Smitty
AH veteran
May 27- June 6th Hunt with DK Safaris
Have you ever dreamed of hunting Africa? Read Capstick, Ruark, Hemingway? Watched John Wayne in Hatari? If you are on this forum, I bet you have.
I have dreamed of hunting Africa for the past 50 years, and certain things were key in those dreams. Tented camp by a river. Baobab trees, Mopane trees. Crocodiles and hippos. Hyenas, Leopard, Lions growling at night. Buffalo in the thickets, eyeballing you. A tracker, following a trail through impossible ground, able to sense where the animal walked.
3 weeks ago, I returned to Africa for my second trip, my first being in 2019. The first hunt was in the Eastern Cape and was fantastic. I have no complaints or regrets. I was able to take all the animals on my list, and I had a wonderful time. As most of us do, I was already plotting on how to afford a return trip before I had even left the first time.
As I thought of returning, I realized what I really wanted from this trip wasn’t a list of animals to hunt, but a list of things to experience. Primarily the things mentioned above. I wanted to see a tracker in action. I wanted to hear hyenas at night, see a leopard, crocodile, hippo. I wanted to feel the tension of getting in close to buffalo.
My primary limitation was my budget, of course. I am a retired blue-collar guy. My original thought was Zimbabwe. I found the outfitters in Zimbabwe that seemed to be within my budget to be not trustworthy. I had almost given up hope of making it happen when I posted what I was looking for here, on AH.com. I received a few offers, but one offer stood out. A very low-key reply from Johlene (wife and worker of magic) at DK Safaris saying they believed they had the experience I was looking for in South Africa, bordering Kruger Park. Derian Koekemoer Safaris was offering a cow buffalo hunt for $2300, plus day fees. After some negotiation, lots of reference checking, and a WhatsApp video call, we booked for the last week of May and first week of June. I would be taking son #3, Luke.
I arranged the trip myself, taking Delta from Atlanta, overnight at Afton Safari lodge (Johlene’s recommendation) and utilizing Mr. X at the airport, then arriving in Hoedspruit on the 7th of June. The trip went well and was uneventful. I must say Mr. X made the pickup and drop off between OR Tambo and Afton Safari lodge a breeze, in addition to the firearms paperwork.
27 May 2025 Tuesday Arrival day
Johlene and the Videographer, Kristin from Action & Wild Productions, met me at the airport in Hoedspruit. We were ready in no time and off to the camp, about a 40-minute drive from the airport. They have 3 camps available, and I had chosen the most rustic one, a tented camp quite close to Kruger’s border. The camp was nice, with tents on concrete pads and a bush framework built around them to keep monkeys and baboons from tearing the tents up. There was a cookshack with a porch area for dining, and two bathroom/shower shacks, as the tents don’t have bathrooms in them in this camp. The other 2 camps have en-suite bathrooms. We were greeted soon by Derian and his main PH, Christian. Derian and Christian would both be with us for the first 5 days of the hunt, then Christian would take over for the remainder as Derian was previously booked. This was all pre-arranged and told to me beforehand. Throughout the hunt, Derian was great to have as a PH. He was a very skilled at getting us in close to the buffalo, following tracks, and just fun to be around. Christian is a great guy: very likeable, funny, steady, knowledgeable, and I was quite happy to have him as my PH later in the hunt. Derian and Christian took us out for a ride to sightsee and to check the zero on my rifle.
Rifle: Tikka 7mm Rem Mag w/Bartlein barrel 1:8 twist.
Scope: Leupold 5 HD 3—15x44, Fire-dot reticle.
Rifle for Buffalo: Camp rifle, Howa .375 Ruger
Binoculars: Swarovski 10x42
Ammo 7 mag: 168 Barnes LRX handloads. 2850 fps
A note on the Barnes bullets. I love Barnes bullets and use them almost exclusively. On my previous trip, I used 160 grain TSX bullets, and they worked flawlessly. On this trip, I wanted a heavier bullet and used the 168 LRX. I didn’t realize most shots would be well under 100 yards. I recovered 4 bullets, 3 with the petals broken off. I believe they were just going too fast at close range for them to open and stay together. I will be going back to the TSX bullets unless I know I will be shooting over 300 yds.
We returned to camp, had a nice dinner and I went to my tent to bed. About an hour later, I woke up to the very loud and very close sound of a hyena! It was so exciting, I stayed up awhile and listened. About 3:30, I heard the “saw” of a leopard, even closer than the hyena. I would guess 50 yards! It was very exciting for my first night, and exactly what I had hoped to hear.
The normal morning routine was to go to the cookshack/braai area about 6 AM, eat rusks, cookies, and have coffee or tea by the fire. We would leave camp about 6:45 and head out looking for tracks. We would return for brunch around 11:30 and go out for the afternoon around 2 or 3 PM. Some days we were off the property and lunch was provided in the field.
28 May 2025 Wednesday, Hunt Day 1
05:30 AM, I got up, got dressed, and went out to the firepit. We left camp at about 6:45. We spent the day driving the roads and looking at the tracks. It wasn't long before we spotted Zebra. We drove past the Zebra, parked the truck and then snuck around to get the wind right and locate the Zebra once again. A very alert mare locked on to us, then took off. Giraffe and Impala were quite abundant. Soon we located another small group of Zebra. They were with a few Giraffes. We were unable to get a clear shot, and the group soon took off. Then we saw a small Kudu bull. As we were glassing him, a second, much bigger Kudu bull appeared. He was quite narrow but had very thick bases and Derian thought he was a good one to take, but I passed as it wasn’t part of my package, and it was early in the hunt. The Kudu here are much larger in size than the Cape Kudu. We saw lots of fresh buffalo tracks and dung, but no buffalo. By 11:30 we returned to camp for brunch. It was a breakfast with 2 eggs, bacon, a hot dog, and French fries.
About 2:45 We started out again and soon Derian spotted a Kudu near a pond and up on a hillside. He said it was a good one, and we started a stalk. We walked up the road to a good spot considering the wind and entered the bush. Geraldo kept looking down the hill. After about 5 minutes, we heard a kudu cow bark. Geraldo the tracker began gesturing towards the ground and conversing with Derian. I asked if we had lost the track. Derian replied that we were following the tracks. Hmm? How? We are in waist high grass, hard dirt, and I couldn’t imagine how we were following a specific track. We continued. Eventually, we came out onto a different 2 track. I looked down and there were tracks on the road. Derian explained this was the cows and Kudu bull, showing me the different size tracks. I was amazed to find out that we hadn't been just looking for the Kudu bull, but Geraldo was actually on the Kudu’s trail the whole time! So impressive. They told me that once the cow smelled us, she barked, and they were gone. We gave up the chase.
We sight more giraffe, impala, and a bunch of nyala cows, and 1 pretty good bull Nyala. Lots of animals were seen, but no shooters. Then later in the afternoon, some Zebra were spotted. On one stalk, we heard hippos grunting in front of us. They were just over the property boundary in Kruger.
Around 4 PM, we rounded a corner and saw a pack of African Wild Dogs! We watched them. They weren't very concerned with us. A total of about 9 were seen. One was fitted with a collar, and one had a big wound around his middle from a snare. It was an open wound. I couldn't tell if the snare was still there or not. He seemed to move well. They were amazing!
29 May 2025 Thursday. Nyala
After a quick bite in the morning, we headed out in the bakkie. It was about 45-50 degrees, and all of us in the back were cold. Kristin and Christian were both using blankets. We drove around for a while, and we weren't seeing much. Then, at about 7 AM, we saw a group of 3 or 4 female Nyala. A quick look, and a very nice bull was found nearby. We bailed out of the truck and the shooting sticks went up, but the Nyala bull bolted, and we waited a few and followed. Geraldo took the lead, and he found the track where the bull had crossed an intersecting road just 50 yards away. To me, it appeared as if we were just walking quietly, but Derian told me Geraldo was following the track. How, I have no idea. We soon came to another road, and Geraldo determined the bull had not crossed, so it was still in the original block. Geraldo followed the track back the way we came, but a few hundred yards south of where we had been. Eventually we caught up to the female nyala, but the bull gave us the slip. Still, it was incredible to watch how he followed the tracks for an hour and never lost them. About 9 or so, we rounded a corner and saw a herd of buffalo. It turned out to be all bulls, some of them quite impressive in size, at least to me. They were 150 yards off and we were able to watch them for about a minute before they bolted.
Maybe 20 minutes later, Geraldo spotted more buffalo, and said they were mostly cows. We dismounted, and the stalk was on. We had only gone a short distance, and we were able to see them, but they were jittery. Soon, they turned and ran off. We waited 5 minutes and began tracking. A quarter mile or so later, Geraldo pointed, and we were able to see buffalo in the shadows of some trees, maybe 100 yards away. One was looking directly at us. Derian said it was a young bull, and for us not to move. After about 10 minutes of frozen silence, it turned and walked away. A second young bull walked right into the first one's place and stared at us. We could see tails shooing flies in the brush, but we couldn't make out the rest. Derian said there were some cows. Eventually, they took off and we waited for 5 minutes, then followed. Geraldo followed the sign through the bush for a while, and it came out on a 2-track road. We followed for some time, and we were close. Geraldo found where 2 buffalo had split off and crossed the ravine, off our huntable boundary. Geraldo told us most of them were still ahead. We followed for a half hour or more when he stopped and pointed. We saw some buffalo who were unaware of our presence, but just after we saw them, we all felt the wind hit the back of our necks, and they took off. This time down the ravine and off limits. Still, a fantastic first buff stalk and it was incredible to see Geraldo work tracking magic.
This rest of the morning, we saw 2 warthogs, females standing together in deep shade near a pond. We also saw a lot of giraffes, as usual. No Zebra, but 1 male ostrich hanging with a group of giraffes. Lots of impala, 2 wildebeest, more nyala females and one young bull. We returned to camp about 11 for brunch and siesta time.
In the afternoon, we saw 2 Nyala bulls. We walked in and found the bulls butting heads and sparring. As we neared, they ran off, but not far. Derian set the sticks up, but there was brush in the way. We moved a few paces right, and I had a clear shot at the bigger bull. It was standing under a tree with his horns hidden in the branches above. He was about 100 yards away, facing us and watching. Derian told me to shoot him straight on, and I took aim and fired. The bull took about 3 jumps and fell over. We approached; no tracking was necessary.
My first Nyala ever. Derian took great care, taking lots of pictures and was very particular as to how the nyala was positioned. Nyala are beautiful. Their beauty isn't simply the face and horns, it is the orange legs, the ruffed mane down the spine, the long underbelly sides fringe, beautiful markings in the fur. The first nyala I saw in the wild walked into an opening, and to me it looked like a king in his finest robe. How to honor that? I decided to have him skinned as a flat skin and a European mount because I would be able to see his royal robe forever.
It was off to the skinning shed! The skinning shed had 3 white lions in an enclosure, 1 male and 2 females that had been part of a breeding program many years back. Now they were just living their lives peaceably. We returned to camp, and on the way saw more giraffe and impala. At almost dark, we passed a pond, and a spotted hyena was getting a drink. He posed and allowed us to watch him for a couple of minutes before he moved. In the distance behind him, a blue wildebeest was seen.
At camp, we enjoyed a nice fire, and some beef tenderloin grilled over the coals. We then sat around the fire and talked for a while. Twice we heard lions roaring in the distance. Derian said they were just off property in Kruger National Park.
30 May 2025 Friday.
Nothing much happened during the night. I heard something once. It sounded like an alarm call. I would guess it was a Monkey. I got up at 5 and made ready for the day. Derian said he thought we would concentrate on finding buffalo. We drove around and spotted fresh dung and tracks. Derian wanted to "circle the block" to ensure they were still in there. We found where they had crossed out and into a new block, so we circled that. Repeat for the 3rd time. Finally, we stopped and got out of the vehicle. Geraldo, Derian, Me, Kristin, Luke, and finally Christian. I was warned it was very thick thorny brush, and we needed to be very quiet. I thought it would be difficult to be quiet with 6 people. Then began one intense, incredible stalk through some of the thickest brush ever. It went on for a long time, and I loved every second of it. Several times we heard them, glimpsed them, even smelled them. I remember thinking, "I won't have to aim, I'll just press it against the buffalo's side and pull the trigger." Once, I got on the sticks in a seated position, but the herd turned and there was no shot nor an identified individual to shoot. Eventually, Derian felt we had bumped them enough, and to leave them be for a time. It was about 9:30, we had been on them at least 2 hours.
Back on the Bakkie, we continued our search. We saw several nyala, many impala, our lone ostrich, many giraffe, and then.... 4 buffalo less than 100 yards away. They were all young cows, so no shooters, but they gave us quite a show. They not only glared, but at one point formed a line 4 across and took some steps towards us. I got some fantastic photos and a great time out of the encounter.
On the way back to camp for brunch, we rounded the corner and saw several kudu cows and a very impressive bull! He was heavy horned, about 50" with very long ivory tips! Mostly, I was amazed at his overall size! He outweighed my Cape Kudu by about double! Derian stopped and looked at me. I regrettably passed, for now.
We returned to camp, seeing monkeys and more impala along the way. Brunch was good, and after, a fresh shower with Flea and Tick shampoo designed for pets (a tip I read here on AH). It worked, as I showered with it every day and didn’t get a single tick bite the whole time.
After a shower and rest, it was about 2:30 PM and 90 degrees. Geraldo had found a leopard tortoise and brought it over for us to admire. Then, we drove around checking for tracks. At one point, Derian told me that some buffalo had entered one block, and he didn't think they had come out, so we were going to go look for them. We entered the thicket and started working our way. Geraldo and Derian were in the lead and soon started gesturing that they could hear the buffalo. We went into super stealth mode and slowly moved in. The wind had been blowing about 10mph, which was good to cover the noise of our stalking, that's the good news. Bad news? It was swirling all over. Derian stopped and Geraldo motioned for me to come up. By putting my face about 18" off the ground, I could see buffalo lying down. AT ABOUT 15 YARDS! Then, before anything could be sorted out, like which buffalo to take, if any, the wind swirled, and they were gone like a puff of smoke. Good news? They didn't know in which direction we were. SO... we started after them. It didn't take long to figure out we had made a big circle, and they were going right back to where they came from. Derian pointed out the buffalo's tracks were now superimposed on the tracks we made when we stalked in. Round 2. We snuck in and the buffalo were back in their favorite spot, but on their feet. I had a clear view of 3 buff, and could have easily shot the first one, but she had a calf. Then came a puff of wind, and off they went. Round 3. They really hadn't run far and were milling about maybe 100 yards away. We moved closer and were down on our hands and knees for the last 50 yards. Again, I could see glimpses of black hide and legs, but I had no idea how anyone would be able to properly sort and identify which buffalo to take. Soon they moved away from sight. Derian decided we had bumped them enough, and with the wind, we probably weren't going to do well. It was getting late, so we headed towards camp and left the buffalo for another day.
Dinner was Nyala schnitzel, which was delicious! I later found that Johlene had filmed the chef, Creasy, as she made it, and it is posted online.
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Big day tomorrow, a trip an hour north to a concession for Sable, and possibly Zebra.
2025 05 31 Saturday. Zebra, Sable, Waterbuck!
We got up early and left at 6 for hunting on the property where Christian lives. Once we arrived at the property, we began to drive around. Very shortly, we passed a lake approx. 25 acres in size. We saw a Crocodile in the water. Also, an amazing bird called a Saddle-Billed Stork. As we traveled down a two-track, I spotted a couple of zebra in the distance. I notified Christian and Derian. We stopped the Bakkie and got out. We stalked up a dry riverbed for a few hundred yards. Derian saw 3 or 4 zebras come out of a draw near us and join the 2 that were already in the field. Derian believes the newcomers smelled us as they crossed our trail and the whole bunch took off. We continued and soon spotted a Sable and while glassing it, noticed 3 or 4 more sable in the immediate area with it. We attempted a stalk, but they spooked and ran off. A short while later, some golden wildebeest were spotted, and some Zebra with them. We drove past for a bit and walked back, but they gave us the slip. Not long after we returned to the bakkie, we started down a side road and there were the golden wildebeest. We stalked in and finally spotted a couple of zebras back in the mopane. Sticks went up and Derian said to shoot when ready. It was a frontal shot. Derian said to shoot the zebra halfway up the chest. I took careful aim and pulled the trigger. The shot felt great and to me the sight-picture was perfect. The zebra took off and into the thick mopane, out of sight in no time. Walking up to the site the zebra was standing when I shot. We saw tracks, but no blood. I truly expected the zebra to be down within a few yards, but the tracks kept going. After a couple of hundred yards, we did find a little blood. No sign of the zebra. Geraldo, the tracker, went to work. He followed the trail for quite some time, then pointed out the zebra walking away. It stopped behind some thick brush at about 150 yards. Knowing the zebra was wounded, I elected to attempt a shot through the brush. I visibly saw a branch shatter in the scope. The zebra took off again, but not that fast. Tracking resumed. After about a kilometer, Geraldo pointed out the zebra once again. By this time, I am beyond upset and confused. I have no idea why the first shot hadn't put him down. This time it was broadside, and I took careful aim. At the shot, the zebra took off again but went down after about 50 yards. Upon closer examination, the original shot missed the chest and entered the Zebra's body midway down the left side. I have no answer as to how this happened. I believe the Zebra was quartering away more than I had thought. I was so grateful for the excellent tracking and the recovery of the zebra, but I was pretty shaken as to why I could have missed the first shot. Anyhow, pictures were taken, and the Zebra loaded into the bakkie for a trip to the skinning shed.
Just before we got there, Derian spotted a Sable just off the road. He jumped out and said it was a very good one. Derian and I took off after it and trailed it for a short way. We spotted it, but it was walking away. The sticks went up, and I waited for it to present a shot. Derian whistled and the Sable turned just a little. I shot it behind the last rib, aiming for the far shoulder. The Sable dipped his head and kicked his rear legs in the air, then bolted. I knew he was heart-shot. Geraldo came over to track, but the Sable only went about 50 yards and was down. What a beautiful animal! I was overcome to see how regal he was. His horns were beautiful, with giant bases and good length. Jet black hair. I had always wanted to hunt a Sable, but couldn’t afford it on the first trip. It was an emotional moment for me. After the pictures, we loaded the Sable in with the Zebra and made quite the trip to the skinning shed.
Derian suggested we go for lunch break while the skinners were doing their thing. They stopped and picked up some folding chairs. We then drove down to a sandy dry riverbed and made a fire with mopani wood. Once we had coals, Christian and Derian brought out a sausage and cooked it. We had a great lunch sitting around the fire in the shade and enjoying the sausage. Lunch in a shady riverbed was a great idea, and a highlight of the day. Christian turned to me and asked me if I was interested in Waterbuck, as they had some very nice waterbuck on the property. I had never seen a waterbuck live, so I wanted to at least get a look at them.
We started a trip across the property headed to a hilltop some distance away. Before we had a chance to get there, a herd of Waterbuck was spotted just off the road. Once I saw them, I knew I would love to try for one. A couple of very good males were in the group, so we stopped and attempted a stalk. They were fidgety from the start and soon elected to leave the area. We attempted to go around and get in front of them at the next crossroad, but they just beat us to it, and we saw the last few as they disappeared into the next section of Mopane. We decided to continue towards the hilltop. We hadn't gone very far before Kristen said she saw a waterbuck lying down. We backed up and got out of the bakkie. Suddenly, Derian sets up the sticks and points into the woods. Kristen said, "It stood up." I see a muzzle and chin sticking out from under a low tree branch. I couldn’t see the horns as they were hidden by the tree, and I couldn't see the chest, which was hidden by a bush. I aimed 3 inches under the chin and pulled the trigger. I saw the waterbuck drop as I looked through the scope.
We approached the waterbuck cautiously. What a beautiful old waterbuck! His horns were incredible, and his neck was so big and thick. His body size was much bigger than I had realized. I was also glad I didn’t know how big his horns were before the shot. Christian looked at me and said, "You have no idea what you have just shot." Derian said, "That is the biggest waterbuck I have ever hunted." We took pictures of my son and I with the waterbuck for a bit. I told them I was ready to load the waterbuck when the PHs said that no, it was their time to take pictures. They spend the next 45 minutes taking pictures, videos, and turns posing with it. They even put one of their caps between the horns and took pictures for advertising. You know it's a good one when that happens!
I owe Kristen a huge thanks. Kristen is the queen of spotting animals, can hear like nobody I have ever seen, and is a pretty darn good tracker as well. She is the real deal and proved it time and again.
What a day! From the adrenaline of shooting the zebra to the embarrassment and horrible feeling of a bad shot, to relief at recovering the Zebra. This was closely followed by a magnificent Sable, and then by the Waterbuck of a lifetime.
We dropped off the Waterbuck and drove back to camp. I was tired and happier than I could have imagined. On the way back, I mentioned that I hoped to see an elephant off the side of the road in Kruger as we drove back. Shortly after, Derian spotted several elephants about 100 yards off the road. So, I mentioned the only thing left was a daytime sighting of a leopard to make the day complete. Derian said he believed we would see a leopard before we finished our stay with them. Ten minutes later, Derian points to the Kruger fence line and says, "A Leopard!" I turned and a very large leopard was approximately 20 yards from the fence walking along as if he didn't have a care in the world. We all agreed that he looked stocky and had a big blocky head, and that he was probably a male. Apparently, Derian can conjure animals upon command! Once back at camp, we enjoyed time around the fire rehashing the day's events.
1 June 2025 Sunday. Kudu!
The night was cold, but I had plenty of blankets. 5:30 came early. Derian arrived and soon after cookies and rusks we started buffalo hunting. Derian mentioned he had seen a small herd just outside camp. Once Geraldo arrived with Christian, we started off. It was cool, and with a light ground fog to give a different feel to the day. We circled the area, trying to find where the previously seen herd was. After a bit, we got out of the bakkie and entered a dry stream bed with a sandy bottom. Derian explained we were just going in "blind" searching for buffalo. We walked down the bottom for a bit, then the track of a lone bull was picked up. The track lead out of the riverbed and into a hillside patch of scrub. Derian explained he thought the bull might join up with the herd. Shortly, the trail led back down into the river bottom, then back out of it again. We did find where the herd joined with the bull, and they headed up the hill in a more-or-less straight line. A quarter mile later, we came to a "dam" (pond) and even I could tell they had watered and continued to the north. We continued. After another half hour or so of walking, the trail brought us into a thicket. We originally entered from the east, but the wind shifted, and we backed out and circled around, entering from the west. Geraldo went ahead, then came back and led us towards the buffalo. They had moved slightly, but Derian adjusted, and we eased in. Apparently, the wind swirled, or we were sighted as they ran off when we were about 30 yards out.
We returned to the bakkie and continued. At one point, we rounded a corner, and a small herd bolted across the road in front of us. Out we went and back into the scrub. We trailed for a while, but the buffalo continued and Derian decided to break off and let them rest while we had lunch. On the way back to camp, we saw 3 or 4 nyala rams, 2 warthogs, 2 zebras, several giraffes, 2 kudu cows and a young bull, and some buffalo bulls.
This was to be my last 1/2 day with Derian, as he was already booked with other clients, and to fit my hunt in with the dates I had available, I had previously agreed to switch PHs mid-way through the hunt to Christian, who had been with us the whole time so far.
We had brunch at about 11:30. During the meal, Derian asked if I was satisfied. I told him I was completely satisfied and that even if I don't get a cow buffalo the goal has been achieved. I didn't book the hunt for a trophy cow buffalo, I had booked the hunt for the experience of getting close to them, watching someone track. The whole experience was given to me in spades. The actual shooting of the cow was immaterial to me. I now understand why tracking and hunting buffalo was so addictive. It is awesome!
After a nap, we were to go out again at 2:30. When Christian arrived to take us out for the afternoon, he told me that he had just seen the big Kudu I had passed earlier in the week. He said it was totally up to me, but Derian said he would swap out the cow buff for the kudu and give me a discount on the difference in trophy price. Christian merely presented the option and didn't pressure me at all. I decided that since I had experienced the thrill of buffalo hunting, I would love a chance to take the Kudu and come back sometime in the future for a bull buffalo instead!
We drove towards where the Kudu bull was seen lying down. Christian drove around a dam and we got out and walked around the far side and towards where the Bull was last known to be. He was still there, but had about 6 cows with them, and they were all on their feet. The Bull was staring at us. He looked as big as a horse. He was very tall with a huge body. The distance was about 130 yards. Sticks went up and I settled in. It was easy to see they had us pegged and they were getting fidgety. Once Christian gave me the go-ahead, I pulled the trigger and heard the bullet hit. The Kudu had been quartering away just a bit, and I shot him mid chest behind the right leg, aiming at the opposite shoulder. The Bull turned and ran but was hard hit and only went about 40 yards before he piled up, twisting his neck around 180 degrees with his horns on the ground and his under-chin in the air. As we approached, there was no ground shrinkage! I was quite pleased. His horns were very thick and had good curls. Congratulations and pictures ensued.
As we got to the skinning shed, we didn’t see the white lions in their enclosure like before. I looked at Luke and said, “I can’t see the lions.” Luke looked at me and said, “That’s concerning!”
After dropping off the kudu at the skinning shed, we headed back to camp with the sun setting. It was absolutely beautiful. Just as dusk was taking over, we stopped for photos of the magnificent sky. Shortly afterward, Christian stopped the bakkie to point out Giraffe, with one mother and calf about 20 yards from us. The calf bent down and began to nurse. It was an awesome moment. By the way, I was told the correct term for a baby giraffe was a Gir-half!
Dinner was a braai with tenderloins from the Zebra, Waterbuck, and Sable. All prepared the same, with the same light marinade with spices. Luke, Kristin, Christian, and I decided on a taste test to see which one tasted best. The results?
Flavor: 1, Waterbuck. Sable a very close 2nd, with Zebra bringing in 3rd. Tenderness: Zebra by a landslide. All 3 were delicious. This was followed by time around the campfire and stories. Lots of stories.
The only unfilled item on the hit list is a warthog, and Christian said he would like to take us to a different property in the morning, which has a rhino program, and a good healthy warthog population. Luke and I are beyond excited!
2025 06 02 Monday.
We took a long drive to a property with a rhino breeding program. Location is to be kept private. We were even asked to turn off the geo-tags on our photos to keep poachers from tracking the location if we posted pictures online. We drove around the first half of the day in a side-by-side looking for a warthog. The grass was taller than your waist and the brush thick. Warthog sighting consisted of one sow and 3 piglets. However, we saw lots of rhinos. It was great, and hard to imagine how big they really are until you see them. They roam freely throughout the property. Unfortunately, we saw at least 4 old sites where rhinos had been poached, their horns cut off. The skulls with saw and machete marks proved what had happened. One site had the bones of a large rhino and a baby.
Christian told me there was a little restaurant in town, and that afterwards he had a surprise for me. We ate a nice meal at a small restaurant in town and then headed for a small side road. Imagine my surprise when Christian brought me to a sight with a HUGE Baobab tree! It is a famous tree, 3800 years old. Peter Kruger apparently slept inside the tree during the Boer wars. There were no baobab trees in the eastern cape on my first trip, and I was told there weren't many baobab trees to speak of in Limpopo. Christian knew about this tree, and took me there to see it, because I had mentioned how much I was looking forward to seeing one someday. It was very thoughtful of him, and it really does mean a lot to me. I enjoyed every minute of looking at the size and the majesty of what some call the "Tree of life."
We returned to the rhino property for the afternoon, and we decided to sit in a blind for the first time; hopefully to catch a warthog coming to water, but more importantly to see game that weren't running from us. About an hour after we started, I spotted a young warthog, followed a minute later by a sow with very respectable tusks. We watched as they drank and then returned to the bush. Another hour went by, and I saw a duiker coming in. He had nice horns and would have been a good trophy, but I had already exceeded the budget. The ram was quite fidgety. He drank and got out of there quickly. Half an hour later, another duiker came in. He was young, with 1- or 2-inch horns. He was calm, and after drinking water, hung around for a while browsing. We left the blind around 5:15, and started the drive back to camp, and an early bedtime.
2025 06 03 Tuesday.
0730 We went to an adjoining property not far from camp. Christian said we didn't need to start early, as warthogs come out later, and the property was just across the road from camp.
On the way out, as we were locking the gate on this property, Christian received a phone call from Derian. Derian said he needed 2 impalas for camp meat, and he asked if I would shoot them. We picked up a tracker on the property as Geraldo is with Derian. We drove for a bit and soon saw impalas. We stopped and walked back, but they were gone. We drove for a bit and came to a powerline strip. We stopped the bakkie and walked down the powerline. Soon, Christopher spotted impala in the brush to the right, about a 100 yds away in very thick cover. I was able to see a brown patch next to a large tree trunk. Christian asked if I could see the impala and I said yes. He asked if I could see the chest next to the tree trunk. I said yes. I was mistaken. I could see the brown patch next to the tree trunk and mistook what I could see as the chest when apparently I was looking at something slightly different. I aimed and fired, and the shot felt good. We walked up there and didn't find a dead impala. After some casting about, we found a small trail of stomach contents. Ut Oh. Enos the tracker went to work. Both Christian and Kristin are no slouches either. We tracked for a bit, and Christian broke off to drive a circle around the thicket and see if the impala had left the area. In the meantime, Kristin and Enos followed a rapidly diminishing trail. Spots of stomach contents were few and far between, and only a very occasional small drop of blood. In thick brush with tall grass, it was amazing how they kept going. After an hour, Enos found a spot where the impala had lain down. A pool of blood was there. Onward we went. At about the 2.5-hour mark, and maybe a 1/2-mile total distance, Enos stopped and pointed at a brown spot 10 feet in front of him and said, "shoot it." It was the impala, all but expired. I finished it off and we were all smiling. I really hate messing up, but it was incredible how much effort was put into recovering that impala. It was just a female for camp meat, but they didn't write it off, they stuck with it until the animal was recovered. Again, an amazing tracking job. It was 10:30 and we needed to be back at the camp at 11 to go to a cultural event that was previously planned. We had half an hour to get another impala. After about 15 minutes, 2 rams and a ewe were spotted about 100 yards away under a tree. I took quick aim and fired. She only went for about 20 yards and piled up. We quickly took them to the skinning shed and then back to camp.
Cultural Village
I was met at camp by Derian and Johlene. We all ate lunch together, and then Derian headed back to the other camp and his clients. Luke and I took showers and joined up with Kristin and Johlene to go to a tribal cultural event. It was held at a lodge about 40 minutes away, at Tshukudu reserve. We arrived a bit early and sat on the porch watching the birds while having a glass of juice. Then at 2 PM, we went to the culture event which had a mock village and some tribal singers that told the story of the Limpopo region. There was a whole bus of school kids there and then just us. It was fun to watch, plus they had us all get up and dance at one point. It was about 4:15, and we headed back to camp. There were a couple of quick stops in town for groceries and fuel, and we arrived at Camp around 5.
Kristin, Johlene, Luke, and I all sat around the fire and had a snack before a dinner of sirloin steak, potatoes, and salad followed by a wine glass full of chocolate pudding/brownie with whipped cream on top. We are leaving for Kruger at 5 AM, so we all broke off about 7 to go to bed.
2025 06 04 Wednesday. Kruger Day!
We left camp at 5 AM and went to Kruger with Johlene and Kristin. We arrived at Kruger's outer gate at 5:50 and waited 10 minutes until they opened. Kruger was fantastic, and I will save you the blow by blow by just posting pictures. It was a wonderful day. I highly recommend sitting in a “hide” over the river.
5 June 2025 Thursday.
Johlene took us into town to buy souvenirs and do some shopping. Knowing how much my son liked reptiles, she suggested a visit to a reptile center where we enjoyed looking at lots of snakes and had a good time.
Night Drive
Derian arrived at the camp about 8:30 PM. We loaded up and went for a drive. Within the first 5 minutes, Derian spotted eyes in the bush, maybe 50 feet off the road. It was hard to tell, and it took a few minutes and Derian said it was a young leopard. We maneuvered the bakkie a couple of times and finally got a good look at it. I used the binoculars and saw the leopard quite well for a few seconds, then it decided to leave and trotted off. I was able to watch the leopard before it went behind some brush. It was magnificent! Beautiful markings, shiny fur. One couldn't ask for more. We saw impalas and a Greater Bushbaby, and a few nightbirds. That was it, and we headed back around 10. Derian bid us good-bye. He asked if I was satisfied. I said, "extremely." Derian, Johlene, and Christian had all worked tirelessly to provide a wonderful experience.
I would like to mention that I know Derian had just put in an extremely long day with his other clients, and he had been rained on and in soaking wet clothes most of the day. He still came back and took us on the game drive without a word of complaint. Derian always went above and beyond to help us have the best possible trip.
Final Thoughts
I have learned the journey is best when the goal is the experience, and not the trophy. I took some great animals, all of them good trophies. More than that, I have great memories with my son and wonderful people. I am very satisfied with this trip. Luke enjoyed it immensely as well. I came on this hunt with no expectations of trophies, but a desire to hunt and experience Africa in an “African” way, and to experience things with my son that I had always dreamed of. It was a great time. DK Safaris went out of their way to ensure everything was perfect. When I received my final tally, I noticed the $300 trip to Kruger wasn’t on it. I brought it to Johlene’s attention, and she said it was no charge and her treat. I mention this because they seemed less worried about money and more worried about showing me a great time and the fulfillment of my dream. They were great to work with, and I will use them again, if I am blessed enough to try for that bull buffalo.
P.S. After I arrived home, I received a short video Johlene had posted about my trip:
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Have you ever dreamed of hunting Africa? Read Capstick, Ruark, Hemingway? Watched John Wayne in Hatari? If you are on this forum, I bet you have.
I have dreamed of hunting Africa for the past 50 years, and certain things were key in those dreams. Tented camp by a river. Baobab trees, Mopane trees. Crocodiles and hippos. Hyenas, Leopard, Lions growling at night. Buffalo in the thickets, eyeballing you. A tracker, following a trail through impossible ground, able to sense where the animal walked.
3 weeks ago, I returned to Africa for my second trip, my first being in 2019. The first hunt was in the Eastern Cape and was fantastic. I have no complaints or regrets. I was able to take all the animals on my list, and I had a wonderful time. As most of us do, I was already plotting on how to afford a return trip before I had even left the first time.
As I thought of returning, I realized what I really wanted from this trip wasn’t a list of animals to hunt, but a list of things to experience. Primarily the things mentioned above. I wanted to see a tracker in action. I wanted to hear hyenas at night, see a leopard, crocodile, hippo. I wanted to feel the tension of getting in close to buffalo.
My primary limitation was my budget, of course. I am a retired blue-collar guy. My original thought was Zimbabwe. I found the outfitters in Zimbabwe that seemed to be within my budget to be not trustworthy. I had almost given up hope of making it happen when I posted what I was looking for here, on AH.com. I received a few offers, but one offer stood out. A very low-key reply from Johlene (wife and worker of magic) at DK Safaris saying they believed they had the experience I was looking for in South Africa, bordering Kruger Park. Derian Koekemoer Safaris was offering a cow buffalo hunt for $2300, plus day fees. After some negotiation, lots of reference checking, and a WhatsApp video call, we booked for the last week of May and first week of June. I would be taking son #3, Luke.
I arranged the trip myself, taking Delta from Atlanta, overnight at Afton Safari lodge (Johlene’s recommendation) and utilizing Mr. X at the airport, then arriving in Hoedspruit on the 7th of June. The trip went well and was uneventful. I must say Mr. X made the pickup and drop off between OR Tambo and Afton Safari lodge a breeze, in addition to the firearms paperwork.
27 May 2025 Tuesday Arrival day
Johlene and the Videographer, Kristin from Action & Wild Productions, met me at the airport in Hoedspruit. We were ready in no time and off to the camp, about a 40-minute drive from the airport. They have 3 camps available, and I had chosen the most rustic one, a tented camp quite close to Kruger’s border. The camp was nice, with tents on concrete pads and a bush framework built around them to keep monkeys and baboons from tearing the tents up. There was a cookshack with a porch area for dining, and two bathroom/shower shacks, as the tents don’t have bathrooms in them in this camp. The other 2 camps have en-suite bathrooms. We were greeted soon by Derian and his main PH, Christian. Derian and Christian would both be with us for the first 5 days of the hunt, then Christian would take over for the remainder as Derian was previously booked. This was all pre-arranged and told to me beforehand. Throughout the hunt, Derian was great to have as a PH. He was a very skilled at getting us in close to the buffalo, following tracks, and just fun to be around. Christian is a great guy: very likeable, funny, steady, knowledgeable, and I was quite happy to have him as my PH later in the hunt. Derian and Christian took us out for a ride to sightsee and to check the zero on my rifle.
Rifle: Tikka 7mm Rem Mag w/Bartlein barrel 1:8 twist.
Scope: Leupold 5 HD 3—15x44, Fire-dot reticle.
Rifle for Buffalo: Camp rifle, Howa .375 Ruger
Binoculars: Swarovski 10x42
Ammo 7 mag: 168 Barnes LRX handloads. 2850 fps
A note on the Barnes bullets. I love Barnes bullets and use them almost exclusively. On my previous trip, I used 160 grain TSX bullets, and they worked flawlessly. On this trip, I wanted a heavier bullet and used the 168 LRX. I didn’t realize most shots would be well under 100 yards. I recovered 4 bullets, 3 with the petals broken off. I believe they were just going too fast at close range for them to open and stay together. I will be going back to the TSX bullets unless I know I will be shooting over 300 yds.
We returned to camp, had a nice dinner and I went to my tent to bed. About an hour later, I woke up to the very loud and very close sound of a hyena! It was so exciting, I stayed up awhile and listened. About 3:30, I heard the “saw” of a leopard, even closer than the hyena. I would guess 50 yards! It was very exciting for my first night, and exactly what I had hoped to hear.
The normal morning routine was to go to the cookshack/braai area about 6 AM, eat rusks, cookies, and have coffee or tea by the fire. We would leave camp about 6:45 and head out looking for tracks. We would return for brunch around 11:30 and go out for the afternoon around 2 or 3 PM. Some days we were off the property and lunch was provided in the field.
28 May 2025 Wednesday, Hunt Day 1
05:30 AM, I got up, got dressed, and went out to the firepit. We left camp at about 6:45. We spent the day driving the roads and looking at the tracks. It wasn't long before we spotted Zebra. We drove past the Zebra, parked the truck and then snuck around to get the wind right and locate the Zebra once again. A very alert mare locked on to us, then took off. Giraffe and Impala were quite abundant. Soon we located another small group of Zebra. They were with a few Giraffes. We were unable to get a clear shot, and the group soon took off. Then we saw a small Kudu bull. As we were glassing him, a second, much bigger Kudu bull appeared. He was quite narrow but had very thick bases and Derian thought he was a good one to take, but I passed as it wasn’t part of my package, and it was early in the hunt. The Kudu here are much larger in size than the Cape Kudu. We saw lots of fresh buffalo tracks and dung, but no buffalo. By 11:30 we returned to camp for brunch. It was a breakfast with 2 eggs, bacon, a hot dog, and French fries.
About 2:45 We started out again and soon Derian spotted a Kudu near a pond and up on a hillside. He said it was a good one, and we started a stalk. We walked up the road to a good spot considering the wind and entered the bush. Geraldo kept looking down the hill. After about 5 minutes, we heard a kudu cow bark. Geraldo the tracker began gesturing towards the ground and conversing with Derian. I asked if we had lost the track. Derian replied that we were following the tracks. Hmm? How? We are in waist high grass, hard dirt, and I couldn’t imagine how we were following a specific track. We continued. Eventually, we came out onto a different 2 track. I looked down and there were tracks on the road. Derian explained this was the cows and Kudu bull, showing me the different size tracks. I was amazed to find out that we hadn't been just looking for the Kudu bull, but Geraldo was actually on the Kudu’s trail the whole time! So impressive. They told me that once the cow smelled us, she barked, and they were gone. We gave up the chase.
We sight more giraffe, impala, and a bunch of nyala cows, and 1 pretty good bull Nyala. Lots of animals were seen, but no shooters. Then later in the afternoon, some Zebra were spotted. On one stalk, we heard hippos grunting in front of us. They were just over the property boundary in Kruger.
Around 4 PM, we rounded a corner and saw a pack of African Wild Dogs! We watched them. They weren't very concerned with us. A total of about 9 were seen. One was fitted with a collar, and one had a big wound around his middle from a snare. It was an open wound. I couldn't tell if the snare was still there or not. He seemed to move well. They were amazing!
29 May 2025 Thursday. Nyala
After a quick bite in the morning, we headed out in the bakkie. It was about 45-50 degrees, and all of us in the back were cold. Kristin and Christian were both using blankets. We drove around for a while, and we weren't seeing much. Then, at about 7 AM, we saw a group of 3 or 4 female Nyala. A quick look, and a very nice bull was found nearby. We bailed out of the truck and the shooting sticks went up, but the Nyala bull bolted, and we waited a few and followed. Geraldo took the lead, and he found the track where the bull had crossed an intersecting road just 50 yards away. To me, it appeared as if we were just walking quietly, but Derian told me Geraldo was following the track. How, I have no idea. We soon came to another road, and Geraldo determined the bull had not crossed, so it was still in the original block. Geraldo followed the track back the way we came, but a few hundred yards south of where we had been. Eventually we caught up to the female nyala, but the bull gave us the slip. Still, it was incredible to watch how he followed the tracks for an hour and never lost them. About 9 or so, we rounded a corner and saw a herd of buffalo. It turned out to be all bulls, some of them quite impressive in size, at least to me. They were 150 yards off and we were able to watch them for about a minute before they bolted.
Maybe 20 minutes later, Geraldo spotted more buffalo, and said they were mostly cows. We dismounted, and the stalk was on. We had only gone a short distance, and we were able to see them, but they were jittery. Soon, they turned and ran off. We waited 5 minutes and began tracking. A quarter mile or so later, Geraldo pointed, and we were able to see buffalo in the shadows of some trees, maybe 100 yards away. One was looking directly at us. Derian said it was a young bull, and for us not to move. After about 10 minutes of frozen silence, it turned and walked away. A second young bull walked right into the first one's place and stared at us. We could see tails shooing flies in the brush, but we couldn't make out the rest. Derian said there were some cows. Eventually, they took off and we waited for 5 minutes, then followed. Geraldo followed the sign through the bush for a while, and it came out on a 2-track road. We followed for some time, and we were close. Geraldo found where 2 buffalo had split off and crossed the ravine, off our huntable boundary. Geraldo told us most of them were still ahead. We followed for a half hour or more when he stopped and pointed. We saw some buffalo who were unaware of our presence, but just after we saw them, we all felt the wind hit the back of our necks, and they took off. This time down the ravine and off limits. Still, a fantastic first buff stalk and it was incredible to see Geraldo work tracking magic.
This rest of the morning, we saw 2 warthogs, females standing together in deep shade near a pond. We also saw a lot of giraffes, as usual. No Zebra, but 1 male ostrich hanging with a group of giraffes. Lots of impala, 2 wildebeest, more nyala females and one young bull. We returned to camp about 11 for brunch and siesta time.
In the afternoon, we saw 2 Nyala bulls. We walked in and found the bulls butting heads and sparring. As we neared, they ran off, but not far. Derian set the sticks up, but there was brush in the way. We moved a few paces right, and I had a clear shot at the bigger bull. It was standing under a tree with his horns hidden in the branches above. He was about 100 yards away, facing us and watching. Derian told me to shoot him straight on, and I took aim and fired. The bull took about 3 jumps and fell over. We approached; no tracking was necessary.
My first Nyala ever. Derian took great care, taking lots of pictures and was very particular as to how the nyala was positioned. Nyala are beautiful. Their beauty isn't simply the face and horns, it is the orange legs, the ruffed mane down the spine, the long underbelly sides fringe, beautiful markings in the fur. The first nyala I saw in the wild walked into an opening, and to me it looked like a king in his finest robe. How to honor that? I decided to have him skinned as a flat skin and a European mount because I would be able to see his royal robe forever.
It was off to the skinning shed! The skinning shed had 3 white lions in an enclosure, 1 male and 2 females that had been part of a breeding program many years back. Now they were just living their lives peaceably. We returned to camp, and on the way saw more giraffe and impala. At almost dark, we passed a pond, and a spotted hyena was getting a drink. He posed and allowed us to watch him for a couple of minutes before he moved. In the distance behind him, a blue wildebeest was seen.
At camp, we enjoyed a nice fire, and some beef tenderloin grilled over the coals. We then sat around the fire and talked for a while. Twice we heard lions roaring in the distance. Derian said they were just off property in Kruger National Park.
30 May 2025 Friday.
Nothing much happened during the night. I heard something once. It sounded like an alarm call. I would guess it was a Monkey. I got up at 5 and made ready for the day. Derian said he thought we would concentrate on finding buffalo. We drove around and spotted fresh dung and tracks. Derian wanted to "circle the block" to ensure they were still in there. We found where they had crossed out and into a new block, so we circled that. Repeat for the 3rd time. Finally, we stopped and got out of the vehicle. Geraldo, Derian, Me, Kristin, Luke, and finally Christian. I was warned it was very thick thorny brush, and we needed to be very quiet. I thought it would be difficult to be quiet with 6 people. Then began one intense, incredible stalk through some of the thickest brush ever. It went on for a long time, and I loved every second of it. Several times we heard them, glimpsed them, even smelled them. I remember thinking, "I won't have to aim, I'll just press it against the buffalo's side and pull the trigger." Once, I got on the sticks in a seated position, but the herd turned and there was no shot nor an identified individual to shoot. Eventually, Derian felt we had bumped them enough, and to leave them be for a time. It was about 9:30, we had been on them at least 2 hours.
Back on the Bakkie, we continued our search. We saw several nyala, many impala, our lone ostrich, many giraffe, and then.... 4 buffalo less than 100 yards away. They were all young cows, so no shooters, but they gave us quite a show. They not only glared, but at one point formed a line 4 across and took some steps towards us. I got some fantastic photos and a great time out of the encounter.
On the way back to camp for brunch, we rounded the corner and saw several kudu cows and a very impressive bull! He was heavy horned, about 50" with very long ivory tips! Mostly, I was amazed at his overall size! He outweighed my Cape Kudu by about double! Derian stopped and looked at me. I regrettably passed, for now.
We returned to camp, seeing monkeys and more impala along the way. Brunch was good, and after, a fresh shower with Flea and Tick shampoo designed for pets (a tip I read here on AH). It worked, as I showered with it every day and didn’t get a single tick bite the whole time.
After a shower and rest, it was about 2:30 PM and 90 degrees. Geraldo had found a leopard tortoise and brought it over for us to admire. Then, we drove around checking for tracks. At one point, Derian told me that some buffalo had entered one block, and he didn't think they had come out, so we were going to go look for them. We entered the thicket and started working our way. Geraldo and Derian were in the lead and soon started gesturing that they could hear the buffalo. We went into super stealth mode and slowly moved in. The wind had been blowing about 10mph, which was good to cover the noise of our stalking, that's the good news. Bad news? It was swirling all over. Derian stopped and Geraldo motioned for me to come up. By putting my face about 18" off the ground, I could see buffalo lying down. AT ABOUT 15 YARDS! Then, before anything could be sorted out, like which buffalo to take, if any, the wind swirled, and they were gone like a puff of smoke. Good news? They didn't know in which direction we were. SO... we started after them. It didn't take long to figure out we had made a big circle, and they were going right back to where they came from. Derian pointed out the buffalo's tracks were now superimposed on the tracks we made when we stalked in. Round 2. We snuck in and the buffalo were back in their favorite spot, but on their feet. I had a clear view of 3 buff, and could have easily shot the first one, but she had a calf. Then came a puff of wind, and off they went. Round 3. They really hadn't run far and were milling about maybe 100 yards away. We moved closer and were down on our hands and knees for the last 50 yards. Again, I could see glimpses of black hide and legs, but I had no idea how anyone would be able to properly sort and identify which buffalo to take. Soon they moved away from sight. Derian decided we had bumped them enough, and with the wind, we probably weren't going to do well. It was getting late, so we headed towards camp and left the buffalo for another day.
Dinner was Nyala schnitzel, which was delicious! I later found that Johlene had filmed the chef, Creasy, as she made it, and it is posted online.
10/10 for this Nyala Schnitzels prepared by chef Creasy at the Tented Camp for Paul and Luke info@dksafaris.co.za www.dksafaris.co.za Outfitter nr: 202410000015512 PH: 202308000004716 PHASA Member SCI nr 20373493 #dksafaris #huntingisconservat
10/10 for this Nyala Schnitzels prepared by chef Creasy at the Tented Camp for Paul and Luke info@dksafaris.co.za www.dksafaris.co.za Outfitter nr: 202410000015512 PH: 202308000004716 PHASA...
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Big day tomorrow, a trip an hour north to a concession for Sable, and possibly Zebra.
2025 05 31 Saturday. Zebra, Sable, Waterbuck!
We got up early and left at 6 for hunting on the property where Christian lives. Once we arrived at the property, we began to drive around. Very shortly, we passed a lake approx. 25 acres in size. We saw a Crocodile in the water. Also, an amazing bird called a Saddle-Billed Stork. As we traveled down a two-track, I spotted a couple of zebra in the distance. I notified Christian and Derian. We stopped the Bakkie and got out. We stalked up a dry riverbed for a few hundred yards. Derian saw 3 or 4 zebras come out of a draw near us and join the 2 that were already in the field. Derian believes the newcomers smelled us as they crossed our trail and the whole bunch took off. We continued and soon spotted a Sable and while glassing it, noticed 3 or 4 more sable in the immediate area with it. We attempted a stalk, but they spooked and ran off. A short while later, some golden wildebeest were spotted, and some Zebra with them. We drove past for a bit and walked back, but they gave us the slip. Not long after we returned to the bakkie, we started down a side road and there were the golden wildebeest. We stalked in and finally spotted a couple of zebras back in the mopane. Sticks went up and Derian said to shoot when ready. It was a frontal shot. Derian said to shoot the zebra halfway up the chest. I took careful aim and pulled the trigger. The shot felt great and to me the sight-picture was perfect. The zebra took off and into the thick mopane, out of sight in no time. Walking up to the site the zebra was standing when I shot. We saw tracks, but no blood. I truly expected the zebra to be down within a few yards, but the tracks kept going. After a couple of hundred yards, we did find a little blood. No sign of the zebra. Geraldo, the tracker, went to work. He followed the trail for quite some time, then pointed out the zebra walking away. It stopped behind some thick brush at about 150 yards. Knowing the zebra was wounded, I elected to attempt a shot through the brush. I visibly saw a branch shatter in the scope. The zebra took off again, but not that fast. Tracking resumed. After about a kilometer, Geraldo pointed out the zebra once again. By this time, I am beyond upset and confused. I have no idea why the first shot hadn't put him down. This time it was broadside, and I took careful aim. At the shot, the zebra took off again but went down after about 50 yards. Upon closer examination, the original shot missed the chest and entered the Zebra's body midway down the left side. I have no answer as to how this happened. I believe the Zebra was quartering away more than I had thought. I was so grateful for the excellent tracking and the recovery of the zebra, but I was pretty shaken as to why I could have missed the first shot. Anyhow, pictures were taken, and the Zebra loaded into the bakkie for a trip to the skinning shed.
Just before we got there, Derian spotted a Sable just off the road. He jumped out and said it was a very good one. Derian and I took off after it and trailed it for a short way. We spotted it, but it was walking away. The sticks went up, and I waited for it to present a shot. Derian whistled and the Sable turned just a little. I shot it behind the last rib, aiming for the far shoulder. The Sable dipped his head and kicked his rear legs in the air, then bolted. I knew he was heart-shot. Geraldo came over to track, but the Sable only went about 50 yards and was down. What a beautiful animal! I was overcome to see how regal he was. His horns were beautiful, with giant bases and good length. Jet black hair. I had always wanted to hunt a Sable, but couldn’t afford it on the first trip. It was an emotional moment for me. After the pictures, we loaded the Sable in with the Zebra and made quite the trip to the skinning shed.
Derian suggested we go for lunch break while the skinners were doing their thing. They stopped and picked up some folding chairs. We then drove down to a sandy dry riverbed and made a fire with mopani wood. Once we had coals, Christian and Derian brought out a sausage and cooked it. We had a great lunch sitting around the fire in the shade and enjoying the sausage. Lunch in a shady riverbed was a great idea, and a highlight of the day. Christian turned to me and asked me if I was interested in Waterbuck, as they had some very nice waterbuck on the property. I had never seen a waterbuck live, so I wanted to at least get a look at them.
We started a trip across the property headed to a hilltop some distance away. Before we had a chance to get there, a herd of Waterbuck was spotted just off the road. Once I saw them, I knew I would love to try for one. A couple of very good males were in the group, so we stopped and attempted a stalk. They were fidgety from the start and soon elected to leave the area. We attempted to go around and get in front of them at the next crossroad, but they just beat us to it, and we saw the last few as they disappeared into the next section of Mopane. We decided to continue towards the hilltop. We hadn't gone very far before Kristen said she saw a waterbuck lying down. We backed up and got out of the bakkie. Suddenly, Derian sets up the sticks and points into the woods. Kristen said, "It stood up." I see a muzzle and chin sticking out from under a low tree branch. I couldn’t see the horns as they were hidden by the tree, and I couldn't see the chest, which was hidden by a bush. I aimed 3 inches under the chin and pulled the trigger. I saw the waterbuck drop as I looked through the scope.
We approached the waterbuck cautiously. What a beautiful old waterbuck! His horns were incredible, and his neck was so big and thick. His body size was much bigger than I had realized. I was also glad I didn’t know how big his horns were before the shot. Christian looked at me and said, "You have no idea what you have just shot." Derian said, "That is the biggest waterbuck I have ever hunted." We took pictures of my son and I with the waterbuck for a bit. I told them I was ready to load the waterbuck when the PHs said that no, it was their time to take pictures. They spend the next 45 minutes taking pictures, videos, and turns posing with it. They even put one of their caps between the horns and took pictures for advertising. You know it's a good one when that happens!
I owe Kristen a huge thanks. Kristen is the queen of spotting animals, can hear like nobody I have ever seen, and is a pretty darn good tracker as well. She is the real deal and proved it time and again.
What a day! From the adrenaline of shooting the zebra to the embarrassment and horrible feeling of a bad shot, to relief at recovering the Zebra. This was closely followed by a magnificent Sable, and then by the Waterbuck of a lifetime.
We dropped off the Waterbuck and drove back to camp. I was tired and happier than I could have imagined. On the way back, I mentioned that I hoped to see an elephant off the side of the road in Kruger as we drove back. Shortly after, Derian spotted several elephants about 100 yards off the road. So, I mentioned the only thing left was a daytime sighting of a leopard to make the day complete. Derian said he believed we would see a leopard before we finished our stay with them. Ten minutes later, Derian points to the Kruger fence line and says, "A Leopard!" I turned and a very large leopard was approximately 20 yards from the fence walking along as if he didn't have a care in the world. We all agreed that he looked stocky and had a big blocky head, and that he was probably a male. Apparently, Derian can conjure animals upon command! Once back at camp, we enjoyed time around the fire rehashing the day's events.
1 June 2025 Sunday. Kudu!
The night was cold, but I had plenty of blankets. 5:30 came early. Derian arrived and soon after cookies and rusks we started buffalo hunting. Derian mentioned he had seen a small herd just outside camp. Once Geraldo arrived with Christian, we started off. It was cool, and with a light ground fog to give a different feel to the day. We circled the area, trying to find where the previously seen herd was. After a bit, we got out of the bakkie and entered a dry stream bed with a sandy bottom. Derian explained we were just going in "blind" searching for buffalo. We walked down the bottom for a bit, then the track of a lone bull was picked up. The track lead out of the riverbed and into a hillside patch of scrub. Derian explained he thought the bull might join up with the herd. Shortly, the trail led back down into the river bottom, then back out of it again. We did find where the herd joined with the bull, and they headed up the hill in a more-or-less straight line. A quarter mile later, we came to a "dam" (pond) and even I could tell they had watered and continued to the north. We continued. After another half hour or so of walking, the trail brought us into a thicket. We originally entered from the east, but the wind shifted, and we backed out and circled around, entering from the west. Geraldo went ahead, then came back and led us towards the buffalo. They had moved slightly, but Derian adjusted, and we eased in. Apparently, the wind swirled, or we were sighted as they ran off when we were about 30 yards out.
We returned to the bakkie and continued. At one point, we rounded a corner, and a small herd bolted across the road in front of us. Out we went and back into the scrub. We trailed for a while, but the buffalo continued and Derian decided to break off and let them rest while we had lunch. On the way back to camp, we saw 3 or 4 nyala rams, 2 warthogs, 2 zebras, several giraffes, 2 kudu cows and a young bull, and some buffalo bulls.
This was to be my last 1/2 day with Derian, as he was already booked with other clients, and to fit my hunt in with the dates I had available, I had previously agreed to switch PHs mid-way through the hunt to Christian, who had been with us the whole time so far.
We had brunch at about 11:30. During the meal, Derian asked if I was satisfied. I told him I was completely satisfied and that even if I don't get a cow buffalo the goal has been achieved. I didn't book the hunt for a trophy cow buffalo, I had booked the hunt for the experience of getting close to them, watching someone track. The whole experience was given to me in spades. The actual shooting of the cow was immaterial to me. I now understand why tracking and hunting buffalo was so addictive. It is awesome!
After a nap, we were to go out again at 2:30. When Christian arrived to take us out for the afternoon, he told me that he had just seen the big Kudu I had passed earlier in the week. He said it was totally up to me, but Derian said he would swap out the cow buff for the kudu and give me a discount on the difference in trophy price. Christian merely presented the option and didn't pressure me at all. I decided that since I had experienced the thrill of buffalo hunting, I would love a chance to take the Kudu and come back sometime in the future for a bull buffalo instead!
We drove towards where the Kudu bull was seen lying down. Christian drove around a dam and we got out and walked around the far side and towards where the Bull was last known to be. He was still there, but had about 6 cows with them, and they were all on their feet. The Bull was staring at us. He looked as big as a horse. He was very tall with a huge body. The distance was about 130 yards. Sticks went up and I settled in. It was easy to see they had us pegged and they were getting fidgety. Once Christian gave me the go-ahead, I pulled the trigger and heard the bullet hit. The Kudu had been quartering away just a bit, and I shot him mid chest behind the right leg, aiming at the opposite shoulder. The Bull turned and ran but was hard hit and only went about 40 yards before he piled up, twisting his neck around 180 degrees with his horns on the ground and his under-chin in the air. As we approached, there was no ground shrinkage! I was quite pleased. His horns were very thick and had good curls. Congratulations and pictures ensued.
As we got to the skinning shed, we didn’t see the white lions in their enclosure like before. I looked at Luke and said, “I can’t see the lions.” Luke looked at me and said, “That’s concerning!”
After dropping off the kudu at the skinning shed, we headed back to camp with the sun setting. It was absolutely beautiful. Just as dusk was taking over, we stopped for photos of the magnificent sky. Shortly afterward, Christian stopped the bakkie to point out Giraffe, with one mother and calf about 20 yards from us. The calf bent down and began to nurse. It was an awesome moment. By the way, I was told the correct term for a baby giraffe was a Gir-half!
Dinner was a braai with tenderloins from the Zebra, Waterbuck, and Sable. All prepared the same, with the same light marinade with spices. Luke, Kristin, Christian, and I decided on a taste test to see which one tasted best. The results?
Flavor: 1, Waterbuck. Sable a very close 2nd, with Zebra bringing in 3rd. Tenderness: Zebra by a landslide. All 3 were delicious. This was followed by time around the campfire and stories. Lots of stories.
The only unfilled item on the hit list is a warthog, and Christian said he would like to take us to a different property in the morning, which has a rhino program, and a good healthy warthog population. Luke and I are beyond excited!
2025 06 02 Monday.
We took a long drive to a property with a rhino breeding program. Location is to be kept private. We were even asked to turn off the geo-tags on our photos to keep poachers from tracking the location if we posted pictures online. We drove around the first half of the day in a side-by-side looking for a warthog. The grass was taller than your waist and the brush thick. Warthog sighting consisted of one sow and 3 piglets. However, we saw lots of rhinos. It was great, and hard to imagine how big they really are until you see them. They roam freely throughout the property. Unfortunately, we saw at least 4 old sites where rhinos had been poached, their horns cut off. The skulls with saw and machete marks proved what had happened. One site had the bones of a large rhino and a baby.
Christian told me there was a little restaurant in town, and that afterwards he had a surprise for me. We ate a nice meal at a small restaurant in town and then headed for a small side road. Imagine my surprise when Christian brought me to a sight with a HUGE Baobab tree! It is a famous tree, 3800 years old. Peter Kruger apparently slept inside the tree during the Boer wars. There were no baobab trees in the eastern cape on my first trip, and I was told there weren't many baobab trees to speak of in Limpopo. Christian knew about this tree, and took me there to see it, because I had mentioned how much I was looking forward to seeing one someday. It was very thoughtful of him, and it really does mean a lot to me. I enjoyed every minute of looking at the size and the majesty of what some call the "Tree of life."
We returned to the rhino property for the afternoon, and we decided to sit in a blind for the first time; hopefully to catch a warthog coming to water, but more importantly to see game that weren't running from us. About an hour after we started, I spotted a young warthog, followed a minute later by a sow with very respectable tusks. We watched as they drank and then returned to the bush. Another hour went by, and I saw a duiker coming in. He had nice horns and would have been a good trophy, but I had already exceeded the budget. The ram was quite fidgety. He drank and got out of there quickly. Half an hour later, another duiker came in. He was young, with 1- or 2-inch horns. He was calm, and after drinking water, hung around for a while browsing. We left the blind around 5:15, and started the drive back to camp, and an early bedtime.
2025 06 03 Tuesday.
0730 We went to an adjoining property not far from camp. Christian said we didn't need to start early, as warthogs come out later, and the property was just across the road from camp.
On the way out, as we were locking the gate on this property, Christian received a phone call from Derian. Derian said he needed 2 impalas for camp meat, and he asked if I would shoot them. We picked up a tracker on the property as Geraldo is with Derian. We drove for a bit and soon saw impalas. We stopped and walked back, but they were gone. We drove for a bit and came to a powerline strip. We stopped the bakkie and walked down the powerline. Soon, Christopher spotted impala in the brush to the right, about a 100 yds away in very thick cover. I was able to see a brown patch next to a large tree trunk. Christian asked if I could see the impala and I said yes. He asked if I could see the chest next to the tree trunk. I said yes. I was mistaken. I could see the brown patch next to the tree trunk and mistook what I could see as the chest when apparently I was looking at something slightly different. I aimed and fired, and the shot felt good. We walked up there and didn't find a dead impala. After some casting about, we found a small trail of stomach contents. Ut Oh. Enos the tracker went to work. Both Christian and Kristin are no slouches either. We tracked for a bit, and Christian broke off to drive a circle around the thicket and see if the impala had left the area. In the meantime, Kristin and Enos followed a rapidly diminishing trail. Spots of stomach contents were few and far between, and only a very occasional small drop of blood. In thick brush with tall grass, it was amazing how they kept going. After an hour, Enos found a spot where the impala had lain down. A pool of blood was there. Onward we went. At about the 2.5-hour mark, and maybe a 1/2-mile total distance, Enos stopped and pointed at a brown spot 10 feet in front of him and said, "shoot it." It was the impala, all but expired. I finished it off and we were all smiling. I really hate messing up, but it was incredible how much effort was put into recovering that impala. It was just a female for camp meat, but they didn't write it off, they stuck with it until the animal was recovered. Again, an amazing tracking job. It was 10:30 and we needed to be back at the camp at 11 to go to a cultural event that was previously planned. We had half an hour to get another impala. After about 15 minutes, 2 rams and a ewe were spotted about 100 yards away under a tree. I took quick aim and fired. She only went for about 20 yards and piled up. We quickly took them to the skinning shed and then back to camp.
Cultural Village
I was met at camp by Derian and Johlene. We all ate lunch together, and then Derian headed back to the other camp and his clients. Luke and I took showers and joined up with Kristin and Johlene to go to a tribal cultural event. It was held at a lodge about 40 minutes away, at Tshukudu reserve. We arrived a bit early and sat on the porch watching the birds while having a glass of juice. Then at 2 PM, we went to the culture event which had a mock village and some tribal singers that told the story of the Limpopo region. There was a whole bus of school kids there and then just us. It was fun to watch, plus they had us all get up and dance at one point. It was about 4:15, and we headed back to camp. There were a couple of quick stops in town for groceries and fuel, and we arrived at Camp around 5.
Kristin, Johlene, Luke, and I all sat around the fire and had a snack before a dinner of sirloin steak, potatoes, and salad followed by a wine glass full of chocolate pudding/brownie with whipped cream on top. We are leaving for Kruger at 5 AM, so we all broke off about 7 to go to bed.
2025 06 04 Wednesday. Kruger Day!
We left camp at 5 AM and went to Kruger with Johlene and Kristin. We arrived at Kruger's outer gate at 5:50 and waited 10 minutes until they opened. Kruger was fantastic, and I will save you the blow by blow by just posting pictures. It was a wonderful day. I highly recommend sitting in a “hide” over the river.
5 June 2025 Thursday.
Johlene took us into town to buy souvenirs and do some shopping. Knowing how much my son liked reptiles, she suggested a visit to a reptile center where we enjoyed looking at lots of snakes and had a good time.
Night Drive
Derian arrived at the camp about 8:30 PM. We loaded up and went for a drive. Within the first 5 minutes, Derian spotted eyes in the bush, maybe 50 feet off the road. It was hard to tell, and it took a few minutes and Derian said it was a young leopard. We maneuvered the bakkie a couple of times and finally got a good look at it. I used the binoculars and saw the leopard quite well for a few seconds, then it decided to leave and trotted off. I was able to watch the leopard before it went behind some brush. It was magnificent! Beautiful markings, shiny fur. One couldn't ask for more. We saw impalas and a Greater Bushbaby, and a few nightbirds. That was it, and we headed back around 10. Derian bid us good-bye. He asked if I was satisfied. I said, "extremely." Derian, Johlene, and Christian had all worked tirelessly to provide a wonderful experience.
I would like to mention that I know Derian had just put in an extremely long day with his other clients, and he had been rained on and in soaking wet clothes most of the day. He still came back and took us on the game drive without a word of complaint. Derian always went above and beyond to help us have the best possible trip.
Final Thoughts
I have learned the journey is best when the goal is the experience, and not the trophy. I took some great animals, all of them good trophies. More than that, I have great memories with my son and wonderful people. I am very satisfied with this trip. Luke enjoyed it immensely as well. I came on this hunt with no expectations of trophies, but a desire to hunt and experience Africa in an “African” way, and to experience things with my son that I had always dreamed of. It was a great time. DK Safaris went out of their way to ensure everything was perfect. When I received my final tally, I noticed the $300 trip to Kruger wasn’t on it. I brought it to Johlene’s attention, and she said it was no charge and her treat. I mention this because they seemed less worried about money and more worried about showing me a great time and the fulfillment of my dream. They were great to work with, and I will use them again, if I am blessed enough to try for that bull buffalo.
P.S. After I arrived home, I received a short video Johlene had posted about my trip:
12 reactions | A special safari with special guests. After all the hunting, Paul and Luke took on some sightseeing with us. We all had the best time Hope to see you soon again! info@dksafaris.co.za www.dksafaris.co.za Outfitter nr: 202410000015
A special safari with special guests. After all the hunting, Paul and Luke took on some sightseeing with us. We all had the best time Hope to see you soon again! info@dksafaris.co.za...
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