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

 

[TxHunter55]

Day 4

The Lion hunters are out of camp early again before first light wanting to get on his tracks at first light. My dad and I set out on what turns out to be a 3-kilometer morning walk through the local dry riverbeds. Me with bow in hand, my dad with the rifle and sticks, follow the lead of the tracker and our PH Mark. We walk in and out of the riverbeds and make our way through the brush hoping to find a few animals, but our walk only produces a few Warthogs that we spot already running off into the bush with tales straight up.

We make our way back to the bakkie and decide to continue to ride around looking for anything mature to get a stalk on. After riding around a while we spot a nice Waterbuck, my dad and Mark decide to make a stalk on him. They go in for what turns out to be a quick stalk, but not for the right reasons. After 10 minutes or so they realize that the animal has given them the slip and is nowhere to be found. We continue to ride around for the morning hunt and spot a small group of Blue Wildebeest, we stop and take a good look, but the biggest male wasn’t quite big enough to go after and needed another year. So, we pass on them and head back to the lodge for an early lunch.

Back at the Lodge eating another delicious meal, we get word from the Lion hunters. They are back on his track but have yet to catch up with him.

We finish up lunch and head to different bow blind for the afternoon hunt. This one is a large, elevated blind over a large watering area and feed trough. We get settled in just after midday. The wind appears better today than the previous day, as it’s a steady wind blowing in our faces. We bring a crossbow along in case my dad sees something he wants to shoot at. There is NO rifle hunting allowed out of the bow blinds or on the block where the blinds are situated. I really like this rule as it helps keep the already naturally weary animals a little calmer when coming to water.

It doesn’t take long for animals to start coming in. The first, a group of banded mongooses. They come in for a quick drink and a bite to eat. We watch them scamper around for a while trying to find shade to then burrow their bellies into the red sand to cool off from the mid-day sun. The group then disappeared back into the bush, and all is quiet for about 40 minutes. Two young Warthog then make their way in to cool off as well. They get a few drinks of water then proceed to roll around in the mud. They get as covered as they can then trot off into the bushveld. Not long after they leave a decent Waterbuck male makes his way in for a drink. He has a nice shape but isn’t quite mature or big enough. We watch him for just a short time getting a few drinks and then moving on.

Again, all is quiet with just a few birds making their way in and out of the watering hole. I look off to my right and spot a group of Impala, 2 males and 2 females. One ram being noticeably bigger than the other and is without question a mature male. Excitement starts to build. I had no clue just how jumpy these animals were when coming into water until this encounter. We watch them skittishly dance in and out of the watering hole for over an hour. Being so spooky they would jump and briefly run off from the flight of a bird a few meters away from them. They have now made their way to the far side of the watering hole just over 30 yards away. The larger male makes his way up to the water’s edge and I draw back my bow. I get settled and wait for him to turn broad side, he then takes two steps to his left and I release the arrow. I can see my solid white fletchings buried in just behind the front leg and instantly know. I have finally taken my first African animal with a bow! We give him some time and then as we are about to get out of the blind, we hear Wildebeest making their way in. They must have heard us moving around the blind packing up to get out because it took them a while to finally commit to coming in. I’m just hoping there is a good male in the group. They finally all make their way in and the only mature animal in the group is a cow.

We are able to finally make our way out of the blind after the Wildebeest leave. Walking over to the far side of the water where the Impala ram stood, I find my arrow not too far behind. We start tracking him and I am doing my best to just completely soak in the entirety of the moment. With the sun setting over South Africa we pause to take a few extra pictures. Back to tracking Mark heads off in front of us and its not too long before he lets us know he has found my Impala!

Sitting in the back of the bakkie for the brief but chilly ride to drop of the Impala for the skinners, we are treated to another beautiful South African sunset. The sunsets here are some of the best in the world seeming to just hang in the sky and last as long as possible before shades of vermilion and amber slowly fade to black. While dropping off the Impala we got word that I was not the only one with a successful hunt this evening….

 

[TxHunter55]

The Lion hunt has come to a successful end!

We hear that the days Lion hunt has been a success, and everyone involved is safe. My dad and I are now back at the lodge again enjoying celebratory drinks and waiting for the Lion hunters to return so we can hear the full story. It takes them a while to return as the property they were hunting is over an hour’s drive. They finally make their way back, all still riding an adrenaline high that no man-made drug could rival. We all settle in around the campfire and listen as they all start talking about how the day had gone.

On the hunt with my brother, was Nicus and Dandre as well as a very skilled tracker that has made his living hunting Lion. There are usually multiple PH’s going along on dangerous game hunts to allow for more back up in case things go awry. They were able to get on fresh Lion tracks at first light that morning. It slowly turned into another long exhausting day following the tracks and stalking the Lion. They had put in another long day on foot walking well over 17 kilometers again down into the deep valley and back up the adjacent sides on the track of what has now literally become a ghost. They had gone all day pushing the Lion but were not able to lay eyes on him. The skilled tracker being able to find and show them where the animal had briefly laid down or marked his territory in the way most male cats do. As the evening was setting in, they made their way into an area of thick brush and that’s where they finally found the Lion. The animal, now agitated from being pushed for the past two days, has finally decided to stop running and stand his ground. The Lion mock charges on the tracker and Dandre to within 14 to 15 meters! The tracker stands his ground as well, and Dandre slowly backs out. Expressionless and a little paler than normal Dandre slowly walks over to Nicus and my brother letting them know the Lion is no longer running and, in the brush, just in front of them. They all slowly walk into the bush, rifles at the ready, light continuing to fade. They come face to face with the now agitated Lion again no longer backing down. My brother has a hard time making our where he is standing as he is blending into the thick brush and light continues to fade. He is then able to spot him no more than 24 to 25 meters away! The Lion standing and looking directly at them, Nicus tells my brother where to aim for the best shot placement in this situation. My brother steadies himself and slowly squeezes the trigger. The Lion jumps 2 meters into the air, lets out an unforgettable groan and then disappears into the brush behind him. They all take the moment to collect themselves before moving forward to look for the animal. They find the Lion a short distance from where he had vanished, completely expired, and no follow up shots were necessary.

Day 5

Starts off with all the Lion hunters taking the morning off and sleeping in after the exhausting previous two days. I start with yet another light breakfast, a warm cup of coffee standing around the campfire listening to the sounds of the bushveld come alive as the sun comes up.

My dad and I are headed to the Limpopo River property for the morning hunt. We arrive at the property after sunup and make our way down to the river. No sooner we get down there we spot 2 nice Waterbuck. My dad and Mark head in after them. They are slowly closing in on them when out of nowhere two Zebras run through spooking the Waterbuck and just like that the stalk is over. We continue driving along the river and I keep looking at the river that is dotted with Egyptian geese. I keep hoping to catch a glimpse of a Crocodile or Hippo but we never see one. This morning’s hunt is slower, seeing less animals moving than last time. We finally spot a decent Bushbuck and quickly put another stalk on it with the bow. We get to within 65 yards and as soon as I step in a spot to draw my bow it runs off into the thick brush. We continued driving around looking for anything mature to go after but the animals we just not moving this morning. We call it a morning and head back to the lodge for lunch.

Back at camp, eating lunch, we come up with a plan for the afternoon/evening hunt. I will be headed back to pit blind with the bow, my dad is going back to the Limpopo River area to keep trying to get a Waterbuck or Bushbuck, and my brother opting for a more leisurely hunt after 2 days of chasing Lion decides to ride around looking for Impala or Blesbok.

We get into the blind around 2:00 and get settled to spend the remainder of the day there. We spend the first part of the hunt watching Guineas run around pecking at the sand looking like chickens on speed. It takes a while, but we finally start seeing larger animals make their way in. There is a large group of Waterbuck that makes their way in but no good male in the group. We watch them feed for a while and then make their way off. Shortly after we see a beautiful Gemsbok making his way in. He has great color and markings but just not old enough. Later I look off to my left and on the side of the water is a decent Steenbok, one of the smallest antelopes in the world. He gets a few drinks of water and then runs off. Its now starting to get dark and just before last light a group of Eland start making their way in. We have gone from seeing one of the smallest antelopes to now watching one of the world’s largest antelopes. There are 2 good bulls in the group with good horns, but they have not matured into a proper males yet. One being bigger than the other had barely started to form a tuft on his forehead and just started to form a small dewlap, which is equivalent of a bell on a mature moose. We see a variety of different animals but not one worth taking a shot on.

Back at the lodge for the evening, again sitting around the campfire watching dinner being cooked over the open coals in front of us and catching up with my dad and brother. There luck was as good as mine for the evening, my brother taking multiple stalks on different Impala but unable to make one work and my dad again making a stalk on a Bushbuck that would spoil them in the end running off just before he could squeeze the trigger.

 

[Pablo]

Great report! Helluva lion!

 

[TxHunter55]

Day 6

With the trip starting to unfortunately come to a close, and being the last full day, we thought it best to spend as much time in the stands today as we can. The morning starts with Nicus and I going back to the elevated blind before first light. We hope to get a few animals coming in as day breaks. We get settled in 20 minutes or so before light while all is still dark. My dad and brother both going out like normal after sunup to see what they can find.

As light starts to creep in and you can start making out different objects more clearly, there is a small group of 3 Impala that make their way to the water. There is one ram in the group and a very nice one at that. He hangs close to the ewes never presenting a clear shot. They get a few drinks and disappear back into the brush. The weather has changed this morning from the past few. It's now much cooler and clouds cover the sky, reminding me of the day after a cold front has blown through Texas, a blanket of clouds not allowing the warm rays of the sun to come through. Nicus informs me this is less than ideal as the animals will be more reluctant to move until the sun is shining warming things up. We sit the remainder of the morning only seeing a handful of animals. There were a few that were a little rarer than others, a white flanked Impala and a couple beautiful but young Golden Wildebeest. As the morning sit comes to a close the clouds finally start to break but it’s still chillier than normal.

On the way back to the lodge for a quick lunch we find out that the clouds and cold winds have brought fortune for my dad. That morning, my dad tells Mark he wants to find a Waterbuck that has so far eluded him. They drive around for a while before Mark stops and lets my dad know he wants to take a quick walk through the area where they had been seeing the bigger Waterbuck. Following the lead of the tracker, they find a few fresh tracks and decide to follow. They spot a group of 3 large Waterbuck males and slowly start working their way in on them. With the weather change the animals are staying in the brush and not on the move like normal. They methodically work their way in, now taking an hour to slowly take a few steps at a time when the animals have their heads down or turned the opposite direction. Finally getting to a small thicket of brush to take cover in, my dad gets on the sticks and waits for one of them to step into an opening for a clear shot. As he is waiting, they notice a large male Sable starting to make his way toward them. The Sable walks up to within 15-17 or so meters, pauses and looks at them but somehow does not blow their cover, turns and slowly walks off! Now, being able to return his focus to the Waterbuck it takes another half hour patiently waiting for one of them to move. Finally, one of them steps into a narrow opening between two smaller acacia trees. He quickly takes the shot, the animal clearly hit but does not move. He cycles the rifle as the Waterbuck lowers his head and takes a half step forward and my dad squeezes the trigger again, this time knocking the animal to the ground!

Now back in the pit blind I first hunted for the afternoon sit. The clouds breaking some but still not as warm as the previous day. There has been noticeably less movement so far today. After a while we see a group of Chacma Baboons, they are dark in color and live mostly in South Africa. They come in for water and one starts making a mess of the alfalfa, throwing it around as he’s eating on it as well. Another separate group then runs in and chases that group off. Nicus lets me know this will continue to happen, each group of Baboons chasing off the other all the while chasing off any other animal as well. There is one large male hanging in the back that I have my eye on. As he makes his way into the water, I draw my bow back and get ready for a shot. Nicus also tells me that Baboon have great eyesight and can see us in the blind, so I must move slowly and shoot quickly. I stand up with bow at full draw and as soon as I get settled, he looks in the stand and sees me and runs off. He doesn’t go far so I kneel back down and wait for him to come back in. It takes a few minutes, and we repeat the previous process all over again. This time as soon as I step into the opening to shoot, he’s not looking our way, and I am able to get a quick shot off. The shot looks good, and the animal makes his way off into the brush. We leave him for now and quickly change blinds.

After all that we decided to change up stands for the evening hunt, a similar pit blind that we hunted for a short time when the wind swirled. It’s now around 3:00 and we get situated in the now different pit blind. Just after getting settled, we are treated to yet another very rare animal sighting. A Vulture, standing a meter tall and a wingspan close to 2.5 meters lands at the watering hole. Nicus quickly tells me it’s the first time he has ever seen one at any watering hole. It gets a few drinks and then flies off, a truly amazing sight to see such a majestic bird. About an hour later we are treated to 6 Giraffes that come in for a while and guzzle down some water. One Steenbok female would show up before dark. It amazes me that even with how small they are, they still must kneel to drink water. Then right at dark, a large Warthog with a large left tusk and the right broken halfway off appears at the edge of the water on the opposite side from us. It too kneeling down to drink water, I draw my bow and take my time to find it through the peep sight. I release the arrow, it feels good but I couldn't see where it went or what had happened as light was quickly fading. We pack up and get everything gathered in the blind, then with flashlights shining walk to where the hog was drinking. I find my arrow but not where it should be, still have no clue what happened. All white fletchings still clean but one feather torn half off, again nothing but dust on the shaft, and the tip still clean and as perfect as when I took it out of the quiver. The arrow was resting at a 90-degree angle from my line of shot and about 7 meters from where the Warthog was standing?

Back around the campfire, catching up on the day’s events with my dad and brother. They had gone out together for the evening hunt. As it turns out my brother had similar if not worse luck than I had this evening. He had taken a shot on an exceptional Blesbok and was unable to find him. The animal was front facing and hit good, finding blood for quite a while but had to leave the track due to dark. They marked the spot and plan to get on his tracks in the morning. With it being the last night in Africa it was hard to be upset with the day’s misfortune.