CRUISER SAFARIS 2006 safari newsletter.

2006 Cruiser Safari Newsletter

This year’s newsletter is going to be a little different from those in the past. Previously I have written the newsletter at the end of the hunting season and it usually isn’t completed until around the end of December. Over the years people have asked to see some of the information on current hunters before the season ends. Even though I am starting this new approach mid way through the season, I think by doing it this way, those that will be hunting with us the rest of the year will have an advanced look at what they will see when they arrive. The set up of each group’s information will be a little different also. First it will contain the month in which they arrived, then the names of everyone and the state or country that they are from. Under each hunter's name will be a list of the animals that they took and, if these animals qualify for the record books there will be an asterisk next to it (because I don’t have all of the scoring totals to all of the animals taken, I may miss some that do qualify for the record books. If you notice one that is lacking an asterisk and it deserves one, please let me know). As everyone is always very interested in specific horn lengths of the Kudu’s taken, I will include those that exceed 50” even though others may qualify for the record books. Under this information will be the highlights of their safari containing stories that I have received from them upon their return. Some of these highlights may have a lot of information and some of them will not have anything depending on what has been sent to me at the time of inclusion in the newsletter. As time goes by I will include any additional information that I receive and when I return from Africa myself this fall, I will include the stories that I have received from the staff while I was there. My goal in the future is to put something on the newsletter about a month to a month and one half after everyone returns from their safari. Please let me know what you think of this new format.

2006 got off to a great start with the hiring of 2 new full time PH’s. Pieter Fourie and Craig Diplock joined us and from the positive reports that I have received from returning clients, they are a valuable asset to Cruiser Safaris. Congratulations and keep up the great work! I must apologize to our early clients for the construction mess that was around the camp because of several improvements that we made. Everything was suppose to be completed before the hunting season but as it always seems to go, there were unexpected delays. These new improvements included completely refurbishing the lappa, including new furniture and a new bar area. The new bar is absolutely stunning and really gives the area a fabulous new look. The new adjoining chalet was completed and gives us the perfect area for those families that bring along some of their younger family members. It provides for a private chalet for mom and dad while offering an inside door for access to the other family members. A new laundry area was also added giving us the much needed space for this important service. Although there were a few glitches at first, the staff has taken a real liking to this improvement. There were many behind the scene changes made to the skinning area including a new cold storage area, additional storage areas and improvements that have made this area state of the art. The boma area was also refurbished including a new fence and the addition of a landscaped waterfall area. What a great place to relax while watching them as they prepare some of your dinners on the braai. My personal favorite is the new hot tub. I really can’t think of a better way to relax after a hard day of hunting then letting the soothing water massage your tired muscles while enjoying a tasty sundowner. I do not have pictures of all of these improvements yet on the web site, but as I receive photos I will continue to update the accommodations page showing these outstanding improvements. Cruisers will not sit on their laurels with just these improvements and we have many more planned for the future.

The high point for the year is the arrival of Pieter and Lizelle’s beautiful baby daughter. Elizca was born on Tuesday May 2, 2006. Please visit our host page for pictures of this little angel. Elizca and mother are doing well and from what I have heard in the background, while talking on the phone to Pieter and Lizelle, little Elizca has no problem at all about being heard. With a strong voice like that, there is no doubt that before long she will be taking over the manager’s job at the camp. It is without question that Lizelle deserves this years “Employee of the Year” (even though Pieter doesn’t pay her) and I must raise my glass to toast her myself. Going through all of the new construction and doing all of the planning around camp for this years guests, all the while being pregnant deserves our highest accolades. Thanks to you, Lizelle and may next year be just a little quieter for you.

Cruiser Bob

Lizelle

Cruiser Safaris

"Employee of the Year"

February

BRIAN BOLIN – Minnesota

Animals taken – Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala, Blesbok*

Highlights:

Brian is currently working in Ethiopia and although he has photographed many animals in the wild, he hadn’t been on a hunting safari to South Africa. Although his arrival was a little earlier than we normally start the season, Brian’s time off from work dictated this arrival date. He said he was very used to the warm temperatures this time of the year. Although he hadn’t planned on hunting a Blue Wildebeest on this trip, during a stalk on some Gemsbok some Blue Wildebeest spotted them and started snorting, blowing their stalk on the Gemsbok. It was at this point that Brian decided to hunt this animal. The following is his story of that hunt. “We stalked on the edge of the field and ran into many obstacles in order to get close enough. The first obstacle was a female waterbuck. We were able to get around her without spooking the wildebeests. The second obstacle was a flock of guinea fowl. We watched them for a while to see which way they were moving and moved around them. The third obstacle was a nice male impala that Hans said needed to die. I just got the rifle on the shooting sticks and was about to pull the trigger when he bolted into the brush. The wildebeest are now too many yards in the open field to take a shot at.

We walked back to the truck and drove on the sides of the field keeping an eye on the two bulls that we were stalking. This is when the two male bulls made the mistake of splitting from the herd. We jumped out of the truck and started stalking the two wildebeests. After stalking two hundred yards into the bush, Hans spotted the bull we were after looking straight at us. Hans put up the shooting sticks and I made an eighty yard shot. I hit the bull but he did not go down. Hans put Jesse, the tracking dog, onto the wildebeest. Jesse had a good blood trail and within a few minutes we heard Jesse barking. I was able to make another thirty yard facing shot as the wildebeest came towards us. This time the bull went down and stayed down. This was my most memorable and exciting hunt of all time.” Brian finished his South African safari with a trip to Kruger National Park.

Click HERE
to see photos of Brian's hunt.

March

JEFF & AMY KIRBY – Maryland

Animals taken – Waterbuck*, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala*, 2 – Gemsbok (1*), Red Hartebeest, Kudu – 51”, Steenbok* & Blesbok*

Highlights:

When you arrive and hear Pieter & the PH’s talking in their native language, Afrikaans, it is very common that you want to learn a little of the language while you are there. Pieter loves to help out and his favorite saying to teach is what he calls the “Formal Toast”. With glasses raised, Jeff and Pieter would say it repeatedly during dinners. What his toast says is “Skiet lom in die hol”. What I will say is that the word “Skiet” in Afrikaans translates into “shoot” in English. I will let him translate the rest to you but trust me, I learned the same “toast’ the first time I went to Africa. Jeff’s #1 priority animal was the Kudu and during his safari he learned the reason that is has been referred to as “The Gray Ghost of Africa”. It was well into his safari before he was able to take his. Jeff’s most memorable hunt was for his Zebra. Here is his story of that hunt. “Craig and I ran, walked, stalked, and crawled for 12km, in pursuit of a mixed herd of Zebra and Blue Wildebeest. Due to a swirling wind, the herd busted us several times, presenting us with a cloud of dust rather than shot opportunities. Finally Craig was able to maneuver us into the herd’s path, with the wind in our favor. On hands and knees we waited in high grass for the herd to pass within 60ft of our ambush position. I rose to one knee and took a high heart/lung shot from 20 paces. The bullet came to rest just under the skin on the opposite side”.

Click HERE
to see photos of Jeff & Amy's hunt.

MATT & KORI WALL – Canada

Animals taken – Eland*, Gemsbok*, Impala*, Kudu, Blesbok*

Highlights:

Matt & Kori’s safari was very special to them as they celebrated their first wedding anniversary while they were there. Pieter, Lizelle, Jacques & Beatrix snuck around that night and set up their room for this special occasion. This helped to make this anniversary even more special for them. Matt hunted hard also for his Kudu and when he finally got it and loaded it on the truck, Pieter promptly got the truck stuck up to the axels. They had to get a tractor to pull him out, but he kept a smile on his face the whole time. I only relate that story here for the benefit of our PH’s, whom Pieter scolds when it happens to them. The last animal that Matt took was his Blesbok. “Kori filmed the shot on that one. She zoomed right in on him and you can hear Pieter (PH) tell me to take him, when my rifle went off Kori jumped and missed filming the actual shot, but you can hear her say a bad word because she realized she had missed filming it”. Matt said that throughout the entire hunt, Pieter (PH) was like an encyclopedia of African flowers, trees, birds, bugs and all things living and it made for a great time and an interesting hunt.

Click HERE
to see photos of Matt & Kori's hunt.

KENNETH MCLAUGHLIN – New Hampshire

Highlights:

Kenneth hunted with us in 2004 and this time he brought some of his friends along to enjoy his experiences with Cruiser’s. In 2004 Kenneth wrote an outstanding journal of his safari and I am looking forward to receiving the one from this year. This year he didn’t hunt but savored in everyone else’s safari.

MATT BOSOWSKI AND HIS WIFE DEBRA – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Gemsbok*, Red Hartebeest, Kudu, Impala

Highlights:

Matt & Debra had a good laugh the first day at the expense of their PH. It seems that a Warthog jumped out of its hole screaming and running right at him. He had to jump out of the way to keep it from ramming him. On a later day they were able to capture on their video camera a couple of Rhino bulls fighting.

BEN BOSOWSKI (Matt & Debra’s son) – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Waterbuck*, Gemsbok, Zebra, Warthog*, Blue Wildebeest*, Red Hartebeest, Black Backed Jackal, 2 – Impala (1*)

Highlights:

Taking his first African animal, an excellent Waterbuck, on the second day of the safari was extremely exciting for Ben. However his excitement seemed to wane a bit when his PH told him that it was traditional to eat the testicles of his first animal. I don’t know the whole story but somehow they got cooked up and he ended up eating them without knowing it.

DANIEL BRAZAS – New Hampshire

Animals taken – 54” Kudu, Blesbok*, Waterbuck*, Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok, Zebra, Steenbok*

Highlights:

Dan earned the nickname “Daniel Boone”. His PH stated that he was the first person that ever told him that Gemsbok they found had horns that were too long. His PH said that he could cut some of it off for him.

ROBERT GALLANT – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Impala*, Blue Wildebeest*, Red Hartebeest, Zebra, 2 – Gemsbok, Blesbok*, Waterbuck*

Highlights:

Robert said that Pieter broke the ice the first morning by calling his attention to a “Tree Crocodile. Naturally Robert looked. He finished the safari on the same note when he later discovered a rock in his carry on luggage. Robert’s most memorable hunt was that for his record book Waterbuck. In his words, “My PH spotted the animal in the brush at about 120 yards, it blended in with the bush but I picked it up in my scope and made a chest shot and it ran off, we tracked it about 70 yards before spotting a drop of blood, it lay dead almost 20 yards away. What a trophy!” Robert will be joining us again next year, which will also be his 79th birthday.

Click HERE
to see photos of this group's hunt.

(Note: The following 4 couples, friends from Wisconsin, toured Kruger National Park with us after their safari where they got to experience an Elephant charging their vehicle)

RODNEY & CHERYL LEE – Wisconsin

Animals taken – Warthog*, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest*, Kudu*, Impala*

Highlights:

Cheri said the highlight of her safari was the look on Rod’s face when Pieter chased the Kudu that he shot down the mountain and it dropping dead on the road!

ORVILLE & WINIFRED TORGERSON – Wisconsin

Animals taken – Blesbok*, Gemsbok, Kudu*, Impala, Warthog*

Highlights:

‘Winnie’ wants me to warn all future clients not to leave their camera in the bar area at night. She says that you’ll never know what will appear on it the next morning – such as an African full moon or several full moons, including those moons named Pieter & Jacques. I don’t know how this could have happened, but I refer you to Marsha’s highlights below.

Torgy (Orville) said Pieter started his pranks right away with him, coming up to him the first day at dinner and saying, “Torgy, we have a problem. I haven’t received your deposit yet.” “My mouth dropped open and I whipped my head around to look at my wife, then back at Pieter. It was really a weird feeling, I didn’t know what to think, but after it was all over and I found out that Pieter was just kidding, everyone let me know that you should have seen the look on my face.” He did say that he was able to get back at Pieter twice after that incident. Torgy’s most memorable hunt was the one with Hans for his Gemsbok. In his words, “Hans likes to walk……..a lot. So we’re walking very slowly, sort of bent over. I’m an old man and it’s hard for me to walk that way. Soon Hans is on his hands and knees and moving along this way. There is no way I can get down like that so I’m sort of duck walking behind him. Suddenly he stops dead for about 10 minutes. I’m dying because I’m on one knee and can’t hold that position any longer. Ahead is a Gemsbok standing broadside. Hans is in front of me so there’s no way I can shoot. He ever so slowly lies down and slowly raises his hands to cover his ears. I take this as a signal to shoot, which I did. One shot and down he went.” At a water hole one day they saw 45 different Warthogs until finally a decent one came in. On the last day a group of them went out looking for a Gemsbok that was shot just at dark the night before. They did find it and after pictures, Winnie elected not to watch the field dressing and decided to just meander back to the truck alone. In her words “I meandered to the left and kept going. After about ½ hour, I realized that I was lost. I stood extremely still and thought I heard a noise to my right, so I started walking that way. I stopped again and listened and heard a fain whistle. I started walking again and eventually heard the shouting and whistling. I had done a complete circle and wound up back where I had left. I was very happy to see everyone! I didn’t really get freaked out until I got back and started to think about all of the animals, creatures, etc. that were out there where I was.”

JAMES & LOUANN CURRAN – Wisconsin

Animals taken – Blesbok*, 56 ½” Kudu, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala, Gemsbok

Highlights:

GARY & MARSHA GRUNDAHL – Wisconsin

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Impala*, Waterbuck*, 2 – Warthogs**, Kudu

Highlights:

Marsha said she took some wonderful photographs, including some African full moons. (Note: pictures were not available at press time.) I don’t know the full story yet, but she said she was very successful in hunting by the pool.

Click HERE
to see photos of this group's hunt.

April - May

MIKE & DAYLE DOMINY – Nebraska

Animals taken – 51 ¾” Kudu, Impala*, Blue Wildebeest*, Red Hartebeest*, Blesbok*, Zebra, Warthog*, Gemsbok

Highlights:

The main reason that Mike wanted to go to Africa was to take a 50” Kudu. His Kudu hunt was not only tough but a very interesting one. The hunt started out up in a tree looking for their goal. This shortly turned out to be a sinking experience and they decided they would be better off leaving this precarious position. After leaving the tree they crawled under a thorn bush trying for his shot. They ended up on their bellies for a considerable amount of time while Kudu and Gemsbok were nearly stepping on them as they tried to get into shooting position on a trophy bull Kudu. All during this time, naturally they were getting stabbed by the thorns and once Mike had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing while his PH is relieving himself in a pop can, lying on his side, while Kudu are milling around only 35 yards away. Finally the opportunity presented itself and Mike got his shot on his record book Kudu. Even though they had a considerable tracking job prior to recovering his trophy, his goal was achieved as he took a 51¾” trophy. Mike told me later that he couldn’t believe the quantity and quality of animals that he saw every day. Even though the Kudu was his main priority, Mike said that his Zebra hunt was his absolute fondest memory of his whole safari. Dayle agreed with her husband on that point saying “The whole trip was a high for me, but my favorite was the Zebra hunt and seeing Mike’s excitement when he finally put one down". We are looking forward to their return for another safari with Cruiser’s.

Click HERE
to see photos of Mike & Dayle's hunt available.

BRIAN & ANITA LENGVARSKY – Pennsylvania

Animals taken – Gemsbok*, Impala*, Blue Wildebeest*, Warthog, 53” Kudu, Baboon, Waterbuck* & Anita took her very first animal ever, an Impala.

Highlights:

I can’t think of a more perfect destination for a honeymoon than going on an African safari and that’s exactly what Brian & Anita did. They said that they had an excellent time and couldn’t imagine a better honeymoon. Naturally during their stay the normal pranks happened with everyone and Brian pulled a good one himself on his PH, Craig. One day Craig’s bakkie was in for service and they got to use Pieter’s. Brian told Pieter how they tried out the 4 wheel drive on his bakkie and how much fun they had driving it through the water holes and up the river. Poor Craig’s face turned white. Brian’s Kudu was very unusual in the fact that it contained a 3rd horn that was growing between its eyes (see photos). Even though, because of the damage done by the shot to the animal, he couldn’t get a full mount of his Baboon, he made an outstanding shot on it from 271 yards. Anita was extremely excited when she took her first animal ever, an Impala. Among the hunting traditions around the world, smearing blood on the face of a first time successful hunter is one of the rituals that goes back to ancient times and Anita was inducted into this tradition. This tradition in primitive times elevates the person from a gatherer to the highly respected position of a hunter. This rite is as much respect for the animal as it is for the hunter, with the belief that this ritual conveys the spirit of the animal to the hunter.

Click HERE
to see photos of this Brian & Anita's hunt.

May

BRIAN McLAUGHLIN – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Impala, Red Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest*, Eland*, Waterbuck*, 55” Kudu

Highlights:

Brian hunted with us in 2004 with his father. This year both of them returned with friends, although at different times. Brian’s fathers’ story is above. This year Brian added some really nice trophies to what he had taken 2 years ago, including another excellent Kudu that was larger then the one he had taken previously.

WILLIAM BALD – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*

Highlights:

Bill’s primary goal on his safari was photography and to just enjoy the African experience with his close friend Brian, although he did take a beautiful record book Blue Wildebeest. While he was there he did what I consider to be the most memorable and touching thing that anyone has ever done while at Cruiser’s. Bill’s father passed away unexpectedly 5 years ago. Bill and his father were avid adventure travelers, having helicopter skied in the Rockies, dove in the Bahamas, white water rafted the Ottawa River in Ontario, Canada and boated many of the lakes and rivers in the Adirondacks. His father was a private pilot and they flew into many remote areas of Maine and Canada for fishing and camping together. Although he and his father never made it to Africa together, Bill brought some of his cremated remains with him on his safari. In a tribute to his father and all of those great memories, he made a small memorial to his father on the spot where he shot his Blue Wildebeest and spread his father’s ashes on that spot. This spot will always be a very special location to us and if you are ever there, please stop by the location and offer up a little prayer for a wonderful father and his son whose father/son bond is something that we all can be very proud of. Thanks Bill for letting us be a part of this exceptional tribute.

Click HERE
to see photos of this Brian & Bill's hunt.

ANNETTE RIDGEWAY – Wyoming

Highlights:

This safari was a family trip that has been planned for quite some time. Annette is the mother of Jason, Shaun & Jamie and totally enjoyed the entire family experience.

JASON & ELIZABETH RIDGEWAY – Wyoming

Animals taken – THE LARGEST KUDU EVER TAKEN AT CRUISER SAFARIS, A 60 3/8” MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plus 2 – Impala*, Blesbok*, another Kudu, Blue Wildebeest*, Gemsbok, Warthog* and if I have it right, Elizabeth took a Waterbuck*, Impala and a Gemsbok.

Highlights:

Some people travel to Africa for years in search of what is considered the “Holy Grail” for Kudu and that is the magical 60” mark. Jason reached this pinnacle on his very first safari. We have only taken 1 other Kudu that size in the past and it appears that our proper game management is really paying off. Jason took a very nice Kudu on his very first day although it was just short of the record book. After seeing his brothers both take record book Kudu’s, Jason decided that he wanted one also. For the next 6 days they saw plenty of nice Kudu’s but nothing that appear much bigger than the minimum record book entry. With only 2 days to go he wasn’t sure if he was going to obtain his goal when suddenly his tracker spotted a Kudu. His PH, Pieter PH, yelled at him to shoot without even looking through his binoculars and Jason knew that this had to be a really good one. Although only his neck was visible to Jason through the bush, he made a perfect shot and after a very short tracking job they located his trophy of a lifetime.

Pieter PH, Jason and Elizabeth had a great time together and were constantly going back and forth doing their best to scare one another. Elizabeth ended up winning this contest when one night she snuck through the round openings in the Lappa behind the couch and scared Pieter. She said that he jumped at least 2 feet off of the couch when she did this.

SHAUN & SHAUNA RIDGEWAY – Wyoming

Animals taken – 57 3/8” Kudu, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala, Zebra, Blesbok*, Gemsbok*, Warthog*

Highlights:

Shaun stated that of all of the great trophies that he took, the Gemsbok was by far the hardest hunt of them all. They did quite a bit of walking and stalking but a very memorable stalk was the one where they were able to stalk to within 15 yards of some Rhino’s, although Shauna admitted that the experience was extremely intense to be that close to such huge and intimidating animals and stopped 25 yards away. One day the girls departed to go on the Elephant Back safari ride with our chef Beatrix. On the way they got a flat tire and she was unsure as how to change it and Beatrix radioed for some help from her husband, Jacques. The girls were going to have none of this and Annette, Elizabeth and Shauna jumped right in and got it changed before the Calvary (Jacques & Shaun) were able to arrive. Go Girls!!

JAMIE RIDGEWAY – Utah

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Zebra, 2 – Impala, 52 ¾” Kudu, Blesbok, Gemsbok, Warthog*, Steenbok*

Highlights:

Click HERE
to see photos of this group's hunt.

ROBERT SIMMONS – Georgia

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, 2 – Impala*, 2 – Zebra, Warthog*, Gemsbok, Blesbok*

Highlights:

Robert enjoyed the Zebra stalks the most. On one of them, they couldn’t see the Zebras because of the thick brush but they could hear them and they headed in their general direction. They ended up running into 5 Rhino’s that were only 30 feet away when they spotted them. Backing up very slowly they discreetly went around them and continued their stalk on the Zebra’s. Shortly after returning home Robert emailed me and said that he was suffering from PSD (Post Safari Depression) and felt the only cure for this would be to go back to Africa as soon as possible. We are looking at dates for next year at this time.

MIKE MATHIS – Georgia

Animals taken – 2 – Impala*, 2 – Zebra, Blue Wildebeest*, 2 – Red Hartebeest, 2 – Gemsbok*, Waterbuck*, Blesbok*, 2 – Warthog**, Waterbuck*, Eland*, 2 – Kudu (one of them was 56 ¼”)

Highlights:

As you can see from the list of trophies that Mike took, he was hunting the whole time that he was there. Because of it he earned the nickname “Trigger” as that is the part of his rifle that he nearly wore out. As he earned a nickname, they thought that it was only appropriate that they give their PH a nickname too. With 2 Pieter’s around the camp it sometimes gets to be a little confusing so they named Pieter PH, “Pieter Grassy”. I understand this comes from his school days where he studied different grasses. Not to be confused with the grasses that my son learned about when he went to collage.

Click HERE to see photos of Robert & Mike's hunt.

LARRY & PHYLLIS WEBSTER – Montana

Animals taken – Larry: Impala*, Blue Wildebeest*, Bushbuck*, Blesbok, Kudu, 2 – Gemsbok, Warthog*

Phyllis: Red Hartebeest, Blesbok*, Zebra, 55 5/8” Kudu, Warthog*, Impala*

Highlights:

Although I may be biased, as my wife is also a hunter, I love to see when husbands and wives hunt together. And Phyllis is also a top notch hunter, taking all 6 of her animals with one shot. She earned the nickname “One Shot Granny” while on safari. Her most memorable hunt is best told in her words. “My most memorable hunt was my 56" kudu (editors note: as with all hunting ½ or more goes to the next higher number) from a tree top. Jacques, the P.H. took 2-3 hours to make this tree house on a limb, made out of a farm gate & metal roofing & some wire he found. The tracker, Mosas, climbed up an old windmill to disassemble the ladder, & repair it once it hit the ground, to use for the climb up to the top of the tree. The Jacques said, "I can't let Granny climb all the way up the tree trunk without a ladder". After finally making it to the top, which was a real treat (I don't especially like heights), with all of our guns, chairs, & coolers, it was very comfortable until the breeze would kick up then we kinda swayed. The birds up there were chirping away inches from our heads. The birds were not especially fond of Jacques' Cow's incense that he was burning, making sure the Kudu could not smell us perched above them. We waited & waited patiently until almost dark, hoping the Kudus would get thirsty. Then here they came, several at a time. I turned around very slowly because a Kudu was right under us, waiting for Jacques' signal, he kept shaking his head, no not big enough, then two big ones in the distance arrived. I turned back, he then signaled the one on the right but by then it was getting very hard to see, so I balanced my gun & shot. Immediately, my husband & Jacques ran down the tree trunk, leaving me up there, figuring they would have to finish it off, but it quickly dropped dead in its tracks”.

Larry’s most memorable hunt was right at sunrise one morning. Jacques spotted a very nice Blue Wildebeest bull and they proceeded to stalk it. It ended up running almost out of sight when Jacques grunted at it. The Wildebeest stopped and completely turned around and came back to face them with steam coming out of his nose, looking like it was going to charge them. ‘Silly Wildebeest’, one shot from Larry and it was down. Twice during their safari Larry & Phyllis took doubles. The first double occurred early one morning when they came upon a nice group of Blesbok. Larry shot the one on the left and Phyllis shot the one on the right. As it always seems to go when I hunt with my wife, hers was larger. The next time came on the last morning of their safari. They had saved the Warthogs to hunt last but they were running out of time. With little time left they felt their best chances for success were to hunt the different water holes that are frequented by the Warthogs. Larry was at one and Phyllis was at another. About 10 AM Phyllis shot her record book Warthog, loaded it in the bakkie and drove over to the water hole where Larry was hunting, arriving there at about the same time that Larry took his Warthog, which turned out to be exactly the same size as Phyllis’s.

Click HERE to see photos of Larry & Phyllis's hunt.

June

JOHN WARDSWORTH – North Carolina

Animals taken – Duiker, Zebra, Steenbok*, Eland*, Black Backed Jackal, Red Hartebeest, Warthog*, Impala

Highlights:

John hunted with us in 2004 and this year he came back with 3 of his friends. His friends could not believe the numbers of animals that they were seeing and even though he had told them that they would see a lot, he said that he saw more this time than he did the last time he was here. John hunted with Hans again this year and his goal was to let Hans shoot a Zebra for him to have a should mount made from it so as to always be able to look at it and remember his good friend & PH, Hans. On the 3rd day of his safari everything seemed to come together for this wish when Hans spotted a nice one about 200 yards away. I’ll let John tell the story. “We got the wind right and sneaked pass a herd of Cape Buffalo. We then sat behind a small tree while a herd of about 12 eland walk past us no more than 10 feet away. Then we sneaked out on hands and knees pass a Gemsbok and ended up less than 50 yards from where Hans saw the Zebra. We waited while the Eland and the Zebras walked back and forth in front of us for about 15 to 20 minutes. One large female Eland came up to about 10 yards in front of us and starred at us for what seemed like a lifetime, then backed off and led the herd in front of us again. Now during all of this I could hear a sound off to my left that I thought were the buffalo coming our way but I could not turn my head to look without the female Eland seeing us. Then the zebra’s moved in with the Eland in front of us. At first Han was going to use my 300 Weatherby but a bush blocked his shooting lane, so we exchanged the .300 for the 375 Ulta Mag. I told him this would go through that bush without a problem. Hans moved into a better shooting position, got on the sticks and waited for the perfect shot. And he made an excellent one too. The zebra went less than 40-50 yards. I don't know who was smiling more, me from enjoying what had just happen or Hans for harvesting his first zebra. It was the best hunt of my life and I have being hunting for 48 years. Hans said he now knows why people come there to hunt, ‘because it feels so good’. I will remember that hunt for the rest of my life.

IRA SMITH – North Carolina

Animals taken – Gemsbok, Black Backed Jackal, Warthog, Zebra, 53 7/8” Kudu

Highlights:

Ira’s first day also started out on a great note, taking a nice Gemsbok and also an elusive Black Backed Jackal. As can happen, Ira’s rifle was found to be off and after correcting that problem his safari was on the right track taking a very nice Kudu. One night Pieter was up to his usual pranks at the dinner table. He switched Ira’s glass of wine for a glass of Coke. Ira did not seem to notice the difference and kept drinking and talking all the while the rest of the group were laughing and cracking up over it.

REX SMITH – North Carolina

Animals taken – Blesbok*, Blue Wildebeest*, 2 – Warthog*, Kudu, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest*, Zebra, Impala*, Waterbuck*

Highlights:

After an exceptional long stalk his PH asked him where the truck was and Rex showed his ability by pointing in the right direction to its location. Although long shots on a Blue Wildebeest are not the best idea, Rex make a perfect 215 yard shot on his. On day 4 Rex not only took his Kudu but also 2 Warthog’s, earning him the nickname of Professor Pumba. Day 6 was Rex’s best day taking 3 record book animals and a Zebra. Spending his birthday in Africa while on safari is a terrific memory that Rex will always have.

KENNETH COLE – North Carolina

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, 2 – Warthogs**, Waterbuck*, Kudu, Gemsbok*, Zebra, Impala*

Highlights:

Click HERE to see photos of this group's hunt.

THOMAS TAYLOR – Oregon

Animals taken – Impala*, Gemsbok*, 55” Kudu, Blesbok

Highlights:

Tom’s PH was Hans and from day one Tom knew that he was a perfect match for his hunting style. His first mornings hunt was for Impala and Hans was determined to help him obtain a really good one. It was a hard hunt and they made numerous stalks that were unsuccessful for one reason or another. Late in the day Hans spotted some Impala that were slowly browsing and announced that there was a very good ram in the middle of the group. After some missed opportunities and as the daylight was fading, and even with some foliage partially blocking the animal, Hans was confident in both the situation and Tom’s shooting ability and told him to take the shot. Tom made a great shot on his first African animal and a record book one too. Tom’s comment later was “needless to say, I went to bed that night as one happy hunter.” Tom’s Kudu hunt in the mountains also turned into a very long day. They did see Kudu throughout the day, however as with the Impala hunt it was getting late in the day before they spotted a good bull. The visibility surrounding the Kudu was very limited and Tom could only see the head and the neck. He lowered his sight to where he anticipated the vitals to be and took the shot. It turns out the shot was a little low and they had to track the Kudu for over a mile before he was able to finish it off. On the ride back to camp Tom was somewhat depressed that his initial shot was not placed better. Hans cheered him up immediately by laughing and saying you have an exceptionally large trophy, just turn around and you can see it again in the back of the bakkie. For both of these trophies he had hunted very hard but a Blesbok proved to be even more difficult and it took 2 full days until he was able to take this, his final African trophy.

Click HERE to see photos of Tom's hunt.

“IKE” & KATE IKEGUCHI – New York

Animals taken:

Ike – Blesbok*, 2 - Warthog*, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala*, Zebra, Eland*, Nyala*, Sable

Kate – Blesbok, Warthog*, Ostrich, Blue Wildebeest*

Highlights:

Ike and Kate hunted with us in August of 2005 and they couldn’t wait for their return visit this year, although the weather was a lot cooler then it was when they were here the last time. Kate had practiced shooting all year and one of her priorities was to hunt a Warthog. She passed on her first opportunity on a good Warthog though. It seems that this Warthog she came across was mating at the time. Pieter told her to shoot but she just didn’t know where to aim as she was afraid that she would hit both of them if she shot. She also felt sorry for disturbing their private moment so she just passed on the shot. I guess we’ll name one of the little ones we see later this fall in her honor. Her next Warthog experience was just about as tough a situation for her. There were 2 big Warthogs running away from her and while she was aiming she asked Pieter which one to shoot. As they kept crossing one another Pieter yelled “the one on the left, no right, no left, right”, luckily they paused for a moment and she shot the one on the right, which turned out to be the right one. One of Ike’s priority animals this year was an Eland. He had heard that because of the large size of this animal, they were able to “absorb bullets like a sponge”. Because of this he was extremely careful with his first shot and placed a perfect high shoulder/spine shot on it and it dropped right there. Naturally there were a lot of congratulations and hand shakes on his shot and it was a few minutes before they proceeded to the area where it was down. As often happens, when they got to the spot everyone was greatly surprised when they found out it was gone. Luckily they found him 30 yards away and Ike had his record book trophy. Sometimes fate just smiles at you and when Pieter told him that he had just been contacted by another property owner with the prospect of being able to hunt an unusual (I would call it non typical) Sable, Ike jumped at the chance. The next day he was successful in taking this 38” trophy of a lifetime. Kate also wanted to hunt an Ostrich to use the skin to make some hand bags. Pieter told her that there was this really bad one that had chased a hunter and a farmer the other day. He said that if she was able to take this particular one, it would make everyone extremely happy. They were fortunate to locate this trouble maker and Kate had told Ike that she wanted him to capture the whole event on video. It was a very tense stalk and when the time was right she made an absolutely perfect shot in the right area to minimize any damage to the skin. She then turned around to Ike and asked him if he got it all on video. Because of the intensity of the stalk, Ike had gotten into the hunt so much that he had forgotten to lift the video camera up and take any pictures. I’m sure there was much said that we can not translate here, but in Ike’s own words “Boy, she was mad!!!”

ED IKEGUCHI & ROWENA RUBIO

Animals taken:

Ed – Gemsbok, Waterbuck*, Ostrich, Impala, Warthog*, Sable, Blue Wildebeest*, 52 ½” Kudu– 2

Rowena – Warthog, Waterbuck

Highlights:

Ed and his special friend Rowena joined his parents, Ike & Kate, for his first African safari. Ed was a world champion skeet shooter and a member of the US Olympic skeet shooting team for the Los Angeles Olympics. Although he has been on several bird hunts, Ed soon found out that his rifle shooting ability was not quite as good as his shotgun expertise but he discovered that with those bird hunting skills, he was able to make some remarkable running shots. By the 5th day of his safari he was running out of shells and had to go into town to get re-supplied. I believe this was Rowena’s first hunting experience and when she took her Waterbuck shot, it went down like a “ton of bricks”. But as with what had happened to Ike earlier, when they went to the spot where she dropped it was not there. They were all shocked and began a serious search for her trophy. They found him dead a little over a 100 yards away. I think it was because of the early cold snap in the area, but quite a few people in camp, including our PH’s and Ike, all came down with colds. Luckily Ed is a doctor and so he was able to make “house calls” to effected patients. Ed was also lucky in the aspect that the landowner where his father shot his Sable agreed to his hunting one for himself. Ed’s Sable was a beautiful “typical” sable and it also is a trophy of a lifetime.

Click HERE to see photos of this group's hunt.

June - July

Presidents Grandchildren Safari

Cruiser Safaris was honored to be chosen as the African safari destination for 2 past SCI International presidents for their grandchildren’s first safari. This group included Warren Parker, SCI’s 14th President, his wife Mary and their grandson Bryce Parker, all from Missouri. Lance Norris, SCI’s 21st President, his wife Inja, their daughter Sue Heins, and their grandchildren Kody & Kaden Heins and Lance R. Norris are all from Michigan. They were joined by their good friends John and Lucy Hollenbeck and their grandchildren Matthew & Krysteena Davis, all from Michigan.

Upon their return, Sue Heins published a memory book entitled “A Grandparents Dream Come True.” (This is an excellent way to highlight your own personal safari and shortly on our web site we will have information on how you can obtain your own safari memory book of your trip.) This book contained the actual comments of all of the grandchildren and after each one of the new African hunters I am going to include their message in their highlights section.

BRYCE PARKER (9)

Animals taken – 55” Kudu, Impala*, Warthog*, Blue Wildebeest*, Blesbok*, Vervet monkey, African Wildcat, Small spotted Genet, Black Backed Jackal, Zebra

Highlights:

Favorite part of his trip was sharing the experience of hunting in Africa with my Grandparents. My Grandpa taught me how to handle a rifle, gun safety and sportsmanship in the field. The day I was born I have been a life member in Safari Club International thanks to Grandpa. I only hope I can follow in my Grandpa’s footsteps. I have already asked my Grandparents what part of Africa we are going to hunt next year. I know I will share my African experience with my classmates when school begins this fall. I am sure they will not believe what I have experienced, the new friends I have met and the country and animals I have seen. A trip I will never forget!!!

LANCE R. NORRIS (15)

Animals taken – 2 Blesbok*, Impala*, Gemsbok, Zebra

Highlights:

Favorite part of his trip was just being able to go and hunt in South Africa with my Grandpa. His favorite animal to hunt was his Zebra; they are a tough hunt – very skittish. I’ll never forget hunting with you (Grandpa & Grandma), thank you for taking me. When asked his thoughts by his Grandfather later, Lance replied “My thoughts on Africa are ‘Holy Crap”! What a beautiful place, animals and the land. I never thought I would ever go to Africa in my life! I had the time of my life there! It is so big and I want to go back. I would like to shoot 2 more animals, a Red Hartebeest and a Kudu. I didn’t get either one and that is one reason I want to go back. It was better because I got to go with a bunch of awesome people.”

KODY HEINS (9)

Animals taken – 53 3/8” Kudu, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala*, Duiker*

Highlights:

Favorite part of his trip was hunting and stalking his Kudu, which he shot from over 200 yards. I want to thank my Grandpa and Grandma for taking me hunting in Africa. I’ll never forget what you taught me.

KADEN HEINS (6)

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Duiker*, Blesbok*, Zebra

Highlights:

Favorite part of his trip was hunting and stalking his Zebra, which took almost 3 hours and 5 miles of walking. After which he jumped on the Zebra like his pony and asked the PH if he had ever seen the movie “Racing Stripes”. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for taking me, I’ll never forget hunting and spending time with you in Africa.

MATTHEW DAVIS (12)

Animals taken – Kudu, Impala, Blesbok*, Red Hartebeest*

Highlights:

Favorite part of his trip was spending time with my Grandparents, meeting new people, making new friends and seeing all the beautiful animals. My favorite part about the trip was hunting the animals. I want to thank my Grandpa and Grandma for the experience of a lifetime.

KRYSTEENA DAVIS (10)

Animals taken – Blesbok*, Impala*

Highlights:

Favorite part of her trip was that I liked the whole AFRICAN EXPERIENCE, spending time with my Grandparents and being the only girl in camp. My favorite part of the trip was shooting the biggest Impala of the group and of the year. It was even bigger than Grandpa’s! I want to thank my Grandparents for a wonderful experience.

SUE HEINS

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Gemsbok, Warthog*, Blesbok*

Highlights:

I’ve never had so much fun hunting and being with my boys and my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad, I love you. Next year we’ll have 12 shoulder mounts coming from Highveld Taxidermists in South Africa to our house, I’ll have to do some rearranging.

Although the Grandparents did their best to suppress their own hunting instincts and savor each and every heartfelt family moment, Lance couldn’t pass up a Caracal and John couldn’t resist taking a 23” Impala. The time went by all to fast for everyone and before they knew it the hunting portion of their Grandparents Dream Safari was over. They finished up their African experience with a tour of Kruger National Park.

An article of this “Grandparents safari” has already been published in the SCI Michigan Chapter “The Tracker” magazine. Watch for another article that will be published soon in SCI’s national publication of “Safari Magazine”.

Click HERE to see photos of this group's hunt.

July

TIM, LAUREL & ETHAN DRAPER – Connecticut

Animals taken:

Tim – Blesbok*, 2 – Impala*, Blue Wildebeest*, Zebra, 51” Kudu, Gemsbok, Jackal

Laurel – Gemsbok*

Ethan – Blesbok*, Warthog

Highlights:

The mood for their safari was set the first night at the dinner table. It seems like our pet Warthog, Bacon had decided that this was a perfect time for him to join the group. With the Warthog under the table there came some sounds that everyone was trying to be discreet about as they felt that they were surely coming from him. Before long everyone couldn’t hold it any more and with Ethan cracking up, they all joined in on the laughter. After that night, Ethan was in charge of controlling the Warthog noises. Mom & Dad were a little worried that Ethan might be bored but he was up every day at 5:30 AM and ready to go out hunting. Even though he had hunted before he was a little nervous about hunting in Africa. Craig took him out to the shooting range and within 3 shots he was over his fear and ready to go out and shoot something. Ethan ended up taking a record book Blesbok and a nice Warthog. The Warthog hunt turned out to be very humorous. Dad, Ethan & their PH Craig went one day to sit at a water hole for this hunt. As often happens with this type of hunting, it turns into a great time to catch a cat nap. Naturally Dad and Craig ended up falling asleep with Ethan watching the activities. When a nice Warthog came in for a drink Ethan didn’t know what to do and frantically woke everyone up. There was much laughter about the whole incident when they returned with Ethan’s trophy.

Although Laurel wasn’t planning on hunting anything while they were there, one night at the dinner table, while she was “drinking that fine South African wine”, their PH asked her what she wanted to shoot. After a little discussion, Laurel decided that she would like to hunt a Gemsbok. After 3 shots at the rifle range, she was ready to go. After numerous stalks, as often happen with Gemsbok, she had still not fired her gun and was getting a little frustrated in taking all day on her hunt when the safari hunting was set up for Tim. Craig assured her that at 3 PM she’ll get something. 3 o’clock came and went, then 4 and 5 and she said by that point she was feeling like Elmer Fudd on her stalks. Then at 5:15 PM when she was feeling that all was lost, Craig suddenly told her to get her gun and follow. She said everything happened so fast and she was thinking about everything that she must do for a successful stalk. When the time came she made a perfect shot and ended up taking one of the largest Gemsbok that had been taken all year.

Click HERE to see photos of this group's hunt.

MARK MADDOX – Texas

PAT MADDOX – Texas

Animals taken:

Mark – Blue Wildebeest*, Kudu*, Impala, Blesbok*, Gemsbok, Warthog*

Pat – Zebra, Kudu*, Gemsbok, Impala*, Warthog

Highlights:

Pat and his son Mark made a perfect safari team. They wanted to do their hunting together and as it turns out, a lot of things happened in 2’s. The first of these items were that both of them took their Kudu’s with just one shot and both of them qualified for the record book. They both developed a special taste for Gemsbok meat and wanted to eat it as much as possible. I think Pat even had some for breakfast. It was fitting that with their fondness for Gemsbok, they both took their Gemsbok’s on the same day, with Pat stating that this was his favorite hunt of the whole safari. Pat and his PH spotted some one day and took off after them on about a 1 hour stalk. Pat had reached the point of thinking that his favorite animal had given him the slip, when his PH spotted them less than a hundred yards away. “Shoot that one” was his directive and with his shot his trophy went down. On the last day they also both shot Warthogs. Pat mentioned that he missed seeing the Crocodile that Pieter had pointed out to him one day. He said that Pieter must have been driving too fast for him to spot it. Congratulations to Pat and Mark for making such a great Father/Son team.

Click HERE to see photos of this Mark & Pat's hunt.

RICHARD WILLIAMS – Washington

Animals taken – Impala*, Blesbok*, Gemsbok, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest*, Zebra, Warthog*

Highlights:

It’s good to hear when one of the client’s are able to get back at the staff for one of their pranks. A common one used this year by Pieter was to shout “Tree crocodile” and point to a tree. Naturally everyone always looked up. Richard was able to get Craig with a similar prank. One day he pointed into the bush and shouted Kangaroo. Craig jerked his head to look and then started laughing, admitting that he had been had. Richard said that his Impala stalk was the toughest stalk that he had ever done. The story in his words: “Heading out early in the morning we stalked the Impala for about a hour before the distance was closed and then a Gemsbok spooked them. Jacques and I climbed a tree to see if we could get a shot. We spotted them about 150 yards out but they kept milling around and didn’t offer a clear shot. I kept thinking that if I did get a shot, the recoil might knock me out of the tree, so I really didn’t mind not shooting. After getting out of the tree we duck walked and crawled about ½ mile and using the wind we were able to close the distance to 40 yards. Kneeling down and twisting like a pretzel, I was able to harvest a ram which made the record book. Jacques said it was one of the best stalks that he had been on, and it was for me.”

Click HERE to see photos of Richard's hunt.

SHAWN JUDD – Pennsylvania

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Zebra, Gemsbok, Blesbok*, Impala*, Kudu*, Duiker*, Warthog*

Highlights:

Pieter was Shawn’s PH for his first day. Their goal in the morning was to hunt Impala and as is Pieter’s habit of having fun, he kept tickling Shawn’s ear with his shooting sticks as he was trying to find the herd of Impala’s in his scope. At first Shawn wasn’t sure what kept bothering his ear but it wasn’t too long before he caught Pieter at his trick. On another stalk for Impala that morning they were stalking another group of Impala when suddenly they spotted something running low in the bush. This something turned out to be a Caracal and naturally the Impala bolted when they saw it. This on his first morning in Africa, an exciting moment that most people have never experienced. After the Caracal broke up their stalk they decided to change plans and look for a Gemsbok. And as often happens during a stalk they encountered Zebra instead and Shawn had his first African trophy. After lunch that first day they set back out looking for Gemsbok again. They stalked an old male for over an hour before Shawn was able to take him. After the photos of the Gemsbok and when Shawn thought that they were done for the day, Pieter spotted a huge Blue Wildebeest and Shawn had his 3rd trophy – all on the first day.

On the second day he hunted with “Little Pieter PH” and they were able to take a beautiful record book Blesbok. Even though they were positive that this trophy “was in the salt” as they were taking pictures the Blesbok revived and took off running. Pieter was stunned and yelled at Shawn to “shoot it in the southern portion of a northbound animal” (Editors Note: How’s that for cleaning up a statement!), which Shawn promptly did and they then finished up their picture taking.

Hans was Shawn’s PH for the rest of his safari and he was amazed at his ability to find, track and stalk numerous animals. After many of these stalks he found out that Hans’s favorite line was either “too small” or “too young”, but he did take a 50” Kudu with him one day before 7:30 AM. In pursuit of his Warthog, a lot of time was spent at water holes, which is usually the best place to find one of these animals of trophy size. As often happens while waiting for something to come in, the eyelids get heavy and short naps occur. One day Hans kept falling asleep. Every time an animal came in Shawn would tap his leg and point at the animal. Hans would quickly throw up his binoculars to look and after deciding that it was too small, he would fall back to fall to sleep again. After this happened several times Shawn decided to have a little fun and put some dung in between the eye pieces of Hans’s binoculars. This would have been a great prank but before he could tap Hans on the leg, he began laughing so hard that it woke Hans up and scared all of the animals within a mile away. Shawn later took a very nice Warthog.

Click HERE to see photos of Shawn's hunt.

THE KATZUNG’S – Minnesota

JIM, his wife JILL, their son NICK and their daughter KATIE

Animals taken:

Jim – Warthog, Zebra, Impala*, Blue Wildebeest*, Gemsbok*, Kudu*

Nick – Gemsbok, Kudu*, Impala*

Jill – Steenbok*

Katie – Blesbok*

Highlights:

One of our highpoints each year is when a whole family arrives for a safari and the Katzung’s had a family adventure of a lifetime. The following story is from their safari journal.

Nick, age 16, had exciting hunts the first 2 days, bagging a handsome Impala and a gorgeous Gemsbok, each with one clean shot. Then began his challenge – arduous days in pursuit of the elusive Kudu! The “Grey Ghost” lived up to his name. Nick found his hunt to be in the footsteps of Hemingway in his book ‘The Green Hills of Africa’, finally taking a 51” Kudu in the last 15 minutes of the last day.

Kati, age 13, went off with Craig on a stalk, seeking Blesbok. She missed with the first shot but stalked a bit further and her second shot rang true, dropping the Blesbok with one shot! Her first hunt – she was thrilled! Craig presented her with the African tattoo which she proudly wore the rest of the day.

Jill was lucky enough to get an opportunity at a Steenbok. Too slow to get off a shot, they went further and she was able to take a beautiful record book Steenbok (which is the animal that Kati had longed for). Kati was back at the bakkie and told Joseph (the tracker) excitedly, “My dad got the Steenbok!” He looked at her with that beautiful, toothy grin and answered, “Your Mama!”

Jim loved hunting with his family, seeing all of their hunts. His hunting started with a trophy 13” Warthog. His family was all present to witness his beautiful Gemsbok, a delightful day. He bagged 6 South African trophies. They all enjoyed the variety of birds and animals spotted while hunting.

The family took 2 days for side trips, one to Pilanesburg National Park, which was lovely and astounding with animals. On their last day they visited Thabazimbi (stopping for a few groceries as well) and continued on to Marakele National Park. Craig and Nick had great fun watching the bag of bread dough rise and grow to near bursting! Once it grew beyond beach ball size, the boys were sorely tempted to test what happens to the mass when thrown for one of the cliffs, but facing Beatrix sans this part of her “order” kept them in line (Thank heavens!) The Carmel rolls were out of this world!! “What wonderful memories we have!”

Click HERE to see photos of the Katzung's family hunt.

KEN SCHANBACHER & his son MICHAEL – Pennsylvania

Animals taken

Ken - 52 ½” Kudu, Gemsbok & Zebra

Mike - Impala*, Blesbok*

Highlights:

I firmly believe that there is nothing that makes a safari more memorable and enjoyable than to share the experience with a family member. That is exactly what Ken did in bringing his 14 year old son Michael along with him. Although Michael was a non-hunting observer, it didn’t take long for him to experience the excitement and join in the hunting himself. With all the confidence of an experienced hunter, Michael was able to take both a record book Impala and a record book Blesbok. Congratulations go out to this young hunter. Ken’s most memorable hunt (with the exception of his son’s hunt) was his Gemsbok stalk. This turned out to be a relatively long stalk which involved crawling on his stomach and being pinned down for part of the time due to the many eyes in the group of Gemsbok. Finally he got a clear shot on the animal that they were after. His first shot was a perfect lung shot taken at 100 yards. Ken quickly discovered how tough these animals can be when he needed a “Texas Heart Shot” to follow up his first. Even after 2 perfectly placed shots the trophy tried to get up and a finishing shot was needed. At the conclusion of their safari Ken and Michael flew up to Livingstone Zambia to take in the wonders of Victoria Falls. All in all, a perfect safari.

Click HERE to see photos of Ken & Mike's hunt.

JEFF & MARCIA WILSON – Texas

Animals taken – 2-Steenbok*, Blesbok*, Kudu*, Waterbuck, Impala, Gemsbok, Bushbuck*, Eland*, Warthog*, Blue Wildebeest*

Highlights:

Jeff booked his safari as his 40th birthday present. Told in his own words, here is Jeff’s hunt on his birthday. “Other than Elephants & Zebras, the Kudu was the first African game animal I can remember dreaming of; it’s spiraled horns and majestic appearance left a lasting impression on me. Having booked this safari one year in advance gave me a lot of time to dream. My wife was getting tired of me counting down the days and listening to me say ‘Wouldn’t it be great to shoot my Kudu on my birthday?’ The morning of August 5th started with my wife wishing me a happy birthday and we left on our second day of this safari. As we slowly drove, Pieter PH tapped on the roof of the Land Cruiser, signaling Isaac (their tracker and driver) to stop. Pieter pointed off in the distance at 3 mature Kudu bulls. I grabbed my gun and off we went. Marcia opted to stay in the vehicle with Isaac as we stalked the Kudus. After several failed stalks we had only got a couple of quick glimpses of the 3 bulls and what seemed to be several miles later we called Isaac to have them pick us up on the next road. As Marcia & Isaac arrived, both of them told us about the 3 big Kudu bulls they saw on the way to pick us up. Pieter translated Isaacs Afrikaans to me and off we went again. This time everything worked to perfection. As I steadied my rifle, Pieter asked if I could see the one on the left. Yes, I replied, but he was facing me. Pieter told me to put the crosshairs of my scope where his neck meets his body and squeeze the trigger. He didn’t have to tell me twice. As I recovered from the “kick” of my rifle, I saw this creature from my dreams trying to remain on his feet. Pieter told me to reload and let’s go. As all four of us arrived at the location where we last saw the 3 bulls, we found nothing but tracks. 80 yards from where the majestic bull stood we found him. It will be an experience that I will NEVER forget. A beautiful Kudu bull on my 40th birthday! Needless to say, no one had to tell me to smile as we took pictures”.

This was Marcia’s first hunting trip in which she accompanied her husband. Having listened to Jeff’s stories from the previous 7 years, she was finally persuaded to come along when Jeff promised her a trip to Rome for the following year. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with Africa. In her words: “Oh my God! I can say there is not enough room on this page to explain all of my thoughts! The scenery and landscape is unbelievable! (Reminded us of Texas). I have never gone any where and felt like home. The animals, Oh Wow!! They were everywhere! The only complaint that I have is from the whiplash in my neck from trying to keep up with them all!” On the morning of their 4th day of their safari, Marsha looked Jeff straight in the eye and told him that she doesn’t want to go to Rome next year. She caught Jeff off guard and so he asked her why. Her response was “I want to come back here, I love this place!” They are booked for a return safari in July of 2007.

Naturally the hunting portion of their trip was a high point for Jeff, but they both made it clear from the start that they were also laid back and wanted to enjoy every aspect of their safari and the whole African experience. They took a day and went on the Elephant Back Safari. Marcia was extremely impressed with this venture knowing that these were real Elephants from the wild and not circus animals. As their ride progressed the Elephants did what was natural for them and ripped portions of trees down and had a snack along the way. This enjoyable ride turned into real excitement when a police helicopter flew over them and turned on his siren. This really frightened the Elephants and turning on a dime they bolted for the thicket. Thankfully their “elephant drivers” soon had them under control and sheepishly turned back to their passengers and said, “Now you see how fast an Elephant can run with people on his back!”

Click HERE to see photos of Jeff & Marcia's hunt.

DARRYEL & MARSHALL REIGH – Oklahoma

Animals taken

Darryel – Impala*, Zebra, Warthog*, 57 5/8” Kudu, Blesbok*, Gemsbok*

Marshall – Kudu*, Gemsbok, Blesbok*, Warthog, Impala*

Highlights:

The worse thing that can happen to a traveler is to have his luggage not show up at his destination. That is exactly what happened to Darryel and his nephew Marshall on their arrival in South Africa. It seems that with the new changes that South African Airways just implemented, there were considerable problems around this time of the year. After realizing that their clothes and their firearms would not be arriving, they made a stop in town to purchase at least one set of clothes that they hoped would hold them over. It turns out everything didn’t show up until the 5th day of a 7 day safari. Each evening after hunting they would come back to the camp and change clothes. Beatrix would then wash the clothes they were wearing that day and have them ready for them the next day. Pieter made sure that they had rifles to use for their hunt.

Even with the bad luck concerning the luggage, Darryel’s hunting went extremely well and he was able to take a huge Kudu. His Kudu hunt was a still hunt. His PH Hans and the tracker were hearing sounds as they moved upwind. Darryel heard the sounds of pigs ahead and they went another 15 yards and found a pair of Warthogs. After looking them over Darryel passed on them knowing that their tracker heard tree limbs breaking ahead of them. They had moved just a short distance when only 40 yards away a Kudu raised his head and an immense sweep of horns rolled clear of the grass. They took 2 steps backward to move around the cover. They knew he would be very close if they were able to get around the cover with out being detected. The Kudu did not wait for their approach and steped out into an opening only 20 yards away and Darryel had his dream animal. Getting within 20 yards of a Kudu on a still hunt is remarkable and shows the outstanding accomplishment of this hunter and his PH.

Marshall said that his favorite hunt was for his Blesbok. He and his PH Craig snuck up to within 300 yards of his target and then belly crawled the last 75 yards to get to a good tree to wait for the right animal to separate himself from the other Blesbok and Red Hartebeest that were in the same area. He made a perfect shot from 213 yards, right on the point of the shoulder, using Craig’s .375 with a 4 power scope. The Blesbok folded up right where he stood. Marshall said that the hunt reminded him of hunting for the North American Pronghorn.

Click HERE to see photos of Darryel & Marshall's hunt.

RAY COX and his son SEAN – New Jersey

Animals taken – Blesbok*, Impala, Kudu, Warthog*, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest*

Highlights:

Rather than writing a narrative on Ray’s safari, I am including here a letter that Ray sent me upon his return. I think it says more than I could put into words.

“My son, Sean, and I thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day Cruiser’s safari in August with every expectation met or exceeded. Describing each extraordinary experience would take too many words. We marveled at the delights of the savannah's expansive golden grasses waving in the breeze under flowering acacias, the exhilarating stalks through the thorny bushveldt country, and the search for the magnificent Kudu on the rambling hillsides. The properties we hunted each had their own character representing the lore of Africa that one can only affirm by being there for the sensory feast that it is.

My safari package was filled, including three SCI record book animals and a "perfect" Zebra, with sufficient time remaining to seek out truly exceptional trophies. If it wasn't for my own stubbornness in seeking the "one", there was ample opportunity to take additional world class trophies. My PH, Pieter Fourie, and tracker, Isaac, performed splendidly and were terrific companions making each day most enjoyable.

Life at base camp was a perfect respite from a day afield. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the food, well, Beatrix lives up to her well-deserved culinary reputation. Evenings around the fire were enjoyed with everyone telling stories of their hunts, discussions about rifles, ballistics, and past hunting experiences, and reflections on how those hunting companions left at home, but special to each of us, would love a Cruiser's safari. Several nights we gathered with a sundowner in the hot tub, a perfect ending to a perfect day. The camaraderie of camp was a catalyst for our daily optimism about what the next day would bring. Seeing Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Giraffe and fresh tracks made by a Leopard with its' kill rounded out the plains game experience.

There was time for introspection as well, considering how worthwhile the time and effort was to go on safari, questioning why I put it off for so long, and thinking about this special place where Pieter and Lizelle are raising their family while inviting us along for the joy of it.

Kudos to you too, Bob, for being so very helpful with answering my barrage of questions during the long year between my booking and the safari. I arrived at Pieter's doorstep well-prepared and I think I did my part too, choosing the right rifles (I recall you mentioning this important point) and shooting straight while enhancing my own experience.

I now see why it is easy to envy the man who is going to Africa for the first time. My new challenge is to find a way back, and soon! I wasn't home from my safari a half day before I was checking out the possibilities for a return to the bush. Sean took amazing pictures, which will serve to keep our memories sharp until then.

My thanks to everyone at Cruiser Safaris for helping us realize the dream of Africa and all that it has to offer”.

Most Sincerely,

Ray Cox

Click HERE to see photos of Ray & Sean's hunt.

ROB & KELLY KEESLER – New York

Animals taken – Duiker*, Blesbok*, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest*, Impala*, Warthog*, Steenbok & the largest ever taken at Cruiser’s, a 62” Kudu

Highlights:

PERFECT. I can’t think of a better word to describe Rob & Kelly’s safari. This perfect safari came about when Rob married Kelly and his new perfect wife agreed to an African safari for their honeymoon. Rob’s hunting has to be described as perfect also, as every animal except one was a record book animal, including the largest Kudu ever taken at Cruiser Safaris. His favorite shot was made on his Impala and here is his story on that shot. “We stalked for several minutes through dense cover on our feet, knees, and finally stomachs. When I finally got an open shot it was about 125 to 150 yards from a dead rest prone position. After assuring Jacques (his PH) I was comfortable with the shot, he had enough confidence in my ability to take it. I took the impala straight through the heart and he dropped in his tracks”.

Naturally his favorite hunt was for the Kudu and this remarkable story, as told by Rob follows: “Our hunt started in a piece of majestic mountain property. Jacques had the idea that there was one mountain that we could climb and glass for the huge kudu bulls that he had seen there before. His plan went perfectly and we spotted them at about 200 yards and closing. We tried to move quickly into position but my stainless steel barrel tipped them off and they changed direction and "Disappeared." Before we knew it they were within forty yards of us and running through dense brush dead away. I though it best to wait for a better shot. Jacques led me on about a one mile run through the valley to another peak but the shot did not present itself. We quickly picked up the track and Carl, Jacques, Kelly and I spent the rest of the morning tracking these massive kudu. At lunch we headed back to the truck and ate. When we went out again we started moving the large tracked animal through crosslots and parcels. Near the end of last light, Carl spotted the kudu heading over the rocks and told Jacques. Jacques, Carl, Kelly and I tracked the massive animal to a ridge where he stood eating leaves totally unaware of our presence. All I could see on the high ridge (we were on the ridge below him) was a head, neck, tops of the shoulders, and massive horns. After carefully instructing me on shot placement, Jacques said, "Take him," and I made a perfect shot in the exact area Jacques told me. The massive kudu dropped in his tracks. I was never so happy in my life.

Congratulations to Rob & Kelly on their marriage and a special congratulations to Rob for taking a trophy that I don’t think will ever be topped at Cruiser’s. Rob’s dad is planning on joining him & Kelly on their return visit in 2009.

Click HERE to see photos of Rob & Kelly's hunt.

ANDY SHEMCHUK – Washington

Animals taken – Kudu*, Impala*, Gemsbok, Warthog*

RAY GUTHRIE – Montana

Animals taken – Kudu*, Impala, Gemsbok*, Warthog

Highlights:

Andy and Ray are life long friends and even though they are currently living in different states they planned this safari together. As good friends they ended up doing a lot of their hunting together to be able to enjoy each others success. They ended up shooting Kudus that were exactly the same size and for their other animals, if one didn’t quite make the record book the friends trophy did. Their Kudu stories by Andy follows: “I got a clean miss on my first kudu. It was only 130 yards and I don't know how I could have missed it, but I did. The shot went right over his back and off he went. Then it was Ray's turn (we hunted together and took turns) and he took a 320 yard shot and ended up wounding his. We tracked it for a long time and then with the dogs help we were able to recover it. Ray normally can easily make shots like that and I know that he wouldn’t have taken it if he thought he couldn't make it, so I was surprised when he wounded it. We later found that, even though we sighted in our guns when we both arrived, both our scope mounts were very loose. Ray's in particular was very bad. Pieter helped us both by tightening both our scopes and we resighted in our guns. After that all was fine. I eventually got a good clean kill on a kudu with Craig. One shot and he went about 50 yards and died "stone dead”.

Click HERE to see photos of Andy & Ray's hunt.

JIM WALSH – Ireland

& ENA (Jim’s wife), TOM & ANNA (their children)

& VALDA (Jim’s mother)

Animals taken

Jim – Bushbuck*, Waterbuck*, Warthog*

Tom – Impala*, Blesbok*

Highlights:

Jim’s safari to Africa this year was a family affair and included a 10 day trip to Kruger National Park (where they were able to take some excellent pictures which we will include in our wildlife gallery that we will be putting on the web site soon) before they joined us at Cruiser’s. Jim has hunted in South Africa before and was after 3 specific animals that he didn’t have but his primary goal was to give his son Tom, age 9, the opportunity to hunt. Although Tom had accompanied his father on many deer hunts, this would be his first actual hunt. Tom proved himself as a hunter, taking his first animal ever (a record book Impala) with one shot at 50 yards. His second trophy came on a very cold day and they had to cover him with coats to keep him steady for the shot as he was shaking from the cold. But despite this obstacle, Tom came through and took a record book Blesbok. A hunter always remembers his first trophy and we are proud to have been a part of introducing Tom to the hunting fraternity. Congratulations Tom. Congratulations also go out to Jim for not only taking the 3 animals that he was after, but also that they all qualified for the record book. Throughout his hunt they saw plenty of animals and also came across tracks of Hyena’s, Cheetah’s & Leopards. An unusual find for them was coming across a Cheetah kill.

Click HERE to see photos of Jim & Tom's hunt.

JESS JELLISON and his son JACK JELLISON – Minnesota

Animals taken

Jess – Eland*, Warthog*, Waterbuck*, Impala

Jack – Blesbok*, 51” Kudu, Warthog*, Red Hartebeest*, Blue Wildebeest*, Zebra

Highlights:

Although we have had hunters that have used their bows and their rifles during their safari, Jess and Jack were the first to hunt only with archery equipment and from their list of trophy’s taken during their 7 day safari, they were extremely successful. On one of the days they were sitting in a blind near a water hole when a group of Blesbok came in. Finally getting near enough for a shot, Jack made a terrific shot and they watched the Blesbok pile up about 70 yards away. While still sitting there gathering their thoughts on what just occurred, Jack looked out and was surprised to see 4 Kudu coming in. As they waited for them to come in, something spooked 3 of them but the largest of them delayed a little too long and Jack was able to let his arrow fly making a perfect lung shot. The Kudu dropped about 90 yards from the blind and within 5 minutes Jack had taken 2 record book trophies.

They both had a great rapport with their PH Jacques and stated that he did his best to show them great game and a good time. One of these good moments (for Jacques anyway) occurred as they were walking back to the truck one evening. Jacques had gotten ahead of Jess & Jack and hid behind some brush near the truck. When they got close, Jacques jumped out and scared Jack, whom Jacques later stated jumped 3 feet into the air. Understandably, Jack was on his case after that incident. Although we don’t have any special hunting for archery only, both Jess and Jack feel that Cruiser’s is great bow hunting safari destination.

Click HERE to see photos of Jess & Jack's hunt.

BILL GRIGGS and his son BRIAN GRIGGS – Georgia

Animals taken

Bill – Zebra, 2 – Warthogs*, Eland*, Kudu, Gemsbok*, Steenbok*, Waterbuck*

Brian – Gemsbok, Warthog*, Kudu, Impala, Steenbok*, Blue Wildebeest*, Blesbok, Red Hartebeest

Highlights:

This father and son’s safari started out on a high note with Brian taking a Gemsbok on his very first day. Naturally, dad had the good fortune to show him up a little by taking both a Zebra and a Warthog that same day. Bill’s good luck came through one day when they decided to sit at a water hole for awhile. They hadn’t been there but 15 minutes when a record book Eland came in and Bill took this excellent trophy. Their Kudu hunts took a little more work. Brian ended up taking his on one of the mountain properties and they had to wait for some extra help to arrive in order to get it off the mountain. Bill’s Kudu came right at dusk and in order to make the shot, he ended up shooting using his PH’s shoulder for a rest. Brian had a very difficult day when he was hunting Blesbok. It seems that he kept missing every one that he shot at and couldn’t figure out what the problem was. It turns out that his scope mount had broken and he ended up using his PH’s rifle the rest of the safari. Bill said that the 9th day of their safari was by far the best as they both hunted together. I’m not sure if Brian took any animals that day but Bill made the most of it taking a Steenbok, Warthog and a Waterbuck. They ended up their safari on the last day with a side trip to Marakele National Park. These Father& Son trips are what true memories are made of and to continue this journey, they will be returning for another safari with us in 2008.

Click HERE to see photos of Bill & Brian's hunt.

RANDY & JESSICA DEARTH – North Carolina

Animals taken – Gemsbok*, Impala*, Kudu*, Warthog*

Highlights:

Randy and Jessica are both in the Air Force and are stationed together in North Carolina. This safari was planned by Jessica as their honeymoon trip. Now there’s a marriage that certainly was made in heaven. When I personally go to Africa myself, I try to plan my schedule when there are not clients in camp at the same time. This year, because of a last minute schedule change, I was fortunate to be in camp also at this time and it was my pleasure to be able to meet everyone that was there during my stay, including Randy & Jessica. Although on their first day Randy didn’t take any animals, they saw all of the species that are normally hunted and also Giraffe’s and Rhino’s, of which they got some good pictures. On one day while I was looking over a new concession that we have, Randy and Jessica were hunting on the next property. I jumped the fence and joined them for the last part of that days hunting. This is the first time that I have ever been with a client during their hunt and I totally enjoyed it. Randy & Jessica were naturally holding hands quite a bit and I warned them not to get too distracted and continue to watch out for the game. As we were leaving we spotted some Bush Pigs which are very high on my personal list. I didn’t have my gun with me but graciously Randy told me to take his. As usual, the pigs were gone when I set after them, but thank you Randy for the use of your gun.

Randy’s favorite hunt was for his Gemsbok as he says they seem to be more skittish to get close to. Early one morning they spotted some standing about 100 yards off of the road and their stalk was on. Approaching them from downwind they worked their way closer keeping an eye on the one that Randy had spotted. The stalk kept them very low (almost a belly crawl) and when they popped up behind a bush, there was a whole herd of them! They saw a nice one that Jacques wanted him to get a shot on so they sneaked up to a tree that was to the left of them. When they stood up in the shadow of that tree they spotted the really nice one that had its head down and was quartering away from them. They didn’t have time to set up the shooting sticks and Jacques told him to put the gun on his shoulder and shoot. Randy made a perfect heart shot and through to the far shoulder and the Gemsbok only went about 20 – 30 yards before it went down. We ate some of its meat later and Randy agreed that this was the best meat that he had ever eaten.

Both Randy and Jessica had to agree one of their highlights was watching Jacques being chased by a very upset female Warthog that took off after him when he scared it. Their last night was a special honeymoon night complete with a bottle of champagne, the Jacuzzi filled for them with hot water and flower petals and candles set up in their room. Congratulations on your marriage and we hope to see you both again soon.

Click HERE to see photos of Randy & Jessica's hunt.

FRANK & SOPHIA ELMORE – Indiana

Animals taken

Frank – Warthog, Blesbok*, Gemsbok, 59 3/8” Kudu

Sophia – Blesbok*

Highlights:

Frank & Sophia are Jessica’s parents and while Jessica was planning her honeymoon safari, she got together with her mother and they decided to give Frank his first African safari also. A lot of the time Pieter likes to give everyone a nickname and right away he named Frank “Father Time.” Franks safari got off to a very slow start and on his first day he missed a couple of animals. I have to pass on Pieter PH’s comments about Frank on the second day. “It’s a good thing that Pieter doesn’t have a trophy for a tree as today Father Time took a real dandy.” Knowing something was wrong, they soon discovered that the scope and scope mounts that were on his gun were damaged and they couldn’t keep the gun on target. This may have caused a serious problem for Frank’s safari, however Tony (from the next group below) had a spare and they were able to utilize it on Frank’s gun. After that things just seemed to go Frank’s way and one morning he was able to take a Blesbok and a Gemsbok.

What happens next is what I consider one of the all time highlights of my African experiences. After lunch on the day that Frank got his Blesbok and Gemsbok, Pieter decided to bring him and Sophia along with us in the afternoon to look for his Kudu. We were going to one of the mountain properties that I had not been on before in order for me to have some personal knowledge of this particular property. Frank was elated as he was going hunting with the boss, his agent, his PH and the property owner. An inspection of the lower part of the property revealed some mature Kudu’s but I told Pieter that I felt it would be better to go into the mountains first and then if we didn’t see anything better we could come back and have a try for one of the ones that we saw. At our first stop at a water hole, Pieter and the property owner took off checking out a problem that they found. I totally enjoyed the time while they were gone, relating what I knew about Africa and the different animals and answering all of the questions that Frank and Sophia had. Since Pieter gave everyone a nickname, I thought it was a good idea to give Sophia one also and from then on she was know as “Mother Nature.” When Pieter returned it was determined that the property owner would have to go back to deal with the problem that they found. After dropping him off we returned to the same area where we had previously stopped and continued on. It really didn’t seem like a long time after we had left the water hole area that 5 fully mature Kudu males ran across our path heading up the mountain. Pieter, Pieter PH and Father Time jumped out of the truck and headed up the route to see if they could intercept or get a good shot at these trophies. There were enough people there so I just stayed in the truck and tried to explain to Sophia what was happening. I was telling Sophia that toward the top of the mountain the vegetation was less and if everything went well this is where Frank might be able to get a shot off. Just as I said this a shot did go off and from what I heard Pieter saying, I knew that Frank had gotten his trophy. As it goes in hunting, sometimes lady luck just smiles at you. Even though any one of the 5 Kudus would have made the record book and would have been a great trophy, the largest one who thought he was smart did not follow the other 4 and side stepped into a spot that gave Frank the perfect shot on him. Everyone was extremely excited and wanted to run up the mountain to examine the trophy, but I told them to wait a minute while I grabbed my video camera in order to get the scene on tape. When we finally got to the Kudu, we could see not only that it was a great trophy but it was even bigger that we had first thought on our initial sighting. After getting some very good photos on the mountain (this is the first time that I have ever been in one of our clients trophy pictures) we dragged the trophy back down. Everyone had their own guess as to what size they thought it would measure. We were all wrong and it measured more than anyone of us guessed. A whopping 59 3/8” making it the 4th largest Kudu ever taken at Cruiser Safaris. I am very proud to have been a part of this hunt and I am overjoyed that this magnificent animal was taken by someone that I feel really deserved a trophy like this.

It had been previously discussed that Sophia might also like to try hunting her first “big game” animal but put it off in order to allow time for Frank to obtain the animals that he was interested in first. Now that Frank was 100% successful she decided that it was her turn. First it was off to the rifle range to get used to the borrowed rifle that she was going to use then off on the hunt for her own Blesbok. As she was by this time very used to the practices that occurred during Franks previous stalks, she couldn’t help but saying “shhhhh” when Pieter PH stepped on a patch of dead grass that made a loud crunch. Pieter turned around and said “excuse me” but she will never forget the look on his face. Sophia missed a shot on a Blesbok and Pieter told her that she looked up trying to see where the animal was going to go and he told her to keep my eye on the scope and that it was his job to watch the animal. Sophia learned her lesson well and on her second try for a different Blesbok, when Pieter turned around to tell her that it was a good hit he found her still looking through the scope. Congratulations to both “Father Time” and “Mother Nature”.

Click HERE to see photos of Frank & Sophie's hunt.

TONY SANCHEZ – Wyoming

Animals taken – 56 ¼” Kudu, Impala*, Gemsbok, Warthog*, Blue Wildebeest*

WADE HUGHES – South Dakota

Animals taken – Kudu, Gemsbok, Impala, Warthog, Blue Wildebeest*

RON SANCHEZ – Wyoming

Animals taken – 51 ½” Kudu, Warthog

Highlights:

Tony and Wade are long time friends and hunting partners even though they now live in different states. Ron is Tony’s brother and came along on their safari as a non hunting observer, although that changed later after seeing Tony’s and Wade’s trophies. They all were a great group to have in camp and we should have named them the 3 Musketeers, as that is what they reminded me of each day as they set off on their hunts. Kudu was the main animal they were after but after the first day and ½ of their safari they had what they called “The Kudu Voodoo” as they both had missed trophies. After going back to the rifle range and rechecking their rifles they went back to the mountains in search of the “Grey Ghost.” It wasn’t too long when Craig and their tracker spotted a very nice Kudu but it seems like they were the only 2 that could see it. Craig was shouting “Shoot it!, Shoot it!, would somebody shoot it!!!” Neither Tony nor Wade could see it until after it took off running. Wade didn’t have a good shot and he told Tony to take it. Tony followed it in his scope until it hit an opening, quartering away and still running when he took his shot. It piled up on the spot with a shot behind the ear. Tony said that Craig went from a look of total despair to nothing but smiles. Sometimes Lady Luck just smiles on you and the “Kudu Voodoo” was gone. Late that same day it was Wade’s turn and this is his story in his own words. “Evening is starting to come on and the guys all spot some Kudu right in front of us. Now let me tell you these animals are very difficult to spot, “Grey Ghost” is a perfect name. I could very rarely pick them out but Craig is whispering that they are right there looking straight at you. At last I see them (they usually only give you about 7 seconds to shoot so I was pretty quick and took my shot. Next thing I hear are the words, you just bought a rug. I think you hit that cow! What cow was my response, I never saw a cow. We head over to the spot and there lying on the ground was the Kudu that I had just taken. It ended up being a different bull than everyone else was looking at and apparently I was the only person in the party able to see this bull and not see any of the other 3 that they were looking at”. On day 7 Ron couldn’t take it anymore and he took his record book Kudu.

The time spent in camp was fun for all of them and as usual Pieter was in his prime for all of the pranks that he played on the guys. In one of these pranks, Pieter snuck into Wade’s room and waited quite awhile for him to return. Just as Wade reached for the door, Pieter opened it and jumped out at him. Yes, I was there and Wade’s scream did sound exactly like a little school girl. Pieter’s favorite trick is to slip something into your drink while you’re not looking and they all agreed that they have no idea about the amount of different spices etc. that they ended up drinking. One day at lunch time when Tony was very tired from hunting that morning, Pieter dumped a good amount of rum into his water. He said that he woke right up when he took a drink of it. Although they plotted and tried to get him back they couldn’t do it, saying that he was too wary probably because of all the pranks that others had tried to pull on him.

Click HERE to see photos of Tony, Wade & Ron's hunt.

JIM JACOBSEN – North Carolina

Animals taken – Sable, Red Hartebeest, Waterbuck*, Warthog*

JERRY JACOBSEN – Illinois

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Red Hartebeest, Zebra

Highlights:

The father and son team hunted with us last year around the same time of the year and couldn’t wait to come back. I had promised Jerry on the phone last year that I would be there the same time as him and that we would go out hunting together. Because of an operation I had to postpone last years trip and I made sure that I was in camp with them this year. Over the last couple of years we had talked a lot on the phone and I was looking forward to meeting them. Just before they left Jerry said that he was having shoulder problems and would have to have an operation, but he was putting it off until they returned. I informed him that I could shoot his trophies for him while I was there but he didn’t care for that idea. It turns out that he had his shoulder operation only 9 days after he returned. As anticipated it was a great pleasure meeting both of them and although because of the other activities that I had to do while I was there, I wasn’t able to go along on any of their hunts although we had many great conversations in camp in the evenings. It is gratifying to see this wonderful father/son bond that they have.

Last year after hunting for most of 4 days, Jerry was unable to get his Blue Wildebeest as it seems that something always went wrong. This year the Blue Wildebeest was on the top of his list and he says it was almost a gift as they stalked to within a 100 yards of them and they feed right into him. He definitely earned this trophy from all of the work that he did last year. Some of the nearby ranches have breeding populations of Sable and one of the things that I wanted to accomplish this year while I was there was to go to these properties and analyze the possibility of hunting the excess bulls that they now have. With all of the talk that we did around camp, it wasn’t too long before Jim decided that this was one species that he really wanted to hunt. Luckily during my tours we found a ranch that had a Sable that could be taken. The property was very thick but Jim ended up obtaining his life long dream. Some people have the mistaken notion that late in the hunting season you don’t have as good of odds to take a really exceptional animal. Jim proved this theory to be wrong by taking one of the largest Waterbucks of the entire year. With Jim’s huge Waterbuck and “Father Time’s” #4 Kudu, I think you can see why I like this time of the year myself. Although I didn’t get to hunt with him this year, Jerry said that he will be back in 2009 and I am already planning for it myself.

Click HERE to see photos of Jim & Jerry's hunt.

STEVE HAVEN – Idaho

Animals taken – Blesbok*, Kudu, 3 – Impala* (one a female to be mounted with his record book male), 2 – Warthogs*, Blue Wildebeest*, Civet*, Steenbok*, Gemsbok, African Wild Cat

Highlights:

Steve has been thinking of an African safari since he was 12 years old. After hunting in the Northwest for several years he felt that it was time to plan his safari. His goal was to allow enough time not only for his hunting but also to visit local clinics, orphanages and schools to be able to help out where he could and to see as much of the local area that he could for the total African experience. And that’s exactly what he did. On one of his days he visited a local school and donated some items for the children. The children loved this and to show their appreciation they came to the camp one evening and preformed a traditional Tswana dance around the fire pit for him.

Jacques was his PH and I don’t know why it always seems to happen to him but while hunting with Steve one day he had another angry Warthog experience. It seems that they were tracking Gemsbok when he came across a Warthog hole. Just as he was about to step over it something caught his eye. It turns out that there was a large Warthog occupying the hole at the time and he immediately came out and charged Jacques. While wildly trying to avoid the tusks of the Warthog he kept yelling for Steve to “Shoot it……..SHOOT IT!” This must have been a very comical scene but unfortunately in all of the confusion, the Warthog escaped. Although Steve was not looking for record book trophies, the Blue Wildebeest was one animal that he really wanted to take a large one if possible. He hunted very hard for this animal but wasn’t having very good luck, but as all hunting goes you never know what will happen. They were again stalking Gemsbok when they spotted a herd of bachelor Wildebeest bulls. They made an excellent stalk and Steve was able to take what I think was the largest Blue Wildebeest of the year from only 30 yards. Again, another late season, outstanding trophy. Congratulations Steve on achieving all of your goals!

Click HERE to see photos of Steve's hunt.

FRED MOHTASHEMI – California

Animals taken – Blesbok*, Warthog*, 54 ¾” Kudu, Gemsbok*, 2 – Impala*, Waterbuck, Steenbok, Red Hartebeest*

Highlights:

It looked like Fred’s safari was going to start on a high note. Stalking to within 200 yards of Blesbok in an open field was an exciting start and Fred made a great shot and down it went. Feeling great about his first African animal they started towards it and were startled when it got up and ran off. It took a tracking job of around 4 hours before they were able to finish it off. Fred’s most memorable animal was his Kudu but he really worked hard for it. They spent 3 full days of hunting before he was able to get his record book animal, and his one shot dropped it in its tracks. On day 6 enroute to the hunting property they passed a native on his donkey cart and Pieter and he were able to go for a short ride on it to experience what we call a Kalahari Ferrari. After all of the work that they put into hunting his Kudu, they ended up doing almost the same with his Red Hartebeest. At the end of 3 days in search of a good Red Hartebeest they spotted what they were looking for just as they were about to give up for the day. Tracking them to an open field, Fred was finally able to take his Hartebeest.

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

BRIAN BOLIN – Minnesota/Ethiopia

Animals taken – Zebra, Red Hartebeest*, 2 – Steenbok*, Impala*, Kudu, Waterbuck*, Black Backed Jackal, Warthog*

Highlights:

Brian was our first hunter of the year and he loved it so much he booked another hunt and ended up also being our last hunter of the year. He has said that the end of July next year he will be returning with his son and daughter which will give him the experience of hunting 3 of our 4 seasons in South Africa; Spring, Summer and Fall. Trust me you really don’t want to come during the summer months. I’m sure that it was quite a shock for him to see the differences from his first visit. During his first visit everything was green, the leaves were on the trees and the river was flowing. A stark contrast from his second visit where the grasses were down, the leaves were off the trees and everything was dry and brown. Brian’s intention on this return hunt was to go after the animals that he did not take on his first safari and from the list above you can see that is exactly what he did, taking some excellent trophies. There is good news for all of our hunters in 2007 as Brian and his PH Hans reported seeing a lot of female Warthog’s with babies. Congratulations Brian and we’ll be looking forward to seeing you again next July.

Click HERE to see photos of Brian's hunt.