SOUTH AFRICA: Finally Hippo, & A Disappointment

[Nyati]

Finally, Hippo, and a huge disappointment.

After nearly two years, I have finally received my hippo tusks, so I will give you a report of the hunt, just the hippo hunt, as the whole Safari was a disappointment/mess, however you may want to call it, but nothing went as originally planned.

And no, I will not mention the names of Outfitters or PH´s involved, I am not up to starting an Internet discussion.

This was my 8th Safari and took place in September 22/28, 2022.

I had already taken 28 different species of game in SA, and now wanted Hippo, Spotted Hyaena and Bushpig.

My Outfitter said that would be possible in Mpumalanga (MP), all of them to be hunted at night, with a local outfitter he works with. The Hippo would be a PAC animal and would be cheaper than a normal hippo, which suited me fine.

Our lodge was NKwali Eco, situated in the Krokodilpoort Nature Reserve. The closest town is Matsulu, which borders the Kruger.

Meanwhile, the comrades were striking and blocking Highway 4, which runs from Nelspruit to Maputo in Mozambique, luckily, we were south of the highway, so it didn´t bother us.

A few words about Mpumalanga province. I had never been there, and it is worth a visit, crossed by the Drakensberg Mountain, it is beautiful, with different scenery. The area where we hunted is rolling hills green with vegetation, trees, farmland (68% of land area in the province is used for agriculture).

Good news, seems like we have a hippo. I will try to explain how the PAC hippo License works in this province. A local outfitter has a concession to hunt a specific area. If a hippo comes to feed into an agricultural farm (they will normally come from Kruger Park), the outfitter requests a license from Nature Conservation. This is then issued specifically to the hunter, who must be there, and present his Passport, so it´s not something that you can book in advance.

Now, down to business, the hunt must be done at night which is when the hippo will cross the Kaaprivier to feed, in this case it´s a sugar cane farm. We enter the farm but don´t go close to river, there are two lookouts strategically placed who will tell us if and where the hippo is.

The outfitted has a thermal binocular and a powerful spotlight, and I have a .375HH with a red dot on the scope. We must go in very close, and I must do my part. Two PH´s will be close if needed.

After a long wait in complete darkness, we have a call on the walkie, there are two hippos in the field we approach from one side, the wind turns, we try another side, wind turns again, and the story repeats itself. Finally, the outfitter decides there isn´t much we can do, and we go back to camp.



Next day, we return to the sugarcane field, patiently wait, until we get the news, one hippo is feeding, unfortunately quite close to the river, we go down to the river and walk on the riverbank to where he is, I took a look through the thermal binoculars, to get the direction and see a white blob against the darkness, we creep closer, 23 meters, the sticks go up, the light is on, he is sideways, and I take my shot, aiming for the heart. The idea is to keep shooting, in order to stop him from getting to the river, and I was assisted by the two PH´s with .416´s, but he got away.

The outfitter told me he could see the bullets fly with the spotlight, my shot went to the heart, but the shots from the PH´s were useless, one on the brisket, the other back in the belly, he wasn´t happy with his colleague’s performance, he was sure the hippo was dead, but he would have to come back the next day to fish him out of the river or any of the small lakes where the hippo had taken refuge.

Following day, we went to the sugarcane field, they had tracked the hippo to a small lake, where the crocodiles were busy having a feast, and it was dangerous to bother them.

After lunch we departed to a hotel close to JHB airport, as we had an early flight back.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I personally do not like doing night time hippo hunts. That said hippo hunting can be very exciting, but 3 out of four times it ends with a brain shot in the water, then the wait for surfacing.

We were once doing a night time hippo hunt we were about 11/2 kilometers away from the water and about 5 meters away from the feeding hippo when someone’s cell phone rang. No shot fired trackers made it to the trees and the hippo made it to the water. Took a good hippo the next day.

Like I say, not big on night hunts, but if that is and you know what you getting yourself into what else can you do.

Lon

 

[SETH RINGER]

NICE SET OF TUSKS. SHAME YOU DIDN'T HAVE AN EXTRA DAY TO FISH HIM OUT AND MAKE SURE YOU GOT SOME LEATHER.

 

[Green Chile]

Glad you got them back but sorry to hear of the mess. That's a hunt I have considered but haven't done yet. The night hunts in the fields can be tricky. Some turn out great and some are clusters.

I've always wanted a hippo euro skull as the basis for a glass coffee table.

 

[Datchew]

On the bright side, it made for a great story!
Glad you got the teeth finally

 

[Sarg]

Cool bit of footage, nice to have, you did well, PH didn’t have a good shot to take really !

I have done a few of these & been charged twice, these were DCA permits - Damage Coursing Animal - was yours that or PAC ?

How did you go on the Bush Pig & Spotted ?

 

[Red Leg]

Finally, Hippo, and a huge disappointment.

After nearly two years, I have finally received my hippo tusks, so I will give you a report of the hunt, just the hippo hunt, as the whole Safari was a disappointment/mess, however you may want to call it, but nothing went as originally planned.

And no, I will not mention the names of Outfitters or PH´s involved, I am not up to starting an Internet discussion.

This was my 8th Safari and took place in September 22/28, 2022.

I had already taken 28 different species of game in SA, and now wanted Hippo, Spotted Hyaena and Bushpig.

My Outfitter said that would be possible in Mpumalanga (MP), all of them to be hunted at night, with a local outfitter he works with. The Hippo would be a PAC animal and would be cheaper than a normal hippo, which suited me fine.

Our lodge was NKwali Eco, situated in the Krokodilpoort Nature Reserve. The closest town is Matsulu, which borders the Kruger.

Meanwhile, the comrades were striking and blocking Highway 4, which runs from Nelspruit to Maputo in Mozambique, luckily, we were south of the highway, so it didn´t bother us.

A few words about Mpumalanga province. I had never been there, and it is worth a visit, crossed by the Drakensberg Mountain, it is beautiful, with different scenery. The area where we hunted is rolling hills green with vegetation, trees, farmland (68% of land area in the province is used for agriculture).

Good news, seems like we have a hippo. I will try to explain how the PAC hippo License works in this province. A local outfitter has a concession to hunt a specific area. If a hippo comes to feed into an agricultural farm (they will normally come from Kruger Park), the outfitter requests a license from Nature Conservation. This is then issued specifically to the hunter, who must be there, and present his Passport, so it´s not something that you can book in advance.

Now, down to business, the hunt must be done at night which is when the hippo will cross the Kaaprivier to feed, in this case it´s a sugar cane farm. We enter the farm but don´t go close to river, there are two lookouts strategically placed who will tell us if and where the hippo is.

The outfitted has a thermal binocular and a powerful spotlight, and I have a .375HH with a red dot on the scope. We must go in very close, and I must do my part. Two PH´s will be close if needed.

After a long wait in complete darkness, we have a call on the walkie, there are two hippos in the field we approach from one side, the wind turns, we try another side, wind turns again, and the story repeats itself. Finally, the outfitter decides there isn´t much we can do, and we go back to camp.



Next day, we return to the sugarcane field, patiently wait, until we get the news, one hippo is feeding, unfortunately quite close to the river, we go down to the river and walk on the riverbank to where he is, I took a look through the thermal binoculars, to get the direction and see a white blob against the darkness, we creep closer, 23 meters, the sticks go up, the light is on, he is sideways, and I take my shot, aiming for the heart. The idea is to keep shooting, in order to stop him from getting to the river, and I was assisted by the two PH´s with .416´s, but he got away.

The outfitter told me he could see the bullets fly with the spotlight, my shot went to the heart, but the shots from the PH´s were useless, one on the brisket, the other back in the belly, he wasn´t happy with his colleague’s performance, he was sure the hippo was dead, but he would have to come back the next day to fish him out of the river or any of the small lakes where the hippo had taken refuge.

Following day, we went to the sugarcane field, they had tracked the hippo to a small lake, where the crocodiles were busy having a feast, and it was dangerous to bother them.

After lunch we departed to a hotel close to JHB airport, as we had an early flight back.


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I assume you will have them done in the Spanish style with the silver caps on the tusks? It is a very elegant look.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I guess if a hippo is that close to the water, it's a brain shot or don't shoot. I have blown the heart out of deer and watched them run fifty yards. But a hippo's heart is big as a Volkswagen. I'm sure they can run a lot further with a hole in it.

 

[Nyati]

Cool bit of footage, nice to have, you did well, PH didn’t have a good shot to take really !

I have done a few of these & been charged twice, these were DCA permits - Damage Coursing Animal - was yours that or PAC ?

How did you go on the Bush Pig & Spotted ?

On the hunting register there is no mention of it being either DCA or PAC.

There was no time left to hunt spotted and bushpig, which is why I am calling this hunt a disappointment and royal mess

 

[Nyati]

I assume you will have them done in the Spanish style with the silver caps on the tusks? It is a very elegant look.

Yes, but instead of a wood plaque, it will be oxidised metal, done to be placed in a bookshelf.

Very original, I will post it as soon as I have it !

 

[BourbonTrail]

Glad you got your tusks, sorry the rest of the trip was disappointing. Looking forward to seeing your final presentation for them.