Ashley and Curly joined us once again for what turned into two unforgettable weeks of hunting safaris across South Africa. Our newly engaged friends from the oilfields of New Mexico arrived in camp ready for adventure, plenty of laughs and, of course, a fair amount of trash talking around the fire with glasses of “baboon milk” in hand. Sometimes I wonder whether Curly comes more for the banter than the hunting itself!
Ashley, however, once again reminded everyone that the hunting safari industry is by no means built around men alone. This lady can flat-out shoot. Right from day one, the pair got straight into the action with two outstanding White Blesbuck trophies. Curly then connected on a fine Mountain Reedbuck ram on one of our newly secured properties, and on the way back to camp we found a beautiful Bontebok that simply could not be passed up.
The following days were focused on finding the right Kudu bull for Ashley along with a mature Waterbuck. No African hunting safari would be complete without a Zebra for the lady of the camp, and Ashley made a perfect shot on a striking Burchell’s Zebra stallion with excellent markings.
The adventure then shifted north into Limpopo Province in search of one of Africa’s truly unique trophies — the elusive Black Giraffe. Curly got the job done on a magnificent old bull, and it turned out to be one of the standout moments of the season for all of us.
Of course, once you are in Africa, things tend to escalate quickly. Curly, being the greedy pig that he is, also decided to help himself to a Spotted Hyena and a Hippo while up there, completely destroying any concept of a safari budget in the process!
After returning to the Eastern Cape, we made our way into the Karoo for Springbuck hunting. Conditions were excellent, and before long they had successfully completed the Springbuck Colour Slam with White, Copper, Black and Common Springbuck all taken during the trip.
From there we headed north again, this time for Roan Antelope for Ashley and a quality Tsessebe bull for Curly. The amount of ground covered during this safari was incredible, and it was a pleasure showing them the sheer diversity South Africa has to offer. From the mountains and Karoo plains to thick Limpopo bushveld and coastal valleys, they experienced multiple biomes and an impressive variety of African game species.
Back near camp we spent time around the inland hamlet of Patensie, where Curly added a beautiful King Wildebeest to his growing collection, pairing perfectly with the Golden and Blue Wildebeest bulls they had hunted on a previous trip.
Before the safari finally wrapped up, Ashley and Morne headed out for some coastal hunting of their own. Ashley sealed the deal on an ancient old Bushbuck ram, putting the perfect finishing touch on an incredible adventure.
What a trip it was. It is always a great pleasure having Ashley and Curly in camp with us. Between the laughs, the long miles travelled, the stories shared around the fire and the world-class trophies collected, this safari will certainly be remembered for many years to come.
To say their trophy room back home is going to be impressive is probably the understatement of the year.
We are already planning the next adventure, and Ashley has her sights firmly set on a Leopard hunt up north. We cannot wait to have them back in South Africa again.
