Gary Reeder
there are really no "bad" animals and anytime you
Friday, December 06, 2019, 14:27

can spend a week in Africa all is good. There are a couple of animals I really enjoy hunting. Of course the cape Buffalo along with the Gemsbok, Kudu and Blue Wildebeest. These are the hardest animals to put down that I have hunted. I have taken 7 Gemsbok and every one was a challenge.

I have taken 3 or 4 Kudu and the same thing, if your shot isn't right you are in for a long tracking session.

The Blue Wildebeest is called the "poor man's Cape Buffalo". They can be extremely hard to put down or if you get lucky and hit the spine he goes down with one shot. In most cases he will take several rounds of high powered ammo to put down.

The Cape buffalo can be the hardest hunt you have ever taken or one of the easiest. My big buffalo in 2018 was spotted hiding in some heavy brush at about 80 yards. We started a sneak on him. He spotted us and came out of the brush at a trot. The PH told me he would stop at about 40 yards and paw the ground and snort at us and if we didn't leave he would charge. The buffalo did just that. At 40 yards the PH told me to take him. One shot just above the point of shoulder and he was down. It took maybe 3 minutes. So was it worth it? Some would say no, at almost $10,000 a minute. But to me it was worth it. I had wanted a big Cape Buffalo for years and now I had him. We thought he would be the #1 SCI buffalo but later we found out another hunter took a big Cape that scored 3/8" bigger than mine which put mine at #2. I am happy with that.

now some animals are, to me, not worth the money you spend on them. I shot a tssesebe on my last hunt. Why? hell I don't know. mainly because John, my PH told me to, and I always tell my guys when the PH tells you to pull the trigger, do it. Don't ask questions, just pull the trigger. he isn't going to tell you to shoot a $20,000 animal. The reason John told me to shoot was he could tell the animal was a "monster" and high record book. Now it looks like he is #1 SCI. But at $4250 he is a fairly expense animal and to me he is not that impressive. In fact he is downright ugly.

My PH and good friend John Abraham has been my PH since 1992, on 14 African safaris and he got me hooked on the record book years ago. the first animal I shot in '92 went #1 and stayed there for 10 years. Since then we have become pickier and pickier and these last 10 hunts or so, if the animal isn't at least top 3 in the world we pass on it. So the record book can be a friend or a hassle.

My suggestion is look at the various African animals and be picky. Don't have a shopping list when you go to Africa. Have 4 or 5 animals in mind. The first night you are there you and your PH will sit down and talk about what animals you are interested in and what your budget is. So listen to the PH and when he says shoot, pull the trigger. And just enjoy Africa.