Technically this isn't a hunting report, since it is not really about a hunting safari but a corporate team building weekend in South Africa. As many of you know, the firm I work for does civil engineering projects in Africa. Our company manager in Madagascar and our company manager in Mozambique were to be transiting in Joburg at the same time as me, on my way to Harare where I am today.

So, we decided it was the ideal opportunity for 4 company directors to meet for some team building over a weekend in Joburg. I contacted Andrew McLaren who made all the arrangements, and we were delighted with his management of our needs, which included everything from trout fishing for one, golf for another, a night game drive for us all and a little cull hunting for me. For those of you who don't know Andrew, he is a true gentleman and excellent company. He also made the right choices when guiding us through the wine list (important when you've got French clients), although he claims to know nothing about wine.

We stayed at Kloofzicht Lodge not far from Joburg, and it is a very nice place for this sort of activity. The accommodations and food were excellent and because Andrew's son John is the estate manager, I was allowed to do some culling which would normally be done by him; it is not primarily a hunting reserve.

John McLaren wanted a single horned Impala to be culled and added that Blesbok could also be taken. So I shot the unicorned Impala and also took a Blesbok, which I had never hunted before. A bonus for me was being able to take my boss as an observer on the second day for a full day of hunting. Since he wanted to feel useful (some bosses are like that) he carried the rifle and dragged the impala carcass down the mountain. So I had my PH and my gunbearer cum carcass dragger which makes for most enjoyable hunting. I highly recommend this arrangement should you wish to introduce your boss to African hunting.

The view from my room at Kloofzicht:



The blesbok:





The one-horned impala. Andrew McLaren at the left in this photograph:

Well, if you enjoy socializing with company people, have fun. By the way was your firm involved in the construction of Iraq's nuclear facility Israel took out a few years back?

Bryan,

We don't work on nuclear plants; mostly roads, bridges, ports, airports, etc.

Wink

Not a bad way to mix business with pleasure. It is nice to hear you say good things about Andrew. I've never met him, but he seems like a really nice fellow. Good for both of you!

My little shop does about the same thing, here in the Caribbean, albeit on a much smaller scale

Sounds like I should be working for you!

Best "team building" report I have seen.

Well done Wink! I agree with Charles... I may see if I can get our Board to bite on a team building exercise in the RSA. I hope they don't laugh me out of the board room!

Sure beats examining your navel and walking around in the sand on Cape Cod.

Way to go.

I used Andrew's Musgrave rifle in .308 Winchester with an 8x fixed power Zeiss scope, and his reloads with 150 grain Nosler Partitions. Both were one shot kills at very short ranges.

We were tip-toeing in the dense bush on the hillside when two blesbok decided to climb the hill, basically walking right up to us. I noticed that these antelope, when walking up a steep slope at least, can't see that far ahead of themselves, perhaps because of the uphill angle. When the blesbok realised we were there, they were probably only about 5 yards from Andrew. It was an amazing situation and a first for me, since my only previous experience with blesbok made me believe that I would never get close to one, requiring most likely a very long shot. Terrain means everything.

For the impala the next day, we knew it wasn't out in the flat grassy area of the reserve, since we could glass the plains fairly quickly. So we once again decided to comb the dense brush on the hillsides. Average visibility was probably only about 25 yards, with the occasional tunnel of visibility out to 75 or 100 yards. We moved very slowly and very quietly, moving into the wind. Two impala, including the one-horned impala, were bedded down in a small mixed group which included 4 or 5 eland and at least one waterbuck. The two impala took off up the hill, separating from the others. Andrew tracked and we finally came to within about 25 yards of the one-horned impala. I shouldered and shot.