My friend/client/AR member The Norwegian and I have just returned from a fantastic safari in the Limpopo, South Africa.
We started planning this hunt back in October 2023 and was to be a some what fact finding hunt for both of us. A couple of people I know recommended the outfitter to me so the Norwegian and I started talking. He wanted to hunt Buffalo but was not able to continue doing so in places like the Zambezi Valley due to health reasons. So we both decided to go for it and hunt three Buffalo cows between us.

Outfitter - RW Safaris International
Agent - Me
Hunters - The Norwegian and myself
Rifles used - Merkel 470 Nitro Express and a Blaser 404 Jeffery
PH - Rick Wolvaardt
Hunting dates - 8th September to the 13th September (6 days)
Hunting area - 20 kilometres south of Musina on the Sand River
Game seen - Buffalo, Kudu, Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Sable, Impala, Duiker, Grysbok, Klipspringer, Nyala, Giraffe, Eland, Crocodile, Warthog, Zebra, Baboon and Oryx

The property is game fenced around it's perimeter but we only ever saw it when crossing the road to Rick's dads property where the skinning shed was located.

The property only has a relatively small number of Buffalo which meant finding them pretty difficult. It was full of Plainsgame but they were not easy to see/hunt. It was nothing like hunting in the Eastern Cape where it's pretty easy to hunt in my opinion.

The Norwegian took his first cow on day 2 with his .470 at about 30 yards (two shots about two seconds apart). She was on her own, in pore condition and as old as the hills. Shot taken at 8:50am. The tracker and I had been tracking here for roughly two hours and she ended up in the tall reeds in the riverbed.

His second cow was taken out of a herd of 15 or so Buffalo on day three using his 404 Jeffery at about 65 yards (one shot). Shot taken at 17:50pm. We had been on the same herd in the morning but no shot really presented itself and they eventually ran off. It was then back to camp for lunch and resume tracking later in the afternoon.

My cow was taken out of a herd of around 17 Buffalo on the last day using the 404 Jeffery (four shots with a bit of a story) First shot taken at 9:55am. My first shot was broadside at 120 meters using a scope. I felt good about the shot but she ran up and out of the river and disappeared. The PH and I decided to go back to the truck first to collect the tracker and The Norwegian. On our return we found her lying down no more than 30 yards from the first shot. She was still alive and a bull had hung around with here. I took a second shot from the river which looked good but she got up and move off roughly 10 yards and stood there, still with the bull. The PH and I moved a little closer and a put a third shot into here and she dropped. After that the bull just wouldn't move off even with lots of shouting and throwing rocks. We left and went back to camp to get a couple more guys and the other client in camp wanted to come along. We got back roughly an hour later and to our surprise she was still alive and now standing but the bull had gone. The PH and I moved in and she tried to come for us but turned and I put one through her shoulder at six yards and she dropped.
After the first shot Rick and I stopped under a tree for a bit of a rest and some shade. I happened to turn around and nearly jumped out of my skin!! Not two yards from us curled up in the tree was a Black Mamba. I was safe to say that we got out of dodge pretty quickly.

I believe I speak for the Norwegian as well, I was very impressed by the whole hunt. As you will see the camp was fantastic, the food was excellent and our hosts Rick and Klarissa were so accommodating. They run a great camp/lodge. We will be back in the future, plans have already started.

If anyone is interest in information and prices please get in touch by PM or email me. I can offer Buffalo bull and or cow and Plainsgame hunts mixed in with some Tiger fishing close by. I cam also offer pre or post hunt photographic safaris in Kruger National Park.

I will be posting some packages over the next few weeks.





images upload

Thanks Mike. It was good to be back in the bush again using the double and learn what I am capable of in future. And you are correct - having seen some camps and experienced other SA operations - this was a winner


Morten

A very good, informative report.

Thats by far the finest looking camp I have seen here.

The cement finishing and rock work is as perfect as it can be done anywhere.

Very well laid out place. Any more pictures showing more of the base area? More buildings and housing?

Glad you guys had a fine hunt. Bad health always seems to derail doing much.
Glad you could handle it Morten.

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
A very good, informative report.

Thats by far the finest looking camp I have seen here.

The cement finishing and rock work is as perfect as it can be done anywhere.

Very well laid out place. Any more pictures showing more of the base area? More buildings and housing?

Glad you guys had a fine hunt. Bad health always seems to derail doing much.
Glad you could handle it Morten.

George

Hi George,

Here is a few photos of my room. It was very comfortable and had air conditioning. Sorry, I didn't get too many of the other rooms.

Mike, Thank you for the great report and photos.
Please tell me what bullet you used on the cow that you describe hunting above.

Thanks, Brian

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Canada:
Mike, Thank you for the great report and photos.
Please tell me what bullet you used on the cow that you describe hunting above.

Thanks, Brian

Hi Brian,

Mike asked me to give you the data on the bullets as we used my rifles in the 470 NE and 404 Jeffery. In 470 we used Norma factory load with 500 grain Woodleigh soft. In the 404 Jeffery we used German RWS factory load with 400 grain Teilmantel which is a RWS bullet type. This is a not bonded softnose.

Morten

Thanks for the information. Brian