“We hunted in so many different types of terrain.” Daryl Bush Hunting for warthogs, ostriches, bless bucks, gray duikers, gemsbucks, eland, impalas, kudus and blue wildebeests, the five men combined to bag nearly 30 animals. Bush bagged seven animals, including a 50-inch kudu, a medium-sized African antelope. Males, referred to as rams, have lyreshaped horns which can reach up to 72 inches in length. Bush killed two impalas, including a 26inch buck which he says is comparable to a 140-inch white-tail buck. Impalas are also medium-sized African antelopes. Using a 7mm Remington Magnum rifle, Bush also bagged an eland, a blue wildebeest, a bless buck and a gemsbuck. His eland, which weighed about 2,200 pounds, was the biggest animal Bush killed. “I killed a really nice kudu, with 50-inch long horns. These animals compare in size to elk and are called grey ghosts because you only see them for a split second and they’re gone,” Bush said. Safari hunting is different from most hunting in Mississippi, Bush said, because hunters in Africa spot and stalk game. “You find the animals through binoculars and then you stalk them. It can be a lot of walking, so you have to be in pretty good shape, especially when you are in the mountains. We hunted in so many different types of terrain,” Bush said. “Most of the shots you have aren’t that long, about 100 to 150 yards.” Bush and his friends also visited with kids at a nearby school and gave them some candy. “That was a neat experience. They were tickled to death to see us because it’s such a poor region,” he said. Each hunter goes out with a guide and tracker, a native of the region who is paid just $5 a day. The safari service asks hunters not to tip the trackers, and Bush’s crew found out why. “Raby shot a kudu that was tracked until dark. They went back the next day and found it, so he tipped him $30. The tracker disappeared the next day, and the rancher wasn’t happy,” Bush said. Lesson learned. The group also learned a lot about the region, its culture and its hunting. Bush said the only downside to going back is the 15- to 17-hour plane trip to South Africa. But the rest made for an experience of a lifetime. LI
Daryl Bush poses with a huge kudu he killed while hunting in South Africa in 2009 on a 10-day safari with four friends from Greenwood. The kudu had 50-inchhigh horns.
Spring and Summer 2010 Leflore Illustrated / 23