SOUTH AFRICA: KMG Hunting Safaris.....Come For The Hunting, Stay For The Milkshakes!

[Matt Perchick]

Hunt dates 26 May - 4 June 2017
Outfitter and Guide: Marius Goosen
Location: Mpunzi Lodge, Eastern Cape, South Africa

I departed St. Louis on 23 May and transferred through Atlanta and then onto Joburg SA. The flight was on Delta in Comfort +. The flight was long and uneventful. I hired the services of Gunpermits.com and was met at the gate and escorted through customs in about 30 seconds. After retrieving my luggage I was handed off to Anna from Gunpermits.com. She was waiting for me in the arrivals area and we headed off to retrieve my rifles. We made a stop to pick up my pre paid SIM card for my phone. I highly recommend getting one. We arrived at the police station and had my rifle in less than 5 minutes. I decided to stay the night at City Lodge in the airport. Nice hotel with breakfast included. Anna met me in the lobby the next morning and helped me get checked in for my flight to Port Elizabeth. I was meet in PE by Marius and we were off to the lodge. We did stop for a few pot pies on our way. I really enjoyed the worth of pot pie. Once settled into the lodge, we went off to sight in the rifles. It was dark at this point so back to the lodge, are some dinner and off to bed as I was exhausted from my travels.

Day 1
Bushbuck
We found a nice vantage point and glassed across the valley. We spotted several different species and then a nice bushbuck and we were off. We had to stalk around to the other side of the lathe hill we were on and then down a steep section stopping to get a better look at the animal as wee went. Quietly stalked up behind a small bush to within 40 yards and got up on the sticks. The Bushbuch stepped from behind a cactus I I let him have it with a 180 grain Swift A-frame from my Remington 700 in .300 Win Mag. He was down and I had my first African animal.

 

[Matt Perchick]

That is not the photo I wanted. I don't know how to add these dang photos

 

[Matt Perchick]

 

[adgunner]

Maybe not, but that is a helluva bear .... and one very nice Bushbuck, congrats!

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 1 continued
We ate lunch and then started glossing once again to see what we could find. We spotted a really nice Nyala bull and we were off again. We left Lloyd with a radio and we started down a steep rocky hill across a flat and then started up a very thickly vegetated hill. With the help of Lloyd we made our way to within 20 yards of the Nyala separated by a very thick tall bush. We could not see the bull but we could hear him. No way to get a shot. He caught wind of us and was gone.

Day 2
Kudu and Impala
Started out the day looking for some Impala. We walked several miles and made several stalks, but when we got closer to these animal they were not quite mature and Marius said we will find better. We decide to walk to the back part of the farm and spot a nice Impala ram op on some rocks. We devise a quick plan and make our move. We get within range and I'm on the sticks. I just need the female to move away so I have a clean shot, but they all decide to move down the back of the hill and disappear. We continue our quest and find the ram now on the edge of the cliff. We figure we have him, he can die via bullet or jumping off the cliff and committing suicide. We were wrong as he somehow gave us the slip once again. We were now sitting on the edge of the cliff trying to see if the ram was down in the bottom or where he could have gone. I spot him across the valley and up the other side. He is 170 yards away. I get on the sticks and get ready and just then a Kudu cow comes out of a bush and spooks him off. We are now sitting there not knowing what to do next when after 2 minutes a Kudu bull steps out of the bushes. Marius is yelling and throwing the sticks at me. I'm trying not to slide off the cliff to my death and manage to get set up and make a shot on the Kudu and he runs about 40 yards. Take a second shot and he runs another 50 yards and he is done. It all happened so quickly. We recruited some help to load the bull and take photos

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 2 continued
We are on the way back in and spot some Impala. We make a stalk to 170 yards. This is as close as we can get because we are out of cover and are set up behind the last shrub between us and him. I get on the short sticks and make a nice shot and he is down.
Marius ask if I like milkshakes and I said of course. We head to Grahamstowm and stop at what might be the best milkshake joint in the world. I have no clue what they put in these things but they are awesome and very addicting. To quote Marius "It's like an angel peeing on your tongue "

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 3
Springbuck
We get to the Springbuck farm and Turd decides to jump out the window and gets his ass beat by a pack of dogs. It takes 30 minutes to find him before we can get the hunt started. We stalked several groups of Springbuck and finally find one with a nice ram. We make a very long slow stalk across the rocky terrain full of these horrible Mexican jumping cactus. The man who brought these things to Africa deserves to die a slow painful death. We had to keep stopping to remove then from by boots, pants and skin. We manage to get within 60 yards of 2 nice rams. I set up on the bigger one and he dropped right where he stood.

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 4
Warthog
We arrive at the farm and there is tons of game everywhere you look. We walk and drive all over the farm searching for the group of Blue Wildebeest. They are nowhere to be found. We then find a nice group of warthogs and make a stalk. We get behind a bush and one is down on his knees feeding 10 yards away from us. The big boar manages to keep a bush between him and us. We can not move as the feeding one will see us. We wait for the big boat to step out and I take a shot and off he goes. We are sure it was a good shot but put the dogs out to find him. He was just over a hill about 100 yards away and dead

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 5
Nyala
We glass a good bull from out vantage point. He is on the ruger across from the one we are on. This means a long walk. We are off. Walking along and stumble upon some Zebra, so we wait and allow them to feed off. We now take off our boots and walk in ours socks to make less noise. We get our boots back on and run into a bushbuck on the fence line and must wait for him to feed off. We continue on and work down a fence that leads to the Nyala. We see the bull and crawl our way to one of the smallest bushes in Africa. We are about 40 yards away and get busted by a group of Baboons. I hate those things. They spook the Nyala and he runs into to bush. We wait around awhile but no luck. We decide to go into town for a burger and fries. Marius also needed a milkshake (he runs on sugar). We get back to the farm and check where we last saw the bull. We sat there for an hour and a half and nothing. We decide to go around where he went in and follow the trail up from the bottom. A group a Nyala appear feeding around the bend. We are spotted and give chase through the bush but no luck. We will try again tomorrow.

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 6
Nyala
We walk for nearly 10 miles this day up and down the mountains. We spotted the good bull from day 1 going down the valley towards the water to drink. We decide to try to catch him on his way back up to the feeding area after he drinks. We manage to get within 10 yards of the bull with a big thick bush between us. He is on to us and let's out a bark that scared the crap out of me. He then ran off. We tried to catch up with him going up the road to the top of the hill. No luck again!

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 7
Fishing
We took a charter boat fishing for Cob. I caught 2 and Marius caught a really big one. I started to get a bit sea sick and we went back in. The crew cleaned the fish and we threw them in the cooler for dinner. We stopped at the Pig and Whistle for lunch and headed back to the lodge. We went out and tried to call in a Jackyl. We saw a few but had no shot on them. The fish was prepared for dinner and it was excellent.

 

[billc]

I was in shock for a minute thought you may have taken the only bear ever to be in Sa. Looks like another great was had with Kmg.

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 8
Nyala again
We are now at a new farm we have not yet hunted. We spot a Nyala shortly after we arrive all the way on the far side of the farm. We make a slow stalk that way for 2 hours. The bull is not in the area we saw him in. Continue a slow walk around the rest of the area ah head back to the truck. We drive to another part of the farm and spot Nyala legs through the trees. We back the truck up and get out to investigate. We stalk through some thick thorn bushes and are still not able to see the bulls horns. We go back around the other way and finally get a look at the horns. Marius gives the thumbs up. It's on. We do the crouching walking stalk then done on hands and knees crawling through thorns, stickers and dung. We got set up on him twice Ben he moved before I could get a shot off. We crawled some more into an open field and finally got a shot off. The "Boss" Nyala was finally down. We stopped for meat pies again on the way back to the lodge. Yum!!

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 9
Very HOT and no wind. We walked around and saw very little. The dogs bayed up a young Kudu bull. That poor creature had no idea what to do and finally found an escape route and took off. In the afternoon we again called Jackyl. A big dog came in at 50 yards and I missed low. My bad. Did not account for the steep downward angle we we shooting from.

 

[Jfet]

Hunt dates 26 May - 4 June 2017
Outfitter and Guide: Marius Goosen
Location: Mpunzi Lodge, Eastern Cape, South Africa

I departed St. Louis on 23 May and transferred through Atlanta and then onto Joburg SA. The flight was on Delta in Comfort +. The flight was long and uneventful. I hired the services of Gunpermits.com and was met at the gate and escorted through customs in about 30 seconds. After retrieving my luggage I was handed off to Anna from Gunpermits.com. She was waiting for me in the arrivals area and we headed off to retrieve my rifles. We made a stop to pick up my pre paid SIM card for my phone. I highly recommend getting one. We arrived at the police station and had my rifle in less than 5 minutes. I decided to stay the night at City Lodge in the airport. Nice hotel with breakfast included. Anna met me in the lobby the next morning and helped me get checked in for my flight to Port Elizabeth. I was meet in PE by Marius and we were off to the lodge. We did stop for a few pot pies on our way. I really enjoyed the worth of pot pie. Once settled into the lodge, we went off to sight in the rifles. It was dark at this point so back to the lodge, are some dinner and off to bed as I was exhausted from my travels.

Day 1
Bushbuck
We found a nice vantage point and glassed across the valley. We spotted several different species and then a nice bushbuck and we were off. We had to stalk around to the other side of the lathe hill we were on and then down a steep section stopping to get a better look at the animal as wee went. Quietly stalked up behind a small bush to within 40 yards and got up on the sticks. The Bushbuch stepped from behind a cactus I I let him have it with a 180 grain Swift A-frame from my Remington 700 in .300 Win Mag. He was down and I had my first African animal.

Hmmm... Bears in Africa... Sounds like an interesting idea.

 

[Matt Perchick]

Day 10
We went out looking for an old Steenbuck Marius had seen before. We walked and glassed all morning and saw no sign of him. We spotted a Duiker and stalked him into a bush and he vanished. We decide to head back in for lunch an Lloyd spots a Duiker from the back of the truck. We get out and put a stalk on him. We walked to within 50 yards of the Duiker and he was watching us the entire time. Made a shot and dropped him in his tracks.

After lunch we decide to give Jackyl one last try. We get to where Marius wants to place the caller and the batteries are dead. Marius runs back to the truck for more batteries and we are back in business. It was cold and very windy, not the best conditions for calling but it worked in the end. The Jackyl came right in between us and the caller at 50 yards BOOM! Jackyl down. This was the most excited Marius had been. Marius outsmarted the Jackyl, chess game over checkmate.

This trip was more than I could have hoped for. Marius is a phenomenal PH as well as a great person. He was very patient with me and I believe we got some really great animals. The lodge was wonderful, the rooms comfortable and the food was great and plentiful. Thank you Nicole and Graham. I was able to harvest the animals I was after and then some. I already have plans to go back next September and can't wait. Thanks again Marius!!!!!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Very nice bushbuck and nyala!

 

[Matt Perchick]

Very nice bushbuck and nyala!

Thank you

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats and thanks for sharing! Love the bushbuck

 

[jasyblood]

Sounds like an awesome trip!! Very nice bushbuck and nyala!