My brother, fiance and I hunted with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris (CVS) last year on our first African safari.

We wanted our first African hunting experience to be a memorable one, and CVS created the trip of a lifetime for us.

We hunted in 5 areas during our 15 day hunt.
1. Nottingham Roads Conservancy in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
2. Fugitive's Drift Game Reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
3. Willem Pretorious Game Reserve in the Orange Free State.
4. Pilanesberg National Park in the Northern Province.
5. Derksen's Game Reserve in the Northern Province.

I shot 22 animals during the hunt, my brother shot 11. We saw a tremendous variety and quantity of game and the trophy quality was very good. Our combined trophy list is as follows:

Common Reedbuck 13 4/8"
Common Reedbuck 12"
Cape Bushbuck 12 6/8"
Nyala 24 2/8"
Nyala 26"
Blue Wildebeest 30"
Impala 20"
Impala 22"
Impala 23 2/8"
Zebra stallion
Zebra mare
Kudu 60 4/8"
Blesbok 16"
Black Wildebeest 24"
Black Wildebeest 24 4/8"
Black Wildebeest 23"
Red Hartebeest 23 1/8"
Red Hartebeest 22"
Springbok 12 4/8"
Grey Duiker 4 3/8"
Grey Duiker 4"
Eland 35 6/8"
Eland 32
Eland 35 6/8"
Warthog 12 2/8"
Warthog 13"
Warthog 12"
Black-back Jackal
Baboon
Gemsbok 36 2/8"
Gemsbok 31"
Mountain Reedbuck 6"
Caracal

Trophy photos can be viewed in an online album at the following address:

http://community.webshots.com/album/22883557wutrVBTzFn

The PH's, James Quin and Darren Baker, were terrific. The trackers and skinners were first rate.

Accomodations were very comfortable; the food was excellent, varied and plentiful.

The vehicles were comfortable, well-equiped and in good repair with no mechanical problems encountered during the hunt.

CVS is the oldest continually operating Safari Outfitter in South Africa. They have exclusive use of some of the best hunting areas in the country.

Their entire operation is first-class and very professionally run. They offer Big 5 hunts, plains game hunts and birdshooting.

A sister company, Coenraad Vermaak African Adventures, offers game viewing and touring throughout Southern Africa.

Coenraad probably has more Big 5 animals in the record books than any other outfitter in Southern Africa.

I would not hesitate to recommend CVS to anyone, whether first timers or experienced african hunters.

Consult their website for more details: www.cvsafaris.co.za or visit their booth at SCI in Reno or the Dallas and Houston Safari Club shows.

[ 07-29-2002, 00:57: Message edited by: Mark in SC ]

Coenraad has been a fixture in the RSA Safari business for a long time. I have shared a few beers with him in Hilton. Back in the Hunters & Guides days he introduced and nurtured a lot of new PHs. Many started their own operations and are thriving today because of him. Yes, he has had his hands slapped, however, from a client's perspective he is great and has access to some truly wonderful, productive, and very exclusive hunting areas.

Mark you collected an impressive list of animals. The only problem that I see was you only took one baboon. You gotta do better next time!

CVS is great. I've hunted with them twice. Ph's have been Hans "Scruffy" Vermaak and Peter Gernetsky. Coenraad is a good man.

Zero Drift, I agree. Not wiping out more of those obnoxious bastards was the only shortcoming of the whole trip! They trashed our camp in Willem Pretorious Game Reserve several times.

We frequently heard them in the bush and kopjes around the camps. But when I tried to stalk them with a rifle they would shut up and disappear. Once in awhile we got brief glimpses, but I never got another good shot at a mature male.

On our hunt this year with Bateleur Safaris, we set out to hunt babooons several times. We saw lots of females and youngsters, but once again, the mature males were too crafty to stand around in the open for very long.

Next trip I'll try to do better. I had a skull mount done on the one from last year. I want another big male for an open-mouthed, pedestal shoulder mount.

Mark, I carry a scoped S&W .44 Pro Hunter II specifically for monkeys. I have a collection of bobo skulls that would make Jeffrey Dahmer blush. The small ones are particularly ominous looking - yes we even waste the little guys before they can grow up to be big guys. (Greenpeace loves us) Get them young before they have 300 offspring. We refer to monkey bullets as �birth control pills�.

I hate dem bobos

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to mention that I have had the pleasure of hunting with CVS twice in RSA and found their performance to be exemplary. I have never had a better time. Hunted Rooipoort preserve for plains game, with PH Clive Curtis. Drank far too much with Scruff.
Can't say enough about the quality of PH and camp help, as well as the hunters and trackers. Dedicated professionals. Truly, top of their business.


edit: Also, spent days running the river for Baboon. They were a lot of fun to hunt.

ZeroDrift - Funny stuff. I hate baboons as well.

I have known Coenraad for 20+ years. He has a life time of experience and put a lot of young PHs into business. For that he deserves recognition.

FrankLee - I have not hunted Rooipoort, but have been there several times. Amazing place and even more amazing animals. Every other head is gold metal quality.

This thread brought back some good memories.

Coenraad was a panelist for four or five years on the 'First African Safari" seminar that I moderated at SCI conventions for many years, and I was a weekend guest at his home in Hilton a few years ago. He is a gentleman.

As for Rooipoort, I was fortunate to have hunted there three times without a PH in the early 1980s as a guest of DeBeers/Anglo American. Several of the birds and small mammals I collected for the SCI museum in Tucson came from there.

It was a great experience to rent a baakie and go hunting with only a farm worker or a fellow hunter accompanying me. Unfortunately, those days are no more in southern Africa.

Bill Quimby

Good shooting...

Mike

Some of my favorite people. Many wonderful experiences....

quote:

Originally posted by Opus1:

FrankLee - I have not hunted Rooipoort, but have been there several times. Amazing place and even more amazing animals. Every other head is gold metal quality.

I couldn't believe when our PH would see a fantastic animal and say: Wait, there are better. He was right, too.

Fantastic place, Rooipoort. Outstanding.