African Adventure (pic heavy)

[Little Red Man]

WOW....Congrats TJ and Vanessa. Looks like a helluva trip. I have always dreamed of going to Africa especially after reading many Wilbur Smith novels. Interesting, that even though there were lots of sub-plots in those books about hunting, I previously never really thought to go there just to hunt. Having said that, at this point in my life, I certainly would not consider going there without doing at least some hunting. Sounds like you picked the right Guide/Outfit; certainly in my mind, I could not condone (to myself) having the "cushy" experience, and would actively hunt out (no pun intended) the old Afrika experience.

PS Nice to have you back. We've (well MOST of us anyway) missed you! Your timing could not be more apropo....I Googled you recently to research an AO article you wrote about the AO Forum and something to do with insidious advertising, and had a big laugh to find a Facebook site called "Does TJ Schwankey Annoy You?"

had a big laugh to find a Facebook site called "Does TJ Schwankey Annoy You?"

LOL....I'll have to check it out!

[Little Red Man]

Thanks for taking that in good humour..it was meant that way....sometimes a forum post does not come across properly.....

If you are truly intersted....not really much on there (I suppose to your credit)...

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...052&topic=3703

[OutwardBound]

Awesome pics TJ and Vanessa! I have been constantly checking for these since we talked at the Calg Outdoors show! Just so cool!

Danni

[Rocks]

Great pictures, looks like a great time, congratulations. Very cool of you guys and SCI to take the school supplies, something for future hunters to Africa to remember as well.

My 8 year old wants me to take her to Africa to hunt when she's old enough, she wants to shoot a zebra. I'll show her your pics, she'll love that.

I'll hafta check out your "fan" site on facebook, too funny

[packhuntr]

Looks like a fantastic trip. I have to say, its one that i have yet to find the hunger to do. I suppose with so many things in Canada alone that ive yet to do, Africa isnt even in the picture for me. Alot of folks I talk to say the same things about Africa and where Rich went in New Zealand, its supposed to be a trip of a lifetime. I guess Im maybe missing something,,, but the more pics and testimonials I hear about these overseas trips, the more I am warming up to the idea. It takes money to check it out, but historically speaking,,, I will try most anything once. Congrats to the both of ya's!!! If you have any cool/interesting scenery pics worth sharing Id get a kick outa seeing them Sheep, post em up!!

Every time i see a zebra besides a person the size really surprises me. I've been told there's a lot more to hunting them than a person would think as well. Really cool though, someday i hope to try something similar. Thanks for posting the pictures.

If you have any cool/interesting scenery pics worth sharing Id get a kick outa seeing them Sheep, post em up!!

We took over 3,000 and are still sorting through them but here's a few more...

Originally Posted by wolfboy

good to see you had a good hunt and share at the same time what type of gun and calber did you use looks like a tika got one myself 300wsm

I was shooting a Kimber 8400 Montana in .338WM and Vanessa had her Tikka T3 Lite in .30-06.

[rugatika]

Thanks for the photos sheep. What load was Vanessa shooting? And how did it perform on the bigger animals?? (I've got the same gun)

Originally Posted by rugatika

Thanks for the photos sheep. What load was Vanessa shooting? And how did it perform on the bigger animals?? (I've got the same gun)

She was shooting Federal Premium loads with 180 grain TSX bullets. The gun performed great and most shots were pass throughs. Despite all the tales we heard about African plains game being so tough, it was our experience that if you hit them where you needed to, they fell over. If you didn't, then you were tracking. It is very easy to hit them too high and it is very easy to hit them too far back but if you spend some time studying anatomy and place the bullet where it needs to go, I think the .30-06 is plenty of medicine for plains game.

Her T3 absolutely loves the TSX bullets and will punch holes at .70 MOA. This was actually our first time shooting TSX's (I shot them from my .338 as well) and I have to say I'm impressed. Our PH is a huge fan of them and after this trip, we are too. Great weight retention and incredible penetration....what more can one ask for.

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

Sheep,

Congrats on a fine hunt.

I was scheduled for Namibia this past March but was forced to delay things a year. No big deal because I plan on spending four weeks there next year instead of the original two.

After viewing some mounts over at Dobson's, my perspectives changed on what to look for in a trophy. Brian had a number of kudu, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, etc. in various stages of completion. Your Blue Wildebeest really grabbed my attention due to it's beautiful brindling. An inch or two of horn does not add to a mount what brindling on a Blue does, or a full mane/ruff on a kudu does, or the sharp contrast of stripes does on a Zebra. Gemsbok are just soooo beautiful.

Thanks for posting your trip. I almost forgot you were going.

BTW, did you have a taste from each animal. I've heard that eland is the best. A great reason to go back.

Bobby B.

Couldn't have said it better myself Bobby. We decided before we left that inches of horn didn't matter at all and that our goal was to take representative mature animals under free-range/fair-chase conditions and to experience everything possible. And to that end, our hunt was a total success. The one thing I learned from this trip is that you need definite goals before you go and you need to find an outfitter that can help you meet those goals. Africa is a huge continent with diverese topography and game and hunting conditions and you really need to understand what it is you want before heading over there. There are no right or wrong reasons for going, you just need to understand what it is that you personally want from the trip and then seek it out.

Thanks too for the advice you offered regarding export permits for the guns.........

[schimmel]

Congradulations on the hunt. I can't get enough of this Africa stuff. I'm booked to hunt in South Africa this time next year & every time I see anything on Africa I get like a kid in a candy store. I don't know if my wife will be able to handle another year of me talking about Africa.

I will be staying in a camp that is a little more cushy than tents. This will be my first ever guided trip & I can hardly wait. Some people may not think that I'll be getting the true Africa experiance but I have to start somewhere. I do hope this will not be my only trip to Africa but if it is atleast I wil have the memories.

There are alot of good deals to had in Africa & many other places right now with the recession & if anyone is planning on going on a guided hunt now would be a great time to go.

Thanks for posting. Once again congradulations to you & Vanessa It's good to have back on the AO forum.

[wolfboy]

thanks for the reply good looking pictures keep up the good work

[Battery]

awesome pics. I didnt think zebras were that big, those look HUGE

Originally Posted by Battery

awesome pics. I didnt think zebras were that big, those look HUGE

Ya, I didn't realize they were that big either. Vanessa's was a true monster. These are Hartman's mountain zebra and compared to the Burchell's zebra we saw in Etosha they appear much larger. It was a hunt that surprised me from start to finish. They are truly wild animals!

[roger]

sheep,
the zebras caused me some grief as well
i can certainly agree with you on two points... planning your next trip
and the plane ride.
good to see 'the better half' enoying the experience
awesome job and pics..

[wind drift]

Sweet! Congrats on a great hunt. I'm looking seriously at Namibia in 3-4 years. I'm also drawn to gemsbok, and I'm wondering if you hunted them as well. Are most of the Namibia hunts free-range, or is that a rarity?
Cheers!

Originally Posted by wind drift

Sweet! Congrats on a great hunt. I'm looking seriously at Namibia in 3-4 years. I'm also drawn to gemsbok, and I'm wondering if you hunted them as well. Are most of the Namibia hunts free-range, or is that a rarity?
Cheers!

Yes, Vanessa killed two gemsbok, a bull and a cow and I killed a bull.

Free range hunts anywhere in southern Africa are becoming a rarity. Namibia is better than South Africa but we saw both a lot of high fences and game fences in our travels. I always thought that only high fences would contain game but a regular 4-foot fence with added wire at the bottom to prevent animals from crawling under it will contain zebra, wildebeest, hartebeese, gemsbok, springbok, ostrich and several other species. Some ranches don't go to the expense of high fencing which allows kudu and eland to jump the fences but the other animals are contained and may be managed.

We had to look hard for an outfittrer that offered free-range hunts and one that wasn't confined to hunting a small area. I don't think we drove on the same road twice the whole time we were there.

[gramps73]

Sheep
Great to have you back..
Those are some awsome pictures, looks like the trip was filled with some great memories.
Thanks for sharing
Gramps

[Duk Dog]

Congrats to you both on what looks and sounds like an awesome trip. Better yet you missed a bunch more of our ongoing winter.

[BUD]

Wheres the bullet holes and the blood?

[270WIN]

Originally Posted by BUD

Wheres the bullet holes and the blood?

I'm sure there were some. TJ just did his best to cover them up to the extent possible. Sure makes for a much more attractive field photo when you do this.

Great pictures, TJ. Thanks for posting. Nice to hear from you again.

Wheres the bullet holes

Here's the one on Vanessa's warthog!

[ABDUKNUT]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Here's the one on Vanessa's warthog!

Nice shot.

[BigRackLover]

Nice post. Congratulations and what looks to be like one heck of an adventure. I'll get to Africa one day, not sure if it'll be for hunting. Did your outfiter cater to bow hunters as well? Did the hunt style / opportinities be somewhat successfull if you were using a bow?

Now I know why you did not call me back regarding the Outdoors Writers of Canada questions I had ... you were in Africa.

Congrats again and great pictures.

How many 'hero shot' pictures do you take on average per kill?

Originally Posted by BigRackLover

Nice post. Congratulations and what looks to be like one heck of an adventure. I'll get to Africa one day, not sure if it'll be for hunting. Did your outfiter cater to bow hunters as well? Did the hunt style / opportinities be somewhat successfull if you were using a bow?

Now I know why you did not call me back regarding the Outdoors Writers of Canada questions I had ... you were in Africa.

Congrats again and great pictures.

How many 'hero shot' pictures do you take on average per kill?

No, this was definitely not a hunt for bow hunters. It was strictly spot and stalk and shots averaged around 160 yards (some shorter/several longer). These animals were incredibly spooky. You spotted them from long range and if you could get within gun range, you had an average of about 7 seconds from the time the sticks went up until the animal took off. If the animals saw or smelled you anywhere during the stalk, the game was over.

Ya, just got back but will be returning all calls on Monday but give me a call today if you need. Been dealing with e-mails for past two days...lol

Ummm....I usually take 20-40 kill shots of each animal but it really depends on backgrounds and such.

[Chet]

I'm happy to see that you guys had such a great hunt! Congrats and thanks for posting your adventure.

[Donny Bear]

Good to see you had a great time TJ nice to see you on the forum great picture and awsome animals that must have been fantastic !!!


Glad for your safe return and the memories you have chose to share.

Don

[coldredneck]

Wow , excellent pics TJ. Looks like a fantastic hunt. I can only hope for the same trip one day.