Outfitter: AAA Serapa Safaris, South Africa

PH's: Gielie Uys and Pule Claassens

Location: Northwestern South Africa

Hunt: 14 - Day Lioness / Plains game Safari

Dates: May 16 - 29, 2013)

Equipment:
Rocky Mountain Rifle 375 H&H, Zeiss Duralyte 1.2-5x32 shooting 250 grain GMX handloads
Tikka T3 30-06, Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x44 w/Rapid Z 600 shooting 165 grain GMX Superformance ammo


Vanessa and I were looking for something a bit different on this African trip. Our first trip to Africa was to Namibia and it was a tent safari that took us across a good chunk of the country. This time we wanted to enjoy a bit of luxury and have access to a wider variety of plains game. After meeting with Apie and Yolande Reyneke at the African Hunting Expo in Calgary and then again in Reno, it seemed like they had everything we were looking for although we must admit that we were a bit sceptical that their lodge could really be as luxurious as it looked in the brochures. Mark and Cindy Zimmermann, Canadian reps for Serapa Safaris assured us that the facilities were everything portrayed and more and that the quality of game available was incredible and that it would offer a real quality hunting experience.

We wanted to stalk on foot and shoot off sticks like a more traditional African hunt and were assured that they could tailor the hunt to our exact needs and wants. We met with them a few more times and finally settled on a 14 day plains game hunt with the addition of a lioness for Vanessa. Serapa is well known for their lion hunting and doing a hunt tracking on foot with the possibility of some extremely close range shooting had us sold. Mark and Cindy also decided to join us for the first part of our trip.


Our Chalet



We flew Calgary to London to Jo'burg where Apie met us and flew us to the lodge in his Cessna 210. We were totally blown away by the lodge. The brochure didn't come close to doing it justice. The sheer grandeur and elegance can't be described. After settling in and having a shower, Gielie suggested we go sight our rifles in. Everything was still bang on so Gielie suggest we go for a quick drive before dark. We ended up spotting a absolute stud of a black wildebeest bull and after a lengthy stalk, I put him down on the spot with the .375. What a start!



On day 2, we were hunting with Pule and we got our first real look at the massive 47,000 acre property. Game was abundant and we ended up playing cat and mouse with a herd of Burchell's zebra for most of the day. Finally with about 10 minutes of light left, Vanessa made an awesome 250 yard shot and put a zebra down for good.



Serapa has a very healthy population of red lechwe and it was on the agenda for day three. We looked over a large number of males before setting our sights on one particular specimen. Vanessa hit him just slightly too far ahead with her 30-06 and a long tracking job with no blood ensued. Watching Pule and his tracker unravel the trail from the myriad of tracks was unbelievable but after several hours Vanessa made good on her follow up shot and had an incredible trophy lechwe.



That afternoon after lunch, we were headed out to look for an impala when we spotted a huge sable bull. Sable was tentatively on my list and after one look at the bull we were planning a stalk. Pule got us top within 150 yards and I punched a 250 grain GMX right through the bull's heart. He reared up on his hind legs and hit the ground hard. What an incredible trophy!



We were awoken nearly every morning by the sound of roaring lions and we constantly seeing tracks in the sand but we had yet to find a track from a big old female but with lots of days remaining were weren't worried. Vanessa ended up taking an ancient old blesbok just before dark on Day 4.



Both Pule and Gielie were with us on Day 5 and we spotted a huge gemsbok bull. While not on our wishlist, it was on Mark's and he took the massive 40" bull with a well placed shot to the chest. In the afternoon, we spotted a monster of a steenbuck and Pule managed to get Vanessa in position where she made a perfect shot.



Day 6 we must have looked at over 100 impala rams but there just wasn't one that had everything Pule was looking for.

On day 7 we spotted some vultures in the morning on what appeared to be a kill and upon closer inspection, it was a lion kill. Gielie felt the there was a female and a smaller male on the kill and suggested we track the female. After several hours, we got our first look at the lioness. She was lying in some heavy cover about 40 yards away and offered no shot. After what seemed forever, she got up and slipped out the back of the bushes. We were on the trail again. We caught her in a small opening and Vanessa hit her hard with a 250 grain GMX. The lion ran into some heavy cover and we knew we had to follow. At eight yards Gielie spotted the female lying in wait for us and Vanessa as cool as ever shot the lion again and her dream had come true. Lion hunting on foot is an incredible experience and Vanessa had a very well-earned trophy and the respect of her PH for staying so cool under pressure.





Day 8 saw us tracking eland for the entire day and despite getting close to the herd numerous times, a shot at the biggest bull in the group never presented itself. As we were just about to give up, Gielie spotted a big impala ram and a quick stalk resulted in a head on shot. I placed the 165 GMX in the impala's heart and I had a great ram.



On day 9 we took up the eland trail again but by noon realized they were pretty spooked so decided to get off the trail for a bit. We were treated to an incredible bush lunch by a water hole and it was off hunting again. As we were looking for eland again, we spotted a great nyala bull. This was tops on my list and I think a bit of buck fever got the best of me. I missed a 150 head on shot on the bull. We tracked him for several more hours before losing his track among a bunch of fresh eland tracks. With my confidence shaken from the miss, I really took my time when the big eland bull we'd been chasing for two days offered a broadside shot at 150 yards. There was no mistake this time. The bullet slammed through his shoulder and into his heart. He barely took a step.



On Day 10, we spotted the nyala bull from the previous day and this time me shot was true and the 165 grain 30-06 bullet took his heart out. I finally had my nyala. That afternoon Mark took a great steenbuck just before dark. As it was Mark and Cindy's last day in camp, a great celebration was held in camp that night and Vanessa had to do the dance of the lion hunter.



We'd been keeping an eye on a large group of female waterbucks and on Day 11 a big bull finally joined them. We took up the track and after several hours and several miles, the bull offered up a 200 yard shot and the 30-06 was true again. I hit him right in the heart. The mass on his horns was spectacular!



That left only springbok on our list and while they were plentiful, getting in range on foot was a completely different matter. After a dozen or so blown stalks in two days, Vanessa was finally able to put a big male down with her 30-06. When a nice duiker presented a shot later on, I couldn't resist and added one more species to the list.





We spent the final few days photographing and saw an incredible array of game including a couple monster cape buffalo, a huge male lion, giraffes, ostriches, a monster kudu bull and an amazing array of other game. It was with heavy hearts that we got back into Apie's plane for the beginning of our journey home.




Serapa really is a spectacular destination for the couple or family in search of an upscale lodge with an incredible hunting experience.

I have heard good word of mouth on Serapa Safaris. Thanks for the report and congrats on some fine trophies. Always good to see the ladies hunting!

Apie & Yolanda are terrific people. Their background makes them special in an industry overflowing with fly by night operators, focused on the business aspect only - translation your money! It is a rare thing to find an operation that is really about the African experience, albeit bathed in first class luxurious lodging that also produces excellent hunting across a vast spectrum of south african species. Serapa Safaris was built from hard work and a keen eye for detail, and above all to encompass all that southern Africa has to offer in one place. Bye the bye, this is a non compensated factual recitation, from someone who has spent years on safaris on this marvelous continent.

Thanks for the report.

Thanks for the report, but especially for the photos.

Congratulations on a great hunt.

Well done on an outstanding hunt. Love that steenbuck.

Fantastic! Very very nice!

Great report and some fantastic trophy photographs there.

Serapa looks to be very luxurious and you did well to pamper your madam.

Congrats on the Lioness.

Here's a few more pictures...

Our bush lunch


Inside our chalet




A couple big buff


Another big buff


Kudu were in the heat of the rut and we saw some great bulls

Sheephunterab and Vanessa!
You surely had the finest (and pretty luxurious - wow) hunting safari. Thank you for your fine report and some great pictures. Great steenbok also, among other trophies taken, and I, in particular, like the picture of Vanessa saluting her lioness. Congratulations both.
Kind regards
Jytte

Beautiful trophies! Thanks for posting the report.

A wonderful report and fine pics. A great safari lasts forever.

Mike

Thanks all! We just finished up a photo book from our hunt with AAA Serapa Safaris. Check it out here if you are interested: http://share.shutterfly.com/sh...3e&sid=1QZNmjhu4bOcA

Good job you two! Looks like a lot of fun. Your new 375 seems to be working well!

Thanks for posting the report so soon!

Great hunt. Thanks for sharing.

The Steenbok is a monster! ( That just sounds wierd)

great photos, looks like you had an amazing hunt thanks for sharing

How does this work exactly? Are these lions free ranging, or is this a high fence hunt?
I have read several negative reports about this on various other forums, and have hunted in S.A. Before. I just didn't think there are any free range lions?
I have obviously seen them free range and wild on several of my other hunts, but not S.A.
How big is this place? It looks beautiful, as far as accommodations go, and nice trophies!! Is this perhaps a "different deal" than the others?
It might be a great place to take some clients!!

I'd say that virtually all lions are under high fence in South Africa. While far from an expert we did considerable research before committing to a lion hunt with Serapa. It seems some SA lion hunts are quite literally a fish in a barrel hunt. They are released into a small area the day of the hunt and then "hunted" with a virtual guarantee.

In other places like Serapa, they always have a certain number of lions roaming the property. The property is 47,000 acres but is currently split in two by a road so the lions would basically be an a 20,000+ acre high fenced area although Apie is attempting to go through the proper channels to have the cross fence removed so it was a contiguous 47,000 acres.

We saw lion tracks nearly every day and on two occasions saw lions. No doubt this is a put and take lion hunt but you are hunting lions that have been released on the property for a length of time and for all intensive purposes act like wild lions.

Hunts are tracking hunts on foot and shots are typically close range and charges often ensue. Is it a free range hunt? No. Is it a fish in a barrel hunt.....from our limited experience I would say no.

I hunted at Venetia, in the northwest part of South Africa. I do not know what provence. It is +/- 165,000 acres, owned by DeBeers. During our hunt, we met a very nice young lady who was doing a lion study. Her study was to last about a year. She assured me they were free range. The only fence I saw was along the blacktop,the Vall river was another boundry, not fenced.

Outstanding!
Congratulations to you both!

Those pictures of your chalet remind me of Dande.

Well done by you and your Huntress!!!! I love to see other women enjoying themselves by hunting! And, a lioness at that!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Very interesting!!
So, it appears the trophy quality is quite good...
The lodge looks five star....
You hunted almost exclusively by tracking, and I see you had asked for that. Is that not the norm, or is it the norm?
What, if anything, could you say that would be a negative? (you could PM me if you had something didn't want to discuss in a public Enviroment)
-i have six clients that want to go to Africa, and two I will foot the entire bill for (so Tanzania is out...lol)
Two or three of them really want to go to S.A. As they heard the accommodations are better, blah blah, blah....
I have bot been interested at all in hunting in S.A. Again, but perhaps this might fit the bill for what I need??
What were your daily rates? Typical S.A. Trophy fees?

They will hunt basically any style you like. We really wanted to track on foot and shoot off sticks and they accommodated but certain they would hunt however the hunter preferred. The PHs were very accommodating.

Yes, accommodations and meals were 5-star. Their rates are on their website and they are a bit higher than some but for the service and quality of animals, I'd say it was good value.

Not sure there were any real negatives other than the internet in the lodge was slow.....lol

Congrads to you and the Mrs! Love the pics of the trophies and lodging.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Those pictures of your chalet remind me of Dande.

What a hunt! Congrats to you guys both. Great report TJ. Look forward to the verbal account as well over an ale or 2.

Thxs TJ,just what I needed towards the end of my hunting season,candy!
Well Done Vanessa.

Congrats on some fine trophies.
Great photo's.

quote:

Those pictures of your chalet remind me of Dande.

Mike, that must be your personal chalet, the one I stayed in was not quite that nice.I think Buzz is going to put marble in all of them though!

The accommodations at Serapa were a bit of a step up from those on our Namibian hunt....lol

Congrats. That Steenbuck is a toad!

quote:

Originally posted by highlander:
Thxs TJ,just what I needed towards the end of my hunting season,candy!
Well Done Vanessa.

Thanks Gerald! We are considering a return trip for 2015. You guys should join us. They welcome guys with pointy sticks and Apie has some cool flying machines to amuse Sue!

Great hunt report !! and some awesome animals.
Beautiful SA lioness, hunting lions on foot in the sand is a very exciting experience. Its amazing how close you need to be before you see them

Thanks for the excellent pictures and sharing your special hunt with us all.

I shot a Lion at Serapa last year, organized by Pierre Von Tonder. The place is fabulous, thier PH's were great, hunting good and Appie and Yolanda are nice people. One does not get even the slightest sense of roughing it but a nice stop on our trip. we tracked the Lion for more than three hours, bumping him four times before I got a good shot

Sheephunterab

Thanks for posting. Great trip, great photos, and some great memories you have there. Congratulations to you both.

A couple of questions if you dont mind. Could you give some detail on the Tikka stock - I am assuming it is aftermarket?

Also, the band on the barrels just ahead of the stock forend. I am interested to know what it is as the only thing I could think of was some kind of barrel vibration tuning device? Just bugging me since I noticed it!

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana_500:
Sheephunterab

Thanks for posting. Great trip, great photos, and some great memories you have there. Congratulations to you both.

A couple of questions if you dont mind. Could you give some detail on the Tikka stock - I am assuming it is aftermarket?

Also, the band on the barrels just ahead of the stock forend. I am interested to know what it is as the only thing I could think of was some kind of barrel vibration tuning device? Just bugging me since I noticed it!

The stock on the Tikka is a graphite McMillan with a custom paint job on it.

The black bands are simply a few wraps of electrical tape. We hunt a lot in the snow and rain and usually tape the ends of our barrel and it's just a convenient place to store some in case you need it. Wish I had a better story...lol

Thanks. Did not think of tape, but that makes sense. I used to run strips of tape down the side of the stock for the same reason and people would look at my trophy photos and ask me what was wrong with my stock.

At least I didnt ask why your barrel was held together with tape