Just got back from hunting with Koranna Mountain Safaris in the Free State. Wanted to provide this report as they are rarely talked about.
I booked a hunt last year for gemsbok, cull animals, and bird hunting. It was planned to be my first trip over, but we ended up going to Limpopo last year, as well.
Before we get into the hunt, I want to first say it was an excellent time. The lodge is simple but nice and they had recently lost WiFi, but the purpose is a hunting lodge and not a luxury lodge, so we were happy with that. It is nestled in the mountains, and the views were excellent. The food was quality, home-cooked comfort food. The owners, their son who is a PH, and the other PH on staff were excellent hosts.
The hunt:
After arriving at camp, I selected a sporterized 7x57mm Mauser rifle and headed to the range, successfully hitting a 6-inch steel target at 150 meters on the first shot from the sticks—really loved that gun. We hiked up a nearby mountain where we discovered a herd of gemsbok alongside a few kudu. Unfortunately, our stalk was disrupted by a worker constructing a new lodge, causing the animals to scatter. He was not their worker, and he was not supposed to be out there, so it was not their fault, and I didn’t consider it a negative against them.
The second day began with another climb up the same mountain, facing challenging windy conditions as we completed a 5 km loop. During our trek, we saw the plains below completely filled with wildlife (you would have thought Simba was being christened at Pride Rock, or something). Eventually, we spotted the gemsbok at a distance of 500-600 meters and executed a successful stalk, resulting in a clean kill. She was an exceptional animal! In the afternoon, we moved to a different mountain and observed a mixed herd of hartebeest and blue wildebeest over 800 meters away. We stalked carefully and harvested a nice female hartebeest.
On the third day, we ventured up another mountain and spotted a large troop of baboons in the distance. We focused our efforts on stalking a herd of blue wildebeest. After waiting for a suitable shot at the professional hunter's (PH) request, I fired and hit one solid that bucked and rejoined its herd. Unfortunately, we lost it after taking a follow-up shot. As we searched the area, we noticed some warthogs in the canyon, ultimately stalking it to within 40 m, but none were mature males.
That evening, we traveled to the plains, to search for red lechwe that had escaped through a fence. After a lengthy and muddy stalk, we lost the lechwe in the bush and switched focus to a herd of bontebok, of which I shot a nice one. We switched over to black wildebeest, resulting in another kill and a subsequent stampede of dozens of animals. On our return drive, we spotted a herd of blue wildebeest stalked in. After a successful stalk and four bullets plus two more from a 9mm, I FINALLY had broke my multiple safari curse of blue wildebeest.
The fourth day was dedicated to hunting for warthogs, but we encountered only females and young males. We spotted zebras and blue wildebeest alongside a lone skew-horned eland cow. Although we attempted to stalk her, we lost her among the terrain.
On the fifth day, we faced light rain while traveling an hour to meet another PH for bird hunting. We focused on pigeon shooting, where we managed to kill 12-15 in challenging conditions. Later that evening, we switched to jackal hunting, spotting several but struggling to secure a shot. Eventually, I got one.
The final day of the safari included a two-hour hike; however, wildlife sightings were sparse—likely due to the full moon and poor weather conditions. We returned early due to three hailstorms that swept through the area, marking a quiet end to an exhilarating safari experience.
Overall, it was not what you picture when you think about the Free State, but I much preferred the hilly/mountainous terrain. Great animals, better people, and a fantastic property with great history. I plan to go back for sure, and I would not hesitate to go if I was you. If you like hunting Colorado, West Texas, etc., you will be pleasantly surprised.
I booked a hunt last year for gemsbok, cull animals, and bird hunting. It was planned to be my first trip over, but we ended up going to Limpopo last year, as well.
Before we get into the hunt, I want to first say it was an excellent time. The lodge is simple but nice and they had recently lost WiFi, but the purpose is a hunting lodge and not a luxury lodge, so we were happy with that. It is nestled in the mountains, and the views were excellent. The food was quality, home-cooked comfort food. The owners, their son who is a PH, and the other PH on staff were excellent hosts.
The hunt:
After arriving at camp, I selected a sporterized 7x57mm Mauser rifle and headed to the range, successfully hitting a 6-inch steel target at 150 meters on the first shot from the sticks—really loved that gun. We hiked up a nearby mountain where we discovered a herd of gemsbok alongside a few kudu. Unfortunately, our stalk was disrupted by a worker constructing a new lodge, causing the animals to scatter. He was not their worker, and he was not supposed to be out there, so it was not their fault, and I didn’t consider it a negative against them.
The second day began with another climb up the same mountain, facing challenging windy conditions as we completed a 5 km loop. During our trek, we saw the plains below completely filled with wildlife (you would have thought Simba was being christened at Pride Rock, or something). Eventually, we spotted the gemsbok at a distance of 500-600 meters and executed a successful stalk, resulting in a clean kill. She was an exceptional animal! In the afternoon, we moved to a different mountain and observed a mixed herd of hartebeest and blue wildebeest over 800 meters away. We stalked carefully and harvested a nice female hartebeest.
On the third day, we ventured up another mountain and spotted a large troop of baboons in the distance. We focused our efforts on stalking a herd of blue wildebeest. After waiting for a suitable shot at the professional hunter's (PH) request, I fired and hit one solid that bucked and rejoined its herd. Unfortunately, we lost it after taking a follow-up shot. As we searched the area, we noticed some warthogs in the canyon, ultimately stalking it to within 40 m, but none were mature males.
That evening, we traveled to the plains, to search for red lechwe that had escaped through a fence. After a lengthy and muddy stalk, we lost the lechwe in the bush and switched focus to a herd of bontebok, of which I shot a nice one. We switched over to black wildebeest, resulting in another kill and a subsequent stampede of dozens of animals. On our return drive, we spotted a herd of blue wildebeest stalked in. After a successful stalk and four bullets plus two more from a 9mm, I FINALLY had broke my multiple safari curse of blue wildebeest.
The fourth day was dedicated to hunting for warthogs, but we encountered only females and young males. We spotted zebras and blue wildebeest alongside a lone skew-horned eland cow. Although we attempted to stalk her, we lost her among the terrain.
On the fifth day, we faced light rain while traveling an hour to meet another PH for bird hunting. We focused on pigeon shooting, where we managed to kill 12-15 in challenging conditions. Later that evening, we switched to jackal hunting, spotting several but struggling to secure a shot. Eventually, I got one.
The final day of the safari included a two-hour hike; however, wildlife sightings were sparse—likely due to the full moon and poor weather conditions. We returned early due to three hailstorms that swept through the area, marking a quiet end to an exhilarating safari experience.
Overall, it was not what you picture when you think about the Free State, but I much preferred the hilly/mountainous terrain. Great animals, better people, and a fantastic property with great history. I plan to go back for sure, and I would not hesitate to go if I was you. If you like hunting Colorado, West Texas, etc., you will be pleasantly surprised.
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