At the end of last year I headed out to Cape Town for a good friend’s wedding and while I was between jobs, I decided to tag on a few days and head up to the Eastern Cape for two days hunting.
After speaking to a few friends at the British Sporting Rifle Club, I decided to book with Royal Karoo Safaris and after a week in Cape Town I took the short internal flight up to Port Elizabeth. There I was met at the airport by Andrew Birch, son of the owner (Rob Birch), who was also my PH for the next few days.
It was the end of the hunting season in the Eastern Cape and I happened to be the only guest at the lodge that week however I received such a warm welcome when I arrived from Rob, his family, and the team at Royal Karoo.
Without really knowing what to expect - that afternoon we went straight onto the range where I checked zero at 200m with an estate rifle; a well used, moderated Howa in 30-06 which worked perfectly and I was surprised just how comfortable it was to shoot. I use a 6.5 Creedmoor for all my stalking in the UK so I was expecting much more of a thump!
When booking the trip, I specified that I only really wanted cull/management animals as it was my first trip to South Africa and having never hunted abroad - I simply wanted to experience African plains game. Also, cull animals are significantly cheaper than ‘trophy animals’ and therefore my budget went so much further. Worth noting for any other first-timers: not all outfitters offer cull animals - something I found out when I made various enquiries before booking with Royal Karoo.
Back to the hunting…
After a few shots on the range, Andrew suggested we went out for a drive in search of a Springbuck. The 27,000 acre estate was so beautiful and the terrain varied between valley bushveld and the most incredible mountains surrounding the lodge. The views were spectacular.
After a short drive, we spotted a group of c.10 Springbuck on a hillside a bit of a way away. Andrew pulled over and the hunt had started. Accompanied by Bule (our tracker/skinner) we moved quickly across broken ground, using the natural cover to get within 130m from the group. Andrew set the sticks and carefully instructed me which animal to take, a female Common Springbuck. I squeezed the trigger and the animal went down immediately before rolling a little way down the hillside. Success!
With a Common Springbuck in the bag, I was chuffed and would have been very happy if I didn’t get another opportunity. However, the following two days were even more memorable!!
On both days we headed out early in the morning to beat the midday heat before having a delicious brunch at the lodge, followed by a nap, and going out again late afternoon/evening.
On my wish list was Common Springbuck, Kudu and Impala (all cull animals). And over the course of the two days I was very lucky to take the following:
x5 Common Springbuck
x2 Impala
x2 Kudu
The hunting was what they described as ‘fair chase’ and walk-and-stalk which suited me perfectly as I enjoy the stalking aspect and the fieldcraft involved in getting within a shootable distance. For some reason, I had images of people driving up to animals and shooting from the Land Cruiser but thankfully the hunting was far from that and it was all very sporting (and challenging)!
All in all, it was the most amazing experience. Rob, Andrew and the whole team were so knowledgeable and hospitable and I would have no hesitation in recommending Royal Karoo. Finally, the lodge is pretty epic too and so is the food and wine. Delicious venison and Rob has a big cellar full of wonderful SA wines
I can safely say the African hunting bug has bitten!
After speaking to a few friends at the British Sporting Rifle Club, I decided to book with Royal Karoo Safaris and after a week in Cape Town I took the short internal flight up to Port Elizabeth. There I was met at the airport by Andrew Birch, son of the owner (Rob Birch), who was also my PH for the next few days.
It was the end of the hunting season in the Eastern Cape and I happened to be the only guest at the lodge that week however I received such a warm welcome when I arrived from Rob, his family, and the team at Royal Karoo.
Without really knowing what to expect - that afternoon we went straight onto the range where I checked zero at 200m with an estate rifle; a well used, moderated Howa in 30-06 which worked perfectly and I was surprised just how comfortable it was to shoot. I use a 6.5 Creedmoor for all my stalking in the UK so I was expecting much more of a thump!
When booking the trip, I specified that I only really wanted cull/management animals as it was my first trip to South Africa and having never hunted abroad - I simply wanted to experience African plains game. Also, cull animals are significantly cheaper than ‘trophy animals’ and therefore my budget went so much further. Worth noting for any other first-timers: not all outfitters offer cull animals - something I found out when I made various enquiries before booking with Royal Karoo.
Back to the hunting…
After a few shots on the range, Andrew suggested we went out for a drive in search of a Springbuck. The 27,000 acre estate was so beautiful and the terrain varied between valley bushveld and the most incredible mountains surrounding the lodge. The views were spectacular.
After a short drive, we spotted a group of c.10 Springbuck on a hillside a bit of a way away. Andrew pulled over and the hunt had started. Accompanied by Bule (our tracker/skinner) we moved quickly across broken ground, using the natural cover to get within 130m from the group. Andrew set the sticks and carefully instructed me which animal to take, a female Common Springbuck. I squeezed the trigger and the animal went down immediately before rolling a little way down the hillside. Success!
With a Common Springbuck in the bag, I was chuffed and would have been very happy if I didn’t get another opportunity. However, the following two days were even more memorable!!
On both days we headed out early in the morning to beat the midday heat before having a delicious brunch at the lodge, followed by a nap, and going out again late afternoon/evening.
On my wish list was Common Springbuck, Kudu and Impala (all cull animals). And over the course of the two days I was very lucky to take the following:
x5 Common Springbuck
x2 Impala
x2 Kudu
The hunting was what they described as ‘fair chase’ and walk-and-stalk which suited me perfectly as I enjoy the stalking aspect and the fieldcraft involved in getting within a shootable distance. For some reason, I had images of people driving up to animals and shooting from the Land Cruiser but thankfully the hunting was far from that and it was all very sporting (and challenging)!
All in all, it was the most amazing experience. Rob, Andrew and the whole team were so knowledgeable and hospitable and I would have no hesitation in recommending Royal Karoo. Finally, the lodge is pretty epic too and so is the food and wine. Delicious venison and Rob has a big cellar full of wonderful SA wines
I can safely say the African hunting bug has bitten!
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. There are a good few decent outfitters in that area
