Lewis T3
Well-Known Member
Hi all as promised,
The write up on my trip to the Eastern Cape SA with Hunters Hill, you may remember my panic post a few weeks before leaving about paperwork!
Well it wasn't so difficult and the UK side of things is so relaxed if you have the right papers, when landing in SA we had a quick transfer of 3hours but managed to get through SAPS in 1 hour no issues at all.
The trip was a 9 animal cull package which involved 2 black/ 2 blue wildebeest and 5 Warthogs. 5 day hunting 1 ph 2 hunters.
Day 1 -hot 35*- We headed out for blue wildebeest and came across a wounded beast shot earlier that morning so that was shot but not added to our package we then continued our hunt and successfully took 4 more Blues all great stalks and clean drops to shot.
Day 2- very hot 38*-We headed out for Black Wildebeest and managed 4 before lunch after a lot of hard work they where really hard to stalk into the herd. In the Afternoon we both decided to look for Trophy Spring Bock and luck still with us came across nice ram early on and with only a few moments of light left found the second one in deep cover.
Day 3 - Rain! over cast all day - We went to the second game ranch some 3 hours south very different landscape lots of cover and interesting stalking with 5 Cape buffalo and hippos about, with the warthogs preferring the sun we went for a drive and we'd decided to look for some more trophies if the opportunity presented itself. I took a trophy Impala a lone ram early on very pleased with it. With talk in the camp of jackal and the possibility of some lamping that night, I was amazed to spot a daytime jackal and fortunately it presented a shot as we went to retrieve the jackal we spotted another and managed to bag him the PH was over the moon. We went back for lunch and headed straight out for Hogs and again even with the overcast weather we both managed 2 hogs each what amazing animal to stalk you could really use the wind to your advantage and get close and personal, things seemed to be going our way only 6 more hogs to go!
Day 4 - sun out! 27*- early morning success with another hog and I managed to spot a nice trophy common duiker really happy to take one as they where very weary little beasts! Back for lunch then out again we spotted a small group about 600 yrds out we stalked in for what was the most exciting 15 minutes of the trip where firstly I shot 2 from the group we spotted and then whilst preparing for photos we heard a group fighting no more than 75 yrds up wind where my mate managed 2 great shots to give us 4 in 15min. With plenty of light we continued I had one hog left to get. In the distance we spotted two steen bucks over 800 yrds away we drove closer and prepared to stalked the last 300 yrds and to my surprise a hog appeared 100 yrds in front and without a rifle I was handed my mates and down it went last hog of the trip. With the wind in our favour we continued to stalk into the area we last seen the Steen Buck and managed to get the better of a lovely beast.
Day - 5 - cool 26* - with our cull package completed we head out for some baboons but unfortunately they weren't playing ball. When we got back to the lodge we found a helicopter or private taxi for a rich American hunter after some £££ animals. The pilot was great and a keen hunter we had the full tour of the helicopter and the offer of a possible cull flight on the next trip!
So the trip was over bank accounts empty now just the SAPS to worry about! Well no need to worry all went well with the rifles being transferred straight onto the next flight and our paperwork cleared by saps
Great Trip, definitely returning to Africa in the near future.
Thanks for reading
Iwan
The write up on my trip to the Eastern Cape SA with Hunters Hill, you may remember my panic post a few weeks before leaving about paperwork!
Well it wasn't so difficult and the UK side of things is so relaxed if you have the right papers, when landing in SA we had a quick transfer of 3hours but managed to get through SAPS in 1 hour no issues at all.
The trip was a 9 animal cull package which involved 2 black/ 2 blue wildebeest and 5 Warthogs. 5 day hunting 1 ph 2 hunters.
Day 1 -hot 35*- We headed out for blue wildebeest and came across a wounded beast shot earlier that morning so that was shot but not added to our package we then continued our hunt and successfully took 4 more Blues all great stalks and clean drops to shot.
Day 2- very hot 38*-We headed out for Black Wildebeest and managed 4 before lunch after a lot of hard work they where really hard to stalk into the herd. In the Afternoon we both decided to look for Trophy Spring Bock and luck still with us came across nice ram early on and with only a few moments of light left found the second one in deep cover.
Day 3 - Rain! over cast all day - We went to the second game ranch some 3 hours south very different landscape lots of cover and interesting stalking with 5 Cape buffalo and hippos about, with the warthogs preferring the sun we went for a drive and we'd decided to look for some more trophies if the opportunity presented itself. I took a trophy Impala a lone ram early on very pleased with it. With talk in the camp of jackal and the possibility of some lamping that night, I was amazed to spot a daytime jackal and fortunately it presented a shot as we went to retrieve the jackal we spotted another and managed to bag him the PH was over the moon. We went back for lunch and headed straight out for Hogs and again even with the overcast weather we both managed 2 hogs each what amazing animal to stalk you could really use the wind to your advantage and get close and personal, things seemed to be going our way only 6 more hogs to go!
Day 4 - sun out! 27*- early morning success with another hog and I managed to spot a nice trophy common duiker really happy to take one as they where very weary little beasts! Back for lunch then out again we spotted a small group about 600 yrds out we stalked in for what was the most exciting 15 minutes of the trip where firstly I shot 2 from the group we spotted and then whilst preparing for photos we heard a group fighting no more than 75 yrds up wind where my mate managed 2 great shots to give us 4 in 15min. With plenty of light we continued I had one hog left to get. In the distance we spotted two steen bucks over 800 yrds away we drove closer and prepared to stalked the last 300 yrds and to my surprise a hog appeared 100 yrds in front and without a rifle I was handed my mates and down it went last hog of the trip. With the wind in our favour we continued to stalk into the area we last seen the Steen Buck and managed to get the better of a lovely beast.
Day - 5 - cool 26* - with our cull package completed we head out for some baboons but unfortunately they weren't playing ball. When we got back to the lodge we found a helicopter or private taxi for a rich American hunter after some £££ animals. The pilot was great and a keen hunter we had the full tour of the helicopter and the offer of a possible cull flight on the next trip!
So the trip was over bank accounts empty now just the SAPS to worry about! Well no need to worry all went well with the rifles being transferred straight onto the next flight and our paperwork cleared by saps
Great Trip, definitely returning to Africa in the near future.
Thanks for reading
Iwan
