SOUTH AFRICA: My “Hurricane Hippo” With BAYLY SIPPEL SAFARIS

[Arctic97]

Congrats on a great trophy and hunt. I enjoyed this very much, as it reminded me of my time with Dempsey recently. And yes I agree about his photo sessions - I called it Bayly Productions. Great pics there for sure. Memories for a lifetime with @BAYLY SIPPEL SAFARIS

 

[Nyati]

Congrats, that is a great one !

 

[Fatback]

Day 3 continued.

Now that the photos were properly sorted out, the real work began. Over the course of the next 5 hours the bull was butchered and a raid was cut into were the bull lay so that a tractor and trailer could get in there so everything could be loaded up and hauled out. It was an all hands on deck type of situation. I was happy to be able to jump in and help skin and work on the hippo. It was the first time I’ve been able to do that with an animal I’ve killed in Africa. Last year I was able to help pack my Cape buffalo a couple of miles to the boat and that added so much to the experience for me then and helping skin and process this hippo added just as much to this experience for me as well. One of the guys recovered one of my bullets from the hippo and I truly believe it could be reloaded and used again. Performed flawlessly. Once all the work was done and we were back at the HiLux we were treated to an amazing African sunset. We all had a cold beer and each of us were lost on our own thoughts about the past 3 days experiences. Looking back now, I kinda wish I had thought to take a few pictures of the sunset to be able to share but a part of me is glad I didn’t because I know that I will always remember the orange and purple hues of the fading African day and somehow I believe that sunset in that particular place in Africa will always be just mine and I’m am ok with that as well. I don’t mean that in a selfish way and I really don’t know how else to describe it but I am sure there are many fellow member here that have had life changing experiences hunting and can appreciate what I mean even if I am doing a poor job of describing what I mean.

On the way back to the lodge Dempsey tells me there is another hunter and his wife coming to camp to do a dart hunt for a Rhino and another one of his PHs will be in to guide them. I look forward to meeting them all and sharing a campfire with like minded folks. Back at camp I meet the other hunter and his wife. They are lovely folks and both have an extensive history of traveling and hunting all over the world. He tells me that the Rhino will complete his Big 5, a wonderful accomplishment to be sure. We have a wonderful meal and head over to the fire pit to enjoy the company and I my case a celebratory drink of good whiskey. As we are making our way towards the fire, Dempsey calls me up to the bar. Apparently there is a tradition at Bayly/Sipple that after a particularly difficult hunt or a hunt that is particularly special the Dempsey breaks out a shit glass passed down in his family from his grandfather and the hunt is toasted by the staff singing a German hunting song and everybody taking a shot of Jagermaster, with the hunter partaking from the family heirloom shot glass. I find myself a bit humbled to be considered worthy of being able to participate in such a tradition. After the song and toast we retire to the fire area and recount the day’s adventures and swap hunting stories.

I am also able to make contact with my family and the hurricane has come and gone. Everybody is safe and we did not suffer any damage to our home. There is going to be alot of work cleaning up downed trees and such but the fact that nothing is damaged and most importantly everybody is safe, I’m so grateful and relieved. Based on the timing the worst of the storm was passing at the same time I was in a standoff with my hippo bull. Me and my family were both in dangerous situations and we all were able to come out the other side safely and with some great stories to tell.

As the fire starts to die down and the last of the drinks are finished, Dempsey, somewhat somberly, mentions that after having some time to think about our afternoon, he believes that is the most dangerous situation he has ever been in as a PH, being that close to hippos, on land, in the type of cover we were in. I thank him again for his steadiness and professionalism in guiding me to this animal that will forever be one of my most memorable hunts. I also thank him for trusting me enough to not shoot during all the activity that unfolded after my initial shot. He tells me he knew the shot was good and that he wanted to have plenty of rounds ready if the cow came back to see what happened to her bull.

We make a plan to go to a cattle farm in the morning to look for a kudu bull that appears to be sick or injured according to the land owner as he has been seen several times and doesn’t react to the farm workers as you would expect by running and hiding. He just stands there most of the time. Dempsey tells me there are some really nice warthogs, impala and steenbok on this property as well. So it is with a great sense of relief and gratitude that I head to my chalet and go to bed, wondering what new adventure that Africa might have in store for me tomorrow.

Butchering my hippo

Hippo heart.

Recovered bullet

 

[shootist~]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Fatback]

Day 4

I’ve settled into a pretty good routine now and after a great night’s sleep I am up and ready by 6:15 am and head on over the the dining area. The new hunter and his wife are already there having their coffee and we have a brief discussion about what is hopefully in store for each of us today. After a wonderful breakfast I load up in the HiLux with Dempsey and they head of to the hunting buggy of their PH, Nick, to go and try and dart a rhino.

Prior to heading out to hunt, I ask Dempsey to take me by the shooting range to check my 375 since I missed the red heartabeast on day 2. I want to confirm that it was me and not the rifle. He agrees that this would be a good idea. One quick shot confirms it was operator error and not an equipment failure. Off we go to hunt with confidence that the rifle is ready to go, hopefully the man behind the rifle will also be up for any opportunity they might present itself.

On the way to this new property, which is only a few miles from the camp, Dempsey again tells me we will look for the the sick/injured Kudu the land owner has been seeing as well as whatever the bush may present. Dempsey tells me again they there are some fantastic steenbok and warthogs on this property. If the opportunity presents itself I might just start on my “tiny ten” journey this morning, as I have never killed any of the tiny ten antelope. We spend the morning riding and looking and see lots of game. We see kudu, impala, warthogs and steenbok. A very enjoyable morning but none of the animals are mature enough to take a crack at. We spend the last hour or so if the morning shooting a few Guinea fowl for the camp staff. That was quite enjoyable. We get back to camp in time for lunch and get a report that the other crew is still out trying to dart a rhino.

During lunch Dempsey asks me if I have ever hunted “night critters” on any of my previous safaris. I tell him that I have not. He asks if I would be interested in trying that and I jump at the opportunity. A few quick phone calls are made and a plan is hatched. We will leave in a couple of hours for a macadamia tree farm in the mountains to look for night critters to include genet, white tailed mongoose, civet and porcupine. Dempsey also tells me there are some nice bushbuck on this property, which really piques my interest. I go take a short nap and then we load up for the drive to this property. It’s about a 90 minute drive to the property and it passes quickly as hunting stories are swapped and we solve the world’s problems.

We arrive at the property and pick up one of the property owners who will be accompany us this evening/night. We are not 200 yards into the property when Dempsey taps on the top of the HiLux and Big John comes to a stop. There, not 75 yards from the truck is a nice bushbuck ram with his ewe. Dempsey gives him the once over with the binos and says he is an old mature ram and if you want a bushbuck you should probably take him. That is all the encouragement I need and the shot breaks clean. The ram stumbles about 20 yards and is done. It is a nice mature ram and I am very happy to have taken him.

After we take a few pictures and get the ram loaded up we resume our search for the night animals we have come to look for.

Dempsey tells me he has seen as many as 30 different spotted genets in a night on this property as well as numerous mongoose, porcupine ls and civets. Well, after several hours. All we have managed to see is bushbucks, a lot of bushbucks. By the time we finish hunting 4 hours have passed and we have seen upward of a 100 bushbucks, rams, ewes and babies. It was a wonderful experience and I definitely have added hunting night critters to my list of future hunts. We make the drive back to the lodge and upon arrival Dempsey asks me if I want to sleep in or get up and hunt in the morning due to the late hour of our return. I assure him I’ll be up and ready to hunt in the morning and I’ll see him at breakfast at 6:30 in the morning. We also find out that the other hunter was able to dart his rhino and has completed his Big 5. I am happy for him as he seems to be a true gentlemen and a very accomplished hunter. Now it is off to bed to get some rest before my last hunting day on this safari.

To be continued….

 

[PARA45]

Congratulations on a great Hippo and beautiful Bushbuck! Keep it coming!

 

[DieJager]

Great trophies so far. Wmh! And keep up the writing.

 

[Fatback]

Day 5

This will be my last hunting day on this trip and I am excited to see how it will unfold. As I am heading over for breakfast I am met by Dempsey and he tells me that the land owner where we were looking for the injured/sick kudu has called and the bull is in a feed area that is used by the cattle on the farm and he appears to be in pretty bad shape. I quickly grab my gear and jump on the HiLux and off we go.

I hesitated to even write about this part of my trip but I decided that in an effort to discuss my entire trip it was important to include this part of the story. I also feel it is important to show the quality of the animals that Bayly/Sipple Safaris has access to, as this was a really nice kudu bull that is representative of the quality of animals that can be hunted with this safari company.

As we pull into the property and make our way to the area where the kudu is supposed to be, he is there and obviously in pretty bad shape. This was in no way shape or form a hunt. This was putting down an injured animal. We approach as close as we can without panicking the kudu and I dispatch him with a clean shot from my 375. Once he has expired we approach and as we get closer there is an obvious smell of infection and rot. Upon closer inspection this bull appears to have been shot low in the brisket, from a frontal angle and the wound had become infected and this is the source of his issues. Here is a picture of what we found.

We get some help getting him loaded in the HiLux and take him off for the land owner. Dempsey says that he will be used to freshen up the bait site he has been running for night critters. We do stop and take a few nice photos of the kudu. He is a dandy bull that had a horrible ending. It’s a shame he suffered the way he did for what seems like a few weeks. It just goes to show the tenacity of these animals that he made it as long as he did.

Dempsey measures his horns and his longest is just a shade under 55 and the shorter of the 2 is about 3/4 of an inch shorter. I work it out with Dempsey and will be bringing his horns home to display in my house. It will give me something to aspire to when I actual hunt my next kudu.

After getting the kudu situated we go back to the lodge for a mid morning brunch and a few hours of rest and relaxation. We head back out hunting around 3:30. Again, there is no particular plan other than to see what the bush might offer up. We are going to head back to the general area where I missed the large heartabeast a few days ago, maybe I’ll get a shot at redemption.

We have a very pleasant afternoon and see all sorts of game, including gemsbok, waterbuck, impala, kudu, steenbok, duiker and ostrich. As the light is fading and the western sky is turning the wonderful colors that I have only witnessed in an African sunset and I am soaking it all in, Dempsey brings me back to reality with a tap on the cab on the HiLux and we all bail off and are in pursuit of a nice impala ram he has spotted. We make a quick stalk, the sticks go up and as the ram crosses an opening in the brush, Dempsey grunts and the ram stops. The shot breaks without me even remembering shooting and the ram is down. He is by far the best of the 3 impala rams I have taken on my trips to Africa. A very fitting end to the hunting portion of this trip.

We take a few pictures and load the ram up and head back to camp. Dempsey asks me if I want my jacket from the cab and I tell him no, I want to feel the chill in the air as when I get home it will probably be another 2 months before I have the pleasure of enjoying the cool night air.

Back at the lodge it is time around the fire, a wonderful meal and fellowship. I have throughly enjoyed my first safari in RSA and have made a new friend in Dempsey. Tomorrow I will start the journey home but for tonight, I am in Africa and that is enough and I am truly grateful.

I will do another post about my travel home and share some of my closing thoughts on this safari. I want to thank everybody for following along and the kind comments as I have retold the story of my most recent trip to Africa.

 

[R.M.C.]

Great report, thanks for sharing it with us. Beautiful hippo, also Impala and bushbuck! I had a miss on a wart hog just like yours with the hartebeest. Shot felt good, crosshairs were on his shoulder when the gun went off. PH immediately said " miss". And I thought there was no way hahaha. Maybe next time.

 

[Fatback]

Day 6

Up early and getting all my gear packed up and squared away. I head over for breakfast at 7:00 to see the couple off who have been here the last couple of days. They are heading out to hunt. I wish them well and they are off. I quite enjoyed their company the last couple of days. After breakfast I am back to finish my packing. Once that chore is done, I take the time to find each of the staff members who have treated me so well on this trip and personally thank them and tip them for their service.

I then complete all the required paperwork and settle up with Dempsey and we are all square away. We get all my gear loaded up in the HiLux and then drive over to the skinning shed so I can tip the trackers and see my hippo skull. When we get there Alfred has arranged the skulls for a nice photo opportunity.

After taking a few quick pictures we start our journey back to Joburg. We stop by the taxidermy shop I am going to use and I get a tour for their operation. I just say that I am impressed with their operation. After spending some time there Dempsey takes me by a nice little shop so I can pick up a few things for the family. After that we are back on the road. Our final stop before the airport is at Safari and Outdoors in Pretoria. I spend a little time looking around in there and pick up a couple of more things. Dempsey gets me to the airport without issue, where I meet up with Bruce from Gracy Travel. I say my goodbyes to Dempsey and we promise to stay in touch.

Bruce helps me through the rifle check in process and I am through security without a hitch. I know there are several services that help with this type of thing in Joburg and by all accounts they are all top notch. I can only speak about my experiences with Gracy Travel and Bruce and I can say without out a doubt, they have exceeded any reasonable expectations on all 5 of my trips to Africa. My flights home go smoothly, customs in Atlanta is a piece of cake and I make it back to Valdosta without issue.

On my 20 minute drive home from the airport I can see the damage that Hurricane Idalia caused. 2 house down from mine there are 2 large oak trees through the middle of the house. We were very fortunate at my place, just some large limbs down and the only damage I have to the house is about a 6 foot piece of gutter has been damaged. It could have been so much worse. I am always excited to go on a hunting trip but I am always equally excited to get back home to my family, even more so on this trip considering the circumstances.

Some final thoughts I have regarding my safari for my “Hurricane Hippo”. Bayly/Sipple Safari Company is a top notch operation and I look forward to hunting with them again at some point. I am strongly considering one of their buffalo hunts that they have available.

Dempsey Bayly is a hell of a good PH. He kept our team safe through out the entirety of my hippo hunt. Looking back there were so many times that hunt could have taken a real dangerous turn and didn’t due to the professionalism displayed by Dempsey and his team. I look forward to hunting with him again at some point in the future and feel privileged to now count him as a friend and kindred spirit.

I saw lots of quality game on the properties we hunted. Including Cape Buffalo, Sable, Roan, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Warthog, Red Heartbeest, Waterbuck, Steenbok, Duiker, Bushbuck, Giraffe, Gemsbok, Ostrich, Kudu, Golden Wildebeest and Springbuck and obviously Hippo. This is a very well run hunting operation that has the right ideas about conservation and using hunting as a tool to help with conservation.

This was my first hunt in RSA and I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable at any time. I am sure that was due to Dempsey and having confidence in him to do just that, keep us safe. Load shedding was just a very minor inconvenience, the camp had generators and I can say the only time it was a bit of an issue was when I was shopping for souvenirs for the family and the power went out in the shop. It took them a few minutes to start the generator and we were back in business.

Overall, I had a wonderful hunt with Bayly/Sipple Safaris and would whole heartedly give them my recommendation as a company to consider for any future safari plans. I know I will make every effort to hunt with them again. Dempsey Bayly is a true professional in every sense of the word and a pleasure to hunt with and share a campfire with. Lastly, if you are on the fence about hunting a hippo, as I was just a year ago, give it some strong consideration, especially hunting one on land. It was every bit as exciting as hunting a cape buffalo to me. Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to read my report and for the many kind comments.

 

[PARA45]

@Fatback, do you by any chance know how big is the property you hunted the hippo? What a great experience, and some wonderful animals taken. Congrats, and thanks for taking us along.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I love the hippo front on skull picture.

 

[Fatback]

Para45,

To be honest, I never really asked the total acreage of the properties we were hunting on. I think there were over 30,000 acres total that we spent time on hunting, not including the night hunting trip to the mountains. If I had to guess when we were hunting for the hippo we were in his core area of a couple thousand acres. The property was bigger than that but that was were he was staying and where we hunted. According to my Fitbit that I wear we averaged about 4.5 miles a day for tracking for the 3 days we spent tracking the hippo. I never felt that the game fence played any part in influencing my hunt. Dempsey was telling me that hippos don’t typically “respect” the game fences. He told me they had one earlier this year that broke through the fence and was found 23 kilometers away.

 

[PARA45]

Awesome, thank you for you informative and quick reply. Let me know if you find yourself in the Warner Robins area, I'm about 10 miles East from I-75.

 

[ILDRHNTR]

Congrats on a fantastic hunt. I truly thank you for sharing your story. It was very enjoyable following along on a hunt I have never considered. Yet.

 

[Fatback]

ILDRHNTR,

It is a hunt that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

 

[gillettehunter]

Sounds like you had a great experience. Congrats on your animals.
Bruce

 

[gizmo]

Wow, how awesome is that!!! I’ve often thought about a hippo on land. Sounds like a super fun hunt and congrats!!! What an accomplishment!

 

[Fatback]

Gizmo,

It was an awesome hunt for sure. Glad you enjoyed the recap.

 

[ChrisG]

Awesome hunt report! I love reading reports like this that are written like a Jim Corbett memoir! Congrats on a beautiful hippo. And nice shooting!