The Kudu

Photographed from a land rover, this kudu bull is similar in size to the bull on my wall, but this bull lived in the safe haven of Kruger National Park.

Linda was never open to the idea of hanging a mounted animal in our home - until we returned from Africa. A trip to Africa will change anybody and everybody in one way or another. And, although Linda continues to have no interest in hunting, she has formed a bond with the kudu. Being unique and stylish, the shoulder mount of the kudu arrowed in South Africa has achieved a status beyond any other animal I’ve hunted. It hangs over our fire-place.

It has been in that place of honor for five years. We are very comfortable with it and Linda has redecorated the room, making the kudu the centerpiece.

My guide (PH) was very accommodating and I enjoyed his company.

Although the kudu is the most beautiful trophy animal I’ve ever bagged, the hunt was far from the most difficult. In fact, the hunt was very easy. I sat in a blind made out to look like an ant hill. The blind had a vertical opening about six inches wide through which the arrow was released. The kudu bull and the other three animals I killed from that blind, were about 20 yards from me. All the animals fell after one shot and within 100 yards of the blind.

Although not a difficult challenge to hunting skills, the experience of sitting in a blind in South Africa, within feet of many animals never observed before is exhilarating. The hunt was exciting. And, the ability to bring home a representative from a far-away place was appealing to me.

Sometimes a trophy’s significance is based upon qualities of the hunt and other times it’s based upon what it stands for. In the case of the kudu, it’s about the environment of South Africa and the unique animals found there, especially the antelope species, of which the kudu is probably the best known among hunters.

 

Next week we will begin the process of selling our home. We have asked a few people their opinion of the kudu mount and their thoughts about having it on display while selling our home. So far, all have taken the politically correct opinion.

“Take it down.”

“Why take a chance?”

Panoramic view of our family room.

It would be fairly easy to follow their advise. The mount is a bit awkward to store when not on a wall and a picture could replace it, but we have decided to leave the kudu in place. It’s become part of our home and we are selling our house, not a model home. It is the place where we live. It represents a part of us and we want to sell the house in that form.

Maybe we won’t get as much for our house (we probably will) and maybe somebody will be offended (I hope not), but we won’t feel hypocritical by watering down signs of a lifestyle that includes hunting.

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What’s a One-Horned Oryx? MDF Livermore-Pleasanton Banquet

A one horned Oryx (aka gemsbok) is simply an oryx that has one horn missing. With only one horn, an oryx is not an attractive trophy, so they are hunted as a “managment” hunt, meaning that they are removed from the herd by hunters who pay a discounted price. I’m told that a taxidermist can recreate the lost horn for a shoulder mount.

Here’s are offering for our March 15, 2013 banquet:

A28     Free Range Mature Broken Horn Oryx Hunting in New Mexico with Armendaris Ranch: The Armendaris Ranch near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico has  generously donated a two-day hunt for a mature broken horn Oryx (gemsbok) for one hunter.  At more than 350,000 acres, the Armendaris Ranch has become synonymous with big Oryx and exciting hunts.  This is one of just a few places in North America where free ranging Oryx may be hunted and entering a chancy public drawing is NOT needed.  Included with this donation is 1×1 guiding, use of hunt vehicle, walk-in cooler if needed and field preparation of the trophy.  Not included are travel expenses to/from the ranch, accommodations, meals or State of New Mexico hunting license/tag fees.  This is a 2 day hunt that is usually completed in the first day due to the population of Oryx on the large private ranch. There is a land owner certificate for the guaranteed tag but the purchaser must purchase the tag from New Mexico Department of Fish and Game.

Here’s a flyer for the banquet: Livermore 2013 flyer

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Hyenas at Kruger National Park

Once you find a hyena den, you’re going to get some action as the den will house adults, sub-adults and also the very young. The adults share the duty and watch over each other’s young.

Hyenas share baby sitting duties amongst the pack.

 Watch this video as a young hyena follows a Francolin grouse past our Land Rover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHIsJkF0ow

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The Wildebeest

The wildebeest is a distinctly African animal. If I’d seen “The Lion King” prior to going to Africa, I might have made different decisions.

The blue wildebeest in the above photo was observed and photographed from a vehicle at Kruger National Park.

I took the  photo on week two of our African “safari.” On week three, I stood in a pit blind looking at a wildebeest and zebra 20 yards away. With bow in hand and a broadhead tipped arrow on the rest, I considered which to shoot.

I have to admit that the wildebeast seemed more appropriate and when it turned broadside, my arrow was released without regret. It pierced his hide right behind the shoulder and ended his life quickly. I didn’t think much about passing on the zebra, until my wife stated that she didn’t want a zebra rug anyway. That seems strange to me now.

One of the risks of traveling to Africa is that you may change your some of your opinions. I did and I don’t regret it. I like the music from lion king, but I doubt I’ll ever watch it.

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Costs of Shipping Your Trophies home from Africa

My South Africa trip ended last July and this week I picked up my final delivery of processed trophies from Golden State Tannery, Inc. located in Turlock. The last two boxes included the back hides from my kudu bull, back hide from my impala ram and complete hide from my black wildebeest.

 

Along with the hides I picked up three warthog skulls. The warthog skulls were the last item to be available. Ironically, there was nothing to be done to the skulls except to have them inspected by the USDA inspector and it took over six months for that to be done.

 

In the meantime my kudu and impala mounts have been completed by Aaron Armstrong of Western Wildlife Taxidermy. He did a very nice job and the two mounts are proudly on display in my family room. Even my wife, Linda, has accepted them.

 

On the trip I shot six animals, three warthogs, a kudu bull, an impala ram and a black wildebeest bull. The trophy fees totaled $2,700.

 

For some animals, like the kudu, the trophy fees are only the beginning. If you are interested in figuring out the elusive cost of processing, shipping, receiving, customs, tanning and taxidermy, here’s my account – for better or worse, exactly as I paid. You’ll probably not find this much detail in othe information provided in advance of trip. I’m sure some advance knowledge would help to reduce some of these costs.

 

Taxidermy                    kudu                                    $1,700.

Western Wildlife           Impala                                      895.

 

Tanning                        kudu                                         126. 

GST, Inc.                     impala  cape                               47.

                                    kudu backhide                            84.50

                                    impala backhide                          25.

                                    black wildebeest  full hide         162.50

 

Brokerage/Customs

Hunter International      Duty                                            2.

                                    Filing Customs             365.

                                    Delivery                                   175.

                                    Airline Storage              70.

 

Processing in SA (Salting, drying, etc.)

 Sitatung Safaris            Kudu                                       90.

                                    Wildebeest                               90.

Impala                                      90.

3 warthogs                             120.

Doc fee                                   250

Crating fee                               160

 

Shipping

Safari Cargo Systems

Johannesburg to SF                                                    760.99

 

Grand total of game processing, taxidermy and shipping:    $5,398.99

 

We did include a few purchased souvenirs in the crates and got the benefit of nearly free shipping for those items that would not fit into our suitcases.

 

On another front, Aaron Armstrong donated a $500 certificate to our Mule Deer Foundation fundraiser. Thanks Aaron.

If your budget is tight, you can save a bunch of money by just mounting skulls European style as I did with the wildebeest. I like it.

 

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Warthogs in South Africa

Warthogs and baboons feeding at Pillainsberg Wildlife Refuge near Sun City South Africa.

Although not considered high on the list of African trophy animals, warthogs are a very significant animal for several reasons. First of all you’ll see them often. They are interesting to watch and strange looking with their large tusks. And, they are fun to hunt.

While we stayed at the Nagala Camp, warthogs would occasionally roam through camp. The first video is a clip of a large warthog as it grazed in camp. Note how it feed from its knees.

http://www.youtube.com/v/7SdX475eYWw

The second video is a clip of a warthog I killed at Sitatanga Safaris. It is one of the two animals (both warthogs) I was able to bag while still hunting with my bow. Hunting from a blind over bait was more effective, but still hunting was the most fun and more satisfying. You will see that this was an enclosed ranch and it wasn’t large, only a few hundred acres, but the fences played no role related to the warthogs as they were frequently observed crawling under the fences.

I started the hunt at first light, not far from our camp. I spotted this pig about 60 yards away standing very still and broadside from me. At first I thought that he had seen me, but stepping back behind a bush, I was able to slowly approach to thirty yards.

At that range I decided to shoot and hit him, but it didn’t appear to be a great location. Off he went and it wasn’t until later in the day that we recovered him after a trail of about 300 yards or so. The South African speaking in the video was my professional hunter Kobus Grobler – a fun guy to hunt with.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ed1QJqhCtQo

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Roaring Lion at Kruger National Park

While in South Africa, we spent three nights at Nagala Tented Safaris. The camp was located in the bush and we had wart hogs and bushboks feeding right in camp. In fact, there was no fence so any animal could potentially walk through camp, except the elephant. To keep elephants out, an electric wire was strung about ten feet high around the camp.

One of the exciting moments we experienced while viewing wildlife at Kruger Park was watching a male lion roar from a distance of about ten to fifteen yards. The roar was quite loud. I don’t think the video does it justice.

The lions roared each night, apparently keeping track of their buddies. One night the lions roared very close to camp and one lion seemed to pass by within a couple hundred yards, but we could hear them for miles as well.

Apparently the lions keep track of their pride by roaring, but they also may be searching for female lions in other prides that are vulnerable to take over. If a male lion takes over a pride, it kills the cubs, so females with cubs often band together in groups (prides) so they can defend their young against intruders.

Lone female lions with cubs will avoid unknown male lions, as a single female lioness is less likely to be able to fight off an intruding male lion than a pride with several females.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Dmas8IA5P18

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