John Bowen arrowed this trophy Waterbuck while hunting with the author at Kunkura Lodge in the Limpopo region of South Africa.

I got the nod at our staff Christmas party that I would be going to South Africa in the spring of 2008 to hunt. Traveling with me would be the winner of PSE Archery's Wild African Adventure John Bowen and his wife Linda. That got us both started on a whirlwind of preparation and planning. I picked the brain of a few Africa veterans, including BOWHUNTING Adventures Editor Patrick Meitin. One common theme that cropped up through the conversations was that, given the time of year, the hunting would be extremely hit or miss depending on rainfall.

I met John and Linda at the airport in Atlanta. After quick introductions, we readied ourselves for 20-plus hours on the plane. Little did we know mechanical problems would strand us for more than six hours and then again for three hours as we refueled in Dakar, Senegal. Travel weary and exhausted, we finally arrived in Johannesburg only to learn our luggage would be late due to broken conveyer belts. Needless to say, there was a growing concern within our little traveling threesome that the whole trip might be destined to follow a similarly bumpy path.

Finally...
Jaco, the go-to guy at Kunkura Lodge, picked us up at the hotel. The three-hour drive we took to the Limpopo region in the northern part of the country was punctuated by animal sightings and frequent stops at tolls.

We hammered Jaco with questions the whole time and were greeted upon our arrival by lodge owner Nico Pelser and his son Willie. In short order we were welcomed and shown our cabins. After settling in, John and I hit the range to make sure our X-Force bows were still shooting well. Then, Willie gave us a tour of the ranch and showed us some of the blinds where we would be spending much of the coming week.

Countless sightings of warthogs, wildebeest, nyala, eland, kudu, impala and other game greeted us as we drove along. Every exotic animal stationed just off of the road lifted our spirits a little more. By the end of the tour, 30-plus hours of stressful travel had been utterly erased and replaced with contentment – and a strong urge to go hunting.

It Begins...
The main concern with hunting Africa in April is there is still a good possibility of rain, something that literally puts a damper on waterhole hunting. Our opening morning was beautiful, with temperatures in the low 60s. Willie dropped John and Linda off at a blind and then took me to a different waterhole, wishing me luck as he departed.

A complete sense of wonderment filled me as the sun rose into the sky and started the temperature on a quick ascent. Almost immediately, I thought I heard the soft clink of hooves on rock but wasn't too sure I could trust my hunter's senses that had been dulled by a long Minnesota winter. Before I knew it, I was looking up from ground level at a dozen greater kudu cows and one young bull. They drank quickly and took off, their absence filled immediately by a nice red hartebeest circling my blind to get downwind.