Frederik
AH legend
Ok lets start with normal Info.
Outfitter: Boela Bekker Safaris
PH: Boela Bekker
Area: Pongola Northern Zululand South Africa
Animals seen: Impala, warthog, nyala (Tons of them), giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, common duiker, red duiker, bushpig (daylight), white rhino, common reedbuck, bushbuck, crocodile.
Animals not seen but resident: Kudu, cape buffalo
Birds: Many exotic birds like Crowned Guinea Fowl, Loeries and other colourful ones.
Dates 5-9 October 2022
Animals hunted: Red Duiker
Rifle used: 375 H&H Musgrave K98 with 270gr Impala solids at 2500 fps.
Background on the hunt, I organised another hunt for a friend of mine from the UK and he wanted to shoot management or meat animals only no trophies as he has enough and just wanted to have fun. So there was a package put together for a certain budget to allow for a bunch of impala, warthog and nyala to be hunted with a day of Tiger fishing added in.
I tagged along for a few days Wed to Sunday and picked up my friend from the OR Tambo and headed to northern Natal on the road. Our drive took a bit longer than anticipated and we arrived after sunset. The farm is 4000 acres and a bit more 30% mountain and the rest rolling hills and flat areas. Hidden behind some sugar cane farms and away from any roads or nearby settlements.
As I was going to KZN I took a chance and asked Boela to arrange me a Red Duiker permit in the hope to have a crack at a good one to add to my tiny animal trophies.
From the night and the lighted areas around the lodge we might as well been in Mozambique or in the Selous Tanzania. The lodge neatly built over a seasonal stream and a salt block with animals visiting at night. October is hot the next day would see Temperatures climb to 41 degrees Celcius (105.8 F).
Sleeping quarters very neat and tidy with large ensuite bathroom and shower aircon was much needed and enjoyed although Escom at Electrictity Load shedding in the middle of the night around 1 am.
White spotted Gecko.
The next morning we got up and I took some photos of the lodge before the sun was getting too high.
A good cup of coffee or two and a light breakfast we headed to the shooting range my frind would borrow rifles a 30-06 Ruger M77 and a 243 Win Winchester.
I double checked my zero with the 375 H&H to make sure its spot on at 75 meters and it was.
The Main premier room was adjacent to the lodge including fridge and spa tub while the other chalets were situated left of the above photo on the green lawn. Every morning there would be nyala and crowned quinea fowl on the lawn.
The impala were skittish but were plentifull and the bush had green leaves startting up again so it was very thick. We stalked into a waterhole and found 3 young warthog boars perfect for the pot and my friend shot one that dropped in its tracks with the 30-06 and the ice was broken with the first animal down.
First animal down with a perfect shot.
On our way back to the lodge for lunch my friend excecuted another perfect shot on a beautiful nyala ewe with a neat skin.
With that day being so hot and have had a small breakfast the light lunch served was just perfect and good to eat.
That afternoon we would split up and I would sit and see if we could get a shot at a red duiker and my friend to go out and sort out some impala.
So setting out and finding a good spot just after 3 pm we were ready to sit untill dark and waited.
We were sitting across a row of wild fig trees next to the seasonal stream and with the cover the trees gives nothing much was growing underneath it and made it an open area to spot the dainty duikers.
The row of wild fig trees on the oppsosite side and could call for a shot out to 140 meters which I didn't anticipate to be that long expecting max range around 70 meters.
Fana, the tracker sitting next to me we were ready and Boela sitting about 30 meters further up to spot any duikers from his side. Boela was sitting in another clearing although smaller but had direct contact with us by hand held radio and so we waited.
It was very boring to be honest as there was no action at all as the day was so hot nothing moved and I decided if the time hits 5pm I'm going to use my whistel caller that has worked brilliantly before to call in duikers.
Five o clock came and I called a bit with no reaction already I thought with the moon being almost full and the heat the animals was going to come out much later and the reason why I had no reaction to the call.
About 5:20pm I spotted a red duiker about 100 meters out she gave me a good look and showed me that she did not own a proper scrotum and I kept an eye on her just in case her male counterpart would appear. On the same time a troop of monkeys came in as well slowly moving from our left to our right while the duiker ewe was feeding.
I called again and was shocked that only the monkeys showed interest looking at us but the ewe not even picking up her head. The ewe vanished behind the lower branches and I could not see her anymore while the troop of monkeys where just opposite of us playing and feeding.
Then around 5:40 pm Boela called me in a hurry I moved over there as quietly as I could and he told me he saw and excellent ram that was feeding with an ewe. As soon as Boela showed me the ewe the monkeys spotting us went beserk and some crowned guinea fowl followed and took our duikers with them.
Well we thought now we know where to sit tomorrow and hopefully the duikers would follow the same route. We headed over back to Fana the tracker when he showed us a duiker and it was an ewe, she spotted us and ran off. With nothing better to do we just sat and waited for darkness.
As if done by magic suddenly another duiker appeared range was 67 meters and Boela confirmed it was a ram as he could see both scrotum and horns. He first walked down to the stream bed and I was almost ready for the shot when he turned away from us. I didn't want to risk a shot from the back to hit the skull in front he then turned broadside for a fleeting moment but again I was not confident on the shot and then walked up and I was fearing he would dissapear behind the lower branches of the fig trees.
Then he stopped and turned frontal to us feeding this was it now or never he moved his head to the side and I fired and I could see him dropp with the recoil.
Boela, got super exited next to me and I was just shocked that I pulled it off it's a very small target at 67 meters frontal shot. But I made it and my red duiker was down what a huge relief.
My heart was beating extremely hard before the shot it was a tense moment but confidence in my 375 H&H and my shooting skills helped.
Red Duiker, ram measuring 2 and 7/8" with the fig trees in the backgorund note the lack of other ground cover bushes.
Boela helping me to tick another box and a new trophy species for me.
Just a footnote the photos let it look much lighter than what it was but the camera on my Galaxy A53 is brilliant for night mode or low light photos.
Old warrior of a ram with the left horn worn down and the ridges almost smooth.
At the shot the duiker must have turned his head back a bit and I hit him on the side of the lower jaw might be a bit of damage on the skull itself but that will tell a story.
The bullet performed brilliantly with calibre size entry hole with its cutting edge and exit as well at the back leg.
No, its not Cameroon but I just wanted to have this cool picture with Fana the tracker.
We headed back to camp for small celebration and heard that my friend had a missed a shot on an impala ram.
The weather was chaging with howling winds and we were worried about the next days tiger fishing and we could not book another day as the boat charter was fully booked.
Hoping for the wind to calm down and a brilliant dinner again we went to bed to rise early the next day to hit the water at 7 am.
Part 2 of report and Tiger Fishing to follow.
Outfitter: Boela Bekker Safaris
PH: Boela Bekker
Area: Pongola Northern Zululand South Africa
Animals seen: Impala, warthog, nyala (Tons of them), giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, common duiker, red duiker, bushpig (daylight), white rhino, common reedbuck, bushbuck, crocodile.
Animals not seen but resident: Kudu, cape buffalo
Birds: Many exotic birds like Crowned Guinea Fowl, Loeries and other colourful ones.
Dates 5-9 October 2022
Animals hunted: Red Duiker
Rifle used: 375 H&H Musgrave K98 with 270gr Impala solids at 2500 fps.
Background on the hunt, I organised another hunt for a friend of mine from the UK and he wanted to shoot management or meat animals only no trophies as he has enough and just wanted to have fun. So there was a package put together for a certain budget to allow for a bunch of impala, warthog and nyala to be hunted with a day of Tiger fishing added in.
I tagged along for a few days Wed to Sunday and picked up my friend from the OR Tambo and headed to northern Natal on the road. Our drive took a bit longer than anticipated and we arrived after sunset. The farm is 4000 acres and a bit more 30% mountain and the rest rolling hills and flat areas. Hidden behind some sugar cane farms and away from any roads or nearby settlements.
As I was going to KZN I took a chance and asked Boela to arrange me a Red Duiker permit in the hope to have a crack at a good one to add to my tiny animal trophies.
From the night and the lighted areas around the lodge we might as well been in Mozambique or in the Selous Tanzania. The lodge neatly built over a seasonal stream and a salt block with animals visiting at night. October is hot the next day would see Temperatures climb to 41 degrees Celcius (105.8 F).
Sleeping quarters very neat and tidy with large ensuite bathroom and shower aircon was much needed and enjoyed although Escom at Electrictity Load shedding in the middle of the night around 1 am.
White spotted Gecko.
The next morning we got up and I took some photos of the lodge before the sun was getting too high.
A good cup of coffee or two and a light breakfast we headed to the shooting range my frind would borrow rifles a 30-06 Ruger M77 and a 243 Win Winchester.
I double checked my zero with the 375 H&H to make sure its spot on at 75 meters and it was.
The Main premier room was adjacent to the lodge including fridge and spa tub while the other chalets were situated left of the above photo on the green lawn. Every morning there would be nyala and crowned quinea fowl on the lawn.
The impala were skittish but were plentifull and the bush had green leaves startting up again so it was very thick. We stalked into a waterhole and found 3 young warthog boars perfect for the pot and my friend shot one that dropped in its tracks with the 30-06 and the ice was broken with the first animal down.
First animal down with a perfect shot.
On our way back to the lodge for lunch my friend excecuted another perfect shot on a beautiful nyala ewe with a neat skin.
With that day being so hot and have had a small breakfast the light lunch served was just perfect and good to eat.
That afternoon we would split up and I would sit and see if we could get a shot at a red duiker and my friend to go out and sort out some impala.
So setting out and finding a good spot just after 3 pm we were ready to sit untill dark and waited.
We were sitting across a row of wild fig trees next to the seasonal stream and with the cover the trees gives nothing much was growing underneath it and made it an open area to spot the dainty duikers.
The row of wild fig trees on the oppsosite side and could call for a shot out to 140 meters which I didn't anticipate to be that long expecting max range around 70 meters.
Fana, the tracker sitting next to me we were ready and Boela sitting about 30 meters further up to spot any duikers from his side. Boela was sitting in another clearing although smaller but had direct contact with us by hand held radio and so we waited.
It was very boring to be honest as there was no action at all as the day was so hot nothing moved and I decided if the time hits 5pm I'm going to use my whistel caller that has worked brilliantly before to call in duikers.
Five o clock came and I called a bit with no reaction already I thought with the moon being almost full and the heat the animals was going to come out much later and the reason why I had no reaction to the call.
About 5:20pm I spotted a red duiker about 100 meters out she gave me a good look and showed me that she did not own a proper scrotum and I kept an eye on her just in case her male counterpart would appear. On the same time a troop of monkeys came in as well slowly moving from our left to our right while the duiker ewe was feeding.
I called again and was shocked that only the monkeys showed interest looking at us but the ewe not even picking up her head. The ewe vanished behind the lower branches and I could not see her anymore while the troop of monkeys where just opposite of us playing and feeding.
Then around 5:40 pm Boela called me in a hurry I moved over there as quietly as I could and he told me he saw and excellent ram that was feeding with an ewe. As soon as Boela showed me the ewe the monkeys spotting us went beserk and some crowned guinea fowl followed and took our duikers with them.
Well we thought now we know where to sit tomorrow and hopefully the duikers would follow the same route. We headed over back to Fana the tracker when he showed us a duiker and it was an ewe, she spotted us and ran off. With nothing better to do we just sat and waited for darkness.
As if done by magic suddenly another duiker appeared range was 67 meters and Boela confirmed it was a ram as he could see both scrotum and horns. He first walked down to the stream bed and I was almost ready for the shot when he turned away from us. I didn't want to risk a shot from the back to hit the skull in front he then turned broadside for a fleeting moment but again I was not confident on the shot and then walked up and I was fearing he would dissapear behind the lower branches of the fig trees.
Then he stopped and turned frontal to us feeding this was it now or never he moved his head to the side and I fired and I could see him dropp with the recoil.
Boela, got super exited next to me and I was just shocked that I pulled it off it's a very small target at 67 meters frontal shot. But I made it and my red duiker was down what a huge relief.
My heart was beating extremely hard before the shot it was a tense moment but confidence in my 375 H&H and my shooting skills helped.
Red Duiker, ram measuring 2 and 7/8" with the fig trees in the backgorund note the lack of other ground cover bushes.
Boela helping me to tick another box and a new trophy species for me.
Just a footnote the photos let it look much lighter than what it was but the camera on my Galaxy A53 is brilliant for night mode or low light photos.
Old warrior of a ram with the left horn worn down and the ridges almost smooth.
At the shot the duiker must have turned his head back a bit and I hit him on the side of the lower jaw might be a bit of damage on the skull itself but that will tell a story.
The bullet performed brilliantly with calibre size entry hole with its cutting edge and exit as well at the back leg.
No, its not Cameroon but I just wanted to have this cool picture with Fana the tracker.
We headed back to camp for small celebration and heard that my friend had a missed a shot on an impala ram.
The weather was chaging with howling winds and we were worried about the next days tiger fishing and we could not book another day as the boat charter was fully booked.
Hoping for the wind to calm down and a brilliant dinner again we went to bed to rise early the next day to hit the water at 7 am.
Part 2 of report and Tiger Fishing to follow.
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