Kevin and Ryan, both from North Carolina, hunted Laohu Valley Reserve during September 2022 with their friends, Sarah and Phillip Spitler and Justin and Crystal Brinkley.
Professional Hunter: Thinus Steyn.
Ryan Edwards with his first African animal, a magnificent kudu bull. While glassing Ryan spotted the bull from more than a mile away. After a challenging stalk we managed to get within 250 yards and set up for a shot across a valley. However, the bull remained behind some branches, which made a shot impossible. After a standoff that lasted more than 30 minutes, the bull moved giving Ryan a clear shot. A single well placed shot ended this exciting hunt. Kevin with a zebra stallion taken after a difficult stalk, a long fruitless wait, during there was a lot of sleeping and some alarmingly loud snoring, and then a second stalk which ended in a brief opportunity resulting in a quick kill. Ryan Edwards and Kevin Campbell with Ryan’s warthog boar.Kevin Campbell with a gemsbuck (oryx) bull he hunted with Big Water Safaris.Ryan and Kevin each with a blesbuck hunted during a break in a rain storm. Laohu Valley Reserve is home to ±800 of these antelope.Ryan with a blue wildebeest bull hunted at Laohu Valley Reserve. Note the mud on the bull’s forehead. Wildebeest rub their horns and faces in mud made from dirt and their own urine to mark their territories.Ryan with his gemsbuck (oryx) bull hunted with Big Water Safaris. Kevin Campbell with his second zebra, a large mare, hunted on top of a mountain. With him is the recovery crew who was responsible for getting the zebra back to the nearest road.
This was the first South African hunting trip for both Kevin and Ryan, a lot of fine animals were harvested, the tigers were suitably fed and a lot of fun was had. I am looking forward to seeing them again at Laohu Valley Reserve.
