SOUTH AFRICA: Frontier Safaris Eastern Cape 05/01-05/10

[Field28]

When I was in my teens hunting wild turkeys in the swamps of the South Carolina Lowcountry, I once had a Dermatologist that I would hunt with tell me. Turkey hunting is like herpes, once it's in your blood it's there for life. No doubt the same can be said about Africa. Growing up reading Capstick, Hemingway and Rourke, I knew that Africa was going to be special. It's as if you leave a piece of yourself there while you bring a piece of Africa back with you. I was relieved to be back home after two weeks, but I miss Africa deeply already.

I'll go day by day on this review. So, I'll keep adding as I am able.

 

[Jonathan Kashouty]

I have hunted with Frontier Safaris on the EC and they are a fantastic and very professional outfit.

 

[Field28]

04/27-04/28
MYR-ATL-JNB
After a year and a half of planning it was finally time to fly. Late afternoon flight out of Myrtle Beach to Atlanta. Everything smooth with checking in at the Delta desk. No issues with rifles, Pelican 2 gun vault with two rifles weigh in at exactly 49 lbs, golfer behind me checking in clubs exclaims nice job man. Upstairs to wait on the flight and drink a couple of $14 draft beers that are brewed in MB, never thought MB would be more expensive than Atlanta.

Three hours in ATL then off to Joburg.
Myrtle to Atlanta is about an hour, ATL to JNB fifteen hours. Made the best of it, finally land. The tracker on the seat back kinda puts the journey into perspective.

Namibia.

I thought this was pretty cool, flying into the sunset.

Joburg finally!

 

[Field28]

I arrived the evening of the 29th. I had arranged to stay at Afton for two nights before flying out to PE. I can't say enough about the service and hospitality that I received from Richard, Elize, Mr X, Charney, Joseph and the Ladies of the house. Afton has in me a loyal customer in the future! Some pics from Afton...

 

[Jonathan Kashouty]

Looking forward to your pics on the hunt. Barry and his crew are terrific.

 

[Field28]

04/30
After two nights at Afton it was time to take a midmorning Airlink flight to PE.
Mr X did his thing and made boarding a breeze. I gotta say Airlink was pretty decent. I had a sandwich and beverage service, try getting that on a hour and a half flight in the States.

Making the turn over the Indian Ocean landing in PE.

Get through baggage and I was met by Deon, one of the PH'S at Frontier. He was picking me up along with his client to drive us to camp.

We had to stop in Patterson for diesel. I would later come to find out that Patterson is the unofficial HIV capital of the world.

Another hour of driving and we arrive in Alicedale. There I would meet my PH Barry P. I can't imagine a PH better suited for me than Barry. His knowledge of history, flora and fauna was outstanding. He quickly realized that I was not there just to bang flop, I was there for the total experience and to truly appreciate what Africa has to offer. No hunting on this day, just unpack and head to the boma where the Castles and Windhoeks did flow!!!

 

[kpoynter]

You will have fun…my very first safari was there 20 years ago. Beautiful property…food was great..
several other hunters in camp and fun times at happy hour and dinner etc

 

[McKenzie Sims]

Excited to keep reading along!

 

[Field28]

05/01
First day of hunting.
The house ladies knock on the door at 5:30. Down to the breakfast hall for a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee then off to the range. I took two rifles, a Sako AV full stock in 30-06, topped with a Zeiss 3x12x44, shooting 165gr Nosler Partitions and 180gr Swift Siracco II.
A Remington 700 in 7mag topped with a Zeiss 3x12x56, 150gr Siracco II's.
Had to tweak the 06 a little. First shot with the 7 dead in the middle of the bullseye. I pull the bolt back, empty casing still in the chamber, broken extractor. TIA!!!!!!

We head out to hunt kudu. We drive and glass some. See a big heard of Nyla and a lone juvenile impala. We finally come across some kudu cows, there's a young bull with them. Barry would say something that I heard a few times later in the week, he's just not quite finished mate. We then spot a nice bull in a crazy spot. Barry drive up a mountain and hike further up. We leave our tracker Timba at the bottom to try and push the bull our way.

The bull goes another direction while we're watching a pack of baboons headed towards us down below. Two really big males in the pack. We range them as close as 175, I decide to shoot one but by the time we get the sticks up they slip into some brush below us. We head down the mountain and can't find Timba, two way is not working. Barry tell me that he'll take me to lunch and come back for him.

We eat lunch, burgers made from ground blesbuck. I go back to my cabin for a siesta while Barry goes to find Timba.
Five minutes later Barry is knocking on my door. I just spotted a nice gemsbok lying in the shade up on a mountain, let's go! I get in the back of the Hilux and bet the gun and bag ready. We twist and turn up the mountain until we come around a curve and there's the gemsbok quartering at 40 yards. I freehand a partition into the shoulder it drops where it stands. I put another in the sternum for a mercy shot.
First African animal down!

 

[Field28]

Sorry for some of the typos, my phone is acting goofy.

 

[Field28]

We load the gemsbok up and go look for Timba. We finally find him down by one of the gates. We take Timba and the gemsbok back to skin and take off to another place. We ride around and glass. We see some young black wildebeest, a herd of red hartebeast all female, and some more immature kudu bulls.
The sun is setting fast, I don't have to tell y'all but when it gets dark in Africa it happens fast!

Barry wants to check one last spot. We walk to the edge of a kloof and see a nice blue Wildebeest bull feeding all by his lonesome 200 yards down the hill.
Shooting light is fading fast. Barry says, if you can drop him where he stands we can go down cape him and come back in the morning for the rest of him. There's no way we'll be able to find a clear path to him driving the truck in the dark. Remember, we don't have Timba with us to help. Mate, you've got to anchor him where he stands or we're f#cked.
Sticks up, crosshairs on the shoulder, squeeze the trigger and I break both shoulders. He starts to lift his ass of the ground, put another one in him mate! Put one in his neck, he lies down and bellows. We caped him out in the dark under the Southern Cross, words nor photos can do the African sky at night the justice it deserves. The clearest night skies I've ever seen.

 

[JimP]

Great shooting, a lot of the background country there looks familiar from my hunt there in 22, however I did the first few days quite a bit further away from the lodge.

I hate to admit it but I have been to Africa twice now, and I have yet to look at the Southern Cross.........Well, there is always the next trip

 

[Badger Matt]

Keep it coming

 

[Field28]

Spirits were pretty high in the boma that night. Most everyone had killed that day.
We had a good crew of hunters from the States and the PH's at Frontier are golden. I felt as if I was leaving old friends when it was time to go. The South Africans remind me so much of Southerners with the manners and hospitality. The Burchell family are first class. Barry and Lizelle, Fred and Helena, the young and upcoming Kian. The Burchells make you feel as if you're family. Dori and Ian were fantastic as well.

The food, beer, and wine were incredible.
Roostekoek and Vetkoek are new loves of mine. Two to three game meats every night. I'll go more into the meats in upcoming posts.

 

[Field28]

Oh yeah, shout out to Rys from Nyla Republic! We will definitely film the next hunt man!

 

[Field28]

05/02

The sunrise view from my cabin.

Winds shift from the south to the north. We go from lows in the high 40's to 98f by late afternoon. We take off over the mountain and see some pigs, one with really nice tusks. We go to make a move but they slip down into a kloof. Most other animals go into hiding due to the heat. A few pictures from that day...

The view from my cabin...

My new buddy Ayla, Barry P's puppy...

Couple of giraffes...

Various...

 

[Field28]

05/03

We head back over the mountain to look for that pig again. See a few sows, no tusks. Riding in the back of the Hilux we see a giant baboon at 300 yards. Barry tells me to take a shot of I want. He's standing up broadside. I squeeze the shot and he ducks down right as the shot goes off. Barry is watching him through the binoculars, tells me that baboon shat himself mate!

We head to another concession to look for a pig or impala.

We find a waterhole with some fresh tracks...

Ayla finds a skull...

These flowers were everywhere...

We walk, see some impala that aren't shooters. We actually see a meerkat family, didn't get a pic. We go eat a late lunch in Grahamstown at the Rat and Parrot. Hit a couple of stores for supplies. Another day in the books.

 

[Field28]

05/04

Early start back over the mountain...

Sun is up and we spot a small herd of blesbuck with a shooter at around 700 yards. We park the truck and begin a stalk. We've got a nice patch of acacia karoo to stalk to that is providing us cover. We get to the acacia, sticks up at 240 yards. One shot to the spine and he drops where he stood...

Hunt the rest of the day and see some young kudu bulls along with some zebra.

Various...

 

[Firebird]

Enjoying your report so far. Glad you had a good trip, eager for more!

 

[Field28]

05/05

Over the mountain, another lunch in Grahamstown and we hunt Kudu and impala on a northerly concession on the banks of the Groot-Visrivier or Great Fish River. According to Barry P, this is one of the highest concentrations of kudu in South Africa. It makes sense, very remote and nothing but sheep and cattle farms.

We end up finding a nice bull, I take the shot and miss, can't tell where the bullet went. We drive around and down into a kloof to try and cut the heard off to no avail.