SOUTH AFRICA: Koringkoopie Safaris *Warning* Stay Away

[Ridge Runner]

Landmines? The kind that go boom? Holy Sh^t!

 

[Moe324]

Looks like you hunted with Jeff Ford. I recognize Tim one of his houndsman.

Yes I was hunting with Charl Crous at Settlers Safaris. He arranged for us to hunt blue duiker with Mr. Jeff and his friend Mr. Robert. We used Mr. Robert dogs for the blue duiker. I'm sure a lot fo members here have probably killed their blue duiker with him. He was wearing a blue jacket and yells you "bloody fool" when you kill one. Saw a YouTube video 9 years old with him in it in the blue jacket. Great guy. The next day I got my caracal with Mr. Jeff's dogs. Soon after they got another one and another hunter from Settlers Safaris got one too. Both big males. Mr Jeff was very nice too.

 

[Moe324]

I just want to say I didn't write this post to have all RSA outfits bashed or even all Limpopo outfits bashed. I just wanted to tell my story and warn others about this particular outfit. I really don't want this post to scare people away from Limpopo. I hunted Limpopo last year and met a PH I can't wait to hunt hyena, red duiker, sunni, Sharpe's grysbuck, and some others. I would send people to him all day long to hunt Limpopo.

 

[Hunt anything]

Landmines? The kind that go boom? Holy Sh^t!

Yep, back in 2014 Mozambique was a war scarred country. All of the older buildings still showed bullet pock marks, especially the old airbase in Beira and flying low around the country you could still make out mortar and artillery shell holes. They were slowly filling in but we’re still evident.
Lon could answer this, but some of the stories coming out of Zimbabwe after their bush war was over (and some while the war was still active) the early safaris had to take certain “precautions” to ensure safety of clients.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Lon, that guaranteed 7 day hunt for buffalo was some kinda deal. "You can stay longer if you don't shoot one but we will be leaving." Fine print written with blood ink. Land mines in the area could make dik dik a dangerous game hunt.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Land mines still exist in certain safari areas period. We have area within or Safari area you do not go into for any reason although it has been declared mine free.

Lon

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Honestly, what other "side" to this sad story from the outfitter perspective could possibly put it in a better light? The OP is an African hunter with previous experience. He hasn't made a habit of complaining about those hunts. Quite the opposite. The trophies taken on this safari were crap. The complaints were numerous ... almost countless. I gave up reading about a third of the way through.

I agree that the client really shares little to no responsibility for taking a crappy animal. I had a PH set up the sticks for a wildebeest standing on the edge of a small herd. I already questioned whether we should be shooting  any animal in the herd. The property manager told us two areas where we might find two  lone bulls. Clearly, those were the bulls he wanted out of the gene pool. They were only wasting range. Anyone who's hunted buffalo knows how this works. Take a dagga boy, not the big one in the herd of cows. But this PH said it would be okay. One of the lone bulls would slide in and fill the slot. Hmmm. Okay, I do what I'm told. So we make a long stalk and the sticks are up inside an acacia thicket. The window only shows one animal shootable but it doesn't look right. Very dark colored. "Shoot the one quartering towards us." Well, they are all looking at us. "You mean the one on the far left?" He repeats quartering towards us. I ask a second time, "Far left?" Yes. So bang and down it goes on the spot. "Great shot! You got him." We walk up. "You shot the wrong animal!" Wait ... what happened to "great shot"? "It's a young bull." Young is an understatement. Clearly it's a yearling. "I asked you TWICE if I was supposed to shoot the animal on the far left and you confirmed. Don't put this on me!" He heads off for the truck and calls up the trackers whom he'd curiously told to stay back at the road when we started the stalk. Trackers are standing around and finally I tell them to roll it over and get to work. Won't be any photo op with this little thing. Let's have it ready when truck arrives. There's still enough daylight left to go after waterbuck or kudu, my desired objective for coming to that property in the first place. So they turn it over and ... it's got tits. Sweet jeezus! A damn cow! The farm's tracker grabs the tits and fortunately no milk. That one was obviously too young to be bearing fruit. Vehicle arrives and I'm not happy. PH says he'll fix it up with the lodge owner. Okay. Everyone makes mistakes. But he didn't fix it. When I'm checking out before going to the airport I'm presented with a $600 "tax" for the property owner because I shot his breeding stock. "You shot the wrong animal. Your PH knows how to ID a cow." There was a brief heated moment with that PH before the lodge owner quickly and satisfactorily resolved it. PH's tip was then halved. He's lucky he got anything. And I kinda felt bad about it. He's 57 years old with a new baby on the way. And he banged up his vehicle on one of our hunts. But he made TWO mistakes. I will go back to hunt with that lodge but NOT with that PH.

Shit can happen. But the operator needs to make it right. The OP's operator just went from one screwup to the next. He obviously didn't give a damn. But I bet he does now!