I had been warned that travelling through Africa over christmas should be avoided due to rain, heat, & high grasses.Disregarding this advice I booked my Safari to Africa leaving Sydney on 20th December 2007 & returning on 12th January 2008.This was to be the first International trip that I had booked entirely on-line.
Since I enjoy fishing together with hunting my first stop was Capetown, where I chartered the 30ft Indulgence for a days Tuna fishing, & lobster catching.
On the 26th December I caught a flight from Capetown to Johburg.I was to be picked up the next morning by my PH Wiehan & driven 4 hours to the Limpopo region where we had access to hunt several concessions totalling over 80,000 acres.
The accomodation consisted of several free standing cottages with thatched roofs, equiped with shower & toilet. There was a swimming pool,a main dining Lapa with fully stocked bar & traditional African firepit. I learnt I was the only hunter staying at the lodge, together with my PH & the owner & his family. Apparently there had been no other hunters for a month, & the next hunters would not be coming until March.
Wiehan presented me with a Musgrave 308 bolt action rifle fitted with a 4x32 scope & leather sling. This was to be my rifle for the next 8 days. After freshening up we took the 308 to a range at the back of the accomodation. I fired several groups from sandbags,& then from shooting sticks.With the sighting-in done, Wiehan suggested we go for an afternoon hunt- all within a couple of hours of arriving- I was keen.
We drove the Landrover about 20 minutes drive to a 30,000 acre hunting concession. This Bushveldt was similar country to Australia & the climate was similar to hunting outbak Australia in the summer, which I was familiar with -Bloody Hot, but bearable. That first afternoon saw us stalking through thick bush spotting many Impala, Zebra, Baboon, Warthog & various species of small antelope.
The following morning saw us rise at 4.15am ,a quick breakfast & hit the road before sunrise. We would hunt till 11 then head home for lunch & a nap,& then go out for an afternoon hunt around 4pm.This would be our routine for the next 8 days.
Wiehan drove me to another 20,000 acre hunting concession that was mainly cleared plains. There were an abundance of species of plains game that could easily be spotted at distance. The idea was to spot a trophy then drive the vehicle out of sight. We would then stalk the trophy animal using what little cover was available. After several unsuccessful stalks I finally shot my Impala at around 200 yards. .
I explained to Wiehan that although this type of shooting provided me with plenty of targets, I prefer to stalk the thick bush. Wiehan said he catered for a variety of clients, some were trophy collectors & others prefered hunting-like myself. From this point on we would spend our hunting time stalking the thick bush ,approaching many different species of animals within 50 yards ,just to observe them.
The 308 proved to be a one shot rifle for even Zebra & Eland. I was surprised to learn that Wiehan & his friends mainly used 308's for their plains game hunting. .
I suppose another downside to hunting Africa in their summer months were the ticks & snakes. After every hunt I would shower then spend 20 minutes removing up to a dozen ticks from my body. Whilst hunting the thick bush we saw 2 deadly Momba snakes, & at one stage Wiehan told me to cover my eyes with my hands as a Mozambique Spitting Cobra raised its head & flared its hood between us. I was instructed to stand perfectly still as the snake would back-off. Luckily it did.
After the hunt I visited Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe .I white water rafted the Zambizi River & visited a game park in Botswana.The climate was hot & humid with frequent storms in Victoria Falls in January. .
I had a fantastic 3 week trip which gave me a taste of Africa. Everything I booked on line worked out & Idid not get sick. I will definately return to Africa, though will probably pick the cooler months next time.

This was the lobster photo that I doubled up with with the Tuna photo in my post- Still learning the photobucket thing.

Nice one!
Can you tell me a bit about your flights? Who with, route etc and anything you can pass on about pricing or good time of year to fly??
We hear a lot about US travel details, but none from this side of the world!

Very nice. Congratulations.

I first enquired about availability of hunting dates & based my trip around this. I roughed out an itinerary & went to a travel agent. The travel agent was hopeless, & said I was wasting my time trying to fly on the dates I had requested. I returned home & booked on-line direct with Qantas. I even had a choice of flights flying to Johanesburg, via Perth. I used Johburg as a hub, & booked all my internal flights on South African Airways. I researched a guide that offered airport transfer to the hunting concession.The hunting part of my trip (8 days)costed $5,500 all up including trophy fees,ex Johburg. This cost can vairy considerably depending on what you shoot.As I did some side trips to Capetown & Zimbabwe I didn't want to carry my rifle with me. I was charged $30 hire for rifle and ammunition.I think the prices may have been cheaper because they don't get many hunters in Dec/Jan. Airfares from Sydney to Johburg vairy from $1,800 to $3,000 depending on time of year. Good hotels in the cities are $150 - $300 per night. As I found out, the best time of year to go -is when you decide to go.

Beautiful pictures and that's a gorgeous Eland.

Looks like all kinds of FUN!

Thanks for sharing!

That is a nice Eland. It has great definition in the horns. The fishing thing is something I hope to add this April. Congrats on a great hunt. Did you have any problems booking all your travel on-line?

It just shows that it can be done.

I'm sure Wiehan would like to be better identified so that others can contact him?

That's a very nice eland! Very indistinct white stripes indicate he's got some Livinstone's in his genes??

Congratulations on a nice "Do-it-Yourself" booking and hunt.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

Nice eland! I'll have that one in mind next June in Namibia!

Out standing hunt. What loads did you use in the .308?