We Booked It!

I turn 60 next summer and I decided to splurge on a trip to Africa. I've been working with a booking agent on recent elk hunts and he has not steered me wrong.  His name is Butch Manasse and this is his website. Butch Manasse Worldwide Hunts

Joan has agreed to come along as an observer so I was looking for a destination that had good accommodations and some non-hunting activities.  Butch recommended this Professional Hunter (PH) in the East Cape of South Africa. Bushveld Safari  We're going to spend six days hunting and two days touring with Bushveld Safaris.  One of the touring days will be at Addo Elephant Park  We're also planning to go to lion and cheetah reserves.  Then we're going to spend a couple of days in Cape Town before heading home.  I spoke with Kerneels Sholtz this week and we are all set.

I'll be hunting plains game and my hunting package includes kudu, gemsbuck, impala, blue wildebeest, blesbuck, and warthog.  I've got 6 months to get my shooting skills improved.  As always when I'm hunting, it will be an adventure.

OK, I'm a Wimp.

Drinking coffee and writing this blog post this morning instead of hunting.  Here's why.

Yes, that's 16F.  A bit chilly for November.  And when I took the dogs out first thing this morning, there were five deer standing just in front of the blind at the orchard.

Last week I cut down one of the two dead/dying cherry trees.

It was pretty bug infested/rotten but I did recover a little bit of fire wood.

This week I burned it and other accumulated debris in the firepit.

How's this for organization?  Getting prepared for gun season.  Whiteboard for stand assignments.

Joan hard at work at her sewing machine.

I think that this turnip field near the new stand is going to be quite popular as the other food sources deplete.

Persimmons still hanging in there by the driveway stand.

I hunted Saturday evening in the driveway stand.  The weather was changing - it was 32F and blowing at least 15 mph.  These young does were out early.  At last light, there was a stampede of about 12 deer up to the main field.  I think they were all anxious to eat before the cold weather.  I saw one decent buck and a spike.

Lots of really nice activity on the cameras this week.  I'd really like to run into this guy a week from Monday.

There was quite a bit of buck activity during daylight.

Picture quality not good but a very nice buck in broad daylight below hi-rise stand.

Last light - same spot.

Ridge trail.

Orchard - evening.

Orchard - morning.

Driveway scrape.

These are by the ladder stand.

Scrape.

Near Hi-rise.

Last light at the scrape.

I guess that we had a little snow at some point.

Three coyotes.

A fox.

Camera tour.  I got my Cuddeback camera back - repaired under warranty.

Season Highlights

One week until gun season - it seems appropriate to take a look at some of the trailcam highlights.  Sort of a "Most Wanted" poster.