Note: The * behind the listed animal indicates that it qualified for the record book.

Our first hunters of 2007 were 2 sets of brothers and they were all childhood friends.

LOUIS & FRANK ARANDA – California

Animals taken

Louis – Zebra, Blesbok*, Impala, Blue Wildebeest*, Warthog*, Kudu (54”)

Frank – 2 – Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest*, Blesbok*, Warthog*, Impala*, Kudu

Highlights:

Luis discovered that sometimes real patience is a virtue in safari hunting and this was proven with his Blesbok hunt.  His PH was able to pick out an extremely nice Blesbok; however he was in the middle of a herd of 30 – 40 animals.  They couldn’t get any closer than 230 yards without spooking the herd so they just settled down and waited until a shot presented itself.  It seemed like forever before the Blesbok walked to the edge of the herd, but when he did Luis made a perfect shot and had his record book trophy.

Another extreme case of patience came for his brother Frank.  Frank had hunted hard for 9 days and was not able to get a shot on a mature Kudu.  The last day Pieter joined them in their pursuit to help spot the elusive animal as Frank didn’t relish the thought of being the first client that didn’t have the opportunity to take this grand animal.  They hunted hard and it was getting late in the day when Frank saw a kudu bull looking at him from under a tree.  Neither his PH or Pieter had seen the bull and Frank pointed out its location to them.  Thinking that it again was too small he was surprised when they told him to shoot.  He hesitated at first but with renewed emphasis by his PH, he remembered that it is best to take his advice.  The only shot that he had was at the base of its neck as the rest of the animal was hidden by bushes.  That one shot was perfect and not only did Frank’s patience pay off, he was rewarded with an exceptional animal.

Frank’s Gemsbok hunt was unusual and I’m going to include his story here.  “We saw this Gemsbok early in the morning on the 1st day of our hunt.  He was on the trail eating so my PH and I decided to make a stalk on it.  Our plan was to walk along the inside of the trail.  When we thought we were inside of 100 yards of him our plans were to step out and take the shot.  Well, it didn’t work out that way.  While we were walking toward him, the Gemsbok ended up walking toward us.  While we were still in the bush, the Gemsbok trotted right by us at 10 yards.  There was no way to get a shot because we didn’t see him till he trotted right by us.  Later that morning as we were departing the same area with my brother’s Zebra in the back of the bakkie, we spotted the same Gemsbok again.  This time we kept him in sight during our stalk and at 100 yards I took my shot.  Even though I hit him hard with my .375, he did not go down.  It merely walked to the other side of the trail and stood there.  My second shot put him on the ground.”

Luis was also amazed that some of these animals didn’t go right down with a well placed shot from a high power rifle.  His Warthog took a hard shot right behind the shoulder from his .338 with a 210 grain bullet.  At the shot the Warthog just took off.  They found him about 40 yards into the bush though.

ANTHONY & DAN ABERNETHY – California

Animals taken

Anthony – Blue Wildebeest*, Blesbok*, Warthog, Impala*, Zebra, Kudu (56”)

Dan – Impala, Blesbok*, Blue Wildebeest*, Black Backed Jackal, Gemsbok*, Warthog*, Kudu

Highlights:

Making a video of your safari is becoming more and more popular with everyone.  Naturally you can’t get everything on film but Dan did a great job of filming Anthony’s safari and I was fortunate to receive a copy of this from them.  There were a couple of great shots filmed of Anthony taking a couple of his trophies.  There was an excellent sequence of him taking his Warthog and even though it was a perfect shot, you are amazed that the animal can take off and run like it did.  There was one scene of animals coming into a water hole and I have never seen so many animals in one spot at one time.  It started out with a bunch of Impala and I believe there were close to 100 Impala at the water hole at the same time.  Others that they filmed there were Blue Wildebeest, Waterbuck, Eland, Zebra and of course Warthog’s.

They both took some excellent trophies and Anthony’s Blue Wildebeest was one of the largest that we have ever taken.  This was a very frustrating hunt for Anthony as it involved an extended tracking period, however it was more than worth it in the end.  Although Dan’s Kudu is not listed above as a record book animal, it may also qualify depending on the thickness of the bases.  Dan also had a very frustrating hunt with his Gemsbok on the 4th day of his safari.  I know personally how sometimes they seem to be invisible.  He ended up shooting an outstanding one on the final day of his safari which was also one of the largest taken in quite a while.  Dan said that Beatrix’s cooking was fantastic and even with a lot of walking every day he still put on 5 pounds.

Click HERE
to see photos of this group's hunt.

MATT BOSOWSKI & his wife DEBRA – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Impala*, Kudu (51”), Blue Wildebeest*, Black Backed Jackal

Highlights:

The Bosowski’s visited us last year at about the same time with a group of their friends and couldn’t wait for their return visit.  I think they have found their perfect vacation spot as they are booked again for another visit in 2008.  Being used to some of the pranks that Pieter has pulled on them, this year when he returned he told me to pass on to Pieter that his cell phone was on top of the Elk mount in the Lappa.  It’s heartwarming to hear of a good prank pulled on Pieter.  Matt is a man of few words when it comes to his hunting adventures.  He did say that his favorite hunt was for his Kudu.  His complete story was “Climbed hill, shot Kudu.”  I will try to get some more of his stories from our PH’s and I will put them on here when I get them.

BEN BOSOWSKI (Matt & Debra’s son) – New Hampshire

Animals taken – Gemsbok, Kudu (53 1/8”) Eland*, Black Backed Jackal

 Highlights:

ROBERT GALLANT – New Hampshire

& his daughter CAROL – Texas

Animals taken – Eland*, Warthog, Kudu, Black Backed Jackal

Highlights:

Robert was with the group from last year and was excited to be able to bring his daughter along with him this year.  Carol stated that the housekeeping staff was really great and wished that she could do as well herself.  I think she may be back with the group again next year as she said it was the best vacation of her life.

KEN BERRY – New Hampshire

Animals taken – KUDU***(64 ¾”, the largest ever taken at Cruiser’s and the pending #6 of all time in the SCI record book), Waterbuck*, Impala*, Warthog, Red Hartebeest*

Highlights:

Ken joined this group for the first time this year and as was the saying on a favorite sports show on TV, he experienced both “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”.  As with any other hunting that takes place the world around, you just never know what is going to happen during a safari hunt, but Ken has experienced what other hunters have spent their whole life trying to accomplish and he did this on his first African Safari.

Ken’s safari started on a high note with him taking a Waterbuck that was tied with the largest one ever taken at Cruiser’s.  The next day he was able to take a record book Impala and everything looked good for him.  Then it was time for the “agony of defeat”.  His next opportunity came on a Kudu.  An obstruction prevented the shot that he wanted to take, however he found what he thought was a good spot and pulled the trigger.  At the shot the Kudu gave a jump and then took off.  It was a hit but there was little blood and the tracking continued until dark.  He stated that it was a very somber ride back to camp.  The next day they returned with the tracking dog but the whole day was spent in doing that, just tracking.  While the tracking continued Ken went to another property to continue his hunting.  On this property they found another Kudu and he decided to try for this one.  Again Lady Luck was not with him and the tracking started all over again.  I’m sure you can imagine what Ken was feeling at this time, but in his depression Lady Luck decided it was time to smile on him.  The staff had located his first Kudu and they rushed to the spot to claim his trophy.  Arriving at the scene Craig his PH took a quick look and thought that his trophy would measure at least 56’ – 57”,  but with a quick hand measurement he was sure that it was larger than that.  Getting excited about the size, Craig rushed back to the bakkie to retrieve a tape measure.  Everyone was shocked when the tape revealed that the Kudu actually measured 64 6/8”.  A Kudu of this size was beyond the proverbial “Holy Grail” in size.  After double checking and triple checking the measurements they just had to radio Pieter to let him know about this monster.  You can imagine the excitement when they arrived back at camp with not only the largest Kudu ever taken but the new (pending) #6 of all time in the SCI record book.  Congratulations to Ken on this remarkable trophy and I’m sure that he will always be remembered as the one who took the largest Kudu ever at Cruiser’s.

On a sad note, they never recovered Ken’s 2nd Kudu during his stay, however Lady Luck continued to smile on him as he went on to take the largest Red Hartebeest at Cruiser’s (although unlike his record on his Kudu, this new record is bound to be broken by another hunter in the not too distant future).  On the last day of his safari Ken finished up his hunting by taking a very respectable Warthog.

Click HERE
to see photos of this group's hunt.

SCOTT HESS – Pennsylvania

Animals taken – Impala*, Gemsbok, Kudu*

Highlights:

(Safari details not available at this time)

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

DAN NEWHOUSE & TAMMY OLIVER – Maryland

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Waterbuck*, Impala*, Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok*, Kudu (55 ¼”), Warthog, Blesbok*

Highlights:

(Safari details not available at this time)

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

RANDY ORZALLI – California

Animals taken – Kudu (53”), Gemsbok, Impala*, Warthog

BRUCE THOMAS – California

Animals taken – Impala*, Warthog*, Gemsbok, Kudu (52”)

Highlights:

(Safari details not available at this time)

Sorry, there are no photos of Randy & Bruce's hunt available.

GARY EATON & KATHI NOONAN – Rhode Island

Animals taken

Gary – Eland*, Blue Wildebeest*, Bushbuck*, Nyala*, Black Backed Jackal

Kathi – 2 – Impala ewes, Kudu (51 ¼”), Impala*, Red Hartebeest, Warthog*

Highlights:

Gary & Kathi had hunted with Cruiser’s in 2005 and were excited about their return visit.  As a “seasoned” African traveler, Kathi anticipated their wait in the terminal for their departure to Africa and had packed a homemade lunch for both of them.  She had carefully triple bagged her pickle slices as not to contaminate Gary’s sandwich.  After opening the bag at the airport and removing one of the pickles for her sandwich she placed the bag on the seat without sealing them again.  The bag leaked and soaked her backside making her smell like a pickle for the whole trip to Africa.  This must have been an omen of the future concerning her pants as on one of her hunts she tore her pants on some thorns.  Fortunately our staff not only was able to get rid of the pickle smell, but mended the torn ones for her also.

Gary’s first day on safari started out perfect for him.  An Eland was top priority for him and while they were having lunch in the bush, Jacques took a little walk to see what was nearby.  A call to Pieter (who was also along) on the 2-way radio sent both him and Gary heading in Jacques direction.  Pieter had taken the video camera from Kathi (who decided to stay behind as to not interfere with the stalk) and was able to film the entire hunt, much to everyone’s enjoyment later.  When Gary initially shot the Eland took off with everyone in hot pursuit.   Gary was not watching where he was going and only spotted a thorn bush in front of him at the last minute.  He tried to go around the bush but the thorns grabbed his shirt.  He then tried to spin out of its clutches only to have his foot sink into the soft sand, which in turn caused Gary to make what everyone agreed, a perfect swan dive and ended up landing in the thorn bush on his backside with the barrel of his rifle sticking in the sand.  Luckily Pieter was able to catch the whole event on film and later everyone at the camp agreed that the dive rated a 9.5.

I must add another humorous story here concerning one of the trackers for Gary’s Nyala hunt.  The tracker had asked his wife to make him some lunch and she replied that they didn’t have any food available at the time.  I’m sure that he was just a little irritated at the time and left telling his wife just to butcher one of the chickens.  When they returned at lunch time he discovered that his wife had dispatched his favorite chicken.  He was extremely upset at discovering his favorite was no longer with him but the ribbing that he took from the rest of the crew turned the whole episode into a very funny story to be told again and again.  Gary felt bad about this particular chicken and during the rest of his safari he kept his eyes open for a replacement for him.

Kathi’s Kudu was the first male animal that she had ever taken and they celebrated this special occasion with the traditional smearing of the animals blood on the face of the successful hunter.  Although this was a great hunt she said that her most memorable hunt was the one for her Warthog.  They had spent the better part of the day looking for a good trophy and were about to give up when Jacques spotted a Warthog that had just stood up in the bush.  Jacques yelled “It’s a Monster Pig!” and immediately Kathi got her gun up for the shot, making a perfect shot on one of the largest Warthogs taken at Cruiser’s.

Gary’s most memorable hunt was for his Bushbuck.  This story is in Gary’s words.  “Jacques and I set out to a property directly across the river from where we had hunted Bushbuck on 2 previous days.  This property was a classic river bottom with open meadow interspersed with tree lines.  The meadows were grass and low brush to about waist high.  We had been still hunting for 2 hours and things were looking bleak.  We stopped to take a break but kept scanning the meadows.  All of a sudden Jacques said ‘There he is’.  When I looked all I saw was the Bushbuck horns above the grass at 90 yards.  Jacques set up the shooting sticks and I got ready for the shot.  As I looked thru the scope the Bushbuck stretched his neck so I could see the white patch on his throat.  I did not want to ruin the cape so I lowered my hold by about 6 inches into the grass.  The sight picture was perfect when the trigger broke.  I chambered another round and shouldered the rifle.  Jacques was shaking me and laughing, all the while saying ‘He’s down for it’.  We ran to the Bushbuck which had spun from the impact of the shot but had dropped to the spot it had been standing.”

Gary had completed the goal of his safari by obtaining the 4 spiral horned animals of the region and couldn’t have been happier and Kathi topped off her safari with an Elephant Back Safari ride.  A perfect ending to a perfect safari for the both of them.  They plan on a return visit in 2009.

Click HERE
to see photos of Gary & Kathi's hunt.

DEAN & MARY SHOUP – Ohio

Animals taken

Dean – Blue Wildebeest*, Zebra, Warthog*, Kudu, Gemsbok*, Blesbok*, Baboon, Vervet Monkey

Mary – Steenbok*, Warthog*, Kudu, Gemsbok, Blesbok*

Highlights:

(Safari details not available at this time)

Click HERE
to see photos of Dean & Mary's hunt.

KEVIN & TERESA MCGOWAN – Georgia

Animals taken – Impala*, Gemsbok*, Kudu*

Highlights:

Kevin really enjoyed the meals with wild game as his favorite.  One night he asked Beatrix what was planned for dinner that night and she replied that they were having chicken.  Kevin told her that he was hoping for something wild to which Beatrix replied, “It was a Wild Chicken!”  One of Pieter’s favorite jokes to play on people is to put a brick in their backpack before they go out hunting.  He did this to Kevin but he found it before they had walked anywhere.  However Teresa saw one of these bricks at a water hole one day and wondered how long the hunter had walked with it in his backpack.

Relating hunting stories are sometimes best told by the hunter themselves.  This is Kevin’s Kudu hunt.  “While walking to a water hole, we came to a road and looked up to glance a herd of Impala followed by something very big and dark.  We got behind some cover and had a better look.  The something big and dark turned out to be a shooter Kudu bull.  While Teresa stayed behind a tree, Craig and I took off towards the herd and the Kudu.  After a couple hundred yards we stuck our noses and binoculars back down the road only to see the Kudu bull walk into the bush about a hundred yards away to the right.  After a few choice words, Craig and I proceeded up the road to pick up the track when suddenly Impala started crossing the road in a hurry back to the left.  We ducked back behind cover and watched the Kudu cross as well.  We proceeded toward the herd, stopping and looking, seeing a few Impala, when they all started running back across the road to the right.  Craig and I got into position with the shooting sticks and sure enough the Kudu followed the Impala back across the road.  Craig whistled to stop the bull and he did.  I found the Kudu in the scope and after rounding his shoulder a couple of times with the cross hairs, I found the center and touched off the shot.  The Kudu took off running but we found him down and out only 40 yards away.  This was my last day and the best shot of the trip”.

Click HERE
to see photos of Kevin & Teresa's hunt.

CURTIS WORLAND – Alaska

Animals taken – Impala*, Gemsbok, Steenbok*, Blue Wildebeest, Duiker*

Highlights:

Curtis said that Pieter must play darts all of the time but he should let his clients win once in a while.  With pranks being pulled all of the time, Curtis got his revenge one day at lunch when Pieter PH fell asleep.  When he felt that he was in a very deep sleep he took the opportunity to pour some water on him.  Pieter was wide awake after that but had a tough time climbing into the bakkie as Curtis had moved the seat all of the way forward also.

His favorite hunt was for his Blue Wildebeest.  They were in the mountain property when they spotted a nice herd of them and they began their stalk.  As it seems always happens, the herd spotted them and took off.  They caught back up to them and Pieter said to shoot one.  But in their haste and confusion, Curtis didn’t know which one he was talking about.  He asked which one and was told to take the one that was looking at them.  Naturally while this was all being sorted out the herd took off again.  Finally he had a nice clear shot of @ 80 yards and shot it in the shoulder.  The Blue Wildebeest looked like it was falling down but instead took off again.  They spent the next 30 minutes tracking the animal only to find that it had gone into a thick thorn patch.  Because it was so thick where the animal was they thought it was a better idea for the PH and the hunter to stay outside the thorn patch for a clean shot and sent their tracker Isaac in to chase it out.  That plan backfired as rather than chasing the Wildebeest out of the thorn patch, the Blue Wildebeest ended up chasing Isaac out of the patch.  Finally a finishing shot was made on the Wildebeest and both Curtis and especially Isaac were greatly relieved.

One of the highlights of his safari was having lunch right next to where some Giraffes were eating and to watch 5 young Impala’s playing within 20 yards of them at the same time.  Now that’s a lunch with a view!!

Click HERE
to see photos of Curtis's hunt.

DAN CAMILLERI – Washington

Animals taken – Kudu (52”), Gemsbok*, Blesbok*, Impala*, Black Backed Jackal, Steenbok*, Blue Wildebeest*

Highlights:

A story by Dan Camilleri:

 My Hunt for a big wildebeest

 After three and a half days of hunting I had taken five mature trophy animals, each one only took one well placed shot to bring down.  Keeping my bank account in mind, I told Hans, my PH, that we would hunt for a wildebeest, but that we would go for a monster (gold metal).

That afternoon we started our quest to find that special wildebeest, we had probably glassed 400 animals by day three (my last hunting day).  That last morning we spotted a herd of about 10 animals some 400 yards away.  The wind was in our face so we began a stalk that would take us through thick brush and culminate with an 80 yard shot on a huge (gold medal) wildebeest.  This is when Hans showed his tracking expertise.

When we initially saw this bull he was looking at us from about 80 yards through what seemed like a tunnel, framed by acacia and other thorny brush.  Hans quickly confirmed it was the one we had been looking for.  I had rehearsed in my mind, time and time again where I would place the shot to provide a quick kill just as I had done many times before.  But as I steadied the gun against a small tree all I saw was a huge wildebeests' midsection as he was walking out of my shooting window.  With his vitals no longer in view, my emotions took charge and although I had told myself I wouldn't do it, I squeezed the trigger.  I immediately turned to Hans in disgust letting him know that I was sure I hit him high in the gut area.

We made our way to the spot were he had stood and could not find any blood.  We only found the tracks of about 10 wildebeest running like heck.  Hans questioned if he was even hit.  We went back to the tree I shot from and carefully walking forward looked at all potential branches that may have altered the bullet’s course - nothing.  Hans called Frakkie (sp) on the radio and asked for his help.  Within a few minutes Frakkie found a single drop of blood about 10 yards from the impact site.  We tracked the herd for about a mile finding one other spot of blood about 50 yards from the first.  At this point I was feeling like a real chump for taking the shot.  I felt the likelihood of finding this animal was about zero.  It was at about this point when Hans asked Frakkie to go back to the truck and check the adjacent road in the area looking for a lone wildebeest track.  Hans thought was that the wounded animal may have been unable to keep up with the herd and took a different route.

About a half hour later Frakkie calls on the radio that he has found a lone track crossing the road.  Hans and I made our way to that spot, the track showed a big wildebeest moving in the opposite direction from the rest of the herd.  Hans began to follow the track with me following closely behind him.  We had not gone more than 75 yards into the brush when we came upon a pool of splattered blood on the ground about four inches in diameter.  The frustration and disappointment I had been feeling for the poor shot immediately gave way to excitement and anticipation in finding the big wildebeest.  Hans had told me just a few minutes earlier that if we can find the individual animal’s track to follow and confirm it is the right one with blood, we would find him.  With that, Hans continued to follow the track with me close behind looking ahead in an effort to either spot the animal laying down or stop a charge if it decided that was its best option.  We had gone about 600 yards without seeing any more blood.  Hans continued forward with his head down looking at the tracks and visualizing the animal as it wound its way around the acacia and other brush.  I found myself questioning whether it was even possible to track an animal this far in sandy soil, with a multitude of other animal tracks indiscriminately crossing those that he was so intently following.  It was at about this point as we wound around another acacia, I noticed blood on a small leaf, thus validating much to my amazement that Hans was still on the right track.  It was at about that point he told me the animal wanted to bed down given the route it was taking and the way it was moving.  We continued on another twenty yards or so and as we made our way around another thorny bush Hans stopped, then slowly crouched down and pointed forward.

There in a maze of brush was the outline of our wildebeest, lying down facing away from us.  He looked huge, more like a buffalo than a wildebeest.  Moving very slowly and deliberately I tried several different vantage points looking for a clear shooting window that would allow me to hit the vitals, to no avail.  He then turned his head our direction as he must have heard or winded us.  I froze, he finally turned back and I took the only shot I had, quartering through his left side and out high in the opposite shoulder.  He wobbled to his feet and disappeared.  I was amazed and awed at the pounding it could take from the 300 magnum.  We walked to where he had been bedded, and again couldn't find any blood.  The big guy was no where to be seen.  Hans picked up the track again and after another couple hundred yards we saw him about 200 yards ahead slowly walking directly away from us in a relatively open area.  We worked our way beside him and from about 30 yards I was finally able to see the heart lung region and used two quick shots to finally put and end to the chase.

Hans and I stared at the big beast, we then looked at each other in awe of the magnificent animal we had taken.  We took a quick measurement; he was 29 1/4 wide with big bosses.  He was bigger than I ever could have imagined.  Hans exclaimed - Gold medal!  A few minutes passed as we just stared at the big guy and let the events of the day sink in.

Hans then left to get the truck.  I stood there alone looking at the wildebeest, coming to grips with the emotional roller coaster we had just been through, my excitement dampened by the suffering I had put the big guy through.  At the end all I could do was thank the Lord for such a beautiful animal.

Click HERE
to see photos of Dan's hunt.

HANS-JURGEN RUD – Germany

Animals taken – Kudu (51 ½”), Blue Wildebeest*, Warthog*, Impala*, Steenbok, 2 – Female Impalas

ELFRIEDE (ELFI) RUD (Hans’ wife) – Germany

Animals taken – Impala

MATTHIAS RUD (Hans brother) – Germany

Animals taken – Kudu*, Blue Wildebeest*, 2 - Impala*, Warthog*, Gemsbok, Blesbok*, Steenbok*, 2 – Female Impalas

Highlights:

I’m going to start their story a little different and tell you about a video that they sent me when they returned.  I know it’s not fair to just describe the video to you without being able to show it to you but I think its mention will help others that are also planning on doing this while they are there.  Naturally since they all hunted together it made it a little easier to film but their video captures what I consider the total essence and feeling of not only their safari but any safari in general.  The videos composition was perfect in that it started out introducing the hunters and their hunting staff.  They then included still pictures of some of their trophies.  The next portion of the video included some of their earlier hunts and included 3 excellent kill shots which were followed by a slow motion sequence of those shots.  As you know by watching some of the hunting shows that this portion may get monotonous and so they took a break in the middle and added a portion which contained filming of the camp, relaxing there, some live animal footage and then some excellent footage of the fauna of the area.  (And yes Matthias, the cactus needles are sharp when you touch them).  Then it was back to more of the actual hunting scenes which also included some more of the actual kill shots.  The video ended with a blazing fire which was interwoven with a spectacular sunset.  All during the video African music played which only made the whole project weave together in a most pleasant and interesting story.  I only wish that I could make a video of the quality that they did but by seeing this I hope to improve my film making in the future.

The first day of their safari started out on a very high note with Matthias taking a record book Kudu.  Their video shows the whole stalk and the actual shot with the viewer being able to see the bullet hit.  They ended up tracking it only 100 yards and the excitement of this tracking and the finding of the trophy was captured in full on video.  This was uncut and showed everyone’s excitement throughout the entire process.  Day 2 was just as exciting as day one.  It started out with Hans shooting a very nice Blue Wildebeest.  As they were positioning the animal for photographs, Craig, their PH, spotted another excellent Blue Wildebeest in the distance.  They quickly stopped what they were doing and Craig and Matthias started out on a stalk of their own.  Unfortunately Matthias’s shot was not quite as good as the one that Hans made and a long tracking job, with the aid of the dog was necessary to recover this trophy.  But the day ended well with both brothers having obtained record book Blue Wildebeests.  Elfi was a non hunter but it wasn’t long before she was also bit by the hunting fever and after some practice at the rifle range they all set out on a quest for her Impala.  Again everything was captured on film and she made a perfect shot on a great looking Impala.  Hans remarked later that it seemed like forever before Elfi shot but this Impala was destined to be Elfi’s trophy and it stayed in perfect shooting position until Elfi was comfortable with her shot.  Congratulations to another first time hunter and we are looking forward to their return in 2009.

Click HERE
to see photos of this group's hunt.

HECTOR SIDANEZ – Argentina

Animals taken – Kudu (54 ½”), Waterbuck*, 3 – Impala*, Gemsbok*, Blesbok*, Blue Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest*

ROBERTO GRAU – Argentina

Animals taken – Kudu*, Blesbok*, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest*, 2 – Warthogs*, 2 – Impalas*, Red Hartebeest

Highlights:

The camp was truly an international one with the arrival of Hector & Roberto.  With Hans, Elfi & Matthias speaking German, Hector & Roberto speaking Spanish and Pieter and the staff speaking Afrikaans it must have been really entertaining to hear everyone communicating.  But even with all of the language differences, when it come to hunting everyone is able to communicate their goals and triumphs with little regard to the differences.  Hans was Roberto’s PH and he did note that the differences in languages was difficult the first day but that everything ended on a great note with Roberto taking a record book Blesbok.  After overcoming the language barrier the rest of the safari went extremely well for both of them.  The second day Roberto took a nice Gemsbok and they decided to sit at a water hole for a while.  And they were immediately rewarded with watching 5 Rhinos come in.  There were 2 males that came in but they didn’t drink.  They were more interested in the females that were already there.  After they departed Roberto and Hans could hear the 2 males fighting each other.

Hectors first day on safari was perfect in every way.  Early in the morning they encountered fresh Kudu tracks and started following them.  Jacques (his PH) felt he knew where the tracks were leading and they attempted to intercept them.  Some Gemsbok also joined up with the Kudus and spotted the hunters first.  Reaching an area on the dirt road where they should have all crossed they discovered that the Gemsbok were already gone but the Kudu had stopped for a second to check their backtrack.  This was all of the time that Hector needed to take his huge Kudu.  They decided to go back to the same area on the next day and this time the wind was blowing fairly strong directly into them.  As Waterbuck have a distinctive odor it wasn’t long before Jacques smelled one.  They tracked their quarry until they came to a little ridge that was formed by ancient volcanic activity and it is there where they spotted the Waterbuck and Hector had his 2nd record book trophy.  Hector continued to have excellent luck in his hunting until it came to the Red Hartebeest.  Hector ended up wounding this animal and considerable amount of time was spent in tracking it.  As with any animal that is wounded the hunter feels terrible and they hadn’t been able to locate it when the safari period was over.  The great news for everybody came after Hectors safari when word came that they had finally recovered his trophy.

Sorry, there are no photos of Hector & Roberto's hunt available.

RICK KLEIN & his wife HEIDI BRONGERS –
     British Columbia, Canada

Animals taken – Impala*, Kudu (54”), Warthog*, Gemsbok*, Waterbuck*

MARK YANKO – British Columbia, Canada

Animals taken – Impala, Kudu, Gemsbok, Blesbok*, Warthog*

Highlights:

The rut for the Impala’s was in high gear on the first day of Rick’s safari.  They could hear the males making all kinds of sounds in the distance and decided to get closer to them.  And close they did get with Rich taking an excellent trophy at only 35 yards.  On his second day he made a marginal shot on a nice Kudu and then they spent the next 2 hours tracking it over many miles.  Rick said he was amazed watching his PH Pieter and his tracker Isaac working together to find his Kudu.  They finally found it and with a very long shot Rick had his 2nd record book animal.  On his hunt for a Waterbuck it was his PH that got even more excited than he was when he spotted a big bull.  Rick told his PH that he must calm down and then made a great shot on his trophy.  One day Rick & Heidi ended up getting chased down a game trail by a Rhino.  Heidi remarked later that honestly she wasn’t afraid at all, she just felt it was a good time to get some exercise by hurrying back to the bakki.

Mark also started his safari with an Impala.  He was able to stalk it to within 50 yards.  I know exactly how Mark felt when it comes to hunting Gemsbok.  He spent two days in pursuit of one without any luck.  On the 3rd day they went after Kudu and early in the morning Mark took a nice one.  Then feeling good about this trophy they decided to try for Gemsbok again.  They spent the rest of the day in pursuit of Gemsbok and again ended up skunked.  After this both Mark and his PH Craig were considering trading in his Gemsbok for a Blue Wildebeest but they thought that they would give it just one more try.  After lunch that day they finally were able to put a stalk on a nice bull and Mark finally had his much deserved Gemsbok trophy.  They then took to rest of the day off to celebrate.  His hunting got more successful after the Gemsbok as on the next 2 days he took a record book Blesbok and a record book Warthog.

Click HERE
to see photos of Rick & Mark's hunt.

CHRIS COLLOPY – Arizona

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Warthog*, Kudu, Blesbok*, Bushbuck*, Steenbok*, Gemsbok, Impala, Duiker*

DAVE JOHNSON – Arizona

Animals taken – 2 – Impala, Blue Wildebeest*, Waterbuck*, Blesbok*, Warthog, Kudu (55 1/8”), Zebra

Highlights:

Chris’s first day involved an extremely long walk.  It seems that his shot on his Blue Wildebeest wasn’t perfect and the tracking job was on.  The Wildebeest joined up with some Eland which made the tracking even harder.  Their tracker, Joseph, was able to sort it all out and they found the Wildebeest.  Chris said that if it wasn’t for Joseph’s amazing tracking skill, they would have never recovered his trophy.  He said that his hunt for his Blesbok was the hunt of a lifetime for him and I will let him tell it here in his own words.  "It started off with a stalk on one group that required crawling on our stomachs but Craig (his PH) said he could find a bigger buck so we backed off.  Then Craig finds another large group with a very large male out in the open but we were unable to get within shooting range before they made it to the brush line.  After lunch we went back looking for the big buck and Joseph the driver spots them so we make a stalk only to be busted by some Red Hartebeest.  We start stalking again but this time they are in much thicker brush.  We were never further then 60 yards from the Blesbok but couldn't get the shot.  After following the group for miles and some very exciting moments the big buck presented a 60 yard shot and he dropped in his tracks."

Chris said that at night he would relax around camp in some short pants.  These shorts had the large cargo pockets and everyone had a good time putting different things in his pockets without his knowledge.  Pieter put an overripe banana in them that he found after sitting down, salt after a trip to the skinning shed, rocks after a trip to the rifle range and a glass of water while playing darts. He said that he never did learn to check his pockets after being around Pieter.

Dave’s safari started out with a bang on the first day with him bagging an Impala and a Blue Wildebeest.  On day 2 they were looking for Gemsbok but instead saw a great Red Hartebeest, however they couldn’t get a shot.  After checking out the property they came back to the area where they had seen the Red Hartebeest and saw a huge Waterbuck.  They made a great stalk on it then had to wait for it to take one more step for a clear shot.  After what seemed like a very long time, the Waterbuck moved and Dave made a perfect shot on what turns out at that time to be the largest Waterbuck every taken at Cruiser’s.  Dave’s most memorable hunt had to be his Kudu.  They saw the Kudu earlier in the day with some females but were unable to judge the horn length for sure as they couldn’t see the tips before they all ran off.  They located them again later and this time it was determined to be a shooter for sure and Dave dropped his 55”+ trophy.  Congratulations on 2 outstanding animals.  As hunting luck always seems to run in cycles, it took Dave 3 days before he was able to take another trophy.

Click HERE
to see photos of Chris & Dave's hunt.

ALEXANDER SHARIF – Alberta, Canada

Animals taken – Blue Wildebeest*, Impala*, Kudu (581/2”), Gemsbok*, Red Hartebeest*, Blesbok*, Steenbok*, Warthog*, Black Backed Jackal

JOHN GOODE – California

Observer/photographer

Highlights:

Alexander asked his longtime friend John Goode to accompany him on his safari for companionship and to be his photographer.  This was John’s 5th trip to Africa.  He had previously lived in South Africa for 2 years for the company he worked for.  He had also been to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya and was looking forward to his return.  And photography is exactly what John did, taking over 2500 pictures and 4 hours of video.  When they returned from Africa, John put together one of the finest PowerPoint safari presentations that I have ever seen.  This presentation not only showed the complete chronicle of Alexander’s 11 days of hunting but also includes valuable information on the animals hunted, Cruiser’s camp, the staff, safari facts, techniques, and their own tips to help you get the most out of your own safari.  With superb photography and sounds you will be transposed to Africa yourself.  I highly recommend anyone that is planning on going to Africa for the first time to watch this presentation.  We have put this presentation on our web site and a link below will take you to that site.  Thanks Alexander & John!!

All of Alexander’s trophies qualified for the record book and a special congratulations goes out to him for this exceptional feat.  There are many factors that are involved in a successful hunt.  Among these are a competent guide, your stalking and shooting ability, bullet placement, and luck, which includes being in the right place at the right time.  And this last portion of the previous sentence brings me to Alexander’s Kudu hunt.  After an unsuccessful Kudu hunt the previous day they were leaving the camp at 5:40 the following morning.  After getting in the bakkie, Alexander asks Jacques (his PH) to wait for a couple of minutes while he goes back and cleans his contact lenses.  Just as they were leaving the camp and talking about the plans for that day, Alexander saw a faint shadow of an animal jumping a low fence.  He told Jacques that he just saw a Kudu but Jacques told him that he was day dreaming.  He did slow down and they now saw 4 Kudu cows crossing the road and jumping a low fence.  In Alexander’s words, “He slammed on the brakes and we all came off the truck, hunched over and started walking to see what is going on.  We then go around and walk another 200 yards.  Jacques & I then start glassing and it’s still pretty dark.  Jacques then starts shaking and tells me I can see him, get ready, this can not be for real!  We put the shooting sticks up and I keep my head down on the scope.  First a cow, second a cow, third and finally a dream Kudu bull walks between two trees.  I put the cross hairs just above the shoulder, follow through for a while and slowly squeeze.  The bull drops in his tracks at just over 150 paces away and Jacques screams and jumps up.  He tells me that I have no idea what has happened!  I have shot a 58 ½” free ranging Kudu bull, the largest free ranging Kudu ever taken at Cruiser’s”.  Everyone at camp started calling him “Lucky” after that experience and the nickname stuck.  (NOTE: I’m sure that almost everyone have seen Kudu along side the road on the way to your hunting area in the morning or upon return in the evening, but it is extremely lucky to have one of them jump onto our property where they can be hunted!)

“Lucky” says that his hunt for his Gemsbok was his favorite.  (Note: He says that his Kudu hunt was more like a dream than reality)  As usual with hunting a Gemsbok, many days are spent in the field trying to acquire this beautiful trophy.  He had hunted hard but up until his 4th day he had been unsuccessful.  On that day they finally spotted a shooter at around 4:30 in the afternoon.  They stalked it but they could never get a shot.  They decided to do a large circle and see if they could intercept it and he said it must have been divine intervention but that’s exactly what happened.  His first shot at 250 yards only slowed his trophy down and he finished it with an excellent shot at 150 yards.

Lucky said that he will be back to Africa as soon as he can but the next time he returns it will be with his wife and his 2 sons.  We hope that they all earn the nickname “Lucky”.

Click HERE to view their PowerPoint Presentation.

If you do not have PowerPoint, click HERE to download PowerPoint Viewer.

Click HERE
to see photos of Alexander & John's hunt.

DON CONNELLY – Alaska

Animals taken – Kudu*, Warthog, Impala, Gemsbok*, Blesbok

Highlights:

Everyone hopes that their first day on safari will be perfect and Don’s day fit that bill.  They started out his hunt in the mountains for Kudu.  They spotted a good one early in the day and his PH (Pieter F.) put up the shooting sticks and told him to shoot.  When there was no shot his PH again said “Shoot, Shoot” but nothing and the Kudu ran off.  What happens sometimes is that where the PH is standing and where the shooter is, the PH may not have the same sight picture as the hunter.  In this case there was a broken off tree between Don and the Kudu that his PH did not see.  They tried to get closer but couldn’t so they went down to a lower elevation and walked the road for about a ½ mile when his PH again spotted the bull.  This time they were able to get unusually close and at 22 yards Don had his first African trophy and a record book Kudu to boot.  They decided to take it a little easy in the afternoon from climbing the mountains and set up at a water hole for a chance at a Warthog.  Don successfully bagged his Warthog there and on his first day he was able to take 2 of the trophies that he had set off to Africa for.

Sometimes ‘Lady Luck’ smiles on you one day and wakes up the next morning on the wrong side of the bed and that’s exactly what happened to Don the next day.  They were after Impala and they ended up walking for 6 hours.  Every time they got close to their quest another animal would put the spoil into the stalk.  They were really getting depressed about their luck that day.  But right at the last light of the day everything came together for him and Don took a very nice male Impala.  The next day ‘Lady Luck’ was still grumpy and they got skunked and it took until the afternoon of the next day before Don was able to take his Gemsbok.  But he says it was worth it as he took a very nice record book animal.  Since his luck needed to change he took the next day off from hunting to visit a national park and to do some curio shopping.  This must have done the trick as the next day he took his record book Blesbok.

Click HERE
to see photos of Don's hunt.

GREG ACCORD – Arkansas

Animals taken – Nyala, Zebra, Impala, Bushbuck*, Eland*, 2 – Warthogs* (I think there are a couple more but I don’t have any additional info at this time)

GARY ACCORD – Arkansas

Animals taken – Black Wildebeest*, Springbok*, Warthog*, Red Hartebeest*, Eland*

Highlights:

The Accord brothers had previously hunted with Cruiser’s in 2004 and came back this year in pursuit of some of the different animals that they didn’t take on their last visit.  They started out their safari with a visit to the Free State Province for Black Wildebeest and Springbok and then finished up the rest of their safari ‘up north’.  Even though Greg’s favorite hunt was for his Zebra, he said that every day was awesome and, “That is what makes Africa the best place to hunt”.  On his first day he was able to see a Porcupine, an Aardvark and an Aardwolf, all which are usually nocturnal and very rarely seen.  His Zebra hunt was exciting as the stalking and the ability to get so close to such a magnificent animal was what it was all about.

Gary earned a new nickname on this visit and that was “Inch”.  As he had hunted several animals on his last safari he had not planned on taking any of the same animals unless they were quite a bit larger.  He was very selective on his trophies and stated, “If it was an inch longer, I would have shot”, thus the nickname “Inch”.  As he had hunted a Waterbuck on his last safari he wasn’t interested in hunting another one although he saw a very good one on several occasions.  It turns out that another hunter in camp at the same time was looking for a Waterbuck and when they encountered this Waterbuck again, they contacted the other hunter with its location and the other hunter was able to take that trophy.  Gary said the hunter was very proud of it which to him was better than having taken it himself.  He said it was a very good feeling knowing that he had passed on it to let someone else get that great satisfaction.  Thanks Gary!

The animal that Gary was most interested in was an Eland.  He had hunted unsuccessfully for 3 days on his last safari for one and on this trip he spent 5 days to get the one that he wanted.  He hunted hard and passed up lesser bulls in his quest.  They thought that it might not happen but on his 8th Eland hunting day they were lucky to see a group of 5 bulls early in the morning.  Here is his story, “We started on the tracking and was able to catch up with them on 2 occasions but were unable to get more than a glimpse.  They crossed an open field at one time and we saw them enter the other side which was over 400 yards away without a good shot.  I am a big man and a little out of shape and we had already ran after them so much that Jacques (his PH) was concerned that I was going to have a heart attack.  I also thought that I might but the good and satisfying news was that I didn’t.  We thought the only way to get a shot was to put their tracker on the trail and hopefully we might get another chance at them crossing.  They did make the fatal mistake of passing that way again and this time I had a shot at 300 yards and was lucky enough to make a good shot on the fast walking Eland.  It was truly satisfying to hold on to my high standards that I had set out for and was rewarded greatly”.  And rewarded he was by taking one of the largest Eland ever at Cruiser’s, a beautiful 38” trophy.

Sorry, there are no photos of Greg & Gary's hunt available.

PETER & VANESSA RYAN – New Zealand

Animals taken – Eland*, 2 – Warthog*, Bushbuck*, Impala*, Kudu (52 ½”)

Highlights:

This was Peter’s 3rd safari with Cruiser’s.  After his safari in 2003 Vanessa and he were married in Cape Town.  Naturally this year when they came back they enjoyed our “Honeymoon Suite”.  Vanessa and Peter both love photography and Vanessa spent quite a bit of time sitting at water holes taking pictures while Peter was out hunting.  On day while Peter and his PH were sitting at a water hole looking for a big Warthog an Impala snuck in behind them.  It must have snorted when it realized they were there and his PH stated, “It scared us silly!”  And speaking of Impala’s, I must mention that Peter’s Impala this year measured 25 ½”.  This is the second Impala that he has taken of 25 inches or more.  I must find out what his secret is.  Vanessa and him took one day off from hunting and took the Elephant Back safari which they both said was a blast!

Peter’s best hunt was for his Bushbuck.  He said that with most of the leaves still on the trees, stalking on foot was a real challenge.  His hunt for Bushbuck in his own words, “We spent several days quietly stalking and working out where the territories of the various Bushbucks were along the river.  They have terrific senses and ghosting up on them quietly in heavy cover is hard.  After a lot of effort and a few exciting false starts, we eventually found a nice buck one morning in a more open area.  I had to take the shot by guessing where he was, all we could see were his horn tips about 75 yards out in some tall grass.  He turned out to be a really old battle scarred veteran with very heavy horns - a lovely trophy.”  And to top it all off, Vanessa was able to get the entire hunt on video.  One of Peter’s goals this year was to take a Kudu of 55” or more.  He hunted hard but his magical number of 55 was again missed but in 3 safaris he has taken 3 different Kudu’s and all of them have been above 50”.  But now he has a perfect excuse to come back again.

Click HERE
to see photos of Ryan's hunt.

GEORGE & SANDI WALKER – British Columbia, Canada

Animals taken – 2 - Zebra, 2 – Impala*, Warthog*, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest*,Waterbuck*, Blesbok*, female Kudu & Blue Wildebeest

BRAD CHUDIAK & his wife PATRICIA – British Columbia, Canada

Animals taken – Impala*, Blesbok*, Blue Wildebeest*, Red Hartebeest*, Kudu, Gemsbok*, Warthog*

Highlights:

It was fall in South Africa while they were there.  As is anywhere, you just never know for sure what the weather will be like in the fall, however we had some of the coldest days ever for that time of the year during their stay.  We have a fountain outside in our Braai area and the water in the fountain was frozen on 3 mornings with about ¼” of ice.

  Naturally with this cold snap their first day of hunting was very cold, although sunny.  There was not much movement of the game that day.  Just when they were heading back to camp George and his PH spotted a herd of Zebra.  They made a nice stalk and they picked out a beautiful stallion in the herd and George made a great shot.  At this point George’s emotions became overwhelming for him.  His PH, Craig, wasn’t sure why he was so emotional and Sandi explained the situation to him.  George’s father had passed away in January.  He had hunted all of his life and passed his love of the outdoors onto him.  George decided before he left for Africa that he would take a Zebra and have a pedestal mount made of it in his memory.  How fitting it was that the first animal that he took was the one that he had dedicated to his dad.

George hunted hard for his Kudu.  On his 5th day of hunting (his 3rd day hunting for Kudu) before they headed out George happened to pick up Dr. Kevin Robertson’s book “The Perfect Shot” to look up and confirm where the shot placement should be for a Kudu.  They then headed out to the mountains and they were barely 10 minutes into the hunt when he shot a nice Kudu.  Finally he had his Kudu and it was only about 7:00 in the morning.  The next morning he looked at the book again before heading out and by 7:00 he had taken his Blue Wildebeest.  The same situation happened again the next day and Sandi, who had stayed in the bakkie, looked at her watch when she heard his shot go off and sure enough it was 7:00 again.  The next morning they headed out again.  It turned out to be a very tough day of hunting.  Later in the day, Craig asked him if he had looked at the book this morning.  He replied that he had not.  They returned unsuccessful to the camp that evening.  The next morning he made sure that he took a look at the book that had now become his bible before they left.  This again worked for him as at first light he had taken the largest Waterbuck ever taken at Cruiser’s (just over 31”).  This record had been in place since 2000 when Cruiser Bob’s wife Leesa had taken a beautiful 30 ½” trophy.  The book had given him double luck that day as by 9:00 he had also taken a record book Blesbok.  George says, “You can bet that I will use my new “Bible” every morning the next time we come to hunt!”

Brad almost fell for what would have be the best practical joke ever played on anyone.  After Brad had taken his Gemsbok they met up with George to pick up his Zebra and take them both back to camp.  Brad had been having some trouble with his contacts always drying out and Pieter used this to his advantage.  During the transfer Pieter suddenly is yelling there’s a huge Warthog way down the road.  He opens the door of the Bakkie and grabs Brad’s rifle and sets him up to shoot.  Because of his dry contacts Brad was having a difficult time in trying to see the tusks on the approaching animal and all of the time while he was trying Pieter kept yelling, “Shoot! Shoot!”  Brad looked up at Pieter puzzled but he is still telling him to shoot.  But because he couldn’t see the tusks clearly Brad did not want to shoot.  Finally they all couldn’t contain their laughter any longer and that Donkey lived for another day.  Brad’s thought afterwards was he wondered what the trophy fee for a donkey was.

While sitting in the back of the truck while looking for animals as they drove, Brad was constantly forgetting to duck for some of the branches and would lose his hat.  Pieter usually did not go back for it until they were returning and thus came the solution for his hat problem (see their photos for this solution).

Brads favorite hunt was for his Kudu.  George had taken his Kudu earlier in the morning and they set out for one for Brad.  They saw a very nice Kudu with some Kudu cows along side one hillside and climbed to the opposite hillside for a better vantage point.  Pieter had Brad set up on a boulder there and they sighted in on a clearing that they were sure the Kudu was going to come through.  All of a sudden while they were waiting for the Kudu to show, Pieter shouts out rather loudly, “Kudu”.  It seems that a Kudu had come their way from behind them at about 15 paces.  Naturally after the yell there wasn’t a Kudu in sight.  Brad told Pieter that it might be better the next time to just tap him on the shoulder to let him know of another Kudu.  Even a seasoned outfitter gets excited sometimes when he sees a nice animal.  Later they did find another shooter.  Pieter again shouts, “Shoot, Shoot.”  Brad asked if it was bigger than George’s without receiving a response and asked him the question again.  The only response from Pieter was again, “Shoot, Shoot” and Brad did.  It turned out later that the Kudu was 1 inch larger than George’s and that’s all that Brad had hoped for.

Sandi says that she took over 2000 photographs while she was there and she was especially fascinated with the different variety of trees.  They sent me quite a few of these pictures and the quality of her photography was outstanding and I will be using some of her photos on our web site.  After their safari they all finished up their time in Africa with an exciting trip to Kruger National Park.

Click HERE
to see photos of George & Brad's hunt.

MARTHY & CLAUDIA ANTHONY – Mississippi

Animals taken – Waterbuck*, Blesbok*, Red Hartebeest, Duiker, Steenbok*

GARRY ANTHONY – Florida

Animals taken – Gemsbok*, Warthog, Impala*, Kudu

DALE HEASLEY – Mississippi

Animals taken – Duiker*, Blue Wildebeest*, Warthog*, Gemsbok*, Bushbuck*, Impala, Kudu

Highlights:

Marty & Claudia had hunted with Cruiser’s in 2005 and this year they returned with Marty’s father and a friend.  During this years trip they planned on making a Video of their safari for TV.  Although Marty had gall bladder surgery in early May and it may have slowed him down a little, he was still determined to be successful on his safari.  The last time he was with us he said that he had only seen 1 good male Waterbuck and he was determined to take one on this hunt.  He accomplished that goal on the very first day, taking a record book Waterbuck.  On that same day he missed a chance on a Blesbok but he made up for that the next day by taking a beautiful 15 3/8” trophy.  Another high note of his safari was his taking one of the largest Steenbok’s.  Another excellent trophy that measured 5”.  We are looking forward to seeing his adventure on TV.

Marty’s dad Garry also started out his safari with an excellent animal, taking a huge 39 5/8” Gemsbok with 1 shot on his first day.  Garry then started hunting Kudu and that proved to be a very difficult hunt that ended up taking the better part of 4 days, although he said that it was his favorite hunt.  He said that tracking through the hills and rocky areas were taxing especially for someone that was 63 years old but extremely rewarding.  He wants to especially thank his PH, Hans, who worked hard to make sure things came together for him.  With all of his PH’s encouragement he was finally able to take his trophy.

Dale’s safari also started out great on the first day with him taking a Duiker and a Blue Wildebeest, both of them being record book animals.  But like Garry, when it came to his Kudu, that’s when the hard work started.  Dale’s Kudu story in this own words.  “We had hunted Kudu off and on for 6 days with no luck.  It seems that I couldn’t see them or was having trouble hearing my PH Jacques when he told me something.  We never could get in the right place for a good shot.  Time was running out and the pressure was on.  On my last day we went to a water hole and set up a blind.  We were in the blind at about 11 AM and ready.  We ate lunch making noise with metal plates and cooler.  Jacques wasn’t too concerned as he felt the Kudu would be in about 2 PM.  I leaned back in my chair and was about asleep when he hit me in the leg.  I looked up and here they came.  Several cows came in followed by the bull.  Of course the bull went behind some bushes.  Jacques told me it was an old bull and the tips of his horns were broken.  We had it planned that I could pick up the netting with the barrel of the gun, rest the gun on the brace and look thru the mesh with the scope and shoot.  Have you ever seen a plan work?  Another cow came in and spotted the blind.  She was very nervous and after what