The farm truck pulled up and we were introduced to the farm's manager, Chris and our tracker, Elvis. Elvis was incredible, he was able to spot animals at over 400 yards from his perch on the back of the truck and tell you weather the animal was young or old, male or female, big or small all through thick bush. The first couple of days I couldn't even see the animals, I just learned to accept if Elvis seen them they were there.

It was decided since we only had three full days of hunting we would spot from the Safari truck and then stalk the animals. The farm we were hunting was just over 11000 acres of land called the bushveld. Bushveld is a mixture of bush so thick you can?t walk through and fields of tall grass dotted with gnarly twisted acacia trees and aardvark holes. I learned this first morning that every tree and bush had thorns and would bite you if you didn't take care. This area has also been hit hard by severe drought during the previous two years. This made silent stalking almost impossible, it was like walking on corn flakes. Also the drought has taken its toll on the warthog population. Warthogs are unlike most of the antelope in the bushveld in the fact they need to drink twice a day. The older larger hogs are the first to become weak and die. The estimated count of hogs last year was around 200, this year they think maybe five had survived. Karel said, last year around the lodge in the morning they would see perhaps 60 piglets that were orphaned because of the lack of water. We never saw a Warthog during our hunts.

We saw many animals that first morning, making many good stalks but were unable to get a good shot. Elvis spotted a heard of Zebra, we got off the truck and started to track the herd. They were quick, always on the move. We tried to circle around in front of these beautiful animals only to have them turn around and cross the road back by the truck. We walked back to the truck only to see them cross the road again. This time a large zebra stopped in the middle of the road at about 90 yards, I thought to myself here is a great shot for Ruth. Karel our PH just watched the zebra run off. I asked about the large zebra, she was large for a reason, she was pregnant. October is spring in SA and we needed to be careful not to take any mothers or soon to be mothers. That first morning we saw many gemsboks but again no good shots on a male. The female gemsbok can have longer horns then the male, length of horns doesn?t always indicate a shootable animal. Also the gemsbok young are still pretty small and can?t always be seen in the tall grass. Karel was calling the shots and could tell the males by diameter of their horns and their behavior. The morning hunt ends with a lot of expectations, it was a great hunt and the afternoon would prove to be even better.

After a delicious brunch, served by Karel's wife Carin, and a quick lay down we headed back to the bush at around 2:30. We drove for a short distance when Elvis motioned with hands that animals were off to the right behind some trees. I didn?t see them right away then Karel said, Waterbuck, that's the big one! Sure enough there he stood watching us from about 170 yards. I put my binoculars on him, he was huge. I had seen pictures and videos of Waterbuck but didn't think I would get a chance at such a great trophy. Karel said if you want him take'em. The sight of this royal animal made my hands shake and gave me a bad case of Waterbuck fever. I was afraid he was going to run before I could take my shot. I hurriedly put the cross hairs of my 30/06 on his shoulder and pulled the trigger, click. Nothing! I had forgot to jack a round into the chamber. But worst of all I pulled the trigger with a noticeable flinch. Karel was watching his new client close, as he should be, and seen the flinch just as I did. Karel told me to take it easy. I pulled the bolt and loaded a round quickly. The buck was still standing there slightly quartered, but he was losing interest quickly. This time I did the job, I slowly squeezed the trigger, sending the bonded bullet into this large animal at the front shoulder. He reared up and took off running, after about 30 yards he crashed to the ground. Karel congratulated me and confessed that he had been watching this buck for fives years wanting to hang this trophy in his own home. His horns went 28? putting this trophy solidly in the record book.

When we reach the downed buck it was clear the bullet had hit him in the near shoulder angling completely through, breaking the far shoulder and lodging in the hide. The skinners recovered the bullet later and gave it to me. The Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullet had performed as promised. Perfect mushroom and aprox 90-95% weight retention couldn?t ask for much more.

They gave me a pretty hard time about the first attempted shot. I told them ?that was my practice shot?.

The farm has a modern cold room and cleaning facility. After dropping off the Waterbuck for the skinner we were off again looking for game.

We spotted Gemsbok almost immediately, but the trick was going to be finding a decent male. We made a couple of stalks with no luck, either we couldn?t get a shot or they were females. We did spot a good group of gemsbok running with Bleesbok The gemsbok are a powerful and large animal that will kill a lion with their long straight horns, they are not as skittish as most of the other plains game. But unfortunately for us the Bleesbok is very skittish and has incredible eyesight. When the Bleesebok spotted us they took off and the other game also bolted.

We finally spotted a group of Gemsbok that included some good males. This group wasn?t too concerned as we moved into shooting position. Karel pointed out the one he wanted me to take. I lined up on his shoulder and took my shot; he reared slightly and bucked running only about 20 yards before he piled up. The shot was through and through, right in the vitals. Karel had done his job again; this animal was a good male that should make the record book. His horns went 37.5? with good mass.

We still had some hunting light left so we headed out again to see what we could spot. We had caught glimpse of Impala but they were quick and they would be gone in a flash. Most of the plains antelope when spooked would run only a couple of hundred yards and then stop and look around. The Impala, or as the locals call them Redbok, was one of the trophies I wanted to take but when Elvis motioned ?Redbok!? I told Ruth it was her turn. The herd stood still long enough for Elvis and Karel to setup the shooting sticks for her. I couldn?t see the buck as I waited in the truck as not to add to the movement and spook the herd. I don?t know how to put this without getting in trouble with my wife, so here goes. My wife is short and I don?t think Elvis and Karel realized how short when they setup the sticks for her, they were too high. When they got the sticks at the right height she had trouble getting sighted on the buck over the tall grass. Karel helped her find the best buck and she shot. Immediately Karel and Elvis went to the spot were the Impala stood, it was clear Ruth had made a good shot. Splatters of blood and lung could be easily seen. However it was getting dark quick which would make the tracking difficult. Within ten minutes Karel yelled to bring a rifle, the Impala had went 150 yards and laid down mortally wounded. Karel quickly put him out. The Impala?s horns went 23?, a very nice animal. Three very good African animals in one afternoon, what a day!

We then headed back to the lodge for another very good meal, followed by Cuban cigars and brandy cokes around the fire; it doesn?t get much better.

After lunch and a lay down we were back at it looking for Ruth?s Zebra. We did get a good look at a monster of an Eland bull. I am told they can weigh more then 2000lbs, seeing this bull I believe it. His neck was huge. I was tempted to try a stalk on him but decided to pass and just enjoy seeing him before he trotted off with his cows. We also saw many Blue Wildebeest. We spotted herds of females running with young; they looked like American Bison in the way they ran and also because of the hump on their backs. The bigger bulls would stay by themselves and as the sun got higher in the sky they would attempt to find shade for protection from the rays that were attracted to their dark color. Suddenly Elvis and Karel whispered in unison ?Zebra?. By this time we knew the routine, we quickly got off the truck, as Karel and Elvis worked out a plan to put a sneak on these animals. We had stalked this group aprox. 1mile when Karel setup the shooting sticks for Ruth. I was following about 50 yards behind. When I seen she was going to shoot, I was holding my breath waiting to here the rifle?s report. Ruth is a very good shot and I knew how badly she wanted this Zebra. Ruth shot; right away I could see something was wrong by the look on her face. By the time I reached Ruth, Karel and Elvis were scouring the ground for sign. Ruth knew soon as she pulled the trigger that the shot went over his back. We covered the area for nearly an hour, no sign of blood or hair. Ruth was quiet.

We loaded into the truck and started out again. A herd of Bleesbok were spotted running about 200 yards from the road with some Impala. Karel, Elvis and I attempted to parallel the herd and get ahead of them. We walked about 500 yards down the road when we seen the impala cross 200yards ahead. We closed the distance to 120yards and set up waiting for the Bleesbok to cross. We could see them getting ready to cross the road, then two small bucks stepped out, Karel said, ?wait?. The young bucks looked around then looked at us, deciding something wasn?t right. They backtracked into the bush with the rest of the herd. We gave it a good try; the wind was at our backs, we decided to head back to the truck. Looking over our shoulder we could see a small group move back into the road. The sticks were once again setup, it was about a 200+yard shot, and I was ready. Once again they didn?t like the looks of things and retreated back into the bush.

After about another twenty minutes we spotted another group of Bleesebuck, Karel said there was a nice one in the group. These animals were in clear sight of the road at about 125 yards, and they didn?t seem agitated. I decided to take a shot from the truck. I hit him; animals were running in all directions. Karel spotted my buck standing back from the rest of the herd about 100yards from where he was when I shot. Karel was anxious for me to put another shot in him. I leveled the Winchester on his shoulder and shot again he went down. Bleesebok are the size of a whitetail, I was surprised it took two shots. We started to approach my downed buck when he stood up and took off at full steam. Karel and Elvis found him about 200yards into the bush and finished him off. Both of my shots caught the back of the lungs but were a little far back for African game. He was a decent buck; his horns were 15.5?.

Back at the lodge that evening we were treated to a feast of Impala and Gemsbok from the previous days hunt. The backstraps were prepared on the covered grill at a low temperature. I found this meat to be very lean with an indescribable delicate taste, very good.

When we were back in our bungalow Ruth and I talked about the day?s hunt and discussed the possibility of her not being able to harvest a Zebra on our final day of hunting. She was impressed with the very large bull Eland and agreed that if she had the opportunity she would take a bull Eland. I know in her heart she still wanted to take a Zebra.

We started out early as usual seeing many birds and small animals. Early mornings at the pond by the lodge we would see and hear Sand Grouse watering. The Bushveld also held Partridge, Doves, and Guinea Hens, an upland hunter?s paradise. The Guinea Hens however weren?t always a welcome sight, they tended to spook easy and scare off any other game in the area, making a stalk difficult when they were present. We also saw Steenbok just about every day that we hunted. These small fragile antelope were very skittish and would bound off through the tall grass. They reminded me of our Jackrabbits back home, and they weren?t much bigger. We did spot a mature Steenbok, his horns were longer then his tall ears. We attempted a stalk but he disappeared into the tall grass.

We were also treated to a close-up sighting of a group of Kudu. It was impressive seeing these magnificent creatures. Kudu can be very elusive, their gray color camouflages their presence and has earned them the title ?Gray Ghost.

We spotted herds of Wildebeest but they were mostly cows or young bulls. During our search Elvis spotted some animals way out in a field, Rob said they were Red Hartebeest. Upon a quick conversation with Ruth she decided to try for one of these large antelope. Upon closer examination Elvis could see these were young females. Both male and female carry horns. The morning hunt ended without a shot being fired.

We were charged up for the afternoon hunt. On the top of the list for our afternoon hunt was without a doubt Ruth?s Zebra, but I had my reservations if we could make it happen.

Within 15 minutes of leaving the lodge we spotted Wildebeest, first was a herd of Females and young then we spotted a lone bull running with Bleesbok. We began our stalk. We would go to the right to head them off and we would see the bull run to the left. We would circle back to the left and he would run to the right, he was always on the move . We never got closer then 500 yards. One good thing, my eyes were finally adjusting to the African bush. I could actually see some of the animals Karel and Elvis were spotting.

We seen a group of Gemsbok, mostly females with young crossing the road, we pulled up and started watching them mill around. Suddenly Karel shouted ?Wildebeest, shoot him! ? There he stood, facing us at about 90yards just looking at us. I shot him in the chest with my 30/06. We had planned on using Karel?s .375 H&H but things happened too quickly. He reared up and took off running. Karel yelled, "hit him again". I only could see the top half of this huge animal through the tall grass. Something that Karel had told me earlier flashed through my mind; "If you hit a Wildebeest in the hump it will break his spine". I quickly jacked another round into the 30/06 and put the crosshairs just under the hump on his back, I rapidly squeezed off the shot. He dropped in his tracks. I was pretty happy with myself, two snap shots off hand and my Blue Wildebeest was down.

After my shots the gemsbok were running every which way and out of nowhere a white Wildebeest bolted across in front of us at about 120 yards. The white Wildebeest was actually cream colored with an orange/gold mane and beard; he was incredible to watch. While I was focused on the White wildebeest our tracker (Elvis) motioned that my animal had got up and ran. My outfitter Rob Martin was backing me up with his Savage .458 win mag. Rob took off running behind Elvis; I then heard the roar of his magnum rifle. My Wildebeest had stopped after running about 200 yards. Things were happening quick, the excitement level was high. Rob and Elvis had caught up to him quickly and Rob had put a .500gr bullet through his vitals. Rob said the energy from the impact knocked this wounded animal clear off his feet. My first shot had entered his chest and exited just behind the shoulder. My second shot, while he was running, hit him just under his hump nicking the spine. His horns went 28?, a fine animal. Many thanks go out to Rob; I have never seen such a big man run so fast. After we all calmed down, and took some pictures, we loaded this beast into the truck and were on our way. We had about one more hour of hunting light left and Ruth still needed her animal.

Being from North America I was use to shooting a deer or a Elk and if I hit him good, we would wait maybe ? an hour so he would bleed out and die and then track him. In Africa due to the thick cover and the predators they want you to keep shooting until he is down and dead, and if necessary chase him down and finish him off. The Wildebeest was mortally wounded but because of these factors they don't believe in letting up on the animal.

We were running out of time when I heard Elvis, ?Zebra?. Sure enough, these ones I could see, they were only around 130 yards from the road. I set the rifle up for Ruth and talked to her calmly, hiding my excitement. One good Zebra was partially blocked by a bush but it looked like he was going to walk across to another small tree. I told Ruth ?See him? When he crosses take your shot? She waited. He crossed, she didn?t shoot, he hadn?t stopped in the clearing. Now he was partially into the other tree and he was standing in tall grass. I told her ?take your shot?. She was worried because he wasn?t totally in the clear. She went ahead and fired. Her Zebra burst ahead into the group, then her Zebra reversed directions and ran maybe 50 yards and started to wheel, we then knew it was a solid hit. Zebra?s will turn in a circle with their front legs while their hind quarter stays still, I believe it is a attempt to remain standing, this is called wheeling. Our hunt couldn?t have ended with more excitement or drama if it was scripted.

This was our last evening in camp, we all had much to talk about, recapturing the past three days of hunting. Carin served another great meal, accented with some traditional Afrikaans dish?s whose names escape me. After dinner, more discussion of the hunt topped off with Cuban cigars and brandy cokes. Ruth was beginning to take a liking to this local drink.

The next morning we slept in to around 7am, we planned on leaving camp by 10 am. It was nice to walk around the area in the early morning quiet and reflect on the past few days. After thanking the camp staff and more pictures we were on the road for Joberg.

We stopped just outside of Johannesburg at a street market to find some gifts and souvenirs for the folk?s back home. Unfortunately our time was running out, we needed to get to the airport. Ruth did have time to find a few gifts and with the help of Rob I found a carved set of Warthog tusks, I was pleased.

Karel and Rob got us to the airport on time and stayed with us while we got checked in and our Police Rifle permit was signed off. The trip home was long, 18 hours to Atlanta then immediately on another plane to Salt Lake, a short lay over then on to Rapid City.

I have been asked what I would do different. That?s easy! I would stay longer in country. I would like to see more of South Africa, maybe see the Cape area.

I do know I would without hesitation book our next trip through Rob Martin and MAA Safaris. Rob took the headache out of the trip, taking care of all the little details. I have been also asked about the cost of our trip, our trip was a special package deal that included literally everything, including airfare. We didn?t spend a cent except for tips and souvenirs on the last day. The cost was cheaper then a western United States backcountry hunt.

Rob and Karel have also made all the arrangements for our hides and horns to be handled by their taxidermist. The taxidermist contacts you when you get home for details of how you want the mounts and payment instructions. We decided to have all of our animals shoulder mounted. The Zebra was the exception; they will tan the hide for a rug.

The Professional hunter that Rob works with, Karel Haefele was also top notch. He was very much a true professional, with very high hunting ethics. He also showed much patience towards us novice African hunters, always being polite and courteous.

Most of all I need to thank my hunting companion, my loving wife Ruth, for putting up with my fits of craziness.

Our African adventure left us with nothing but good memories that will stay with us for many years.

We were finnaly able to recieve our African mounts. I was very pleased with the quality and care in the taxidermy work.