BJH65
AH veteran
@DERIAN KOEKEMOER SAFARIS September 16-21, 2024
Derian Koekemoer PH
Johlene Koekemoer-admin, bookings, marketing
Christian PH
Geraldo -Tracker
African Hunting Films-Dean Botes- filmed hunt
http://www.hunt-videos.com/
+27-82-338-2187
Morgan Harris- Owner
Equipment:
CZ 550 Magnum 416 Rigby- Leupold VX3 1.5-5x20 30mm illuminated reticle mounted with Warne Med QD rings.
50 rds 416 Rigby Barnes 400 grain TSX
Sighted dead on 100 yards, 1/2 inch high at 50 yards.
Swarovski 8x30 WB binoculars
Browning Pelican 1720 Orange rifle case
Pelican 1200 orange case for ammo
Apple air tags in gun case and ammo.
Military surplus duffle bag- checked in
Military day pack- carry on
Six months ago I booked a solo cow Cape buffalo with Derian Koekemoer Safaris out of Hoedspruit. We would be hunting the beautiful BuffaloLand Safari concession adjacent to Kruger National Park and the greater Kruger area. I used Gracy Travel to book the flight and opted for the $300 VIP rifle permit through their man Bruce in Johannesburg. I flew Delta Comfort + from OKC to ATL on Sept the 13th then connecting flight to Johannesburg. Arrived in Johannesburg on the 14th and was pleased to meet one of Bruce Mdhuli’s (Gracy Travel) employees holding a sign with my name.
After collecting my gun case and duffel bag with locked ammo case inside, left the secured area and met with Bruce’s smiling face. Bruce then navigated me through the SAPS520 process to get my signed and stamped SAPS 520 then Bruce took me to the City Lodge where he got my room key and arranged for my baggage to be brought to my room. After a restful night, I met Bruce at 8am and he navigated me though the airport to get my Airlink ticket for Hoedspruit and gun and ammo. Airlink required that my locked ammo case be removed from my checked duffel bag and travel separately.
I arrived in Hoedspruit Sunday 15th. Met my PH Derian Koekemoer and collected my rifle and ammo. It was about a 25 min drive to camp, Buffaloland Safaris. I chose to stay in the Hunting Camp which has 8 en-suite rooms and is the most popular lodging for hunters. They also have a traditional outside tented camp and a luxury lodge as well. Derian does not mix other groups of different hunters, only one group at a time during a hunt so it was just me, nobody else hunting BuffaloLand.
Met Derian’s wonderful wife, Johlene who handles all the admin stuff, marketing and supervises the staff at camp. I had previously communicated with Johlene regarding the paperwork, deposit, etc. Derian and Johlene live on BuffaloLand with their 2 young sons. Derian employs additional PH’s as needed and PH Christian would be assisting on my hunt.
Had a relaxing lunch, got things settled in my room then chatted with them. Advised to always keep door closed to my room due to the possibility of Mozambique spitting cobras and black mambas coming inside! Derian, his tracker Geraldo from Mozambique and I took the Bakkie to verify my rifle was still on. Shot dead on at 70 yards over homemade wood shooting sticks, good enough.
Saw lots of game, impala, kudu, warthog, several huge Nyala bulls and several very nice impala rams. Also giraffe, zebra and blue wildebeest. This was the theme every day. Then we came across a recently killed young impala ram? What killed it? At first it was believed a leopard, definitely drag marks but no identifiable tracks?
But then shortly thereafter, 1 wild African dog was seen! Then 2 more popped up for a total of 3! Not too afraid, crossed over from Kruger National Park, used to vehicles and not afraid of us. They or one of them had most likely killed the impala and no doubt were going to feast on it tonight. Really a beautiful sight to observe them on my 1st day at camp! Forgot to mention there currently is a drought here and weather is hot, more like summer instead of spring. One advantage is good visibility through the dry brush and trees.
Monday 16th 1st hunt day. Up early, enjoy a light breakfast & coffee, leave at 0530. Nice cool breeze. Observe lots of Nyala. Overall saw 6-8 shootable mature Nyala bulls very beautiful animals. Lots of impala and saw some very nice mature rams. I plan on shooting one but Buffalo first. Saw decent number of warthog but mostly females with young.
Will shoot a mature male warthog but all females and young so far. More on this. While my cow buffalo hunt was 6 actual days of hunting and I was more focused on buffalo my recommendation is if you see a nice trophy plains game animal you want then shoot it now and don’t wait, you may not see it again.
Driving concession roads searching for buffalo, or fresh buffalo spoor and tracks. Come across buffalo down near the river. We stalk them on foot, get to within 30 yards, sneak up to a mature female with calf and an immature bull feeding in the reeds. Not shootable buffalo we quietly leave and buffalo run off. Back to driving looking for buffalo. See giraffe, zebra, blue wildebeest, nice bull kudu, always impala and Nyala. Also several bushbuck, nice male but not quite yet a trophy. They like to stay by river near cover.
Head back to camp for breakfast. Fun morning! After a nice breakfast the groundsman cornered a spitting cobra in the storage room! I took a video while one of the BuffaloLand staff, Smiley, beat it to death with several sticks and a metal rake! About 4 ft long cobra. Very entertaining. I gotta say, I don’t want one inside my room so I made sure my door remained closed at all times!
Back out at 2:30pm. Lots of wildlife, Nyala and many very shootable Nyala bulls, lots of impala and shootable rams, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, female warthogs and young. Find more buffalo! Get out on foot after them. They see us, were spooked by giraffe that ran from us. Mostly cows with young and immature bulls. Nothing shootable.
Back in bakkie and driving again. Find more buffalo not as agitated staying in the brush looking at us, cow with older calf and immature male. Not really shootable situation just like the morning hunt. Derian says would preferably like to take out some older non breeding cows to bring back balance. Will also consider an older management bull too. I just enjoy hunting buffalo doesn’t matter whatever presents itself I’ll take it as it happens. Very good day back at camp at 5:30pm. Overall very fun filled day. Excellent dinner and turn in early to shower and bed.
Tue 17th hunt day 2, leave at 6am. See normal assortment of animals: giraffe, Nyala, impala, warthog, bushbuck. Locate small buffalo herd in thick brush try to sort out shootable buffalo they get our scent and take off into thick brush. My first introduction to acacia thorn trees! Must walk carefully still get caught up a little in the thorns.
Wind is swirling so herd got our scent and took off a little ways. We continued to track and this time due to thick brush we came up right on them and a young bull saw us and alerted the herd by running causing the rest of herd to run off, too thick in this brush. Continue to drive in bakkie looking for buffalo sign come across nice kudu bull, probably 52” bull. Beautiful bull, maybe I should consider one? Back to camp for breakfast at 11am.
The 10,000 acres of buffaloLand has the beautiful Klasserie river flowing through it and lots of ponds throughout. It’s made of of various tracts with a good dirt road system that the tracker and PH can see if buffalo went into a tract and stayed or left by observing the tracks on the roads. If you know based on tracks that the buffalo haven’t left a tract, then one can track them into the bush and hopefully locate the herd if the wind is right and you’re quiet. Leave at 2:30 pm for afternoon hunt. Go back to where we last saw Buffalo, check the dirt road to look for tracks to see if they left the area. They haven’t left so back into the thorny trees and brush to try and locate them.
Tracker, Geraldo locates them in extremely thick cover can’t really see but know we are close. Start low crawling on stomach to inch closer and can see the herd or bits and pieces of them through the brush and thick acacia trees at 25 yards away, wind in our face. Start sorting them out, there’s a big barren cow! Get ready to inch forward for a shot , cameraman makes movement to get closer, the buffalo see and go crashing off! No chance for shot. Oh well, that’s hunting!
PH Derian is a big guy but he moves well, very agile for his size, strong as an ox, can hike forever and low crawl around on the ground moving towards the buff through thorns, I noticed he had blood running down his leg from the thorns as did I. This is a guy who lives for the hunt! He’s a very keen hunter and very much enjoys his job.
We go look for more buffalo elsewhere and come across two kudu bull. One’s very old with excellent horns. He’s on the downside, very old, no longer a breeding bull probably won’t last a year. He’s walking away and I tell PH Deriian I’d like to take him. We get out and I’m on the sticks as he’s quartering walking away at 50 yards. I make the shot and he collapses after another 10-15 yards. He’s an exceptional very old bull. He’s 50 and 51” a nice old bull, I’m very pleased. Take him to the skinning shed and Geraldo skins him. We’ll have kudu back-strap tomorrow evening. We head back to camp for the evening and have a beer and a toast to a wonderful old bull then later a wonderful meal. Very happy to have taken a nice kudu bull. Back out tomorrow for buffalo.
Wednesday day 3. Got into lots of buffalo both in the morning and afternoon hunts. The buffalo are very skittish and run off usually before we can identify a good shootable cow buffalo without a calf. The theme being we’d locate a herd or small group of buffalo that would remain in shooting range 40-60 yards but by the time we identified a shootable cow they were off and gone!
Either by getting our scent when wind shifted or spotting us! Sometimes we’d track or locate a shootable cow in thick brush and thorns but they would maybe only be visible for a second or two before running off just not enough time for a shot. The last stalk was a small herd in thick brush and we had a huge what I’d estimate at least a 45 inch bull with unusually long drooping horns staring at us head on at 35 yards. He had a very pissed off “you owe me money look about him”. That was a very doable shot but he still has another year, probably two to mature per Derian plus we were hunting cows but he was a massive bull with a bad attitude!
Perhaps when I return in 2026 I can try for him! Anyhow, while I was on the shooting sticks several times, just not enough time, buffalo always gone in a second or two! That’s hunting though and it’s really been very fun. I very much enjoy the challenge of tracking buffalo the traditional way. It’s exciting and gets your heart going when you know you are getting close to the buffalo in the thick tracts of acacia trees, knowing they could be really close, just feet away sometimes!
I got great enjoyment watching Geraldo the tracker, tracking them in thick brush and thorny acacia trees, he would spot them when I couldn’t t see shit! Then I’d look harder and see the dark outline and small visible parts of buffalo in the thick brush from only 25 yards away! Always gone before or right as I get on the sticks! Also going into the bush with a tracker, 2 PH’s, cameraman and I makes it a little harder to stay quite as say just two people but that’s okay, everyone’s still very soft footed.
I suspected that hunting cow buffalo could present some difficulty. A shootable older cow buffalo with no calves only makes up about 5-7 % of the buffalo herd of approximately 140, so I can honestly say it’s been both fun and challenging. I suspect that at some point we’ll catch a break and spot a shootable non breeding cow buffalo that will give us just enough time for a shot!
Thursday day 4. Out early before 6am. Maybe within 15 min the tracker, Geraldo spots a small buffalo herd! We get on them, I jump out of the Bakkie, Derian sets up the shooting sticks with Christian backing me with a CZ 458 Lott. A nice really old barren cow to my left approximately 50 yards out is identified as a perfect buffalo to take. I stupidly left the safety on as I aimed and squeezed the trigger, nothing! My God, I had practiced clicking off safety and shooting off sticks hundreds of times back home! I think I got a little rattled from the buffalo I guess!
I immediately clicked the safety off as the cow buffalo started to move away but still broadside, I’m able to get off a shot, broadside lung, while it’s moving and it quickly ran off while I reloaded. The whole herd of 15 buffalo included the one I shot had ran into the brush and acacia trees to our right, out of view. We held our position, waiting, listening, then the herd ran back to our left where they were originally when I took the shot, passing in front of us, but not the cow buffalo I had just shot, and some buffalo in the herd kept looking back where they had come from, giving us a good indicator the buffalo I shot was still there, hopefully on the ground. Then the herd ran off.
We give it a few minutes then slowing start walking to our right where we think the buffalo is. As soon as we clear the brush we see the cow buffalo on the ground, on its side, still barely breathing but not moving, close to death. Derian instructs me to put an insurance shot into its center chest which I do. It’s over I got the buffalo!
It’s a very old non breeding cow, exactly what we wanted to take, to help benefit the herd and remove the non productive buffalo. My first shot was a slightly high lung shot, complete pass through with the 400 grain Barnes TSX from my 416 Rigby.
There was a tremendous amount of blood from where the buffalo was originally shot and lung tissue. The buffalo ran about 30 yards before piling up. Even though it was close to death, Derian instructs all his buffalo hunters to put an insurance shot into all buffalo, period. I think that’s a sound policy. Very exciting and great to have taken a buffalo even a cow. Shake hands with the crew and picture time! What an amazing hunt! Get the buffalo loaded and drive to the skinning room building. Back to camp for breakfast. We’ll go out in evening for impala ram and warthog.
I have this evening and two more days to hunt. We go out in the afternoon for impala and warthog. Just see female warthogs with young and while lots of impala, no big rams. Driving over the bridge above the Klasserie River, we come across a huge male baboon right on the middle of the bridge but I wasn’t hunting one would’ve been a very doable shot. Anyhow, great day and we return for wonderful dinner. Friday day five. Leave for the morning hunt and fairly early we come across a nice impala ram. He’s about 40 yards walking away in the brush only offering a rear end shot, perfectly fine with my 416 Rigby. I shoot him right on the tail and he instantly drops.
He’s a beautiful old thick horned impala ram. Shockingly, the 400 grain TSX did not exit but was lodged in the impala rams neck! This same bullet that went completely through the Cape buffalo I shot yesterday broadside lung shot but did not exit the impala! We recovered a perfectly mushroomed bullet at the skinning shed.
I spoke to Derian and Christian about why the bullet did not exit the impala ram when I took the going away shot on the impala. The 416 Rigby 400 grain TSX entered the rear of the impala and when the bullet travelled through the gut cavity, this acted like ballistic gelatin or a jug of water causing rapid expansion, slowing the bullet enough after traveling approximately 3 feet total from one end of the impala to the other stopping just under the skin of the impala ram’s neck, perfectly expanded bullet. In contrast, on the buffalo the 400 grain TSX travelled 3 ft exiting through the buffalo on the broadside shot, the bullet went through mostly ribs and lungs, causing extensive damage to the lungs. Great bullet performance on both.
Left bullet- Impala travelled approximately 3 ft. Right bullet- Buffalo “insurance” shot. Travelled approximately 3 1/2 feet.
Driving back to the skinning shed, we come across a monster bushbuck which I should have got out and shot, but wasn’t really on the menu, and the few seconds I contemplated it he was gone! Oh well, I probably should have taken him but that’s okay, maybe next time! After breakfast and a few hours rest, we head out for the afternoon hunt for warthog and duiker. I wasn’t really expecting to see any shootable warthog since mating season was long past, not many mature males about, and it got unseasonably cold yesterday and today.
When I first arrived temperatures reached 102 and now it was in the low 50’s maybe colder with a strong wind and had actually snowed in parts of SA. I didn’t bring a coat, but thankfully brought a couple long sleeve thick cotton Safari shirts and a sweater which kept me comfortable enough riding in back of the bakkie. Fairly early we come across a nice old mature male warthog that was bedded along the Klasserie River that runs through the concession. He ran into the brush along the river and disappeared.
We get out and start stalking where we last saw him. We know he didn’t go far, just hiding in the brush along the river. There he is , running ahead of us, stopping behind the brush. I’m on the sticks but I can’t identify which end is which so I don’t shoot. He runs further ahead, starts crossing over and we know he’s going to briefly expose himself when he clears a clump of brush, where there’s a small opening.
I’m on the sticks, he briefly appears at 45-50 yards and I aim right on the shoulder and shoot! As I recover from the recoil and reload, I see a warthog coming right at us! It appears he’s charging us! Did I just wound him and now he’s charging? As he comes at us I aim and get ready to shoot, Derian and Christian yell don’t shoot! Then the warthog sees us and veers off! He was a second warthog, the one I shot was already on the ground dead!
When I shot the warthog he dropped dead instantly and unknown to us, a second male warthog of similar size bedded nearby was simply fleeing in our direction and didn’t see us until they shouted at me not to shoot! Very exiting and funny! The warthog I shot was a nice heavy male and an excellent representative trophy. I’m glad it was all captured on video. Thinking we were being charged by a warthog as I’m on the verge of shooting it was quite funny! We go back to the skinning shed and while Geraldo skins the warthog, we meet with the manager of BuffaloLand Safaris, JP, and watched his 3 captive white lions get fed. Perfect ending for the day. This hunt surpassed all my expectations, Derian Koekemoer Safaris was truly a wonderful experience! I enjoyed every minute!
Saturday Day 6- this was technically my 6th hunt day but since all my hunting objectives were met except maybe a duiker, and since it was rainy, cold and windy not normal for September, not the best for hunting. I chose to go on a tour of Kruger National Park instead. We drive for about 45 min to the Kruger National Park entrance. Never rained too hard and it stopped by the time we got to the park except the wind continued. In spite of the weather, we had a great time watching wildlife. Saw lots of elephant, lions, various antelope and a honey badger.
African Safari Films is a company in SA that employs 7 cameramen that only film African safari hunts. Dean Botes my cameraman from African Hunting Films was exceptional. He recorded every kill including impact shots, and was an excellent hunter and spotted game as well as the PH’s. He also had a drone. A lot of excellent footage was obtained of the various game seen and what it’s like on a 6 day safari. It goes to editing and I should receive the finished video of the safari in 3 months by email. It should be about an hour long. The total cost for 6 days of filming was $1905. It would have been a little more but Derian provided for his food and lodging for free. I very much look forward to it and will post it with a link when I receive it.
For the evenings supper, Derian bbq’d buffalo filet from the Buffalo I killed and kudu sausage. All very delicious and a wonderful meal prepared by the cook. I thought the meals were exceptional and prior to the hunt, Johlene will reach out to you to go over your likes/dislikes and dietary needs. I didn’t have any special requests. I thought everything was excellent! They also did laundry daily.
Sunday 22nd- Time to head back home. I do the necessary paperwork, give out tips to camp staff, say goodbyes and Derian drives me to Eastgate Airport in Hoedspruit. Only about 35 min flight arrive in Johannesburg find out my Delta flight delayed until tomorrow. Bruce from Gracy met me and arranged for my hotel room at City Lodge and took me there. Met Bruce following Monday and he navigated me through the process of getting rifle checked in. Bruce was amazing, really good man he takes care of you. Flying out of Johannesburg wasn’t too bad with Bruce’s assistance.
Arriving in Atlanta and clearing customs was just very chaotic and all the Delta people just seemed completely incompetent. After clearing customs, I checked my gun and checked bag with ammo and received ticket with the wrong gate almost missed flight good thing I can still run well! Made connection with seconds to spare. Honestly, I felt clearing customs in Johannesburg was much less stressful than in Atlanta (because of Bruce) and getting on connecting flight. Just part of traveling.
I used Gio from Gracy as my travel agent and I would not recommend him. I would however recommend Shawn Kennedy at Gracy Travel and will use her for our next hunt in 2026.
Recap:
All in all this hunt surpassed all my expectations. After 27 years, I finally made it back to Africa! It was fun, challenging at times, but Derian will cater to the hunters abilities and limitations. Derian will not shoot your buffalo unless it’s to save a client or if it’s wounded. A wounded buffalo on his concession will often be devoured by lions and/or hyenas if not recovered, not leaving much of a trophy for the hunter.
The concession I hunted, Buffaloland Safaris, is 10,000 acres and managed by JP. Derian has sole hunting rights to BuffaloLand, in addition he has guiding rights to a block of the Greater Kruger area for buffalo, elephant, plains game and two other nearby concessions similar in size to Buffaloland that also have buffalo, crocodile, hyena and a variety of plains game. The Klasserie River flows along and through BuffaloLand making for a beautiful scenic visual. There is also quite a few watering holes spread throughout the concession that harbor crocodile and they are found in the river as well. I think it is a very special place.
Yes, it is fenced 10,000 acres but animals that roam freely in and out are: leopard, lion, hyena, wild African dogs and warthog to name some. To me, having hunted a traditional Safari in Mozambique 27 years ago, I did not feel this any less of a hunt. Tracking and stalking buffalo is the same in an unfenced area in my opinion. Low crawling through the thorns and dirt/sand is the same as anywhere else. I believe hunters coming here who practice shooting off sticks and getting an accurate shot off in a few seconds or less will be very successful.
Derian has a loaner 375 Ruger rifle that he rents to clients who don’t bring guns. He handloads 300 grain Perigrine (made in SA similar to Barnes TSX). It performs very well on buffalo. Derian says the 375 H&H is the most common rifle chambering his buffalo hunters bring and he’s perfectly fine with this as a minimum round but does include the 9.3x62 as being perfectly acceptable for buffalo too. Derian uses a CZ 458 Lott with iron sights to backup his clients when hunting buffalo.
I was very pleased with the performance of my CZ 416 Rigby. One shot kills on buffalo, Kudu, Impala and warthog using factory 400 grain TSX. Of course I did put an insurance shot into the buffalo when it was on the ground dying. I felt it a fine one gun Safari rifle and a great caliber for everything. PH Derian and PH Christian really liked my CZ 416 Rigby and would’ve been quite happy if I forgot to take it home!
I had a wonderful time and highly recommend Derian Koekemoer Safaris. I feel Derian is a very ethical, honest and capable PH. He loves guiding clients and does everything in his power for a successful outcome. Same goes for PH Christian and Derian’s wife Johlene who handles the paperwork end, marketing and insuring all the hunters needs are met by the staff back in camp. My brother, his son and I will be returning in July 2026 to hunt with Derian for 3 trophy Cape buffalo and my brother will be hunting hyena and crocodile too. I can’t wait to return!
