It was at the DSC Convention 2025 when Scott Pike and his daughter, Safari, first approached us about arranging a buffalo hunt. After speaking with Dave Freeburn Safaris who operates on a vast free-range property in South Africa, we secured the perfect safari for them. Contrary to popular belief, South Africa still offers exceptional free-range opportunities, and this would soon become a very special hunt—especially after we received the wonderful news that Safari had just won the DSC’s Colin Caruther’s Young Hunter of the Year Award.
A few months later, we were finally on safari—Safari included, excuse the pun. Just before our arrival, operator Dave Freeburn informed us that several management elephants were now available. Overnight, the hunt changed from buffalo and sable to elephant and sable. The area is blessed with abundant elephant populations, which is why a management quota had been allocated. Set on 56,000 acres of pristine wilderness, the camp was rustic, beautiful, and everything a true African safari should be.
On the second day, we located an older bull with good ivory. After an adrenaline-charged stalk, Safari made a perfect heart–lung shot, followed by an excellent hip shot. The elephant crashed into heavy thorn bush, and after giving it time, we began our follow-up. To our surprise, the bull was still alive, backing into the thickest cover he could find. Moving carefully, we set Safari up for another shot, which she executed flawlessly before the elephant took off into the brush once again.
What followed was an exhaustive, full-day tracking effort—hours of losing tracks, finding them again, pushing through dense cover, and following the smallest signs. Eventually, just before dark, we found him dead. All three shots were perfectly placed; the issue lay entirely with the ammunition. Only one bullet had penetrated deeply—into one lung—while the others stopped a few inches in. The powder charge had clearly been faulty. It was an unnecessary ordeal and a powerful reminder of why we always recommend Swift A-Frames and Swift Break-Away Solids for elephants. In our experience, there is no better solid on the market.
The remainder of the safari went smoothly. Safari took a beautiful waterbuck, an impressive sable, and a great warthog—all with clean, one-shot kills. We enjoyed numerous sightings of both black and white rhino, and Scott even decided to take an old, heavy stink bull giraffe. The family had a fantastic time with plenty of laughs, evenings around the campfire, and unforgettable sunsets. Andy filmed the entire adventure, Carly handled the photography, and we left with incredible content for our This Is Africa viewers.
