JJHACK
New member
JUNE 11, 2007
Today we are off on a gemsbok hunt. Jim knows that we all want gemsbok. While there are quite a few here, he feels that since we are all interested it’s best to go where not only are there lots, but it’s much more open and with luck we can find shooters. Henk, Dave T., Jack, Dave, Herman and I all head southwest to another location. When we get there we find much different country...instead of the thick bushveldt, the country is almost treeless. We meet the landowner and are off. He professes to know exactly where the gemsbok are “hanging out” He does! The shots are longer, but we are experienced at long range shooting [we are from western Oklahoma after all] There are lots of gemsbok! We manage to each kill a bull by noon!! Still, it’s something of a letdown after the hard bushveldt hunting we enjoyed at Landelani. The landowner invites us into his home to see his trophy room. Wow! Lions, elephant, waterbuck, cape buffalo, impala, leopards, warthogs, kudu [including what is said to be the world record kudu] We are told the following story...The landowner’s dad had gone to another ranch in the Waterburg Mountains to look at a tractor for sale. While there, he sees these huge kudu horns in the barn. When he expressed interest in the horns, the ranch owner says he found the kudu dead on his property. The current owner bought the horns and now has them in his trophy room [on another kudu head]
Matt and Jim have spent the day hunting wildebeest at Landelani. No success with the gnu’s.
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Dave and Bev go up and meet M.V., see his home and get acquainted. Later, while at the zebra pond, Dave killed a trophy red hartebeest. 21" horns, Dave Tennent estimates it to be seven or eight years old.
JUNE 12, 2007
Matt and Henk are going to another property to hunt blue wildebeest. This still remains high on Matt’s list of hopefuls.
There are rumors of a big eland bull seen close by. There has been a large herd of Livingston eland on Landelani for many years. Jim has seen just a glimpse of a huge bull three or four times over the last several years, Henk has never seen such a bull. We have seen Livingston eland, cows and bulls, but nothing like what is described in the current rumor. Jim asked if I’m interested in giving him a whirl. Sure, why not? Jim sends out the trackers to search for sign, Jim, Jack and I head out toward the Waterburg Mountains to see what we can see. Cheetah! right by the trail...not thirty yards away, he [or she] stands still as a stone for just a moment, then two bounds and gone in the bush. Another wonderful sight of Africa. We hunt through the bush until midmorning, then back to the lodge for any word on eland spoor..We have to pass by the skinning shed....there are Matt and Henk and a 30" blue wildebeest.......they have a story............
They get to the property about daylight, meet the caretaker and a black tracker. The caretaker says “there are lots of blue wildebeest”...the tracker says “I can find em’.” They park the bakkie and start through the bush. Matt says “we don’t go but half a mile and cut wildebeest sign” Herman is also along, he and the local tracker start working. Shortly, they can see the wildebeest moving along parallel to the hunters. The country is broken and they are able to gradually close the distance. At about 170 yards the wildebeest become alerted and turn and face their followers. Henk says “ shoot the one facing us” Matt says “they’re all facing us” Matt and Henk work out which is the best shooter and Matt shoots him in the center of the chest with his .325..dead wildebeest. Matt observes... “here I am, a U.S. citizen, in Africa, shooting a blue wildebeest, found by a black African, over the shoulder of a Afrikaner PH of French descent, on a ranch owned by a Russian. I guess you could call that a multi-cultural happening. “
Back to the eland...At the skinning shed, Jim has a long conversation with Herman. This conversation is in Afrikaans...with a fair amount of pointing and gesturing. Jim explains to me “They found the eland’s sign, I believe I know about where he’s going, lets try and head him off” We jump in [or in my and Matt’s case, on] the bakkie and off we go. We get to where Jim thinks we need to be and dismount.
We don’t go very far when I see an eland cow about fifty yards ahead, watching us. The jig is up. Maybe not, she doesn’t move and we soon see another cow, then two cows. Then the bull, or at least we think it’s the bull. Then we decide it is the bull...but is it THE BULL? He’s in the bush, moving slowly...Jim says “ I’m ninety eight percent sure that’s the bull...I’m ninety eight percent sure that’s the bull...I’m ninety eight percent sure that’s the bull..that’s him! shoot him!” Great, except all I can see is the outline of the bull in the bush, I don’t have an opening for a .22 caliber bullet, much less a .366 caliber. Finally the bull moves and there is an opening about the size of a basketball. Only about fifty yards, the bull is quartering away, but still a good shot. At my shot, the bull jumps, stumbles about fifteen feet and falls. He’s still trying to get up, Jim get’s there before I do..and with my blessing administers the “coup de grace” I’m sure the bull could not get up, but we are taking no chances! We find my 250 gr. Northfork and Jim’s 165 grain Barnes lodged against the skin on the bull’s opposite shoulder. We are excited, Jim is jumping around like a kid that just won the best box at the junior high box supper. Matt is there along with Henk and Jack, they are grinning like opossums. Jim and Henk agree, it is the oldest bull they have ever seen. Henk asked if he might have his picture made with the bull..it reminds him of a bull he killed many years ago in Zimbabwe. I consider his request a high honor and quickly agree. I don’t know what the bull weighed, but I am a fair judge of cattle...he would outweigh a big Hereford bull. We didn’t measure his horns, they were worn down...but massive.
1:30 p.m. We are out again. Jim has found some old skulls/horns, one from a gemsbok, another from an impala and a third from a red hartebeest, we have mischief on our minds. As we approach the Cheetah Dam we see three warthogs. The one on the far side is a shooter. Matt and I have agreed to shoot another warthog for knife handles. Jim stops the bakkie about 175 yards out, when the sow moves, I have a clear shot at the boar. He is looking at me. The 250 gr. Northfork goes in just under his right eye...more than he can stand...dead pig. We take the gemsbok horns and tie them in the bush where they can just be seen from the blind..A trap for our friends that follow. We agree to go to the “zebra pond” and just relax..this has been quite a day! We don’t know it, but it ain’t near over! Eland are first to come in..nine cows and small bulls, then a grumpy wildebeest cow...we have seen this cow before...she has the personality of an axe murderer. One of the eland cows gets too close, she horns her on the hip...we can see a bloody gash from where we are....somebody needs to teach that wildebeest a lesson...Finally, just before dark everything leaves. There is an old tire on the far side of the pond [this was a cattle ranch many years ago] We have been watching what sort of looks like a warthog about half way in the tire, but not exactly...whatever it is, it never moves. After an hour, our curiosity is killing us. Jim decides to “sneak up on it and see what it is” He gets to within about thirty yards of the tire monster and a real monster appears! Jim doesn’t see the rhino and calf come over the low ridge twenty yards above him...Matt and I don’t know what to do..should we yell? About this time, Jim sees the rhino...he looks like he’s been electrocuted! She is twenty yards away with her calf and he has nowhere to hide. Neither moves...for an eternity...finally, Jim takes one step slowly back, then another and another until he reaches a safe distance. Whew! That could have been really bad. Oh, the tire monster turned out to be just a broken piece of the tire....Africa
JUNE 13, 2007
Another great morning in Africa. Matt and I are about done shooting. If we see a really good waterbuck, Matt will probably shoot him...I might shoot a blue wildebeest and would likely shoot a zebra. Our bag is pretty full and if we don’t shoot again, that’s just fine. Matt’s favorite place is the power line area. These are huge power transmission lines that cross Landelani. They are miles long and maybe 200 yards wide. The area underneath the lines was cleared long ago. Now the area is like a great long plain...and the animals feed and cross in great numbers. All kinds of animals. We park the bakkie on a rise and start to glass...it is amazing, you don’t see anything at first, then as you glass you find animals...an impala here, three warthogs there, another red hartebeest...a huge kudu bull..Jim thinks he might go 60"...he crosses and disappears into the bush. 10:00 a.m. The Double Pond...the weather is warm, almost hot, and game is on the move..there are probably seventy five animals at or around the water. Kudu, impala, waterbuck, nyala, warthogs...it is a spectacle. Wildebeest! the herd appears from the south, spooky, spooky, spooky...one good bull in the herd. An impala jumps a hundred yards away..you would think three leopards had jumped out of the bush...every animal breaks and runs at the speed of light! Ten minutes later most are back. The wildebeest crowd the water [along with a bunch of other critters.] I can see the bull, but am afraid to shoot for fear of shooting through him and killing something behind him..a bird flies over...they think it is a pterodactyl! and it is going to eat everyone!..In three seconds not an animal is visible. Jim calls it the pigeon mentality..i.e., when one flies, they all fly. So much for my blue wildebeest. Earlier in the week, Jim has said that he would like to kill a warthog for a friend. Here comes a pretty good shooter pig. Matt and I encourage Jim to bust him..pig wades out in the slimy green mud and water about ten feet. Boom! Jimmy’s 30:06 goes off...dead pig...ten feet out in the muddy, green, slimy Double Pond. I can’t help but observe to our intrepid PH.. “ I woulda waited till he was on dry land.” We go to get the pig, Jim takes off his boots, wades out and starts digging in the slimy green mud.. “looking for my bullet” says our PH. He doesn’t find it. [doesn’t find a moon rock either] He does however, retrieve his wet and muddy dead pig. And with a Cheshire grin “Team Hackiewicz, four shots, four pigs, no wiggles” Back to the skinning shed and on to the lodge for more Anita magic.
2:30 p.m. We are back at the Double Pond. Busy...red hartebeest, kudu, impala, waterbuck, more pigs...4:45 p.m. Waterbuck and a good one...maybe not quite as long as the one I killed earlier, but he is a trophy..he has that “I’m the Boss” look about him. Jim and I instantly tell Matt.. “you gotta shoot that waterbuck” Matt takes my Husqvarna 9.3X62 and drills him straight through the shoulders...his seventh animal and seventh one shot kill. It’s special too for another reason..The Husqvarna belonged to my Dad, I rebarreled it for Africa..Three generations of Richardson’s have now killed game with this rifle. It is a fitting end to our shooting in Africa!
Dave and Dave Tennent travel to Zinyathi, another property. Dave is still interested in shooting a zebra and a blue wildebeest. Sure enough, they return with both....a really big zebra and a good shooter blue wildebeest.
JUNE 14, 2007
Our last hunting day in Africa. We don’t plan to shoot anything else. We are just going to enjoy being in Africa with good friends..We do. We see giraffes, kudu, sable, tesebe, impala, blesbok, waterbuck and I can’t remember what else. Jack and Pat report an encounter with a big herd of cape buffalo. Pat describes the herd bull as “malevolent”
JUNE 15, 2007
Our last morning at Landelani. Anita prepared a great go away breakfast. We stop on the way to Joburg for some gifts, then on to the airport.
I’m tired. I’m ready to see Freeda.
WHAT WE KILLED
Matt killed : Kudu 55", Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest 30", Zebra, Impala, Warthog, Gemsbok
John killed : [2] Kudu 52.5", Kudu [one horn], Waterbuck 29.5",Gemsbok, Impala, [2] Warthog, Livingston Eland
Jack killed : Kudu 54", Nyala, Gemsbok, Impala, [2] Warthog, Red Hartebeest, Zebra
Dave killed : Kudu 54", Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest
Jim killed: Brown Hyena, Civit, Steenbuck, Warthog
*Jim certainly had our blessing to bag these trophies while we were hunting.
EQUIPMENT AND RESULTS
Matt used a Winchester model 70 .325 WSM with a Zeiss Conquest 3X9 and a #4 reticle. He shot 200 grain Nosler Partition bullets @ 2800 fps. He killed every animal with one shot. His impala, warthog, gemsbok and blue wildebeast dropped in their tracks, The zebra ran nose down maybe fifty yards, the kudu stumbled about twenty yards. The Nosler bullets performed exactly like I’ve seen em’ perform for more than forty years...the front third of the bullet breaks up, while the rear two thirds penetrates a long way. The only Nosler bullet that I recovered mic’d .503 expanded diameter.
Matt and I both used Minox 6.5X32 IF binoculars. They are superb! For the hunter in the bushveldt they are perfect! Matt and I both wore Russell boots with the turtleskin liner. They worked fine. We were somewhat over prepared for Africa’s thorns...the thorns are no worse and probably not as bad as the thorns/cactus in southwest Texas. While snakes were not a consideration in the African winter, they certainly are in south Texas hunting. Our clothing was mostly Cabela’s..we liked it and it worked as advertised. .
I used a Husqvarna Imperial 9.3X62 and 250 grain Northfork bullets @ about 2600 fps. This rifle belonged to my Dad [Matt’s grandad] and has great sentimental value to both of us. It was a .270 Winchester, I rebarreled it for Africa to a 9.3X62. This caliber just seemed appropriate given it’s history in Africa. And, I thought it would be effective. I also talked to Jim and he spoke highly of the caliber for where we would be hunting. I intended to restock it from the original stock, but time constraints, a banged up hand [and some rethinking] caused me to use the original stock. I’m glad I did. I put a Zeiss Conquest 3X9 with a #4 reticle on the rifle. The combination worked great. The Shilen barrel is a #3 contour. When I first finished the rifle, it was a little bit muzzle light...I added a pencil recoil reducer [8 oz.] in the forend just ahead of the recoil lug. This made the rifle just a smidgen muzzle heavy [what I shoot best] and also tamed the muzzle jump. Matt and I both were absolutely delighted with our Zeiss scopes.
I killed eight animals with the Husqvarna, all one shot kills....Jim administered the “coup de grace” while the eland was on the ground struggling. Jim and I had discussed this and agreed we would take no chances. If the eland was still breathing, whoever got there first would administer the “coup de grace” and I appreciated Jim’s efforts. The 250 grain Northforks worked precisely as advertised. I recovered bullets from the gemsbok, eland and one warthog. The bullets from the gemsbok and eland [both found under the skin on the opposite shoulder] looked like advertisements, [the expanded bullets mic’d .624 and .712 in diameter] the bullet from the warthog is a little be more oddly deformed...I’m sure all retained 95% or more of the original bullet weight. The exit wounds on my kudu, waterbuck, Matt’s waterbuck and one of the warthogs appeared to be about big as the end of your thumb. There were weak blood trails, [bearing in mind, only one animal went more than a hundred yards....my one horned kudu went maybe 300 yards, I shot him a bit far back, he was dead when Jim found him].
Jack shot a Winchester model 70 .300 WSM, a 3X9 Zeiss Conquest scope with a #4 reticle. He used 200 grain Nosler Partition bullets. Jack used Nikon 10X42 Nikon Monarch binoculars, while Pat used 8X32 Burris binoculars. Jack wore Doc Martin boots.
Dave used his Winchester model 70 Super Grade .338 Winchester magnum. I believe he used 225 grain Fusion ammunition.
Kathi Klimes @ Wild Travel was our travel agent. She and her husband are experienced African hunters and travelers. She was a great help in planning our flights and offering advice on air travel. I recommend her and will use her again.
Jim Hackiewicz aka JJHACK [Hunting Adventures.net] was our outfitter. He also served as the Professional Hunter for Matt and me. Not enough good things can be said about Jim and his staff. They simply provided us with the hunt of a lifetime. They anticipated every possible problem [I know, because there were no problems] and planned for every possible scenario. Most importantly, they are fun to hunt with and be around! If I ever get to go back to Africa, it will be with Jim. We planned this trip for more than a year and Jim was a big part of that planning. When I started looking into an African hunting trip, I looked at many possibilities...and talked to lots of folks, and lots of references...not one of the hunters that had hunted with Jim had anything but high praise.
ANIMALS SEEN AND KILLED AT LANDELANI
CAPE BUFFALO
WHITE RHINO
BARRED MONGOOSE
SLENDER MONGOOSE
CHEETAH
GREATER KUDU *****
IMPALA ****
WATERBUCK **
GEMSBOK ****
ZEBRA ***
BUSH BABY
BABOON
VERVET MONKEY
AARDVARK
STEENBOK *
DUIKER
CAPE HARE
GROUND SQUIRREL
RED HARTEBEEST **
BLUE WILDEBEEST **
WARTHOG *******
BLACK BACKED JACKAL *
TESEBE
NYALA *
GIRAFFE
BROWN HYENA *
CIVIT *
LEOPARD TERRAPIN
SABLE
BLESBOK
LIVINGSTON ELAND *
BLACK ANTS
* DENOTES KILLED AND NUMBER
BIRDS
GREY HERON
MARABOU STORK
HADEDA IBIS
THREE BANDED PLOVER
BLACKSMITH PLOVER
SWAINSON’S FRANCOLIN
SHELLEY’S FRANCOLIN
NATAL FRANCOLIN
HELMETED GUINEAFOWL
OSTRICH
WHITE-BACKED VULTURE
BLACK HEADED SNAKE EAGLE
BROWN SNAKE EAGLE
AFRICAN FISH EAGLE
BURCHELL’S SAND GROUSE
RED EYED DOVE
LAUGHING DOVE
RING NECKED DOVE
EMERALD-SPOTTED WOOD DOVE
NAMAQUA DOVE
MEYERS PARROTT
GREY LOURIE
PEARL SPOTTED OWL
VERREAUX’S EAGLE OWL
LILAC BREASTED ROLLER
AFRICAN HOOPOE
YELLOW BILLED HORNBILL
RED-BILLED HORNBILL
AFRICAN GREY HORNBILL
CARDINAL WOODPECKER
FORK-TAILED DRONGO
CAPE CROW
BLACK HEADED ORIOLE
ARROW-MARKED BABBLER
SOUTHERN PIED BABBLER
WHITE-BROWED SCRUB ROBIN
TAWNY FLANKED PRINIA
CHIN SPOT BATIS
MAGPIE SHRIKE
BURCHELL’S GLOSSY STARLING
GREATER BLUE EARED STARLING
CAPE GLOSSY STARLING
RED BILLED OXPECKER
RED BILLED BUFFALO WEAVER
BLUE WAXBILL
Today we are off on a gemsbok hunt. Jim knows that we all want gemsbok. While there are quite a few here, he feels that since we are all interested it’s best to go where not only are there lots, but it’s much more open and with luck we can find shooters. Henk, Dave T., Jack, Dave, Herman and I all head southwest to another location. When we get there we find much different country...instead of the thick bushveldt, the country is almost treeless. We meet the landowner and are off. He professes to know exactly where the gemsbok are “hanging out” He does! The shots are longer, but we are experienced at long range shooting [we are from western Oklahoma after all] There are lots of gemsbok! We manage to each kill a bull by noon!! Still, it’s something of a letdown after the hard bushveldt hunting we enjoyed at Landelani. The landowner invites us into his home to see his trophy room. Wow! Lions, elephant, waterbuck, cape buffalo, impala, leopards, warthogs, kudu [including what is said to be the world record kudu] We are told the following story...The landowner’s dad had gone to another ranch in the Waterburg Mountains to look at a tractor for sale. While there, he sees these huge kudu horns in the barn. When he expressed interest in the horns, the ranch owner says he found the kudu dead on his property. The current owner bought the horns and now has them in his trophy room [on another kudu head]
Matt and Jim have spent the day hunting wildebeest at Landelani. No success with the gnu’s.
Dave and Bev go up and meet M.V., see his home and get acquainted. Later, while at the zebra pond, Dave killed a trophy red hartebeest. 21" horns, Dave Tennent estimates it to be seven or eight years old.
JUNE 12, 2007
Matt and Henk are going to another property to hunt blue wildebeest. This still remains high on Matt’s list of hopefuls.
There are rumors of a big eland bull seen close by. There has been a large herd of Livingston eland on Landelani for many years. Jim has seen just a glimpse of a huge bull three or four times over the last several years, Henk has never seen such a bull. We have seen Livingston eland, cows and bulls, but nothing like what is described in the current rumor. Jim asked if I’m interested in giving him a whirl. Sure, why not? Jim sends out the trackers to search for sign, Jim, Jack and I head out toward the Waterburg Mountains to see what we can see. Cheetah! right by the trail...not thirty yards away, he [or she] stands still as a stone for just a moment, then two bounds and gone in the bush. Another wonderful sight of Africa. We hunt through the bush until midmorning, then back to the lodge for any word on eland spoor..We have to pass by the skinning shed....there are Matt and Henk and a 30" blue wildebeest.......they have a story............
They get to the property about daylight, meet the caretaker and a black tracker. The caretaker says “there are lots of blue wildebeest”...the tracker says “I can find em’.” They park the bakkie and start through the bush. Matt says “we don’t go but half a mile and cut wildebeest sign” Herman is also along, he and the local tracker start working. Shortly, they can see the wildebeest moving along parallel to the hunters. The country is broken and they are able to gradually close the distance. At about 170 yards the wildebeest become alerted and turn and face their followers. Henk says “ shoot the one facing us” Matt says “they’re all facing us” Matt and Henk work out which is the best shooter and Matt shoots him in the center of the chest with his .325..dead wildebeest. Matt observes... “here I am, a U.S. citizen, in Africa, shooting a blue wildebeest, found by a black African, over the shoulder of a Afrikaner PH of French descent, on a ranch owned by a Russian. I guess you could call that a multi-cultural happening. “
Back to the eland...At the skinning shed, Jim has a long conversation with Herman. This conversation is in Afrikaans...with a fair amount of pointing and gesturing. Jim explains to me “They found the eland’s sign, I believe I know about where he’s going, lets try and head him off” We jump in [or in my and Matt’s case, on] the bakkie and off we go. We get to where Jim thinks we need to be and dismount.
We don’t go very far when I see an eland cow about fifty yards ahead, watching us. The jig is up. Maybe not, she doesn’t move and we soon see another cow, then two cows. Then the bull, or at least we think it’s the bull. Then we decide it is the bull...but is it THE BULL? He’s in the bush, moving slowly...Jim says “ I’m ninety eight percent sure that’s the bull...I’m ninety eight percent sure that’s the bull...I’m ninety eight percent sure that’s the bull..that’s him! shoot him!” Great, except all I can see is the outline of the bull in the bush, I don’t have an opening for a .22 caliber bullet, much less a .366 caliber. Finally the bull moves and there is an opening about the size of a basketball. Only about fifty yards, the bull is quartering away, but still a good shot. At my shot, the bull jumps, stumbles about fifteen feet and falls. He’s still trying to get up, Jim get’s there before I do..and with my blessing administers the “coup de grace” I’m sure the bull could not get up, but we are taking no chances! We find my 250 gr. Northfork and Jim’s 165 grain Barnes lodged against the skin on the bull’s opposite shoulder. We are excited, Jim is jumping around like a kid that just won the best box at the junior high box supper. Matt is there along with Henk and Jack, they are grinning like opossums. Jim and Henk agree, it is the oldest bull they have ever seen. Henk asked if he might have his picture made with the bull..it reminds him of a bull he killed many years ago in Zimbabwe. I consider his request a high honor and quickly agree. I don’t know what the bull weighed, but I am a fair judge of cattle...he would outweigh a big Hereford bull. We didn’t measure his horns, they were worn down...but massive.
1:30 p.m. We are out again. Jim has found some old skulls/horns, one from a gemsbok, another from an impala and a third from a red hartebeest, we have mischief on our minds. As we approach the Cheetah Dam we see three warthogs. The one on the far side is a shooter. Matt and I have agreed to shoot another warthog for knife handles. Jim stops the bakkie about 175 yards out, when the sow moves, I have a clear shot at the boar. He is looking at me. The 250 gr. Northfork goes in just under his right eye...more than he can stand...dead pig. We take the gemsbok horns and tie them in the bush where they can just be seen from the blind..A trap for our friends that follow. We agree to go to the “zebra pond” and just relax..this has been quite a day! We don’t know it, but it ain’t near over! Eland are first to come in..nine cows and small bulls, then a grumpy wildebeest cow...we have seen this cow before...she has the personality of an axe murderer. One of the eland cows gets too close, she horns her on the hip...we can see a bloody gash from where we are....somebody needs to teach that wildebeest a lesson...Finally, just before dark everything leaves. There is an old tire on the far side of the pond [this was a cattle ranch many years ago] We have been watching what sort of looks like a warthog about half way in the tire, but not exactly...whatever it is, it never moves. After an hour, our curiosity is killing us. Jim decides to “sneak up on it and see what it is” He gets to within about thirty yards of the tire monster and a real monster appears! Jim doesn’t see the rhino and calf come over the low ridge twenty yards above him...Matt and I don’t know what to do..should we yell? About this time, Jim sees the rhino...he looks like he’s been electrocuted! She is twenty yards away with her calf and he has nowhere to hide. Neither moves...for an eternity...finally, Jim takes one step slowly back, then another and another until he reaches a safe distance. Whew! That could have been really bad. Oh, the tire monster turned out to be just a broken piece of the tire....Africa
JUNE 13, 2007
Another great morning in Africa. Matt and I are about done shooting. If we see a really good waterbuck, Matt will probably shoot him...I might shoot a blue wildebeest and would likely shoot a zebra. Our bag is pretty full and if we don’t shoot again, that’s just fine. Matt’s favorite place is the power line area. These are huge power transmission lines that cross Landelani. They are miles long and maybe 200 yards wide. The area underneath the lines was cleared long ago. Now the area is like a great long plain...and the animals feed and cross in great numbers. All kinds of animals. We park the bakkie on a rise and start to glass...it is amazing, you don’t see anything at first, then as you glass you find animals...an impala here, three warthogs there, another red hartebeest...a huge kudu bull..Jim thinks he might go 60"...he crosses and disappears into the bush. 10:00 a.m. The Double Pond...the weather is warm, almost hot, and game is on the move..there are probably seventy five animals at or around the water. Kudu, impala, waterbuck, nyala, warthogs...it is a spectacle. Wildebeest! the herd appears from the south, spooky, spooky, spooky...one good bull in the herd. An impala jumps a hundred yards away..you would think three leopards had jumped out of the bush...every animal breaks and runs at the speed of light! Ten minutes later most are back. The wildebeest crowd the water [along with a bunch of other critters.] I can see the bull, but am afraid to shoot for fear of shooting through him and killing something behind him..a bird flies over...they think it is a pterodactyl! and it is going to eat everyone!..In three seconds not an animal is visible. Jim calls it the pigeon mentality..i.e., when one flies, they all fly. So much for my blue wildebeest. Earlier in the week, Jim has said that he would like to kill a warthog for a friend. Here comes a pretty good shooter pig. Matt and I encourage Jim to bust him..pig wades out in the slimy green mud and water about ten feet. Boom! Jimmy’s 30:06 goes off...dead pig...ten feet out in the muddy, green, slimy Double Pond. I can’t help but observe to our intrepid PH.. “ I woulda waited till he was on dry land.” We go to get the pig, Jim takes off his boots, wades out and starts digging in the slimy green mud.. “looking for my bullet” says our PH. He doesn’t find it. [doesn’t find a moon rock either] He does however, retrieve his wet and muddy dead pig. And with a Cheshire grin “Team Hackiewicz, four shots, four pigs, no wiggles” Back to the skinning shed and on to the lodge for more Anita magic.
2:30 p.m. We are back at the Double Pond. Busy...red hartebeest, kudu, impala, waterbuck, more pigs...4:45 p.m. Waterbuck and a good one...maybe not quite as long as the one I killed earlier, but he is a trophy..he has that “I’m the Boss” look about him. Jim and I instantly tell Matt.. “you gotta shoot that waterbuck” Matt takes my Husqvarna 9.3X62 and drills him straight through the shoulders...his seventh animal and seventh one shot kill. It’s special too for another reason..The Husqvarna belonged to my Dad, I rebarreled it for Africa..Three generations of Richardson’s have now killed game with this rifle. It is a fitting end to our shooting in Africa!
Dave and Dave Tennent travel to Zinyathi, another property. Dave is still interested in shooting a zebra and a blue wildebeest. Sure enough, they return with both....a really big zebra and a good shooter blue wildebeest.
JUNE 14, 2007
Our last hunting day in Africa. We don’t plan to shoot anything else. We are just going to enjoy being in Africa with good friends..We do. We see giraffes, kudu, sable, tesebe, impala, blesbok, waterbuck and I can’t remember what else. Jack and Pat report an encounter with a big herd of cape buffalo. Pat describes the herd bull as “malevolent”
JUNE 15, 2007
Our last morning at Landelani. Anita prepared a great go away breakfast. We stop on the way to Joburg for some gifts, then on to the airport.
I’m tired. I’m ready to see Freeda.
WHAT WE KILLED
Matt killed : Kudu 55", Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest 30", Zebra, Impala, Warthog, Gemsbok
John killed : [2] Kudu 52.5", Kudu [one horn], Waterbuck 29.5",Gemsbok, Impala, [2] Warthog, Livingston Eland
Jack killed : Kudu 54", Nyala, Gemsbok, Impala, [2] Warthog, Red Hartebeest, Zebra
Dave killed : Kudu 54", Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest
Jim killed: Brown Hyena, Civit, Steenbuck, Warthog
*Jim certainly had our blessing to bag these trophies while we were hunting.
EQUIPMENT AND RESULTS
Matt used a Winchester model 70 .325 WSM with a Zeiss Conquest 3X9 and a #4 reticle. He shot 200 grain Nosler Partition bullets @ 2800 fps. He killed every animal with one shot. His impala, warthog, gemsbok and blue wildebeast dropped in their tracks, The zebra ran nose down maybe fifty yards, the kudu stumbled about twenty yards. The Nosler bullets performed exactly like I’ve seen em’ perform for more than forty years...the front third of the bullet breaks up, while the rear two thirds penetrates a long way. The only Nosler bullet that I recovered mic’d .503 expanded diameter.
Matt and I both used Minox 6.5X32 IF binoculars. They are superb! For the hunter in the bushveldt they are perfect! Matt and I both wore Russell boots with the turtleskin liner. They worked fine. We were somewhat over prepared for Africa’s thorns...the thorns are no worse and probably not as bad as the thorns/cactus in southwest Texas. While snakes were not a consideration in the African winter, they certainly are in south Texas hunting. Our clothing was mostly Cabela’s..we liked it and it worked as advertised. .
I used a Husqvarna Imperial 9.3X62 and 250 grain Northfork bullets @ about 2600 fps. This rifle belonged to my Dad [Matt’s grandad] and has great sentimental value to both of us. It was a .270 Winchester, I rebarreled it for Africa to a 9.3X62. This caliber just seemed appropriate given it’s history in Africa. And, I thought it would be effective. I also talked to Jim and he spoke highly of the caliber for where we would be hunting. I intended to restock it from the original stock, but time constraints, a banged up hand [and some rethinking] caused me to use the original stock. I’m glad I did. I put a Zeiss Conquest 3X9 with a #4 reticle on the rifle. The combination worked great. The Shilen barrel is a #3 contour. When I first finished the rifle, it was a little bit muzzle light...I added a pencil recoil reducer [8 oz.] in the forend just ahead of the recoil lug. This made the rifle just a smidgen muzzle heavy [what I shoot best] and also tamed the muzzle jump. Matt and I both were absolutely delighted with our Zeiss scopes.
I killed eight animals with the Husqvarna, all one shot kills....Jim administered the “coup de grace” while the eland was on the ground struggling. Jim and I had discussed this and agreed we would take no chances. If the eland was still breathing, whoever got there first would administer the “coup de grace” and I appreciated Jim’s efforts. The 250 grain Northforks worked precisely as advertised. I recovered bullets from the gemsbok, eland and one warthog. The bullets from the gemsbok and eland [both found under the skin on the opposite shoulder] looked like advertisements, [the expanded bullets mic’d .624 and .712 in diameter] the bullet from the warthog is a little be more oddly deformed...I’m sure all retained 95% or more of the original bullet weight. The exit wounds on my kudu, waterbuck, Matt’s waterbuck and one of the warthogs appeared to be about big as the end of your thumb. There were weak blood trails, [bearing in mind, only one animal went more than a hundred yards....my one horned kudu went maybe 300 yards, I shot him a bit far back, he was dead when Jim found him].
Jack shot a Winchester model 70 .300 WSM, a 3X9 Zeiss Conquest scope with a #4 reticle. He used 200 grain Nosler Partition bullets. Jack used Nikon 10X42 Nikon Monarch binoculars, while Pat used 8X32 Burris binoculars. Jack wore Doc Martin boots.
Dave used his Winchester model 70 Super Grade .338 Winchester magnum. I believe he used 225 grain Fusion ammunition.
Kathi Klimes @ Wild Travel was our travel agent. She and her husband are experienced African hunters and travelers. She was a great help in planning our flights and offering advice on air travel. I recommend her and will use her again.
Jim Hackiewicz aka JJHACK [Hunting Adventures.net] was our outfitter. He also served as the Professional Hunter for Matt and me. Not enough good things can be said about Jim and his staff. They simply provided us with the hunt of a lifetime. They anticipated every possible problem [I know, because there were no problems] and planned for every possible scenario. Most importantly, they are fun to hunt with and be around! If I ever get to go back to Africa, it will be with Jim. We planned this trip for more than a year and Jim was a big part of that planning. When I started looking into an African hunting trip, I looked at many possibilities...and talked to lots of folks, and lots of references...not one of the hunters that had hunted with Jim had anything but high praise.
ANIMALS SEEN AND KILLED AT LANDELANI
CAPE BUFFALO
WHITE RHINO
BARRED MONGOOSE
SLENDER MONGOOSE
CHEETAH
GREATER KUDU *****
IMPALA ****
WATERBUCK **
GEMSBOK ****
ZEBRA ***
BUSH BABY
BABOON
VERVET MONKEY
AARDVARK
STEENBOK *
DUIKER
CAPE HARE
GROUND SQUIRREL
RED HARTEBEEST **
BLUE WILDEBEEST **
WARTHOG *******
BLACK BACKED JACKAL *
TESEBE
NYALA *
GIRAFFE
BROWN HYENA *
CIVIT *
LEOPARD TERRAPIN
SABLE
BLESBOK
LIVINGSTON ELAND *
BLACK ANTS
* DENOTES KILLED AND NUMBER
BIRDS
GREY HERON
MARABOU STORK
HADEDA IBIS
THREE BANDED PLOVER
BLACKSMITH PLOVER
SWAINSON’S FRANCOLIN
SHELLEY’S FRANCOLIN
NATAL FRANCOLIN
HELMETED GUINEAFOWL
OSTRICH
WHITE-BACKED VULTURE
BLACK HEADED SNAKE EAGLE
BROWN SNAKE EAGLE
AFRICAN FISH EAGLE
BURCHELL’S SAND GROUSE
RED EYED DOVE
LAUGHING DOVE
RING NECKED DOVE
EMERALD-SPOTTED WOOD DOVE
NAMAQUA DOVE
MEYERS PARROTT
GREY LOURIE
PEARL SPOTTED OWL
VERREAUX’S EAGLE OWL
LILAC BREASTED ROLLER
AFRICAN HOOPOE
YELLOW BILLED HORNBILL
RED-BILLED HORNBILL
AFRICAN GREY HORNBILL
CARDINAL WOODPECKER
FORK-TAILED DRONGO
CAPE CROW
BLACK HEADED ORIOLE
ARROW-MARKED BABBLER
SOUTHERN PIED BABBLER
WHITE-BROWED SCRUB ROBIN
TAWNY FLANKED PRINIA
CHIN SPOT BATIS
MAGPIE SHRIKE
BURCHELL’S GLOSSY STARLING
GREATER BLUE EARED STARLING
CAPE GLOSSY STARLING
RED BILLED OXPECKER
RED BILLED BUFFALO WEAVER
BLUE WAXBILL
