.

There was no real wish list or agenda for this hunt other than to have a great week in KZN, South Africa, with a great friend with some hunting split between plains game in Zululand and chasing bushpigs with hounds in Natal. I guess that if I had had an agenda it would have been the bushpig part of the hunt and specifically to to get on to one or two big pigs with my friend Rob and shoot them at a bay - preferably in cane - with the hounds singing and howling!

I flew in from Lagos on SAA and Rob from Jakarta on Emirates and we had a couple of days in Johanneburg, sorting kit and guns, recharging the flat Landrover batteries and generally catching up. We have not seen each other for a few years and last hunted together in Pongola, RSA, back in 2013. Rob is an awesome person, he knows loads about guns and is great fun to hunt with! It was going to be a great week.

We had arranged to hunt with Evan Couzens, of Umziki Safaris. Originally the plan was a large group hunt with 5 guys participating, but 3 fell by the wayside so it was just Rob and I. Neither of us have hunted with Evan before, but I had heard good things and all the mails and calls exchanged with him before the trip were good. Evan would be accompanied by Adrian Salter, his youthful safari company partner and PH plus their trackers and skinners. What Adrian may lack in years he makes up for in enthusiasm, energy, a love of cat and pig hunting and driving his Cruiser too fast! We found him to be a really good PH now and I am sure that he will only get better and better in the years to come.

Each traveling light with a dry bag, a rucksack and my two soft gun cases, Rob and I set off early on Sunday 24 April, in the Defender 110 for Ladysmith, where we had agreed to meet Evan at 10.30 a.m. at the shopping center. It was grey and cold as we crossed Guateng Province into the Free State and as we headed up the Botha Pass we hit some rain but it eased as we entered KwaZulu-Natal.













Pretty much on time, we met Evan at a turnoff on the Ladysmith Road and followed him a short 20 minute drive to the game / hunting farm where we would spend the first three days of our hunt.

Chris Gunther, a 5th generation farmer, would be our host on his 3.000 h plus game farm, with Evan, Adrian and Rob and I having free roaming access across the whole farm. Chris used to run cattle but switched to solely game some 4 or 5 years back. No cattle, no fences and plenty of game and great accommodations, dining tent and fire place as well. Things were looking good.

Being Sunday there was no hunting, but we did sight-in the rifles - Rob was using Evan's .308 and I was carrying my .375 Krieghoff double (which had Adrian very excited - love at first sight!). We also had a play with my .416 at 50 yard targets just for fun and because one can!





In fact, I left the .416 sleeved for the whole week but it was fun to put a few rounds thru it at the range. We then proceeded on a long game drive which gave us an idea of the size of the farm, the topography we would be hunting and the amount of game on the farm.











We probably saw more kudu on that game drive than I have seen over my last 10 Africa hunts! The rut had just started and the bulls were chasing tails around every corner! Advert time - if I had wanted to try for a kudu bull this would be the place to do it !! I think we counted 25 kudu bulls on one the days.












With no hunting and no guns, we enjoyed a sundowner at the top of the mountain before heading back to camp and a great meal followed by drinks around the campfire. In anticipation of a big day ahead it was early to bed for us all.

Monday we were up before the sun and after a quick coffee and rusk we were hunting. We caught the sunrise from a nearby hilltop.






We decided this morning to hunt together and it was not long before we spotted and stalked into a herd of wildebeest. Blue wildis and double rifles on plains game hunts seem to go well together and you can't have enough wildi skulls on your wall right? So I was on the sticks searching for the bull as the sun continued to climb. I found the bull but overshot him twice and the herd spooked.

We would return to the range early afternoon to find that the rifle was shooting high. 5 range shots later we were back in the black at 100 m and all was good again.

In the meantime, Rob got himself a good solo impala ram and I shot a respectable blesbok, compensating for shooting high, I shot lower and Rob backed me up with the .308 and we each had the monkeys off our backs!












That afternoon we split up and I hunted with Evan and Rob with Adrian. We were back onto wildebeest and after a good guided stalk and crawl through some very thick thorn trees, I put in a decent shot with the Krieghoff (shooting Norma 300 grain softs) and after a fast 200 meter heart shot dash the bull went down. Not the biggest bull that I have hunted but a good, solid wildebeest bull with a gnarled up set of horns! And you cannot have enough wildis can you?









We winched the bull onto the cruiser and headed back to the skinning shed with kudu bulls literally running twenty meters in front of the bakkie chasing cows - totally oblivious to the Cruiser and the hunters on board!

At the skinning shed we met Chris and 3 American teenagers, who had driven up to the farm to ask Chris's permission to hike in the hills. It turned out that they were 3 young Mormons traveling RSA. They were almost more excited with the wildi on the truck than I was and one of the three proceeded to show me his hunting pictures on his iPhone including a bow hunted bull elk! Three politer young men, mustard keen on hunting, you would have trouble to find elsewhere. I can only hope that they can hunt Africa in twenty years time the way we enjoy hunting Africa today!

Rod, in the meantime, successfully put a blesbok into the salt and then managed to take a last light zebra stallion, which he wanted to do for a shoulder mount for his USA home.













Our first day of hunting in Zululand drew to a close with drinks around the fire, a great dinner and with 5 animals in the cold room and hides and horns in the salt shed. A promising start to the week.






Tuesday dawned cold and grey, in fact it was 'fleece weather'. Rob set off with Adrian after hartebeest and other 'critters' (I am not 100% sure I like that word) and Evan and I decided to simply see what would happen and set off without a real plan. We saw plenty of game and even considered taking a second wildi bull with the double - you can't have enough wildis can you ! We spotted and stalked onto a herd of some 20 - 30 animals but we did not see a good, solid bull so we passed on the gnus.

The farm offered thick bush with tall hills and deep valleys as well as open flat grasslands. Something for everyone.



We stalked into some impalas but they were all young, so we passed them up too and then we sat near a waterpan for an hour or so. Kudu came in. Some 20 impala ewes came to water followed by a bachelor herd or some 9 to 10 rams. One ram, certainly trophy material in a couple of years, spotted us and spent a 15 full minutes barking and snorting at us from 10 meters ! If he carries on like that he will not make it to trophy size as someone will take him!

Driving again we bumped into Rob and Adrian, not literally, but on the same dirt track going opposite ways. Adrian's smile from cheek to cheek betrayed something special and looking in the back of their Cruiser we saw the reason - a very solid bushpig boar of 8 to 10 years, that they had stalked and shot in the daytime! Congratulations were certainly deserved and we spent a long time taking pictures of the happy hunters and their trophy daytime boar!










A few hours later, Evan and I spotted three good impala rams grazing in some long grass half way up a hillside. We stalked in, Evan flicked the sticks up and I was just waiting for a broadside opportunity when the "Battle of the Alamo" started up down the valley. On shot number 3 or 4 the impala spooked and by the finishing 9mm shot number 5 my impala and his mates were long over the hill. Evan guessed jackal. I guessed hartebeest. I was right. Rob had his red hartebeest! He reported later that after a 3 hour stalk culminating with a dash, he missed the first 2 shots, connected with the next 2 in the neck and then they put in a 9mm finishing shot. Happy for him but no impala for me, so Evan and I hunted on.






With some 30 minutes of hunting light left we saw more impala rams and this was when I decided on "Plan D" ( D as in desperation) The ram with all 17 1/2" of his hard horns never knew what hit him. My PH was not impressed. I was happy. Evan did comment that the ram had "squiggly" tips. I have never shot a 17 1/2" impala ram with squiggly tips before, so that was a first! Good biltong, another European mount impala and a fun hunt.









That evening, after BBQ'd zebra and bushpig filet steaks, Rob broke out that Jambox and we drank beers and Wild Turkey around the bush TV to the sound of Kenny Rogers! That too was a first.

Midweek saw us up early. Evan set off away before us to make sure that there were no surprises at the next camp we were going to and after breakfast we said our goodbyes and with a kilo of Chris's home made chili bites, we drove some 3 hours to Nottingham Road and the Natal Midlands for the second half of the hunt.

Umziki Safaris has a very comfortable lodge at the end of a very long driveway through some thick forrest bush, with barking vervet monkeys, caracal, bushbuck and more living in the thick cover. We unpacked and sat down to a sandwich lunch.






Now somewhere along the line, I or Evan had mentioned Vaalie, or correctly termed Vaal rhebok or Vaalribbok in Afrikaans. I have never hunted one and Evan has them near by. So we made a plan! South Afrikaans love making plans!

Swapping the .375 double for Adrian's .243, we set off to Castle Howard, a very large sheep and beef farm at the foot of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountains. Driving on to the property we saw rhebok straight away - a small herd of 3 or 4 animals led by an average ram. We spent the next hour driving, stopping and walking and glassing and then we spotted a 'decent' ram about a kilometer away. We drove half the distance and stalked the other half only to be spotted by the ram as I was about to go onto the sticks. The herd then proceeded to do an antelope version of the Comrades Marathon and the last we saw of them was the arse of the ram going over the furthest hill two valleys away!












But Diana was with us and within 30 minutes we glassed a group of 4 vaalies laying down at a distance of 200 meters. They did not spook. I don't know if they even saw us. Now I did something that I have not done before in all my hunting years, I sighted onto the ram whilst he was still laying down and shot him at the base of the neck. He never moved. Interestingly, Evan, beside me and glassing the ram through his Zeiss binocs whilst I was lining up the shot was thinking to himself that there were two shot options to anchor the ram - through the base of the neck or through the the haunches. Without discussing this, I had taken the first option and we had our vallie.

Now Evan had called it as 'quite a good ram'. I told him when glassing that I did not like the word 'quite'. So he changed the call to a 'good ram'. What lay before us however was a 'spectacular ram'! The ewes fled at the shot and Evan kindly carried the ram up the hillside and we laid him down to look at him. A superb, old ram with a thick wooly coat, long, thin neck and longer and thinner horns! I was thrilled !








We took our time taking pictures and then, packing the gun away first, we enjoyed a cold beer with the vaalie laying on a large rock next to us. We then started judging and guessing horn length and proceeded to do something that I usually abhor, Evan got a tape measure out and we measured the ram's horns. The shorter horn was 9" and the longer 9 1/2"!

I think that had we hunted for the full week and taken just this grey rhebok and nothing else, I would have been more than pleased. But to have taken this ram plus the other animals it was the cherry on the hunt cake!

Driving back through the hills, I missed a jackal at 250 m plus and then we returned to the lodge. Btw Rob and Adrian shot a jackal at the other farm but there was not much left of it so it went on the bait pile.

Rob and Adrian came in late after we had braaied and eaten, but we saved some food for them. Rob had taken a good waterbuck at Zulu Water, a large reserve the other side of Mooi River.






The after braai party that evening involved lots of beer and 18 year old "proper" Scotch and I fell into bed that night, very much the worse for wear, thinking of vallie in the mountains!

Clint, PH and owner of the Jamludi Hounds, had driven up from near Durban, bringing some 12 hounds with him, for us to hunt bushpig over his dogs the next day. A great guy and we all hit it off with him straight away. We talked dogs, hunts, bays, hunting in cane or maize and other hunting dog topics and the excitement of the upcoming two mornings hunting bushpig grew!





Thursday morning we were all up at 05.00 a.m. for coffee and rusks and then with dogs collared and loaded, we set off in three Cruisers for a 45 minute drive to a block of indigenous forest that Evan and Clint knew would hold pigs.






As a side note, whilst 11 of the hounds rode together in one Cruiser, 1 dog, affectionately referred to as "Asshole" by Clint, rode on his own in another Cruiser. Clint explained that this was because "Asshole" had an attitude issue and would bark at and occasionally bite the other pack members. As soon as the hunt was on however, "Asshole" was fine and a great pig dog, it was just the before and after that was his problem.









On pulling up in the forest, Clint held a short safety talk, handed out hi-vis orange vests and hand held radios, smoked a last cigarette and threw open the tail gate and the hunt was on!








The dogs took off in twos and threes into the thick bush, Rob, now carrying Evan's CZ .375, went with Adrian and I, with the Krieghoff on iron sights, ran with Clint. Within 20 minutes the dogs were on to a pig and the 'singing' and 'howling' took on a more higher note. The pack was chasing up the hill and trying to keep up with Clint's long strides, I started to regret that last scotch the night before. We pushed into the thick bush, forcing brambles and branches aside. Suddenly a shot rang out nearby. A 9mm. Clint's dog handler radioed that he had shot a 'red runner' of a young pig as it ran by. Meanwhile the 'singing' and 'howling' took on another tone! The dogs had bayed a pig. Clint leading, we crashed on through the bush about 100 meters to the bay - a very large, thick bramble patch with a small stream about a meter wide running thru it. The pig had run up the stream into the brambles and was now battling it away with the pack. As we arrived one or two of the dogs that were on the fringes plucked up even more courage and got into the thick of it! I knelt down in the stream and looked up a tunnel into the bramble patch. A thought flashed through my mind in milliseconds of me crawling up the tunnel and the pig charging down the tunnel! Not a good thought! I shouted to Clint that we should go round and we circled the brambles and found another tunnel going in. Looking in Clint saw the pig charge one of the hounds. I knelt next to him, he shouted to be careful not to hit a dog and I shot at the pig on its next burst but missed, the bullet going into the bank behind. The pig charged again and at about 4 meters I fired again and the pig went down! What an adrenaline rush! The barking and howling stopped as if a switch had been thrown. A number of the pack were now harassing and chewing at the dead sow's withers. And Clint turned to me, smiled and shook my hand. We had taken a large bushpig sow, bayed, in the forest just as I had hoped!

Clint checked the dogs and radioed his handler to get the whereabouts of two or three dogs that were not at the bay. One dog had taken a knock but was ok. Clint dragged the pig out of the thicket and we admired the sow as Rob, Adrian and the dog handlers arrived.

Pictures were taken and the dogs watered in the stream.












We then loaded the pig and the dogs and drove back to where the other Cruisers were parked. And then - with the boar still on the run - Clint put out the dogs and we did it all over again!





The pack were quickly onto a pig, howling and singing down the valley and in fact, I saw the boar, and a very large boar at that, cross through some timber above me. I put in two fleeting shots but failed to connect. The pack were on to another pig but after an hour or so had not bayed, so Clint pulled them off the trail and called an end to the hunt. It was getting hot and the dogs needed water and rest.

With dogs and the two pigs loaded we headed back to the lodge for a brunch and rest. "Asshole" slept nearby in the sunshine.

After a short rest, Evan and I drove an hour to Zulu Waters, to hunt warthog. Bushpig in the morning and warties in the afternoon! It doesn't get much better than that if, like me, you are mad on pigs!

Zulu Waters is a vast property below the Drakensbergs sprawling over some 6.000 h and with the complete who's who of game animals. We saw a number of rhino (like big boulders with ears until they stand up!) ( including a mother with a small calf), buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, kudu, ostrich, warthog, impala, reedbuck, blesbok, hartebeest, giraffe, black and blue wildis and sprinbok.










After some 20 minutes we spotted a pair of warthog, but Evan thought we could do better and some 15 minutes later, down a valley, we spotted 4 pigs grazing. We stopped and walked in. The pigs started running up the contour into the long grass and leading a meter on the fourth running pig I took the shot and dropped him in his tracks! I think I surprised my PH, who had been waiting for the warthog to stop. Smiles.









We recovered the pig and did pictures. A big bodied, fat pig with huge warts and decent tusks for a KZN warthog! I was pleased. The game scout who had come with us from Zulu Waters, radioed in that we had a warthog and would return to the abattoir. I corrected him and told him that we were going to try for another warthog, which made Evan smile!

After a short drive we spotted more pigs grazing with kudus and impalas but there were no old boars amongst them so we let them be and drove further. We parked the Cruiser and stalked over a hilltop where I had spotted a large bodied boar walking in the grass. We did not find him but instead, Evan glassed a sow and a boar feeding about 150 meters below us in some long grass down the valley. We stalked closer and at 100 meters or so, I took a my second warthog and third pig for the day with the Krieghoff .375!









We skinned the two boars, leaving the meat at Zulu Waters and returned back to the Umziki Safaris Lodge, very happy at the days result!

Rob in the meantime had searched for duiker and steenbok but without any luck and was already at the lodge when we arrived back.

Friday, our last hunting day, the plan was to hunt a cane block East of Nottingham Road. We set off early, dogs collared and loaded and "Asshole" riding solo again. We stopped for coffee and a pie (another great RSA habit) on route and "Asshole" barked at every petrol pump attendant that he saw!

Half an hour later we arrived at the farm. A hillside covered in sugar cane, from young recently planted cane to panels of burned cane being collected for the mill. And panels of 2 m high cane, the home to pigs and porcupines!








Vests were put on, a short safety refresher by Clint about hunting in the cane and the pack was released with "Asshole" barking and snapping at the dogs as they pushed into the cane!






The first two or three panels of cane produced no pigs, so we loaded the hounds and drove up the hill to some taller can and ran the dogs again. After 10 to 15 minutes the chase was on and the dogs were 'howling' behind one or more pigs. Between us we covered the corners of the cane panel in anticipation of a bushpig bursting from the cane. The dogs continued to chase and we dropped down a panel but then the front and fastest two dogs in the pack bumped a porcupine in the cane and could not resist it! The pack now chased and hassled the rodent for half an hour before they bayed it and the dog handler shot the porcupine with a 9mm.





As a note - I had joked the evening before that a pair of mating porcupines would make a great full mount for the trophy room. Clint thought that "Asshole", laying nearby had heard me and was trying to get me my two porcupines!

We plucked the quills and two of Evan's lodge workers / farm hands got the meat - a delicacy!

It had been an exciting morning and all the hounds were safe, although one or two did have to have an offending porcupine quill removed from noses, cheeks and rumps! But as Clint said, they just cannot resist a porcupine!

After lunch I packed up and loaded up and headed off to Howick before driving 5 hours back to Johannesburg. Rob stayed on a night, ran Adrian's cat pack with Adrian Friday afternoon as training for the hounds and Evan drove him to Durban the next morning for the second (non hunting) leg of his RSA vacation.





Saturday, after cleaning my double rifle and scope and stowing all my hunting gear in the apartment until the next hunt, it was off to Oliver R Tambo International Airport and the 14.45 SAA flight to Lagos.






For a week's hunting with a great friend with no planned agenda, I think that we did very well indeed. Rob and I took 13 animals between us - with highlights for me being a great pair of bushpig, a superb vaalie, Rob's waterbuck and a 'Plan D' squiggly horned impala! We did not loose nor wound any animals and other than a bump or two and some nasty porcupine quills the hound pack was all ok. We met some great new friends in Evan, Adrian and Clint, all of whom excelled and all of I whom I would recommend.

Thanks to Rob for flying in and hunting with me. Thanks to Evan, Adrian and Clint for putting it all together for us. Thanks to the Jamludi hounds and handlers. And thanks to all AR readers for coming along too! It was another memorable African hunting adventure!






Ps Notes and Moments

I don't actually think that we had any notable Ps Moments on this hunt other than maybe me rearranging the Umziki Lodge trophies so that the bushpig was "in your face" on the wall as opposed to discreetly over the door. Evan was very polite and said he didn't mind!

I did also realise that I am going to start having to get fitter if I want to keep up with the younger PHs when chasing bushpig through the forests and cane! I'll have to make a plan!

And thinking about it I am adding two porcupines to my bucket list ! I know a great taxidermist in Newcastle, RSA, who can fix up a 'lovely mount' for me!


(Photo credits - Rob, Evan and myself)

Looks like a great trip. Thanks for posting.

Awesome report, pics and pigs.I've only shot a couple of warthogs, but consider them a most unique and desirable trophy. Here's one from my 2015 trip to Namibia:

A very enjoyable read, thanks for sharing your hunt with us.

George

Your no agenda hunt maybe more successful than most agenda hunts.

That Vallie is a stunner. I screwed up last month and clean missed one, and now want one more than ever.

Well done all around on hunt, report, and pics too.

Great report. That Vaal is fantastic. I saw the sugar cane fields last week in the KZN but I had no desire to run through them chasing pigs!

Charlie.
A hunt with great results although you had no wish list! You do love your pigs!
Fine report that easily reads what a fine time you had with your friend and fine pictures, thank you for sharing. Now, where was Anja?
Kind regards
Jytte

Awesome!!!

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Jytte, Thanks. Anja skipped this one. She's waiting for the next Zim hunt !

Charlie

The Vaal is simply amazing. Well done!

Hunting pig with hounds seems to be an awesum hunt!

Charlie;

As usual, great report and pictures!! What a fun hunt! Though I think you'd have fun on any hunt!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Fantastic story and pictures! Maybe someday I will head to Africa without any particular hunt in mind. Seems like a really, relaxing way to spend some time.

BH63

Awesome Charlie and those are some serious bush pigs. Great photos mate.

What a great report,well written and very enjoyable hunt. Thanks for sharing. jc

Good report. Thank you.

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Thank you all.

Andrew - walked and stalked bushpig and then one bayed at 5 meter with hounds (and I know you are not 100% sold on the hound thing!)! It was awesome fun !

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What a great report and looks like it was a fantastic time. Congratulations!

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie64:
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Thank you all.

Andrew - walked and stalked bushpig and then one bayed at 5 meter with hounds (and I know you are not 100% sold on the hound thing!)! It was awesome fun !

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That style of hunting bushpig is traditional in parts of Africa mate and I might try myself one day.

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Tell me when you plan to do it and I'll come along too!

Cheers

.

Beautifull safari ,very interesting ,and the dogs are beautifull .Hunting with dogs ,for me is very special ,i just love them .Charlie my friend ,you did it again ,the best report .