SOUTH AFRICA: Back From Africa With Zeekoepan Safaris

[Paul schlaphoff]

We just got back from South Africa a week ago. I will try to send a complete report as soon as I can. We hunted in Kwazulu Natal with Zeekoepan Safaris. Six species of plains game. 10 days

 

[sestoppelman]

Sounds like fun, get writing! And pics of course!

 

[CAustin]

Look forward to reading your report!

 

[Mekaniks]

Awesome! Looking forward to it!!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Look forward to the detailed report when you get over the jet lag.

 

[Paul schlaphoff]

I have just returned from South Africa from a hunt with Zeekoepan Safaris in Pongola,SA. After the long trip from Minnesota to Amsterdam to Johannesburg to Richards Bay, we were met at the airport and took a two and a half hour drive to the Zeekoepan hunting lodge. As soon as we entered the property we started seeing game. Rhinos, impalas, warthogs, etc., which seemed to be a very good sign of things to come.

We were met by Amanda Basson, who along with her husband Willem the PH, own and operate their property that was a Zulu grant to Amanda’s great grandfather in the late 1800’s. Combined with a neighbor and their 60,000 acres, we had 80,000 acres of hunting land.

After we were shown to our chalet, we settled in and then went to the lodge for supper and a campfire. Willem was there then and he and Amanda quickly proved to be perfect hosts. After a superb supper and a couple of drinks around the campfire, we turned in and were told to come to the lodge the next morning at 7:30 to start hunting.

Our chalet was very nice. Nicely furnished, with shower and separate tub, kitchenette, couch and comfortable chairs and king size bed. The fridge had muffins and soda and bottled water. Coffee was available and we made a pot each morning and ate a muffin before hunting. There was a patio against one wall with large glass windows and door. This looked out over the Mkuze River and often game was present when we looked out.

I should mention that there were four of us in camp: My wife Irene, myself, a good friend and long time hunting companion Ken, and his wife Myrna. Our wives went with us every day as observers and did not hunt.

Willem took my wife and I out every day and Ken and Myrna went with Bo, one of only a handful of black PH’s in South Africa. We also had a tracker with each rig. Lindo was ours and what a tremendous set of eyes he has.

We quickly learned that there was a lot of game. We started seeing Impala and blue wildebeest’s almost immediately. After only about an hour, Willem spotted a wildebeest he thought we should try for. It was across an open meadow about 150 yards away. This was one of the very few open areas amidst thick brush, and 60 yards was a long shot. Willem set the shooting sticks and I prepared to shoot. I was shooting Willem’s 375 Mauser. The shot was head on and I made the only poor shot of the trip. We trailed the animal and finally decided I had missed.

Then as every morning we went back to camp around 11:00 am for brunch. Wow, what a spread. Eggs, meat, breads and rolls, coffee, juice, fruits.

Willem wanted to check closer for the wildebeest so he took a couple of trackers and left to check things out. He came back a little later and said they didn’t find anything. We relaxed in camp until 3:00 pm when it was time to hunt again.

We had looked at a lot of impala that day but Willem kept saying they weren’t big enough, although some looked pretty good to me. Then suddenly, Willem stopped and pointed to an impala about 50 yards away and said, “That’s a nice animal, you should take him.” The impala stood there long enough for me to get set and he dropped at the shot. I should say that was the only thing I shot that didn’t move after the shot. I was amazed at the toughness of the game. A 300 grain bullet from a 375 one would think would knock most animals off their feet. Anyway, I had my first African game. What a beautiful animal and a nice way to start our safari. It was time to go back to the lodge and drinks around the campfire and the first of unbelievably wonderful suppers. So ended our first day at Zeekoepan .


Day two

I had decided to hunt five animals on this trip: Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Warthog, Nyala, and Kudu. These are all available on the property. It is bushveld or thornveld and quite thick. They are especially proud of their nyala and we were able to look at a lot of them during the week.

We hunted hard all day, moving into the high country and made several stalks on wildebeest, but they were very wary and eluded us. About the time I would get the rifle set, off would move the animal. Their eyes are very good. At one point Willem spotted some wildebeest at about 150 yards, we were in thick brush. When I stepped into the opening with Willem, they immediately saw the white on my cap and left pronto. Our luggage had not made it from Amsterdam and so my camo hat hadn’t arrived. Willem had seen a decent warthog down on the flats and we worked our way back down, but did not find the old boar. I have no idea how many nyala and kudu we looked at that day, but it was a substantial number. None met Willem’s critical eye.

Finally, we gave up for the day and returned to camp for some well deserved bourbon, a campfire, and another superb meal. This was our first taste of impala and it was delicious. We went to bed tired and happy.

The first days bounty

My wife Irene, Willem, the PH, Lindo, the tracker.

 

[gillettehunter]

That looks like a very nice Impala. Congrats. Bruce

 

[kgesch]

I have just returned from South Africa from a hunt with Zeekoepan Safaris in Pongola,SA. After the long trip from Minnesota to Amsterdam to Johannesburg to Richards Bay, we were met at the airport and took a two and a half hour drive to the Zeekoepan hunting lodge. As soon as we entered the property we started seeing game. Rhinos, impalas, warthogs, etc., which seemed to be a very good sign of things to come.

We were met by Amanda Basson, who along with her husband Willem the PH, own and operate their property that was a Zulu grant to Amanda’s great grandfather in the late 1800’s. Combined with a neighbor and their 60,000 acres, we had 80,000 acres of hunting land.

After we were shown to our chalet, we settled in and then went to the lodge for supper and a campfire. Willem was there then and he and Amanda quickly proved to be perfect hosts. After a superb supper and a couple of drinks around the campfire, we turned in and were told to come to the lodge the next morning at 7:30 to start hunting.

Our chalet was very nice. Nicely furnished, with shower and separate tub, kitchenette, couch and comfortable chairs and king size bed. The fridge had muffins and soda and bottled water. Coffee was available and we made a pot each morning and ate a muffin before hunting. There was a patio against one wall with large glass windows and door. This looked out over the Mkuze River and often game was present when we looked out.

I should mention that there were four of us in camp: My wife Irene, myself, a good friend and long time hunting companion Ken, and his wife Myrna. Our wives went with us every day as observers and did not hunt.

Willem took my wife and I out every day and Ken and Myrna went with Bo, one of only a handful of black PH’s in South Africa. We also had a tracker with each rig. Lindo was ours and what a tremendous set of eyes he has.

We quickly learned that there was a lot of game. We started seeing Impala and blue wildebeest’s almost immediately. After only about an hour, Willem spotted a wildebeest he thought we should try for. It was across an open meadow about 150 yards away. This was one of the very few open areas amidst thick brush, and 60 yards was a long shot. Willem set the shooting sticks and I prepared to shoot. I was shooting Willem’s 375 Mauser. The shot was head on and I made the only poor shot of the trip. We trailed the animal and finally decided I had missed.

Then as every morning we went back to camp around 11:00 am for brunch. Wow, what a spread. Eggs, meat, breads and rolls, coffee, juice, fruits.

Willem wanted to check closer for the wildebeest so he took a couple of trackers and left to check things out. He came back a little later and said they didn’t find anything. We relaxed in camp until 3:00 pm when it was time to hunt again.

We had looked at a lot of impala that day but Willem kept saying they weren’t big enough, although some looked pretty good to me. Then suddenly, Willem stopped and pointed to an impala about 50 yards away and said, “That’s a nice animal, you should take him.” The impala stood there long enough for me to get set and he dropped at the shot. I should say that was the only thing I shot that didn’t move after the shot. I was amazed at the toughness of the game. A 300 grain bullet from a 375 one would think would knock most animals off their feet. Anyway, I had my first African game. What a beautiful animal and a nice way to start our safari. It was time to go back to the lodge and drinks around the campfire and the first of unbelievably wonderful suppers. So ended our first day at Zeekoepan .


Day two

I had decided to hunt five animals on this trip: Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Warthog, Nyala, and Kudu. These are all available on the property. It is bushveld or thornveld and quite thick. They are especially proud of their nyala and we were able to look at a lot of them during the week.

We hunted hard all day, moving into the high country and made several stalks on wildebeest, but they were very wary and eluded us. About the time I would get the rifle set, off would move the animal. Their eyes are very good. At one point Willem spotted some wildebeest at about 150 yards, we were in thick brush. When I stepped into the opening with Willem, they immediately saw the white on my cap and left pronto. Our luggage had not made it from Amsterdam and so my camo hat hadn’t arrived. Willem had seen a decent warthog down on the flats and we worked our way back down, but did not find the old boar. I have no idea how many nyala and kudu we looked at that day, but it was a substantial number. None met Willem’s critical eye.

Finally, we gave up for the day and returned to camp for some well deserved bourbon, a campfire, and another superb meal. This was our first taste of impala and it was delicious. We went to bed tired and happy.

View attachment 49515
The first days bounty

View attachment 49516
My wife Irene, Willem, the PH, Lindo, the tracker.

You're doing quite the sales job for Zeekoepan! Great report.

 

[Paul schlaphoff]

Day three started like the others by seeing game right out of camp. We spent the morning moving into the higher country and looked at lots of nyala and kudu, but nothing big enough. Tried to stalk some wildebeest but no luck. Finally, late in the morning we headed to camp for brunch and coffee.

Not far from the lodge, Willem and Amanda have cleared about 100 acres of brush and plan to plant 10’000 macadamia nut trees in a new orchard. South Africa is becoming the largest producer of these nuts. That distinction used to belong to Hawaii. Just as we got to the meadow, a large old wildebeest bull walked out into the opening. Why he did that when the others we saw were in heavy brush and very skittish I have no idea. Willem excitedly said “shoot him”. He was about 150 yards and it appeared I missed on the first shot. He turned 180 degrees and stopped and that time I nailed him through the heart. He ran about 25-30 yards and went down. The dogs found him immediately. He was an old bull whose teeth were very worn.



After a few pictures we loaded the animal in the back of the Landcruiser and headed for camp. The camp crew quickly took charge of gutting, skinning, salting and putting the meat in the walk in cooler. We on the other hand headed for another wonderful late morning brunch. Some of the sweetest pineapple I have ever eaten is grown in the local area.

Again, we relaxed until about 3:00 pm then went back out. We kept looking for warthog. They are very active beasts. I could never seem to get them so hold still long enough to get a good photo.

Willem suggested we get out and walk through an area he had been seeing an old boar in so he and I started walking. We’d been walking a few minutes when Willem said, “look, he’s laying under that tree over there”. I looked and about 100 yards away, there set the hog looking at us. Willem set the shooting sticks and I got set. Just as I was about to shoot, the hog shot out of the hole and took off at a dead run. Willem said get ready because they often stop for a quick look. The old boy ran about 30 yards and did just that. He ran toward us so now the shot was even closer. I got a good steady hold on him and shot. He took off and ran about 20 yards and that was it. Again, the dogs were first on the scene.

He was a fine old aged boar whose tusks were heavily worn with age. I consider him a perfect trophy. We loaded him in the truck and for the second time that day the skinners had a job.

My friend Ken had shot a kudu earlier so it was quite a day of hunting.

Supper was kudu, impala, and wildebeest. All wonderfully delicious. The wildebeest a little tougher, but still plenty good to satisfy our appetites.

The living room in our chalet.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Congrats on some nice trophies Paul.
Nothing quite like hunting Zululand.

 

[Nyati]

Like your warthog Paul !

 

[johnnyblues]

Looks like you had quite the time! Congratulations.

 

[edward]

nice trophies!

 

[30winmag]

I'll be headed to that area next year. Thanks for the report!

 

[Paul schlaphoff]

Day four started like all the others but then warmed up very rapidly. By afternoon the temperature was over 100 degrees. The heavy brush precluded much breeze from relieving us. Nevertheless, we hunted all day. There was plenty of game about but nothing large enough. We looked at perhaps 15-20 nyala, a few kudu and the ubiquitous impala. Numerous wildebeest also exposed themselves. We decided to go back to camp a little early for breakfast when Willem got a call on the radio from
Bo and Kens truck. It seems they had found the wildebeest that I had shot the first day and we had concluded I had missed. We drove there immediately and took a look. When we examined the animal we found that my shot had gone low in the brisket and ranged through the gut quite low, exiting just ahead of one of the hind legs. Willem showed me where he and the trackers stopped looking which was about 200 yards away. The wildebeest was quite bloated and Willem figured the hyena's would find it that night. It bothers my immensely to wound game. I much prefer a clean miss. I think we owe it to the game to do all we can to avoid these kind of situations. I of course could not change the fact, but resolved to be very certain of my shots for the remainder of the hunt.
We went in for brunch and didn't go back out until about 3:30 figuring the heat was oppressive for the animals as well as us. We saw several nyala, some impala and stopped to look at a kudu that Willem judged a little small. We started to drive away when Willem suddenly stopped, jumped out of the truck and told me to get down quick and he had spotted another larger kudu. The kudu was standing in some light brush at about 40 yards. Willem set the shooting sticks, I took my time and shot. They're pretty tough. He ran through some of the brush, crossed the road and back into the heavy thorn brush. The dogs took off and we followed. We were tracking when Lindo figured it out and pointed into the brush ahead of us. There stood my kudu still on his feet but looking pretty sick. Willem said shoot him again and as he was facing away I had to shoot clear through him. Of course, that was it. The dogs did their usual thing and started to eat the many ticks we always found on the animals.
After a short study, it was determined we didn't have enough man power to get the kudu out of the woods so Willem called back to camp and four more of the camp staff came out and helped drag it to the road.
So ended a hot day of hunting. I should mention we saw a jackal, numerous giraffes, and some white headed vultures. Willem explained that the vultures are critically endangered. It seems that in the religion of some of the zulu they believe that if they consume certain parts of animals the can acquire that skill. The vultures have exceptional eyesight and they capture the vultures, remove their eyes and make some sort of "medicine", to try to have eyes like the vulture.
So it was back to camp, a few drinks around the campfire and another meal to die for. Then off to bed for a well earned rest. This was the only day we used the air conditioner in the chalet. The kudu was the thing I wanted most as it just says Africa to me so I slept well that night.

Saw several herds of buffs.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Congratulations on your Kudu Bull.

 

[Wheels]

Enjoying your report.

Congratulations on your animals.

 

[petrusg]

Fantastic!! Congrats...

 

[Paul schlaphoff]

Well, day four was hot. Really hot. Day five, however, started cool. It never really warmed up that day. We ended up wearing fall weight jackets all day. Gloves felt good on the hands.
We hunted all day, but didn't see anything that met Willem's critical eye. We were looking for Nyala and saw plenty of them, but not good enough.
We did see elephant, rhino, and 17 hippos in a large pond. I was able to get a really nice picture of a bull hippo with his mouth open. It never ceases to amaze me how seven tons of elephant can take 15 steps into the bush and disappear.
We came home a little early as we were quite cold.
That evening we were treated to a four course meal at a five star photographic safari lodge. Willem and Amanda manage the resort for a man from the Netherlands and it's only a few minutes from their place.
We were treated to the wait staff doing traditional Zulu chants and dances before the meal. Then served a very five star meal.
Dessert was a pastry with whipped cream on a black platter. Willem was using his finger on the platter and when Ken looked over he found that Willem had drawn a really neat picture of a Rhino. I include a photo below. So ended day five. Yesterday, we used the air conditioner, today we used the heater. Sounds like back home in Minnesota.
Since there wasn't any game to report that day, I thought I would give you a little background on our party.
I'm a retired farmer in Southwest Minnesota. (corn and soybeans). I've dreamed of going to Africa since I was a teenager. Like most farmers, I never had any money until I retired. My wife was city clerk in our local village for many years and retired three years ago. Ken is still working as a power plant operator at our local power plant and his wife is a nurse practitioner at a local clinic. Ken and I have hunted together for a number of years. Not only locally, but also for elk in Montana and New Mexico. They were perfect partners to travel with.
Following is a few pictures of some of the other game we saw. Zeekoepan is one of only a few Big 5 hunting areas in South Africa.

 

[Paul schlaphoff]

Day six turned out to be totally different than we planned. I had wanted to shoot a zebra but my wife said they are horses. I tried to convince her they were not the same thing as her horses back home. We've kept horses all our married life.
I casually mentioned to Willem that I had wanted a Red Hartebeest but they were not available on his property as they are primarily found in open country or Highveld. Willem immediately said he had an arrangement with another PH to hunt his property and it was only 45 minutes away. He offered to call him and see if we could come over the next day. It was 7:00am. He called and was told to come over right then as he currently had no hunters but would the next day. So at 7:30 am we took off to hunt Red Hartebeest. I had traded off a zebra for the Hartebeest. We arrived on the property which was open hilly, high grass plains.
We stopped at the lodge, picked up a tracker from the lodge and also one of their hunting trucks. We met the PH that ran the place, a very pleasant man along with his wife and young children. Then it was off to hunt.
We saw game we hadn't seen before. Got see a Secretary bird hunting snakes. Couldn't get a picture, ostrich, Blesbuck, beautiful Blue Cranes and after a while a herd of Hartebeest's.We put the stalk on them and determined there was a nice bull in the herd. They turned out to be very wary and spotted us and took off downhill. We followed and just as we caught up, they spotted us again and ran back up hill. I'm in my early 70's and had some fairly serious surgery a year ago and the walking on the steep hills was taxing me. My guides were very understanding and told me to take the lead and they would follow. We finally caught up with the herd on top. This time we they were about 250 yards away. Willem figured that was a close as we were going to get and set up the sticks and told me to take my time and try a shot. We had sighted in the rifle my first day and I knew it hit about two inches low at 200 yards. I had been using my own .375 at home but had not practiced beyond 200 yards because I didn't foresee a need at the time.
Anyway, by the time they stopped long enough for a shot they were at 300 yards. I got set and ready to shoot. The rifle had a harder trigger pull than I'm used to and I didn't want to muff this shot. The pull was about four pounds and my own is set at two and a half pounds. I started to squeeze the trigger for what seemed an eternity but eventually the shot was taken and hearing the slap of the bullet and the animal staggered and walked about five steps and stopped. Willem said shoot him again, and it was another solid hit and the bull went down.
As we walked up to the fallen bull, Willem asked me where I held on him. I said, "right on the top of his withers". When we got there, we found that either shot would have done the job. The bullet had cut off the top of his heart.
I was elated. Not only a long and successful shot, but a beautiful trophy. I've kicked myself several times for not having the hide tanned. I'm sure glad I mentioned Hartebeest to Willem.
We also saw Black Wildebeest on the place and when I go back, that and a white blesbuck will be high on my list.
We loaded the Hartebeest in the pickup and went to the meat processing room at the lodge. The help immediately processed the animal and sent the head and hide home with us. While we did this, we went into the lodge for coffee and the telling of a few lies.
We took off back home as my wife and Myrna had an appointment at the 5 star lodge for a massage that afternoon. We were really roughing it you know. This is a pet kudu at the plains game lodge. Mother was killed by lions I believe.