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HUNTING 2009/10

RIAAN VOSLOO, JIMMY HOUSTON, BILL EPEARDS AND

MIKE INGOLD ON THE LAST DAY OF SAFARI @ SHINGANI

THIS YEAR IT HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD YEAR AGAIN AND

WE HAVE HAD HIGHLIGHT AFTER HIGHLIGHT. THANK YOU FOR EVERYBODY THAT HUNTED WITH US THIS PAST YEAR AND ALSO THE ONES THAT WANTED TO COME AND HAD A HARD TIME GETTING EVERYTHING LINED UP FOR THIS SEASON, WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY IN 2010, BE IT IN THE US OR SA

I WIL SAFE ALL THE STORIES FOR JANUARY WHEN I SEE EVERYBODY. ONE STORIE I DO HAVE TO SHARE.

2 WEEKS AGO WE WENT HUNTING WITH A GROUP IN ZIMBABWE FOR BUFFALO. THE WEEK BEFORE WE HAD 4 GUYS AND SHOT 4 BUFFALO IN 5 DAYS. DURING THIS HUNT A CLIENT SHOT A BUFF AND AS WE WALKED CLOSER TO THE SPOT TO PICK UP THE BLOOD TRAIL THE BULL JUST CAME CHARGING. THE CLIENT SHOT HIM UNDER THE CHIN AT 10 YARDS BUT HE KEPT COMING. YOU COULD NOT TELL HE WAS HIT AT ALL. I SHOT HIM AT 5 YARDS BETWEEN THE EYES AND HE WENT DOWN LIKE A JET THAT LANDED WITHOUT WHEELS. ALL WENT WELL ON THIS HUNT AND IT WAS A NICE CHARGE, THAT WAS EASY TO GET OUT OFF, AND FUN TO . THEN CAME 2 WEEKS AGO. !!!!

THIS IS THE 1ST BUFF THAT CHARGED AND I SHOT BETWEEN THE EYES

MY CLIENT MR X, MYSELF AND MY GOOD FRIEND FROM ALABAMA DAVID SPANN WAS HUNTING BUFFALO IN ZIMBABWE IN THE "JESS" jess is an area in the bush that buffalo like to move into during the day, it is full of the worst kind off thorns and very thick bush, you wil know if you have been In the "jess" EARLY THE 2ND MORNING WE PICKED UP A HEARD TRACKS AT A WATERHOLE AND FOLLOWED THEM THROUGH REEDS AND OTHER NICE AREAS AND EXPECTED TO CATCH UP WITH THEM AT ANY MOMENT. 2 HOURS INTO THE HUNT THEY

MOVED INTO THE "JESS" TO TAKE THEIR DAILY NAP. IT WAS THE PERFECT BUFFALO HUNT. WE MOVED SLOWLY AND COUGHT UP TO THEM STARTING TO LIE DOWN . I GOT X ON A BUFFLAO AND HE MADE A VERY GOOD SHOULDER SHOT WITH DAVID'S 375 AND A BARNES X. WE MOVED CLOSER AND FOUND THE BUFFLAO DEAD. 1 SHOT KILL. EASY NO BIG DEAL. AFTER ALL THE EXCITEMENT AND RE-HUNTING THE BUFFALO SEVERAL TIMES WE HEAD BACK TO THE TRUCK TO BRING IT CLOSER AND TO GET THE CAMERAS TO END THE HUNT WITH NICE PICTURES . WE DROVE TO ABOUT 200 YARDS FROM THE BUFF AND PREPARED TO WALK CLOSER TO TAKE THE PICS. MR X STARTED WALKING WITHOUT HIS GUN, I CALLED HIM BACK AND TOLD HIM TO TAKE HIS GUN AS WE ARE GOING TO TAKE PICTURES WITH THE GUN. I LEFT MY GUN IN THE TRUCK, AS WE ARE ONLY TAKING HIS PICTURES. MY TRACKER EDWARD STOPPED ME AND SAID TO ME "YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR GUN ALSO". WHY WAS MY RESPONSE ??. IT IS ONLY PICTURES. "YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS IN THESE BUSHES" HE REPLIED. I WENT BACK AND PICKED UP MY 416 AND LOADED IT. WE STARTED TO WALK TOWARDS THE DEAD BUFFALO. EVERYBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD HUNT WE JUST HAD, OUT OFF THE TEX BOOKS. THE TRACKERS WAS USING STICKS TO BEAT OPEN THE BRUSH FOR US, MAKING IT EASY TO PASS IN THE JESS. AT 1 POINT WE HAD TO GO VERY LOW THROUGH A THICK AREA. THE 2 TRACKERS WAS LEADING FOLLOWED BY MYSELF THEN MR X AND THEN DAVID SPANN. AS I CAME THROUGH THE BUSH AND LOOKED TO MY LEFT A BUFFALO BULL WAS STANDING IN THE BUSH 6 YARDS AWAY. MR X WANTED TO SHOOT ANOTHER BUFFALO AND MY 1ST THOUGHTS WAS SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT . I TOLD MR X IN A VERY URGENT AND DRAMATIC VOICE "TAKE HIM""TAKE HIM" . WHEN I LOOKED BACK AT THE BUFFALO HE WAS ALLREADY IN A CHARGE. HE CAME STRAIGHT FOR MR X. I PICKED UP MY RIFLE AND SHOT THE BUFFALO IN THE HEAD 3 FEET AWAY FROM MR X. THE BUFFALO HAD HIS HEAD DOWN AND HIS NEXT MOVE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE HOOK X. IT WAS SO CLOSE THAT MR X GAVE A SCREAM A MILI SECOND BEFORE I SHOT THE BUFF. A SCREAM THAT I WIL NEVER FORGET IN MY LIFE. DAVID SAW THE WHOLE THING HAPPEN IN FRONT OFF HIM, CAMERA IN THE HAND AND NO RIFLE. MR X WAS SHOOTING DAVIDS GUN. DAVID'S SAID THAT THE BUFFALO CAME SO QUICK THAT X HAD NO TIME TO MOVE HIS GUN. AFTER THE CHARGE X STIL HAD HIS RIFLE ON SAFE. REPLAYING WHAT JUST HAPPENED OVER AND OVER WE RELIZED HOW LUCKY WE HAVE BEEN. WHY DID THE BULL CHARGE. ???. HE HAD A SNARE ON HIS FOOT THAT WAS VERY INFECTED. WHY DID HE NOT CHARGE THE TRACKERS OR ME ??.

WHY DID THE TRACKERS NOT SEE HIM ??. WHY DID HE NOT RUN AWAY FROM ALL THE NOICE??. QUESTION AFTER QUESTION WITH NO ANSWER. ALL I KNOW IS THAT GOD PROTECTED US ON THAT DAY AND I WILL PRAY FOR PROTECTION FOR EVERY HUNT COMING AS I HAVE PRAYED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS OFF HUNTING BIG GAME.

LESSONS TO LEARN

1. NEVER WALK ANYWHERE WITHOUT YOUR RIFLE AND ALLWAYS HAVE IT LOADED AS SOON AS YOU CLIMB OUT OFF THE TRUCK.

2. NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, BE PREPARED AT ALL TIMES. MY GOOD FRIEND CHRISTO WAS KILLED IN THE SAME WAY. NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN HE ALSO WALKED AT A WATERHOLE WITHOUT A RIFLE AND WAS KILLED BY AN ELEPHANT THAT NOBODY SAW.

3. KNOW YOUR RIFLE AND KNOW WHERE IT SHOOTS FROM 2 YARDS TO 30 YARDS. DONT BORROW A RIFLE ON A HUNT THAT CAN COST YOU YOUR LIFE. SPENT THE MONEY.

4. SHOOT A LOT, IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS THEIR IS NO TIME TO THINK. PRACTISE GOES OVER INTO INSTINC AND EVERYTHING JUST HAPPENS THE WAY IT IS WIRED IN YOUR HEAD.

5. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR LIFE INSURANCE IN PLACE. ALSO BEFORE THE HUNT CONNECT WITH GLOBAL RESCUE. THEY PICK YOU UP IN THE BUSH ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD IN

CASE OFF EMERGANCY.

6. LISTEN.

I AM SHOWING A FEW PICTURES OFF ANIMALS HUNTED WITH US THIS YEAR. IT IS CALLED SHOW OFF.