I’ve recently joined the forum so apologies for requesting info so soon (I have posted a couple of reports ), but I’m looking at the possibility of hunting Southern Africa mid next year and this forum was recommended as a great place for up to date info.

I have done some other internet research and have and contacted Namatubis safari in Nambia as they seem to offer what I’m looking for - free range hunting, is set up for bow & rifle hunting, a basic camp near the game and has good plains animals e.g. kudu, oryx, springbuck. They look reasonably priced too.

Before I contact more safari outfits I thought I’d see if anyone here has any recommendations based on recent plains hunting in Southern Africa – especially if you bow hunted. If you have hunted with Namatubis safari it would be great to hear from you.

If anyone needs info on public land hunting in New Zealand please ask.

Thanks!

Roger Whittall Safaris Humani area in the Save Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe would be my choice. No fences, plentiful game and is also home to the Big Five.

I am flying over on the 2nd September this year. I'm not hunting this year just photographic as will be my fiance first trip to Zim.

If you need anymore info let me know.

Mike

I went to Rosslyn safaris in Zimbabwe in 2012. This is a high fence hunt, one 32,000 fenced area. It was a fantastic hunt.
Then in 13 and 14, I went to Limcroma safari in SA, also a high fence hunt. At Limcroma you hunt a number of different ranches. I was told the smallest was 9000 acres, but I have no idea if that is the case. Both places hunt over water holes and Limcroma also baits in some cases.
Obviously if you are a "no fence" guy, these places are not for you, but I enjoyed immensely and may go back again.
If you have any specific questions, PM me.
Thanks

Before you book, checkout Bubye Valley Conservancy. It is high fence but has almost one million acres and no internal fencing. Has all the big Five, including black rhino and a tremendous number of WILD lions. In most camps they had to put up fences to keep the lions out. The PG is beyond imagination. Some of the camps are nice but basic while others are 5 star.

The wife and I hunted with Ozandjahe safaris in Namibia in 2014, it was fenced into 35000 acre areas. We never felt fenced in and rarely saw the same place twice in 9 days. Great food and PH's but not a large number of Kudu. But we were lucky enough to bag a BIG 56 inch kudu. Plenty of other plains game species and would hunt there again tomorrow given the opportunity

Bubye Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe with PH Nigel Theisen. For more info...E-mail me at: ledvm@msn.com

Mate,

Stick to Namibia and South Africa as the other countries are going to cost you twice as much and offer less variety.

Namibia is tough to bow hunt because it is so wide open, there aren't a lot of trees so you'll do most of your bow hunting from blinds over water.

Most of southern Africa is very barren compared to the jungle that your north island public land has on it.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
Mate,

Stick to Namibia and South Africa as the other countries are going to cost you twice as much and offer less variety.

Namibia is tough to bow hunt because it is so wide open, there aren't a lot of trees so you'll do most of your bow hunting from blinds over water.

Most of southern Africa is very barren compared to the jungle that your north island public land has on it.

If you can't on your own find someone who as hunted with the safari operator of your choice, request references and actually communicate with them.

Game farms in South Africa will all be high fenced though if it's 30,000 or 85,000 acres, it will be easy to forget that. If they weren't high fenced, the surrounding populace would poach and eat all the animals. Also consider that for certain animals, their normal range isn't bigger than that so effectively it's free range. Other animals like baboons and wart hog circumvent fences so you are free range hunting every time you hunt them.

If you have an outfitter with the right connections, there are some animals that can be hunted on regular farms like grysbok in vinyards, bush pig in pineapple farms, etc.

df06,
A friend and I hunted with Limcroma back before the guest facilities were completed and stayed with Hannes in his family ranch house. We were his first clients as an outfitter- great folks and fantastic food.
As I remember, the main family ranch where we hunted was unfenced along the Crocodile River and hippos came out to feed nightly. Crocs were there too as we came across a nest of eggs and that plus a hippo bull bellowing nearby convinced us to move away from the river bank.
IIRC, his archery hunting has been rated highly as one of the best in RSA.

Namibia is a good choice for a mixed bow/rifle hunt. It's reasonably priced, usually unfenced and offers a nice, select range of species that won't tempt to bust the bank. I know how hard the exchange rate hits us down under hunters ! Try to put a little time aside for some non hunting tourist type activity. There are hundreds of highly reoccomended outfitters and places to hunt in sub Sahara Africa but you won't be disappointed with Namibia as your first taste. Follow up the references they should provide and enjoy the experience when you finally get there.

There are so many great places to hunt in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, along with Tim Herald's designation in Botswana. Hard choice!

Wow! Thanks so much for the great info everyone . I'll have a proper read today and plan my next steps. Really appreciate the input!

Tholo in Botswana is set up for both rifle and bow hunters. Nice blinds for bow hunters set up around/near water.
Lots of animal movement.

You have gotten good advise above.

I will add this.

Be sure what experience you desire out of a trip to Africa. I had a great time on my first safari. But too "me" it just wasnt Africa without DG present in the area. I was planning to return before I ever left.

If you want to bow hunt you should communicate with Charl at Infinito Safaris in South Africa. He posts on here and runs bow only areas and is a fantastic bow hunter himself.

Don

Theolo in Botswana for bow hunting and plains game. Best value for $$ and unbelievable game


Save or Bubye would be great but they are expensive.

Mike

Avoid BUSHWHACK SAFARIS in South Africa at all costs.

Reason

Something about that name just isn't appealing!

I would also recommend Tholo. On bow hunting, hey whatever floats your boat, but for the life of me why anyone would want to spend a day in a mamba pit when they could be walking around and stalking is beyond me.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/5591093112

quote:

, but for the life of me why anyone would want to spend a day in a mamba pit when they could be walking around and stalking is beyond me.

I agree. You probably hunt upland birds too.

quote:

Originally posted by RAC:
I would also recommend Tholo. On bow hunting, hey whatever floats your boat, but for the life of me why anyone would want to spend a day in a mamba pit when they could be walking around and stalking is beyond me.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/5591093112

Looks like you had a great time in Africa. Congrats on the trophies and thanks for the recommendation.

I'll be spot and stalk bow hunting in Africa. It's the only way I have bow hunted. Not sure what a mamba pit is but it doesn't sound good

quote:

Be sure what experience you desire out of a trip to Africa. I had a great time on my first safari. But too "me" it just wasnt Africa without DG present in the area. I was planning to return before I ever left.

I hear what you're saying. I have hunted in grizz country and also done a African photo only trip with lions, rhinos etc. but at this point Im happy to try for plains animals. I may try and fit in a side trip to view DG (on foot may be) or who knows do a second trip. Tbh I think once people like us visit Africa its hard not to return.

quote:

Originally posted by anotherkiwi:

quote:

Originally posted by RAC:
I would also recommend Tholo. On bow hunting, hey whatever floats your boat, but for the life of me why anyone would want to spend a day in a mamba pit when they could be walking around and stalking is beyond me.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/5591093112

Looks like you had a great time in Africa. Congrats on the trophies and thanks for the recommendation.

I'll be spot and stalk bow hunting in Africa. It's the only way I have bow hunted. Not sure what a mamba pit is but it doesn't sound good

Spot stalking in africa is a tough act. Most of the bow hunting is from blinds at waterholes.

If you want to try and spot stalking you need to
have expectations that you may not have 100% success and a full bag safari.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by anotherkiwi:

quote:

Originally posted by RAC:
I would also recommend Tholo. On bow hunting, hey whatever floats your boat, but for the life of me why anyone would want to spend a day in a mamba pit when they could be walking around and stalking is beyond me.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/5591093112

Looks like you had a great time in Africa. Congrats on the trophies and thanks for the recommendation.

I'll be spot and stalk bow hunting in Africa. It's the only way I have bow hunted. Not sure what a mamba pit is but it doesn't sound good

In Africa, most bow hunting is done in sunken hides usually made of concrete, stone or brick that are half dug into the ground by waterholes. There will be an small opening to shoot your bow out of. Sometimes snakes, including mambas like to go inside. Too me anyway, it would be a boring day just sitting in the dark of the blind waiting for something to come by.

[/QUOTE]

Spot stalking in africa is a tough act. Most of the bow hunting is from blinds at waterholes.

If you want to try and spot stalking you need to
have expectations that you may not have 100% success and a full bag safari.

Mike[/QUOTE]
thanks for the comments Mike. As a bow hunter I'm use to failure haha. But seriously I love the challenge bow hunting provides and fully understand it will be a very difficult hunt. I just hope it's not too much harder than spot and stalk pronghorn on public land that I did last year in Wyoming! That was my most difficult bow hunt. It took me about 4 days of full on stalking to succeed. I hope to have the option to use a rifle if my bow hunting is unsuccessful.

[/QUOTE]

In Africa, most bow hunting is done in sunken hides usually made of concrete, stone or brick that are half dug into the ground by waterholes. There will be an small opening to shoot your bow out of. Sometimes snakes, including mambas like to go inside. Too me anyway, it would be a boring day just sitting in the dark of the blind waiting for something to come by.[/QUOTE]

That's very good to know. I definitely don't intend to hunt in a mamba pit. I would also find that boring and all my hunting is spot and stalk, I have never tried still hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by anotherkiwi:

Spot stalking in africa is a tough act. Most of the bow hunting is from blinds at waterholes.

If you want to try and spot stalking you need to
have expectations that you may not have 100% success and a full bag safari.

Mike[/QUOTE]
thanks for the comments Mike. As a bow hunter I'm use to failure haha. But seriously I love the challenge bow hunting provides and fully understand it will be a very difficult hunt. I just hope it's not too much harder than spot and stalk pronghorn on public land that I did last year in Wyoming! That was my most difficult bow hunt. It took me about 4 days of full on stalking to succeed. I hope to have the option to use a rifle if my bow hunting is unsuccessful.[/QUOTE]

I have hunted the save for 20 days trying to shoot a kudu with no luck and nothing i hunted in save could have been shot with a bow. If someone is super focused and spent the whole time hunting say just buffalo I think over 20 days there is a good chance one is successful.

But be prepared to hunt in a ghille suit and get one for you ph. Also dont expect to bump into and shoot a eland or kudu along the way as happens in rifle hunting.

Just have expectations in check - spot and stalk bow hunting is the real deal. Your trophy will be well earned but you could be spending $1000_$1200 a day on a low probability hunt.

I have a buddy who does it in the save and he has earned his buffaloes. But he was also unsuccessful on a great stalk cause a small shrub come in the way. I think his success rate is 50 percent.

Mike

You're not exactly filling me with confedence mike

But you make good points and I will definitely factor in your advice in my planning. I might add a few days to the hunt.

Some traditional bowhunters had some stalking success at Kanana. Kanana is closed, so Tholo could be a good option. Talk to Jason about time of year that might be best. Limpopo has produced more stalking tradbow kills than Namibia. Vegetation differences. Join Bowsite forum and ask those guys. They will know which outfits understand stalking needs with a bow.

Just clarify,
I would do a plains game only hunt. It will have to be in an area that has D.G. present.

An observation from doing both types of hunts.

It does depend on the property. Places like the Save and Buybe are covered up in game. You will not wait all day to see animals from a blind. You will see them all along. The afternoons are likely to be non-stop.
It was a great experience to get watch all the different species up close. I saw more game on day one than all of my seven day buff hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:
df06,
A friend and I hunted with Limcroma back before the guest facilities were completed and stayed with Hannes in his family ranch house. We were his first clients as an outfitter- great folks and fantastic food.
As I remember, the main family ranch where we hunted was unfenced along the Crocodile River and hippos came out to feed nightly. Crocs were there too as we came across a nest of eggs and that plus a hippo bull bellowing nearby convinced us to move away from the river bank.
IIRC, his archery hunting has been rated highly as one of the best in RSA.

If you want large properties in RSA and an outfitter and PHs that are actually bow hunters themselves, you need to take a serious look at Hannes Els and Limcroma Safaris. Lots of outfitters offer bowhunting in Africa, but very few realistically have the knowledge and experience to offer quality bow hunts to their guests.

If you are interested in South Africa we can definitely put something together for you. Either rifle, archery or a combination of both. If you want I can mail you our 2016 media package, just PM me your address and I will get it out to you. You can also check out our website at www.tgsafari.co.za

Thanks everyone for the posts. I have great info now and will keep researching and get in touch with a few safaris. Hopefully I will have a report worthy of posting next year.

Check out the post about the Bubye Valley by REDDY375 in the hunt section. One thing we did in BVC was tag along with the lion researcher and darted some lions, one was a BIG male that we got hands on measuring and taking samples. That was the highlight of the trip. If they are still doing that it would defiantly be worth checking on.

Great suggestion, thanks Bama.

One thing I have seen is people preferring to hunt the dark moon, now much of a difference does the moon make in Africa? any thoughts?

Currently the dates I'm looking at are not during the dark moon, but convenient for work and family committments.