A bit of a disclaimer: 1) Apologies for the long post & 2) Thank you to everyone on here who responded to my DM's for advice; especially @Philip Glass; Philip's Youtube vid's are very educational as well.
I took my first safari to Africa solo for a 10 day hunt June 5 - 15 with Frontier Safari's & the Burchell Family; aka the family that named the Burchell Zebra 200 years ago so I was confident that I was in good hands. I was over the moon when I learned that Kian Burchell, Barry's son would be my PH. He grew up on the ranch & knows it like the back of his hand. A bit more of that later.
Gear List:
- Browning X-Bolt, Hells Canyon chambered in 300 win mag.
- Ammo: Barnes VOR-TX ballistic tip, 180 grain.
- Leupold VX3 HD, 4.5 - 14x, 50 mm with custom turret.
- Pelican Vault 2 gun case
- Knockoff Pelican 1200 ammo case bought of Amazon and worked perfectly fine: Meijia for $35 & held 80 rounds of ammo
- Viper Flex shooting sticks
- Merrel Moab boots (I felt that these were perfect for the hills, valleys, rocks, boulders, 3,000 mountains)
- Courtney Safari boots; I love them but felt they did not have enough ankle support for the technical terrain.
- Nikon, Monarch 10x bino's with Rick Young harness
- Kuiu "Guide" Jacket & vest
- Tractor supply utility canvas-type pants in brown, green and grey
- Kershaw pocket knife, multi-tool
- Camelbak backpack for the truck
- Tag Safari shirts
- Tag Safari buffalo skin gaiters
I flew out of Newark on United direct to J-burg. In typical United fashion, checking a firearm was somewhat daunting. The United employee lack of knowledge on the subject is beyond frustrating having flown to TX with firearms multiple times. I was helping to guide the agents on the proper process. Also, make sure you have a Customs 4457 that lists not only your firearm serial # but whatever optics serial # is on your firearm; that's for your return to the States & dealing with Customs.
I opted for the VIP rifle permit service offered from Afton House right by J-burg Airport. A gentleman met me in a suit at the plane and escorted me thru customs. Then off to get my checked luggage then off to meet Mr. X to proceed to the police dept to retrieve my rifle. The rifle inspection was literally 30 seconds. I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel literally 100 yards from the airport. Mr X dropped me off as I had a 12 hour layover & said he would meet me at 4:30 am the next day for my Airlink flight to Port Elizabeth. Make sure you contact Airlink at least 3 days prior to your flight to inform them that you will be checking a firearm and ammo. The hotel was beautiful. Had a 16 oz bone in filet, with a side and a double whiskey: $34. I'm already in love with South Africa. The next morning Mr X was there at 4:30 am and off I was on the short flight to Port Elizabeth.
Kian my PH picks me up at the airport and off to the ranch we go. I was the only hunter in camp that night and the next morning.
A confession: I am NOT a long range shooter and this weighed on me the 18 months leading up to this safari. Having grown up in the NE and hunting deer in the hardwoods with Shotgun slugs, bow and crossbow I never had a shot longer than 75 yards. Two years before my safari I picked up my 300 win mag and took 4 deer and 2 pigs in TX with it but none of those shots were over 100 yards. I bought my own shooting sticks which I took to Africa & I practiced at the 200 & 300 yard ranges A LOT !!! Prob spent $700 on ammo. Worth every penny as I shot 11 animals and recovered 11 animals with ranges out to 275 yards.
2nd disclaimer: I was very, very lucky on this hunt. The animals I took & the quality. Kian did an amazing job getting me in position and he and my tracker, Siya worked their butts off for me but this was my first time hunting outside the country and my nerves were a bit rattled.
Day 1:
- I am the only hunter in camp (10 hunters are arriving later that day) so I have all 80,000 gorgeous acres to myself but I am utterly exhausted. Still on East Coast time & woke at 2:00 am & just stared at the ceiling waiting to hunt until 6:00 am. I broke the ice with my PH & tracker with gifts of each getting a multi tool & head lamp.
What did I shoot day 1??? My dream animal: Kudu !!! We were glassing blue wildebeest at 400 yards on a hill. At 350, what steps out? Two Kudu males. They start making their way behind a ridge line so we tear ass in the truck to get in position 1/2 mile away. Now we are practically running up a ridge to get in position; we crest the top and there are the two kudu 250 yards out. Get on the sticks, broadside, I hit but its a little back. It runs over a dry creek, stops behind a big bush then walks out but only his neck is showing; Kian tells me to shoot and I hit it in the neck but it runs another 15 yards but its staggering; 1 more broadside shot and my dream animal is down. About 10 hunters arrive in camp that afternoon and it was still 2 or 3 days before another Kudu was taken; hence my prior statement about being lucky.
After lunch we are back out in the field. We come to a valley and 300 yards in front of us is 4 blue wildebeest and they take off up the far hill; now they are 500 yards away. We make a 3/4 mile loop to get in front of them. After a 10 min staredown our target animal is facing us; one shot into the chest at 140 yards and he bellows and spins and takes off down hill. We recover him 100 yards away. I am amazed by the colors and size of this animal. Day 1 was perfection !!! I got my 2 most sought after animals: the pressure is off !!!
Day 2:
We are glassing an enormous & utterly gorgeous valley. 350 yards out is a bunch of blesbuck & one is white; the hunt is on. We scale down the ridge and get to 250 yards; one shot broadside.
Day 3: while driving we spot a handful and blesbuck 500 yards away on a ridge. We sneak down a dry creek bed and get to 211 yards and uphill. One shot and down.
Day 4:
We travel to the far edge of the property; takes us 40 minutes and we start glassing a couple mountain faces. Our tracker spots a big male Gemsbuck a mile away. We jump in the truck and up the mountain we go. Stalk time: 200 yards into the stalk the Gemsbuck busts us. He takes off and disappears. Another 150 yards and he's tearing ass uphill but all I can see is horns. Kian whistles: nothing. Then he yells. The Gemsbuck stops at 220 yards quartering to; I fire; he's down in 40 yards.
Day 5:
- We spot a herd of Impala and put on a stalk; they bust us and take off up a ridge and go at least a mile so we jump in the truck & attempt another stalk. I was amazed how my PH got me in perfect placement for a frontal shot at 130 yards. I let one fly and it takes off. I'm positive it was a good hit but not a single drop of blood but Kian tracks it and finds is 50 yards away. Its worth noting that we saw Impala every day but Kian makes sure that every animal is the "right" animal; mature and worthy of being taken; I really appreciated that.
Its mid morning and time to get a warthog. We spot at least a dozen on top of a ridgeline 600 yards down into a valley. Stalk time. We get to 140 yards and the male just starts taking off for some reason. Kian yells and it stops for less than a second; I make a bad shot but hit it and off it goes. I'm feeling horrible. Two hours of tracking and doubling back. They finally track it down to a river bed and it went in a burrow but there are multiple burrows and a freshly killed bushbuck 30 feet away; barely any flies on it so it was fresh. Its creepy here: dark, dense vegetation, a bunch of burrows, a dead bushbuck....We locate the pig but he's still alive but we don't have a shot. We cover the hole with rocks and run back to the lodge to get a pick axe and shovels. We come back, Kian pops the pig with his 9 MM and we start digging. Two hours later I got my warthog. Kian & Siya worked like crazy for me this day; I was very grateful.
Day 6: Nothing
Day 7:
Popped at cull, one-horned Impala at 200 yards but the shot is low & he takes off behind a bush. We put another stalk on & he takes off; a second shot at 200 yards and he drops.
Day 8:
I was interested in an off package Red Hartebeest but they were getting the best of us so at lunch I changed my mind to a Black Wildebeest & I'm so glad I did as they are gorgeous in person: black, brown, tan & a tiny bit of white. Spotted a lone bull 1 1/2 mile away in a field. 20 min drive later and stalk time. Kian gets me to 99 yards: one shot and down. This was almost sunset and the sky exploded in orange: it was an amazing moment.
Day 9:
Went off property and got my Springbuck at 200 yards on a beautiful sheep farm. I hit him a little back and it jumped back a couple feet and froze. I shot between the V of a tree and down.
Now its time for a cull blesbuck hunt and this one was actually the hardest hunt of the trip. For hours we were following a herd of 20 and they were beyond skittish
. Must of jumped them 8 times. We tried spot and stalk, an old fashion deer drive, then just driving around. Long story short I got my cull at a short 60 yards and then a quick follow up shot.
Day 10:
Took the day off the pack, square away my Dip & Pack, tour their taxidermy studio, catch up with the other hunters at the Boma & hit the range to see how far this short range shooter could hit.
Here are a few more pics that I felt were share-worthy.
Misc:
The Burchell family is beyond amazing. Barry & his wife Lizette had dinner with us every night at the Boma. Super friendly and welcoming. Had cigars and whiskey every night after dinner. The other hunters in camp were great. My PH Kian was an absolute beast in the bush; they build them differently down there. My tracker Siya worked his butt off. Fred Burchell, Kian's brother was great to talk to and laugh with. All the PH's were great and made sure to know all the hunters names. Dinner in the Burchell families home game room was like something out of a movie. The PH's the staff, the Burchell family; they all went above and beyond. In addition to $ to my tracker Siya, I gave him a bunch of my extra toiletries & gear: pair of pants, shirt, a watch, ball cap, wool hat, gloves and neck gaiter; he earned it.
The food was great and plenty of it, the PH's were always there to get you a beer or a glass of wine, the staff kept the place extremely clean.
Having watched a ton of Youtube South Africa hunting vid's I was blown away by the diversity of terrain at Frontier Safari's. Most Youtube vids; the truck is driving along nice and flat roads. This is NOT a flat, meandering piece of property. I'm talking 3,000 ft mountains, ridge lines, bowls, valleys, river beds, rocks, boulders, etc. My 2 cents: hit the gym and get in some cardio training before arriving; it will make your hunt that much more enjoyable.
This was without doubt the best 10 days of my life. Will I be back ???? I signed my May 2026 return trip contract on day 5 of this hunt; that is how blown away I was...
I took my first safari to Africa solo for a 10 day hunt June 5 - 15 with Frontier Safari's & the Burchell Family; aka the family that named the Burchell Zebra 200 years ago so I was confident that I was in good hands. I was over the moon when I learned that Kian Burchell, Barry's son would be my PH. He grew up on the ranch & knows it like the back of his hand. A bit more of that later.
Gear List:
- Browning X-Bolt, Hells Canyon chambered in 300 win mag.
- Ammo: Barnes VOR-TX ballistic tip, 180 grain.
- Leupold VX3 HD, 4.5 - 14x, 50 mm with custom turret.
- Pelican Vault 2 gun case
- Knockoff Pelican 1200 ammo case bought of Amazon and worked perfectly fine: Meijia for $35 & held 80 rounds of ammo
- Viper Flex shooting sticks
- Merrel Moab boots (I felt that these were perfect for the hills, valleys, rocks, boulders, 3,000 mountains)
- Courtney Safari boots; I love them but felt they did not have enough ankle support for the technical terrain.
- Nikon, Monarch 10x bino's with Rick Young harness
- Kuiu "Guide" Jacket & vest
- Tractor supply utility canvas-type pants in brown, green and grey
- Kershaw pocket knife, multi-tool
- Camelbak backpack for the truck
- Tag Safari shirts
- Tag Safari buffalo skin gaiters
I flew out of Newark on United direct to J-burg. In typical United fashion, checking a firearm was somewhat daunting. The United employee lack of knowledge on the subject is beyond frustrating having flown to TX with firearms multiple times. I was helping to guide the agents on the proper process. Also, make sure you have a Customs 4457 that lists not only your firearm serial # but whatever optics serial # is on your firearm; that's for your return to the States & dealing with Customs.
I opted for the VIP rifle permit service offered from Afton House right by J-burg Airport. A gentleman met me in a suit at the plane and escorted me thru customs. Then off to get my checked luggage then off to meet Mr. X to proceed to the police dept to retrieve my rifle. The rifle inspection was literally 30 seconds. I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel literally 100 yards from the airport. Mr X dropped me off as I had a 12 hour layover & said he would meet me at 4:30 am the next day for my Airlink flight to Port Elizabeth. Make sure you contact Airlink at least 3 days prior to your flight to inform them that you will be checking a firearm and ammo. The hotel was beautiful. Had a 16 oz bone in filet, with a side and a double whiskey: $34. I'm already in love with South Africa. The next morning Mr X was there at 4:30 am and off I was on the short flight to Port Elizabeth.
Kian my PH picks me up at the airport and off to the ranch we go. I was the only hunter in camp that night and the next morning.
A confession: I am NOT a long range shooter and this weighed on me the 18 months leading up to this safari. Having grown up in the NE and hunting deer in the hardwoods with Shotgun slugs, bow and crossbow I never had a shot longer than 75 yards. Two years before my safari I picked up my 300 win mag and took 4 deer and 2 pigs in TX with it but none of those shots were over 100 yards. I bought my own shooting sticks which I took to Africa & I practiced at the 200 & 300 yard ranges A LOT !!! Prob spent $700 on ammo. Worth every penny as I shot 11 animals and recovered 11 animals with ranges out to 275 yards.
2nd disclaimer: I was very, very lucky on this hunt. The animals I took & the quality. Kian did an amazing job getting me in position and he and my tracker, Siya worked their butts off for me but this was my first time hunting outside the country and my nerves were a bit rattled.
Day 1:
- I am the only hunter in camp (10 hunters are arriving later that day) so I have all 80,000 gorgeous acres to myself but I am utterly exhausted. Still on East Coast time & woke at 2:00 am & just stared at the ceiling waiting to hunt until 6:00 am. I broke the ice with my PH & tracker with gifts of each getting a multi tool & head lamp.
What did I shoot day 1??? My dream animal: Kudu !!! We were glassing blue wildebeest at 400 yards on a hill. At 350, what steps out? Two Kudu males. They start making their way behind a ridge line so we tear ass in the truck to get in position 1/2 mile away. Now we are practically running up a ridge to get in position; we crest the top and there are the two kudu 250 yards out. Get on the sticks, broadside, I hit but its a little back. It runs over a dry creek, stops behind a big bush then walks out but only his neck is showing; Kian tells me to shoot and I hit it in the neck but it runs another 15 yards but its staggering; 1 more broadside shot and my dream animal is down. About 10 hunters arrive in camp that afternoon and it was still 2 or 3 days before another Kudu was taken; hence my prior statement about being lucky.
After lunch we are back out in the field. We come to a valley and 300 yards in front of us is 4 blue wildebeest and they take off up the far hill; now they are 500 yards away. We make a 3/4 mile loop to get in front of them. After a 10 min staredown our target animal is facing us; one shot into the chest at 140 yards and he bellows and spins and takes off down hill. We recover him 100 yards away. I am amazed by the colors and size of this animal. Day 1 was perfection !!! I got my 2 most sought after animals: the pressure is off !!!
Day 2:
We are glassing an enormous & utterly gorgeous valley. 350 yards out is a bunch of blesbuck & one is white; the hunt is on. We scale down the ridge and get to 250 yards; one shot broadside.
Day 3: while driving we spot a handful and blesbuck 500 yards away on a ridge. We sneak down a dry creek bed and get to 211 yards and uphill. One shot and down.
Day 4:
We travel to the far edge of the property; takes us 40 minutes and we start glassing a couple mountain faces. Our tracker spots a big male Gemsbuck a mile away. We jump in the truck and up the mountain we go. Stalk time: 200 yards into the stalk the Gemsbuck busts us. He takes off and disappears. Another 150 yards and he's tearing ass uphill but all I can see is horns. Kian whistles: nothing. Then he yells. The Gemsbuck stops at 220 yards quartering to; I fire; he's down in 40 yards.
Day 5:
- We spot a herd of Impala and put on a stalk; they bust us and take off up a ridge and go at least a mile so we jump in the truck & attempt another stalk. I was amazed how my PH got me in perfect placement for a frontal shot at 130 yards. I let one fly and it takes off. I'm positive it was a good hit but not a single drop of blood but Kian tracks it and finds is 50 yards away. Its worth noting that we saw Impala every day but Kian makes sure that every animal is the "right" animal; mature and worthy of being taken; I really appreciated that.
Its mid morning and time to get a warthog. We spot at least a dozen on top of a ridgeline 600 yards down into a valley. Stalk time. We get to 140 yards and the male just starts taking off for some reason. Kian yells and it stops for less than a second; I make a bad shot but hit it and off it goes. I'm feeling horrible. Two hours of tracking and doubling back. They finally track it down to a river bed and it went in a burrow but there are multiple burrows and a freshly killed bushbuck 30 feet away; barely any flies on it so it was fresh. Its creepy here: dark, dense vegetation, a bunch of burrows, a dead bushbuck....We locate the pig but he's still alive but we don't have a shot. We cover the hole with rocks and run back to the lodge to get a pick axe and shovels. We come back, Kian pops the pig with his 9 MM and we start digging. Two hours later I got my warthog. Kian & Siya worked like crazy for me this day; I was very grateful.
Day 6: Nothing
Day 7:
Popped at cull, one-horned Impala at 200 yards but the shot is low & he takes off behind a bush. We put another stalk on & he takes off; a second shot at 200 yards and he drops.
Day 8:
I was interested in an off package Red Hartebeest but they were getting the best of us so at lunch I changed my mind to a Black Wildebeest & I'm so glad I did as they are gorgeous in person: black, brown, tan & a tiny bit of white. Spotted a lone bull 1 1/2 mile away in a field. 20 min drive later and stalk time. Kian gets me to 99 yards: one shot and down. This was almost sunset and the sky exploded in orange: it was an amazing moment.
Day 9:
Went off property and got my Springbuck at 200 yards on a beautiful sheep farm. I hit him a little back and it jumped back a couple feet and froze. I shot between the V of a tree and down.
Now its time for a cull blesbuck hunt and this one was actually the hardest hunt of the trip. For hours we were following a herd of 20 and they were beyond skittish
Day 10:
Took the day off the pack, square away my Dip & Pack, tour their taxidermy studio, catch up with the other hunters at the Boma & hit the range to see how far this short range shooter could hit.
Here are a few more pics that I felt were share-worthy.
Misc:
The Burchell family is beyond amazing. Barry & his wife Lizette had dinner with us every night at the Boma. Super friendly and welcoming. Had cigars and whiskey every night after dinner. The other hunters in camp were great. My PH Kian was an absolute beast in the bush; they build them differently down there. My tracker Siya worked his butt off. Fred Burchell, Kian's brother was great to talk to and laugh with. All the PH's were great and made sure to know all the hunters names. Dinner in the Burchell families home game room was like something out of a movie. The PH's the staff, the Burchell family; they all went above and beyond. In addition to $ to my tracker Siya, I gave him a bunch of my extra toiletries & gear: pair of pants, shirt, a watch, ball cap, wool hat, gloves and neck gaiter; he earned it.
The food was great and plenty of it, the PH's were always there to get you a beer or a glass of wine, the staff kept the place extremely clean.
Having watched a ton of Youtube South Africa hunting vid's I was blown away by the diversity of terrain at Frontier Safari's. Most Youtube vids; the truck is driving along nice and flat roads. This is NOT a flat, meandering piece of property. I'm talking 3,000 ft mountains, ridge lines, bowls, valleys, river beds, rocks, boulders, etc. My 2 cents: hit the gym and get in some cardio training before arriving; it will make your hunt that much more enjoyable.
This was without doubt the best 10 days of my life. Will I be back ???? I signed my May 2026 return trip contract on day 5 of this hunt; that is how blown away I was...
