Just returned from an unbelievable hunt in the South African Kalahari with @JKO HUNTING SAFARIS. 7 days of hunting plains game on a LARGE concession with excellent trophy quality, numerous species, and plenty of stalking opportunities.
Last year I posted on AH asking for recommendations for outfitters that could accommodate the specific requirements of a handgun hunter such as myself. I spoke with a lot of excellent outfitters but at the end of the day I decided to place my trust with Jacques Spamer of JKO.
Everything on this trip was absolutely 1st rate and exceeded the high expectations that I had going into the trip. My PH Riaan was excellent. A natural hunter with great instincts, he was able to consistently maneuver me into close range of quality animals throughout the week. The trackers we had on our truck were also unbelievable and proved incredibly valuable when tracking our Eland bull for over 2 miles a well as getting back on my Waterbuck after a mediocre first shot. You could tell that the trackers loved to work on the truck with Riaan and that created a great chemistry with laughter and jokes all week.
The lodge was beautiful with a comfortable outdoor firepit that warmed us up in the cold Kalahari evenings while we sipped bourbon and told hunting stories. The owners of the property were excellent hosts and went out of their way to make sure every part of my stay was comfortable.
I spent the last 12 months on the reloading bench and at the practice range sharpening my skills in preparation for the challenge of walk/stalk handgun hunting. This preparation paid off in spades and the hunt was just incredible.
The first day saw us go on a few stalks of various species but the shot opportunities didn’t come together for us. The evening of the 1st day, we stalked in on a herd of Blue Wildebeest uncertain if the bull we were after was in that group or not. At 40m the females saw our movement and busted out and stopped at 65m. To our surprise a big old bull we were after also ran out of the brush and stood broadside. Riaan gave me the green light and the 454 Casull launched the 325 Swift AFrame. The hit looked good but as it turned out it was in the pocket behind the shoulder and didn't break down the front shoulder. The bull hobbled 50m further and presented a broadside shot once again. This time I had the 35 Whelen single shot pistol in my hand and I launched a 200grain Barnes TTSX to the front shoulder. BOOM. Like a ton of bricks he went down and my first African animal was in the salt!
Day 2 ended up being the most exciting and successful hunting day of my life. It started with our Tracker somehow spotted two big Eland bulls in the mist just after first light. We spent two hours on their trail, losing and then re-finding their track. After several "near" shot opportunities our big moment came. Sneaking into 80m one of the bulls gave us a broadside shot. The 35 Whelen roared and the shot was perfect. Broke both shoulders and pass through (Barnes bullets are incredible). A beautiful animal and certainly the largest bodied animal I have ever taken with a handgun.
After a few celebratory beers and an afternoon nap, we were back at it for the evening hunt. There was an area not too far from a large water hole that we had seen several Waterbuck males fighting and running cows the previous day. We disembarked from the truck and VERY slowly eased our way into the wind, stopping to glass every few paces. After an hour or so we were able to find a group with a nice bull. There was a group of buffalo 80-100m to our left which didn’t leave us many options to circle down-wind and use the cover for a closer stalk. After some belly-crawling we closed the gap to 78m. The 35 Whelen roared again and the Waterbuck ran. The shot was poor as he was initially broadside but I did not readjust my point of aim when he quartered hard away. Mental mistake by me but we knew we still had a decent hit on the animal. Our tracker was able to follow the animal about 150m and 10min later we had another beautiful animal in the salt thanks to a frontal neck shot at about 90m.
At that point I turned to Riaan and I said this was the best hunting day of my life… little did I know what would happen next. The end of day 2 saw us driving back to camp just before dusk when a beautiful Kudu bull was spotted from the truck. He was feeding away at 400-500m but Riaan said we should try it. Knowing when to go slow and when to go fast is the hallmark of an excellent guide. Riaan and I both knew this was a time to haul ass. We raced to close the gap with group of Kudu. With sparse cover, we ran from bush to bush without the Kudu seeing us and got on the sticks several times. Finally at 130m we knew it was now or never. The 35 Whelen screamed and after 15m of wobble the nice Kudu bull was down! The evening ended with us blaring country music and drinking beer… we were “feeling good”.
Day 3 started with several stalks on Impala bucks that proved unsuccessful. However during one of these stalks we saw a herd of 10 Blue and Golden Wildebeests with several shooters at about 200m. There was 1 small bush between us and the herd and we spent nearly an hour on our belly making our way through the Kalahari grass, ending up behind that solitary bush at 40m from the herd. The wind was perfect and the herd was comfortable. Riaan leaned over to the left of the bush and I placed the grip of the 454 revolver on his shoulder. The 454 erupted and the wildebeest went a few meters and DOWN. An epic stalk and another beautiful animal in the salt. From the first Wildebeest to the second wildebeest, we had a total of 5 animals in the salt in less than 40 hours! Unbelievable.
Day 4 I admit I was a bit hungover after shenanigans the previous evening. We went up to the Molopo river on the border with Botswana to do some Warthog hunting. Long story short I ended up making a poor shot and did not recover a nice pig. The shot was attempted at over 100m with the 454 revolver, a shot that I probably should not have attempted. But lunch on the banks of the Molopo and a couple of Jackal kills that evening rescued the day for us. One of the jackal kills was at 240m with the 35 Whelen pistol… what I presume to be the unofficial jackal record with a handgun for JKO!
Day 5 saw us struggle to find Zebra, the last animal on my flexible and ever-evolving list on this trip. Finally just before dark we spotted a small group of 5 or 6 several hundred meters out. Going very slowly with the wind in our face, we were able to use the cover and a small berm to sneak right into their backyard. On the sticks at 40m, I could not see vitals and did not shoot. The big Mare on the right went another few meters and turned to face us. Riaan whispered “base of the neck” and moments later the 35 Whelen sang. When I say that it hammered the zebra I mean it HAMMERED the ZEBRA. Straight down without a kick. A very big beautiful mare and old animal as well. Couldn’t have ended my hunt in a better way.
Big shout out again to JKO safari and my PH Riaan. The entire hunt was a magical experience for me and I cannot wait to return and hunt with you guys again. If anyone out there is interested in handgunning Africa, I cannot recommend JKO enough. The terrain in the Kalahari is the perfect balance between challenging stalks and plentiful opportunities. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Mat
Last year I posted on AH asking for recommendations for outfitters that could accommodate the specific requirements of a handgun hunter such as myself. I spoke with a lot of excellent outfitters but at the end of the day I decided to place my trust with Jacques Spamer of JKO.
Everything on this trip was absolutely 1st rate and exceeded the high expectations that I had going into the trip. My PH Riaan was excellent. A natural hunter with great instincts, he was able to consistently maneuver me into close range of quality animals throughout the week. The trackers we had on our truck were also unbelievable and proved incredibly valuable when tracking our Eland bull for over 2 miles a well as getting back on my Waterbuck after a mediocre first shot. You could tell that the trackers loved to work on the truck with Riaan and that created a great chemistry with laughter and jokes all week.
The lodge was beautiful with a comfortable outdoor firepit that warmed us up in the cold Kalahari evenings while we sipped bourbon and told hunting stories. The owners of the property were excellent hosts and went out of their way to make sure every part of my stay was comfortable.
I spent the last 12 months on the reloading bench and at the practice range sharpening my skills in preparation for the challenge of walk/stalk handgun hunting. This preparation paid off in spades and the hunt was just incredible.
The first day saw us go on a few stalks of various species but the shot opportunities didn’t come together for us. The evening of the 1st day, we stalked in on a herd of Blue Wildebeest uncertain if the bull we were after was in that group or not. At 40m the females saw our movement and busted out and stopped at 65m. To our surprise a big old bull we were after also ran out of the brush and stood broadside. Riaan gave me the green light and the 454 Casull launched the 325 Swift AFrame. The hit looked good but as it turned out it was in the pocket behind the shoulder and didn't break down the front shoulder. The bull hobbled 50m further and presented a broadside shot once again. This time I had the 35 Whelen single shot pistol in my hand and I launched a 200grain Barnes TTSX to the front shoulder. BOOM. Like a ton of bricks he went down and my first African animal was in the salt!
Day 2 ended up being the most exciting and successful hunting day of my life. It started with our Tracker somehow spotted two big Eland bulls in the mist just after first light. We spent two hours on their trail, losing and then re-finding their track. After several "near" shot opportunities our big moment came. Sneaking into 80m one of the bulls gave us a broadside shot. The 35 Whelen roared and the shot was perfect. Broke both shoulders and pass through (Barnes bullets are incredible). A beautiful animal and certainly the largest bodied animal I have ever taken with a handgun.
After a few celebratory beers and an afternoon nap, we were back at it for the evening hunt. There was an area not too far from a large water hole that we had seen several Waterbuck males fighting and running cows the previous day. We disembarked from the truck and VERY slowly eased our way into the wind, stopping to glass every few paces. After an hour or so we were able to find a group with a nice bull. There was a group of buffalo 80-100m to our left which didn’t leave us many options to circle down-wind and use the cover for a closer stalk. After some belly-crawling we closed the gap to 78m. The 35 Whelen roared again and the Waterbuck ran. The shot was poor as he was initially broadside but I did not readjust my point of aim when he quartered hard away. Mental mistake by me but we knew we still had a decent hit on the animal. Our tracker was able to follow the animal about 150m and 10min later we had another beautiful animal in the salt thanks to a frontal neck shot at about 90m.
At that point I turned to Riaan and I said this was the best hunting day of my life… little did I know what would happen next. The end of day 2 saw us driving back to camp just before dusk when a beautiful Kudu bull was spotted from the truck. He was feeding away at 400-500m but Riaan said we should try it. Knowing when to go slow and when to go fast is the hallmark of an excellent guide. Riaan and I both knew this was a time to haul ass. We raced to close the gap with group of Kudu. With sparse cover, we ran from bush to bush without the Kudu seeing us and got on the sticks several times. Finally at 130m we knew it was now or never. The 35 Whelen screamed and after 15m of wobble the nice Kudu bull was down! The evening ended with us blaring country music and drinking beer… we were “feeling good”.
Day 3 started with several stalks on Impala bucks that proved unsuccessful. However during one of these stalks we saw a herd of 10 Blue and Golden Wildebeests with several shooters at about 200m. There was 1 small bush between us and the herd and we spent nearly an hour on our belly making our way through the Kalahari grass, ending up behind that solitary bush at 40m from the herd. The wind was perfect and the herd was comfortable. Riaan leaned over to the left of the bush and I placed the grip of the 454 revolver on his shoulder. The 454 erupted and the wildebeest went a few meters and DOWN. An epic stalk and another beautiful animal in the salt. From the first Wildebeest to the second wildebeest, we had a total of 5 animals in the salt in less than 40 hours! Unbelievable.
Day 4 I admit I was a bit hungover after shenanigans the previous evening. We went up to the Molopo river on the border with Botswana to do some Warthog hunting. Long story short I ended up making a poor shot and did not recover a nice pig. The shot was attempted at over 100m with the 454 revolver, a shot that I probably should not have attempted. But lunch on the banks of the Molopo and a couple of Jackal kills that evening rescued the day for us. One of the jackal kills was at 240m with the 35 Whelen pistol… what I presume to be the unofficial jackal record with a handgun for JKO!
Day 5 saw us struggle to find Zebra, the last animal on my flexible and ever-evolving list on this trip. Finally just before dark we spotted a small group of 5 or 6 several hundred meters out. Going very slowly with the wind in our face, we were able to use the cover and a small berm to sneak right into their backyard. On the sticks at 40m, I could not see vitals and did not shoot. The big Mare on the right went another few meters and turned to face us. Riaan whispered “base of the neck” and moments later the 35 Whelen sang. When I say that it hammered the zebra I mean it HAMMERED the ZEBRA. Straight down without a kick. A very big beautiful mare and old animal as well. Couldn’t have ended my hunt in a better way.
Big shout out again to JKO safari and my PH Riaan. The entire hunt was a magical experience for me and I cannot wait to return and hunt with you guys again. If anyone out there is interested in handgunning Africa, I cannot recommend JKO enough. The terrain in the Kalahari is the perfect balance between challenging stalks and plentiful opportunities. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Mat
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