Sorry to keep you fellas waiting - work, family, and school has been quite hectic after two weeks away. Without further delay, here is the full report. Due to the large number of images I'm posting (you all wanted pictures!), this will be in three parts.
Hunt: Predators, Varmints, Wingshooting, Big Game
Hunt Location: Various locales in South Africa
Hunt Outfitter: Lochi Lochner (Lochi from Africa of PM and Accurate Reloading) and Andrew McLaren of Andrew McLaren Safaris
Professional Hunters and/or organizers: Andrew McLaren, Gerhard of this forum, Wimpie of AR
Equipment: CZ 527 American in .223, Winchester M70 in .338 Win, Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout range finder, Kahles 10X42 binocular, Gerhard’s Lightforce spotlight, random clothing and accessories
As many of you know, Lochi donated a predator/varmint hunt to Predator Masters a couple of years ago at the Member Hunt in Globe, AZ. After the original buyer had some difficulty with schedules, I purchased the hunt from him and began making arrangements with Lochi for the hunt. Days before I was to depart, ground and cabin crews of South African Airways went on strike, prompting the cancellation of most flights, mine included. When the strike was over, I was able to reschedule, but the only available flights fell when Lochi had another client in town. Andrew, Gerhard, and Wimpie stepped up to the plate and arranged quite an itinerary for me.
After 30 hours in various cars and planes, I arrived at the Johannesburg airport on Thursday August 11, where I was greeted by a smiling Wimpie and delivered to Lochi’s home for the night. Lochi was the consummate host, but had to leave early the next morning to pick up his other client. Wimpie and Gerhard arrived at about noon on Friday and we were off for Andrew’s place (Mervilla) in the Free State. We arrive shortly before dark with just enough time remaining to check the zero of my CZ 527 .223, then were off for some night-time varminting. We had barely left the house when we spotted eyes in the beam of Gerhard’s Lightforce spotlight (amazing things!). It was a mere rabbit, but would taste fine, so I took him out with Andrew’s silenced .22, followed by another just a few hundred yards later. The third set of eyes was not a rabbit, but a cape fox! He was a bit far out, but when we shut down the truck and Gerhard went to squealin’ on his Crit’r Call, the fox made a beeline for us. At about 100 yards, he stopped and offered a nice broadside shot, which I took.
To celebrate my first African predator, Gerhard treated us all to a shot of Jackal’s Teeth, which after the first shot I renamed Jackal [beeep]. A wonderfully distasteful concoction of secret alcoholic ingredients, Jackal [beeep] almost became a deterrent to future predator shooting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif. We cruised around some more, just getting a feel for things and looking for eyes. Our destination was the home of a local farmer, on whose land we were hunting and who we hoped would show us to some good jackal calling sites. On the way there, we spotted a large African porcupine, considered by farmers to be a pest. We screeched to a halt and I was directed to shoot him. I obliged, and Andrew’s helper William was soon adding the fat porcupine to his growing meat pile. Apparently they’re quite tasty, though I never got the opportunity to try it.
We stopped at the farmer’s house, shared some coffee, then headed out. We made several stands in likely places (calling from the truck ala Texas), but despite Gerhard’s best e-calling were unable to get a response. We did see several springhares, large rodents similar in build to our kangaroo rats. I shot several of these to add to the meat pile.
After returning the farmer home after midnight, we set out for Mervilla. Along the way we saw a number of creatures, including an aardvark, aardwolves, more springhares, bat-eared foxes, numerous steenbok, 2 duikers, and some springbok. After watching the small herd of springbok for a bit, I prepared to move on. Andrew had other ideas, however, and told me to take one if they stopped. Night-time culling, while not hunting in any sense of the word, is a perfectly legal and very effective game management tool used all over South Africa’s mainly private lands. When the herd stopped, I took a 261 yard shot at the rearmost animal, dropping him in his tracks. We would be having springbok for supper tomorrow! With meat to take care of, we called it a night and were in bed at about 4:00 am.
About four hours later, I awoke to the sounds of a distress call. Nothing like practice, right? After breakfast we grabbed the shotguns and headed out for some wingshooting. First stop was a small pond, where we jumped some yellow-billed ducks (basically Africa’s version of the mallard). Gerhard made a brilliant shot on one as it departed, putting Andrew’s GSP to work as a retriever. Next was a hike through some harvested fields, where we jumped a few pheasants. Andrew was able to get one of those, but the rest of us were left wanting. Then we moved on for some pigeon and dove jump-shooting. We all got some of that action, with numerous pigeons and a couple doves falling to our shots. At about 2 pm, we took a midday respite back at Mervilla, which consisted of a couple cold Castles (African for “beer”), some sandwiches, and a bowhunting video.
Just before dark, Andrew dropped Gerhard and me in a wide open field surrounded by very likely looking coyote (and hopefully jackal) country. We hiked out to a good spot, set up, and I started calling with one of my custom hand calls. Using it we called in only several rabbits (odd…), so I switched to the Weems. Gerhard soon spotted eyes, and I got ready. Unfortunately, they belonged to a steenbok, one of the tiny antelope. He eventually got bored and left, but was replaced on our downwind side by another set of eyes. Fearing that it was another steenbok, I held my shot until it was too late. We finally identified the eyes as those of a well-educated jackal, by which time he already out of range and moving farther. We hiked a bit and made another stand, but with no results. Andrew picked us up shortly after that and we returned to the house for dinner: eland, springbok, salad, and rice.
After dinner, we gathered our gear, dressed in warm clothes, and picked up the friendly farmer and drove to another of his properties where he had seen a number of jackals. We made several stands, but had no takers. On the third or fourth stand, Gerhard called for about 20 minutes before spotting eyes coming our way. We IDed them as jackals and let them come. At about 100 yards, one stopped (we lost sight of the other) facing us, and I took the shot. What?! I missed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif The jackal dashed about 50 yards then stopped broadside, and I promptly missed again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif He didn’t wait around for another shot. Feeling like a heel (especially after the previous night’s pretty good shooting), I had to confirm my rifle’s zero. It was right where it was supposed to be – 3” high at 100 yards, just enough to put both my shots just over the jackal. Damn, I’d forgotten to compensate for that. It was getting quite late, so we decided to try for one more stand before calling it a night. We set up in an open field near a water tank and began calling into the nearby hills. Response was immediate – from the cows! We soon had about 40 head around our speaker. The cows had been lingering for about 15 minutes when we spotted eyes on the hill in the distance. The critter, which we’d determined was a most likely a jackal, was hung up at about 250 yards just over the backs of the cattle, leaving me no shot. Gerhard switched to his new Weems call and soon had the critter headed our way. When he cleared the cattle he was still a ways off, but the shot was clear so I took it. Bang, flop. We hiked out and found another beautiful cape fox. That fine 225 yard shot (rangefinder) deserved another shot of Jackal [beeep] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
We returned the farmer to his home and headed our own way. As we drove home, I shot another porcupine, and Wimpie, Gerhard, and I each shot a springhare, mostly so I could have a photo-op with the three of us.
We made it to bed at about 4:30 am, but were up again at about 10:00. We hung around shooting Wimpie’s Matthews Outback before lunch. At about 1:30, Gerhard and Wimpie took their leave after we made tentative plans to meet up again next weekend for some more hunting. Andrew and I sat down to discuss the coming week’s activities. Though the primary purpose of this hunt was predators and varmints, Andrew had made arrangements for me to hunt several species of big game at additional cost to me. Since I was already in the country, it was a great opportunity to hunt some new species, and Andrew has access to some very fine hunting properties.
Go to Part 2 of the hunt report
Hunt: Predators, Varmints, Wingshooting, Big Game
Hunt Location: Various locales in South Africa
Hunt Outfitter: Lochi Lochner (Lochi from Africa of PM and Accurate Reloading) and Andrew McLaren of Andrew McLaren Safaris
Professional Hunters and/or organizers: Andrew McLaren, Gerhard of this forum, Wimpie of AR
Equipment: CZ 527 American in .223, Winchester M70 in .338 Win, Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout range finder, Kahles 10X42 binocular, Gerhard’s Lightforce spotlight, random clothing and accessories
As many of you know, Lochi donated a predator/varmint hunt to Predator Masters a couple of years ago at the Member Hunt in Globe, AZ. After the original buyer had some difficulty with schedules, I purchased the hunt from him and began making arrangements with Lochi for the hunt. Days before I was to depart, ground and cabin crews of South African Airways went on strike, prompting the cancellation of most flights, mine included. When the strike was over, I was able to reschedule, but the only available flights fell when Lochi had another client in town. Andrew, Gerhard, and Wimpie stepped up to the plate and arranged quite an itinerary for me.
After 30 hours in various cars and planes, I arrived at the Johannesburg airport on Thursday August 11, where I was greeted by a smiling Wimpie and delivered to Lochi’s home for the night. Lochi was the consummate host, but had to leave early the next morning to pick up his other client. Wimpie and Gerhard arrived at about noon on Friday and we were off for Andrew’s place (Mervilla) in the Free State. We arrive shortly before dark with just enough time remaining to check the zero of my CZ 527 .223, then were off for some night-time varminting. We had barely left the house when we spotted eyes in the beam of Gerhard’s Lightforce spotlight (amazing things!). It was a mere rabbit, but would taste fine, so I took him out with Andrew’s silenced .22, followed by another just a few hundred yards later. The third set of eyes was not a rabbit, but a cape fox! He was a bit far out, but when we shut down the truck and Gerhard went to squealin’ on his Crit’r Call, the fox made a beeline for us. At about 100 yards, he stopped and offered a nice broadside shot, which I took.
To celebrate my first African predator, Gerhard treated us all to a shot of Jackal’s Teeth, which after the first shot I renamed Jackal [beeep]. A wonderfully distasteful concoction of secret alcoholic ingredients, Jackal [beeep] almost became a deterrent to future predator shooting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif. We cruised around some more, just getting a feel for things and looking for eyes. Our destination was the home of a local farmer, on whose land we were hunting and who we hoped would show us to some good jackal calling sites. On the way there, we spotted a large African porcupine, considered by farmers to be a pest. We screeched to a halt and I was directed to shoot him. I obliged, and Andrew’s helper William was soon adding the fat porcupine to his growing meat pile. Apparently they’re quite tasty, though I never got the opportunity to try it.
We stopped at the farmer’s house, shared some coffee, then headed out. We made several stands in likely places (calling from the truck ala Texas), but despite Gerhard’s best e-calling were unable to get a response. We did see several springhares, large rodents similar in build to our kangaroo rats. I shot several of these to add to the meat pile.
After returning the farmer home after midnight, we set out for Mervilla. Along the way we saw a number of creatures, including an aardvark, aardwolves, more springhares, bat-eared foxes, numerous steenbok, 2 duikers, and some springbok. After watching the small herd of springbok for a bit, I prepared to move on. Andrew had other ideas, however, and told me to take one if they stopped. Night-time culling, while not hunting in any sense of the word, is a perfectly legal and very effective game management tool used all over South Africa’s mainly private lands. When the herd stopped, I took a 261 yard shot at the rearmost animal, dropping him in his tracks. We would be having springbok for supper tomorrow! With meat to take care of, we called it a night and were in bed at about 4:00 am.
About four hours later, I awoke to the sounds of a distress call. Nothing like practice, right? After breakfast we grabbed the shotguns and headed out for some wingshooting. First stop was a small pond, where we jumped some yellow-billed ducks (basically Africa’s version of the mallard). Gerhard made a brilliant shot on one as it departed, putting Andrew’s GSP to work as a retriever. Next was a hike through some harvested fields, where we jumped a few pheasants. Andrew was able to get one of those, but the rest of us were left wanting. Then we moved on for some pigeon and dove jump-shooting. We all got some of that action, with numerous pigeons and a couple doves falling to our shots. At about 2 pm, we took a midday respite back at Mervilla, which consisted of a couple cold Castles (African for “beer”), some sandwiches, and a bowhunting video.
Just before dark, Andrew dropped Gerhard and me in a wide open field surrounded by very likely looking coyote (and hopefully jackal) country. We hiked out to a good spot, set up, and I started calling with one of my custom hand calls. Using it we called in only several rabbits (odd…), so I switched to the Weems. Gerhard soon spotted eyes, and I got ready. Unfortunately, they belonged to a steenbok, one of the tiny antelope. He eventually got bored and left, but was replaced on our downwind side by another set of eyes. Fearing that it was another steenbok, I held my shot until it was too late. We finally identified the eyes as those of a well-educated jackal, by which time he already out of range and moving farther. We hiked a bit and made another stand, but with no results. Andrew picked us up shortly after that and we returned to the house for dinner: eland, springbok, salad, and rice.
After dinner, we gathered our gear, dressed in warm clothes, and picked up the friendly farmer and drove to another of his properties where he had seen a number of jackals. We made several stands, but had no takers. On the third or fourth stand, Gerhard called for about 20 minutes before spotting eyes coming our way. We IDed them as jackals and let them come. At about 100 yards, one stopped (we lost sight of the other) facing us, and I took the shot. What?! I missed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif The jackal dashed about 50 yards then stopped broadside, and I promptly missed again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif He didn’t wait around for another shot. Feeling like a heel (especially after the previous night’s pretty good shooting), I had to confirm my rifle’s zero. It was right where it was supposed to be – 3” high at 100 yards, just enough to put both my shots just over the jackal. Damn, I’d forgotten to compensate for that. It was getting quite late, so we decided to try for one more stand before calling it a night. We set up in an open field near a water tank and began calling into the nearby hills. Response was immediate – from the cows! We soon had about 40 head around our speaker. The cows had been lingering for about 15 minutes when we spotted eyes on the hill in the distance. The critter, which we’d determined was a most likely a jackal, was hung up at about 250 yards just over the backs of the cattle, leaving me no shot. Gerhard switched to his new Weems call and soon had the critter headed our way. When he cleared the cattle he was still a ways off, but the shot was clear so I took it. Bang, flop. We hiked out and found another beautiful cape fox. That fine 225 yard shot (rangefinder) deserved another shot of Jackal [beeep] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.
We returned the farmer to his home and headed our own way. As we drove home, I shot another porcupine, and Wimpie, Gerhard, and I each shot a springhare, mostly so I could have a photo-op with the three of us.
We made it to bed at about 4:30 am, but were up again at about 10:00. We hung around shooting Wimpie’s Matthews Outback before lunch. At about 1:30, Gerhard and Wimpie took their leave after we made tentative plans to meet up again next weekend for some more hunting. Andrew and I sat down to discuss the coming week’s activities. Though the primary purpose of this hunt was predators and varmints, Andrew had made arrangements for me to hunt several species of big game at additional cost to me. Since I was already in the country, it was a great opportunity to hunt some new species, and Andrew has access to some very fine hunting properties.
Go to Part 2 of the hunt report
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