I Booked this trip in January this year at Vegas SCI after my dear friend Steve (he’s in his 70’s) showed interest and finalized it after confirming a New Zealand hunt was not available (at the time) for this year. Side note: most of the NZ outfitters that were there had US reps in their booths and were noncommittal for this year.
Having hunted 3 times in SA with two other outfitters, and hunting most of my desired animals over these previous trips, I honestly had no great desire to go back before I hunted other countries/continents. The exception would be that I knew I would once again hunt with my old friend, and trusted PH, Riaan Jacobs at Boseveld Jacobs Safaris, as well as the opportunity to share that with Steve; I couldn’t say no!
Back at SCI for a moment: Steve and I were both looking for a moose hunt and soon realized most were booked for 2022 and 2023. A moose hunt was a bucket list hunt for Steve and certainly desirable for me! He wanted to go and I agreed to join him. As we made our way through the fairly slow show, we are able to get right in and talk to most outfitters. I also wanted a Spain Hunt, but New Zealand was at the top of my list. New Zealand out, Spain and an Ibex slam was the goal. I also have the desire to extend my stay in Spain and do some touring and sightseeing. I got good info, talked dates and numbers l, but didn’t commit for this year.
Steve and I made our way over to the Boseveld Jacobs booth and sat a while with Riaan and caught up on life’s events! Then we started reminiscing about all our adventures together. Including hunting the free state area, Waterberg Mountains and other areas of the Limpopo. After an extended conversation with Riaan, Steve and I decided to talk to another friend, who has (Duck Creek Outfitters) in Saskatchewan, to line up a Goose and Duck hunt for myself and a few others I’ve hunted there with on two other occasions. Two steps away from the Boseveld booth Steve tells me he would like to hunt South Africa!
Side note: Steve, as well as a large group of North American big game hunters, generally have a misconception of what hunting in South Africa is… Most of you have heard the generalizations! “Fences, flat and unattractive ranch hunts, travel hassles, and most of the general 3rd world problems” that they think will be problematic! Well, I was both, surprised, and thrilled, to hear he now wants to go! Steve is a cancer survivor and up there in age, so I suggested we have a cocktail and sit a minute to confirm his desire. I asked him when the shift occurred? Why South Africa? He said after seeing my reunion and authentic joy when recounting some of the many hunting stories with Riaan, he realized it was something really special that he should experience. Riaan also made the point to him about what “we” as North American hunters tend to spend on a single Elk or Deer hunt with an outfitter and the opportunities in SA for the same or similar costs.
As a practice, I don’t try to convert people. I try the best I can to share my experiences with people who are receptive, and move on if they are not. “Work with the willing”! A brief conversation with Steve convinced me he understood the commitment and was ready to book! We stopped by Duck Creek and I lined up dates for this years Duck and Goose hunt, then back to book our Safari. The evening of our booking, Steve and I both share our plans with two of our friends. Ken, my fishing partner and John, Steve’s hunting partner, both, without hesitation, ask to come along. Ken as an observer and John as a third hunter -now we are four. Next day at SCI (we had 3 day passes) I set it up with Riaan and confirm dates for end of August to September.
Airfare: After a few days of watching prices drop dramatically, we book - cheap at $750. Steve and I upgraded to comfort plus. We flew San Francisco to Atlanta to Joberg on full flights. Comfort + is helpful on the extra seat room, leg room, and the seats recline a little more. Didn’t drink much on the flights. Didn’t sleep much either. Sky lounge on each leg - thx AMEX. Great perk!
Also can’t imagine flying without TSA Precheck and Global entry.
Landed 1 hour late due to toilet paper stocking on our Atlanta flight… Go figure.
Land at Joberg at 5:45pm promptly and we were met by the Rifle Permits.com staff (Sign in hand) at the waiting area to sort out our permits and pick up our rifles. Steve and I had two rifles each per case. Quick and easy! Worth the $150…
As we exited, the AfricaSky Guest house driver (who was coordinated by Henry’s Staff) was already there with our luggage loaded: thanks Ken and John for helping…
One more hunter from the US (Midwest) also staying at AfricaSky joined us on the ride from JNB. A clean comfortable van with a small cargo trailer was promptly loaded. Side note: local “luggage cart collectors” are there to collect the carts and may collect your gear along with the cart if you are not careful! Our driver told them to “stay back and wait!” Keep in mind it is later, dark out and not well lit in the parking garage of JNB. So for those not familiar with this set up, be aware! It’s easy to feel rushed and lose track of something small or critical in a cart, that will be taken away by others, and that could impact your trip!
AfricaSky House staff are warm and friendly, very helpful and comforting. The place is nice and clean with great food and service. A good nights rest and breakfast was the perfect start for our next leg. Henk, Riaan’s brother, was there 15 minutes early to pick us up! I was happy to see Henk as he was on my Buffalo hunt in the Waterberg mountains in 2014. That was a special hunt and day for me! Quick introductions, and a little reminiscing with Henk while the gear was loaded in the new passenger van, and we were off to camp. Henk was my videographer on my Buff hunt. He is also a part time PH.
We stopped for some personal specialty items like whiskey and vodka, as well as snacks for the road. The drive is normally 2 1/2 hours without stops. 3 hours later we were stopping in Vaalwater at Riaan’s bar and restaurant the “Bush Baboon” for a beer prior to going to the lodge.
After a beer and a few laughs we arrive at camp for lunch. All the meals were amazing and ranged from tenderloin from game previously hunted to beef and lamb! There was a different gourmet meal every night and delicious hot breakfast every morning. Lunch was either grilled sausage or similar in the field and/or sandwiches. One afternoon we had Kudu burritos!
Shortly after lunch, we head out to a Pecan ranch to sight in the rifles. I’m with Drian, another PH who works for Bosveld Jacobs in his Toyota Hilux, which is well outfitted for hunting. Within a 100 yards of entering the gate, a huge Dugga Boy, massive!, I’m told 48”! He is on the neighboring property right next to the fence and pissed! Kicking up dust, shaking his head, blowing and snorting!! He is on a property that is 28,000 acres and available to hunt. He is matching pace with the trucks and quickly spins to greet and challenge the Land Cruiser with Steve, John, and Jacques (PH) who is driving. I was blown away… My phone isn’t handy, but we stop any for a moment. This older bull is kicked out of the heard and terribly agitated and, I’m told, is available to hunt…More about him later.
Sighting in at the 100 yard range.
Both my .243 and .375H&H were sighted for 200 yards. One shot each at the 100 yard range confirmed the 200 yard zeros and I’m good to go. Similar results from Steve’s rifle. Side note: Steve brought a .300 RUM to shoot himself and a 7MM REM MAG for his friend John to shoot. John was not familiar with this rifle and had a difficult time getting the 7MM aligned for a good zero. He thought he may be “pulling it” when he shot. After several shots and some slight adjustments he got what he needed for a zero. **A bigger problem was the riffle permits were in Steve’s name! John wasn’t allowed to travel with or shoot that 7MM anyway. He reluctantly shot his PH’s 300 WIN MAG, but with good success. This permit issue was not a big deal as John quickly adjusted to his PH’s rifle.
Waterberg Mountains:
This being my 4th trip to SA, and having hunted a lot of the Limpopo, including a couple times in the Waterberg, as well as the free state, my list of animals were more unique than my hunting partners. I was looking for more of the Tiny Ten, Crocodile, Roan, Tsessebee, Bushpig Boar, Honeybadger, and a few small cats. After sighting in our rifles, we went for and afternoon drive around the ranch to check things out.
Monday:
After a 45 minute drive we arrive at one of Boseveld Jacobs concessions; a 25,000 acre pecan farm and game ranch. It is an amazing property with streams, ponds, spring fed creeks and an abundance of game. Several herds of Buffalo and just about all the plains game you can desire. On this particular property I only saw a few Gemsbok…
We saw a heard of beautiful Golden Wildebeest and sat and watched them for a while. I found a nice Bull and decided to take him. First shot at 280 yards with the .243, there’s a decent breeze from right to left, as he was slightly quartering away and I hit him hard in a rib for a lung shot and nicked the spine. He went straight down. Riaan comments at home fast this little gun is and is happy to see the bull go down! I was thrilled myself. I’m shooting Custom loaded Barnes 80 Gr. TTSX (By MOA Rifles).
Bull loaded and off to the property’s skinning shed. Joshua our skinner, whom I’ve hunted with in 2013 and 2014 stays back to care of the Wildebeest. Patrick, the ranch owner, comes over to greet us and I got acquainted with his two dogs. Not sure the breed, but one of the dogs scratched its own eye so bad that it had two be removed. The other one, called peanut, was a pup with a lot of character, and being a dog guy, I looked forward to seeing him again. We BS for a while. Patrick and I have common work history in the underground pipeline business, so we swap stories and experiences. Joshua stays to take care of the Wildebeest.
Back out to scout the mountain tops for Klipspringer. We get close to one of the peaks in the land cruiser and two Klipspringer appear and then quickly disappear in the bush. A 100 yards up the road we start to ascend the next peak on a fairly steep incline and the truck stops abruptly. One Klipspringer in the road 200 yards up towards the top of the peak. Another in the rocks and brush to our right. Riaan says I must wait because the one in the road was not a shooter. Looking through my Nightforce Scope it is a small target! I
have a 200 yard zero, so I make no adjustments. A flash of fur goes by in my scope and the shooter ram is now to the left of the smaller one still in the road and he is now standing on a rock between bushes . Riaan says shoot when I can. I let one fly without hesitation and it quickly hits center mass behind the shoulder and passes straight through. This all happens very fast! 11:15 and my second animal is down…
Klipspringer pictures taken with the Beautiful Waterberg mountains and valleys in the backdrop. We load up and back to drop the Klipspringer off to Joshua. After we clean up a bit and celebrate the good luck we’ve had, it’s time for lunch and an afternoon hammock nap! Lunch is cooked on a brick grill next to a mountain spring fed pond; it was the perfect location! Kudu sausage grilled to perfection on a roll with some chips hits the spot. 1 long hammock nap and two hours later, we’re off to check cameras and bait for a Bushpig and other active night feeders. First we pick up Joshua.
While we are out we see a big Common Reedbuck ram with three does. Riaan tells me he put in for a permit for me, even though he knows I’ve shot one with him in 2013. He tells me that this is an unusually nice Reedbuck and I should consider it. I do think they are beautiful and give it some consideration and pass -for now…
We see several herds of cow Buffalo with babies and a nice heard of bulls! We also see nice groups of Impala with some black Impala mixed in, lots of Sable, Blesbok, big herds of both Blue and Golden Wildebeest, Kudu, Tsessebee, nice Eland, a couple mountain Reedbuck does, plenty of warthog and Giraffe. Lots of baboon too… Some needed culling!
Riaan and Joshua check the feeder and realize the automatic dispenser is misaligned and they have to work on it a bit… Feeder fixed and trail cam card switched, it’s time to head back for dinner.
Dinner: Kudu tenderloin on the wood grill adjacent to the campfire at the lodge. Mushroom soup, Salad, Toasted bread, pan fried potatoes with onions and seasoning, beer and wine for those that want it… Delicious every night! Not one bad meal this whole trip.
Tuesday:
Early hot breakfast at the lodge and we’re off to hunt. Tsessebee are the desired target, but on the way out we see the big common Reedbuck. We stop to look at it at 100 yards and I pass again… 1/4 mile up the road and we see the single Tsessebee bull by himself at 250 yards. A bull Riaan has seen before and confirms he’s the one we want! Riaan wants to be closer, but it’s open range with little cover. The bull runs out another 50 yards to 300 yards. We close to 280, I take a couple clicks of elevation, look through the scope, and he’s facing and looking right at us. We wait. I check my bubble to avoid relaxing and canting my rifle. It’s a long wait to get him to at least turn away to be at least quartered towards us! Riaan says he’s still at 280 yards and to put it on the front of his right shoulder and don’t shoot. I try to focus on breathing, I shift the safety off, the bull starts to turn slightly left to reveal a quartering shot, Riaan says take him on the right front shoulder, my finger quickly breaks the two pounds needed to release the trigger. The bullet finds the right shoulder exactly where I aimed, and with a loud “thwack!” he’s straight down! Riaan yells “damn man, that thing is fast”! He says again, “I love that .243!” Smiles, hand shakes, and pictures, then we’re heading back to the skinning shed to repeat the process.
While Joshua is taking care of the Tsessebee, we go to look for mountain Reedbuck and check the feeder and bait pile. Driving on this vast property and into the peaks of some of these mountains is amazing. We see Eland and Sable with stunning mountain and valley backdrops. We don’t see any Mountain Reedbuck this pass… The land cruiser handles all the terrain without issue. Ken is clearly mesmerized by all the game he sees and the vastness of the region. He takes a lot of pictures seems to thoroughly enjoy the journey. I normally hunt alone with PH and tracker. I wasn’t sure if I would be nervous or burdened by an observer, but I didn’t express these feelings to Ken. I quickly adjust to Ken’s presence and come to appreciate his company. I was Ken’s apprentice Steamfitter starting when I was 19. We’ve fished together on my boats over the last 30 years and have had many good times on the ocean. This was our first time on a hunt together. Time for lunch.
Lunch under a big tree is Eland burgers, salad, fruit, and cookies. Another Hammock nap, snoring competition, and I’m ready to hunt! First we’re off to check the feeder for tonight’s hunt. Along the way we look for Mountain Reedbuck, but none of these mysterious creatures can be found.
Feeder checked and gut pile replenished, we head to Riaan’s place in Vaalwater to grab night hunting gear. Joshua stays back to process the Tsessebee and take care of some other duties.
Night hunting gear collected and were on our way to the blind for tonight’s hunt. We stop and pick up Riaan’s apprentice (Yuri) (SP?). He’s a big young man with great manners and a gentle spirit. Hard working and focused on doing a good job. I come to appreciate his company and attention to detail. Yuri drops off Riaan and I at the blind and we quickly get set up for the night. Cameras indicate that pigs come in as early as 6:30pm. We get into our warm gear and set up sticks against the brush blind at about 50 yards from the feeder. I have a small pack with some water, power bars, and an assortment of items -including headlight and batteries. Yuri and Ken drive off to wait in the land cruiser a couple miles away.
Night comes quick. The stars are brilliant. Living currently, and most of my life, within 25 miles of San Francisco, the light pollution dulls the view of the nights sky! In these mountains I find myself mesmerized by the amount of stars that can be seen! Star gazing is soon interrupted by snorting, grunting, and shuffling of feet through the brush and leaves. Riaan, looking through his FLIR mono, whispers “Bushpig”… I say how many? He shushes me! I sit. He whispers, “big sow with a smaller one behind it”. I see the red light come on and dimly light the area around the feeder. Riaan tells me to slowly stand. I do as slowly and quietly as possible. I can tell by his frustrating exhale, that Riaan doesn’t think it is was quiet enough! Lol! He tells me to get my rifle on the sticks and be ready. My legs are shaky but I’m able to manage getting my rifle up and in position without issue. However, more frustrating exhales follow, but the pigs don’t hear us! He tells me to prepare to shoot when the sow clears, but he first has to confirm the second pig is a boar. I look through the Nightforce and can make out both pigs, but cannot see my crosshairs. Now I’m standing there for what seems an eternity and the pigs are not moving! They are quartering away and feeding. I turn on the illumination on the scope and the crosshairs are now visible against the sow. Now the distance seems further, but I know it isn’t. It just seems like it due to the darkness and my eyes looking at the illumination of the crosshairs. Riaan again tells me to be ready. Within seconds the sow clears. Riaan says wait! He tells me he can’t tell if the other pig is a boar. I can see it’s head is down and it’s quartering away! “I’m ready”, he says “wait”! With a firm whisper… They both get startled by something and run off! He tells me to remain ready. Another pig approaches - another big sow!
I learn later that the red light was “weak” a replacement for the green one that recent failed! The new green light is a couple days out… The red light is not bright enough to help him confirm the boar. An hour later and we are packing it up for the night.
Back to the lodge for a late dinner and plans for the next days Croc hunt!
More to come….
Having hunted 3 times in SA with two other outfitters, and hunting most of my desired animals over these previous trips, I honestly had no great desire to go back before I hunted other countries/continents. The exception would be that I knew I would once again hunt with my old friend, and trusted PH, Riaan Jacobs at Boseveld Jacobs Safaris, as well as the opportunity to share that with Steve; I couldn’t say no!
Back at SCI for a moment: Steve and I were both looking for a moose hunt and soon realized most were booked for 2022 and 2023. A moose hunt was a bucket list hunt for Steve and certainly desirable for me! He wanted to go and I agreed to join him. As we made our way through the fairly slow show, we are able to get right in and talk to most outfitters. I also wanted a Spain Hunt, but New Zealand was at the top of my list. New Zealand out, Spain and an Ibex slam was the goal. I also have the desire to extend my stay in Spain and do some touring and sightseeing. I got good info, talked dates and numbers l, but didn’t commit for this year.
Steve and I made our way over to the Boseveld Jacobs booth and sat a while with Riaan and caught up on life’s events! Then we started reminiscing about all our adventures together. Including hunting the free state area, Waterberg Mountains and other areas of the Limpopo. After an extended conversation with Riaan, Steve and I decided to talk to another friend, who has (Duck Creek Outfitters) in Saskatchewan, to line up a Goose and Duck hunt for myself and a few others I’ve hunted there with on two other occasions. Two steps away from the Boseveld booth Steve tells me he would like to hunt South Africa!
Side note: Steve, as well as a large group of North American big game hunters, generally have a misconception of what hunting in South Africa is… Most of you have heard the generalizations! “Fences, flat and unattractive ranch hunts, travel hassles, and most of the general 3rd world problems” that they think will be problematic! Well, I was both, surprised, and thrilled, to hear he now wants to go! Steve is a cancer survivor and up there in age, so I suggested we have a cocktail and sit a minute to confirm his desire. I asked him when the shift occurred? Why South Africa? He said after seeing my reunion and authentic joy when recounting some of the many hunting stories with Riaan, he realized it was something really special that he should experience. Riaan also made the point to him about what “we” as North American hunters tend to spend on a single Elk or Deer hunt with an outfitter and the opportunities in SA for the same or similar costs.
As a practice, I don’t try to convert people. I try the best I can to share my experiences with people who are receptive, and move on if they are not. “Work with the willing”! A brief conversation with Steve convinced me he understood the commitment and was ready to book! We stopped by Duck Creek and I lined up dates for this years Duck and Goose hunt, then back to book our Safari. The evening of our booking, Steve and I both share our plans with two of our friends. Ken, my fishing partner and John, Steve’s hunting partner, both, without hesitation, ask to come along. Ken as an observer and John as a third hunter -now we are four. Next day at SCI (we had 3 day passes) I set it up with Riaan and confirm dates for end of August to September.
Airfare: After a few days of watching prices drop dramatically, we book - cheap at $750. Steve and I upgraded to comfort plus. We flew San Francisco to Atlanta to Joberg on full flights. Comfort + is helpful on the extra seat room, leg room, and the seats recline a little more. Didn’t drink much on the flights. Didn’t sleep much either. Sky lounge on each leg - thx AMEX. Great perk!
Also can’t imagine flying without TSA Precheck and Global entry.
Landed 1 hour late due to toilet paper stocking on our Atlanta flight… Go figure.
Land at Joberg at 5:45pm promptly and we were met by the Rifle Permits.com staff (Sign in hand) at the waiting area to sort out our permits and pick up our rifles. Steve and I had two rifles each per case. Quick and easy! Worth the $150…
As we exited, the AfricaSky Guest house driver (who was coordinated by Henry’s Staff) was already there with our luggage loaded: thanks Ken and John for helping…
One more hunter from the US (Midwest) also staying at AfricaSky joined us on the ride from JNB. A clean comfortable van with a small cargo trailer was promptly loaded. Side note: local “luggage cart collectors” are there to collect the carts and may collect your gear along with the cart if you are not careful! Our driver told them to “stay back and wait!” Keep in mind it is later, dark out and not well lit in the parking garage of JNB. So for those not familiar with this set up, be aware! It’s easy to feel rushed and lose track of something small or critical in a cart, that will be taken away by others, and that could impact your trip!
AfricaSky House staff are warm and friendly, very helpful and comforting. The place is nice and clean with great food and service. A good nights rest and breakfast was the perfect start for our next leg. Henk, Riaan’s brother, was there 15 minutes early to pick us up! I was happy to see Henk as he was on my Buffalo hunt in the Waterberg mountains in 2014. That was a special hunt and day for me! Quick introductions, and a little reminiscing with Henk while the gear was loaded in the new passenger van, and we were off to camp. Henk was my videographer on my Buff hunt. He is also a part time PH.
We stopped for some personal specialty items like whiskey and vodka, as well as snacks for the road. The drive is normally 2 1/2 hours without stops. 3 hours later we were stopping in Vaalwater at Riaan’s bar and restaurant the “Bush Baboon” for a beer prior to going to the lodge.
After a beer and a few laughs we arrive at camp for lunch. All the meals were amazing and ranged from tenderloin from game previously hunted to beef and lamb! There was a different gourmet meal every night and delicious hot breakfast every morning. Lunch was either grilled sausage or similar in the field and/or sandwiches. One afternoon we had Kudu burritos!
Shortly after lunch, we head out to a Pecan ranch to sight in the rifles. I’m with Drian, another PH who works for Bosveld Jacobs in his Toyota Hilux, which is well outfitted for hunting. Within a 100 yards of entering the gate, a huge Dugga Boy, massive!, I’m told 48”! He is on the neighboring property right next to the fence and pissed! Kicking up dust, shaking his head, blowing and snorting!! He is on a property that is 28,000 acres and available to hunt. He is matching pace with the trucks and quickly spins to greet and challenge the Land Cruiser with Steve, John, and Jacques (PH) who is driving. I was blown away… My phone isn’t handy, but we stop any for a moment. This older bull is kicked out of the heard and terribly agitated and, I’m told, is available to hunt…More about him later.
Sighting in at the 100 yard range.
Both my .243 and .375H&H were sighted for 200 yards. One shot each at the 100 yard range confirmed the 200 yard zeros and I’m good to go. Similar results from Steve’s rifle. Side note: Steve brought a .300 RUM to shoot himself and a 7MM REM MAG for his friend John to shoot. John was not familiar with this rifle and had a difficult time getting the 7MM aligned for a good zero. He thought he may be “pulling it” when he shot. After several shots and some slight adjustments he got what he needed for a zero. **A bigger problem was the riffle permits were in Steve’s name! John wasn’t allowed to travel with or shoot that 7MM anyway. He reluctantly shot his PH’s 300 WIN MAG, but with good success. This permit issue was not a big deal as John quickly adjusted to his PH’s rifle.
Waterberg Mountains:
This being my 4th trip to SA, and having hunted a lot of the Limpopo, including a couple times in the Waterberg, as well as the free state, my list of animals were more unique than my hunting partners. I was looking for more of the Tiny Ten, Crocodile, Roan, Tsessebee, Bushpig Boar, Honeybadger, and a few small cats. After sighting in our rifles, we went for and afternoon drive around the ranch to check things out.
Monday:
After a 45 minute drive we arrive at one of Boseveld Jacobs concessions; a 25,000 acre pecan farm and game ranch. It is an amazing property with streams, ponds, spring fed creeks and an abundance of game. Several herds of Buffalo and just about all the plains game you can desire. On this particular property I only saw a few Gemsbok…
We saw a heard of beautiful Golden Wildebeest and sat and watched them for a while. I found a nice Bull and decided to take him. First shot at 280 yards with the .243, there’s a decent breeze from right to left, as he was slightly quartering away and I hit him hard in a rib for a lung shot and nicked the spine. He went straight down. Riaan comments at home fast this little gun is and is happy to see the bull go down! I was thrilled myself. I’m shooting Custom loaded Barnes 80 Gr. TTSX (By MOA Rifles).
Bull loaded and off to the property’s skinning shed. Joshua our skinner, whom I’ve hunted with in 2013 and 2014 stays back to care of the Wildebeest. Patrick, the ranch owner, comes over to greet us and I got acquainted with his two dogs. Not sure the breed, but one of the dogs scratched its own eye so bad that it had two be removed. The other one, called peanut, was a pup with a lot of character, and being a dog guy, I looked forward to seeing him again. We BS for a while. Patrick and I have common work history in the underground pipeline business, so we swap stories and experiences. Joshua stays to take care of the Wildebeest.
Back out to scout the mountain tops for Klipspringer. We get close to one of the peaks in the land cruiser and two Klipspringer appear and then quickly disappear in the bush. A 100 yards up the road we start to ascend the next peak on a fairly steep incline and the truck stops abruptly. One Klipspringer in the road 200 yards up towards the top of the peak. Another in the rocks and brush to our right. Riaan says I must wait because the one in the road was not a shooter. Looking through my Nightforce Scope it is a small target! I
have a 200 yard zero, so I make no adjustments. A flash of fur goes by in my scope and the shooter ram is now to the left of the smaller one still in the road and he is now standing on a rock between bushes . Riaan says shoot when I can. I let one fly without hesitation and it quickly hits center mass behind the shoulder and passes straight through. This all happens very fast! 11:15 and my second animal is down…
Klipspringer pictures taken with the Beautiful Waterberg mountains and valleys in the backdrop. We load up and back to drop the Klipspringer off to Joshua. After we clean up a bit and celebrate the good luck we’ve had, it’s time for lunch and an afternoon hammock nap! Lunch is cooked on a brick grill next to a mountain spring fed pond; it was the perfect location! Kudu sausage grilled to perfection on a roll with some chips hits the spot. 1 long hammock nap and two hours later, we’re off to check cameras and bait for a Bushpig and other active night feeders. First we pick up Joshua.
While we are out we see a big Common Reedbuck ram with three does. Riaan tells me he put in for a permit for me, even though he knows I’ve shot one with him in 2013. He tells me that this is an unusually nice Reedbuck and I should consider it. I do think they are beautiful and give it some consideration and pass -for now…
We see several herds of cow Buffalo with babies and a nice heard of bulls! We also see nice groups of Impala with some black Impala mixed in, lots of Sable, Blesbok, big herds of both Blue and Golden Wildebeest, Kudu, Tsessebee, nice Eland, a couple mountain Reedbuck does, plenty of warthog and Giraffe. Lots of baboon too… Some needed culling!
Riaan and Joshua check the feeder and realize the automatic dispenser is misaligned and they have to work on it a bit… Feeder fixed and trail cam card switched, it’s time to head back for dinner.
Dinner: Kudu tenderloin on the wood grill adjacent to the campfire at the lodge. Mushroom soup, Salad, Toasted bread, pan fried potatoes with onions and seasoning, beer and wine for those that want it… Delicious every night! Not one bad meal this whole trip.
Tuesday:
Early hot breakfast at the lodge and we’re off to hunt. Tsessebee are the desired target, but on the way out we see the big common Reedbuck. We stop to look at it at 100 yards and I pass again… 1/4 mile up the road and we see the single Tsessebee bull by himself at 250 yards. A bull Riaan has seen before and confirms he’s the one we want! Riaan wants to be closer, but it’s open range with little cover. The bull runs out another 50 yards to 300 yards. We close to 280, I take a couple clicks of elevation, look through the scope, and he’s facing and looking right at us. We wait. I check my bubble to avoid relaxing and canting my rifle. It’s a long wait to get him to at least turn away to be at least quartered towards us! Riaan says he’s still at 280 yards and to put it on the front of his right shoulder and don’t shoot. I try to focus on breathing, I shift the safety off, the bull starts to turn slightly left to reveal a quartering shot, Riaan says take him on the right front shoulder, my finger quickly breaks the two pounds needed to release the trigger. The bullet finds the right shoulder exactly where I aimed, and with a loud “thwack!” he’s straight down! Riaan yells “damn man, that thing is fast”! He says again, “I love that .243!” Smiles, hand shakes, and pictures, then we’re heading back to the skinning shed to repeat the process.
While Joshua is taking care of the Tsessebee, we go to look for mountain Reedbuck and check the feeder and bait pile. Driving on this vast property and into the peaks of some of these mountains is amazing. We see Eland and Sable with stunning mountain and valley backdrops. We don’t see any Mountain Reedbuck this pass… The land cruiser handles all the terrain without issue. Ken is clearly mesmerized by all the game he sees and the vastness of the region. He takes a lot of pictures seems to thoroughly enjoy the journey. I normally hunt alone with PH and tracker. I wasn’t sure if I would be nervous or burdened by an observer, but I didn’t express these feelings to Ken. I quickly adjust to Ken’s presence and come to appreciate his company. I was Ken’s apprentice Steamfitter starting when I was 19. We’ve fished together on my boats over the last 30 years and have had many good times on the ocean. This was our first time on a hunt together. Time for lunch.
Lunch under a big tree is Eland burgers, salad, fruit, and cookies. Another Hammock nap, snoring competition, and I’m ready to hunt! First we’re off to check the feeder for tonight’s hunt. Along the way we look for Mountain Reedbuck, but none of these mysterious creatures can be found.
Feeder checked and gut pile replenished, we head to Riaan’s place in Vaalwater to grab night hunting gear. Joshua stays back to process the Tsessebee and take care of some other duties.
Night hunting gear collected and were on our way to the blind for tonight’s hunt. We stop and pick up Riaan’s apprentice (Yuri) (SP?). He’s a big young man with great manners and a gentle spirit. Hard working and focused on doing a good job. I come to appreciate his company and attention to detail. Yuri drops off Riaan and I at the blind and we quickly get set up for the night. Cameras indicate that pigs come in as early as 6:30pm. We get into our warm gear and set up sticks against the brush blind at about 50 yards from the feeder. I have a small pack with some water, power bars, and an assortment of items -including headlight and batteries. Yuri and Ken drive off to wait in the land cruiser a couple miles away.
Night comes quick. The stars are brilliant. Living currently, and most of my life, within 25 miles of San Francisco, the light pollution dulls the view of the nights sky! In these mountains I find myself mesmerized by the amount of stars that can be seen! Star gazing is soon interrupted by snorting, grunting, and shuffling of feet through the brush and leaves. Riaan, looking through his FLIR mono, whispers “Bushpig”… I say how many? He shushes me! I sit. He whispers, “big sow with a smaller one behind it”. I see the red light come on and dimly light the area around the feeder. Riaan tells me to slowly stand. I do as slowly and quietly as possible. I can tell by his frustrating exhale, that Riaan doesn’t think it is was quiet enough! Lol! He tells me to get my rifle on the sticks and be ready. My legs are shaky but I’m able to manage getting my rifle up and in position without issue. However, more frustrating exhales follow, but the pigs don’t hear us! He tells me to prepare to shoot when the sow clears, but he first has to confirm the second pig is a boar. I look through the Nightforce and can make out both pigs, but cannot see my crosshairs. Now I’m standing there for what seems an eternity and the pigs are not moving! They are quartering away and feeding. I turn on the illumination on the scope and the crosshairs are now visible against the sow. Now the distance seems further, but I know it isn’t. It just seems like it due to the darkness and my eyes looking at the illumination of the crosshairs. Riaan again tells me to be ready. Within seconds the sow clears. Riaan says wait! He tells me he can’t tell if the other pig is a boar. I can see it’s head is down and it’s quartering away! “I’m ready”, he says “wait”! With a firm whisper… They both get startled by something and run off! He tells me to remain ready. Another pig approaches - another big sow!
I learn later that the red light was “weak” a replacement for the green one that recent failed! The new green light is a couple days out… The red light is not bright enough to help him confirm the boar. An hour later and we are packing it up for the night.
Back to the lodge for a late dinner and plans for the next days Croc hunt!
More to come….
