Our First African Adventure with
Thaba Mahaka
by
Rick Pelphrey
Katie Pelphrey
Dr. Pelphrey's fine 16' Limpopo Bushbuck
(Lt. to Rt. Kelly Anderegg, daughter Katie,
Dr. Rick and son Rick.)
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Doc with his 52 inch Kudu
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I want to thank Jim Gladden for all the insight
and words of wisdom not to mention the many
ways he aided me in helping bring about this
wonderful African adventure. I also want
to thank all the kind, helpful people I have
met at SCI, the organization that really
helped to make my dream a reality.
The children and I really had no idea what
to expect my daughter Katie and her friend
Kelly Anderegg joined my son Rick and we
were off to the dark continent.
The accommodations were first class as well
as the meals. The hunting camps as they like
to call them were more like first class hunting
lodges in the states along with a chef that
was both talented and adept at preparing
all types of wild game.
Leon Small (Owner, Outfitter, Professional
Hunter) was both qualified and attentive
to my every hunting desire and was amazingly
accurate at judging trophies on the hoof.
I noticed very quickly he was only interested
in mature animals that he would hang on his
own wall.
Rick's Eland "A Grand Old Warrior"
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The trophies taken on this hunt were a Bushbuck
by my Son Rick, slightly over 14 inches,
a 35 inch Gemsbok Bull by my daughter Katie
as well as the several animals I was fortunate
enough to harvest. My Kudu was a 52"
by 51", nice and wide. Leon was very
patient as I passed a 53 or 54 incher that
was more narrow than I envisioned on my wall
. I also took a gold medal Wildebeest as
well as a 28 and a half inch Nyala. The 2
wart hogs both had teeth of over 10 inches.
The Eland was a grand old warrior with a
great tuft and a heavy dew lap. The impala
was 23 or 24 inches, very heavy and I was
proud to take him. The bushbuck I took was
almost 17 inches and was probably the largest
of the over 40 rams we saw he just paused
in the wrong place and the wrong time for
him but a perfect presentation for me. I
also shot a nice Gemsbok cow of around 35
or 36 inches to round out the 8 species I
brought back to the states.
As a life long hunter the entire
trip especially
sharing the adventure with my
children was
all I hoped my first Safari to
be and more.
I highly recommend to anyone
considering
an African safari that hasn't
been to go
ahead and give it a shot you
won't regret
it that's for sure. Should you
choose Leon
at Thaba Mahaka the service will
be first
rate and the tracker Norman amazing.
I will
close in saying I kept a journal
every day
and would be happy to allow any
one interested
to peruse its content.
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My African Experience
by Katie Pelphrey
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Katie Pelphrey and Kelly Anderegg
"Armed and Dangerous"
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My trip to Africa this summer is one that
I will never forget. Being
a 17 year old
girl, that attends an all
girls catholic
highschool, one can imagine
I'm not the type
of girl to pick up a rifle
and go out hunting.
Yet somehow, with the help
of our very knowledgable
guide Leon, I managed to
shoot myself a prize
Gemsbok. While in Africa
I saw one of my
favorite animals, Giraffes,
every day while
out in the bush. I also
saw several species
I had never even heard
of or seen before.
The animals I saw looked
like ones you could
make up on a video
Katie's Bull recovered after she was
on her way back to the
States
"She certainly made a nice clean
shot and I was very proud" Said Her Father
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game, the experience was
unreal. I also
was able to see Rhinos,
in the wild, so close
that they could easily
attack the truck bed
I was sitting in. Slightly
unsettling, but
something exciting I know
several people
will never get the chance
to experience.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was
definitely the food, every meal was excellent
and always left my family and I feeling satisfied.
I was also impressed by the hospitality and
the fact that everyone I met on the trip
was very friendly and approachable. They
were always trying to make sure our needs
were met and that we were one hundred percent
satified with every aspect of our trip. I
feel lucky that I have been granted this
once in a life time opportunity and the memories
I created during my trip will stay with me
forever.
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