Whit
AH veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2021
- Messages
- 134
- Reaction score
- 214
- Location
- Germany
- Hunted
- USA (TX, WY, AR, NC), New Zealand, Germany, Slovakia, South Africa, Austria
DATES: 10-15 April
LOCATION: Limpopo Province, Waterberg Region
OUTFITTER: @KWALATA SAFARIS
PH: @AjFourie
ANIMALS TAKEN: Warthog, blue wildebeest
RIFLE: Bolt-action Howa 1500, .270 Win
PART ONE...
Well folks, this is my long over-due & promised trip report for @KWALATA SAFARIS and @AjFourie , who was my PH. I had an opportunity to duck out of work and jump on a plane to South Africa. This wasn’t difficult as I am stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, and it’s only a 10ish hour flight to J’Burg from Zurich or Frankfurt, and no time zone changes (thank God). The most difficult part was gaining approval from the military to travel to South Africa. A collection of endless paperwork and forms to ensure everyone in Africa Command and the Embassy and etc knew everything… Well, first this hunt was last-minute – booked a week before arrival, not even a full seven days before, really – and was only able to hunt for four days for culls, or so, as the other six days of leave were already planned out with safaris of other kinds. As some of you all may have seen, I posted what I was looking for, and after a series of conversations with a number of fine and reputable outfitters, I settled on Kwalata Safaris. I wanted to hunt in the Limpopo region, and I’d seen Jaco post before, and had liked how he had communicated and his style. Hard to tell exactly who someone is from the internet, that’s true, but my instincts are very sharp, and the gut said, ‘go with him’. Jaco offered a great deal – the observer rate – and since I was coming at last second’s notice, he offered his personal rifle and all the ammo needed, plus a chance to go hunt the new 70,000 acre property (huge plus, wanted to be away from it all as much as possible). Plus, I needed to be able to leave at a moment’s notice if so required, and he was willing to work with me on this, which was incredibly important to me & a full-stop dealbreaker if he said ‘no’. (Did not end up needing to leave, but I appreciated our discussion up front and felt his terms were fair). Jaco could only offer warthogs, impalas and blue wildebeests for culls, but this was perfect – my goal was to be in the rugged, remote African bush, with a rifle in my hand - A dream come true! The memories and the chase are always the most important aspect of any hunt, not the size/quality/type of trophy.
Given the short turn before the trip, I packed up quickly, and managed to find a second pair of Kuhl hiking pants and most importantly, a Kuhl outdoors shirt in a khaki color at the base PX the day before departure, the last one available. A couple of knives, my reliable lightweight Danner hot weather combat boots, two pairs of hiking pants, ranger panties, Darn Tough socks, and my old Swazi pullover from the New Zealand thru-hike, an outfit for non-hunting days, and I was set. (I thew in an old military smoker’s jacket made of polyester, top/bottom wool underwear, and a neck gaiter/beanie for the cold mornings and nights, but really didn’t need it). Everything I needed for the ten days fit into two backpacks, one military issue and one old Sandpiper of California black backpack I’ve had for the better part of a decade, and hauled all over America and Europe.
Day 1: Traveling to Africa
Donning my international travel standard hoodie, Sony noise-cancelling headphones, and compression socks, I took the S-Bahn to Stuttgart Flughafen and boarded the 45 minute flight to Zurich, and then to Johannesburg without issue. I had splurged and bid 200 euro (the lowest amount possible) for upgraded economy plus, and wouldn’t you know, the bid was accepted. Swiss Air’s economy plus was very comfortable, and allowed me to sleep relatively well, for which I was thankful. Staring out the window to see the African continent again at 30,000 feet below was incredible – I couldn’t wait to land and kept asking myself why I hadn’t previously hunted in Africa! Upon arrival, I immediately wrote a couple of expat Afrikaaner friends how amazing the country was, and how happy I was to be there, and they knew why. Clearing customs was very easy, the lady flipped through my passport and stamped in the standard 90 day tourist visa, and I was off to grab my backpack from the luggage carousel. AJ was waiting on me, and he looked just how I envisioned an African hunting guide – lean, whip thin, sunburnt, in the classic khaki and shorts. He bought me a cup of coffee, and after some struggles with the ticket machine at JNB, and loading of my backpacks into his Land Cruiser, we were off. AJ was quite an interesting guy and a good conversationalist, especially as I was quite tired and tend to enjoy staring out the window at the scenery. The weather was perfect, and South Africa felt like paradise! I was very quickly in love. It was a long drive (four ish hours) to the camp, but I enjoyed taking in the views, and observing the rolling hills of the Limpopo region and the Africans alongside the road. The Sandriver mountain range was very visible, a stunning sight. We stopped off at a local town for beer and paperwork, and a hamburger lunch at a café. I bought another hunting shirt from the town outfitter (South Africa is not expensive – love it!) and met Jaco’s dad, a friendly chap with many stories. Another 45 some minutes brought us to the property, and after we signed in, it was down the road to the guesthouse. On the way there, we started to count species, and the number grew quickly (we ended at around 17?). Crossing a creek, I saw rhinos in the bush, and I think AJ and the trackers got quite a laugh out of an American pointing and gaping and saying ‘Wow, that’s a rhino! I can’t believe that’s a rhino. What do you mean, there’s THREE rhinos? This is like a zoo, come to life! You get to see this EVERY DAY?! You get PAID to do this?!’ Man – I haven’t felt like a kid in a long, long time, the wide-eyed wonder at the glory of the Lord’s incredible creation.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at the luxurious hunting lodge. I was the only guest the first three days – mid April is early in the hunting season, apparently – and basically had the place to myself. I think I was the first, maybe the second client to have a rifle in hand on that place in 20 years? (No doubt @AjFourie e had shot a something previously… lol).
The cabins were stone and thatch, and very, very nice. There was a massive deck, a big firepit, comfortable couches, a conference hall, and a very attractive pool. One could have been happy relaxing in the compound for a few days! Dinner, cooked by a distant relative of AJ’s, Tante Louise, would not be ready for several hours, so I unpacked quickly, and enjoyed watching the zebras, wildebeests, impalas gather at the local borehole. The place was beautiful, birds, monkeys, all over. Stunning. After AJ organized logistics for the next day, we went for a drive and checked out part of the property. He took up on the escarpment and to a scenic overlook, where we watched the sun set over the Limpopo mountains with a cold Castle beer. The South African sunset was magnificent, and the stars came out… stunning. Worth the price of admission right then and there. We drove back to the lodge, and ate - dinner was very delicious, and almost too nice for someone who grew up near/on a working cattle operation. Tante Louise is a great cook, very tasty dishes. AJ and I had a drink, and off we went to bed.
Day 2: Exploring
Next morning came early, and after breakfast, we grabbed a cold thermos of rooibos tea, I borrowed a brimmed hat, and we headed off to the shooting range. Jaco’s Howa 1500 in .270 Winchester was dead on at 100 yards, and AJ gave thumbs up to the lessons I learned well on a cold and wet range in Quantico, VA. On the way, the trackers spotted fresh leopard tracks, and then we crossed a group of Cape buffalo, and boom – 2 of the Big 5 were crossed off the list. The rest of the morning and afternoon, AJ and the trackers – Jacky Boy and the senior tracker, his name escapes me, but I am sure AJ can remind me – and I toured around in his Land Cruiser. For a moment, I didn’t care about shooting anything – the adventure of ‘what’s around the corner?’ was just too exciting. We saw a herd of elephants crossing the road, and my goodness, it’s incredible how a two-ton plus animal can stay so quiet. Placing my boot in comparison to their massive tracks is… awe inspiring. Zebra, wildebeest, kudu all over the place (and at least three 50+ inch bulls, the rut came early this year), a croc, eland, nyala, baboon, klipspringer, all kinds of animals… we kept counting! I was very content to just drive and explore. We saw one or two really fine animals, and AJ offered a discount if I wanted a trophy on the extensive animal list, but I declined the opportunity – hunting on a budget. Later that day, we checked out another property for a cull wildebeest and impala. Dismounting from the truck with a rifle in hand, and AJ’s bolt-action Musgrave in .458 Lott drove home the point we were in dangerous country – life wasn’t safe and coddled like it is in Germany. (It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a hostile environment, and it felt good to be closer to the edge again). There was a herd of wildebeest wandering around, and we moved closer on foot, and made a good stalk, but the wind kept shifting and despite our low-crawls and skulking around, the wildebeest busted us and took off. We kept trying, but to no success – they were on to us. That’s hunting though, and still, I was really happy to be carrying in a rifle in Africa! I soaked up every single moment. Before I knew it, the day was over, and after a cold beer watching the sun go down (such a great tradition), we drove the 45 minutes back to the lodge. We concluded with another delicious meal, and a couple of rum and coke’s around the firepit, staring at the stars and talking about life. AJ and I are almost the same age, and had a number of things in common, which was really good. He's done many interesting things on the safari hunting field, and has had a number of interesting – good and bad – clients and situations. I enjoyed his stories, and I think he enjoyed hearing about my deployments to Europe.
Enjoy this - part two (and hopefully some photos) will come on Monday or Tuesday.
LOCATION: Limpopo Province, Waterberg Region
OUTFITTER: @KWALATA SAFARIS
PH: @AjFourie
ANIMALS TAKEN: Warthog, blue wildebeest
RIFLE: Bolt-action Howa 1500, .270 Win
PART ONE...
Well folks, this is my long over-due & promised trip report for @KWALATA SAFARIS and @AjFourie , who was my PH. I had an opportunity to duck out of work and jump on a plane to South Africa. This wasn’t difficult as I am stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, and it’s only a 10ish hour flight to J’Burg from Zurich or Frankfurt, and no time zone changes (thank God). The most difficult part was gaining approval from the military to travel to South Africa. A collection of endless paperwork and forms to ensure everyone in Africa Command and the Embassy and etc knew everything… Well, first this hunt was last-minute – booked a week before arrival, not even a full seven days before, really – and was only able to hunt for four days for culls, or so, as the other six days of leave were already planned out with safaris of other kinds. As some of you all may have seen, I posted what I was looking for, and after a series of conversations with a number of fine and reputable outfitters, I settled on Kwalata Safaris. I wanted to hunt in the Limpopo region, and I’d seen Jaco post before, and had liked how he had communicated and his style. Hard to tell exactly who someone is from the internet, that’s true, but my instincts are very sharp, and the gut said, ‘go with him’. Jaco offered a great deal – the observer rate – and since I was coming at last second’s notice, he offered his personal rifle and all the ammo needed, plus a chance to go hunt the new 70,000 acre property (huge plus, wanted to be away from it all as much as possible). Plus, I needed to be able to leave at a moment’s notice if so required, and he was willing to work with me on this, which was incredibly important to me & a full-stop dealbreaker if he said ‘no’. (Did not end up needing to leave, but I appreciated our discussion up front and felt his terms were fair). Jaco could only offer warthogs, impalas and blue wildebeests for culls, but this was perfect – my goal was to be in the rugged, remote African bush, with a rifle in my hand - A dream come true! The memories and the chase are always the most important aspect of any hunt, not the size/quality/type of trophy.
Given the short turn before the trip, I packed up quickly, and managed to find a second pair of Kuhl hiking pants and most importantly, a Kuhl outdoors shirt in a khaki color at the base PX the day before departure, the last one available. A couple of knives, my reliable lightweight Danner hot weather combat boots, two pairs of hiking pants, ranger panties, Darn Tough socks, and my old Swazi pullover from the New Zealand thru-hike, an outfit for non-hunting days, and I was set. (I thew in an old military smoker’s jacket made of polyester, top/bottom wool underwear, and a neck gaiter/beanie for the cold mornings and nights, but really didn’t need it). Everything I needed for the ten days fit into two backpacks, one military issue and one old Sandpiper of California black backpack I’ve had for the better part of a decade, and hauled all over America and Europe.
Day 1: Traveling to Africa
Donning my international travel standard hoodie, Sony noise-cancelling headphones, and compression socks, I took the S-Bahn to Stuttgart Flughafen and boarded the 45 minute flight to Zurich, and then to Johannesburg without issue. I had splurged and bid 200 euro (the lowest amount possible) for upgraded economy plus, and wouldn’t you know, the bid was accepted. Swiss Air’s economy plus was very comfortable, and allowed me to sleep relatively well, for which I was thankful. Staring out the window to see the African continent again at 30,000 feet below was incredible – I couldn’t wait to land and kept asking myself why I hadn’t previously hunted in Africa! Upon arrival, I immediately wrote a couple of expat Afrikaaner friends how amazing the country was, and how happy I was to be there, and they knew why. Clearing customs was very easy, the lady flipped through my passport and stamped in the standard 90 day tourist visa, and I was off to grab my backpack from the luggage carousel. AJ was waiting on me, and he looked just how I envisioned an African hunting guide – lean, whip thin, sunburnt, in the classic khaki and shorts. He bought me a cup of coffee, and after some struggles with the ticket machine at JNB, and loading of my backpacks into his Land Cruiser, we were off. AJ was quite an interesting guy and a good conversationalist, especially as I was quite tired and tend to enjoy staring out the window at the scenery. The weather was perfect, and South Africa felt like paradise! I was very quickly in love. It was a long drive (four ish hours) to the camp, but I enjoyed taking in the views, and observing the rolling hills of the Limpopo region and the Africans alongside the road. The Sandriver mountain range was very visible, a stunning sight. We stopped off at a local town for beer and paperwork, and a hamburger lunch at a café. I bought another hunting shirt from the town outfitter (South Africa is not expensive – love it!) and met Jaco’s dad, a friendly chap with many stories. Another 45 some minutes brought us to the property, and after we signed in, it was down the road to the guesthouse. On the way there, we started to count species, and the number grew quickly (we ended at around 17?). Crossing a creek, I saw rhinos in the bush, and I think AJ and the trackers got quite a laugh out of an American pointing and gaping and saying ‘Wow, that’s a rhino! I can’t believe that’s a rhino. What do you mean, there’s THREE rhinos? This is like a zoo, come to life! You get to see this EVERY DAY?! You get PAID to do this?!’ Man – I haven’t felt like a kid in a long, long time, the wide-eyed wonder at the glory of the Lord’s incredible creation.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at the luxurious hunting lodge. I was the only guest the first three days – mid April is early in the hunting season, apparently – and basically had the place to myself. I think I was the first, maybe the second client to have a rifle in hand on that place in 20 years? (No doubt @AjFourie e had shot a something previously… lol).
The cabins were stone and thatch, and very, very nice. There was a massive deck, a big firepit, comfortable couches, a conference hall, and a very attractive pool. One could have been happy relaxing in the compound for a few days! Dinner, cooked by a distant relative of AJ’s, Tante Louise, would not be ready for several hours, so I unpacked quickly, and enjoyed watching the zebras, wildebeests, impalas gather at the local borehole. The place was beautiful, birds, monkeys, all over. Stunning. After AJ organized logistics for the next day, we went for a drive and checked out part of the property. He took up on the escarpment and to a scenic overlook, where we watched the sun set over the Limpopo mountains with a cold Castle beer. The South African sunset was magnificent, and the stars came out… stunning. Worth the price of admission right then and there. We drove back to the lodge, and ate - dinner was very delicious, and almost too nice for someone who grew up near/on a working cattle operation. Tante Louise is a great cook, very tasty dishes. AJ and I had a drink, and off we went to bed.
Day 2: Exploring
Next morning came early, and after breakfast, we grabbed a cold thermos of rooibos tea, I borrowed a brimmed hat, and we headed off to the shooting range. Jaco’s Howa 1500 in .270 Winchester was dead on at 100 yards, and AJ gave thumbs up to the lessons I learned well on a cold and wet range in Quantico, VA. On the way, the trackers spotted fresh leopard tracks, and then we crossed a group of Cape buffalo, and boom – 2 of the Big 5 were crossed off the list. The rest of the morning and afternoon, AJ and the trackers – Jacky Boy and the senior tracker, his name escapes me, but I am sure AJ can remind me – and I toured around in his Land Cruiser. For a moment, I didn’t care about shooting anything – the adventure of ‘what’s around the corner?’ was just too exciting. We saw a herd of elephants crossing the road, and my goodness, it’s incredible how a two-ton plus animal can stay so quiet. Placing my boot in comparison to their massive tracks is… awe inspiring. Zebra, wildebeest, kudu all over the place (and at least three 50+ inch bulls, the rut came early this year), a croc, eland, nyala, baboon, klipspringer, all kinds of animals… we kept counting! I was very content to just drive and explore. We saw one or two really fine animals, and AJ offered a discount if I wanted a trophy on the extensive animal list, but I declined the opportunity – hunting on a budget. Later that day, we checked out another property for a cull wildebeest and impala. Dismounting from the truck with a rifle in hand, and AJ’s bolt-action Musgrave in .458 Lott drove home the point we were in dangerous country – life wasn’t safe and coddled like it is in Germany. (It’s been a few years since I’ve been in a hostile environment, and it felt good to be closer to the edge again). There was a herd of wildebeest wandering around, and we moved closer on foot, and made a good stalk, but the wind kept shifting and despite our low-crawls and skulking around, the wildebeest busted us and took off. We kept trying, but to no success – they were on to us. That’s hunting though, and still, I was really happy to be carrying in a rifle in Africa! I soaked up every single moment. Before I knew it, the day was over, and after a cold beer watching the sun go down (such a great tradition), we drove the 45 minutes back to the lodge. We concluded with another delicious meal, and a couple of rum and coke’s around the firepit, staring at the stars and talking about life. AJ and I are almost the same age, and had a number of things in common, which was really good. He's done many interesting things on the safari hunting field, and has had a number of interesting – good and bad – clients and situations. I enjoyed his stories, and I think he enjoyed hearing about my deployments to Europe.
Enjoy this - part two (and hopefully some photos) will come on Monday or Tuesday.
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