt.

JEFF FLORES from Arizona started his African safari the last week of May.  Coming from Arizona though, the temperatures are quite different this time of year than what he was used to and he liked to eat around the fireplace.  It's a good thing he didn't come in July.  On one of his hunts he wounded an animal very close to dusk.  Unable to continue tracking that day they returned to camp.  Naturally, anytime something like this happens everyone feels a little down and it seemed like a long night wondering what had happened.  The next morning everything turned to smiles and they went back and he successfully bagged his trophy.  Wildebeest can be a very hearty animal and Jeff was amazed at his PH's ability to track his wounded Wildebeest.  Another excellent trophy.

Sorry, there are no photos of Jeff's hunt available.

The camp filled up the last day of May with the arrival of the hunting group PETE DIVASTO, WALTER PIPKIN, FRANK WOODROW & JERRY TRUDELL.  Pete is from New Mexico, Walter is from Oklahoma and Frank & Jerry reside in Colorado.  Everyone had a great time and the hunting stories are numerous.  One of Pete's best experiences involves his Eland.  His PH thought that he knew where there was a good chance of locating him a trophy animal.  Upon reaching the are it turned out that he was correct and the Eland were right in the middle of the area that he thought they might be at that time of day.  The stalk on it was a few hundred yards and ended with dropping it with a single shot.  Pete remarked that not only did his record book Blue Wildebeest prove to be a great hunt, but it also tasted great!  He is exceptionally proud of his record book Red Hartebeest in that he took it from 40 yards with a fixed sight .44 Mag pistol.  Besides these 3 book trophies, Pete took a Blesbok that will rank in the top 20, a Kudu, Gemsbok, Impala, Zebra, Jackal, 2 Warthogs and 2 Baboons.  Walter's only complaint was that the food was too good and he gained 12 pounds during his

time with us.  I think he may have been eating more than just Pete's Blue Wildebeest.  Walter was able to take an excellent Waterbuck that was 28" as well as record book Impala and Blesbok.  His 2nd Blesbok was also a very nice trophy as well as the beautiful Zebra that he took.  The most memorable portion of Walter's safari was the announcement of a new granddaughter.  Congratulations Walter!  Jerry didn't go on this safari with the intention of shooting trophy animals but was very impressed that 3 of the first 4 animals that he took made the record book.  It is a bad situation when you're in the bush and have rifle problems but one night, with using a hammer and a grinder, he was able to get it to work.  I'm not sure though that I will be taking my guns to him for repair.  Even though Jerry got sick during part of his safari, he took a Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok, Impala, Gemsbok and a Warthog, which Frank said was one of the best experiences of his hunt.  Frank took an Impala, Warthog, Zebra, Blesbok and a Blue Wildebeest.

Click HERE to view photos of Pete, Walter Frank & Jerry's hunt.

 Mid-June saw the arrival of JAMES & BARBARA LINDSEY from Indiana.  James hunted hard during his stay but it seemed like the Kudu were hiding from him.  It finally got to be the last day and he had already convinced himself that a Kudu just wasn't going to happen this time, but Han's his PH was very persistent and determined that they would be able to get one.  Having previous rifle problems James borrowed Pieter's .375 rifle, which seemed to break his jinx and late the final day, with only about 15 minutes of hunting time left,

his luck changed and James was able to take a beautiful Kudu.  In looking at his Kudu pictures, it appears to me that the look on his face is not only happy but one of a very relieved hunter.  His Blue Wildebeest looks like the brother to the record book Wildebeest that my daughter took 2 years ago, which by the way, both his and my daughter's were bigger than mine.  James also took a Gemsbok, Impala, Blesbok and Zebra.

Click HERE to view photos of James's hunt.

 Our second Father/Son team arrived the 3rd week of June.  BILL BEEM  from Maryland and his father BILL BEEM from Washington.  Now even though their first names are the same, they have different middle initials.  To avoid a little confusion here I will refer to Bill senior as Gramps, the nickname that he himself used.  Bill's main trophy that he was looking for during his safari was a Kudu.  He even mentioned before his arrival that this was his number one priority, along with being able to hunt with his father, and he may even hunt 2 of them.  The first time anyone goes to Africa and sees a male Kudu in the wild, they are usually shocked at realizing just how big they are and the size of their horns.  When he saw his first big Kudu, he just shot it on the spot without even asking his PH anything about it.  Although it was a mature animal, he found out afterwards that his PH would have told him to give it another year or two before they took it.  That really didn't make too much difference at the time as he finally had the Kudu of

his dreams.  He took another Kudu 7" larger a little later in the hunt.  Now Gramps, with a little more patience than his son took a record book Kudu himself.  Our PH's want to get everyone as large of animals as is possible and they really get as excited as the hunters when an exceptional animal it taken.  Gramps best experience during the safari was when his son shot an exceptional Blue Wildebeest.  Even though their PH, Jacques, knew that it was a good trophy, he was amazed how excited Jacques got when they actually measure it and determined that it would score very high in the record book.  Both Bill's totally enjoyed their safari and Bill ended up, besides the 2 Kudu and the Wildebeest, also taking a Gemsbok and an Impala.  Gramps took the record book Kudu, an excellent 38" Gemsbok and an Impala.

Click HERE to view photos of Bill and Bill's hunt.

The last day of the month seemed to be a very popular day to start safaris this year and that is exactly when PABLO, JUAN & JESUS RINCON, 3 brothers from Spain arrived.  Pieter speaks English, French and Afrikaans and I was a little concerned with the problem of the languages while they were there.  I speak just a little bit of Spanish but I really didn't think that I would have been of much help as the extent of my Spanish consists mainly of "What time is it?", "What is your name?" and "Thank you."  It turns out that there wasn't any problem at all as they understood written English and could understand it when it was spoken relatively slowly.  Juan, the oldest brother, and Pablo were the hunters during their safari and youngest brother Jesus came as an observer/photographer, but I'm sure he had a great hunt himself as one night they all went out for some rabbit hunting.  This is a favorite of mine where the lights of the bakkie blind the Spring Hare's and

everyone jumps out and tries to catch them by hand.  I know for a fact that this can be one of the funniest things that you have ever seen.  Jesus caught one that night.  All 3 of them have lifetime memories of all of the animals, however the majestic Kudus seemed to stand out in everyone's mind.  From time to time our PH's climb some of the trees to get a better view over some of the surrounding bush.  It seems that Pablo learned this lesson very well as one day he climbed a tree and then proceeded to shoot from his elevated position, a record book Blue Wildebeest that was 160 yards away.  Nice shooting Pablo!  Beside the Wildebeest, Pablo took an excellent Kudu, Gemsbok, Impala and a Warthog.  His brother Juan took a Kudu, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Warthog and 2 Impalas.  On their day of departure Jesus also became a hunter and took a Warthog.

Click HERE to view photos of Pablo, Juan and Jesus's hunt.

Our next Father/Son team arrived the second week of July.  RL HILL and his son  ADAM are from Georgia and RL Wasn't referred to as grandpa in this Father/Son team as Adam is only 14.  Although RL and Adam have been hunting together for several years in the south, on this trip Adam would be the observer, although we all knew that this wouldn't last too long.  RL earned the all time record for getting up the earliest to hunt Warthogs.  Normally Warthogs are not seen often early in the morning and usually you hunt them mid-day or late afternoons.  As it turned out one day they left very early to actually hunt for Kudu in the mountain area.  After walking over 8 km's without any success they decided to come down for lunch.  That is when they spotted the best Warthog that he had yet seen on his safari and RL took it.  Due to the early time of

 the day it was decided that in order to properly preserve the cape that they would have to drive back to the base camp.  When they pulled up and Pieter saw their trophy, which he thought would be a Kudu, Pieter bestowed on RL the honor and distinction of the earliest Warthog hunter in our history.  Naturally, with this honor, RL had to take another Warthog before he left.  RL had great luck with all of the rest of his trophies taken during his safari making the record book.  This included a Kudu, Gemsbok and an Impala.  And as I mentioned earlier, Adam had his hunt before they left and showed did his ability by taking a beautiful record book Blesbok.

Click HERE to see photos of RL & Adam's hunt.

Arriving just one day after the arrival of RL and his son was another Father/Son hunting team from Ohio.  GEORGE FRAZA and his son GEORGE gave us 2 family hunting groups at the same time.  The younger George is an excellent football player and we were instructed by his coach that he should get plenty of exercise while there in preparation for the start of his senior year of high school football.  We knew this would be no problem at all.  Having 3 sons myself I am sell aware of the rivalry between a high school boy and his father.  Like all boys of the age young George would like to butt heads with his Dad.  Thus they got to be known as the young bull and the old bull.  Probably the most memorable hunt during their safari was young George's Eland hunt.  There was great pride in dad being able to watch his son and Pieter work together and take a wonderful trophy.  When he shot the

Eland and they were walking up to it, there was reference to the young bull, whom I'm sure was a little puffed up at this time and the old bull.  Upon reaching the Eland young George said, "Young bull, old bull and the dead bull!"  When alarmed the Kudu will make a noise like a bark.  During his stay with us it was learned that George senior could bark like a Kudu.  Pieter, who is a master of this art, said that he had never heard anyone who could bark that loud.  During their safari, George and George took a total of 16 animals and 9 of them made the record book.  Besides young George's Eland, he took a Kudu, Blesbok, Impala, Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok, Warthog and a Blue Wildebeest.  Dad took a Kudu, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Blesbok, Blue Wildebeest, Waterbuck, Impala and a Warthog.

Click HERE to see photos of George & George's hunt.

Mid-July saw the arrival of GLEN DICKENS and STEPHEN WILLIAMS from Arizona.  Even though Stephen was mainly coming as an observer, he did plan on doing a little hunting himself.  Glen was particularly pleased to be able to take very mature animals and noted that the filming opportunities of other wildlife, such as the Rhino's and Giraffes, were excellent and just as valuable as the shooting opportunities.  As a retired wildlife biologist he was very impressed with his PH's (Jacques) field knowledge and said that he was the most knowledgeable individual that he has ever been in the field with after 30 years of hunting.  He said that he learned something every hour of every day.  Glen's intention during his safari was to take a couple of Zebras.  His initial goal was realized the very first hour of the very first day.  After stalking for about an hour and sitting he was able to make an excellent shot in heavy cover on his first Zebra.  He had planned on taking 2 Zebra but ended up with 3 before he left.  Stephen said that the African sunsets,

without clouds in the sky, were such a contrast to Arizona sunsets, which usually have clouds in the sky.  He noted that they provided an entire spectrum of graphic changing colors as the sun set lower on the horizon.  Along with the sound of jackals yipping at night, he said this was a splendid introduction to African hunting.  He said that it was a dram come true for a desert rat from Arizona who grew up reading J.A. Hunter and Selous, and who later in life consumed Peter Capstick.  When the nights are cold we put a hot water bottle between the sheets in the bed prior to the clients retiring for the evening.  Glen was so impressed with this that he took one home to his wife.  Besides the 3 Zebra's that Glen took, he also took 2 Impala, a Gemsbok, Blesbok, Kudu, Warthog and a Blue Wildebeest.  Stephen ended up hunting even a little more than he had planned, taking a Warthog, Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok and one of the biggest Impala taken all year.

Click HERE to see photos of Glen and Stephen's hunts.

The 3rd week of July saw the arrival of JOHN KOVACS from Australia/New Zealand/Saudi Arabia.  Now that may seem like quite a few places to be from but originally John was from Australia and was working/studying in Saudi Arabia and will be living in New Zealand when he gets married after the first of the year.  Congratulations John!  Due to his work/travel he was really looking forward to a vacation and a little time to do some hunting which he hasn't been able to pursuit for a few years and at the same time be able to take in a couple of the sights while in South Africa.  John was unable to

 bring his own rifle along and so he used Pieter's .375.  As we all know, it takes a little getting used to when you are using an unfamiliar rifle.  One of the problems that can occur is that you can sometimes be too close to scope when you fire it.  We all know what happens when you do that!  Hope it didn't hurt too much.  Johan had a very successful safari in which he took a Gemsbok, Impala, Blesbok, Kudu, Warthog and a couple of Jackals with at least 3 of them making the record book.

Click HERE to see photos of John's hunt.

The last day of July was when BOB McCOY, LEE & WANDA McNIEL and ED & JOHANNE WILLIAMS, all from Texas arrived.  From the moment that we picked them up in Johannesburg, we knew that this was going to be a fun group and our observation was correct.  Bob works in the Middle East and hunting is a passion with him making a safari to Africa the perfect opportunity to relax from his stressful job there.  His number one priority animal was the Kudu and he found hunting in the mountains for it was very challenging.  It turns out that he was thankful for all of the hiking there as he said if he didn't he would have gained 10 pounds from all of the good cooking he ate.  Even though he didn't hunt his Gemsbok in the mountains, he soon discovered that it required considerable hiking as they spent the better part of one day before he was finally able to down his trophy.  One of Pieter's joys is to sing during the day and he found the perfect one to join in with him, in Lee.  From what I have heard about all of the singing and the jokes it seems that Pieter finally met his match.  Lee also earned the nickname of "The White Zulu" while he was there.  I'm not sure how that name came to be but I understand it had something to do with the celebration of his Zebra and some body part.  I think we're lucky in that we don't have any pictures of that ceremony.  Of course naturally there is a lot of joking and little pranks that always go on with a group like this and Pieter naturally joined in.  In one of these episodes, Pieter had put a little water on the seat where Ed was sitting and he didn't realize it until he got out in the wind and the cold.  Not knowing what Pieter had done to him made this  moment even more humorous to everyone that

watched his shock.  One of Ed's primary animals was the Gemsbok and he wanted a very nice trophy of one.  We told him that we would do our best and was pretty sure of the area where he should be able to take one that would probably make the record book.  Now it seems that Ed has hunted some of those small ranches in Texas that leave little to chase and he was quite skeptical when his PH pointed out his trophy.  It turns out there was mud on the Gemsbok which looked like a green mark and Ed thought that we had previously gone out and marked this animal.  He was finally reassured that this hadn't happened as while in the skinning room they washed the mark off of the skin and you could then see that it was just mud.  Now let's no forget about the girls.  With all of the animals and the excitement of everyone's hunts it wasn't too long before it was more than they could stand and they wanted to join in the adventure.  Johanne made a perfect shot on a Warthog and collected her first African trophy.  Wanda's best experience of the safari was when she shot an excellent Impala which was the first animal that she had ever taken anywhere.  Of this moment she said, "This was such a rush, that you just can't describe it all."  Bob's trophies included a Gemsbok, Warthog, Impala, Zebra, Kudu, Blesbok and a Steenbok.  Ed took a Kudu, Gemsbok, Blesbok, Impala and a Warthog.  And Lee's trophies included a Zebra, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Steenbok, Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Blesbok and a Warthog.  Everyone in the group had so much fun that plans are already underway for their return trip.

Click HERE to see photos of Bob, Lee,  & Ed hunt.

Our next 2 hunters for August were DICK MORELAND and RON VANTASSEL both from Maryland.  Not only did they hunt hard but they also had the pleasure of doing some wing shooting during their stay.  Dick was able to do some filming at some of the waterholes and has sent some excellent pictures which will be utilized on different places on our web site.  Now I'm not sure whether it was on one of these photo trips or not but Dick got a very big fright one day when a Warthog charged him and ran directly into his leg.  Luckily there was no injury but it did leave a bruise.  I'm just glad to hear that it wasn't a Wildebeest that charged instead of the Warthog as I'm sure there would have been a much larger bruise.  Our tame Warthog at the camp, Pinky, was quite a different story as she just enjoyed having them scratch her belly.  He noted that the area was challenging and the hunting was just like the way he likes it.  Of the 9 animals that Dick took, 7 of them qualified for the record book including an excellent 53" Kudu.  Dick also took 2 Impala, a Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Blesbok, Warthog and a Zebra.  Ron, who went by the nickname "Italian Stallion" while in camp, took an exceptional Waterbuck and he took it in an unusual way.  It seems that he was high up in a tree sitting on a garden chair when he took it.  Ron also took a Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Gemsbok, Blesbok and a Warthog.

Click HERE to see photos of Dick & Ron's hunt.

The 3rd week of August saw the arrival of JEAN-PAUL DARPHIN and DANIEL SCHOUVEY  and 2 of their non-hunting friends form France.  Jean-Paul and Daniel only spoke French and because of my lack of knowledge of foreign languages, relaying all of the booking and safari details were a little slow.  Although I took a semester of French in college at the end of that time all I could say was my name, and I'm not even sure I got that right.  Luckily they had friends in South Africa that were able to translate and relay my information to them.  Pieter also speaks French so there were no problems on their arrival.  They all arrived well prepared as they brought along their favorite type of cheese and some special Schnapps made form berries that grow in the Swiss Alps.  During his hunt, Daniel took 4 very nice animals, but from what I understand, 3 out of the 4 were taken with "Texas heart shots", thus earning Daniel the nickname of the "Heart Professor".  Daniel's trophies included a Gemsbok, Impala, Kudu and a Warthog.  Jean-Paul also took a Gemsbok, Kudu, Impala and a Warthog.

Click HERE to view photos of Jena-Paul & Daniel's hunt.

Our next group of hunters described themselves as "Just a couple of Rednecks for Arkansas".  Although they are both professionals, KEVIN PIERCE and GREG BEARDEN may have earned their description in the video that they sent me.  When I asked for them to supply me with some information concerning their hunt they did one better and sent me a copy of the video that they made while they were on safari.  I have to admit that it is one of the best hunting videos that I have ever seen and I've watched it 4 times now.  To start out their story I must say that Kevin went on safari with the intention of hunting as many animals as was possible during his stay.  Greg went along basically as an observer and to be able to video everything and he did a remarkable jot.  Not only was the actual hunting portion of the tape great, but interwoven through the video were some excellent comedy routines.  Rather than going back and forth between the hunting and comedy, I'm going to talk first about the hunting portion.  The priority animal that Kevin was interested in obtaining was a Giraffe.  The video starts out at 6 AM on their first day where they are just talking about their upcoming safari.  The next scene is an excellent shot that Kevin made on the bull Giraffe.  You can actually see the impact and even though it was placed perfectly it required a follow up shot on this very large and rough animal.  We had extra trackers and skinners along for this hunt and when they loaded it up Greg's remark was, "Boy, talk about filling up the back of the bakkie."  Before noon that same day Kevin took a very nice Waterbuck and finished up that day with an Impala.  After being pumped up by the previous days hunting, at 8:30 the next morning Kevin learned what can happen with a marginal shot on a Red Hartebeest.  After tracking the Hartebeest for most of the day, Kevin and Greg were shown in the video waiting for Pieter to go retrieve the truck which had a flat tire.  This scene is great as the two wait, very thirsty, for his return.  A little golfing with a stick by Greg, building a native hut in miniature and letting the sand roll through his fingers to demonstrate how dry it was all the while being filmed by Kevin who was to tired to get up.  Anyway, they finally retrieved the Hartebeest at 5 PM.  Now they were all set to go again and this time it was after Zebra.  This was a remarkable hunt as Kevin had wanted 2 (one for a rug and one for a pedestal mount) and he was able to take 2 out of the herd within 2 minutes  That's some fast shooting, especially for Zebra.  The next morning had the makings to turn out like the day before on his Eland hunt.  To make long story short,

I lost count of the number of shots that Kevin took before finally bringing it down.  You can tell that they both were really having fun by now as the next scene is of Greg driving the bakkie on one of the dirt roads.  Luckily it was only big enough for one vehicle as "Mongo" (the nickname that he was now referred to as) couldn't figure out which side of the road he was suppose to drive on in Africa.  As they state, "It's a good thing we didn't hit a donkey!"  His Blue Wildebeest hunt was something that I had never seen before.  When he shot it, it went down right there but was kicking all around and really kicking up the dust.  Pieter told him to shot again as it was going to get back up again.  Kevin couldn't see because of all of the dust and you couldn't see what really happened in the video with all of the confusion.  Finally you hear another shot.  They had to do a little tracking before they recovered the one horned Wildebeest.  Yes, it had only one side of its horn left as Kevin in all of the confusion had shot off one of the sides.  Anyway, it will make a great rug.  Rather than describing all of the rest of the hunts I'm going to stop here a I want to talk about some of the comedy scenes that they added to the video.  One was of a large termite mound with Greg saying, "I've got a friend back home that kills them for a living and he'd be able to work all day on just that one spot!"  Another was a huge Warthog hole where suddenly dust started flying out of it and up pops "Mongo" doing his best pig impression.  While waiting to shoot a baboon another day, Greg is also filmed doing the best Baboon impression that I have seen.  Note to Kevin: That is the exact same spot where I also missed my own 350 yard shot on a Baboon.  After shooting his Ostrich, Kevin is heard to say in his best southern drawl, "I guess I ain't going duck hunting this fall.  If them birds don't weigh 350 pounds, then I ain't much interested in them."  In his underwear running through the bush was filmed the great "Albino Ape" scene.  Greg ducked for cover though when he heard gun shots going off.  Toward the end was Greg driving a "Kalahari Ferrari" (cart pulled by donkeys) as fast as it would go.  In thanks to the owner he did his famous little dance for her and I must admit it really made her smile.  Some of the other comedy scenes you'll just have to ask them about, including Kevin's going to the bathroom in the bush and his gas one day at the bar.  Besides the animals listed here, Kevin also took a record book Kudu, a Gemsbok, 2 Blesbok, Steenbok and what he called a Razorback.  Naturally after a while, Greg couldn't stand it any more and took a very nice Impala.

Click HERE to view photos of Kevin & Greg's hunt.

BOB & JENNIFER PINARD from California arrived the first week of September.  In planning their African vacation they made the most of their trip by also taking the time to visit Cape Town and also to fly to Zambia for what must have been a beautiful stay overlooking Victoria Falls.  Hunting for Impala one day Bob took a very nice one but was totally shocked when, walking up to it, they discovered a second one had also dropped in the same

place.  What had happened is that the bullet had . passed completely through his animal and also killed the one that was standing behind it.  It's a good idea to save your ammunition, but I don't think this was what he had planned to do.  Beside the 2 Impala, Bob took a very nice Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra and a Waterbuck

Click HERE to view photos of Bob's hunt.

Also arriving the same time as Bob & Jennifer was ROB BLAKE from New Hampshire.  Rob's favorite method to hunt was by stalking but some days the stalks can get very long and at the end of the trail it may turn out that the animals they have been stalking for hours, turn out not to be completely mature.  A Waterbuck was at the top of his priority list and he tried to get near one exceptional animal for 3 days.  Finally everything went perfect and he took the 2nd largest Waterbuck that we have ever taken.  It only missed being the best by 1/4".  I hated to tell him that it was my wife's Waterbuck that was the largest but she really

hopes someone will be able to beat it one day.  It  looks like soon that record will fall at Cruiser's as besides Rob's there have been some really nice ones taken this year.  Even though he did a lot of walking, Rob also like to walk by himself at lunch time, just to enjoy and absorb the beautiful setting.  Rob ended up with all of the animals that he had set as a goal before coming and that included a Kudu, Zebra, Gemsbok and a Blue Wildebeest along with his record book Waterbuck.

Click HERE to view photos of Rob's hunt.

The middle of September we welcomed another Father/Son team.  CHARLES HOLBROOK from North Carolina and his son ERIC HOLBROOK from Florida were the team.  Eric had just retired from the Navy and this safari was his retirement present.  Their hunting was excellent and they both were amazed with the abundance of game that they saw every day.  Jacques was their PH and they loved working with him saying that, "He really tried to please us and worked very hard to find the right animals for us."  Eric's top animal was a Kudu and he was thrilled to be able to take a record book trophy, which he took after one and a half days of tracking and stalking.  One day Eric and Jacques went out hunting Gemsbok.  They picked up tracks crossing a road and proceeded to track and stalk, including getting down on all fours, until they spotted the Gemsbok 150 yards away in the bush.  Jacques set up the shooting sticks and Eric prepared to shoot.  Jacques said, "Shoot it!  Shoot it!"  Eric could only see the rear end of the Gemsbok and said, "Where?  Where?", to which Jacques replied, "In the butt!  In the butt!"  It worked and it turns out that it was the oldest Gemsbok on the property!  Now not to be outdone by Eric's Gemsbok story, late in the afternoon one day

  they spotted one and began to stalk it.  When it looked as if the Gemsbok was preparing to go into  thick bush, Jacques hurriedly set up the shooting sticks and Charles prepared to shoot.  When he got on him with the scope, he was facing away form him and Charles thought that he looked like something was wrong with him.  Naturally with limited amount of time for the shot Jacques said, "Shoot it!  Shoot it!"  Charles said to Jacques, "What's wrong with it?", to which Jacques replied, "It's taking a dump!"  Charles got his Gemsbok!  Eric did learn one night that you had to be careful about where you put your beer down around the camp.  It seems that he did and then left the area for a few minutes.  Our pet Warthog used that time alone to enjoy the beer itself.  Later, Eric picks up the beer and takes another swig - pig slobber, sand and all.  He spit and sputtered and ranted all over the place to a chorus of laughter form all assembled.  Beside the Kudu and Gemsbok, Eric also took an Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok and a Zebra.  Charles also took a Kudu, Impala, Blue Wildebeest and a Blesbok.

Click HERE to see photos of Charles and Eric's hunt.