Pig Hunting

I originally booked this hunt with Ian Blakeway of Venture South Outfitting who I hunting with just over a year ago. Ian was fighting a tick borne illness and did the stand up thing. He contacted me and told me he wasn’t going to be on his A-game and asked if he could hand off the hunt to another outfitter/PH that loves hunting pigs. I was fine with that and a he put me in contact with Evan Couzens of Umziki Hunting Safaris and his apprentice Adrian Salter

Saturday, 28 February:
As the plane approaches Johannesburg, the pilot does the standard “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are approaching Johannesburg where the local time…..degrees and thunderstorms forecasted for this afternoon…” Oh no, not rain again. I got rained out on an off season pig hunt a few years ago. The farmers of Natal need to start paying me to come hunt. It seems like every dry spell ends as soon as I arrive to hunt pigs in Natal. I hope that the weather cooperates this time, and in the end it does.

After a little confusion in the arrivals hall, I meet up with Adrian, Evan’s apprentice, and we are on our way. We’ve changed hunting locations and I am fine with this decision. My main request is Bush Pigs and dogs to chase them with. We are headed up to Nottingham Road in the Midlands where we will base out of for the next week. It takes us about four hours to arrive at The Farside Farm where I’ll be staying and quickly head out to check zero on the rifle. We end up delaying checking zero on the rifle as we see some Mountain Reedbuck and decide to see if we can get a better look at them. We proceed to play hide and seek with them for the next hour or so and bump a total of four Mountain Reedbuck, two Oribi, seven Common Reedbuck, three jackals and a zebra. The weather is misty/rainey in the Midlands this evening so we decide to not sit on a bushpig bait tonight and pray the weather clears tonight for running the dogs tomorrow. They took four pigs with the dogs today and we hope for good luck tomorrow too.

Sunday, 01 March:
I awaken to a pretty sunny morning with dry ground. The rain has done exactly what we wanted it to do; it stopped during the night. Now we know that any tracks we pick up will be fresh and the damp will keep the scent on the ground. Perfect conditions for the dogs. We meet up with Clint from Jumludi Hounds and make a game plan. The weather is actually a little too perfect, the dogs end up running us ragged as they chase pigs for about three hours. At one point, Ed takes a shot at a pig in very thick bramble and sets Evan and I up for a pig moving down the valley. We can see it making the grass/bushes move as it walks down the valley and get ready for it to clear for a shot. Evan hurriedly moves me to a new position telling me the pig is right there as he points into the valley. As I take the few side steps to my right, I begin raising the rifle to my shoulder and flick the safety off. At this point I realize that when Evan says the pig is “right here” he literally means “right here” and watch a blur of brown move through the scope as the pig literally breaks cover, passing within four feet of us at a dead run. It is simply too close to get a shot off with a scoped rifle. Had I realized, the pig was so close, I would have just fired from the hip and hoped for the best. I should have been carrying a shotgun with slugs. But, if I was carrying a shotgun with slugs, we’d see pigs at 50-meters plus. Evan and I end up out of position for the two pigs we take today, but hunting pigs with dogs is a team sport; we have a great time and enjoy the hunt. We know we turned the boar back towards the gun that got it. No hunters, including dogs, got hurt and we took two bushpigs. An enjoyable and successful morning.

This is Ed on the left with his boar, me in the middle, and Clint on the right with his sow. Clint is the owner of the hounds we ran today and all meat goes to him, so he can sell it to offset costs for the pack (food, vet bills, etc.).



After dark, we back the truck into some mealies and sit for bushpig coming out of the forest on the mountain and down into the mealies. At one point Adrian and I take a little walk up the hillside to look for pigs in dead ground and Adrian demonstrates his Spidey-Sense. Adrian tells me to walk in line behind him so that if there are any holes, he will fall in them and not me with the rifle. About 45 seconds after telling me this, Adrian’s Spidey-Sense allows him to deftly step right over a porcupine hole without even seeing it. I on the other hand step directly into it. We return to the truck after only spotting Oribi in the dead ground; but we do manage to avoid any more holes. It begins to rain pretty good twice and it forces us into the truck each time. We are just about the call it a night when Adrian spots bushpigs coming out of the timber. As always happens, we forgot to tell the pigs where they were expected to walk and they do the direct opposite. Instead of walking down the grassy slope, the run down a valley to the mealies. A trip we expected to take them about 30 minutes takes them less than five and puts them far to our right for a shot. I end up taking a freehand shot across the front of Adrian and Evan at a Boar presenting a frontal shot. Evan hears a good thump and watches as the pig lowers his head and takes off for the mealies. Before I can get another shot he is in the mealies. We track him for about 30-45 minutes in the mealies, find some blood, and give up when the lights begin to die. We’ll return in the morning with some Jack Russels and see if we can find him. We are convinced that he is hit hard (based on reaction to the shot) and still in the mealies either dead or alive.

Monday, 02 March:

We returned to the mealies this morning with two Jack Russels and plenty of sunlight. All we manage to find are three red runners (small pigs). Adrian’s dog, Ruger, gets one by the ear and Adrian ultimately grabs its leg with his left hand, puches the Ruger off of it with he foot and shoots it with his 9mm. These young pigs make the best eating. We drive up to the timber line to see how many pigs went back into the timber and only find tracks from the sow. This gives us another indication that the boar stayed in the mealies overnight because the young pigs were still there in the morning. We simply cannot find him, even after walking the rows three abreast. Adrian and I walk down to the mealies from the Timber line to see if perhaps he’s laying in the grass, he isn’t. Adrian however, does find the same hole I stepped in last night and plants a foot in it. We’re even now. Adrian is very proud of his ‘pack’ of hounds, or should I say terriers, and is full of pride.




This afternoon we are on our way to Weenen to look for Free Range European Boar at Zingela. After a nice drive to Colenso, we begin the bone jarring hour long drive down the 4x4 road to Zingela. It is definitely worth the bumping and bouncing. Zingela sits on one side of the Tugela River Valley with beautiful views and bushcamp elegance. BB the hunting guide shows up and we go off to verify zero on the rifle. Boar hunting here is done from a cliff above the river banks, so they like you to take a zeroing shot from the cliff to the opposite bank. BB has set out some butternut squash on the far bank for me to shoot. I take up a good supported prone position on the cliff edge and proceed to vaporize a butternut on the far bank. Everyone is satisfied with the shooting and as we walk away from the cliff I realize my tremendous mistake and announce “Wait, this is one of those Africa Scams isn’t it? I forgot to ask the trophy fee on Butternut before I shot it.” Luckily, they give a deep deep discount on the butternut. We head up river to the first spot we are going to look/watch for boars and I realize just how important it is to make sure you rifle is on based on the cliff to bank butternut test. The shooting will be at abut 45 degrees down and 100 meters away. We see no boars at the first position and move onto the second where we find a sounder. Only problem is that there aren’t any big boars with it.



We continue to watch this sounder and two more sows with piglets joins. We are hoping a big boar will also make an appearance. After about 30 minutes, BB suggests we go back and take a quick look at the first site. I weigh the option of staying put or going back to the first site with them in the truck. I decide to go with them on the logic, it will be faster to stay with the truck. We have almost reached the first site when BB taps on the roof of the cab and Evan comes to a stop. About 15 feet off the road to our right is a boar headed for one of the paths down the cliff face. Evan says, “This is the pig you should shoot.” At first I think he is just having a laugh because the pig is so close, but he reiterates “You need to shoot this pig.” So I pop out of the truck, duck walk around the nose and put a round into his shoulder, he falls to the shot and we pay the insurance with another between his shoulders. It isn’t until I get up to the pig that I realize just how big he is. BB is the hero of the day. If we had left five minutes earlier, we probably would have spooked him back up the mountain; five minutes later and he would have already been on the path down the cliff and not appeared on the river banks until after dark.

In the picture I am touching the pig (as is BB). As a frame of reference; I’m 6’ tall and weigh in at ~105 kg. It took five of us to carry this boar the 20 feet from where he lay to this spot for pictures.



We all sleep like dead men after a great dinner. I think the sound of the river below us as white noise simply made for excellent sleeping. I can’t refer to where I stayed as a room, or a tent, I simply refer to it as an area. It is 50% open with an outdoor bathtub with a view of the river and an open air shower en-suite.

Tuesday, 03 March:
After a good breakfast, we are back on the road to Nottingham Road. While driving, we discuss our choices for the afternoon/evening and decide to definitely have a try for Vaal Rhebuck and perhaps sit on a bait depending on what the trail camera we set up last night shows. We are very luck on the Vaal Rhebuck and find them exactly where Evan thinks they will be laying up. Unfortunately, we bump them and they are off over a ridge. For some reason luck is smiling on us and the ram stops in the next valley while the ewes continue on. The ram makes it out of the valley but we find him dead on the reverse slope after a ~150m shot off the sticks.



We have decided that since we took the Vaal Rhebuck so early, we will definitely sit on the bait tonight, but only to about 2100, because we have to be up early to meet the dogs in the morning. Based on history and the trailcam, the pigs should come between 2000 and 2030 and if they aren’t there by 2100, they aren’t coming. Right on cue at 2015, the pigs show up on the bait. I have difficulty finding them in the scope but finally find them. I drop the sow with a head shot, all I could see was the eyes and just aimed between them. I could only see one eye on the second pig and missed it. When we get to where the sow is laying, I realize why I was having trouble finding her in the scope. They weren’t on the bait, they were about 5 meters behind the bait in thick cover. If it had been daylight and I could have seen everything between us and the pigs I probably wouldn’t have shot. I have not doubt I was simply lucky that there were no branches in the path of the bullet on the sow and that I simply shot a branch on the second pig. Anyway, in the end it all worked out and I am very happy. I’ve been here three and a half days and I’ve already seen (dead or alive) seven bushpigs.



Wednesday, 04 March:

We meet up with Clint and the gang early this morning at a different farm and put the dogs on scent. The dogs are off like a shot and within 20 minutes Ed has claimed another pig. The dogs were still on pigs and we heard a boar bromming near us in the mealies but he didn’t exit. About 20 minutes later as we regrouped, one of the guys saw a big boar sneaking out of the mealies towards an adjacent field. This is probably the one we heard bromming and couldn’t see. The dogs are back on a trail and are chasing a young boar all over the fields. We watch him cross the road twice, but cannot take a shot due to other hunters and trucks in the line of fire. The boar stops circling in the mealies and makes a break to the south. Evan and I jump in a truck with Byron and begin chasing. Clint keeps us updated on their position using his GPS receiver and eventually informs us that the dogs are 2 kilometers south of us. Now the race is on to catch up with the dogs, if the boar has turned and is fighting he can really beat up the dogs if we aren’t there to shoot him. We drive/stop/drive/stop listening for the dogs. Finally we are very close, Byron bails out of the truck and I follow him at a sprint through thick cover. The boar has turned and is facing off with the dogs, but I cannot get a shot again due to the extremely close range; about six feet this time. Now I know why all the guys in Europe that do driven boars use red-dot sights. The pig turns and comes towards us, but Byron turns him with his .40 S&W. Within seconds the dogs have him bayed again and Evan and I work our way through thick cover towards the noise. I can hear him bromming and the dogs baying; I’m getting excited. Luckily, the dogs aren’t surrounding him and we are able to take a shot at about ten feet. He is down but not dead, but we cannot put an insurance shot in him because the dogs are all over him. My first bushpig with dogs, he’s not a trophy book boar, but he’s my first. That’s two more pigs for the team. We take the dogs out because they are tired, several are cut, and two or three need to visit the vet for stitches. Bo serious wounds to hunters (human or dog) and we call it a day.

That’s the ever lucky Ed on the left again with his sow, me in the middle and Byron on the right. That’s our Boar in the front.



We go out for bushbuck tonight on a dairy farm and see several, but nothing shootable. We did see a nice Serval though.

Thursday, 05 March:
This morning we went in search of Mountain Reedbuck and I think all of us were hoping for a quick and easy hunt after all the running around we did yesterday with the dogs. We got to the mountain where we sighted in on Saturday and began glassing from the truck as we moved through the area. This method didn’t reveal any Mountain Reedbuck, so it is out of the truck and on foot to the more inaccessible parts of the mountain. We hadn’t even walked ten minutes up the mountain when Evan took a quick knee and signaled Adrian and myself to do the same. Just over a ridge, hiding in a small valley, were some Mountain Reedbuck with a nice ram. And luck of all luck, they haven’t seen us. The ram is initially behind a rock with only his head showing, so I get into position on a boulder for a prone shot and we wait for him to clear. One of the ewes finally gets his attention and he moves from behind the rock to give a sniff and investigate matters. I put in a good shot and follow it up with two more just to make sure. The last thing we want is for him to make it over a ridge and out of sight before he falls. I am amazed at just how much lead one of these little antelope can take.



After dropping off the reedbuck for skinning, we head out to another property in search of a common blesbok and/or warthog. We arrive at Zulu Waters and are informed that they have just completed capture and culling operations and the animals are a bit skittish as a result. While the blesbok will let us get within range of them (extreme rabge), the shots are too far. We finally get within the limit of my range on a nice ram and I proceed to conduct suppressive fire on him. Two shots over and one short before we decide to call it quits. We are lucky on the way out and spot a nice warthog up in a valley. He keeps popping in and out of the bushes in the valley, so the shot is going to be quick. I take up a less than ideal position on a small mound of sandy soil and we begin the waiting game. I can see what Evan is describing to me as a warthog, but I’m not sure if it is or not. He finally moves, low and behold that orange-ish patch in the bush was a warthog. I put a round into him and immediately regret it. While laying on the ground watching him through the scope, I’d been telling myself that this is a bad position, and I am probably going to whack my forehead with the scope. Well, my prediction comes true. I set the rifle down stand up and say “*&%$ I knew that was going to happen” as blood starts a constant flow from the gash above my eye. Evan still has the pig in sight and wants me to shoot again to ensure he doesn’t make it to a hole. I tell him I can’t take another shot right now and he realizes what I’ve done. Grapping the rifle, he puts two follow-up shots into him. Adrian adds insult to injury by attempting to put a combat dressing around my head, I guess better safe than sorry; but I still don’t let him put a combat dressing on me. After driving around the mountain to get to the top; we, or actually Adrian find him and Adrian still has to put two rounds from the .243 into him to finish him. All told, he took 5 rounds; one from me from right rear flank diagonally across to exit the opposite quarter, two through the should from Evan and one to the neck and another to the head from Adrian before the pig was down. I’ve had a bang up week on pigs and I couldn’t be happier.



Friday, 06 March:

Flying home to Korea today, the worst part of any trip to Africa. Evan and Adrian did an excellent job, Clint’s dogs performed wonderfully, and everyone I met on the bushpig hunts was friendly and cordial. If you have never hunted with a pack of dogs, it is a very social and enjoyable experience weather you pull the trigger that day or not. I can see bow it becomes almost an addiction with these guys. Another time or two and I may start pricing dogs…

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Colin, Great report and great pigs ! Have hunted a lot of warthog and bushpig (over hounds) and it is a fantastic hunt ! Wild boar in KZN would be a first! Great report and pictures. Thank you.

Charlie
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Colin

Thanks again for hunting with us. After last hunt being rained out the way it was I would have been happy to send you home with just a bushpig, let alone a European boar and a warthog too.

We look forward to hunting with you again soon.
Travel safe and I hope the head heals soon.
Regards
Ian

Colin,
Great report!...and really nice pigs. I am pretty jealous, I've hunted KZN 5 different times, each time sitting over a pile of melees and each time coming up short. I've hunted with Evan in Nottingham Rd, great fellow. He put me on to a great bushbuck, but no bushpigs. Looks like you had a fun hunt. And congrats on the rhebok also.

Excellent hunt congratulations

I've uploaded a video of the mad dash for the boar on Wednesday. I suggest you do the right click on the link and save it to your computer for viewing.

Bushpig Sprint

Colin

Great report.

Mike

Fun hunt! Bushpigs....one of these days!

I did not not realize that there were European boars in South Africa, whats their story?

Glad you had a good hunt and thank you for posting!

Here's what I was told concerning European Boars ending up in SA:

There is a story that there was a borer beetle that was destroying pine plantations, so the forestry department brought in Boars to eat the borer beetles. These animals spread and started doing damage. They were heavily hunted at one point but then ended up surviving in pockets all over the country And so, today there are 100% free range populations of European Wild Boar in SA.

Colin

Due to the huge success of this hunt, we have decided to offer this hunt as a package.

Please see here for details http://forums.accuratereloadin...681011902#9681011902

Looks like a great time?

Congratulations!

Thanks for posting.

Colin, it looks like you left one behind. Hes with a group of sows now. Big pig, not sure he has the depth that yours did though, but hes a beast. Huge pig

Ian,

If Natal really needs me to come back and sort out your pig problems, I'll keep it in mind for next spring. Or do you just want me to come back so it rains again???

Cheers and my best to your family.

Colin

Hi Colin

You joke, but the rain stopped after you left. I think we are on to something here. Going to have to call you Rain Man

A PIG HUNTING BONANZA!!!


COOL