SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa With Fair Chase Safaris

[TxHunter55]

We recently got back from a trip to South Africa hunting with Fair Chase Safaris owned and operated by Nicus Van Rensburg and his wife Colene Van Rensburg. This was our second trip and first-time hunting with Fair Chase Safaris. I really cannot say enough great things about everyone from start to finish. From the moment we booked the trip there was direct communication with Nicus and he answered all of our questions in timely manner. They sent over contracts and general information papers a few months before our start date. It was a 7-day trip with 3 of us hunting, my father, brother, and I. We are all going after different game, myself bow hunting only, looking to get my first African animal with a bow as I was unsuccessful last trip but took some nice animals with a rifle. My dad targeting Sabel, and my brother going after Lion!

The hunting concession we will be on is made up of a large 7,500 acre main property that is completely self-sustaining. There is then another property close by, along the Limpopo River that is great for Bushbuck. Then the Lion is on a completely separate and very large property about an hours drive. Nicus also has access to locations throughout South Africa as well as a separate bow hunting only property. So, he can put together any type of hunt you may be looking for, anything from dangerous game to plans game to hunting the bushveld.

If anyone is look to book their first or any other trip to South Africa I highly recommend checking out Fair Chase Safaris
https://fairchasesafaris.com
Nicus is a very honest and up front person. Everything he had told me and everything we talked about leading up to the trip was just as he said it would be when we got there! We never felt as if we were being lied to or taken advantage of, in fact quite the opposite. Everyone will work as hard as they can to help you be successful. They will not let you shoot subpar animals either and will make sure every animal taken is a proper mature animal that anyone would be proud to have!


Day 1

We arrived into Johannesburg around 9:30am after 2 long flights from Texas. We grab our bags and my bow, all of which made it without being lost or delayed, always a good feeling. We are meet in the Airport by Nicus and another member of his team, Dandre, as well as his wife Colene. They get all of our bags loaded and off we go on a short 4 hour drive to the area we will be hunting. The drive went by quick, and we are at the lodge before we know it. We get unpacked and check out the lodge which is a perfect combination of elegance meets rustic! We are the only ones in camp, and each have our own chalet.

We head to the gun range so my dad and brother can shoot the rifles to get acclimated with them. It’s the first time shooting a 416 for my brother or any of us for that matter. After sending a few down range and getting comfortable on the guns, we take a drive around and get a lay of the land. It’s starting to get late at this point, so they find a place to stop and enjoy the evening with a sundowner!

We get back to the lodge with a warm fire and cold drinks waiting on us! The other PH named Mark that will be hunting with us for the trip makes it into camp safely as well.

Stay tuned for day 2 and more details about our amazing trip!!!

 

[TxHunter55]

Day 2

Waking up at first light from a mostly sleepless night due to a combination of excitement, anticipation, and jet lag; we have a light breakfast, mostly coffee for me, and wait for the sun to start rising. The morning starts out with my brother going after Giraffe so he can get comfortable shooting the 416 off the sticks in prep for the Lion hunt. My father and I are riding together looking for any mature animal to get a stalk on. We ride around most of the morning seeing a lot of animals but nothing worth going after. The brush is thick and very dry and brown due to being in the winter dry season but there is a vibrant red color mixed in from the sandy soil. We then come around a turn and spot a group of Giraffe, knowing that’s what my brother is after we stop and Mark reaches out to the other group.

As it turns out it’s a group that my brother and Nicus have been stalking for over 8 kilometers at this point and just got a shot off on one before we showed up. We back out and let my brothers’ group proceed with tracking while my dad and I head back to the lodge for an early lunch. No sooner we get to camp we get word that they were able to catch up with the Giraffe and get it down. So, we put lunch on hold and head back out to see the Giraffe!

On the way back into camp for lunch a large warthog is spotted and my dad gets on the gun and sets up. After waiting for what seemed like forever the warthog finally presents a good quartering away shot. Just like that we now have 2 animals down in no time!

Finally able to eat lunch and get a game plan for the rest of the afternoon. My brother is headed to hunt the Limpopo River area and my and my Dad and I will hop into a bow blind for the evening sit. The pit bow blinds are nice with ample room for my dad and I plus the PH Mark. I really liked the way the bottom horizontal windows are mirrored glass so you can sit and see everything coming in without having to move much and the animals cannot see that anyone is in the blind. Then the top vertical windows are open and just the right height for a standing bow shot.

The evening hunt was eventful seeing many animals. There was a large group of Guineafowl running all over and a small group of Impala ewes most of the time. Then, closer to sundown a group of Waterbuck as well as a group of Eland make their way in. Both groups consisted mostly of females and a few young males. There was one nice Waterbuck we spot coming in separately and by himself, but he stays off about 80 yards and in the brush, never deciding to fully commit to coming in before it gets dark. We get back to the lodge to find out that my brother had more success for the day! He was able to connect with a really nice Bushbuck just before dark.

Our evening comes to a close sitting around the fire talking about the days’ hunt, planning the next days’ hunt, and enjoying a cold drink of choice!

 

[TxHunter55]

Day 3

Starts like the last with a light breakfast and a warm cup of coffee standing around the morning campfire. I woke up this morning more rested than the one before, finally being able to get a good night’s sleep! Today, my brother is off early, before first light, for the Lion and my dad and I are going to chase Sable, the main animal he is after for the trip. We head out just after sunup and it doesn’t take long for us to find a few Sable. We spot 3 small bulls and then see another loan bull just down the road. You could only see his horn glistening in the sun through the bush but he was by himself and Mark thought we should put a stalk on him and get a better look. So, Mark, my dad, and the tracker take off on foot and I hang back at the bakkie which is what they call the safari style hunting trucks here. While sitting on the back of bakkie there is another group of 3 Sable bulls that cross the road less than 150 yards behind me.

They spend the next 10-15 minutes slowly stalking in on the bull and end up bumping him at about 80 yards. He didn’t like what was going on and took off running, ending that stalk. So, we load up and take off in search of another. It doesn’t take long before another mature Sable bull is spotted. This one is in a much better spot for a stalk with the way the wind is, and he has no clue anyone is around! My dad is able to quickly get into a good position for a shot and set up on the sticks. Now just needing a little luck that the animal will walk out into the opening they are set up on. After at least 5-10 minutes of waiting, it finally happens. The Sable walks out, and Mark is able to get him to stop in time for a shot! We give it time and then walk to where the animal was hit, just over a 200 yard shot. We find his track where he ran across the road and start there.

We follow the tracks, and it is a very short tracking job to find him down with in 150 yards of where he was hit. A beautiful mature Sable bull with tons of mass and a mixture of fresh and old scars on his face from fighting.

We head back to the lodge for lunch and a few celebratory drinks! It’s then off to a different bow blind for the afternoon sit. Sitting over a different water hole with some alfalfa out as well. It was a slower sit lasting about an hour and a half with only one waterbuck ewe coming in. The wind then starts to swirl, and the easy decision is made to switch up for the evening. We get out of the blind and head over to the adjacent section to hunt the Limpopo River area for the evening hunt. We are treated to a rare sight on the drive over. We spot a Aardvark out in the middle of road at around 2:30 in the afternoon. Mark tells us that in all his years of hunting that’s only the 4th he has seen out in the day!

We get down to the river area and start hunting, it’s a completely different area than what we had been hunting landscape wise. It’s a beautiful property with Botswana just on the other side of the river! We’re seeing a lot of Bushbuck as we go along but no good mature buck yet. I start thinking this may be impossible to get in distance to one with a bow as they are mostly spooky animals running all over the river area. No sooner I think that, a good mature male is spotted and we set out on foot with the bow. We are somehow able to get within 27 yards of him. He is standing behind a downed log/tree facing away from us. I take a step back and kneel down so I can draw my bow without being seen. Stand up and take a few steps to my left to get in position, settle my sight and let an arrow fly. I knew immediately that something bad had just happened when I released the arrow, it felt and sounded much different than normal. As bad luck would have it the bow string caught my sleeve that I had rolled up on my forearm. Something that has never happened in all my years of bow hunting. We got down to where the arrow went and find my arrow with clean fletchings and nothing but dust on the shaft. It was a clean miss due to rolling up my long sleeve shirt and having the string catch it when I shot. We continue to ride around for the last hour and a half of the evening and spot many more Bushbuck but not another mature male to go after.

We get word on the way back to the lodge that after 17 kilometers of tracking the Lion they were unable to get on him for any kind of shot. My brother did say they were at least able to lay eyes on him and was blown away by the sheer size and roar of the Lion! The area they are hunting is much different than where we are. It’s mostly rocky with mountainesque type hills and a large deep valley in between. Evidently the Lion knows he’s being followed and keeps crisscrossing back and forth, down into the valley and back up the other side.

The evening again coming to a close, as they all do in Africa, sitting around the campfire reminiscing on the days’ events. I sit with mixed emotions. Partly proud and astonished for being able to get a shot off within 30 yards of a Bushbuck with my bow and partly heartbroken with the results of the efforts!

 

[ChasingHemingway]

Great hunt!! Following