Day 2 Continued... Birthday archery kudu!!

Sunrise at our ground blind at the water hole

Day 2 continued. As I mentioned in the previous post, Michelle and I would seperate from my Dad, Joe, and Heather to sit in a blind at a water source with our guide Daniel. We would head back to the same blind that we sat yesterday afternoon in the hopes of finding a shooter amongst the myriad of plains game available. My game plan for the safari was to hunt 4 or 5 days with my bow then, based on how far down my list I'd made it, I would switch over to the  30.06. I was not completely sold on hunting only with my bow but made plans to give it a few days. Even though I would concentrate on hunting with a bow, I always kept the rifle in our blind for follow up shots or if a true monster would not commit to bow range, I would simply switch over to plan B (short for BOOM!!).

As Michelle, Daniel, and I made our way to the water, we were able to see many species on the drive out. We caught our first glimpse of the tiny duiker that we would later spend several days hunting. These little critters love the brush and can be a tough trophy to harvest. As we settled in to the blind for the day, I can't help but think of the many birthday gifts I would love to harvest today. I feel like a kid in a candy store and although Daniel is patient and relaxes until the animals commit to water, I can't stand it and I am constantly peeking out of the blind trying to get the first glimpse of any animals headed our way. I spend hours glassing and watching zebra, gemsbuck, wildebeest, and other animals that are over 500 yards away working their way through the plains. With my gear double and triple checked, I begin anxiously glassing during the morning hours. I am shooting the same Mathews Z7 the the Gila Outdoors crew set up for me last year. My 125 grain G5 Montec broadheads sit atop an Easton Axis arrow. My set up has been finely tuned in anticipation of the moments ahead. Although I was told that most shots would be under 30 yards, my hunting experience here in the states led my to believe that just in case its needed, I have practiced and am extremely comfortable with an 80 yard shot on an animal that isn't on full alert.

At 1000 am, I happen to poke my head out the front window and glass to our left. I can't quite spit the words out to Daniel but somehow, I let him know I just glassed up a kudu. It's over a mile away but in the short few seconds, I can see his spiraling horns. As I switch spots with Daniel, the kudu slips back into the brush and is gone. Daniel says the kudu typically water in the evening so maybe he'll head our way. What a rush! It tooks some time to calm down but fortunately we had other species moving in and out so that help me re-focus. About an hour later, I happen to look back towards the place I first seen the kudu and there he is again. All I can see is his head and horns but this time, Michelle catches a glimpse. Of course, before Daniel can get a look, the kudu is back in the bush. I'm sure Daniel now thinks I'm full of it but at least I now know the kudu are heading our way.

Around 100 pm, we had just finished our lunch and the mid-day warmth brought on that sleepy feeling. Just then, I see Daniel duck his head back in the blind quickly. THE KUDU ARE COMING TO THE WATER!! I'll never forget those words as long as I live. I step over and get my bow ready. Daniel whispers to not shoot until he gets a look at all the kudu. The one bull I seen turned into 3 bulls and several cows. The kudu are much more timid than others so they hang back at 60 yards for several minutes. This was enough time for Daniel to let me know there was only 1 mature bull and if I liked him, I could take him if I got a good shot. As with Dad, it didn't take me more than a heartbeat to know this bull was in trouble. The bull finally committed to the water and as Michelle had the video cameral rolling I began to focus on my impact point. At 9 yards the bull just began to drink when the waterbuck that were also at the water spooked. This caused several of the kudu to run off. The bull was looking around to see what was going on as I came to full draw. The bull now stood at 12 yards quartering towards me. I could see the indecision in the bull as he looked at the cows that had run off. I slowly settled my pins and released. The arrow buried deep into the bulls chest and angled in through his chest cavity. The entire herd sprinted off but the bull slowed quickly. We could tell he was hurt bad but since he was still standing, I hung my bow and grabbed the rifle. Not wanting the bull to get away I asked Daniel if I should follow up with the rifle. Daniel assured me that it was a heart shot and sure enough, the bull never took another step. In just  a few seconds and within 60 yards the bull fell over and was done!! Now, every joint in my body began shaking violently. What a rush!! A kudu with my bow, almost had a hard time even dreaming of how this would feel and now that it just happened, the surreal feeling was undescribable.

Michelle captured this photo seconds after I shot the bull

Unfortunately, as the bull step to the left when the herd spooked, Michelle didn't have an angle to get the shot on video. Being a hard core photographer, she quickly put the video camera down and began capturing photos with her camera before the herd left. We climbed out of the blind and spent some time admiring the beauty of these animals. The horns, the stripes, and color, the long legs, everything about these animals shouts beauty! Since Dad was in between hunts, we called them up on the radio and they came out to take photos with us and haul the bull back for skinning, caping, and quartering. After our photo session, we climbed back in the blind to hunt the rest of the day. We had plenty of animals come in but no shooters. Even though I didn't release another arrow that day, I still had memories that will stay with me forever.



Archery kudu, 12 yard shot. Mathews Z7 set at 62 lbs, G5 Montec 125 gr broadheads, Easton Axis arrows

All of our trophies were that much more special having our family along.

This bull had the battle scars of a true warrior

Daniel and I with the first of many trophies to come

 Amazingly, mine and Dad's harvest on Day 2 wasn't even half of our harvest for Day 2. I'll post the rest of Day 2's harvest in the next post and capture Joe and Heather's pursuit of the springbucks. Enjoy

Day 2!! Dad breaks the ice...

Dad sits atop his Land Cruiser and begins glassing with a warming sunrise in the backround

June 25th, day 2 and it's my birthday. I never would've guessed that I would be on a different continent for my birthday and just waking up in South Africa on this day was only the beginning of an incredible day. Joe, Heather, and Andries left the ranch around 4 am headed to a different area in hopes of harvesting the Kalahari, black, copper, and white springbucks. They packed enough gear to stay out 3 days in order to give themselves enough time to harvest all 4 species. Dad, Michelle, and I awoke to strong winds, slightly less than yesterday but still a stiff breeze. We had breakfast with Al, Marsha, and PG before they headed back into Kymberely to begin their travels back to the states. Today's plan would be for Michelle and I to head back to our blind with Daniel in hopes of any number of the plains game to come into water. Dad and Jornam would try spot and stalk targets of opportunity today.



Dad and Jornam began their stalk

Dad would be the first to strike on this trip. As they made their way through the plains, they were able to spot a big herd of blue wildebeest so the two set off on foot to try and close the distance with the hopes of finding a shooter bull. As they picked their way in and out of the brush, they made their way closer to the big herd and fortunately they picked up a couple bulls bedded seperately out in the grass. Jornam studied the bulls and eventually let Dad know that there was a shooter amongst the two bulls. While the bulls were bedded, Dad and Jornam closed in to 171 yards. Jornam had Dad set up on the the shooting sticks and when he was ready, Jornam gave a whistle to get the bulls up. As they stood, Dad took aim, and slowly squeezed off the first shot of the safari. At the report of the rifle, the bulls took off running but the unmistakable sound of a solid hit was followed shortly by the bigger of the bulls tipping over after a 100 yards dash. A perfect shot off the shooting sticks, not an easy task if you are not used to this setup, on a big blue wildebeest and Dad had his first South African trophy. Dad would eventually harvest all but one of his trophies using Chad's .300 WSM. This rifle delivered on accuracy and kinetic energy, both vital as several of these animals exceed the size of the animals we pursue here in the states. As we do here in the states, a photo session ensued in order to capture and share the excitement of this hunt with everyone back home. It was no suprise that the Mt. Carmel crew understands the importance of capturing good photos. Prepared with metal stakes to help hold the trophies in an appropriate pose helped all of us to capture our"once-in-a-lifetime" photos. After retrieving the Land Cruiser, Dad's wildebeest was loaded and hauled back into the ranch for skinning, caping, and hanging in the walk-in cooler. While back at the ranch, Dad and his help took time to have lunch before heading back out for an evening hunt.


Dad's first trophy, a big blue wildebeest bull!!



These two old timers made great hunting partners

The shooting sticks

With a wildebeest down, Jornam and Dad changed areas and moved out of the open plain country and headed for the brushy rolling hills in search of kudu. The kudu are long-legged and masters of using the terrain and brush to hide. Just like our coues here in the SW, the kudu is also called the "ghost" of their country. Dad and Johnam used the Land Cruiser to cover many miles while stopping on high points to use the glass to help in the search. As evening approached, Jornam was able to pick up a good looking bull that deserved a closer look. The two back out of their high point and made a wide loop to cross the open valley floor in order to get on the backside of the ridge where the bull was feeding. As Dad and Johnam closed in to the last place they saw the bull, Jornam quickly picked the bull up again. They closed the distance and Jornam was able to study the bull for a bit. Jornam turned to Dad and said "He's a nice bull. I think we can find you a bigger one but you have a look". Although we would end up taking many "Gold" animals (under their awards program) none of us really knew the difference between a giant and a nice specimen nor did a score determine whether we harvested a trophy or not. We were simply out to hunt the different species and would be happy taking animals that were "Beautiful" in our minds. It took Dad just a split second to look at the bull and know he would be extremely happy if he could harvest this bull. Dad told Jornam the bull was big enough and to get the shooting sticks ready. As Dad once again steadied for his second shot of the hunt, Johnam ranged the bull at 271 yards. The bull was quartering away from the two looking back over his shoulder. Having years of experience to draw from, Dad knew he had to hold far back on the bull in order to drive the 180 grain bullet forward in the vitals. Once again, that unmistakable whack was followed by a 70 yards dash before the bull piled up. A perfect heart shot and Dad had trophy #2. The kudu was high on all of our list as this has to be one of the most beautiful animals that we have all thought of over the last year and a half. This animal, as do many of the others species, just says "Africa" when you see it. What a day for Dad, 2 shots and 2 trophies fall with perfectly placed heart shots. There is always a feeling of comfort when you see your animal tip over. Although legends have been made of the tracking skills possessed by the local trackers, we prefer they practice on other hunts. We are perfectly fine reading and talking about their skills and if we didn't require there skills while on safari, we would return home without remorse. After the photo session, the bull was loaded and hauled back to the ranch to under go the same process as the wildebeest. What a perfect way to end the day. And to top it off, Dad still had many species to hunt and 8 more days to do it in. Enjoy the photos of Dad's first two trophies.


Dad's kudu, his second trophy

Dad and Jornam teamed up to down their second trophy of the day

Dad had plenty of stories to share around our warming fire

Gonzales Safari 2013.. Day 1

And so it begins....

 

One and a half years of planning, saving and waiting, weeks of dialing in rifles and bows, countless hours checking and rechecking equipment, 3 days of travel, and possibly the longest night of our lives and we finally awoke to day 1 of our 10 day safari. We awoke to strong winds but no weather on Earth could diminish the excitement we were all feeling. Since we arrived at night and did not have a chance to see the environment around us, the excitment to even see the surrounding landscape was almost unbearable throughout the night. At dinner the night before, we had the pleasure of meeting Al and Marsha, a couple out of Phoenix that were on the tail end of their time at Mt. Carmel. This was a nice transition as we got to spend some quality time with the two and got a great rundown on what to expect over the next week and a half. Al was in search of a Kudu on his last day so the plan was made to have Dad hunt with Marsha, Al, and Andries in the morning. Joe, Heather, Michelle, and I would spend some time making sure our bows and rifles were dialed in after the long transit. We would then spend the rest of the day sitting at water while Dad would continue to hunt kudu the rest of the day.




Michelle dials in her 30.06

Although this was a much needed shooting session, it was hard to not go crazy with anticipation of getting out to hunt. This time was also a good opportunity for us to meet the guides we would be hunting with. PG, Jonam (prounounce like "your name" but not sure on the spelling), Jim, and Daniel would be our primary guides. These guys were a huge part in the reason our entire trip was so memorable. Not only were these guys well versed in hunting plains game, they were all around great guys to spend time with. Whether it was hunting or just sharing stories, these guys went out of their way to make sure we were having fun and well taken care of. We'd share our camp with these guys any day of the week. Once we were dialed in, we split up and went seperate ways. Michelle and I would spend the rest of the day with PG while Joe and Heather headed out with Jonam. We would all be sitting in blinds at water holes to see what would show up.

Joe, Heather, and I get the ol' stick and string warmed up

Discussing ballistics

 



This bull must've known he wasn't on our wanted list!!

As we left the main ranch house headed to our blinds, we were treated with our first sightings of the African plains game. On the way to our blind we seen black and blue wildebeest, gemsbuck, and zebras. This was what we had been waiting for and it was well worth the wait. When we approached the water, we had blue wildebeest just leaving so we were excited to know there were animals close. PG dropped Michelle and I off and went to hide the truck in the bushes. Michelle and I got things situated in the blind and I started ranging potential shooting locations when I hear Michelle whisper to me. Incredible, we hadn't been in the blind more than 5 minutes and we already had a herd of waterbuck headed our way. What a way to start off. PG made his way back and we spent the rest of the day wearing our camera batteries out on waterbuck, gemsbuck, and eland. By our guide's standards, we did not have a shooter buck, bull, or ram come in this evening but it was great to get the shakes as each of the species made their way in. The well built blinds combined with a stiff wind allowed us to stay undected even as Michelle's camera clicked way which made for some nice close-ups. Although Joe and Heather had a herd of Wildebeest visit the water, shooter bulls did not make it in before they lost good shooting light. Dad had a great first day but did not find a shooter kudu. Their group did see a bull pushing 60" but he had one side that was broken in half. What a start, day one finished without a shot being fired but we seen a total of 14 species of plains game that we had never laid eyes on. In addition, I was able to rack up sighting of 12 new bird species, obviously all new species on my life list. We all met back at the dining hall to share stories and pics of our first day out. Tomorrow, Michelle and I head back to the blind with Daniel, Dad will be trying his hand and spot and stalk, and Joe, Heather, Andries, and Jim will be taking a long drive to hunt a different area for the four color phases of the springbuck species. After a great dinner and drinks, we headed off to bed to try and rest for Day 2. Turns out, we needed rest as Day 2 kicked off the trophy harvest that would last the remainder of the 9 days on safari!! Enjoy some pics of animals that visited us at the water the first evening out.

A shooter in anyone's book (if you were hunting them)!

White headed mousebirds
The birding was just as productive as the hunting

Female eland



A herd of zebra pass by our blind

This is when it gets exciting, a herd of gemsbuck emerges from the bush and are headed our way

Female ostrich, although odd-looking, they
were quite amusing to sit back and watch!!








Gemsbuck, one of many beautiful species

A beautiful sunset illuminates a herd of eland just outside our ground blind

Mossback AZ heads to the Dark Continent!!

2013 Gonzales Safari

 

Well it finally happened!! After a year and a half of planning and saving, the Gonzales Family has successfully completed a 10 day hunting safari in South Africa. Mossback AZ guides Joe and Arthur, along with wives Heather and Michelle, and dad Arthur Sr. set out to try their hand at hunting an entirely new continent.

 

Another colorful South African sunrise warms the winter day



Hello everyone! After 10 days of hunting plains game, we arrived safely back in the US and now have the daunting task of sharing stories, pics, and video with all of our family, friends, and fellow hunters. We had the time of our lives as we compiled the many memories, photos, and trophies. Of course, it helps that Michelle is a professional photographer and with her equipment, we were able to capture many stunning and beautiful pictures of the plains game, scenery, harvested trophies, and new friends and accomodations provided by Mt. Carmel Safaris.

 

A towering male giraffe!

We have been trying to formulate a plan to share photos and stories with everyone but it's been difficult as we can get carried away just talking about our travel to and from, the friends we met along the way, not to mention the detailed accounts of each and every animal we harvested. So here is our plan of attack. In order to not put you all to sleep or force you to read this novel in one sitting, we are gonna post hunting stories and pictures every few days and share the stories we have to tell in chronological order as we experienced them in South Africa. This ought to help us spread the many photos out and help everyone pass the time as we get closer to hunting season here in the States.

 

 

A gemsbuck scratches its back as we sit undetected in our blind

First we'll start with the basic intro on how we ended up 9,809.25 miles away from home. In the Spring of 2012, Joe and other MBAZ guides attended one of AZ's outdoor banquets held in Phoenix, AZ. At the end of the night, Joe walked away from the auction with a safari package for 3 in the Northern Province of South Africa. This safari was provided by Andries van Zyl of Mt. Carmel Safaris. None of us had ever dreamed of hunting Africa and it tooks a few weeks for reality to set in. Joe met Andries at this show and got the basic idea of what we were in for but the majority of the plans were to be made at a later date. Joe's safari package covered accomodations, guides, trackers, and skinners for three hunters plus a discounted rate for non-hunters. Fortunately I had some great advice and help in planning our adventure (I'll spare you all the details) from a myriad of folks here in the US. Specifically, Tom out of Phoenix who has hunted with Andries several times helped with the finer details our trip. After all the planning was complete and triple checked, we found ourselves working our way through TSA and boarding the plane for NY, then on to Johannesburg, with a final flight into Kymberely South Africa.

 

Dad, Michelle, Heather, and Joe
waiting to check in at PHX

Even as we were flying towards South Africa, it was a surreal feeling and we kept telling each other that we couldn't believe we were actually heading towards our once-in-a-lifetime hunt. Since I had done all the arrangements for our flight, I kept having the nightmares that we would show up to the airport and get the bad news that we did not have reservations or TSA would not let us board with our rifles and bows... Fortunately it was only in my dreams as our flights, connections, TSA, and customs/permits went extremely smooth and we did not encounter any major obstacles!! This was the stressful time for me. 



Passing the time at the airport

Michelle and Pops getting ready to board the
plane from NY to Johannesburg



The TV on the plane was a visual reminder of just
how far we were from home!!!



 

Pops waiting in Kymberely for the rest of the group

 

 



Our safari was planned for the middle of winter in South Africa as Andries thought this would afford better conditions for archery hunting. We left Phoenix, AZ on June 21st and arrived in Kymberley, South Africa on June 23rd. Although not too cold for what we experience in our winters, the lows of 30 degrees and highs of low 60s was a shock compared to the 108 that we felt in Phoenix as we entered the airport. The only minor obstacle encountered on our travels was at the domestic check in counter in Johannesburg. Although our ammunition had traveled this far in our locked bow cases, and made it through TSA and the South African police, the attendants would not allow our ammo to be checked in unless they were locked in a seperate case. Fortunately our representative from PHASA (Professional Hunters Association of South Africa) talked to the attendants in the local language to get things clarified. We had to run downstairs and purchase the"Purple" Ammo box you see here to satisfy the needs of the airline. This convereted woman's make-up box gave us our first photo and story to tell in South Africa. After that 10 minute delay, the entire trip was smooth sailing.

On my next post, we'll get into the first couple days of hunting. I thought a quick set up would break the ice and get my writer's block out of the way. Until then, here are a few more photos to add to today's post. Stay tuned!!


Mt. Carmel's accomodations



South African sunrise as viewed from the dining hall



Although tempting, it was too cold for any swimming

A kudu bull makes his retreat across the South African plains

A herd of zebra, soon to be hunted by Michelle!!!

Black and white of the gemsbuck

The real "thunder chickens"!

Overlooking the plains towards Mt. Carmel

"The Bruiser Buck" Guinn's 2013 Monster Coues

Guinn was fortunate to get his hands on the statewide tag for AZ Coues Deer.  He contacted Mossback Arizona to help him out on his adventure.  His good friend Stan had the other tag and he killed a huge 141" gross deer in January with us.Guinn had the opportunity to come hunt that deer but due to prior obligations, could not make it.  Several huge bucks had been scouted, but we realized real quick that sometimes these bucks can be as bad as the bulls when it comes to breaking.  One big buck in particular broke up real bad so he was not an option. The rut was very strong this year, making it difficult to keep tabs on which bucks were there.
Being that he has never taken a coues deer, he was relying on us to help him figure out which buck to hunt.  Several weeks ago we located a really neat looking buck with a few extras we thought would score north of 120".  This was going to be our target buck.  With the rut winding down, the bucks were beginning to change patterns again and move back to their sanctuaries.

The "Bruiser" buck.

With Guinn having time in February to come he showed up and began his hunt.  Guinn is one of those guys that has a passion for hunting that is second to none.  At an age when most would not have the desire, or heart to "hunt hard", Guinn will do just about anything, and he certainly wasn't taking his coues hunt for granted!
Day one was extremely windy with not much moving, however towards the end of the day Jay found a huge NT buck that was a new deer that needed a second look.  The following day Guinn and Jay hiked to their glassing spot, while Luke was a ways off looking at a different angle for the buck that had been spotted the day prior.  This day was much like the first, but even slower.  Early afternoon Jay picked up the buck moving across the ridge and showed him to Guinn.  The buck was only 510 yards out and they realized he was broke but was still a heck of a buck.
Guinn got set up for the shot at 450 yards, and after 2 shots, Guinn had his first coues buck.  This buck was flat beat up from the rut, he was missing more hair, and had more scars than any coues buck we have seen.  He also broke off quite a bit of antler, especially on his left side.  He sheared off a point off his G2, and also broke the end of his beam off. You could really tell he had been rutting hard.

You can see how beat up this buck was from the rut.

Guinns buck scored dead on 120", and we figured he was missing 5-7".  The buck has just under a 19" beam, with great mass and length. We would like to thank Guinn for trusting us with his tag and for what he does for conservation.  What a pleasure to hunt and spend time with an amazing hunter and person. We can't wait to do it again. Congrats Guinn.

Guinn with his great buck.

Guinn with his buck and his lucky horseshoe!

Guinn and his AZ Bruiser!