LYNN DOWNARD from Utah started the hunting season the first of April  This was Lynn's second visit to Cruiser Safaris having hunted with us in August of last year.  This year Lynn was looking for a couple of the harder to obtain trophies.  He started out with a trip down to Natal to pursue the Nyala.  After some hard hunting he obtained a very beautiful trophy Nyala.  While he was there he decided to try some fishing for Tiger Fish.  By the look of his pictures he obtained some fish that were named for the cat family, however I don't think they

are Tiger Fish.  Returning to our base camp he sought out and obtained a Gold Medal Bushbuck.  As the first person in camp we were eagerly awaiting his return to see the first pictures of Pieter and Lizelle's new boy, Christiaan.  As soon as we got them we put one on the web site so everyone would be able to see the new future PH.  Thanks Lynn, we hope to enjoy your return visit soon.

Click HERE to see photos of Lynn's hunt.

NICK SINGLETON  from Texas was the next hunter to join us the first part of April.  Normally something happens where the hunter acquires a nickname while there, however this time Nick's PH earned a nickname that has stayed with him the whole year.  While Nick was there he and Jacques were able to identify 62 species of birds even though Jacques said this was the slow season for birds.  Ever since Nicks visit Jacques has been called "Birdie".  With Jacques colorful hair, this nickname is perfect for him.  Nick's most memorable hunt was his Kudu hunt.  While stalking Kudu they came to a waterhole where 2 beautiful Kudu bulls were engaged in a very

aggressive battle with each other.  For several minutes they were able to watch these 2 bulls lock horns with each other.  However sometimes the victor isn't always the winner as Nick was able to then take an exceptional 53" Kudu.  Because of their wariness talking Impala can also involve a lot of work.  Just when you think everything is going perfect the wind swirls or an extra set of Impala eyes spots you before you can get close enough.  To be successful, Nick had to belly crawl the last 30 yards to get his trophy.  Nick also took a nice Warthog and 2 Gemsbok.

Click HERE to see photos of Nick's hunt.

In mid April ROBERT MOUNTZ  from Pennsylvania joined us.  I know that a lot of hunters would love to have Bob's problem , as all of his shots were less than 100 yards!  An important part of this success has to be attributed to his and his PH's hard work.  An excellent example of this was his Kudu stalk.  Early one morning they spotted a huge Kudu that no one had seen before and off they went in pursuit.  Even though it was not that day. they stayed on its track for a long time.  With the wind cooperating for them they finally caught up to him and Bob made a perfect heart/lung shot which

ended up with the Kudu a short distance away flipped over backwards by a branch and pilling up there.  Bob's Kudu was one of the largest shot this year measuring 56" and had extremely vivid and beautiful markings.  Bob never did say if he gained any weight during his safari, but his rave reviews of our Chef led me to believe that he may have.  Bob also took a Blesbok, Impala, and was was fortunate enough to also get a Jackal.

Click HERE to see photos of Bob's hunt.

Also joining us in April were DOUG TOURTELOTTE from Maine and his longtime hunting buddy MARK JOHNSON from New Jersey.  Mark kept the camp in stitches during his stay with his non-stop ability to tell great jokes.  Everyone said they never heard the same joke twice.  Mark was also able to demonstrate his athletic ability by catching with his bare hands a Kangaroo (OK, it was really a Spring Hare, but none the less a great feat).  On one of the hunts that they enjoyed together, Mark went with Doug to videotape his hunt.  During the stalk one of the trackers bringing up the rear excitedly got Marks attention that there was an awesome Blesbok that he had spotted behind them.  The Blesbok was one of the animals that Mark wanted and here he 3was without a gun and the video camera in his hands.  After much confusion he traded Doug the camera for his gun and bagged the 17 ¼" Blesbok.  Even though it was one of the largest Blesbok that we took this

year,  I'm sure Mark felt a little bad about messing up Doug's stalk.  Doug's wife packed him some candy for his trip, which made him very special in that a lot of it was candy that they could not obtain in South Africa.  He thus earned the nickname "Candy Man" as everyone sought out his treats.  His other snack item that he had was sunflower seeds.  These were not in as much demand as his candy and Samuel, when offered some, threw them away saying that it was "chicken food".  Even though Doug got the flu while he was there and even missed a full day of hunting, he ended up with an outstanding list of animals, taking a Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Impala, Eland, Blesbok, Gemsbok and a Warthog.  Besides the Blesbok, Mark took a Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Waterbuck, Impala and a Red Hartebeest.

Click HERE to view photos of Doug & Mark's hunt.

The end of April saw the arrival of PEYTON MERIDETH and PETER BUIST from Alaska.  They were both alternate weapon hunters with Peyton being our fist hunter with a bow and Peter utilizing a black powder gun.  We were looking forward to Peyton's arrival, as he would be our first bow hunter.  In preparation we constructed the large steel bow blind especially for his use and he showed us his excellent skills with the bow.  Since this was a new venture for us there were many new aspects to this type of hunting that we learned, but his PH covering his ears for the shot with the bow caused quite a bit of laughter around camp.  Of course the laughter turned on Peyton when one day Chef Jody's kids ran up to the bakkie to inspect Peyton's trophy in the back.  Peyton, who unfortunately spoke it out loud, said he couldn't believe how young they were and able to speak another language.  The as it was too late, Peyton realized that Afrikaans was their native tongue.  Perhaps this may have led to Chef Jody teasing later about Peyton's dislike of large beetles, which included putting one on his shoulder during dinner.  Looking down one evening Peyton saw a large dung beetle coming right for him while he was sitting in the Lappa.  Laughter erupted when he did an Olympic high jump to the back of the couch.

Peyton did save face though with his bow hunting ability.  On his first day he was able to take a Warthog (on a stalk) at 17 yards, which astounded Samuel (his driver for the day) who didn't think that the bow would be able to kill an animal.  His second Warthog, which was taken from the blind, was video taped along with his taking of a Red Hartebeest, which made everything even more exciting.  The highlight of Peyton's safari though was his taking a Kudu with one arrow.  In addition to these animals, Peyton also took a Blesbok, Impala and a Zebra.  (In Peyton & Pete's hunt photos I have included photos

 of the bow blind and Peyton's new son that was mentioned in the introduction).

Pete's safari started out on a sour note as the airline/baggage handlers broke the stock on his black powder gun.  Even though they brought along a rifle, this was not the way Pete had wanted to hunt.  Jacque took the damaged gun and glued the stock together and taped the damaged area and Pete was extremely happy when he was able to put a few rounds through it successfully and go hunting with it again, although his first trophy was a small Warthog with the bakkie (see pictures for this trophy, which they had fun with and also ate).  Pete was thrilled to be able to enjoy his first suntan in 25 years, as he was able to hunt in shorts which he is not accustomed to doing in Alaska, however the trauma of having his under shorts ironed has not yet worn off.   Even with all of these adversities, Pete couldn't control his laughter when he realized that he was hunting with "Hans and Franz", although Hans and Franz didn't know what was so funny as they had never watched Saturday Night Live!  Franz stated one day after Pete fired his black powder gun, "That is not just a big gun, I think it is a bomb!"  and he was afraid that it would set the brush on fire.

Sitting at a waterhole one afternoon Pete kept track of the animals they saw there.  There were 34 Warthogs, 8 Impala, 2 Kudu, 9 Blue Wildebeest, 4 Red Hartebeest, 2 Blesbok and 3 Giraffe.  While watching all of these animals Pete never heard Hans walk up behind the blind and h scared the ____ out of him!  At breakfast the next morning (when he asked) Pete also learned that yogurt in Africa is still yogurt.  Pete ended up doing very well though, taking a Kudu, 2 Impala (one a Rowland Ward trophy), a Blesbok, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra and an exceptional Gemsbok.

Click HERE to see Peyton & Pete's photos.

Returning for his second safari with us the first of May was PETER RYAN and his then fiancée VANESSA from Australia, for what I have to classify as a perfect safari.  This was a very romantic and special trip in that at the end of their trip they got married in Cape Town.  Not only was it a perfect safari but also Peter married a perfect woman.  The reason I say that is that I think you'd be hard pressed to find another woman in the world who would allow her future husband to go on a safari before they got married, and especially on that was not a hunter!  Congratulations to the happy couple!  During their stay it was also Vanessa's birthday and they celebrated it with a special barbeque dinner prepared for them under the stars in the bushveld.

At times while Peter was hunting Vanessa would visit some of the waterholes with her cameras and binoculars enjoying the many and varied animals that would come in.  In her words those moments at

the waterholes "made me as happy as a pig in mud".  While Vanessa was enjoying all of the wildlife Peter was enjoying a very successful hunt, taking some exceptional trophies.  Among these were a Kudu, Waterbuck, Gemsbok and the largest Impala of the year, a 25 ³/8" beauty. 

After leaving Cruiser, Peter and Vanessa left for a trip to Kruger National Park where they were able to get very close to several animals and were able to encounter all of the Big 5.  From there they went to the Cape, where at Steenberg (the oldest wine estate on the Cape and currently a lovely old world hotel and vineyard) a minister that turned out to be the former Mayor of Cape Town married them.   After a short honeymoon there, which included some fly-fishing, they were off for home and their new life together.  Perfect, just perfect.

Click HERE to view photos of Peter's hunt.

What an atmosphere change it must have been at the camp the day after Peter and Vanessa left.  That day saw the arrival of 4 hunting buddies form Michigan, TONY OBERDZINSKI, BRUCE MILKINS, TIM STOCKERT, and BOB WALKOWIAK.  But it was a great atmosphere and everyone had a great time.  Singing and jokes were the norm for the day.  A new smash hit singing group emerged called the Cruiser Singing Safaris.  It's members, Pieter, Tony and Bruce though are still looking for a record company that is a little tone deaf to publish their first hit.  Bruce showed everyone his expert marksmanship by taking a Kudu (which he named Duke) at over 400 yards in the mountains, but later was questioned thoroughly after being observed trying to shoot rabbit in the road.  We know how many shots it took to get his Kudu but everyone lost count on the rabbit.  There were lots of videos made during their trip.  Naturally when you are filming animals in the wild sometimes you get videos of them going to the bathroom, however for the best footage of all you must ask to see the video that Pieter took of Tony.  I was also told that Tony, when they hunted the German's property, was able to communicate perfectly with him.  Tim asked if they thought his Zebra would make the record book.  He was told that in order to make it the ears would have to measure at least 7".  They measured his and proclaimed that

 it looked like a Gold Medal as they measured 9½", until they couldn't contain their laughter anymore. Bob has been to South Africa before and chose this time to hunt with a black powder gun or two or three.  It was quite evident that he was experienced in the bush as he made his own perfect stalk on a nice Eland.  He was proud to demonstrate his abilities but at the same time he learned how to hang a Leopard bait.  Bob had a very successful hunt taking beside the Eland, a Blesbok along with a White Blesbok, 2 Steenbok a Gemsbok, Impala, Zebra and 2 Warthogs.  Bruce's Kudu was the longest shot of the year and was also one of the largest measuring 56".  He also took a record book Blue Wildebeest, a Waterbuck, a very nice Impala, Gemsbok, and 18" Blesbok and an outstanding Warthog.  On the same day Tony took 2 Roland Ward animals,  a Kudu and a Gemsbok.  What a great day that was for him.  He also took a record book Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok, 2 Impalas and a Warthog.  Gut Tim said that Tony's Zebra wouldn't make the record book.  Tim took a Kudu, Zebra, 2 Impalas, 2 Warthogs and a Blesbok.  After returning home though they all came down with PASS (Post African Safari Syndrome) however the doctor assured them that it would slowly go away as long as they start planning their next trip.

Only photos of Tony available from this groups hunt.  Click HERE to view photos of his hunt. 

The last week of May saw the arrival of  EDDIE & LEEANN NICHOLS from New Mexico.  Eddie was making his second trip to South Africa and stated that he was overwhelmed with the amount of animals that he saw everyday.  "The quality and quantity of animals was extraordinary and amazing".  He said that he saw more animals on the first day of hunting then he saw the entire 2 weeks that he was in South Africa in 2000.  He wished that he had hunted at Cruiser's on his first visit.  Eddie said his favorite part of his entire trip was sharing it with his wife and having her with him to share the experiences and get a taste of Africa.  LeeAnn said, "The most dear moments to me were seeing my husband smile like I've never seen him smile before and seeing a piece of Heaven in his eyes just to be in South Africa fulfilling his dreams.  Seeing him day after day so excited on each different hunt was worth everything".  Her "awesome experiences" included the first sighting of a Giraffe running free in 

the bush, seeing a Rhino, sitting at the waterholes and seeing all of the animals that appeared, getting to hold a Lion cub and seeing her first and only Elephant!

Eddie had fantastic hunts and one of his best experiences was leopard crawling through all of the bush for his Blesbok.  Although his long stalk until he was able to get the shot on his Kudu was also an experience that "I will never forget and I enjoyed every minute of it".  Along with the Kudu and Blesbok, Eddie also took a Blue Wildebeest that will score very high in the record book, a Red Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Springbok, Black Wildebeest and a Warthog.

I recently received a letter from Eddie and LeeAnn stating that the new house that they have been building is nearly complete and they can't wait until their trophies from Africa arrive to complete the perfect look for their living room.

Click HERE to view photos of Eddie's hunt.

TOM SKELTON from Mississippi arrived the end of May for his first African safari.  On his second day they were stalking Kudu and came to a waterhole.  He was a little disappointed at not finding any, however there was a very large Blue Wildebeest there, which he took.  His Wildebeest turned out to be a Gold Medal trophy coning in at #23 in the SCI records.  On his last day he was trying for a good Warthog.  They set up at another waterhole and waited.  Eventually a very good one came in and very slowly and quietly he prepared for the shot.  Unknown to him was that they were so completely concealed that another Warthog wandered into the back of their blind a she was just about to shoot.  When the wayward Warthog realized his mistake he took off making enough noise to wake the dead.  All this while there were several animals around the waterhole including several Kudu.  All of this racket now only scared him but everything else in the area.  Tom regained his composure long enough to get off a "Texas Heart Shot" on his trophy.  Realizing that he needed another, he immediately racked another bullet into the chamber and made a perfect dead center shot on a fencepost.  However a short stalk later produced his 13½" Warthog.  Tom also took a Gemsbok, Kudu, Impala and a Blesbok

Click HERE to see photos of Tom's hunt.

The first of June saw the arrival of PAT & ELAINE DUPRAS who are from New York.  Pieter gave Pat the nickname "Candyman" for all of the candy that he always had, however Pat says that the name should have been for Pieter as he was the one with the sweet tooth for peanut butter cups and ha was the one that was eating all of the candy!  With all of that candy in him Pat thought Pieter would be much sweeter and was amazed one day when Pieter took off chasing a Rhino with a stick yelling, "I'm going to whip your ass!"  I must quote Elaine on her most memorable experience of her safari.  "One afternoon we had a massive bull Kudu with a herd of cows and lesser bulls come into a waterhole.  They were probably within 10 yards of our seats.  I was so awe struck at the Kudu bulls size and beauty that I just froze and could not shoot.  I guess that's survival of the fittest."  Elaine did take some beautiful trophies including a Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala and a Warthog.  Pat said that during his safari he felt that he was just moving a little slow.  When he returned home he discovered that he had a couple of blocked arteries, which they repaired with stints.  We are pleased to know that today everything is fine and that he is ready to go hunting again.  Pt did end up taking some excellent trophies including a very large Kudu, a Nyala, Impala, Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Blesbok and 2 Warthogs.  Imagine what he could have accomplished had he been feeling a little better!

Click HERE to see photos of Pat and Elaine's hunt.

The first of June also saw the arrival of ANTHONY MAURO from New Jersey.  This was Anthony's second trip to South Africa, as last year he brought his entire family, including his mother-in-law, for their first safari.  After he returned home last year, Anthony was motivated to write a book about Cruiser Safaris and their family adventure.  For more information on his book, go to our "Book" page on this site and click on the "Take Me On Safari" link.  The book is an outstanding story about that family adventure and is definitely one that you won't be able to put down until you have completed it.

This year Anthony made the trip by himself in pursuit of some of the animals that he didn't have time to hunt last year.  He was especially interested in seeing and hunting on the Limpopo River, which is the boundary between South Africa and Botswana. We took him to one of our concessions there where he had an outstanding hunt for not only his top choice, a Bushbuck, but he was also able to take an outstanding  Waterbuck.  Last year, even though he  had opportunities, he failed to take a Kudu.  On

this years hunt it took him only a short while to get a 52½" bull.  However his Gemsbok hunt didn't turn out to be quite as easy.  One afternoon after 2½ days of spotting and stalking Gemsbok he decided to just take a break and go on a leisurely stroll around the camp.  While walking, Anthony and his PH became quickly engrossed in a conversation and weren't paying any attention to their surroundings.  All of a sudden they looked up to a short, stocky and formidable animal charging them from the surrounding bushes.  Wide-eyed they both simultaneously jumped backwards while blurting out something that can't be repeated here.  Realizing that they were unarmed with some kind of wild animal after them put them in a very precarious situation.  Upon seeing their reaction the charging animal also abruptly stopped his charge.  Soon laughter replaced their fright as they realized the charging animals was Otterman, our pet Warthog returning to camp from a romp in the bush.  Later Anthony was also able to take a nice Gemsbok.

Click HERE to view photos of Anthony's hunt.

RODNEY KEMPER and MICHAEL WALKER from Texas started out their safari in a very relaxing way in mid June.  After the long flight to South Africa they decided to spend a couple of days in Sun City before they began their hunt.  Sun City has so much to offer that this is a great idea, except that because of the casino located there, with my gambling losses I usually don't end up relaxed after a visit.

Michael was a non-hunter but was very impressed with all of the animals that he saw and that he was able to photograph during Rodney's hunts.  Having a wine and cheese lunch in the bush one afternoon was a great way to enjoy the experience.  Rodney had an excellent safari, taking a Blesbok, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok, Impala and a Warthog.

Click HERE to view photos of Rodney's hunt.

 A very charming and pleasant couple from Illinois, JOE & MARIA RUKAVINA joined us the end of June.  Although Joe has an extensive hunting background, this was his first trip to Africa and he was surprised at the quantity and quality of animals that he saw.  Maria loved being able to accompany Joe on his stalks and to be able to see and photograph the whole experience.  Maria often wanted to be sure that there were pictures taken of Joe's trophies that would show everything in the best setting.  After a hot pursuit one day and Joe's trophy was set up for picture taking, Maria was trying to get the best angle.  She kept backing up and to everyone's surprise fell right into a

Warthog hole!  After checking to see if she was alright Joe said something to the effect of, "You should watch where you are going!"  The scene soon erupted into laughter and everyone in the future was quick to point out her misadventure.  Joe took some excellent animals including a Blue Wildebeest that is high in the record books and one of the biggest Gemsboks that we took all year.  He also took 2 Warthogs, a 36" Eland, a nice Kudu, and Impala and a Zebra.  He said the whole safari was all and even more of what he had in mind and he says he is already saving his pennies for a return visit.

Click HERE to view photos of Joe's hunt.

 MIKE WODJENSKI and his wife LISA AGEN from Connecticut booked their second safari, again with Cruiser Safaris the first of July.  Having taken a Leopard with us last year Mike couldn't wait to return for a plains game hunt.  Also last year Li, who had never hunted before, spent some time with one or our dedicated PH's and was able to successfully hunt a couple of animals.  Upon returning home she told Mike that she was going back to Africa with us regardless of whether he was coming or not!  With a new rifle that Mike bought her, she returned ready to do some serious hunting.  Li was able to take 2 Warthogs, a Kudu,

Zebra and a Caracal this year.  Mike states that he saw excellent game numbers and quality animals.  He passed up 10 Kudu bulls before taking one that measured 57".  As he took an excellent Impala on the first day, 23¾", he passed up at least 4 Rowland Ward Impalas that he saw later.  Mike also took a Steenbok and a Blue Wildebeest along with a Brown Hyena, which he said scared him more than the Leopard that he took last year!

Click HERE to view photos of Mike and Li's hunt.

MILT & MARY MOSS from Alabama had a great safari with us the middle of July.  Mary said she took over 400 photos of their trip this year, which included a visit to Sun City and a trip to Kruger National Park at the conclusion of Milt's safari.  Mary said that Kruger was a real treat, however her being able to hold and pet lion cubs had to be the high point of her visit to Africa.  An Eland was number one on Milts priority list this year and even though it took a few days of tracking to recover his beautiful trophy, he said it was an exciting day when it finally was recovered.  "Mr. Eland", as he

 was good-naturedly nicknamed was very impressed when everyone was so excited and happy about his trophy.  A couple of other hunters even took a break in their hunting to come and see his trophy.  The toasts at dinner that night made this a very memorable hunt.  Milt also took a Waterbuck and a Blue Wildebeest that will score very well in the record book.  He also took a Warthog, Impala and a Gemsbok.

Sorry, there are no photos of Milt's hunt available.

The father son hunting team of ROB & JOE REYNOLDS from Florida composed the next hunters at Cruisers.  Joe earned the nickname "Oupa Vlakvaark" (Grandpa Warthog) while he was there, but "Grandpa" showed everyone his ability by making an excellent 336-yard shot on a Kudu in the mountains.  Rob stated, "I so much enjoyed watching my dad enjoying his safari, his singing with Pieter and our friendly competition.  I became addicted to stalking, loved the wild game dishes and the talks by the firelight.  I miss the friends that we left behind."  He became so addicted to stalking that after all of the animals that he came

for, plus a few extra that were added to the list, he still went back just to stalk some more and see how many animals that he could get close to.  At 72 years young, Joe took a Kudu, Gemsbok, Impala, Waterbuck, a gold medal Duiker, Blesbok and 2 Warthogs one of them a gold medal.  Rob took a Kudu, Gemsbok, a gold medal Impala, a silver medal Steenbok, Waterbuck, and excellent Blesbok and a Jackal.  Having made their trip of a lifetime, they are now saying, "When can we do this again?" and we can't wait until they come back again ourselves.

Click HERE to see photos of Rob & Joes's hunt.

The end of July was when TOM LUNSFORD from Iowa joined us.  Tom's safari started out the way everyone hopes theirs could start.  On the first day they were stalking some Impala when they come upon a herd of Zebra.  Breaking off their Impala stalk Tom's PH Jacques picked out a very good one and told him to shoot.  It fell right on the spot at 100 yards.  While he was walking up to his trophy, Tom was thinking how wonderful everything went and "How Cool" was this,

his first African kill.  To top off this perfect first day, Tom also took an Impala and a Warthog.  Even though the rest of his hunting days didn't result in the success they had the first day he said that some days the hardest part of the hunt is choosing which one to shoot.  Tom also took a Kudu, Blue Wildebeest and a very nice Duiker.

Click HERE to see photos of Tom's hunt.

In August the brothers TOM & CHARLIE LICATA and their hunting buddy LARRY CARTER from Ohio arrived.  I know for a fact that they had a great time and they were highly thought of as in September when I arrived, everyone was still telling stories of their safari and constantly reminded of jokes that happened while they were there.  I know it was all in good fun but I was told that Tom acquired 2 nicknames while he was there.  "Tella Tuby Tom" and "Spud".  I was also told of 2 separate instances that involved Rhino's with this group.  One day in his haste to get away from some Rhino's, Charlie ran off and climbed a tree.  This would have been a perfect plan except the branch that he was safely on, broke!  Jacques told me about one day that he and Tom were running away from some Rhino's also.  Jacques knew that he had no problem, as he knew that he could run faster than Tom.  Just then he fell and he heard Tom running past him so fast that he knew he could never catch him.  For all of their silliness, they weren't in any real danger.

With this being their first trip to Africa, they felt like kids in a candy store, but Larry stated, "We all put several animals in the record books."  Larry also said that sometimes it felt like their PH was stalking him too close to the animals before the shot, several times to within bow range.  Finally he said, "I can make the shot!" and that line become one of their favorite jokes.  Larry's priority animal that he took was the Zebra.  He related that he really wanted one so he could make a rug out of it and make love on it. Sounds like a plan!  He also took a Kudu, Red Hartebeest, 2 Gemsboks, a Blue Wildebeest, 2 nice Warthogs, a Blesbok and an Impala that was almost 25".  Charlie took a Kudu, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Warthog and 2 Impalas.  Tom took an outstanding Blue Wildebeest, and one of the best Bushbucks that we have ever taken, along with a Kudu, Impala, Red Hartebeest, Warthog and Steenbok.

Click HERE to see photos of Tom, Charlie and Larry's hunts.

Towards the end of August RICK ESTUS and his father-in-law CLARENCE REEDER from Oklahoma arrived.  It seems that our chef was a hit with them as Rick says they gained 10 lbs on the trip.  He said that sometimes the terrain looked a lot like Texas until he was brought back to reality seeing a Giraffe looking down over the trees or stalking up on a Rhino.  In fact on his first day they stalked within 25 yards of a Rhino and her calf.  The wind was perfect for the stalk, although his PH said if they charge get up a tree.  All of a sudden his PH took off on a run.  Naturally, Rick kept right up but he said he sure didn't see any trees that looked like they were climbable.  Stating that every stalk he made was a rush of adrenalin, however when the PH said, after a successful stalk,

that they should wait for a bigger animals it was somewhat disappointing.  However he was also quick to point out that it paid off in the long run.  Rumor has it that Rick was a great shot, even being able to hit a rock dead center!  Clarence ended up taking the largest Blue Wildebeest of the year, which will be very high in the record book.  There is now a large picture at camp of Clarence and his trophy.  The excitement of his Kudu stalk and the beautiful trophy was another high point of Clarence's safari.  Rick took a nice Kudu, an excellent 38" Gemsbok, a Blue Wildebeest, Blesbok, Impala and a Baboon.  Beside his trophy Blue Wildebeest, Clarence took a Kudu, Warthog, Gemsbok, Impala and a Blesbok and they are looking forward to going back.

Click HERE to see photos of Rick and Clarence's hunt.

GUY JONES  from New Mexico hunted with us last year and when a business trip to South Africa came along, he couldn't help but extend his stay to enjoy some hunting with us the end of August.  During his short stay, Guy wanted to travel to the Free State to hunt Springbok.  Not only was his hunt successful, but also he took 2 excellent Springbok trophies.  While he was there he decide to also hunt Mountain Reedbuck.  This hunt turned out to be very memorable for him as they spent 3 hours spotting, then moving then an exciting stalk

on his hands and knees ending up with the final 50 yards being a belly crawl.  He then made an excellent 250-yard shot on an outstanding trophy.  Guy then came up to our base camp for a little more hunting prior to his departure.  He ended up taking a very nice Duiker and Blesbok while there before he had to head back to work.  We look forward to him joining us again in the future.

Click HERE to see photos of Guy's hunt.

One of the disadvantages of booking for Pieter is that my wife and I seldom get to meet anyone.  This year on our trip to Africa we were fortunate to be able to meet TERY TERRY from New Mexico.  Tery is an excellent hunter and sportswoman who also hunted with Cruisers last year.  In the course of emails over the last year it was discovered that my wife and her had very similar interests in hunting and I soon found out that being the only male hunter in camp I was going to be in the minority.  This year I was hunting some of the same animals that Tery was and I soon found out that when I got my trophies, Tery had already been there and taken a larger one.  Her favorite line was "If you snooze, you'll lose."  A great rapport between my wife and Tery soon developed and I found myself greatly outnumbered and frequently with nothing to say as they ganged up on me.  However one day I got somewhat of a revenge when Jacques come into camp saying a Civet had been spotted near the camp.  Knowing that Tery was also interested in this animal I whispered out loud for her.  She was in her room resting when all of this occurred and later said that she didn't hear me call out.  I really can't understand why she didn't' hear, but when I got back with the Civet she was standing there waiting to express her opinion on how my voice before I left wasn't nearly as loud as when I came back.  All I could say was something about snoozing, much to my later dismay.

Tery said that after her wonderful experience last year she felt that her second safari might not measure up to her first safari.  To quote her, "Boy, was I wrong!  My second safari was even better than the first!"  Among this years memories included being 10 yards from a Rhino with nothing between the, waiting at a waterhole one afternoon and being

surrounded by 25 or so bull Kudu that ranged in size form 48" - 54", sneaking to within 5 - 7 yards of Warthogs several times and watching them trip over themselves trying to evacuate the area with their tails in the air like antennas when they finally realized that they were there and her excellent off hand shot on a running Jackal at 70 yards.  Because we were there at the same time we were privy to many stories about her, however being aware of the brow beating that I took while there, I'm only going to include one of them here.  The high point of Tery's trip was her Gemsbok hunt.  She wanted to take a very good one but little did she realize that she would end up with the largest one that we have ever taken.  Her PH Jan and her made a perfect stalk on a herd of Gemsbok.  When they got into shooting range they realized that there was an outstanding bull in the group, however he was completely surrounded by the rest of the herd.  Tery stood ready to shoot for ½ of an hour looking into the sun.  The wait must have seemed like days.  About half way through this wait she couldn't believe her ears when Jan said he couldn't wait any longer and had to go to the bathroom.  Luckily Jan's skill in stealth movement allowed for him to take care of his problem without disturbing the Gemsbok.  After all of the time spent and Jan's problem, the bull finally moved into the clear and with one perfectly placed shot the 42" trophy was hers.  Congratulations to her came from everyone, but to this day Jan still hears about his problem.  Other than Jacques catching a Honey Badger by hand for her to see, you will have to ask Tery for the rest of her stories.  Besides the record book Gemsbok and the Jackal, Tery took a Common Reedbuck, an excellent Red Lechwe (it was bigger than mine), a Black, White and Common Springbok, 2 Warthogs, a beautiful Impala, a Steenbok and a Porcupine.

Click HERE to see photos of Tery's hunt.

JOHN KALINOWSKY from South Carolina arrived the first of October.  On arriving they went to the rifle range to sight in his rifle and soon discovered that his scope had not survived the trip.  Luckily he had brought another along and was soon shooting his Savage like a Marksman.  As a matter of fact, Pieter later complimented him on his shooting ability and he soon earned the nickname "The Savage Marksman".  Soon he was settled in to the everyday rhythm of safari hunting and camp life and he said each morning was like Christmas as he was so anxious to get up before dawn for another day.  Victor, who is the subject of our next hunter, and John were together late one afternoon on their way back to camp when 3 huge Blue Wildebeests ran across the road they were on.  Pieter and Victor took off in one direction and Hans and John took off in another in hot pursuit.  Hastily led through the thorn bushes they popped out of a thicket to find on of the "beasts" staring and shaking his head at the.  Rapidly taking the shot and after a short trailing

secession they found John's trophy.  Just as they were radioing their success a shot rang out.  A short while later, Pieter and Victor arrived announcing their success also.  To quote John, "It's hard to describe the joy of two Southern boys hunting together by sheer coincidence, standing under the enormous African night sky, waiting for the trackers to bring the bakkies into the bush to load both of our record book trophies."  Although John was an expert shot he developed a case of buck fever while waiting for a shot on a very large Impala.  It seems that he was in with a large group of Impala and the only shot they had would be when they passed through a small opening.  When his Impala passed through the opening, John made a perfect shot 12" above its shoulder.  Beside the Blue Wildebeest, John took an Impala, a very ice Blesbok, an excellent Warthog, a Jackal and a large Kudu.

Click HERE to view photos of John's hunt.

VICTOR SCARINZI from Louisiana, who was mentioned in John's story, arrived the day after John.  Victor has dreamt about hunting in Africa since he was 12 years old when he saw his first mounted African animal, a Kudu.  A skilled hunter since that young age, Victor's dream was realized this October.  On his first day he took a nice Gemsbok and the previously mentioned Blue Wildebeest.  He was off to a great start.  Victor earned the nickname "Rambo".  This is one of the best stories ever to come out of camp.  While approaching a waterhole, Victor saw a Warthog run off and said to Pieter that he could run it down.  Naturally Pieter, who loves to chase them and see if he can whack them on their butt with his shooting sticks, told Victor to go for it.  After a while it slowed down and turned to face him at 10 yards.  There the Warthog and Victor both made their move toward each other at the same instant with Victor and his Gerber knife being the victor.  This is the first

hunter ever at Cruiser Safaris to no only face off with a Warthog at 10 yards, but taking one with a knife!  It seems that Pieter was able to video the final moments of this challenge for all to see.  Congratulations Victor!  Victor's next Warthog took considerably more work.  Spotting a good one he took a shot with the Warthog at full run.  After some tracking they cornered him in an Aardvark hole and finished the job, but no before they were all worn out, breathless and had acquired considerable punishment form the thorn bushes.  On one day Victor took 3 animals, however when he saw the Blesbok that he wanted it took 3 days of hunting just to get him, but persistence pays off.  Victor took some outstanding trophies while he was there which included 3 Warthogs, a Gemsbok, a very nice Kudu, A Duiker, Steenbok, Blue Wildebeest, Eland Waterbuck, Impala and a Zebra.

Click HERE to view photos of Victor's hunt.

HEATH HENDERSON also from Louisiana arrived the middle of October.  Heath's safari started out exceptionally well a s by 9 AM on his first day he had taken a record book Impala.  This Impala measured 24½".  I think Heath brought some of the much-need rain with him from Louisiana as his Kudu hunt, which was a real challenge, was conducted in the rain.  Normally hunting slows down in the rain, but with persistence Heath was fortunate to take a very nice Kudu in the rain.  I think his picture is the only one that we have of a successful hunter in full rain gear with their trophy.  Not all stalks, as hunting goes, proved to be as successful as he spent 2 days chasing a big Blue Wildebeest, but could never get his crosshairs on it.  I must add here his thoughts about one day hunting at a waterhole.  "I found a few hours by a

waterhole to be great fun.  You get to see the animals in a completely unalarmed state.  You get to watch the extremely cautious approaches of some, the ruckus a baboon troupe makes and the antics of the Warthogs.  All hunters are nature lovers and the show was as good as a Discover Channel special."  Besides some lifelong memories of the sights and sounds of Africa, Heath took home some wonderful trophies.  Along with his wet Kudu and record book Impala, he took a very nice Blesbok, a Red Hartebeest, Duiker and 2 Warthogs.  You must view his photos as the photo of him and the Warthog is my all time favorite (I can't figure out which one of them is smiling more!).

Click HERE to view photos of Heath's hunt.

The father/son hunting team of CLINT & JARED WINN from Utah joined us the end of October.  Prior to departing for South Africa, Clint was hunting deer in Utah and the next day got on a plane for his safari.  From hunting out west to hunting in the bushveld of Africa must have been quite a transition for him.  They did some hunting at the mountain property so he may have felt more at home there.  Baboons can be a difficult animal to hunt, however Clint made the most of his long range shooting ability and took one at 350 yards.  From time to time as the weather gets warmer there is a hatching of some large flying insects that sometimes

 join us in the Lappa.  Jared didn't care for these critters at all and was thinking about testing his short range shooting on them.  But the experience and memories of being able to be on a safari with your dad made the whole experience worthwhile.  Jared took some excellent trophies including a Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Impala and a Blesbok.  During his stay Clint, in addition to his Baboon, was able to bag a Kudu, Gemsbok, Impala, Blesbok, Blue Wildebeest, Steenbok and a Warthog.

Sorry, there are no photos of Clint and Jared's hunt available.

What better way to end up a business trip to South Africa than to go on safari at the end of it?  That's exactly what DON CANNON & DAN GILL from Texas did the middle of November.  Since they were both fully acclimated to jet lag after a week in country, upon arrival in camp and sighting in their rifles they immediately went out that afternoon for some hunting.  Although they didn't have any success they were both impressed with the animals that they did see.  Don was amazed by the tracking ability of Hans.  Not only did he get him into position for a second shot on an Impala that he thought he had missed, which turned out to be one of the largest that we had taken all year, but also several times they were within 50 yards or less on Kudu in the bush.  Pieter videotaped Don's Impala for him and although it scored very high in the record book, Pieter misspoke the size while he was filming it.  They had a good laugh on how the Impala grew in size while laying on the ground after being shot.  Dan's priority animal was a Bushbuck and they ventured to our concession on the Limpopo River, which is the boundary between South Africa and Botswana.  In the thick vegetation, Bushbuck can be extremely difficult to spot.  Once his PH, Jacques asked him if he saw the large Bushbuck in

 the brush.  Jacques said it was the dark spot in the brush next to the tree.  In his confusion as to the location (and something about a fencepost) Dan was

able to get his rifle up just in time to see this excellent trophy disappear into the bush.  As this is all part of hunting they were undaunted by this experience so they decided to break for lunch.  While they were chatting by the truck Dan was amazed that a Warthog, seemingly unconcerned about the, came boldly trotting by the truck.  Taking a short nap in the truck however was a different story for the Warthogs as Jacques state that when they heard his snoring they all took off!  Later that day Dan was able to take a Gold Medal Bushbuck very near the border of Botswana.  In his short stay, which also included a trip to Marakele National Park, Dan took the outstanding Bushbuck, a very nice Impala and a Blue Wildebeest that will be made into a rug just like the one that was on the floor of his Chalet.  Besides the record book Impala, Don took another excellent Impala, a very nice Kudu and the second largest Waterbuck that has ever been taken at Cruiser's.

Click HERE to see photos of Don and Dan's hunt.