Ron and Nick Puhl, a father and son from Oregon, hunted at Big Water Safaris during August. Cranberry and cattle farmers, and experienced hunters, this was their first African hunt. In addition to farming, Nick builds custom rifles and all the rifles used on this hunt was his creations. The father and son team took some great trophies, kept the tigers suitably fed and was a lot of fun to have around.
Professional hunter: Heinrich Funck.
Ron and Nick Puhl with a magnificent gemsbuck (oryx) bull hunted by Nick. This is the largest gemsbuck bull hunted at Laohu Valley Reserve to date.
Nick and Ron Puhl with a big old warthog boar hunted by Nick.
An eland bull hunted by Ron Puhl. Eland is the largest antelope found on Laohu Valley Reserve. The rifle, chambered for the .33 Nosler cartridge, was built by Nick Puhl.Ron and Nick Puhl with a black wildebeest (white-tailed gnu) hunted by Nick. Known as the clowns of the plains because of their erratic and unpredictable behavior black wildebeest are a challenging quarry and make a unique looking trophy.Nick and Ron Puhl with a red hartebeest hunted by Ron.Ron and Nick Puhl with an ostrich hunted by Nick. The largest bird in the world, ostriches are popular with hunters because of their skins which are used to make boots, handbags and other leather products. Ostriches have excellent eyesight and are paranoid, making them a very challenging quarry.Ron and Nick Puhl with a kudu bull hunted by Ron. Known as the grey ghost, kudu bulls are never easy to hunt.Another kudu bull, this one hunted by Nick Puhl. Note the difference in the shape of the horns between Ron and Nick’s kudus.Nick and Ron Puhl with a blesbuck ram hunted by Nick. Laohu Valley Reserve is home to almost 8oo head of blesbuck.Nick and Ron Puhl with an impressive impala ram. Judging from their smiles, they had a good hunt!Ron and Nick Puhl with a young blue wildebeest bull hunted by Nick to feed the hungry South China tigers. This is a typical “cull” wildebeest. That is the Orange River, the largest river in South Africa, in the background.Another cull blue wildebeest, this one a mature female hunted by Ron Puhl.