A .300 Weatherby Lazermark on Safari in South Africa

[Prussian]

Gentlemen,

i want to share my experiences of my first African Safari with the Nation. I was just a little wondering that the last post in the African chapter is more than one year old. Seems not so much people going on hunt to Africa these days...

Anyway: it was a really great experience and - to be honest - I count the days when I can get back to Africa...
Btw: I was in Limpopo Area as Oscar (a few posts ago), the former Transvaal and had a few additional days with my relatives in Johannesburg.

Have look on some of my photos!









Yeeees! I hope next time I can go on dangerous game!

[catskinner]

Those are some great trophies you have there, I really like that waterbuck.

Rob

[Prussian]

Yeeeees, the waterbuck is good one. Unfortunately not a goldmedal, around 1,5inch are missing for that, but anyway.

[Marishka]

Fantastic.

[PARA45]

Very nice trophies!!!!!  Congrats!  Want to elaborate a little on load used (reload/factory), and distances on the animals you took, and a little detail on your hunts.   I love to read other hunters experiences. Again, congratulations. 

When I get to the house, I'll send you a detail e-mail on what happened with my trophies during shipment. 

[terminator]

Congrats.Sounds like a great trip.

[Prussian]

Thanks to all for your comments and congratulations.

It was a great trip as it was a pleasure to hunt with white Afrikaaner people and support them.
I had a complete different imagination of Africa because I often listen to stories of hunting buddies, who are like most German people going to the former German Southwest-Africa, now known as Namibia, especially because they speak German over there.
But Namibia has a complete different topography. Limpopo area where i was is called "dickbush" - thick bush. And that is what it is: you have a line of sight of about 80 up to 150 yds.
And this is what it makes interesting: you ever do not know, what is awaiting you around the next corner...

[buffybr]

It looks like you had a great, first African hunt, and some beautiful trophies.

Yeeeees, the waterbuck is good one. Unfortunately not a goldmedal, around 1,5inch are missing for that, but anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, it's more about the experience than the inches.

[O C hunter]

That was a fine Hunt you had, can see why your counting days for the next one congrats.

[Prussian]

@buffybr

Sure the experience and the memories are far more important than the inches....but, hey, you ever want the biggist fish in the lake, right ? ))))))

I made the mistake to have the .300 loaded with superlight German 154grs copper bullets, which travel at nearly 3600 fps, because I choosed the range for the weight.
African game is really hard, not even one one shot kill with this light bullets.
On these ranges I hunted the 220grs Hornady RN would be the best choice.

The Blue Wildebeest needed 4 shots. 4. In words: four.

The Zebra was running nearly a mile with a high lung shot. This was a little tricky, Gentlemen, to find it before the lions got it.
Although lions are rare in this area, they come sometimes from the Botswana borderline and hunt in Limpopo area.

[eford]

That's some impressive African game.

[PARA45]

I used 180 grs Accubonds, at about 3150 fps, and you are right, African animals are tough animals to bring down.  My Kudu dropped where it stood, all other ran a little.  My PH told me that the Wildebeest is called poor man buffalo because they are tough animals to bring down.  My wildebeest took two shots from my 300 Wby to bring down. 

[grizzly340]

Very Nice Trophies all of them. And thank you for posting the bullet you used. I was going to ask.

[Prussian]

Gentlenmen,

what are your plans for 2015 ?

Probably we will organize an African Weatherby Safari ?

I think there are some Nationmembers interested in.

Let me know your thoughts!

[buffybr]

@buffybr

Sure the experience and the memories are far more important than the inches....but, hey, you ever want the biggist fish in the lake, right ? ))))))

Oh yeah, I always want the biggest fish in the lake, and I'd rather catch a 40" Northern Pike any day over a 10" native trout that many "purest" fly fishermen go crazy about.

My comment was because in your original post, it read like you were putting down your Waterbuck because it didn't qualify as a gold medal animal.

My house is full of mounts of my best or biggest animals, and my garage rafters are lined with dozens of elk racks that I didn't consider big enough to mount.

I am more proud of my Bighorn sheep mounts (that don't make the SCI minimum medal scores)  of rams that I shot on DIY hunts in Montana's unlimited tag areas than I am of the SCI gold medal Impala that I shot on my first South African Limpopo hunt.