wlambert
AH senior member
After three years of planning, a year of COVID uncertainty, and six months of truly not knowing if it was going to happen; my daughter and I headed back to the Eastern Cape to hunt with @KMG Hunting Safaris. Much as been written about the COVID testing process and current-state travel logistics so I won't bore you with a lot of details there. I will say that I took four COVID tests across three days using two different pharmacies to insure I had what I needed. I had watched for months as Delta continued to delay the start of their ATL-JNB-CPT-ATL flight plan and eventually my June 6 departure was also cancelled. I happily had @TRAVEL EXPRESS request a refund and book us with Qatar.
Again, much has been written about the flight through DIA/Doha but it was an excellent experience overall, with a few learning opportunities thrown in. I've now traveled to RSA with three different airlines - Delta in 2015 and SAA in 2018. Having now flown Qatar and with a better understanding of what is required - process, paperwork, etc. - I would very possibly choose it again despite the additional ten hours in the air. I flew economy, but would choose business class in the future. I paid extra for exit rows, then a hefty fee for my rifle/ammo cases on my return trip. I'm pretty sure I was creeping up on business class (and free extra bags) at that point. One of those learning opportunities.
We flew from LEX to DFW, then on to JNB with a layover at DIA. The great folks from Henry's @riflepermits.com were there to meet us at JNB, at 4:00 AM local time, to assist with SAPS permits and rechecking to East London. After an additional layover we landed at ELS around noon. If you choose a similar path and travel with firearms in the future pack plenty of patience. Rechecking firearms at DFW and JNB was painfully slow, but may improve as processes (and hopefully staffing levels) get back to normal.
Marius was there at ELS to greet my daughter and I and we headed off to camp. After settling in we drove out to the range to check my rifles. I would be hunting buffalo with my CZ 550 in .416 Rigby and plains game with my Remington 700 in .270 Win. Only minor adjustments were needed with each rifle. My ammo choices were both factory loadings - 400 grain Swift A-frame for the .416 and 130 grain Barnes TSX for the .270. I also brought along some 400 grain Norma solids in .416 just in case they were needed. After sighting in we spent the remainder of the evening glassing the local property for bushbuck to assist one of the other hunters in camp. We spotted a nice one and called to let the PH know but they were too far out to get back to the area before shooting light faded for the day.
Hunting Day 1
I had always assumed we would start the 10-day safari chasing buffalo, but Marius had let me know he wanted to spend the first couple of days on plains game. I was surprised at first, then realized it was probably to allow us to get our legs back under us before the main event. Marius later confirmed that this was his thinking and it was the absolute right call. Along with the buffalo I was targeting duiker, nyala, hartebeest, and jackal; none of which I had hunted before. My daughter had taken a nice kudu with KMG three years earlier but was along, again, to primarily shoot with her camera.
We headed out to hunt duiker at a nearby cattle farm right after breakfast. The first sighting was a ram and ewe together but as we moved in their direction another nicer ram was spotted approximately 100 yards out. We stalked to within fifty and I got on the sticks. The ram was standing in tall grass and likely thought he was well hidden - he was half right. I could only see his head and a bit of his back. Marius warned me not to allow the grass to cause me to shoot high, but rather estimate where the rest of the shoulder would be as the duiker was broadside facing right to left. I took aim at where I felt the left shoulder would be and fired into the grass. The duiker dropped right there. As the trackers were carrying the duiker to the bakkie it shuddered a couple of times so Marius retrieved his handgun and I placed one more round into the vitals. I had my first animal of the safari by 8:20 AM.
After a visit to the skinning shed, we headed back to camp to rest and have some lunch. We spent the afternoon touring the camp property and scouting new locations for trail cameras. There was an area along a dry riverbed that ran through the valley and Marius wanted to see if there were any suitable spots. We ventured down and concluded the day with a two-hour hike through some beautiful country.
Again, much has been written about the flight through DIA/Doha but it was an excellent experience overall, with a few learning opportunities thrown in. I've now traveled to RSA with three different airlines - Delta in 2015 and SAA in 2018. Having now flown Qatar and with a better understanding of what is required - process, paperwork, etc. - I would very possibly choose it again despite the additional ten hours in the air. I flew economy, but would choose business class in the future. I paid extra for exit rows, then a hefty fee for my rifle/ammo cases on my return trip. I'm pretty sure I was creeping up on business class (and free extra bags) at that point. One of those learning opportunities.
We flew from LEX to DFW, then on to JNB with a layover at DIA. The great folks from Henry's @riflepermits.com were there to meet us at JNB, at 4:00 AM local time, to assist with SAPS permits and rechecking to East London. After an additional layover we landed at ELS around noon. If you choose a similar path and travel with firearms in the future pack plenty of patience. Rechecking firearms at DFW and JNB was painfully slow, but may improve as processes (and hopefully staffing levels) get back to normal.
Marius was there at ELS to greet my daughter and I and we headed off to camp. After settling in we drove out to the range to check my rifles. I would be hunting buffalo with my CZ 550 in .416 Rigby and plains game with my Remington 700 in .270 Win. Only minor adjustments were needed with each rifle. My ammo choices were both factory loadings - 400 grain Swift A-frame for the .416 and 130 grain Barnes TSX for the .270. I also brought along some 400 grain Norma solids in .416 just in case they were needed. After sighting in we spent the remainder of the evening glassing the local property for bushbuck to assist one of the other hunters in camp. We spotted a nice one and called to let the PH know but they were too far out to get back to the area before shooting light faded for the day.
Hunting Day 1
I had always assumed we would start the 10-day safari chasing buffalo, but Marius had let me know he wanted to spend the first couple of days on plains game. I was surprised at first, then realized it was probably to allow us to get our legs back under us before the main event. Marius later confirmed that this was his thinking and it was the absolute right call. Along with the buffalo I was targeting duiker, nyala, hartebeest, and jackal; none of which I had hunted before. My daughter had taken a nice kudu with KMG three years earlier but was along, again, to primarily shoot with her camera.
We headed out to hunt duiker at a nearby cattle farm right after breakfast. The first sighting was a ram and ewe together but as we moved in their direction another nicer ram was spotted approximately 100 yards out. We stalked to within fifty and I got on the sticks. The ram was standing in tall grass and likely thought he was well hidden - he was half right. I could only see his head and a bit of his back. Marius warned me not to allow the grass to cause me to shoot high, but rather estimate where the rest of the shoulder would be as the duiker was broadside facing right to left. I took aim at where I felt the left shoulder would be and fired into the grass. The duiker dropped right there. As the trackers were carrying the duiker to the bakkie it shuddered a couple of times so Marius retrieved his handgun and I placed one more round into the vitals. I had my first animal of the safari by 8:20 AM.
After a visit to the skinning shed, we headed back to camp to rest and have some lunch. We spent the afternoon touring the camp property and scouting new locations for trail cameras. There was an area along a dry riverbed that ran through the valley and Marius wanted to see if there were any suitable spots. We ventured down and concluded the day with a two-hour hike through some beautiful country.
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Good start so far! Looking forward to more!
